Copyright © Banzai Marina. All rights reserved.

in search of the perfect wave

Owner and chef Yuji Horii was born in Tokyo, Japan, and came out to

Los Angeles in 1978​ during the sushi craze with a love of surfing, beaches,

American music and culture. In Los Angeles, he regularly made sushi for

Hollywood's entertainment elite, becoming the leading sushi chef for many

of the industry's top movers and shakers at Teru Sushi in Studio City. He

opened his first restaurant in 2000, Banzai Sushi, in Calabasas. It quickly

became the favorite sushi restaurant in the area, with regulars ranging

from Stevie Wonder, the Kardashians, the Osbournes to the Van Halens.

Banzai Sushi was awarded to be on the prestigious Michelin Guide at

that time.  

In 2013, Yuji decided to take his craft out to Ventura, whose beaches and community

he has always loved. His new venture, Banzai Marina, opened that year in the

previous space of Sushi Marina. Chef Yuji Horii works to blend Ventura's historic

restaurant with his own spin on traditional Japanese and modern Southern California

cuisine. When not at the restaurant, you'll see Yuji out in the ocean surfing.

Our Mission

As a family-owned restaurant, we work hard to bring you the freshest ingredients 
(organic when possible), source local produce and support our own Southern 
Californian farmers, and share the centuries-old tradition and artistry of Japanese 
​sushi with our customers.