Arigato Sushi of Santa Barbara
We were led up a flight of stairs…
…along the left side of the restaurant to a quaint loft area that overlooked the first floor below.
A large front panel of glass gave us a nice view of the hustle and bustle of State Street here in downtown Santa Barbara.
Arigato Sushi
This was my first time dining at Arigato Sushi, and already I was enjoying the ambience, the decor and the positive vibe of the place.
For a Vegan, I was delighted to find quite a few Vegan-friendly entrées on the menu. And I opted for the Mushroom Miso Soup, the California Garden Salad, and the Zen Roll. Our group shared several appetizer dishes and I was able to enjoy the spicy edamame.
In A Nutshell?
The food was excellent and the way it was prepared and presented on the plates was significant.
Although I heard this place gets busy with long waits, we lucked out and were the first customers to dine in the loft area.
Notable Entrées
Arigato Sushi had more vegan choices than other restaurants.
Mushroom Miso Soup
This Mushroom Miso Soup is to-die-for. I’d come back for this soup alone.
California Garden Salad
One thing I truly like is when a Japanese Restaurant offers a vegan-friendly salad. This one was exceptional!
Wasabi & Ginger
Simply one of the best presentations of Wasabi and Ginger I’ve ever seen.
Zen Roll
This was the best veggie roll I’ve had so far, and being called the ‘Zen Roll’ was perfect for me.
Sauted Muscles with Sake
Although I’m a vegan and didn’t try this one, it looked simply fabulous.
Red Bean Azuki Ice Cream
Another dish I couldn’t eat, but looked awesome. The ice cream!
5 out of 5
I give this restaurant 5 out of 5 stars!
I must say that I was quite impressed with this restaurant, and that’s pretty great for a first impression. Again, I was glad there were more vegan choices on the menu, and that means I’m more-than-likely to come back again.
As a vegan, it’s really hard to dine out when your group are mostly omnivores, so having more than 1 or 2 choices on the menu is great. With Japanese Restaurants there really are more vegan choices, but with Arigato Sushi, I was pleasantly surprised to find even more choices available to me.
