Great place to avoid the tourist crowds of St Augustine. Â The terrace is the only place to sit on a beautiful night. Â Live music and [people-watching made this place a treasure for me. I came back the next night just to hang out. Â Food was a bit hit and miss, I showed up the night after their chef had moved on to a new place. Â But the owner definitely knows his stuff so I am sure the food will be back on top by the time I write this review. Â Seriously, if I get to St. Augustine again, THIS is the place I will hang out.
Review Source:Food was OK, but service was HORRIBLE! Â it started well with a GREAT seaweed salad but after 1 hour of waiting for 2 rolls and the waiter doing nothing about it we talked to the manager, they put a lame excuse of a big party making the kitchen slow... and they gave us a $25 gift certificate that we will never use. :(
Review Source:This restaurant is our favorite in all of St Augustine. The food is absolutely amazing. We prefer to eat the starters and the rolls...the flavors are literally an explosion of wonder in your mouth! The domino and the kamikaze are our 2 favorites. Â The duck egg rolls are absolutely divine and the best duck I've ever eaten.
Every time we go, the service is great! The hosts/esses are welcoming, the waiter was attentive and not overbearing. We have a hard time finding good service in FLorida - it's a lost art form in this area and we were so happy to find some good service at Spy!
It's our go to restaurant for out of town guests, birthdays, celebrations, etc.
I read some of the other reviews on here that were negative and I am absolutely shocked! We actually preferred this restaurant to Nobu! That's how good it is.
Thanks Spy for stepping up the level of service and cuisine in this area!
Despite not having been here in a long whiles when there were two chefs, I was surprised to see a new chef. Â Sushi is still the best in this part of Florida area. Â
Excellent menu. Â Compare ALL the sushi places in Jacksonville and this place is on its own. Â Prices are higher than other sushi places and well worth it!
This is the best Sushi place in all of north east Florida.
They even serve cool refreshing cucumber water!
First, Spy has an amazing ambiance. From the saketini bar downstairs to the upstairs lounge, it's something other than the typical history-themed St. Augustine. It would feel more at home in some west-coast city like San Francisco or Seattle; that said, the exterior fits in beautifully with the rest of Hypolita Street. The fountains and outside seating area are one-of-a-kind.
Second, the service. When my fiancee and I went back in March, we had a wonderful server. He recommended a great saketini, made that perfect server conversation (somewhere between small talk and giving us a real piece of his mind), nailed our orders, and recommended other great sushi spots throughout the Southeastern US. The only downside to our whole visit was the less-than-speedy service; we were on vacation and enjoyed our prolonged 2-hour dinner, but I can see how impetuous people could be turned off by this.
Third, the food. Amazing sushi roll combinations (i.e. Kobe Beef with eel sauce, soft shell crab with scallions, pineapple and shrimp tempura, etc...) that were all executed perfectly, coupled with delicious Japanese favorites (miso soup, edamame). The seasoning on the edamame was particularly good, suggesting an almost smoky flavor. We stayed with the sushi menu for our main course, but the cooked food looked especially good as well.
Fourth, the drinks/booze. The saketini is Spy's specialty, and they serve these flavorful drinks in all different varieties from their swanky bar. You can get them mixed with all sorts of fruit, and they have a truly astounding list of sake varieties. I've never been big on sake, but the Oblivion saketini that my better half ordered was really, really tasty. Dank and delicious...Spy also has a beer list with several Japanese favorites (beyond just Sapporo). I tried one of these, and it was quite good, but I can't recall the name.
Finally, the price. I probably spent somewhere around $120 for two, and that included several drinks. I felt it was reasonable but not a bargain. To be honest, a tab much higher than that would have felt overpriced.
The verdict: It's pricey sushi, but it really is the best. Ambiance is one-of-a-kind, especially for St. Augustine.
We stopped in for drinks while walking around. The staff was absolutely wonderful! I wish we were hungrier, I'll definitely be back for food. Everything looked amazing, all we had was edamame and some drinks on the patio. It was a very comfortable and inviting atmosphere, a band playing on the patio, they brought water for my dog, it was great! The hostess Carly was wonderful! She took care of us like she was our server, she played with my 4 year old daughter, who followed her around like she was a hostess in training. She is still talking about her the next day. Our actual server was great too, I cant remember her name, only because my daughter hasn't said it. If I make it back to St. Augustine, this will definitely be one of my stops!
Review Source:Boy oh boy where do I start with this place. Â This is one of the few restaurants I've been to that actually offended me... not because anybody was rude to me, but because of the extremely mediocre to poor quality of food that they are selling for extremely high prices. Â It just reeks of arrogance to me. Â I had this thai curry dish that was an absolute disgrace to thai cuisine. Â It reminded me of when I was a kid and my dad would basically scrounge up whatever left overs he had in the fridge and make "stir fry". Â The chicken, which I had to pay extra for, was clearly an after thought. Â They basically just cooked a boneless chicken breast until it was a piece of leather, chopped it up into chunks, and then just tossed it on top of the dish. Â Just like dear old dad used to do. Â It brought back some not-so-fond memories. Â The sauce was... bizarre. Â And not in a good way.
My lady friend ordered two sushi rolls. Â She didn't like them at all. Â I thought that they were OK to be honest. Â Not bad at all, but nothing special either. Â They were about like any of the typical rolls you get from any of the typical sushi restaurants that you find on every corner. Â Except Spy will charge you at least $5 more than any of the other places in town. Â The sushi we had definitely wasn't anything unique or mind blowing.
One reviewer on here said that the sushi at Spy is better than the sushi in Tsukiji market (a famous fish market in Japan). Â That reviewer is either a fake reviewer (like me), has never been to one of the restaurants in Tsukiji market, or has somehow had all of their tastebuds surgically removed. Â I have been to Tsukiji market and ate at Sushi Dai. Â Spy's sushi isn't even in the same galaxy. Â Even Katsuya in Hollywood can't hold a candle to Sushi Dai. Â Â
The service at Spy was ungodly slow. Â Our waitress was clearly new, but thats not why our service was slow. Â She was doing her best and I tipped her well since its not her fault that the restaurant is terrible. Â Our service was slow because all of the staff (besides our waitress) were just playing around on their cell phones and socializing. Â We sat inside right across from the sushi bar so we were privy to all of this. Â We ate there during an off time. Â There were maybe two tables outside, we were the only ones inside (which is quite small). Â So its not like they were busy.
There is one positive. Â The outside seating area is awesome. Â Also I kinda liked the cucumber water that they served. Â But there are plenty of good places to eat in St. Augustine with nice outside seating. Â I'd pass on Spy and go to one of the real restaurants.
I immediately regret the decision to write such a long review since I know Yelp will filter it almost immediately.  Actually, they might just completely remove this one as its a bit risqué.
Holy mother of Japanese fusion joints! Â
So we're walking around St. Augustine like a bunch of tourists, not even hungry, but come across SPY and decide to go in for some sake and finger foods, and it turned out to be one of the better decisions we'd made that day!
DUCK EGG ROLLS - a spicy little must-order! Â Don't be turned away by the gamey flavor duck normally has because this duck didn't have it--at all!
QUAIL EGGS - I don't eat these things, but the novia LOVED them and reported back to me that they were delicious. Â Take her word for it... If you dare. Â :)
VOLCANO ROLL - This is where it's at right here. Â Chef Keene went and outdone himself with this awesome dish. Â Crab tempura and cream cheese wrapped in avocado, topped with baked seafood dynamite, sriracha aioli and masago. Â This was the best dish on the table by far.
Awesome wait staff, and our seat was upstairs in an almost closed off living room with couches of sorts. Â Very V.I.P. feeling.
Next time I'm up that way, I will make it a point to drop in.
Saturday night dinner with coworkers, and service was on the slow side. Â No real biggie since we were celebrating the end of work travel (for now), but kind of annoying when it took upwards of 20 minutes between waiter appearances to order or get served drinks / appetizers / entrees. Â But I'll that up to Saturday night and a slower pace of life in general over here.
What really gets me riled up is when I order chirashi sushi at double the "usual" price (~$30 instead of $15), and it comes out poorly. Â Two things rubbed me entirely the wrong way. Â First, the rice was wrong. Â Sushi rice is supposed to have some rice vinegar in there, and the rice in my chirashi was absolutely tasteless. Â Second, while the fish was fresh, it was thinly sliced and the overall quantity was paltry. Â This was slightly offset by the chunks of avocado in the chirashi bowl, but that's not what I craved. Â These two things taken together left me unimpressed and hungry, even after having soup as an appetizer.
Overall: Ambiance isn't bad, but the chirashi blows.
Excellent sushi. Try the 007 roll-delish! We sat upstairs in a private room with two comfy red sofas (bring a small flashlight to see the menu-it's dark in there). It would be nice to sit outside as well, but we didn't want to wait 45 min. Everyone in our party tried a different speciality roll and all raved about them, so I don't think you can go wrong there. Two of us got sake martinis and didn't really like them. I would prefer a traditional vodka one, but didn't see any on the menu.
Review Source:My groomsmen and I set out for a nice dinner on the first night that we were all in town, and we decided on Spy. We sat outside just after dusk, the weather was perfect, and the volume of the live music was just right for the background, allowing us to talk without screaming at each other.
The waitress came out and took our order (which was "Give us the best 8 rolls of sushi you have", see photos), and a bit later we got them along with a quick flashlight-lit rundown of which one was which. Everything we had was fresh-tasting and unique. Â It all disappeared quickly.
Our waitress was always attentive, and the manager came out to make sure everything was perfect (it was). Â It was a great time.
I'd skip the nigiri and sashimi though -- not because of any problems with it, but according to the menu it was up around $10 for two pieces -- twice as much as they should be charging.
Outstanding! We're on vacation in FL and decided to drop by Spy for dinner - lots of good yelp reviews, and they were spot on.
I've got a daughter that is particular about her Sushi (she's 6) and a son (1) that we were ill prepared to feed - but Spy really pulled out all the stops for us. Â First off, when we arrived, we expressed our concern finding food for our son and our waitress went back to the kitchen and came back with all kinds of options - from a bowl of yogurt (not on the menu, but apparently an ingredient in some of their dishes.) to some entrees that would work great for him. Â For my daughter, they made an incredible seaweed salad avocado roll that she practically inhaled. Â Finally, for my vegetarian wife, they made a special vegetable tempura dish (also not on the menu.)
In short, the staff here went above and beyond to make our experience there extraordinary. Â Oh, and the food? Â It's VERY good. Â The menu is a mix - they have their Sushi and Japanese-style food, but also an eclectic combination of tasty looking "global cuisine" dishes (including things like Tandoori Chicken.)
They apparently have a live band on some evenings, and the outdoor seating is comfortable (especially this time of year). Â Inside they have two floors of seating and tables.
I'd definitely recommend this place - they go above and beyond to make things special.
Returning IF there is room outdoors (indoors is tiny walk in closet like) .... I would make sure I had more cash to burn, time to wait, sit farther from the speakers of the live music.
Can be romantic, relaxing, food is good but too many variables that may go against an enjoyable evening out. The limited seating, the bar in the middle, horses and cars going by, slow service.
If you hit it right, it can be a perfect night out. Not sure I want to chance it again.
Out on a rare "date night" break from the little ones, we braved the rain to finally venture over to Spy and the main question we shared afterwards was "What took us so long?"
The service was delightful as the staff, host and owner were all equally attentive and knowledgable.
The location is amazing as we would compare it to some of our past off Bourbon Street finds (without the noise and aromas). Sit outside on a weekend night for great people watching; however, be should to wander in to check out the cozy and welcoming bar and loft areas.
The food was absolutely impeccable. Impressing my wife who grew up in Japan with sushi in the states is no easy task, and the fact that she can wait to bring her mom for her next visit borders the absurd. Sushi lovers - Definitely try the Hamachi appetizer and the Domino Roll. Props to Chef James for a marvelous meal.
It's tough for me to rate sushi places and not be overly critical. I've been lucky enough to enjoy amazing sushi at restaurants ranging from small 10 person restaurants to huge expensive places. It's not rocket science, but the key is fresh fish. I think Spy has hope, but I don't know if I'll go back if I get to choose where we eat. The fish did not taste fresh. That's not to say it had gone bad. We tried all types of rolls, and nothing was amazing. The prices, at least for around here, demand that the sushi is from extremely good to amazing. Another strange thing, we had a party of six and they sat us on couches upstairs. Very strange to enjoy sushi on a couch. Our group is easy going, and no one like it.
Review Source:Snazzy, trendy and upscale sushi restaurant with wonderful outdoor seating. Â I only wish it wasn't so hot during our last visit. Â
Everything we had was great, but there was only one thing I want to write about...one of the chefs is vegetarian so we asked for him to surprise us with a vegetarian sushi roll. Oh my  fried mango amazingness!!!!!!
Our innkeeper recommended Spy when we said we were in the mood for seafood. Great recommendation! Her description of the food was "spectacular", and our 007 roll lived up to that praise.
The Thai green curry was flavorful, but lacked heat. Our waiter happily delivered a spice blend to help with that. I ordered a prawn and scallop dish with lemongrass sake cream, microgreens and mushrooms that was deliciously subtle. The scallops were cooked perfectly, though the shrimp were a tad overcooked.
The samurai mojitos were amazingly smooth and refreshing, and every cocktail I saw delivered to nearby tables looked beautiful.
We ate outside in the garden since the weather was cooperative. I can't speak to the ambience inside, but the patio is pleasantly green with umbrellas for shade and several fountains. You can relax and people-watch as you enjoy your meal. Service was friendly and relaxed while being appropriately attentive -- a good balance.
I wouldn't hesitate to go back, but I think I'd stick with the sushi next time for the best value.
By far some of the best sushi I have ever had. the only reason I can't dish out 5 stars is because of a long wait for our food and to get a table. But seriously, it is totally worth every second of a 3.5 hour experience. Good Sake list, amazing specialty sushi (all James Bond themed names), our server was perfect.
Review Source:My wife and I had a great evening here. Â In spite of the fact that they had overbooked the evening, and the staff were running like crazy to keep up, our waiter, John, did a great job of taking care of us and keeping things fun. Â We were warned up front that the night was busy, but John kept the wine coming and when the food arrived (not really that late) it was great. Â We'll certainly be back!
Review Source:I had a really great meal. The Harris Ranch steak was perfect. The staff was friendly and helpful sorting through the sake list. I'm looking forward to going back to try the rolls which looked amazing.
My meal and drinks was $80 and I did sample a few things. I'm OK with what I paid for the food that was served. HOWEVER, I really hated that my meal was presented with a plastic knife and a paper napkin. Really silly and frankly a bit insulting given the price of the food. Come on now, this is not a fast food restaurant and you are not inexpensive.
Would have been 4 stars at half the price or with proper cutlery and place settings.
This was a groupon dinner and I'm so glad I got this coupon! Â It was by far the best sushi I've had in a long time! Â I wish I lived closer, I would eat here every week! lol! Â Parking is hard to come by around Saint George st area, but if you happen to get the parking lot across the street you are lucky! Â Even if you have to park in the other lots, it is still worth the walk. Â They do have a bar, but they serve sake and sake cocktail drinks. Â I had the green tea mojito and loved it! Perfect drink on a hot humid day in FL! Â We started out with Endamame and OMG... they were the best I've ever had. Â They do a nice spicey seasoning on them which just takes the Endamame to the next level. Â My sushi was the best I've ever had and actually wished I had ordered more. Â lol! Â They have a great deal where you can get a platter for $50, I highly recommend it! The bartender was great, educating us on sake, letting us taste different kinds, and because he did that I found I like coconut lemongrass sake. Â yummm!! Â This is a must try if you are living in St Augustine or just visiting.
Review Source:Excellent sushi every time I've visited, and especially great selections for those who like spicy sushi. Â Everything is very fresh, unlike the sometimes room-temp fare at Fusion on the north side of town. Â The sake selection is dangerously delicious. Â And it's off the main path enough that it's usually a good bet to find a table, even on a busy night. Â I recommend the booth upstairs for large parties--feels like a private room.
Overall, a far lead for best sushi place in St. Augustine.
It actually took us a bit to realize the whole "spy" theme at this place. Both the rolls we had were off the more creative "chef specials" menu and all were named after Bond characters. The taste and quality were top notch and I appreciate that they didn't have only the usual assortment of rolls.
Review Source:The best, freshest sushi within a 300-mile radius of St. Augustine, FL. We live nearby but have travelled all over the world pursuing sushi. We've had sushi at the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo, Shiro's in Seattle, and Blue Ribbon in NYC. Spy can compete with them. Spy also has a top-notch kitchen serving modern world cuisine, but we've yet to try. Perhaps next time. ; )
Review Source:I'm glad I read the other reviews AFTER trying Spy.  The sushi was outstandingly phenomenal especially the Dynamite Roll.  As an appetizer, the calamari was tantalizing  to the taste buds.   As a nice touch, they served organic Cucumber water.  And amazingly, the service was superb.  All in all, the food was fresh and tasty.  Definitely a place to return and we will.
Review Source:Utterly perfect in an imperfect way.
I came here with a large group of girl friends from Palm Coast and St. Augustine. The host asked us: "Is this the bachelorette party?" We responded back to him: "NO! This is the divorce party!" Some of my friends in the group happen to be happy and lively divorcees with a great sense of humor.
The ambience is slightly metrosexual and yuppie-ish. They serve American cuisine with Asian. My Kentucky girlfriend ordered mash potatoes with a medium rare steak. I thought that was very convenient for people, who don't care to eat sushi or Asian cuisine.
The sushi tastes good and is very affordable.
I had three different sauces with my sushi: soy, spicy sauce, and ultra spicy broth like sauce. They doctored my Alaska roll and put cream cheese in it for me. Very affordable food. All of the entrees were served with delicate violet orchids. Everything look beautiful. The waitress was great.
On the downside, the special of the day was too spicy for some of my friends. Not enough bathrooms. The chair I sat on was uncomfortable.
Beautiful memory. Great food. Great friends. Great conversations.
Finally, great sushi in St. Augustine. I travel often to the west coast and always frequent the top sushi places. The sushi chef at Spy is fantastic and I believe he worked in Laguna Nigel before this if I recall. I will say the service has been slow and I have heard that from several people who have gone. I sit at the sushi bar and the service is fantastic. The guys behind the bar have new rolls every night and will make anything you want. The fish is fresh and the rice is top notch. Go on a weekday for dinner before the rush and you will not be disappointed!!
Review Source:If I could give this place zero stars I would.... so it gets 1 star for having "okay" sushi.
The service was absolutely some of the worst service I've ever had. Â At least 3 waitstaff walked by us numerous times before we were even handed menus, and they had acknowledged we were there so it's not like they just "didn't see us." Â It was later in the evening and if not for that we would have walked out earlier, but we were exhausted from walking around downtown all evening and didn't feel like getting up to go anywhere else, but we literally waited at least 10 minutes before our drink orders were taken, and the place was DEAD at the time, no excuses, I've tried to think of them.
We ordered a few rolls and a cup of miso soup each.... the sushi was "ok", nothing spectacular, but nothing to write home about.  However, the miso was absolutey horrible, it was more or less water with tofu and  seaweed, I'm pretty certain they forgot to put the miso paste into the soup, I've never seen "clear" miso soup and this was, void of any flavor.
Needless to say, you can judge by my other reviews that I'm not a complainer, but this place just flat out disappointed.
Best sushi place around. Â Located in a great spot in downtown St Augustine, nice vibe, great service and even better rolls. Â If you have been looking for a nice place to have some drinks and eat some raw fish, this is it. Â Definitely doesn't fit in with the rest of the restaraunts in the area and that is nice, it feel a little more upscale but has a relaxed feel to it. Â They have a nice wine list and many different sakis. Â Try the kobe beef/snowcrab rolls, they are awesome.
Review Source:This is a great place! Exactly what St. Augustine needs. Very chill atmosphere. We came here around 9 or 10 on a Saturday night and sat outside. I ordered one of their sakitinis -- the blonde bimbo or something along those lines -- and it was SO good (I was a little skeptical on how it could be tasty, since sake is generally kind of blah to me). I would love to come back and try some sushi when I'm a little hungrier, or even something on their menu (all sounded delicious), but we all thought the drinks were good and the atmosphere was great to chill with friends and enjoy some drinks. Recommend it to anyone looking for a nice way to spend a night. :)
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