This little sushi spot could easily be missed if you weren't looking for it. It's hidden in an alley in between the row of shops and restaurants on Westcliff Drive. They have a small but cute space with tables inside and outside. We ordered a couple of their sushi rolls to-go and they were very kind and offered water while we waited. They seem to get a lot of take out business and we were there during dinner time so it took about 20-30 min. for our order. We got the Sakana Roll ($17.75) which had shrimp tempura, crab and spicy tuna. It came with 8 pcs that were on the small side but tasted good. I was impressed by how much salmon they put in their Philly Roll ($11) and how fresh it was. If sushi rolls aren't your thing, they also have sashimi and nigiri as well as bento boxes and udon noodles. Most of the sushi here is decently priced and the fish quality is very good and fresh. Now if they only had a happy hour, I would be here more often. read more

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Cafe Sakana was really nice. I arrived closer to their closing time, and the staff were still very accommodating and welcoming. I had a salmon avocado donburi, and I really liked it. I had also ordered a roll but forgot which one since it's been awhile I went there. However, their fish tasted fresh and had no complaints. read more

Ordered Cafe Sakana on DoorDash for lunch and got the Ocean Set and a blue crab hand roll. The Ocean Set came with edamame, tuna sashimi, some cut rolls, and nigiri--it had a decent variety but the quality of the fish, especially the tuna, could've been better. The setup reminded me of Sugarfish with the bento-style presentation, but I wish they included sauce pairing instructions like Sugarfish does--it makes the experience feel more thoughtful. The blue crab hand roll was definitely the highlight--super fresh and flavorful (9/10). Overall, a 3/5 for me. It was fine for a delivery sushi spot, but nothing I'd go out of my way to order again. read more

Cafe Sakana - Ocean set and blue crab hand roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Newport Beach, California

AMAZING! The flavors in each bite was just mouth watering, sooooooo good. The service was amazing staff was super friendly! I ordered the ocean Luxe and the yellowtail yuzu carpaccio. This is now my favorite sushi spot. Very reasonable prices and I just can't get over how good everything tasted !! I will definetly be back ! read more

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Café Sakana is one of my family's favorite sushi spots. The fish is such high quality and you can't go wrong with anything on their menu. Their nigiri is always so fresh and I like their spicy tuna crispy rice more than any other place I've tried that dish. The salmon collar and rock shrimp tempura are some other must get items. Service was fantastic as always! read more

I just gotta say wow, I was impressed. I saw the good reviews and had to come out and try it and the reviews were spot on. Fresh fish, great flavor, and solid portions. I make Thursday nights my sushi night and I usually go to a place right by my house out of convenience but this week I felt like trying a new place out So I came here. Cool atmosphere kinda tucked away but I like that; it's kinda like a sushi oasis you are tucked away from the busy 17th street. The interior is nice and the staff was very friendly. Now into my recommendations the "jay roll" was to die for this alone will get me to make this place my regular and the California roll was SOLID. If you like to have Japanese beer with your sushi they have a great selection. Will be coming back more than once. I gotta try the spicy tuna tempura roll read more

Cafe Sakana - Golden Roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Newport Beach, California

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Excellent dinner at Cafe Sakana! The fish was fresh and the service was top notch. While not a fancy place, the quality of the sushi and the low key atmosphere are what make this place great. I had the seared cod nigiri (don't skip on this!), salmon belly nigiri, shishito peppers, and the Jay roll. They even accommodated my no onion request! read more

Yummy tasty sushi love how they always improve have new sushi creative way to enjoy fresh bites Our fav sushi restaurant in town read more

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Love that the patio area is dog friendly! I really enjoyed the ocean omakase set. The sashimi and hand rolls were full of flavor. I was also pleasantly surprised by the crunch roll. The tempura batter was light and a perfect compliment to the rest of my meal. read more

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Amazing I recently went to Japan and this was comparable to their sushi. Outstanding. We ordered a ton of rolls and I also got the omakase. LOVED. We got gyoza for the kids and it was the best we've had. Fish is high quality. There was no wait on a Saturday night and the service was amazing. The chef makes their own sauces too which were SO good read more

Cafe Sakana - Omakase - Sushi Bars Near Me - Newport Beach, California

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I knit at the Sheared Sheep almost every Tuesday and finally had time to stop by to enjoy a meal at Cafe Sakana...what a treat! The variety of choices of sushi, bento boxes and other treats was perfect. I chose a Bento Box for my first time with the shrimp tempura and California roll. It came with miso soup, salad, a large portion of rice, AND 2 servings of pickled ginger (my favorite!) The server was great and very attentive. The meal was fast, fresh and hot! It was wonderfully cool inside. The hardest thing may be the parking for the plaza but it's worth a few circles around the parking lot to have a meal at Cafe' Sakana!!! read more

I was down visiting friends who turned me on to this amazing oasis of of all things good sushi. So sublime and delicately delicious. With combinations of flavors that just dazzle your senses. I mean salmon and...pesto?! Ah...yes! And a wagyu beef sashimi with truffle....taste buds will be blown away. It's not traditional although there are familiar offerings. There is no sushi bar or raucous greeting upon entry. Little more than a half dozen tables inside as well as some patio ones. It's tucked away in the back. It's always the shy ones that surprise us, right? Relatively small menu but those flavor bombs are bringing it! Can't wait to call myself a repeat offender. Should be on everyone's to do list while In Newport Beach. read more

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Newport is supposed to be fancy and boujee asf. This place is really casual though. The restaurant is quite small and most people eat outside in these really old metal garden chairs you'd find in like, peepaw's homestead from the 1930s in like north carolina. Like, I could see someone selling sandwiches here, with no change to the furniture or decor and I wouldn't be surprised. Sooo def not a date night place. Also why is it called cafe sakana. Nothing to do with coffee. #stopthemislabeling #IKnowImAHater but I'm also just speaking facts because if I was an elderly couple that genuinely didn't know any better and didnt know how to look up the menu of a restaurant I'd have no idea this place sold sushi. Quality of the sushi was equivalent to any casual, medium-end sushi place, but prices did not reflect that. :( Also we got the sashimi and the slices were SO THIN. we were like uhhh... what? Rolls were pretty good though! Overall the experience was like a 6.8/10 but since I was going to newport I was just expecting like a 9/10 fancier experience. Sooo sorry but because I live in OC and I'm a glutton spoilt for choice in the asian food mecca of the world, I probably won't frequent this place. And wouldn't make a trek to go here. Server was really nice, welcoming and upbeat though! And she was in charge of like the whole restaurant it seemed so slayyyyy #bosswoman #femalepower read more

This is definitely a hidden gem of Newport. I wanted to surprise my boyfriend with a fresh sushi box for a beach day similar to Sugarfish and came across this place on Yelp and had to try it. Maiyumi, the owner was so nice, she packaged the two sushi boxes over ice so it will stay fresh unit my boyfriend got off work. I forgot to take a photo of it cuz it was sooo good but came back to eat in person. Parking: There is parking in the front lot and also in the back too. Parking can be difficult due to it being a busy shopping center. Service: Rob was wonderful. Rob is the owner's son. I mentioned to him I came last time for take out and he remember me. It was so sweet that they remember their customers. He was really attentive to making sure our food was fresh and we always had water in our cups. Food: The quality was on point. Its definitely better than Sugarfish. The fish was super fresh and the rice was perfectly cooked. As for the bento, the salmon was perfectly cook with just enough Teriyaki. I would recommend coming here if you're looking for good sushi, wonderful atmosphere and fantastic service (: read more

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I tried Cafe Sakana for the first time this past week with a friend and we both really enjoyed the experience. It wasn't busy when we arrived at 11:30a when they opened, but it got busier when we left around noon. The service was excellent throughout. Will note that the parking lot was pretty full but that there's some extra parking in the back lot. I ordered their signature The Ocean omakase set (Edemame, Tuna Sashimi, Blue Crab Handroll, Bluefin Tuna Handroll, 2 pc Salmon nigiri, 2 pc Albacore nigiri, 1 pc Yellowtail nigiri and 1 daily special nigiri) which was really good, especially the nigiris. My friend ordered the Olivia roll (Spicy salmon and shrimp tempura) and the Shrimp/Mixed Tempura, both of which he enjoyed. Definitely will be back to try some of the other menu items! Food: The Ocean Omakase Set ($29.50) Olivia Roll ($17.50) Shrimp/Mixed Tempura ($13.50) Recommendations: The Ocean Omakase Set Olivia Roll read more

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Oh my, this place! I definitely recommend it to anyone who loves sushi! My husband and I are huge fans, and we were amazed by the quality of this restaurant. We ordered the Ocean Blessing sushi set, and every single piece was fresh and savory. I also ordered California rolls for my son, and he literally gobbled everything up. The servers were super kind, and we received everything we wanted in a timely manner. Gosh, I must go back pretty soon! Yum! read more

Cafe Sakana - Ocean blessing set - Sushi Bars Near Me - Newport Beach, California

I'm no sushi connoisseur, but I absolutely love this place. I don't eat sushi all the time, because it really doesn't do much for me unless I eat a freakin boat load!!! But I've been craving salmon sushi. I ordered from them to go one day and then I kid you not, I ordered it two more days in a row. It was super fresh and tasty. Then the following day I ordered it from another place where I live in Yorba Linda, (that I thought was good) and I was so disappointed by the flavor of the salmon. It made it pretty clear how good café Sakana really is. Ps..I was on a roll this week. My cravings had me needing a damn salmon roll 4/7 days ‍ read more

First time here, called in last minute for a seating and we got in right away. It is hidden in the back of the center. We ordered alittle of everything. Definitely had a different flavor to the sushi than other places. Can't wait to go back again. read more

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I enjoyed my solo dinner here...i ordered my ocean blessings set which was 9 sushi pieces, 2 hand rolls and edamame. This was a good set for me as it had toro and bluefin. But the bomb is the black cod with yuzu that i had to reorder...OMG do i really need another order but it's super good and an excuse to order another Sapporo draft. Service is friendly and ambience is relaxed. I'm never disappointed here. read more

Cafe Sakana - This is the bomb black cod with yuzu - Sushi Bars Near Me - Newport Beach, California

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Stumbled upon this place as it looks like sugarfish and we love ourselves some sugarfish. Went with the ocean set and it was $32 and some change. 6 pieces of fish, 2 cut rolls, tuna sashimi and edamame. For the price and quality of fish, I think this was overpriced. The tuna sashimi was a little on the chewy side. The hand rolls were okay, not much flavor to them. I'd say the best piece of fish was the sea bream which had the yuzu lemony flavor on it. Probably wouldn't go out of my way to get this place. read more

Cafe Sakana - The ocean set - Sushi Bars Near Me - Newport Beach, California

We LOVE Cafe Sakana - the service is always great and the food is consistently delicious. The sushi is so fresh and everyone is warm and friendly. Thank you!! read more

This review is long overdue! We ordered takeout from here a couple years ago and I was so impressed. The sushi was so fresh and delicious. Definitely for go the omakase because you get a wide variety of options and all of it is amazing. read more

Sushi was SO good! Definitely lives up to the amazing reviews they have. A little hard to find but go through the walkway with the jasmine bushes and you'll see it. Theres outdoor seating in their patio and indoor seating as well. The rolls come out in 10 minutes and are gone way faster since they're so good. Osaka roll (10/10): one of their most popular with Spicy Tuna, Shrimp Tempura, Seared Albacore, Tuna, Avocado, Eel & Dynamite Sauce - soft, warm rice with crunchy shrimp, the perfectly soft fresh fish on top with avocado Jay roll (10/10): Bluefin Tuna Toro, Shrimp, Cucumber, Avocado, Yuzu Kosho, Ponzu named after a family member who passed away - a bright citrus flavor that was really refreshing Chose this place on a whim and now I can't wait to come back! read more

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My husband and I stopped here for a casual dinner on a Thursday night while driving back from San Diego to LA. I was in the mood for sushi and had looked at a couple of places on Yelp before deciding on Cafe Sakana because of the good reviews. We came in around 6:30 on a Thursday night without a reservation. We were seated immediately at one of their outdoor tables and brought waters. After ordering, our food was brought out soon after. Many places compared this place to Sugarfish because of their set menus, which I somewhat agree with. My husband got their course menu called The Ocean, while I got The Mini Ocean, which had edamame, 6 pieces of nigiri and a hand roll. His course had a sashimi dish and a couple extra pieces of nigiri than mine. We also shared nasu dengaku to start. I liked the nasu dengaku a lot and thought this was the best dish. The sushi was just ok. I do think the quality of Sugarfish is somewhat better than here. The service was very nice and the prices were on par with other restaurants in the area. read more

Cafe Sakana - The mini ocean - Sushi Bars Near Me - Newport Beach, California

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( Review 3.5 stars ) I ordered the Ocean Blessing set meal on their website for takeout and was impressed by the gorgeous layout, compartments, and overall display of the sushi. The set meal is perfect for a picnic with friends or a significant other. It's convenient and beautifully displayed. The Ocean Blessings set meal ($37) includes: Organic Edamame, Tuna Sashimi, Toro (1 pc), Bluefin Tuna (1 pc), Sea Bream (1 pc), Yellowtail (1 pc), Blue Crab Handroll, Salmon (2 pc), Hokkaido Scallop (1 pc), Daily Special (1 pc), Bluefin Tuna Handroll. Although I was incredibly impressed by the presentation of the sushi in the box, the bluefin tuna handroll was gristle--some parts were tough tissues of meat to chew. They probably used the tougher "leftover" cuts of bluefin tuna in the handroll. Aside from that, the sushi pieces were generously long and thick, fresh and delicious. If I were to come back, I'll skip the Ocean Omakase set and try ordering a la carte. read more

Cafe Sakana - Ocean Blessing Omakase Set ($37) - Sushi Bars Near Me - Newport Beach, California

A group of us met Jay (owner) at a restaurant in Newport Beach. He was funny and engaging and mentioned he had a sushi restaurant. Obviously we had to give it a try! After several emails back and forth, he reserved a table for our party of 10. I had emailed him our orders to make it easier on his chefs. When we arrived, the staff was so welcoming.  Alaska was one of our servers and she was amazing. The food and beverages came out as ordered. Everything was seamless. I didn't get pics of our food, but I will tell you that the restaurant is Japanese owned and operated. Everything was fresh and delicious and Mayumi (owner) was so sweet and kind. The best part of our visit was a big hug from her as we were leaving. Mayumi, we are sending you and your husband much love. この度は誠にご愁傷様でした。心よりお悔やみ申し上げます。 We will see you again soon! read more

Cafe Sakana - No pics of food, but here's what we ate & drank! - Sushi Bars Near Me - Newport Beach, California

Where everyday is International Sushi Day, Been going here since the day it opened and never stopped. Tell a freind.

Sushi was sooo yummy! All the staff was so helpful and sweet. My favorite was the Salmon Fresca and my boyfriend's was the Sakana roll. Highly recommend! read more

Our service was excellent!!!! Our server was so nice and the food is wonderful. Definitely recommend this place!

We went there for weekend lunch, it wasn't crowded at all which we loved. We had sushi, bento box, etc... Food was delicious! Definitely come back again! read more

Good and fresh food! Some prices are better then others. I have not eaten here yet, only take out or I had it delivered. I recommend the Bento Box, Udon or Sets. read more

We had such high hopes for Café Sakana after reading various yelp reviews, but ended up having a totally mediocre experience. The restaurant is located in this super cute area with lots of shops and restaurants. It's tucked in the back and has a lovely patio out front. Unfortunately for us, it wasn't quite warm enough to dine outside. We were seated immediately upon arrival and both decided to go with the Ocean Blessing omakase set. We shared an order of takoyaki as an appetizer and it was pretty good. They were nice and hot, but my husband didn't get any octopus in one of his, which was disappointing. The omakase sets weren't anything special. Edamame - standard with a sprinkle of salt Tuna sashimi - a couple slices of tuna in ponzu sauce Blue crab handroll/ Bluefin tuna handroll - ok, but they were pretty stingy with the crab and tuna. After one bite, we were left with just rice and seaweed. Toro - best of the bunch. The toro was nice and fatty and melted in your mouth. Bluefin tuna - good Sea Bream - nothing to say about it, it was pretty bland Yellowtail - also good Salmon - meh. You can definitely get much better salmon elsewhere. Hokkaido scallop - husband liked it Daily special - don't even remember what it was because it didn't stand out in any way Coming from Seattle, we have really high standards for sushi and Café Sakana just didn't cut it for us. It was just really basic sushi. read more

Sushi is always fresh and delicious. Been here over 20 times and never any issue . A little hidden gem

Went here because a friend of mine recommended it. I love sushi and this place seemed really good. I think one of the people who served us was named Jay. He was super helpful and explained the menu to us. We ended up getting the Ocean and the Ocean Blessing sets, as well as the Salmon Fresca. The fish was very fresh and high quality. Our server also took the time to explain each of the pieces of fish. Presentation was amazing, you can tell that the chefs not only care about the quality of food, but also the way it looks, which I think adds to the experience. Honestly it was one of the best omakase sets I've had in the OC. I've had sushi in Japan as well and this place is definitely comparable. We also had hot green tea, which our servers were kind enough to keep our mugs filled throughout our meal. For dessert we got the green tea ice cream as well as the green tea mochi. Overall, it was a fantastic experience. Food quality and service were on point. It wasn't too busy but even if it were, you can tell that they emphasize service here. My friend and I even stayed late chatting and they didn't bother us even after they started closing. We were so appreciative that they were very thoughtful and didn't kick us out. Highly recommend this place for any sushi lovers. read more

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WOW this review is LONG overdue as I checked this place out a while ago after seeing their amazing ocean blessing Omakase set! At the time I ordered their Omakase set to go and it was STILL extremely fresh and delicious! So happy that I got to come back and try it again but this time in person! Of course I ordered the ocean blessing Omakase because the regular was already so good the first time around. I also decided to try the crispy rice spicy tuna which one of the waitresses recommended! For only $34 the ocean blessing set comes with edamame, tuna sashimi, toro, sea bream, yellowtail, a blue crab hand roll, salmon, a daily special and a bluefin tuna hand roll! Not only is everything aesthetically pleasing, the quality of the fish and the care that was put into laying out the pieces was absolutely top notch. Presentation was 5 stars, quality 5 stars, taste 5 stars, service 5 stars! The food was already INCREDIBLE but the amazing service made the whole experience even better. The staff really took their time to explain any questions I had about the menu which made everything a lot easier considering everything this place has to offer! One of the waitresses Vivian was super attentive, friendly and helpful! Overall, highly recommend a visit and definitely one of my favorite sushi experiences!! read more

Cafe Sakana - Regular ocean to go - Sushi Bars Near Me - Newport Beach, California

Location / There's a parking lot in the front which can be a hit or a miss if you're coming during peak hours. The restaurant itself is tucked into this walkway (you'll see the cafe sakana sign) and it's pretty much the first few outdoor tables you see. There's indoor and outdoor dining options available to choose from. Food / We ordered the salmon Fresca and crispy rice with spicy tuna as our appetizers. Both were really good! I highly recommend the salmon Fresca for any salmon lovers like myself. We also ordered the ocean blessing omakase set and a roll. Every fish we had tasted absolutely fresh and majority of them were so tender. I really enjoyed the sushi here as they don't overstuff with just rice like some sushi restaurants do. Service / A little slower than usual. It was a busy night for them so we were being patient, but it came to the point we were waiting over 25 minutes for a roll and just decided to cancel it. A great sushi place! I recommend coming here :) read more

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There isn't anything I would want to go to this plaza for besides cafe sakana! Their omakase sets are delicious! They do not necessarily fill me up completely, but they are a satisfactory amount. The quality is good and I would definitely come back. The to go packaging is convenient and cute, definitely something I can imagine bringing to a picnic or to the beach nearby. read more

Cafe Sakana - Sushi Bars Near Me - Newport Beach, California

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I stopped by on a weekday right when they opened at 5ish and it was still fairly empty (so glad there wasn't a wait!). Also, plenty of parking in the lot. They have a similar menu to Sugarfish plus some other individual dishes. I had the Ocean Mini ($15.50) and the Salmon/Avocado Donburi ($8.75). The fish was soooo good, so fresh! I'm so in love with their salmon. I also had the spicy tuna hand roll, which was much spicier than I expected. It basically just tasted like sriracha, but it was a generous portion of tuna, so I ended up eating it with some of the rice from the donburi. I probably could have been satisfied without the donburi -- ended up eating just the salmon and avocado and leaving most of the rice. But I'm glad I got to have more of the salmon! I really hope this place doesn't end up having super long waits in the future, but I also hope they do well because it's a great spot for the quality of their fish. read more

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I hesitated visiting a Japanese restaurant in Newport Beach but on a Saturday night, every place was booked. I eat Asian food frequently and prefer Irvine or the South Bay for Japanese food. We however found this small place and I was pleasantly surprised. The place was tucked away in a upscale strip mall. The Yuzu Carpaccio was a hit. Very clean and presentation was great. The eggplant was also flavorful and well prepared. The shishito peppers appetizer was good as expected considering they are becoming a common appetizer for asian restaurants. The Blue fin Sashimi was high quality and delicious. The chicken karaage was a bit over cooked but good. The bento box was a safe choice and everything was freshly prepared. Overall a pleasant dining experience. read more

Came for the grand opening and they offered happy hour all day! Overall, I was really impressed with the food. It's family owned, and according to the owners, they have previous experience in the sushi restaurant industry already. The ambiance is clean and minimalist, and the prices are fair. Food - Their sushi/fish quality is really good - Toro was super tender and fatty. So yummy! - The salmon nigiri had a touch of lemon on it which is a really nice contrast to the fattiness of the fish. Props for introducing new ways to enjoy classic flavors - Takoyaki was super crispy and hot! Service - A little slow but any new restaurant would be too when they're first starting out - Servers were all very nice and made sure our drinks were always filled. Each of tonight's servers came by to check up on us I will definitely be back! I want to try their hand rolls and their donburi/bento box options next time. read more

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