The five sushi restaurants in Santa Teresa and Mal Pais worth your colones in 2026, with roll prices, the $79 omakase night, reservation rules, fish sourcing and which one is closed until November.
The best sushi in Santa Teresa is at Nami for everyday rolls and nigiri, and at Yasumi, a ten-seat handroll counter that runs a $79 ten-course omakase twice a month. Satori has the biggest scene and the longest hours, Katana is the Asian fusion room in the jungle, and Koji's, the original, is closed until November 2026.
The short version
Five kitchens matter. Nami on the main road serves fresh fish every day from 11:30am to 10pm and gets the most consistent praise for the sushi itself. Yasumi, opened in 2024 north of Super La Hacienda, is the only true counter experience: ten seats, chefs handing you each piece, and an omakase night on the second and fourth Sunday. Satori, across from Hotel Tropico Latino, is open 11am to 11pm with a rooftop terrace, live music and mezcal cocktails, and it is where you go when sushi is half the point and the night out is the other half.
Katana, dinner only up the north road, is fusion first and sushi second, and you need a reservation. Koji's in the Playa Carmen area is the oldest Japanese restaurant on the coast, with a Japanese chef and a Tom Brady story attached, and its Instagram says it is closed for a low season break until November. Expect $12 to $18 a roll and $80 to $100 for two if you order freely.
Nami Santa Teresa
Nami Santa Teresa is the sushi most residents order twice in a week. It is on the main road in central Santa Teresa, open every day from 11:30am to 10pm, and its own site keeps the pitch to one line: fresh fish every day, open for lunch and dinner, craft beers and drinks, per namisantateresa.com. Google has it at 4.7 across more than 700 reviews. The special rolls carry the menu: the Shizen and Festival rolls come up constantly in reviews, the Costa Rica roll is the local favourite, and you can build your own poke bowl at lunch. A hand roll menu was added in 2026, and the Passion Sake cocktail is the drink people mention by name.
Prices are fair for the town. A Tripadvisor reviewer in 2026 logged 43,000 colones for two, about $80, with rolls "large and reasonably priced for the quality". Cards are accepted and the room is casual, so you can walk in from the beach in sandals.
Who it suits: anyone who wants good sushi without a booking or a dress code, lunch sushi, and vegetarians, who get real options rather than one cucumber roll. The caveat: it fills after 7pm in high season and the wait for a table can hit 30 minutes.
Yasumi Handroll and Omakase Bar
Yasumi is not in our directory yet, but it is the most interesting Japanese food on the coast. It is 150 metres north of Super La Hacienda on the north end, open Wednesday to Monday from 5pm to 10pm, and the whole restaurant is a ten-seat wooden counter where the chefs prepare handrolls, nigiri, sashimi, gunkan and ceviches in front of you, per yasumicr.com. The name means a day off, and the room is built to feel like one.
The omakase runs on the second and fourth Sunday of the month. It is a ten-course tasting menu created once for that evening and never repeated, at $79 per person or $150 with a sake pairing, with seatings at 6pm and 8pm through 25 October 2026 and three seatings from 8 November. Each seating takes ten guests, menus are announced 48 hours before, and the sake pairing is the better value if you drink. Reservations go through the site, and updates come by WhatsApp; the phone is +506 8666 5213. Yasumi also brings the counter to villas for a private omakase or handroll service, which is the answer for a group that does not want to fight for ten seats.
Who it suits: a birthday, a splurge, anyone who has eaten enough California rolls. The caveat: ten seats means the omakase sells out, so book the moment the menu is announced, and the regular counter is small enough that a walk-in on a weekend is a gamble.
Satori Sushi Santa Teresa
Satori Sushi Santa Teresa is the busiest sushi bar in town and the longest open, 11am to 11pm every day, across from Hotel Tropico Latino on the main road. The kitchen pairs Japanese fusion with local tuna, dorado and shrimp, and the menu splits into classic rolls, fusion specials and Asian tapas, with vegetarian and vegan rolls built with the same care, per satoricostarica.com. There is a rooftop terrace, live music each week, and a cocktail list that reviewers rank among the best mezcal drinks in the country.
Reservations run through OpenTable or WhatsApp +506 8774 2257, and it delivers through the SIPP app. Reviewers put a roll at about $12 on average, and the honest ones warn that a couple of rolls, dumplings, miso and a sparkling water reached $100 for two. The other recurring complaint is the digital menu; there is no paper version.
Who it suits: groups, a long lunch that becomes dinner, and anyone who wants sushi with a DJ rather than a hush. The caveat: the bill climbs fast if you graze, and it is loud on music nights.
Katana Asian Cuisine
Katana Asian Cuisine sits about 600 metres north of the main crossroads, in a garden of plants and string lights that regulars describe as the prettiest dining room in town. It opens for dinner only, 5:30pm to 10pm, per katanaasiancuisine.com. This is fusion rather than a sushi bar: a pad thai, butter chicken and gyoza share the menu with sushi and sashimi, so it is the right call for a table where one person wants raw fish and the others do not. Google has it at 4.5 across more than 900 reviews.
Prices sit a step below Koji's for similar quality, per jetsetchristina.com, and the cocktails are creative. Reservations fill nightly in high season, so book.
Who it suits: mixed tables, date night in a garden, and people who like their sushi with a curry on the side. The caveat: the sushi list is shorter than Nami's or Satori's, and dinner only.
Koji's
Koji's is the sushi restaurant that made Santa Teresa a sushi town. It has a Japanese chef, a hillside garden setting under hanging lights in the Playa Carmen area, and a reputation big enough that travel writers still mention Tom Brady eating there. The Koji roll, crunch roll, tuna tataki and red snapper carpaccio are the orders, and rolls run around $18, per costaricatravellife.com.
Read this before you drive there: in September 2026 the restaurant's Instagram bio reads "closed for a low season break, see you again in November". In season it opens Wednesday to Sunday from 6pm to 10pm with a happy hour from 6pm to 7:30pm, live jazz on Fridays and 20% off for locals on Sundays, with reservations on +506 8414 8122. The reviews are the most divided on this list: five-star raves next to complaints of $200 bills for ordinary sushi and slow service on busy nights.
Who it suits: the classic Santa Teresa dinner once it reopens, with a reservation. The caveat: closed until November 2026, and the priciest sushi in town when it is open.
How to choose
| Restaurant | Style | Price guide | Hours | Book? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nami | Classic and special rolls, poke, hand rolls | About 43,000 colones for two | 11:30am to 10pm daily | Walk in, wait after 7pm |
| Yasumi | Ten-seat handroll counter, omakase | Omakase $79, $150 with sake | 5pm to 10pm, closed Tuesday | Yes, always |
| Satori | Fusion rolls, tapas, cocktails | About $12 a roll, $80 to $100 for two | 11am to 11pm daily | OpenTable or WhatsApp |
| Katana | Asian fusion with sushi | A step below Koji's | 5:30pm to 10pm | Yes |
| Koji's | Traditional Japanese, chef-driven | About $18 a roll | Closed until November 2026 | Yes, in season |
All prices are before the 13% tax and 10% service that appear on the bill.
Practical notes
Fish here is mostly tuna, dorado (mahi mahi) and shrimp from the Nicoya coast, with salmon flown in. Nami and Yasumi are the two that talk about daily local fish, and Yasumi runs a fishing morning where you catch the fish and the chefs cut it at the counter. In green season the boats go out less in big swell, so a "no tuna today" is a sign of honesty.
Reservations are by WhatsApp, and Satori also takes OpenTable. Cards work at all five, and Satori and Nami deliver through the SIPP app. Koji's and Yasumi close on set days, so check the day before you plan a sushi night. For the wider picture, read best restaurants in Santa Teresa, pair a sushi dinner with the best bars and cocktails guide, and if you are planning a date night, Yasumi's omakase is the strongest single booking in town. Budget travellers should read cheap eats in Santa Teresa instead; sushi is never the cheap meal here.
FAQ
Which sushi restaurant in Santa Teresa is the best?
Nami for everyday rolls and nigiri, with fresh fish daily and fair prices. Yasumi is the best experience, a ten-seat counter with a twice-monthly omakase. Satori has the best scene and longest hours. Koji's is the original but is closed until November 2026.
Is Satori Sushi in Santa Teresa good?
Yes, and it is the easiest to get into, open 11am to 11pm daily with OpenTable reservations. Expect fusion rolls, Asian tapas and strong mezcal cocktails at about $12 a roll. Reviewers rate it 4.6 on Google and warn that a full spread reaches $80 to $100 for two.
Is there omakase in Santa Teresa?
Yes. Yasumi runs a ten-course omakase on the second and fourth Sunday of each month at $79 per person, or $150 with sake pairing, for ten guests per seating. Menus are announced 48 hours ahead and the seats sell out, so reserve through the site as soon as a date opens.
Is Koji's in Santa Teresa open?
Not in September 2026. Its Instagram says it is closed for a low season break and returns in November. In season it opens Wednesday to Sunday from 6pm to 10pm, with a 6pm to 7:30pm happy hour and reservations on +506 8414 8122.
How much does sushi cost in Santa Teresa?
About $12 to $18 a roll depending on the restaurant, plus 13% tax and 10% service. Two people ordering freely spend $80 to $100 at Nami or Satori and more at Koji's. Yasumi's omakase is $79 per person fixed.
Do I need to reserve for sushi in Santa Teresa?
At Yasumi and Katana, yes, every night. At Koji's in season, yes. Nami and Satori take walk-ins, but after 7pm in December through April expect a wait, and Satori's OpenTable link removes the guesswork.
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