A new acquaintance from the local tattoo shop recommended this sushi restaurant to my friend and me so we decided to check it out. Upon arrival we were greeted by a couple seasoned women who seated us right away. Although they don't speak much, they are diligent waiters--when we demonstrated hesitation on which sake to order for our (multiple) sake bombs, our waiter took it upon herself to bring out all the bottles of sake they offer so we could look them over (excellent service if you ask me). Since there were so many food options to choose from (sushi, rice, noodles, tofu, soups, salads, etc), we decided to do a smorgasbord and ordered two rolls, tofu (DELICIOUS), edamame, and some noodles. We left with bellies full of Kirin beer, sake, and damn good food! Hole-in-the-wall sushi joints can be intimidating, but don't underestimate this place--it delivers big time. read more

Wasn't sure I wanted sushi but I hadn't visited this sushi place in a very long time. Ordered a Ishi roll and a dinner combo. Food was prepared quickly and everything tasted good. The outside doesn't look the best but I have dined here for many years whenever I have been in BB and it hasn't disappointed. Will go back the next time I'm up. read more

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It's sad that they have such low reviews here on yelp, because we loved everything about our to-go meal on our last night in the rented cabin. We stopped in at around 7 pm on a Sunday night, and they were completely empty. The staff was kind of hanging out watching the game on the TV hanging above the bar, but they snapped to when we walked in, immediately welcoming us and offering us any table in the space. We told them we were hoping for a to-go order, and they gave us menus and invited us to sit while we pondered our meal. I got the Beef Teriyaki and tempura combo, my husband got the Tonkotsu and sashimi combo. We then added on two sushi rolls, because we are gluttons, and I love me some sushi. My husband stayed inside the restaurant to wait for the food while I returned to the car to wait with the pups. It did take a bit of time for the food to come out, but when my husband returned to the car with a box full of to-go containers smelling delightfully of charred meat and fried foods, I didn't mind at all. The food did not disappoint; it was freshly cooked (or rolled) and hearty. The tempura was crispy and just slightly oily, which was a delight to eat. The teriyaki beef was tender and flavorful, with a slight char that added to the flavor. The rolls were filling and fresh. My husband loved his tonkatsu and the sashimi (which he surprised me by getting, he's not usually a sashimi guy). He said the pork was cooked well and the breading was nicely crunchy. I'm not ashamed to say we ate every scrap of rice and fish we brought home that night. I wish we had been able to dine in, the staff was friendly and the dining room was open and bright. But, we couldn't leave the dogs in the car (or at the cabin) alone that long, so it was nice to have the option to get it to go. read more

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I would not come back. This place is pretty run down, which isn't usually a problem but here the food matches the ambiance. I feel bad saying anything bad but it was so overpriced for food we really couldn't finish. The service was good at least. read more

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The food was ok (3/5) but the environment could use some updating. I do not like to leave negative reviews so, I will state that it is hard to find above average sushi in a mountain town like big bear. It's good if you're craving sushi and just need to get a fix. That being said I think if there was updating within the space it could make a world of difference. read more

We had a cozy and intimate dining experience, given we were the only ones in the restaurant. The service was excellent, and the staff are so kind and friendly. Our server even gave us some sake on the house since we had to wait awhile for our food (which we didn't mind). The food was pretty good, I liked the tempura and the fried rice, but teriyaki chicken wasn't great. The prices did seem a bit high. Overall a decent dining experience. read more

Fuji Restaurant - Fried rice with chicken - Sushi Bars Near Me - Big Bear Lake, California

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My brother was craving ramen and sushi and saw this down the street from us. It was quiet location and easy parking. Love that it is a family owned restaurant. Service was great and staff was soo nice. Rice was a little hard and ramen needed a little more flavor, besides that everything was great! Thank you!! read more

This place went so down hill, they serve this as "fresh sushi". We just paid and walked out they were mad we didn't eat. read more

Fuji Restaurant - It got worse the longer it sat - Sushi Bars Near Me - Big Bear Lake, California

The food came fast, the waitress was friendly and the food was decent for Sushi in the Mountains. The only reason why I left 4 stars versus 5 was because they were out of a lot of food. We would definitely come back read more

Fuji Restaurant - Sushi Bars Near Me - Big Bear Lake, California

Incredibly kind service, great atmosphere and the food is delicious! I'll come back any chance I can get. Thank you!! read more

most horrific experience. the guy serving us seems like bothered why we were there. service sucks , server no personality. I guess the rating of 3 is perfect for them. on top of all that 1 pc of teriyaki chicken cost you $16 . i am just amazed and baffled. wow !!! just one of the worst experiences I have ever had in the Japanese restaurant. If you don't want to ruin your day, STAYa AWAY. Worst ever, worst ever, worst ever. I wish I could warn more people. Don't waste your money. And really money is not an issue , literally looking for an experience but got one of the most Horrible one. I am all for local businesses but if you are not up to the challenge to provide great customer service, specially in a samller community like ours , then god bless you Stay AWAY read more

Sorry this place needs a huge improvement or to be shut down Service was fine but he said just fyi , anything hot will take a hour ( it was 630 pm) ... So we got the tempura and some rolls , tempura was not tempura was sautéed tiny vegetables , with weird veggies not usually in tempuras ( bell pepper?) Bathroom was disgusting looked like it wasn't clean in years poopy toilet etc ... would never go again . Sorry wasn't cheap either. 90 bucks for 2 adults and child. read more

We came to eat at 9:30pm on a Monday night. Despite almost being closed, the staff was incredibly welcoming and pleasant. The food took a while to come out, but it was because it was fresh and made to order. We ordered the vegetable udon, sashimi and chicken teriyaki combo, and negimaki beef (our absolute favorite and sooooo good). It appeared that the restaurant was being run by three older adults, and you could tell that even though the service was slower than the average sushi place, everything was delicious and made with love. The restaurant was clean, peaceful and welcoming and I recommend it to anyone who wants some excellent teriyaki and udon. We will definitely visit again. read more

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BUG IN MY FOOD Worst Japanese- or any type of restaurant- I've ever been to. Took an hour to get our super simple order for take out. We saw people leave and get out of their seat because they hadn't been served and the place wasn't even that busy. Sushi guy was standing around doing nothing so it's not like they were under staffed. BUT THATS NOT EVEN THE WORST PART No no no. I get back to eat the food at my apartment and its a ridiculously small unseasoned dish that I could've made in 5 minutes for $2. I'm half way done eating and I thankfully- THANKFULLY spot a huge bug/beetle before I EAT IT. LITERALLY A HUGE BUG. IN MY FOOD. You would think, you would fucking think that in the hour they took to prepare this fine meal they would check for bugs or idk something. Maybe add a single veggie or a garnish or seasoning other than a borderline roach. But no. Literally ruined my life. Thanks a lot. read more

Fuji Restaurant - BUG IN MY FOOD - Sushi Bars Near Me - Big Bear Lake, California

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Our go to sushi spot in Big Bear! The Three Color Delight is a must order! Friendly staff as well :) read more

Fuji Restaurant - Sushi Bars Near Me - Big Bear Lake, California

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You really have to appreciate that this is a family run business. And when you do, you really appreciate the service and the food a whole lot more! They are a lot older so the service may be a bit slow but we really enjoyed our time and dinner there. We went during their happy hour 5-7 pm. Half off on selected sushi's. We liked the hand rolls and ramen a whole lot! Ramen is a hidden gem there. read more

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This restaurant is truly exceptional! The hibachi dishes were incredibly delicious, evoking memories of Japan. The owners' warm hospitality transported me back to the heart of Japan. If it were possible, I'd gladly award them a 10-star rating. I'm definitely planning to return. I wholeheartedly endorse this establishment to everyone. Ps: I love Yuki-San energy! このレストランは本当に素晴らしいです！ヒバチの料理は信じられないほど美味しく、日本の思い出をよみがえらせました。オーナーの温かいおもてなしはまるで日本に戻ったような気分でした。できれば、10つ星を評価したいと思います。絶対にまた訪れる予定です。誰にでもこのお店を心からおすすめします。 read more

Fuji Restaurant - Sushi Bars Near Me - Big Bear Lake, California

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Loved this place! I eat at the best sushi spots in LA and have very high standards when it comes to sushi. Even though I didn't expect much from this place, I was pleasantly surprised to see their sushi rival the places I am used to going. Sushi was fresh, people kind, saki hot, and all around I am very satisfied with this place. I tried many of the rolls with my hard to please fiancé and we both fell in love with this spot up here on the mountain. "K" was our server and chef was "Jun" and wow they took great care of us. Try the seared Tuna Sashimi and the Spider Roll...you won't be disappointed! read more

We've gone on the weekends and had their hibachi menu and honestly it's great for the price! We've done Benihana and others in the past and this place is a fun little spot that we enjoy from time to time. I cant really speak on the sushi but their service is always prompt and so kind :) definitely enjoy coming here and speaking with the staff read more

Authentic Japanese cuisine! Although the restaurant is somewhat dated it is cozy and comfortable. We were welcomed immediately and seated at the window table. We ordered vegetarian rolls, agedashi tofu, udon and vegetable tempura. Everything tasted fresh and the fried items were lightly breaded. Everything was clean with respect to the table wear, plates and glasses. The sushi rolls looked fresh that were delivered to other tables. We went on a Saturday evening in February and there were about 5 other tables dining. We were happy to give it a try and not fight the village waits which were running as much as 90 minutes. We had a great experience. We do not understand the some of the low ratings as our experience was pleasant and tasty. read more

Fuji Restaurant - Fried tofu - Sushi Bars Near Me - Big Bear Lake, California

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Must visit when at Big Bear Lake. Authentic Japanese cuisine prepared by this really cute old Japanese couple. The Gyoza was so good, the boys did not share with us. My husband had the sashimi and sushi platters and me and our youngest had the ramen and our eldest had the karaage. All so good. read more

I think this restaurant deserves more stars than it gets. If you've ever been to Japan, this feels like a restaurant in the countryside. Nothing fancy, just simple and good. I loved our waitress, she did her best with a short staff night. It was a great spot to get away from the crowds of the "hip" places in town. We were hesitant to go at first but we are glad we took a chance. read more

Surprisingly good sushi in Big Bear! Friendly staff and there was a pretty long wait for food (short staffed) but they warned us first. Enjoyed some great sake, nigiri sushi and a couple hand rolls during their happy hour. Loved the salmon and bluefin tuna the best! Also you must try the "Yuki special drink"! It is a unique but savory warm sake-based drink. Perfect for cold weather and after a day on the slopes! read more

Family was looking for poke or sushi and we found a place called Tropicali but parking was crazy and the line was a mile long, so we came to Fuji Restaurant. The workers are a man and woman who own the place. The woman is very kind, but the man was nice at times and a bit rude at times. We came during Happy Hour, so prices were very good for what we received. The food came out fairly quick. Most of the food tasted good, some of it was a bit too fishy, and I know that sounds weird to some but it should not smell too fishy. Either way, we all had our share, fed the whole family for $100. Not bad at all for sushi. The spot is mediocre sushi in my opinion, but then I don't really know what to except for Big Bear. I can't recommend trying it or not trying it. You'd have to test it out yourself. read more

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As soon as I got to Big Bear, I looked up where to get ramen. Only one place came up: Fuji Restaurant Sushi & Teppanyaki We looked up the hour and it says open at noon. We got there right at noon the next day. Noone was there and door was locked. A lady came to the window and signed "5" with her hand. Then I saw the hours on the window (different than what's posted online, that's okay). They only open for dinner at 5pm. So we left. At 5:45pm we went back. As soon as we got inside the same lady from earlier came toward us and said: "We're closed!" I was confused but not about to leave. This was the second time we came. She said sushi chef went home and I said "I don't want sushi. Can I order noodles?" She said "noodles is okay but not ramen, okay? Only to go, okay?" I said okay, no problem. I ordered few other things. She gave me my total. As I was giving my credit card, I asked her, "could you please make I get some hot sauce and soy sauce?" The next thing I knew she was recalculating the total. She charged me $2 for tiny container of sriracha and packs of soy sauce. Had to wait almost an hour for the food to be ready. I settled with udon instead of ramen which ended up being overcooked :( read more

Fuji Restaurant - three packets of soup and a drink on a table - Sushi Bars Near Me - Big Bear Lake, California

Idk why ppl are complaining. The food is amazing! The staff is so attentive and friendly. My boyfriend and I come to big bear 4x a year and I have no negative things to say. Jose was our cook and he was very friendly and he cooked perfectly. I highly recommend this place. We ordered the filet mignon with fried rice with vegetables. With side of sushi . Our favorite was California rolls and fresh eel, filet mignon and chicken and the rice and miso soup so like everything hehe! Will come back! read more

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Awful food The portions sizes are so small and not one thing was cooked even remotely well. My dad's sushi was overcooked and no one was satisfied with the food. Service was terrible and the food took forever to come. Do not go here. read more

I tried this restaurant and the sushi at Stater Bros is better. As other have said fish taste old and low quality. All the rolls smelled/tasted fishy, something you never want when consuming raw fish. This restaurant should be avoided. The server would not take any food back or offer a discount. We left most of the food and just paid the bill to get out of there. I recommend Stater Bros or Vons sushi since it tastes better and cost way less, than this place. read more

I've had my eye on this spot for awhile but was hesitant because of the reviews. My boyfriend and I finally decided to give it a try since we've moved up the mountains. I can't believe it took us 6 months to finally try it! I don't understand the negative reviews because we both thought the sushi was great. We're both originally from OC and eat sushi very often. We've tried all the good sushi spots around OC, LA and Japan; so we feel our judgement is decently reliable. Maybe some people had come on a really off day? Maybe we came on a good day? I am still very baffled by the bad reviews. We'll definitely come back to see how consistent their quality is. We were greeted and seated by a very kind old lady. The sushi chef was also a very friendly man. He made light conversation and told us a bit about himself. He's been a sushi chef for about 30 years. He's pretty old now so he's only there a couple days a week but on other days, his son is there. Hopefully we'll get to meet him too sometime. Sweetest family working there. We both felt very welcomed. We ordered the yellowtail, mackerel, albacore, tamago nigiri and everything to us tasted pretty fresh! Especially for mountain sushi. Yellowtail literally melted in my mouth. Couldn't detect any fishy smell. We also orders the Ventura Roll which had scallop, albacore and a spicy mayo sauce. Pretty good and hefty roll. We enjoyed it. As for ambiance and decor, don't expect a updated fancy sushi joint. It's a simple little restaurant. But I'm someone who doesn't get wooed by the decor of a place. I'm there to judge the food and the service. And I thought it was great. Don't knock it till you try it. read more

Fuji Restaurant - Albacore, Mackerel, Tamago, Ventura roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Big Bear Lake, California

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Nice little place. Food cooked to order. Hot food was hot, cold food was cold. My country girl wife had to ask for a fork . It was a HOT day and required a fan be moved on us, which made all well. We would go back read more

This place is a great place to eat if you love sushi. I definitely am going to recommend this place to my friends.

Ten years of coming to Big Bear to snowboard and not once I set foot in this restaurant, probably coz I know deep down it's not going to be good (coming from LA/SD area where there's a plethora of great Japanese food). Somehow this time around, the cravings for sushi and sit down dining after snowboarding is so bad that I decided to give this place a shot. When we were ordering, I remember telling myself that the fish here isn't going to be fresh or good, but somehow I still ordered the extra sashimi on the side with my sukiyaki, I guess I was too tired and wasn't thinking straight from boarding all day. First of all, we got the Agedashi tofu as an appetizer, which came a lot later (after our entrees). That's totally fine, it's a hot dish, wtv. BUT!!! We found a piece of short black hair stuck inside the tofu! It's not just on top of the tofu, literally half of the hair is inside the tofu, so you know its definitely not ours. GROSS! Second, the sashimi that I ordered with the sukiyaki literally came last after we are done with everything. Ok, not a big deal I guess... BUT!!! The sashimi looked like it was cut by Frankenstein. The chef completely butchered the fish and left it with no dignity. On top of the fish not looking fresh at all, it just looked very haphazardly cut, like an afterthought. It was really sad. I ended up leaving it untouched.. (sorry if it feels like I'm being wasteful but it was THAT bad). Lastly, the service was very inadequate. They never double checked with us about what we ordered on the sushi list. And when we found out there were some missing when the sushi came out, the waitress simply said they didn't have it so they crossed it out... without bother telling us. It's one thing to have bad food, its another to have bad service. You must be wondering, Anita, you gave this place a two star, it must be that they are doing something right? Was the sukiyaki good? I'm glad you asked, it was NOT. The beef in there was super hard and old, but I think everything else was so bad that this seemed like a minor issue. Normally, I'd tear a place apart if their meat quality isn't good, but I'll give them a pass on this coz the bar is just way too low. The real reason I gave it a two star is 1) they were one of the few places that were offering indoor dining (which I'm pretty sure it was illegal during that time) and 2) we didn't get sick after we ate here (which we were all very anxious of). So there you have it, STAY AWAY. As I'm writing this review, there are so many other small things I remembered that happened and was super unpleasant, but literally this will become a 1000 word essay if I write about them all. The overall take-home message is the same: STAY CLEAR! read more

Super cozy family owned restaurant! My boyfriend and I came during the heat of the summer, so we got the cold soba noodles with dipping sauce and fresh tempura veggies on the side. We absolutely loved it! Not a spec of food was left afterwards. The service was excellent, very professional and friendly staff, quick to deliver food and drinks to the table. 100% coming back here again when I come back to big bear next! read more

Fuji Restaurant - Cold soba with dipping sauce and fresh tempura veggies on the side - Sushi Bars Near Me - Big Bear Lake, California

Authentic and delicious. My favorite sushi spot, never miss a chance to eat here when in the mountains. It's better than Nobu by far. It may not have the Instagram appeal for the plastics who want to take selfies for their insta, but it tastes 10000x better than Nobu or other sushi spots that are trendy. Service is great, if crowded, expect some delays, as it is a small spot with few associates. I love this spot. On my way there now actually. Cheers!!! read more

Very nice folks but very overpriced and the fish was not that fresh, unfortunately I would love to patronize a small business but can't really get behind this one after the experience. read more

I was very impressed with this restaurant. Everyone with me agrees the food was excellent and they offer teppan performances on certain nights. I ordered salmon sashimi (by request, not on the menu exactly) and teriyaki chicken. The only fish I heard was a bit old was the tamago and smelt eggs. The ramen looks good and they offer soft-boiled eggs in it. All of my food was great and I'd highly recommend it. read more

I lived in Japan for 9 years and still visit frequently. The sushi here is high quality and an exceptional value, even after their Happy Hour. This is indeed a family restaurant, run by lovely people. They do their best, but food can definitely take time. If you're impatient, there are plenty of fast-food joints in town. If you must go on a weekend, go early. I'm not sure the hours here are correct. Best to call ahead. read more

I personally will never forget my experience here. I came out to big bear to attend this Oktoberfest a while back and I had a ton of time to kill. Was looking for good food and good times, I vividly remember walking down "Pine Knot St" that is filled with a ton of restaurants and each one was jam packed with people so I could've gone to any of them but for some odd reason none of them stuck out to me. I kept on walking and stumbled across this completely empty sushi spot. I remember entering and being immediately greeted by the most friendliest staff ever, took a seat and ate some amazing sushi. I was there for hours getting to know the staff, drinking sake and just having a blast. I had so much fun that I attended the Oktoberfest the next day and came back to eat dinner. I always tell this story to many people because you should never judge a book by the cover. This completely empty (at the time) sushi spot with some "bad reviews" ended up being one of the most amazing places I've ever been to. I definitely need to come back and visit again. read more

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This is the winner of the WORST SUSHI I've ever had. Expensive $16.95 and very small. Nothing like the pictures on the menu. You know that gas station sushi very dense mushy block of rice you can even see the individual grains? It's worse than that!! Doesn't taste fresh!! It taste it and looked like it was frozen and defrosted. Worst sushi ever! The ginger that came on the side was very warm and wrapped in plastic (not even a container). It's was a very hot day and there's no a/c they had fans on the window (should have left just because of that). Could not finish eating the sushi roll I got very worried about food poisoning. Don't waste your money! You can get a nice meal with a drink for less than $16.95! read more

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I'm very disheartened looking at the previous Yelp reviews. There are lots of complaints about the service and the wait time. If you come here, keep in mind this is a small Japanese restaurant with the only employees being an elderly couple. One chef and one server/host. If you've never worked a service job in your life it's easy to get annoyed, but keep in mind that Big Bear is a tourist location with lots of visitors so it's normal to experience long wait times. My family of 5 arrived in the midst of happy hour during Valentines Day weekend and the woman running the place let us know immediately that it would be around an hour until we got served based on the amount of customers they had. We weren't super hungry so this was fine for us. We ordered a Ventura Roll, a Soft Shell Crab Roll, a ton of sashimi, the beef plate, tempura, two bottles of Nigori, and hot tea. In terms of the quality of the food, it's genuinely good quality sushi for the price that you're paying. Similar to Yelp reviewers below, I grew up in OC and now live in LA, and have also visited Japan a handful of times so I'd say that my palate is trustworthy. We also weren't charged for any condiments. The woman was accurate in terms of how long our food would take, but we didn't mind. With the size of our party and the amount of customers they had it makes sense. It's not like these people are avoiding their customers. It was evident these people were working very hard to get the food out quickly without having to compromise quality. The entire time we were at this restaurant, the couple was nothing short of polite and apologetic for the wait. We came for my moms birthday and the server was balancing serving customers, grabbing the bill for others, and seating new customers so the chef came out himself to hand my mom her birthday dessert. Not only that, when things started to slow down the owner came out and bought us a bottle of sake and I insisted he takes shots with us! Everyone was so hospitable. Overall, it was a lovely experience visiting Fuji and I'm very glad my family got to celebrate my moms birthday supporting this family-owned business. If you're lucky enough to check this gem out, please be mindful that it's run only by an elderly couple who are doing their best to service their customers. read more

Fuji Restaurant - Sushi Bars Near Me - Big Bear Lake, California