30 Best Japanese Restaurants near San Clemente

“A Hidden Gem in Surfer’s Paradise – Super Bowl Express Delivers a Knockout!”

Tucked away in the heart of surf heaven, Super Bowl Express is the kind of place you stumble upon once—and never forget. The staff? Absolute legends. They literally fired up the kitchen after hours just to make me dinner. That kind of hospitality is rare.

The food? Fresh, flavorful, and made with heart. The BBQ with brown rice and vegetables is a game-changer—smoky, wholesome, and perfectly balanced. And don’t sleep on the sushi—it’s ocean-fresh and melts in your mouth.

If you’re chasing waves and crave something real, this spot is your post-surf paradise.“

“When we searched for the best sushi place in San Clemente, Malulu Sushi came up first on the list.

Good things come in small packages, right? Well, this is a small place, but it doesn't matter because the food & service are excellent.

To me, service is very important!!! At Malulu, the Japanese hospitality is on full display. Then, the food came, and we realized that we had found our favorite sushi place in SC.

Everything we ordered was tasty. And to our surprise, the female sushi chef made the best spicy yellow tail handroll. It reminded us of a sushi roll that we could only get at a sushi restaurant in Laguna Niguel (sadly, the chef moved to Japan).

We are already planning to go back this week & bring some friends along.“

“I’ve been to plenty of sushi spots in the area, but Full Moon Sushi consistently delivers **top-tier quality, excellent service, and an inviting atmosphere**. The moment you step inside, the staff greets you with a smile, making you feel like a valued guest rather than just another customer.

The sushi? **Incredible.** Every roll I’ve tried is **fresh, well-balanced, and beautifully plated**—never a disappointment. My personal favorite? The [insert your go-to roll here]—it’s packed with flavor and always hits the spot. Even the simple, classic rolls are done **exceptionally well**, showing the kitchen’s commitment to quality.

Beyond the food, this place has a **great vibe**. Whether I’m coming in for a casual dinner with friends or a quick sushi fix after a long day, Full Moon Sushi always delivers. It’s one of those restaurants where you **leave happy, full, and already thinking about your next visit**.

Highly recommend Full Moon Sushi for anyone looking for **delicious, fresh sushi with a welcoming touch**. Can’t wait to go back! 🍣✨“

“Great sushi and the atmosphere is great. The owners and chef’s will stop by your table to see how things are going. They also make sure that you always have a cold beer. While you’re there, buy the chefs a beer, they love toasting with their patrons.“

“This is my husband and I's favorite poke place ever. We've tried a ton of places throughout OC and on the east coast & this place is definitely the best. The family that runs it is always very nice when we come in and the food always tastes fresh. Also, The place is always VERY clean which is super important to me when being served poke. 10/10 recommend“

“Best Tomo fried rice, smothered fries, and Ramen I've had since moving to south OC. And the staff is super friendly! I drive 15 to 20 minutes just to get their food.“

“This place has become a favorite bar/restaurant in Orange County. Surprisingly amazing fish quality in the sushi! Only serve handrolls but they are all amazing. I do go hungry and fill up on them. The drinks are also some of the best I’ve had in Orange County. « Kick Out The Jams » is now my favorite cocktail of all time. The staff and owner take a lot of pride in their drinks and you can taste the quality. Highly recommend this place!“

“Fast ... very friendly... great foods and great prices... A+++++....“

“Super fresh, smelled clean inside. Owner is quite friendly and really cares about making a nice bowl.

Got the large bowl with brown rice, and a selection of great sides and toppings. Not *too* many, but each one worth considering. Flavors and spice level were spot on, not too salty or sweet, which highlighted how good the fish choices are.“

“I have ordered sushi from here many times and it’s always the best. It can be hard to find sushi places that are consistent in quality and taste but Maki Yaki is always consistent in both! The staff is also very kind. I absolutely love this place and their food!“

“We have been there many times and love it! One of the best sushi restaurants I know! I prefer sashimi and the presentation is beautiful and mouthwatering!“

“Best sushi I have ever had“

“Delicious food, fun and inviting atmosphere, excellent service and the friendliest owners Key and his lovely wife Grace. Our local reliable go to.“

“A favorite restaurant for our friends and family. Food is always consistently good and the atmosphere is fun!!!“

“Ordered sushi take out from Gen Kai later in the evening. It was ready in 20 minutes - service was also very friendly. The food was very fresh and so delicious. California rolls, tuna rolls, salmon rolls, and cucumber rolls were all hearty and had plenty of fish/stuffing. The tuna and salmon came with cucumber and avocado, something that is often an add on other places. The portions were very good and 2 rolls felt like a real meal not just an appetizer!! The rice was tender and, again, it was all super fresh. Thank you for a wonderful take out meal to eat at a scenic overlook!!“

“Oh My Sushi is a hidden gem tucked away in a strip mall in Laguna Niguel. They serve incredibly fresh fish, beautifully presented in both classic and creative sushi rolls. The Toro Tasting is amazing. The décor is modern and inviting, the drinks are inventive, and the dessert selection is a sweet surprise. Their sake list is impressive — don’t miss the sake flight, it’s a must-try!”“

“Nice atmosphere and the food was very tasty 😋“

“We love it here! Super good food and nice employees. We went the other night for dinner. My husband got the chicken and beef teriyaki plate with white rice, California rolls, edamame, tempura, and Crunchyroll. They put a great variety of items on the dinner plates and it's so delicious! I got the Chashu ramen. It was delish. It was like a bowl of comfort. The only thing I would suggest is on the ramen there are green onions on top and I wish that they were chopped up instead of in strips. I feel like I always have a hard time chewing strips of green onion, but other than that, everything is so good.“

“Fresh fish expertly prepared by friendly chef with equally cheerful service staff! We will be back“

“good food on the go. plenty of seafood options.“

“Great food! More like a "Sushi to go" restaurant. You order your food at the counter. There are only a couple of tables inside and out the restaurant and they will bring the food to your table if you are dining in. It is family owned and you often see Father, Mother, and Daughter working behind the counter. But every time I've eaten here, I've been very pleased with the food and service.“

“The food was so delicious.“

“Restaurant is clean and open. Their sashimi bento box lunch special [includes miso soup, cucumber salad, tempura, half CA roll, and seven slices of quality sashimi served with real wasabi!] is the best and it was only $20. Thank you to sushi chef Obi for his recommendation. Now if they only served Kuronama or any other Japanese dark beer, they'd be perfect.“

“Cool little hole in the wall place down the street from my parents place. Got the bento box and it hit the spot. I don't live there, but if you are looking for a random place, this isn't a bad place to check out. Only dig is they close early. Probably because they are in the back spot of a complex. So staying open late would be tough if folks don't know you are there.“

“We sat at the sushi bar and Joe-san was our sushi chef. He was fast, efficient and everything was tasty. We chose the Oh My God roll towards the end and honestly folks? It is OMG spectacular! And so was the Queen Imperial with yellowtail and mango. Great service!!!“

“My family and I usually love Jizake and have been to this place multiple times over the years. However after last nights dinner not sure if we will come back. The first issue is that the server forgot to bring us 3 of our appetizers. I also noticed that my hot sake wasn't very hot and that they have trimmed down the size of their rolls. During the meal it became obvious to all of us outside that they were using a wifi speaker and whoesever phone it was hooked up to must have been moving around since the music was going in and out. Lastly while asking for the check I instructed the server to take the appetizers off our bill since we didn't receive them. He said he would and when he came back I was given a hand written bill with the break down. To his credit those appetizers were shown but not charged. I totaled up each line item and everything seemed correct as the subtotal was $170 with tax total should have been $183.17. However after taking my credit card he came back saying they totaled our bill incorrectly and apologized. Our new printed bill after charging my credit card didn't show the pricing break down for all the items but it appears that they added back in the money for the appetizers as with tax it came to $196.11 plus tip. By this point we just wanted to leave. After getting home we started not feeling so well. We don't usually have any bad reactions to sushi so maybe it was some sort of cross contamination issue. Either way I would caution everyone while eating at this establishment.“

“They gave us as much sushi as we wanted and didn’t blink an eye when we ordered 30+ rolls. I also didn’t get AYCE sushi and they were super accommodating as long as I didn’t eat any bites of the others food. Such a great experience, would recommend!“

“Fresh, Friendly, Unique!
My sister and I became big fans of onigiri when visiting Japan, and ONIGURU did not disappoint.
Visited last Sunday and ordered a variety of onigiri; they were all delightful.
They were delicious and refreshingly fresh. In addition, the service was fast and extremely friendly.
The lady that helped us was a pleasure and made our visit more special.
Four thumbs up :)“

“I have been coming here for over 10 years, and it consistently hits the spot. The Chicken Teriyaki bowl with extra chicken is the way to go, and the sheer amount of food you receive is uncanny.

Can't recommend it enough if you are craving a Chicken Bowl“

“always fresh delicious friendly staff.All you can eat Monday and Tuesday 👍“