Outdated pricing details 
MissAmyQ's Table
| Location |
| 707 2nd Street |
| Hours |
| Lunch Daily 10:30-2:30pm |
| Dinner Daily 4:30-9:00pm |
| Phone |
| (530)297-1999 |
| Website |
| http://www.davissushibuffet.com |
| Owner |
| Trieu Huynh |
| Established |
| June 1, 2008 |
| Price range |
| Lunch - $13.95 |
| Dinner - $17.95 |
| Payment Methods |
| Cash, Visa, Mastercard, Discover |
Davis Sushi Buffet Japanese Restaurant is an all day sushi buffet located on 2nd Street.
This restaurant is in the former location of Kabul Afghan Cuisine. It was mentioned in a note in the February 2008 issue of Davis Life Magazine at the end of an article written about Kabul before it closed, saying "A Davis Life Magazine staff member met a man at the Second Street site claiming to be the new owner who is hard at work transforming the space into a Japanese restaurant where they will serve an all-you-can-eat sushi buffet all day long."
Jonathan Borrayo created their Bomb-Bomb Roll.
You used to be able to get a free meal on your birthday here, no conditions. Now you can get a free meal here on your birthday with a party of 6+.
As of March 21, 2008 they had a Notice of Application to Sell Alcohol posted and it is on file with the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. Davis Sushi Buffet has a less than stellar health inspection record.
Davis Sushi Buffet is known to serve the fish Escolar, or snake mackerel, which is also fraudulently marketed as white tuna, "superwhite" tuna, or butterfish. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escolar. This fish is well-known to cause keriorrhea depending on the person and amount consumed. Keriorrhea is an orange-oily diarrhea caused by wax esters that accumulate in the fish. Escolar is also associated with other digestive issues, including stomach cramps, diarrhea, headaches, nausea, vomiting, and anal leakage. Although escolar is not banned in the U.S., it is banned in some countries including Japan and Italy. The staff and chefs have openly admitted that this very white buttery flavorful fish they serve is escolar, although in the past the staff has passed it off as "superwhite" tuna or albacore.
2008-03-21 19:40:51 did kabul not have a liquor liscence? It says new liscence on the sign, so they are not just transfering it. I thought Kabul served alcohol, but i could be wrong. —MattHh
2008-03-21 21:18:57 This place will be the end of me. Sushi and buffet are two of my favorite words. —MamaLoebs
2008-03-30 22:26:30 Is the demand for sushi within that particular two block radius really that high? —JessicaLuedtke
2008-03-31 12:05:32 Perhaps someday Davis will get a decent family-style Italian restaurant rather than a 6th sushi restaurant. —JimEvans
2008-03-31 17:56:50 I really hope this place offers something that Fuji's, Jusco's, and Nobu's don't offer. I LOVE Japanese food, and even I'm thinking what JimEvans and others are probably thinking. I'd love a Chinese bakery (cheap eats), Hot Pot place, or a sports bar (Duke's was way too far out). —AlvinTsao
2008-05-19 19:04:03 Although that quote in Davis Life Magazine was made, their new business card states they are not open all day. I don't remember exactly what it was now, but it was something like Lunch 11am-2:30pm & Dinner 4:30-9pm. I'll amend this later when I snag a card after work. —SunjeetBaadkar
2008-05-29 01:51:26 I think the name of the restaurant is a little too on the nose — kind of boring. —AlvinTsao
2008-06-01 13:33:32 For those expecting something different from the already existing sushi restaurants, DSB will disappoint. It's pretty much a carbon-copy of Fuji's, albeit with a nicer dining area. The fish was fresher, and the service was better than Fuji's, but this was on opening day. If DSB can keep up the level of quality that it had on opening day, then it will easily steal a lot of the Fuji's line on the weekend rush. —SeatonTsai
2008-06-01 13:39:07 Grand Opening was really busy on June 1st, 2008. I celebrated their grand opening with a belly full of sushi. Other than its boring name, the food was an exact replica of the "Fuji's Sushi Buffet" located around the corner. It might as well be called, "Fuji's #2." The items rotating around the sushi bar in little boats contained the familiar items of California rolls, oranges, fried banana, unagi, inari, tamago, spider rolls, and etc. Like Fuji's, you can order special items directly from the sushi chef such as sashimi and tempura. I had hoped that this new restaurant would have some unique items that would differentiate themselves from other sushi buffets. However...the opening of this restaurant might put an end to the long lines that we all dread at Fuji's. —Magster
2008-06-01 14:36:26 This place is Fuji Chef 2.0. Super Fuji, if you will. A notable difference is the ambiance which is a universe lovelier and better than Fuji Chef. The restaurant feels bright, clean, and happy. The staff is extremely friendly, as they should be on their grand opening, and as tentative as one could hope. Although the selection seems almost identical, all the rolls have been improved and enhanced. They made them more colorful and presentable, and even though they taste a bit better with the new flavors, it's pretty much everything we know and should love. They have everything you can order Fuji Chef, so you lose out on nothing going here if Fuji Chef is full. You can also order sashimi too and it's much more appealing and taste just as good, if not better. They even have the sushi boats going around, and you can order just like in Fuji Chef. They have a high definition television above the chefs that play Asian music videos and such, it's fitting; they may play sports in the future, not sure. The staff seems to be entirely Vietnamese, which I have no problem with! I recommend this place whether Fuji Chef is full or not. It was time for a change and an improvement, and this is what most people have been waiting for. Chef Henry, the owner apparently, works among his staff in a friendly manner. Someone should try to take a picture with him. This place has a lame name, so my friends and I have decided to call it Chef Henry's, it will catch on. —CoreyPham
2008-06-02 14:15:32 So as if Davis needed another sushi buffet, here comes chef Henry. I've tried every place in Davis and had to go here to try it out. The food isn't bad. They have sashimi and a couple of unique rolls (Henry and Debby?) The food is about what you can expect at a sushi buffet. It's an upgrade from Fuji's but it's nothing realllllly special. The sashimi wasn't frozen like it often is at Fuji's and seemed fresh but it just opened, so it has to be right? The atmosphere is better than Fuji's. Cleaner (obviously) and without that bleach smell. Some other random observations while eating- the waiters seemed unhappy and people looked mad...also, there was some strange B.O. smell floating around the restaurant but hopefully that wasn't a worker.
Bottom line, it's better than Fuji's, better than Nobu, better than Jusco etc, but why? I'm going to suppose that this place is where all the disgruntled Fuji's workers went to form their own business. No, really. It's pretty funny. Just when you think Davis had all the sushi it could get, here comes Chef Henry to the rescue!!!!!!!!! yeah right.
So overall, it's Fuji's +1. (I actually feel bad for the established Fuji's as this place takes direct aim at their customers....but maybe Fuji's can step it up a little...)The place wasn't bad...but let's see if they can keep it up beyond opening week...that's when we'll really see how good this place is. —sushi
2008-06-02 14:58:52 This place has become my favorite place to get delicious sushi. As restaurants increase their prices, this place offers a variety of delicious Japanese fare at a more than fair price of 12.95. (Right now, it's 10% off, so hurry.) The best part about the place is that they offer fresh sashimi, and tons of it to boot. Rolls, tempura, fresh oysters and even egg rolls can be taken off of the boats as they float by. They even do the fried banana much better than Nobu. The staff only makes the experience better as they are very helpful and generous. I never had to ask for a refill once, as it was often taken care of before I even had to ask. The quality of the sushi is lower than that of Zen Toro, but it definitely has a certain degree of quality that makes it better than every other buffet-styled sushi place in Davis. I think this place has the potential to become the new go-to place for all you can eat sushi. Soon, we won't have to worry about lines for Fuji's, as the lines will be moving to Davis Sushi Buffet. —EmileMorales
2008-06-02 22:32:39 Went here on opening day. My family loved it. Henry (The owner & head chef used to work at Fuji's) remembered us right away and started bringing out my favorites, just the way we like them. Overall better experience than Fuji's. This is the new spot to fill up. Enjoy!!! —Aaron.Curtin
2008-06-02 23:19:01 This place is basically Fuji's, except with better service, cleaner atmosphere, and better looking sushi. It mostly tastes the same as Fuji's did before Fuji's started going downhill. The cooked chicken is, however, a lot better than Fuji's ever had it. Chef Henry has a pretty good setting going on with brighter lights, clean decor, and a plasma TV in the middle of the restaurant. The way he has the restaurant set up allows for much easier access to the chefs when you want to order food.
Concerning the service, many of the workers are the same people that used to work at Fuji's. Chef Henry himself will take your orders and he's a pretty nice guy. I don't feel bad for Fuji's as far as the location goes... I feel bad for Jusco. —BrandonWong
2008-06-04 14:27:11 With a nicer atmosphere, better service, and food...this place is much better than Fujis. Did anyone notice that the sodas were really flat and gross???? They did refill my drink many times without me asking. —jaredfromsubway
2008-06-05 00:31:58 I went here today with a couple of friends and were pleasantly surprised. At first, we were a little taken aback because there were waiters and hostesses outside trying to lure us inside, but once we went in, it was a really nice atmosphere. The waiters were friendly; a little too friendly sometimes. But hey, that's not a bad thing. The food was almost exactly like Fuji's but more fresh. They did tend to use a lot of imitation crab. I saw a waiter there that use to work at Fuji's as well as the owner who use to be Fuji's head chef. Overall, good experience. They still have the 10% off and our sodas were free too. The waiter said that there was free soda for the first month so go this month. —HoYiYeung
2008-06-06 12:50:14 Its almost 1pm and I just stepped outside my shop to see that there is a line outside this place. I wonder if that means Fuji's will have diminished lines... —SunjeetBaadkar
2008-06-06 17:35:53 Yeah, my partner and I drove by earlier today (Friday) and there was a line... Then we drove past Fuji's and there was no line. But it could just be that more people are trying out the new place. Maybe the lines will eventually even out, who knows. But I have yet to see what this place is like. —at86
2008-06-07 03:02:04 There was a mosquito on our plate, when we told one of the waiters what happened he just said, "So, kill it!" When my boyfriend asked for a compensation they waiter asked if we wanted another plate. Uhm, it's all-u-can-eat. They served teryaki salmon and when I asked them for a hot fresh one, the guy just went around the boats looking for one that was already out there. Great, like I couldn't have done that myself and it was cold. —feichu-huya
2008-06-07 10:26:33 So I ended up dining here at around 2:20pm (10 minutes before their buffet ends) with the intention of getting a hand roll to go, but they let me know that they just stop letting people in at 2:30pm (although this ended up not being true as I saw some people coming in when I ended up finally leaving at 2:50pm). So I decided to go for the buffet. Overall, it was good considering it was a buffet. I didn't get around to ordering specific items, so I can't properly rate the food. Generally buffets tend to vary since food could have been sitting out for an indeterminate amount of time and arrive at your mouth not so fresh (as in the case of the chicken I picked off the boat), but if you keep an eye out for when the sushi chef puts a new plate out and stalk it till it reaches your grasp, then you will be delighted with fresh sushi (but even then, it was pretty standard). There were good plates and not so good plates, so overall, the buffet food was satisfying. The free soda and 10% off the bill was a rather nice treat since it allowed me not to spend too much money on a new place. My one gripe is that the bar tables are rather high. Either that or the chairs are too short. And then there was the fact that they sorta cramped all the people at the buffet bar sorta tight. I had just enough room for me to have two plates side by side and a glass of water all next to each other and have about 4 inches to where the person next to me had their meal (my general rule is that a person be given the distance between their elbows when in a seated relaxed position...I was not relaxed). Also, I had a backpack with me and had it at my feet in front of me. However, there was no room to grab at it without getting up out of my seat, pushing my chair back, and then uncomfortably reaching down between two pair of legs of the people on either side of me just to get my wallet. I think next time, if I want comfortable seating, I'm going for a table. But then its a bit annoying having to stand on the sides of the buffet to get each new plate (but maybe thats just me). On a final note, the ambiance was much nicer than most of the sushi places in Davis. The music was more than pleasant (I noticed quite a few people humming along to familiar songs) and the table dining area was much more formal than I expected. I will definitely come back again for the bar, but only if elbow room allows, otherwise you will see me at a table. —SunjeetBaadkar
2008-06-07 12:16:55 After seeing all the good reviews I was excited that perhaps there could be such a thing as a great sushi buffet. Big disappointment! Exactly the same as fuji's except fujis freshly fried their soft shelled crab (we got here at 10:45) everything that you order special tastes very premade. The salmon teryaki i ordered was way overcooked. It tasted a lot like gordons fisherman type fillets you will find in your safeway freezer section. The sashimi was about the same quality as fuji's. Overall, I want Kabul back because this sushi buffet is exactly a carbon copy of fuji's with a little nicer atmosphere. —MattHh
2008-06-08 19:30:57 Uhm...the old lady that ALWAYS stand in front door is pretty kinda scary, how she lures you into it. However, the food pretty good, kinda like fuji's. They do need to work on their fried bananas. i think it was not ripe yet and they fried it so it wasn't as sweet or they used the wrong type of banana. Also, the fresh oysters weren't around when I was there...hmmz...but yea it's kind alike fuji's. I have mixed feelings about this place. —vietgirlwithappetite
2008-06-08 22:36:48 As previously mentioned by MattHh, this restaurant is indeed a "carbon copy" of Fuji's; essentially, the menus are almost identical and the quality of food, drink, and service are similar as well. Before people conceive unfavorable judgments about the business proposition of Davis Sushi Buffet, they need to understand the interpersonal feud between the new (as of 04/19/2008 - coincidentally after the tax filing period) owner of Fuji's, Jasmine Lee, and David Eccles, the brother-in-law of Chef Henry (Davis Sushi Buffet). People may disprove of the decision implemented by Wendell Tek (the business entrepreneur who financed the start up funds for Davis Sushi Buffet) and his colleagues to open the store in close proximity to Fuji's; however, the initial contract to start up the store was between David Eccles and Jasmine Lee because they verbally agreed to sign into a joint venture. However, as rumors about the romantic affair between Jasmine Lee and David Eccles surfaced, Wendell and his colleagues withdrew their funds stating the lack of professionalism from both Jasmine Lee and David Eccles falsely represent Wendell Tek's ethics in the business realm. This infuriated David Eccles, whose attitude and method of handling the situation dissatisfied Jasmine Lee; in turn, she abandoned the joint venture contract between Davis Sushi Buffet and her store, Fuji's. David Eccles' business attorney, who works as the hostess in Chef Henry's restaurant on Sunday and Monday evenings, is currently in the process of filing a new agreement and plan of merger with Jasmine Lee. If successful, David Eccles plans to buy out De Colores next door at 713 2nd Street in order to monopolize the corner of 2nd and G street with more sushi for the Davis community. —RichardTrendall
2008-06-09 03:40:20 The sashimi is super fresh and way better than Fuji's. the environment is nice and service is a lot better than fujis. I hope it actually stays this way though... —evelyn10
2008-06-09 16:04:35 I agree that certain elements were definitely fresher and the seating around the sushi boats gave you much more space than at Fuji's. My only beef (besides the fact that it's almost a carbon copy) is that they did not have scallops for their sushi buffet. All in all though, I would go to DSBJR if Fuji's had a line and vice versa. —AlvinTsao
2008-06-09 16:49:02 I don't know why anyone would actually expect this place to be so much different from Fuji's. The owner, whose virtues are expounded by countless comments above, is evidently a former member of Fuji's staff. Unless he brought new exotic items like sea urchin roe, or live crawling shrimp to the menu, I wouldn't put much faith in a so-called "Japanese Restaurant" which lacks the aura of an authentic Japanese restaurant to begin with, i.e., lack of ENKA music.
One could say that expecting something so exotic as those items I've just mentioned are out of the scope for a sushi restaurant based in Davis. Indeed, so keep in mind that this restaurant is just that, another "Davis-style" sushi restaurant. —AlexQuan
—I don't think people consciously expected Davis Sushi Buffet to be so much different from Fuji's, but rather not essentially the same with identical menus, price, buffet, etc since they're located next to each other (literally - they throw their trash away in the same alley!). —RichardTrendall
2008-06-09 18:03:57 bigger water boat conveyor setup than fujis. its like fujis improved version 2.0 —mikokuriko
2008-06-09 22:15:55 As of posting this comment, I have eaten at this restaurant 4 times since they opened. Their food is laced with addicting drugs. 12 Girls Band! —CoreyPham
2008-06-10 01:07:10 Ate here for the first time yesterday. It was packed, but we only had to wait about 15 minutes. Not bad considering it was around 1pm. Could never get away with that short of a wait at Fugi's. Speaking of Fugi's, it is similar to Fugi's (just as everyone has already pointed out). People say that as though it were a bad thing. So what? It's like Fugi's. Fugi's is the only place of it's kind in the area. How many sushi places offer a decent buffet for that price? Not many. And while there are a few sushi places, they are $$$. Now we have two in Davis. I say, it's about effing time! I don't hear anyone complaining about all the crappy Chinese food this town has! Fugi's is immensely popular as evidenced by the crazy wait times. Every day there is a huge line waiting to get in. Now we have another place to get our sushi fix. Anyway, the food was fresh and tasty. They take requests for sashimi or special rolls. I was impressed by the quality of service. The staff was super attentive even though it was packed. We even had a tiny mix up (believe me when I say it wasn't a big deal), but they reduced our bill by 25% anyway.
The only thing I didn't feel was this alleged "atmosphere" people keep bringing up. Atmosphere? Really? I thought it was exactly like that horrible cafeteria ambience that Fuji's offers. It was packed so it was super loud and people kept bumping into out table and. . .not that great. I came here for the same reason I go to Fugi's: To stuff myself silly with sushi. It isn't the atmosphere that has me going back to Fugi's. And that's not the lure of this place either. Anyway, if you like Fugi's, you'll like this place. —CurlyGirl26
2008-06-13 12:56:01 Because of the price, I probably wouldn't go here for a regular lunch. If you go, expect to eat the buffet because they seem to discourage you from ordering from the menu (menu prices are relatively cheap). I will say, though, that the food was good (except for the fried banana, which was more soggy than what I typically have). I recommend this place for group celebrations, dates, unique occasions... that kind of thing. —YupYup
2008-06-13 23:25:38 Great quality sushi, but they focus too much on fancy rolls instead of nigiri and the simpler stuff. They hardly made any nigiri—all they made was sashimi, until near the end of the buffet and they started putting out nigiri (maybe because they needed to get rid of their rice). There is slightly more variety at Fuji's. Overall, a good restaurant that will fill you up. —ArlenKwong
2008-06-20 04:05:05 All these people are saying that this place is an exact copy of Fuji's, but I disagree with all these statements. At Fuji's, they have their buffet items on the boats and you can order more buffet items if all the plates of sushi that you want are taken (which they most likely are). At Davis Sushi Buffet, they have their items on boats, but you can order any items on the menu at any time. They don't limit their buffet to just a buffet menu, their entire menu can be requested at any time. There is also a person designated to just making custom orders for people. That combined with the fact that I've never been served frozen fish here (unlike the many times at Fuji's), I don't think I'll ever be going back to Fuji's again. —ScarlettYing
2008-06-25 19:52:11 Went here close to opening time last weekend. Plenty of seating, no lines at all. The wait staff was very good, my water got refilled like 7 times, and the sushi chef made sure we had everything we needed. I enjoyed all the rolls I ate. The two downsides: 1) they didn't have a very good selection of rolls on the boats that early. We started seeing more variety towards 11am, but by then I was full. 2) Almost all of their rolls were full of the crab stuff, which I like, but I got tired of it. I guess this falls under lack of selection. But all in all, I really enjoyed my experience here and would definitely recommend this place over Fujis if you like fancy rolls with lots of sauce (I do).
7/10/08 Addition: Went back a second time, a little later this time (eg. 11:30ish) and the variety was much, much better. I like this place. Will definitely return. —AlexPomeranz
2008-06-26 13:38:52 I agree with most of the positive reviews. The only thing I'd add is that the pricing here is very reasonable for young kids: free for those five and under, ages 6 - 12 is half price. Nobu is comparable at half price for "5 and up", free under five. Fuji is $1.25 per year over 3 years old (3 and under is free). I should note that I got the price quotes over the phone, and that Nobu hasn't charged us consistently (in a good way—last couple times out they only charged for the adults). Fuji, by contrast, is very consistent :P . —KevinChin
2008-06-29 22:12:56 I went here yesterday for lunch and it was excellent. The restaurant had an airy feel to it, which seems to be due to the fact that it is all new, and that there is room to move around inside. Prices are competitive to Fuji's and other sushi places in the area. I found ordering at the bar much easier here than at Fuji's. I'm not sure if Fuji's has suffered from their popularity, but in comparison this place surpassed everything I was hoping for. The sashimi was great, not half frozen. The service was so good that the water glasses at our table were never even as low as half full. The bathrooms were clean. Basically, I don't think I'll be going back to Fuji's from now on. —RohiniJasavala
2008-06-29 23:57:52 nice inviting place. nice people also. great place to go pig out, food was tasty. —kelvinkay
2008-07-21 19:35:13 I prefer this place over Fuji's. Sashimi was fresh, and the tempura was really good! —llee10789
2008-07-21 23:45:41 Your meal is on them if it is your birthday. That's what the sign says, and it held up when I walked in on my birthday (today) and showed them my ID. They were friendly, and I walked out full. Excellent meal for the price of a tip. (: —Angel.York
2008-08-08 09:58:40 I think the best comment so far was referring to this place as "Fuji's +1". That's pretty accurate, though it doesn't say a whole lot. It's quite edible for all-you-can eat sushi and the fish was mostly decent... excusing the partially-frozen sashimi I was served (seriously, wtf?).
I'd give it a 5 out of 10 or so, which is pretty darn good for all you can eat.
Money aside though, the food is FAR better at Zen Toro, Moshi Moshi, Osaka, Sushi Unlimited, and even Oshio Cafe are all better in Davis. —JustinKudo
2008-08-08 10:00:58 Oh, forgot to mention. The place is painfully unauthentic - we asked a waitress for sashimi and she asked if we wanted "sosuma". It's a bit disconcerting when your servers don't know what they're selling. But that aside, the service was good and friendly, which was a plus. —JustinKudo
2008-08-16 17:25:17 Went there for the first time, and i have to say it's probably my new favorite sushi place in Davis. A little more expensive than the other all you can eat places, but the attitude of the chefs and quality of the sushi makes up for it. Along with having the best sashimi in Davis, they don't act like they are doing you a huge favor by offering you sashimi. At Fuji, asking for sashimi means a few minutes wait and not even a nod of acknowledgement from the chef that they got your order, so you're not even sure if you'll get it. At Davis Sushi though, they gladly ask if you would like to order anything, and it doesn't take long at all for it to come out. Plus, dinner sushi offers snow crab legs and a few other goodies that would make it $25 and up in other cities. —daovis
2008-08-16 19:04:40 I've been here exactly 10 times since June. My comments still stand. Love this place. —CurlyGirl26
2008-08-27 11:43:35 I tried this place recently. I'd say that the sushi is roughly comparable to Fuji Chef, which has an identically priced sushi buffet around the corner. Davis Sushi was *very* crowded - so much so that it was difficult to place sushi orders, even at the sushi bar. The sushi chefs filled my orders correctly, but I also had to place an order in multiple parts (partly through the wait staff), because the sushi chefs were just too overloaded to place orders directly at some points. The salmon is pretty much identical in quality to Fuji - reasonably tasty, not fantastic, but OK for the price. Much like Fuji, some of it seemed a tad bit on the frozen size. Fuji's unagi is a bit better (and heated properly), and it's much easier to place an order. The atmosphere at Davis Sushi is a bit nicer than at Fuji. I'm pretty split on which one is better. Either one is good if you want fixed price, all you can eat sushi. Neither one is good if you want outstanding sushi - you won't find sushi of the quality that you can get in San Francisco here. But for what you pay, it isn't bad... —IDoNotExist
2008-08-29 15:11:02 I found it indistinguishable from Fuji's, which is either a good or a bad depending on your preferences. That said, I ate one of their big crab legs at dinner, and they were so (unnaturally) salty, that I couldn't finish them. —CraigBrozinsky
2008-08-30 15:53:30 Just came back today and it was very nice! I know its a Fuji #2 because the owner of Fuji sold the old one to other owners and have just opened this joint or as rumored. I really enjoy their Sashimi and their food is always in circulation and fresh. The chefs are really nice and will tend to guests requests. We had to wait, but it wasn't like a terrible wait, it took like 5-10 minutes top around noon-ish. They are cheaper than Fujis by a dollar! —MissAmyQ
2008-09-05 12:30:34 Anyone ever not get the buffet? If so, what items did you order? —SunjeetBaadkar
2008-09-13 20:52:23 It's a sushi buffet restaurant so they do not offer other options except for the buffet.
The salmon sashimi is quite delicious and fresh. However, the other fish are not quite up to par. Also, the alien-like green roe on their sushi makes me not want to eat it.
2008-09-23 15:23:07 This place has improved somewhat. The salmon is definitely better than it was previously - none of the salmon that I ate recently was frozen or overly cold. Also, they have added a large LCD screen that, while I was there, was playing an Animusic DVD. Nice. Alas, their unagi has gone the other way - from not all that good to seriously bad. The unagi they gave me was cold and tasteless. Good unagi should be warm (as it should have just come out of a toaster) and flavorful. Service has improved somewhat, although it can be difficult to get someone to bring you the check. If you order a specific amount of sushi, you may get that amount, something close to that amount, or something completely different from that amount. This means that you may have to order the same thing several times to get the order you originally asked for.
I would currently recommend this place over fuji for atmosphere and salmon. I would currently recommend fuji for unagi over this place. —IDoNotExist
2008-09-29 22:27:22 I love LOVE this place! Definitely better than Fuji's. They even have a side salad bar with edemame, tempura, kabobs, fruits and three sauces. (Now I dont have to keep asking them for these things) Everytime I go here, I'm never disappointed. The owner is wonderful and the chefs are nice and accommodating. They always ask me if I need or want anything. I never seem to need to wait to grab someone's attention unlike other places. Love the California Spicy Unagi Roll and the Davis Rolls. They even let me order the egg tamago sashimi style! And yes, they improved a lot on their Salmon sashimi. Even my boyfriend thought it was surprisingly well done and he's a major picky eater when it comes to sushi. My boyfriend used to go to sushi Nobu for their salmon sashimi but now, it's a no brainer that Davis Sushi Buffet is our #1 choice for sushi buffets. I really can't rant and rave enough about them.
And that picture up there of MissAmyQ's table is making me hungry. Mmmmm Davis sushi... —KimN.
2008-10-05 17:19:06 Another great sushi place in my opinion. I don't do sushi often, so I expected a line similar to one at Fuji's. No line. They easily accommodated our large group (~14 +/-) with a bunch of tables together. Service was good. Food was good too. Lastly, not crowded before 0630-0700 PM on a weekday. —MartySmith
2008-10-15 01:42:07 sushi is ok ,but i still like sushi nobu, their fish much better. —polo
2008-10-18 21:18:35 i went there today and all my friends have a stomach ache! but the lady was nice! —alexlee333
2008-11-07 23:06:34 They seem to offer decent dishes considering their price. Staff is generally friendly and respond promptly to requests. I recommend getting their menu and asking the chef or a waiter for what you want, because they can make a great deal more than what is on the conveyor. —Xenophon
2008-11-10 22:35:16 I went here for dinner after the game on Saturday and was slightly underwhelmed. We were seated at the bar, which was a plus (and it was actually nice not having people reach over you all the time like at Fujis). The staff was very friendly and helpful, and got us our miso soup very quickly (though I had to ask for my sweet potato roll twice and waited 23 minutes for it...I wasn't counting on purpose, I was just trying to pass the time!!). I found that a lot of the food is 1) Fried 2)Saucey or 3)Unidentifiable. I liked having the prawns and fruit buffet-style, that was an added convenience. Also, the bathroom was very clean and nicely decorated. Still, I was not happy with the lack of variety (I saw prawns...salmon...maybe spicy tuna?), and the vast amounts of mayo was a major turn-off. Basically, I paid $20 for dinner ($~18 base and ~$2 tip) and I was less than enthused. Perhaps I will try my luck at lunch sometime. I rate this restaurant a 6.5/10. —ArianeMetz
2008-11-27 00:19:46 i LOVE sushi buffets. I've been going to this restaurant for awhile and it looks like the restaurant keeps trying to make these new dishes that's unidentifiable and when i tasted it...it wasn't pleasant. I hope they can stick with one menu and add new food slowly so they don't get overwhelmed by too many food items. The rolls are really large also, can't fit the whole thing in your mouth and it falls apart. I think they over do the sushi rolls, putting too much stuff on it doesn't make it any better. I think they should simplify their rolls more and it'll improve. —vietgirlwithappetite
2008-12-06 02:00:16 I think this place is great! 9 stars out of 10. Good price, good sushi. I don't know why everyone is saying it's a carbon copy of Fuji's as if Fuji's invented sushi. Really, how many combinations of sushi and sashimi can you make? Every restaurant out there is 90% the same menu as another restaurant of the same cuisine. It's just that extra 10% of variation that the restaurant can experiment wiht. So keep an open mind when you eat here. —E-dawg
2008-12-06 02:21:16 Not that I'm a sushi expert or anything, but I enjoy eating here. The food is nice (if not a bit pricy come dinner) and the chefs are willing to make anything they have the ingredients for. About the only fault I can find is with their service. Everything is self serve except for drinks. I often find that I have an empty glass of water. Would it hurt to put a soda fountain where customers can use it? —WilliamLewis
2008-12-06 04:20:05 In response to E-dawg, sushi restaurants can vary quite a bit in terms of quality, freshness, preparation, presentation, taste, and price. Davis Sushi Buffet and Fuji are remarkably similar in all of these metrics. If you were to go to the Bay Area, you would likely find much higher quality (and higher priced) sushi. In other places, the sushi is not as good. —IDoNotExist
2008-12-07 02:56:14 Fuji's was the original sushi buffet in Davis...Then Davis Sushi tried to steal the show. For a while, Fuji's was going downhill but I'm glad to say that I think it's back on top of the sushi world in Davis. When Davis Sushi Buffet arrived, it was clearly better than Fuji's. Exactly the same, just done better. Cleaner, variety etc. However, I think Fuji's got the message, and one upped them yet again. They now have a a little more variety with the help of some new items on the menu and have cleaned the place up a bit. Prices are now 12.95 no matter what day of the week you eat for lunch.
After 3.5 years of eating Fuji's, I was sad to see it go down and get passed up by Davis Sushi Buffet....But after maybe 1/2 a year of being a fan of Davis Sushi Buffet, I'm back on track with Fuji's...too bad I won't be there anymore. =(
It's gotten better and it's THE original. The former owner retired and the new owner seemed really nice and chatted it up a bit before lunch. Why support the idea of Davis Sushi Buffet when it was only a replica of Fuji's and simply stole their ideas? That's just my opinion. I almost miss the good old days where you had to line up all the way past Ground Zero for Fuji's an hour before it opened. It was a little ridiculous but that was all part of the deal.
Stick to the original and don't support the "biters." —sushi
- Ummm, this sounds a lot more like a review for Fuji Chef than for Davis Sushi Buffet. Maybe if you put word-for-word the same thing on the Fuji Chef page...—JoePomidor
2008-12-08 20:37:22 The service here was great during the grand opening, but lately they forget orders such as miso soup. And now also the food quality has been going down, almost to the same level as fujis. —timlee87
2008-12-09 10:45:43 Personally, I feel like this place is wayyy better than Fujis. Well, not WAYYY better, but it's better. Hah. I like that they have a greater selection! And at lunch, they even have sesame balls, which totally made my day. THe sushi is okay, it's nothing spectacular, but then again, it's a sushi buffet so I'm not really expecting too much.! —renee415
2008-12-14 03:36:28 I went here with a couple friends, i thought it was better than fuji but still alike, the sushi is not that good since i tihnk they try to prepare it to fast. Still i got a bad stare from one of the workers when i order an all octupus shashimi -.- and they only gave me 4 THIN slices. Kind of pricy, 13 compared to 11 at Jusco. My opinion, i go to jusco for the price and the quality, Try it! —aznstryder712
2008-12-14 20:08:15 Quite expensive. Sushi for the sushi buffet is probably the best, quality wise, in Davis. I like the soft shell crab. However, I rather drive to the Sacramento area to eat at Mizu. —BenLee
2008-12-14 21:13:55 just went here the other night. the owner as usual is really friendly. not a big fan of sushi but the variety they have here seems pretty good. i especially like that rice thing in the bamboos. however there was a baby cockroach crawling around on the floating sushi boat. we just watched it crawl from one sushi plate to the other. maybe there's something wrong with me but it didn't ruin my appetite. i seem to have different standards for asian places bc i've been to so many restaurants that have roaches roaming around while growing up. —skinnyfatgirl
2008-12-15 11:44:35 Met some friends for lunch here the other day. For $12.95, I can't really complain, but my experience was interesting to say the least. Every 5 minutes, a new "server" would approach our table and ask us if we needed rolls, miso soup, a menu to look at, etc. I think overall, 6 different people came to our table offering this and that. What some would call "good service" we found to be a little awkward and annoying. The staff was friendly, but we just found it to be a little overwhelming when the server started talking to us about his love life and how hard it is being single. The bright LED lights and loud chinese music also contributed to quite an interesting sushi experience. I can go on and on, but overall it's not a bad place if you want AYCE sushi for a cheap price. If you're looking for real sushi, you might be disappointed. —BrianBaliwas
2009-01-02 13:26:21 Please turn off the TV - or at least the endless stream of ABBA. Food was good and staff very helpful. —JohnQ
2009-01-02 14:54:26 I love this place, and the fact that it's got such a great variety means I will usually go here instead of my other favorite sushi place, Nobu. I will agree, however, that they have an odd blend of music and video on display. Today it was, as I recall, elephants bathing to the tune of Beethoven's 9th. —JoePomidor
2009-01-02 15:05:55 This place has good food, a very polite and attentive sushi chef, and I like the fact that you can order special items off a buffet menu. However, I went there on New Year's Eve and was distracted and disturbed by the very loud Abba music videos playing on a huge screen near our table. They also seemed to have as many people on staff as there were customers, which made for too many bored waiters milling around our table. If it weren't for the Abba, I would gladly go back. —NoraCary
2009-01-18 23:04:45 What's not to love about 80's karaoke playing all dinner long? The food is what you'd expect from a sushi buffet, pretty good. I like that they'll make any roll no problems and have a self serve appetizers section. Overall, My second choice for sushi buffet in Davis. Nobu number 1! —ChristyMarsden
2009-01-22 14:52:43 When I was there a couple weeks ago, the song "Mamma Mia!" was playing. All of a sudden, about half the restaurant was singing along. One of the waiters even began to dance. It was the oddest thing. The couple next to me was swaying back and forth in their seats singing along. The guy even nudged at me with his elbow to try to coax me into singing along. I wish I had my camera... —SunjeetBaadkar
2009-02-02 19:30:49 I dont understand why people always compare the quality of fish from one sushi restaurant to another claiming it taste more fresh or whatever. I use to work at a sushi restaurant and i know that most of them get their supplies of seafood from the same provider if they are within the same general area. I use to sign off for the shipments and the delivery drivers would tell me they still had to hit up the other restaurants in town before they were done for the evening. i doubt all the sushi connoisseurs on here can REALLY distinguish a difference in taste of sashimi or soft shell crab from DSB as opposed to Fujis or vice versa. —MilindIsALiar
- Finally, someone that also worked in the biz that understands! —SunjeetBaadkar
2009-02-04 15:20:59 I love sushi boats. They are awesome. There is something terrific about grabbing your food as it passes that makes dinner exhillarating...like catching the fish yourself (but with less waiting). The sushi chefs here are always very nice, especially the man who takes your money - but for some reason the bus boy kept grabbing our plates before we were done eating the food on them - from right under our noses! It was like an involuntary sushi diet. The water pourers always look upset that you are thirsty, too. —caitlinpolly
2009-02-08 00:23:25 Ok, so I was arranging a birthday party/get together, and I was looking for a sushi buffet in the downtown area. Basically I'd heard that Jusco<Fuji<Davis Sushi, so I spoke to the manager at Davis Sushi and he said that I'd have to call two days ahead of the day I wanted to have the party to basically make a reservation so they could save seats. They also said that they would let everyone pay separately, which was nice, as I know some places won't do that.
BUT when I arrived for my reserved time the entire restaurant was packed. So I walk up to the guy seating people and tell him that I had made an appointment for a large group, and he looks at me confused. He shuffles through his schedule book, finally finds my reservation, and calls over to who I assume was the owner, and comes back saying that they were sorry, but the owner had forgot about my reservation. You do NOT forget about a reservation in general, but you especially don't for a reservation for 20+ people! I had to wait for about 40 minutes after my reservation (50 minutes after I got there) for them to get enough tables together to seat my group. The only thing that kept me there was several of my friends were running late, so only a small portion had arrived by 8, and I was able to tell the rest of them to come later. If my group had already been there, I would have walked to Jusco...
As for the food, they did have a good selection if you asked for it, but the stuff in the boats was pretty much a lot of the same 5-6 things (and a few other things mixed in from time to time), which is great if those are what you want. In my case, not so much... The rolls were very good, though, and the warm food was nice for variety.
All in all, while the atmosphere and food were good, the service was questionable to me. I'm still annoyed that they forgot about a reservation for that many on a typically busy night, and for a birthday no less. It's a place I'd try again, but I'm not planning on having any groups there again. —apbare
2009-02-14 16:08:38 I took my boyfriend here for his birthday dinner. When I had called earlier about the free birthday meal, all they told me was that, yes, the birthday person would get their meal for free. What they did not tell me was that you had to be in a party of 4 or more and it was just the 2 of us. However, when I mentioned this when I went to pay, the man was nice about it and gave me 50% off my boyfriend's portion. I really enjoy eating here, not a huge variety of sushi, but still delicious enough for me to groan in pain afterwards from eating too much. Also, I love that handrolls are part of the buffet - I love handrolls! —AliceW
2009-02-22 19:56:11 TOO MUCH RICE ON EACH ROLL. makes it really hard to chew. at least they dont over-sauce their rolls like fuji's though. —julpham
2009-03-01 17:38:37 I went there today which is my 3rd time and I found their overall quality of the rolls and fish drastically went down compared to last year. Besides salmon, the sashimi was almost inedible as it had a weird, sour, and salty taste as well as soggy texture. Although some claim all the sushi restaurants in Davis purchase their fish from the same provider, the way they preserve and prepare the fish can definitely determine the taste. Their rolls are okay since tons of sauces overwhelmed the otherwise unpalatable sashimi taste. The Waitress who served us today was unfriendly and impatient. The chefs seemed nice, though. I would rather pay a bit more for other non-buffet sushi restaurants. —kellyM123
2009-03-19 14:21:23 My best friend and I came here about a month ago. We love sushi buffets but usually go out to Sacramento for those. Kinda pricy but I love their sashimi selection. We didn't find out that they served octopus sashimi until a little more than half way through our dinner. Once we found that out, we kept requesting for more plates of octopus sashimi. The chef looked kind of irritated like we were requesting it for fun or weren't going to finish it or something. LOL. Kinda funny. Anyway, we loved their sashimi selection so much that we are going to go again today. =) —McDonski
2009-04-02 12:06:23 I debated for awhile whether or not to post a comment regarding my experience at Davis Sushi Buffet today, but besides just being irritated, I also learned of a new "rule" they may affect other's decision of whether to come to this establishment or not. Since it opened DSB has become my go-to sushi buffet, however, today when I requested six pieces of ikura (which i have done on almost every visit since they opened) I was informed that there was a limit to two pieces per person. As I had come two weeks prior and been served by the SAME sushi chef at that visit, I asked him if this was a new rule. He said in a rather pissed of manner that this was NOT a new rule. When I told him that I had been coming for awhile and never had this problem, he brushed me off and told me he'd make an exception and make me two more pieces. Now, I wasn't angry because I couldn't get the amount of ikura I wanted, but because of this chef's demeanor and how he made it seem like I was a rulebreaker. I'm pretty sure this ISN'T an actual rule, at least not written ANYWHERE in the restaurant). —AlvinTsao
2009-04-02 17:17:15 They often give you a different number of pieces than you order, especially if you order a large number of pieces at once. I've never heard them say that you *can't* have more sushi though. But they do try to limit how much you get at once. —IDoNotExist
2009-04-03 12:54:45 DENIED: went there 11am today to find that they are closed indefinitely, like they were undergoing some kind of inspection. Sabotage? We ended up going around the corner to Fuji's which we hadn't been to since last year. I have to say - Fuji's has improved - I'd say they're on par w/ DSB - but lets hope DSB cleans up their act and gets up and going again - hate to go back to the days of lines around the corner at Fuji's... —qjo
2009-04-03 13:44:15 Can someone confirm that Davis Sushi is dead? Mostly dead? Just sleeping? —IDoNotExist
2009-04-04 15:29:22 The Dept. of Health shut them down, (too many roaches, not the smokeable kind, haha.) The kitchen was absolutely filthy and all you have to do is look behind the ally (that should be an indication of how they clean.) Fuji’s used to dump their fish scales in the ally to the point that it looked like glitter in the street, (pretty cool looking if you don’t mind smelling like fish.) and people stand in line for that! Hmmm, ignorance must be bliss!!!!—CAROLS
- Source? A check of the Yolocounty.org's list of inspection reports has the last one for this place listed dated July 2008.
2009-04-06 11:08:22 To IDoNotExist, it wasn't that he tried to limit how much I had at once, he flatly told me I was only allowed to have 2 pieces of Ikura per visit, and it was the first time I had been told that. Also, I believe I was there on the LAST day they were open before their "closing." There was an inspector there as I was leaving to pay, and some of the staff was looking on nervously as he was checking behind the clear refrigerators behind the sushi boats. —AlvinTsao
- Yolo County still has no record of a health inspector visit. When was this visit you witnessed? —jw
2009-04-06 14:20:36 I was in here at 13:30 today and the carpet looked freshly cleaned. I was told they were closed but would be open in time for dinner tonight. —NickSchmalenberger
- Ah, so it was recent, i take it. Quite possibly the online records have yet to be updated. I'm curious as to what the report will look like. —jw
2009-04-06 16:01:03 I just went by the health department. They didn't have the full report ready, but I was told this was a roach problem. If anyone wants to check this out further, the complaint ID is co0009718. —WilliamLewis
- Someone needs to write up an entry about cockroaches on the DavisWiki (I may if no one with actual entomology credentials does.). The reason being is that when you talk to entomologists about it (and I do because I happen to be married to one), it is absolutely impossible to keep roaches 100% out of Davis restaurants, specifically because of how the town is situated. With so much farm land surrounding us, there is no lack of suitable places for cockroaches to procreate. You can bring in the best of pest control specialists into your restaurant and chances are the bugs will come back eventually. Now, this is not to say that some places don't keep the pests to a minimum better than others. My only point is that consumers need to keep the cockroach thing in perspective. I imagine every restaurant in town has them. The question is how much of an effort do they make to keep the problem manageable. —condemned2bfree
2009-04-06 23:08:19 this is my 2nd time i come back to this restaurant today,oh , they were closed because some cockroaches problem, yah, make me sick , i just don't want come back here any more. i still like sushi nobu the best , the fish always fresh, and place is clean. —willsonll
2009-04-20 16:56:01 Just checked the yolo county inspection page. Apparently Davis Sushi Buffet DID have an inspection on April 2 but there were no violations reported on the yolo page here: http://www.yolocounty.org/Index.aspx?page=118 and there has not been a follow up inspection which I suspect would be required if the findings were severe enough to close them down for the weekend. —OliviaY
- There are now two followup inspections listed on 4/3 and one on 4/6. The database doesn't seem to be very reliable. Probably the best way to resolve this is to go there / call them again. —JonathanLawton
2009-04-26 21:14:06 They also found rat poop. —kennyc
2009-05-04 16:31:12 Good sushi buffet, you can't beat that kind of price with the quality like that elsewhere, pretty much like Fuji Sushi. —thtly
2009-05-06 16:20:31 Aside from these health inspection problems, I still think this is a pretty darn good Sushi Place to eat... though my heart lies with Nobu, also conveniently located only several blocks from where I live! I go here pretty often, though, with my family. They like it! —JohnDudek
2009-07-11 12:00:34 The food is good... I mean, you get what you pay for. This place used to be my favorite lunch spot. But when they're really busy, the manager (owner?) likes to help with the food preparation... while wearing his numerous gaudy rings and bracelets. Apart from being a blatant health code violation, it's unappetizing to watch him plate salmon sashimi, his hands and gold rings glistening from the oily fish residue. Blaaaaaaargh! It's happened the last few times I've been there. I'm not going back. —MichellePalmer
2009-07-24 02:05:56 I loooovve this place! It's amazing how much food you can get for $13. It's worth the price too: the food is fresh and prepared when you ask for it. For any vegetarians out there like myself, try the Veggie Dragon Roll! It is to die for. Also, their tempura is nice and hot right out of the fryer. The Inari, fresh fruit, and cream cheese wontons are also a delight! =) —sm0729
2009-07-24 02:21:58 They have a pretty good buffet, but you really have to get there early in order to get the good stuff. Latecomers will notice that a lot of the hot foods have cooled off from sitting on the sushi boats for too long. Aside from that, and the fact that it's rather difficult to get the chef's attention if you want a special order, this place is OK. Honestly, I would rather go to Nobu Hiro or Jusco. —JoePomidor
2009-08-05 17:29:29 sigh. they leave their sushi out too long =/ it doesn't taste right. the only thing i liked was dessert T_T —MissAmyQ
2009-09-01 15:22:47 My lab went out here yesterday for a birthday lunch. The buffet was nice and we were having a good time until people started running to the bathroom to vomit. I don't know what was wrong with the food but two people threw up in the restaurant bathroom and all of us experienced digestive issues that evening and most of today. We have reported it to the health department and called the restaurant. Horrible experience all around and a very sad birthday for my vomitus co-worker. —Zeeba
2009-10-03 09:18:13 Positives: Pretty clean and well decorated place. Food tastes good. If it's your birthday, you don't have to pay, but you still have to have a party of 4 (but if you have 4 friends with your birthdate, I don't see why you can't all get in for free..) ;) Negatives: There is not much variety of sushi at this place. The waiters and waitresses are not the most friendly. The music is weird— it is not fit for a Japanese restaurant. It's a 50/50 ~ not the best, not the worse. I would go there if I didn't want to wait in line for fuji's. —YLor
2009-12-03 11:54:00 I love this sushi restaurant. The food is delicious and the buffet is enormous. I especially love that you can order whole rolls of sushi from the menu as a part of the buffet (no extra cost!). The service is good, but stretched fairly thin due to the huge number of tables crammed into the restaurant (fire code violation anyone?). I think the music (and music videos on the big screen over the buffet) is fun, but definitely odd for the restaurant's theme.
Try to get there early, the line is usually stretched out the door. It definitely worth it though. :) —xochiotomi
2009-12-31 16:48:42 I really, honestly felt like the pieces of sushi they use on the nigiri are TINY compared to other sushi places in Davis. Not too much fish for your money.
But what bothered me way more than that was the way they pack the rice in the nigiri, it is very unpleasantly dense and hard to enjoy, for me. —JessicaWinter
2010-01-15 15:28:53 Went for lunch. Hot food was OK, Sushi was nothing to write home about. Ordered some albacore sashimi and was kind of grossed out when the slices were thicker than sliced bread. If you want to get a cheap fix of sushi, this is your place. —103
2010-01-30 15:39:28 They serve really thick pieces of sushi, which disgusted me. The first time I came here, it was okay. The second, I puked. This place may be for other people, but it isn't for me. —strawberry
2010-04-14 14:02:52 As an elderly gentleman, I once believed that raw seafood was supremely grotesque. I had only consumed a raw creature once before upon a dare in my youth, and the unbearable quivering of the slithering gelatinous tuna chunk deep inside my gullet haunted my dreams for decades. But at the same time, I felt a renewed vigor, as if I had absorbed some of its fishy life force. It was this morbid curiosity that led me to try Davis Sushi Buffet nearly 45 years later. And I must inform you that I am in love! The endless parade of years had opened my mind considerably, and although I was at first cautious, by the end of the evening I was slurping down slice after slice of what the Japanese call "sashimi". The cool, crisp taste of raw fish on your tongue is like no other, its chewy tenderness sending shockwaves of ecstasy down my withered body. I will definitely try Davis Sushi Buffet again sometime. And I recommend to old and young folk alike, overcome your prejudices about thickness of the slices... it's all in your mind!! —PhineasJWorthington
2010-06-02 13:38:15 The staff is friendly, even when its busy from my experience! —PaulV
2010-06-25 14:26:39 People should understand a few things about these sushi joints in Davis: It's a sushi BUFFET. Therefore, do not expect spectacular quality but decent if not mediocre (or even passable) quality. Those who complain of the fish not being "fresh" have to realize that all of the fish has been frozen and likely been kept for several days (god forbid weeks). I doubt any of these businesses would be able to maintain their buffet system if they were importing fresh fish everyday. Does this fact bother me when I eat there? No. I realize that this is not "authentic" sushi, nor is it the most fresh. Indeed, the only difference between the fish served here and the packaged variety at Safeway is that a chef has cut and presented the fish for you.
More or less, the food dished out by these many enterprises are edible and depending on your respective tastes, can be quite good, per dollar that is. $12.99 for an all-you-can-eat meal of fish is not a bad deal - despite its inherent shortcomings.
2010-08-01 23:23:14 I went here for dinner today and the restaurant seemed a lot cleaner than my usual place. The ribs were good and they even had snow crab legs. I did not run into any frozen or dry sashimi. I think this will become my favorite sushi place to go to in Davis now (for price and quality, there are others if price was not factored in). —hankim
2010-08-05 16:38:03 What time does lunch end? That should be in the article —jdclaverie
What? It says 2:30.
2010-08-05 17:24:01 I miss this place! Gotta get back there. And soon. —AshleyHamidi
2010-09-09 15:19:16 buffet prices have gone up. have competitors raised their prices as well? —JakeJames
2011-01-25 21:46:23 Granted, this is the only place I've ever had sushi but I really like it. The first time I ordered, the women asked if I was vegetarian (I am) and then brought out a bunch of different veg options to try, which I thought was really nice of her. Now I always get the vegetable dragon roll and it's great every time. I'm almost afraid to try another sushi place... the buffets are all so expensive that it seems risky to try somewhere whose veg options may be limited/not my taste. —MeggoWaffle
2011-03-06 03:20:21 good service overall, seems cleaner than fujiboat and better abiance. will have to go back to pig out on some salmon and tuna sashimi. —blackstar
2011-03-27 22:29:14 i ate here for lunch buffet once to try out their offerings and I will not return even though I'm not a big fan of sushi buffet in the first place due to the inferior fish qualities. I know buffet doesn't usually have good quality fish but I had to try different places just to see. Needless to say, the lunch sushi I had was pretty poor in quality and left this sick feeling in my stomach when I left. No thanx, never coming back —C.Ling
2011-04-02 22:29:14 I heard of this sushi place from my friend and finally I decided to try it out. The price for lunch is decent consider all you can eat buffet. They do have a large selection of sushi, some are on the sushi boat, the rest you can order from the menu. The service is ok, but the food was delicious, and they do have deep fried oyster which is really good. I will definitely go back. It not the best sushi but it worth the price of around 13.95 for lunch and all you can eat sushi. —ChristyPham
2011-05-05 21:48:29 Most of the maki here has fried items in it and are coated with mayo. Not super fresh :( —bobobb
2011-06-12 22:36:56 This place is much more lively, friendly and spacious compared to other sushi buffets in Davis. The quality of sushi is similar to other buffets. But I must note the great service when one of the workers chased us down nearly a few blocks when I forgot my iPhone. Great place. I prefer this place better than Fuji's. —TraNgu
2011-08-16 17:00:27 There are no small flies swarming around the fish meat here from my experience. I would go here over Fuji's any day...except when this place is full of customers. —PaulV
2012-01-06 19:59:58 I'm having trouble understanding the positive reviews of this place. My husband and I brought our kids here tonight to try it out (Friday night at 6pm). First we were told that we had to sit near the door because they were expecting a large group (there were 8 other empty tables). We weren't given menus. After a while, we asked if we could see a wine list and order drinks. We were carded and my husband was not served because he left his wallet at home (btw, our kids are pre-teens and his beard is as white as snow). Then, after my drink came, we were told we could not order off the menu, our meal would be $17.95 per person for buffet only. They reminded us that all 4 of us would pay "full price". We felt like they really wanted us to leave, so we paid for our drinks and left. It was one of the strangest restaurant experiences that I've had. I don't think I've ever felt so unwelcome in a restaurant before. We had a very nice meal across the street at Tommy J's. —Jill.C
The positive reviews tend to be older. They've grown too popular for their location, which is pretty much always packed at dinner. They also have had a few other problems. The constantly rising price of fish seems to have hit them especially hard. Their prices keep on going up and they're stingier with sashimi, nigiri, and rolls made with sashimi. The all-you-can-eat buffet business model has been too successful for their own good. —WilliamLewis
2012-03-25 19:43:20 We went here last nght and the sushi boats were filled with the 2 rolls, both with cream cheese. I frigging hate cream cheese. There was nothing that was on there menu in the "buffet". So we got up and left. This place sucks. Go to Jusco or Nobu. Do not eat this crap.
2012-04-18 22:31:50 The selection of sushi here is pretty decent. While Davis Sushi Buffet doesn't have the greatest sushi ever, it is still tasty and the price of the lunch buffet offers a good bang for the buck. The sushi in the boats tends to be filled with a lot of mayo and cream cheese, but the watermelon and oranges that are offered in the corner are a good way to cleanse the palate. The gyoza and egg rolls in the corner are usually lukewarm and soggy from grease under the heat lamps, but the made-to-order Davis Roll and Y2K Roll are delicious. I've always sat at the bar, so I don't know what the service is like at the tables. But where I sit, it's easy to ask the sushi chef to prepare a roll and the wait staff is always on top of filling water and clearing plates. —AlexHirsch
2012-08-16 14:13:38 They changed ownership and the food is 10x better. —BingL
2013-02-21 07:15:39 Note in the overview I have posted info about this restaurant serving escolar, incorrectly also called "superwhite" tuna by the staff. If anyone has experienced "keriorrhea", an orange, oily diarrhea discharge, please comment. I have eaten small quantities of this fish here. I like it, and I haven't experienced any bad effects. However this depends on person, amount consumed, and part of the fish consumed (it is recommended you eat no more than a few ounces at a time and eat portions close to the tail) —carlislesingensmide
2013-03-05 09:08:37 Horrible service, tainted food with bacteria (I got sick for two days and my girlfriend was hospitalized from seafood poisoning), also, they are serving pre-frozen tilapia making people think it is snapper or yellow fin. This place is the lowest quality sushi I have ever eaten here in Davis. I eat sushi twice a week. I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone trying to find sushi, I recommend Zen Toro. Very overpriced as well 17.95 for dinner makes it one of the most expensive place to eat at in town. —ptbernuc
2013-03-05 09:17:32 Also this place puts too much cream cheese and not enough fish in all the sushi's they prepare. The fact that the sushi is on a boat is cool but it is the most unsanitary way to prepare sushi and have people at the bar that are sick breathing on your food before you serve it to your own table. This place is all about profit and has no concern for costumers and serving them well. I would never recommend this place to anyone, every time I have went (5 times total) the food, customer service, and price has gotten progressively worse. Please do not go her, there food is crap and you will be crapping all night long or hospitalized if you do. I promise you there are better places to find lower priced quality sushi in town, except on Sundays.
2013-04-26 11:19:51 I went there last week for the first time. I will NEVER return. I picked up a roll of one of the boats and upon closer inspection found a large hair on it, so i set it aside and waited until a waiter could come by so i could let them know. Before I could mention it i was scolded for wasting food. After I pointed it out the waiter told me it was not hair, but could not explain what I was pointing at. I had ordered an ice tea and when i had drank most of it, i looked in the glass and found a dead fly sitting on the bottom of the glass. I then found a waiter and requested a new glass. They did bring me a new one, but the glass they brought was dirty. I would never recommend this place and I hope it gets shut down. —JHayes
2013-09-08 16:45:50 Posted a good review a year ago when they changed ownership. With my experience last week, I will not return. Got a dish off the boat, the 1/4" thck rice was cold and hard. Tried to grab sushi chef's attention since there weren't too many people, but he was busy doing something so I ordered a roll through the waiter. Dragonroll came with minimal fillings or avocades, 1/4" thick rice was cold and hard, and it was smaller than usual. Taste was okay after I took off some rice. We also ordered just an avocado roll and the avocadoes weren't ripe. To top that off, when we went to pay with our credit card we were asked if we could pay cash. Not the experience we used to have. Very disappointing! —BingL
2018-12-04 05:29:59 Since Fuji Chef closed, Davis Sushi Buffet has gotten way better. They get all the former customers of Fuji now so they are more crowded, which means fresher food. I have come here for awhile and the quality is noticeably better now. —ToddGlenn
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