spent almost $300 for me and my wife, ordered 1 claypot rice, 1 premium omakase, 2 steam eggs and a jelly fish.servings are very very small, cooking methods were very traditional, can taste the craftmanship.premium sashimi had veins in the fish and neither the waiter or chef comes to explains what the fishes you're eating so you just need to explore.for $300 many Japanese Cuisine we'd get a bit more narrative and presentation, here we were just told the plates and pots were very hot... all night.will not recommend to anyone
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 4
Pammy D.
For my girlfriend Bday celebration, I decided to take her to Sakanaya and try the Omakase course out.I love traditional Japanese small restaurants, and I was very excited to try this place out since it's not just a sushi place.The following review is solely based on my tastebud and opinion. Please remember that everyone has different tastes.Food : 3/5 I think I had too high expectations for the dishes.Some of the dishes, the quality, and the taste were just not there yet for me , however, I did enjoy several dishes like the seabass ,sashimi platter, and the wagyu beef. Most of the dishes were very pure , light season, which maybe I was just not used to it.Personally, I just think the value for what I paid for was quite not there yet.Drink menu 5/5 They got very good selection of beautiful wine and sake list Service4/5: Like at most of the Japanese restaurants, service is almost great since the restaurant. Very attentive, and the server was very friendly and ensured we were taking care of.Ambiance4/5: Small intimate restaurant like a typical Japanese restaurant in Japan which I enjoy alot if you want to go somewhere quiet and enjoy your company. Overall based on the omake dinner I was a little disappointed but I would like to give go back and try A la carte menu with them again since they offer that as well beside the omakase.
Jessica C.
First off, this restaurant serves kaiseki, their omakase is not sushi. Kaiseki focuses on the flow and art of Japanese cuisine, don't come here thinking you'll have uni, toro, crab handroll, etc.. it looks like some of their courses have sashimi but I didn't try the omakase since I don't really enjoy kaiseki. I tried a few and just didn't like any of them, it's too much art for me.We came for the a5 wagyu sandwich and it did not disappoint. The wagyu was deep fried to perfect and just melts as you bit into it with a bit of crisp ones from the toast and breading. Definitely try this.We also ordered the pork katsu and it was a very pleasant surprise. It was super juicy and tender and had a light crispy coating. It's better katsu than the katsu specialty restaurant next door.We also got the crab and ikura clay pot rice. It was good.We ordered a few appetizers and sashimi that didn't really stand out to us.The maple ice cream was also another pleasant surprise. Really good.We've already came back for the wagyu sandwich and pork katsu, they were both as good as our first visit.Decent parking lot, there's more spots in the back.
Zach Odom
The omakase was phenomenal. It was a decedent 11 course meal. I was hesitant at first, not expecting to like some things, but it was all an experience to eat. I personally wasn't fond of one item, but others at the table enjoyed it greatly. I went with a large group of 8, and had a great time.The service was exceptional, and could not recommend it enough.
Alex Wang
Amazing kaiseki experience, there's no sushi (omakase doesn't necessarily mean SUSHI). Everything was fresh and prepared extremely well. I've never had mackerel that wasn't fishy until now. All the uni I've eaten until now cannot be called uni. The course progression was very well thought out, going from light gradually to heavy toward the end. Ingredients, prep, and presentation were top notch.
Bohan W.
Both the kaiseki and the a la carte menus here offer a great selection of traditional meals. Its a true kaiseki experience and a rarity to find in the area.Kaiseki is one of those structured, organized, meals that are seen as one of the pinnacles of Japanese dining. I think its often difficult to judge, as the breadth of what is offered likely goes beyond what most of us can comment on with any sort of certainty.Sakanaya's setting, however, was a surprise compared to what you would find at a typical kaiseki restaurant in Japan. More informal, located in a strip mall, with dated-but-not-traditional decor. But when the first courses arrived, any doubt that this would be a proper kaiseki were washed away.My only qualms with it would be the pricing. While an increase in pricing is expected comparison to Japan, I think the scarcity of comparable restaurants in the area allows for a steeper markup relative to categories such as sushi.Despite that, its a restaurant that I'm glad exists, even if I will not visit more than twice a year.
Jae K.
Sakanaya Chef Tetsuya is a well trained Kaiseki Chef from Shizuoka, Japan. He has so much experience with the Japanese cuisine and coming from Japan he is a loving person that wants to share his love for his culture and the way of Kaiseki he has learned in Japan. His level of cooking is undeniably detailed, delicate and executed with the most natural execution. It is really interesting how he prepares his menu and shares his philosophy in his restaurant Sakanaya. The decor is very undecorated but decorated. Its very comforting and not anyways that it feels like you are in some three michelin starred restaurant. Rather more comforting home restaurant that is a country of its own. When you are in the restaurant, you do not feel like you are in Japan or even America. It's like you are in the story book of Chef Tetsuya as he is about to give you a poetry of Kaiseki that is redefined to his imagination as to how it should be represented out of his culture. The most difficult part of Kaiseki is that it's very hard to describe even to a real local Japanese people. If you ask them, it's just very hard to put it into a sentence. Maybe nature, or flow of a nature, or zen. Some kind of poetry or testimony to how the nature is flowing and we are getting essence of that nature. It is not suppose to be the most amazing sensual experience but rather more of a full movie that will make you happy, cry, sad, uplifting again and making you passionate again. Its almost like a ritual or a ceremony. Think of a Native American dancing ceremony. It's some what spiritual and feeling the story of nature. Big part of Kaiseki dining is another Japanese philosophy Ichigo Ichie. This means that this exact moment or this time or this sensual experience or story telling from Kaiseki, will only come once in the life time. Its that moment that we are trying to capture, remember or memorate in the most ritualistic ways. The last part kind became out of track for the restaurant review but this is some what what chef Tetsuya is trying to do or passionately trying to create. Its not the greatest tasting food or good time, Its more of a unique story telling time that he wants you to remember. His tempura and appetizers are always changing and it's a surprise. If you dine often enough or at least few times each season, you will see he will have some of the rarest ingredients that the most skilled chef can carry or do. I'm astonished at the simplicity but the complexity the chef Tetsuya does, which has many layers and depthness. He is an artist and painter with food, you are there to enjoy the story the chef has for you that night. Please try the restaurant omakase more than once, if possible even his premium omakase. I can say that this is one of the best places to enjoy the Kaiseki presentation but to really enjoy kaiseki, should be less critical but more listening and absorbing the materials. Its a rhythm that you want to groove with not go against, like surfing the waves.
Duong N.
Great authentic Japanese Omakase ( not sushi Omakase). Food was fresh, highly recommend
Tiffany T.
Reservations only! This is truly a hidden gem with an unassuming (dare I say, shady looking) exterior in a very random plaza near South Coast Plaza. Haven't had a chance to try their Kaiseki set menu, but their a la carte menu is full of wonderfully made traditional Japanese dishes that most people would overlook due to their seeming simplicity, but the flavors are truly mouthwatering and to die for. Don't let the restaurant exterior, old school maroon red table cloths, and poorly functioning ac unit deter you. Must orders: matsutake mushroom rice in clay pot, crab, and uni chawan mushi, and jidori grilled chicken.
美奕
I'm confused about the whole meal. I don't understand how can a dish taste like SEA WATER and nothing else. The price obviously does not match its quality at all. It's a good experience to remind me that life is full of unpredictability. You expect to get decent food for this price but all you get is a profound lesson to reflect about life. It's a wonderful restaurant for people who's allergic to sodium
Awesome omakase. The Wagyu beef and uni are absolutely heavenly. The fish are all very fresh and delicious as well.
Casey C.
It's our second time visiting this place. It's a small place with a few tables but the food is so good, in comparable standard to the Kaiseki courses we had in Tokyo and Kyoto. All the food are very fresh, well prepared and the spice and favor is very unique and tasty. Definitely worth multiple visits! Not to mention that they change the menu often so each visit is a brand new surprise!
Sammie C.
Omasake dinner in full force. Loved every single course of this meal. I'm not used to eating chilled duck, but it was pleasantly good. Total 12-13 courses including a soup and a few desserts. Small but good selection of wine.
Karen J.
I had my birthday dinner with my husband at this place, and we ordered omakase for the night. It was $150 per person and we were disappointed. The atmosphere wasn't welcoming, and chairs weren't comfortable. Even we made reservations ahead of time, and business was slow that night, they didn't seat us at the bar, so we didn't even get the real omakase experience, where the chef prepare the food in front of you! We never got to meet the chef, we saw him came out chatting with one customer who was sitting at the bar, probably his friend? Then he left. The server who brought the food to our table, she could barely tell us what was on our plates. It would be nice if they could have a print out of what they were serving us. Apparently what they served us were pretty much the same everyday anyway. Food wasn't even that good, much overrated. I still posted pictures of the food just so you know what to expect, not because they were one of a kind.
spent almost $300 for me and my wife, ordered 1 claypot rice, 1 premium omakase, 2 steam eggs and a jelly fish.servings are very very small, cooking methods were very traditional, can taste the craftmanship.premium sashimi had veins in the fish and neither the waiter or chef comes to explains what the fishes you're eating so you just need to explore.for $300 many Japanese Cuisine we'd get a bit more narrative and presentation, here we were just told the plates and pots were very hot... all night.will not recommend to anyone
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 4
For my girlfriend Bday celebration, I decided to take her to Sakanaya and try the Omakase course out.I love traditional Japanese small restaurants, and I was very excited to try this place out since it's not just a sushi place.The following review is solely based on my tastebud and opinion. Please remember that everyone has different tastes.Food : 3/5 I think I had too high expectations for the dishes.Some of the dishes, the quality, and the taste were just not there yet for me , however, I did enjoy several dishes like the seabass ,sashimi platter, and the wagyu beef. Most of the dishes were very pure , light season, which maybe I was just not used to it.Personally, I just think the value for what I paid for was quite not there yet.Drink menu 5/5 They got very good selection of beautiful wine and sake list Service4/5: Like at most of the Japanese restaurants, service is almost great since the restaurant. Very attentive, and the server was very friendly and ensured we were taking care of.Ambiance4/5: Small intimate restaurant like a typical Japanese restaurant in Japan which I enjoy alot if you want to go somewhere quiet and enjoy your company. Overall based on the omake dinner I was a little disappointed but I would like to give go back and try A la carte menu with them again since they offer that as well beside the omakase.
First off, this restaurant serves kaiseki, their omakase is not sushi. Kaiseki focuses on the flow and art of Japanese cuisine, don't come here thinking you'll have uni, toro, crab handroll, etc.. it looks like some of their courses have sashimi but I didn't try the omakase since I don't really enjoy kaiseki. I tried a few and just didn't like any of them, it's too much art for me.We came for the a5 wagyu sandwich and it did not disappoint. The wagyu was deep fried to perfect and just melts as you bit into it with a bit of crisp ones from the toast and breading. Definitely try this.We also ordered the pork katsu and it was a very pleasant surprise. It was super juicy and tender and had a light crispy coating. It's better katsu than the katsu specialty restaurant next door.We also got the crab and ikura clay pot rice. It was good.We ordered a few appetizers and sashimi that didn't really stand out to us.The maple ice cream was also another pleasant surprise. Really good.We've already came back for the wagyu sandwich and pork katsu, they were both as good as our first visit.Decent parking lot, there's more spots in the back.
The omakase was phenomenal. It was a decedent 11 course meal. I was hesitant at first, not expecting to like some things, but it was all an experience to eat. I personally wasn't fond of one item, but others at the table enjoyed it greatly. I went with a large group of 8, and had a great time.The service was exceptional, and could not recommend it enough.
Amazing kaiseki experience, there's no sushi (omakase doesn't necessarily mean SUSHI). Everything was fresh and prepared extremely well. I've never had mackerel that wasn't fishy until now. All the uni I've eaten until now cannot be called uni. The course progression was very well thought out, going from light gradually to heavy toward the end. Ingredients, prep, and presentation were top notch.
Both the kaiseki and the a la carte menus here offer a great selection of traditional meals. Its a true kaiseki experience and a rarity to find in the area.Kaiseki is one of those structured, organized, meals that are seen as one of the pinnacles of Japanese dining. I think its often difficult to judge, as the breadth of what is offered likely goes beyond what most of us can comment on with any sort of certainty.Sakanaya's setting, however, was a surprise compared to what you would find at a typical kaiseki restaurant in Japan. More informal, located in a strip mall, with dated-but-not-traditional decor. But when the first courses arrived, any doubt that this would be a proper kaiseki were washed away.My only qualms with it would be the pricing. While an increase in pricing is expected comparison to Japan, I think the scarcity of comparable restaurants in the area allows for a steeper markup relative to categories such as sushi.Despite that, its a restaurant that I'm glad exists, even if I will not visit more than twice a year.
Sakanaya Chef Tetsuya is a well trained Kaiseki Chef from Shizuoka, Japan. He has so much experience with the Japanese cuisine and coming from Japan he is a loving person that wants to share his love for his culture and the way of Kaiseki he has learned in Japan. His level of cooking is undeniably detailed, delicate and executed with the most natural execution. It is really interesting how he prepares his menu and shares his philosophy in his restaurant Sakanaya. The decor is very undecorated but decorated. Its very comforting and not anyways that it feels like you are in some three michelin starred restaurant. Rather more comforting home restaurant that is a country of its own. When you are in the restaurant, you do not feel like you are in Japan or even America. It's like you are in the story book of Chef Tetsuya as he is about to give you a poetry of Kaiseki that is redefined to his imagination as to how it should be represented out of his culture. The most difficult part of Kaiseki is that it's very hard to describe even to a real local Japanese people. If you ask them, it's just very hard to put it into a sentence. Maybe nature, or flow of a nature, or zen. Some kind of poetry or testimony to how the nature is flowing and we are getting essence of that nature. It is not suppose to be the most amazing sensual experience but rather more of a full movie that will make you happy, cry, sad, uplifting again and making you passionate again. Its almost like a ritual or a ceremony. Think of a Native American dancing ceremony. It's some what spiritual and feeling the story of nature. Big part of Kaiseki dining is another Japanese philosophy Ichigo Ichie. This means that this exact moment or this time or this sensual experience or story telling from Kaiseki, will only come once in the life time. Its that moment that we are trying to capture, remember or memorate in the most ritualistic ways. The last part kind became out of track for the restaurant review but this is some what what chef Tetsuya is trying to do or passionately trying to create. Its not the greatest tasting food or good time, Its more of a unique story telling time that he wants you to remember. His tempura and appetizers are always changing and it's a surprise. If you dine often enough or at least few times each season, you will see he will have some of the rarest ingredients that the most skilled chef can carry or do. I'm astonished at the simplicity but the complexity the chef Tetsuya does, which has many layers and depthness. He is an artist and painter with food, you are there to enjoy the story the chef has for you that night. Please try the restaurant omakase more than once, if possible even his premium omakase. I can say that this is one of the best places to enjoy the Kaiseki presentation but to really enjoy kaiseki, should be less critical but more listening and absorbing the materials. Its a rhythm that you want to groove with not go against, like surfing the waves.
Great authentic Japanese Omakase ( not sushi Omakase). Food was fresh, highly recommend
Reservations only! This is truly a hidden gem with an unassuming (dare I say, shady looking) exterior in a very random plaza near South Coast Plaza. Haven't had a chance to try their Kaiseki set menu, but their a la carte menu is full of wonderfully made traditional Japanese dishes that most people would overlook due to their seeming simplicity, but the flavors are truly mouthwatering and to die for. Don't let the restaurant exterior, old school maroon red table cloths, and poorly functioning ac unit deter you. Must orders: matsutake mushroom rice in clay pot, crab, and uni chawan mushi, and jidori grilled chicken.
I'm confused about the whole meal. I don't understand how can a dish taste like SEA WATER and nothing else. The price obviously does not match its quality at all. It's a good experience to remind me that life is full of unpredictability. You expect to get decent food for this price but all you get is a profound lesson to reflect about life. It's a wonderful restaurant for people who's allergic to sodium
Restaurantji Recommends
Awesome omakase. The Wagyu beef and uni are absolutely heavenly. The fish are all very fresh and delicious as well.
It's our second time visiting this place. It's a small place with a few tables but the food is so good, in comparable standard to the Kaiseki courses we had in Tokyo and Kyoto. All the food are very fresh, well prepared and the spice and favor is very unique and tasty. Definitely worth multiple visits! Not to mention that they change the menu often so each visit is a brand new surprise!
Omasake dinner in full force. Loved every single course of this meal. I'm not used to eating chilled duck, but it was pleasantly good. Total 12-13 courses including a soup and a few desserts. Small but good selection of wine.
I had my birthday dinner with my husband at this place, and we ordered omakase for the night. It was $150 per person and we were disappointed. The atmosphere wasn't welcoming, and chairs weren't comfortable. Even we made reservations ahead of time, and business was slow that night, they didn't seat us at the bar, so we didn't even get the real omakase experience, where the chef prepare the food in front of you! We never got to meet the chef, we saw him came out chatting with one customer who was sitting at the bar, probably his friend? Then he left. The server who brought the food to our table, she could barely tell us what was on our plates. It would be nice if they could have a print out of what they were serving us. Apparently what they served us were pretty much the same everyday anyway. Food wasn't even that good, much overrated. I still posted pictures of the food just so you know what to expect, not because they were one of a kind.
The best Japanese restaurant in Costa Mesa.