34 Best Sushi Bars near San Clemente

“Dark Magic Sushi was D-freaking-licious. Ashton and I recently stopped in for dinner, and the food was immaculate. Everything came out quickly, tasted incredibly fresh, and was clearly prepared with a lot of care. Once we were seated, we were able to enjoy a full sushi meal in less than 45 minutes.

The wait to be seated was longer than expected, and the service was a little slow at times because the restaurant was completely full. Our server could have checked in with us more often, but those were relatively minor issues compared to how good the food was.

Overall, Dark Magic Sushi delivered an excellent meal and easily earned five stars. We will be back and would strongly recommend it to anyone looking for high-quality sushi in San Clemente.“

“I spent years in Japan and for an hour I forgot I was in California! The food is outstanding and authentic. ありがとうございました!“

“I’ve visited several times, and each time I’ve tried different dishes. Every staff member is very friendly, and the food never takes too long to be served. The food is authentic and delicious, and you can really feel the chefs’ dedication in every dish. It’s hard to find another Japanese restaurant with such great quality and value!“

“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.“

“Very high quality / fresh combined with highly skilled chefs“

“A uniquely delicious experience:
Actually ended up here by accident trying to find dinner at the downstairs tiki pub. Were swept off our feet by an intimate and well tailored japanese fishing/90’s citypop culture vibe, insanely good cocktails and the best sushi I’ve ever had. A bit more expensive, but I’d recommend this over its downstairs neighbor.“

“So far my favorite sushi place in San Clemente. It is a little bit pricey, so I don't go as often as I would like to. Sometimes I go to another place occasionally to get my sushi fix when I don't want to spend so much. But Miyako is the best!“

“Absolutely loved it. great taste good portion. Tuna and salmon chunks are pretty decent personally I think it’s tastier than poke n half they have a sushi like thing in the tofu skin two for six bucks that taste good too, but I didn’t like the Hawaiian shrimp hot plate.“

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

“First time here and I absolutely love this place!! I’m very particular about sushi - I love my sushi to be very fresh tasting And this place here had nothing but High-quality Sushi.

I ordered the blue fin toro & Salmon Nigiri. Also got the yellowtail, Crunchyroll.

So delicious, easily became one of my favorite Spots!“

“This place is legit so good. Everything we ordered came out fast and so delicious. The tempura is light and fluffy. The rolls were awesome. The nigiri was Michelin star quality, and everything was reasonably priced. We will definitely be coming back here!“

“My favourite sushi restaurant in SoCal, if not the world. I eat here as much as possible when I'm in the area, and I recently moved away permanently and miss this place so much. All the best, Koko Sushi, and to your wonderful staff, who make already great food even better. Thank you for the delicious memories.“

“Nice atmosphere and the food was very tasty 😋“

“After several visits for both lunch and dinner, I can say with confidence that the food here is excellent and the place is spotless. And I mean that sincerely. The dining room is clean, and even the men's restroom was immaculate. Nothing kills an appetite faster than walking into a restaurant bathroom that smells like dirty mop water. Not the case here.
Our server was extremely attentive. Move your dish an inch and it was cleared before you even noticed. That kind of service matters.
Honestly, I struggled to find a single negative thing to say about the food or the experience itself. So I want to be clear: if a neighbor asked me where to find good, close sushi in Ladera Ranch, I would send them here without hesitation.
But there's something I've been thinking about since walking out, and maybe other people feel the same way.
Half the fun of a sushi bar has always been the connection. Knowing your chef. Picking up a conversation where you left off last time. The kind of familiarity where you end up buying your chef a drink because that's just the relationship you've built. It's one of the things that makes a neighborhood sushi spot feel like a neighborhood sushi spot.
That experience doesn't exist here. The chefs are skilled and clearly focused, but there was no eye contact, no conversation, and from what I observed, heads buried in phones between orders. It felt almost like a policy. And maybe it is. Maybe that's intentional. But it's a noticeable absence.
The food doesn't even have to be perfect for a place to earn that kind of loyalty. Some of the spots people drive across town for built their reputation on the relationship as much as the rolls. I miss that.
So: great food, great service, spotless restaurant. Absolutely worth going. I just hope someday the sushi bar feels like a sushi bar again.“

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

“I enjoyed the smoked spare ribs and the spicy stir fried prawns with veg Dessert was great too“

“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!”“

“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.“

“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!!!“

“The Ladyfingers are divine and no one else has them on the menu that I've ever seen. The Chefs are top notch and we've never been disappointed.“

“Delicious fresh fish. Had the belly sampler and the Black Pepper scallop roll, both superb. Don't let the kinda run down appearance of the building fool you. The ambiance inside is simple but nice, and the food and service is excellent.“

“The service here is so nice and fast. You can’t beat the lunch special deals! ($10-13 for entree with soup and salad) I love coming here for lunch, I want to try all their deals haha. If I didn’t make it for the lunch specials I would definitely try one of their specialty rolls!“

“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!“

“My husband and I went in for some Ramen and were greeted by the sweetest waitress. She checked up on us and helped with our 8 month old who just wanted to play. The food was amazing, very filling and delicious portions. We will most definitely be back soon!“

“I was most impressed with the forbidden rice rolls: ichiban, black widow, and Kamakazi rolls. Unlike most black rice, the rice was not hard but still soft like white rice with a nutty taste to add to the flavor profile. I also loved the fried onions on top of the Ichiban and Black Widow which really added flavor and texture. The Kamakazi had a nice chili oil to it which was pretty creative.

The service was friendly and fast. The ambience was nice with both indoor and heated outdoor space (great views). I recommend it as a nice casual date or family gathering.“

“Really enjoyed my stay! The rooms were quiet and comfortable, the hotel bar was fantastic, and the room service was excellent. Loved the thoughtful little amenities—they really made a difference.“

“The Sushi Stand is a fantastic spot for sushi in San Juan Capistrano! The sushi was fresh, flavorful, and beautifully prepared, with great-quality ingredients and delicious combinations. The portions were satisfying, and every bite was packed with flavor. The atmosphere was casual and welcoming, while the service was friendly and efficient. A great place for a quick sushi lunch or a relaxed dinner with friends. I’d definitely come back for more! 🍣✨“

“This is my favorite place for years to go. When it comes to all you can eat sushi. It's not a buffet style, pretty pretty much fresh to your mouth.... with the new changing ownership, it's even better... it's always good but now it's better.....“

“Food: Sushi rolls were excellent and pretty competitive prices. My favorite was the caterpillar. Fish quality was excellent. Avocado and cucumber was fresh and sushi didn't taste like it had sugar in it which was excellent.!

Service: Sucks. They are impatient, rude, and quick to walk away and pretend they didn't hear you. For example I asked if a waiter could remove a plate. He ignored me and signaled at the busboy to pick up the plate instead. Even the busboy realized that was odd.“

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

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

“The food was so delicious.“

“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“