Came for late lunch and there was only 1 server but he was really energetic and funny (service didn't feel slower fyi). I wish there was an online Yelp waitlist - please consider! Food was good and everything delivered (AYCE) was accurate. Great lunch special so we'll return! read more

Kanji AYCE Sushi - Menu January 2026 - Japanese Near Me - Lake Forest, California

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Unfortunately slow service! Writing this review as we wait for round two of our sushi, been here over an hour. Server also isn't super friendly. We got AYCE and most of the cut rolls are filled with sooo much imitation crab meat that they become unenjoyable to eat. Wouldn't come back because of that read more

Kanji AYCE Sushi - Nigiri is the best part - Japanese Near Me - Lake Forest, California

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Came in on a Sunday night on a holiday weekend and the place was hopping! Had a rock star server and everything we ordered was on point. One of the more creative presentations of spicy tuna on crispy rice I've ever seen! read more

Kanji AYCE Sushi - Japanese Near Me - Lake Forest, California

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We used to dine in regularly at Kanji but had not been back in several years. This review is only for the takeout ramen we recently picked up. They have one vegetarian ramen option, the mushroom ramen, which can be made spicy. My general rule for ramen spots is that if they have one vegetarian or vegan option and it is actually good, I am happy. That is exactly the case with Kanji. The mushroom ramen is just as good as I remember, flavorful and satisfying. The toppings include lots of mushrooms and bamboo shoots, and we got the spicy version. Pickup was quick and the staff were very friendly. I did not realize when I ordered that there was a 30% off promotion for takeout ramen, which was a nice surprise. For the quality, you really cannot beat the value. We will definitely be back again. Parking is easy since it is in a plaza. read more

Kanji AYCE Sushi - Spicy Mushroom Ramen - Japanese Near Me - Lake Forest, California

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The sushi and food here is top notch! The service as well when they get a lunch rush is very helpful, especially with many ordering all you can eat sushi. The setup as well is perfect for the location and felt it was clean and well kept. I enjoy getting sushi salmon, spicy tuna anything, yellow tail, miso soup, edamame and so on. Haven't had a dish I didn't like yet. Thanks Kanji for the great overall experience. read more

The lady came to take the order very rude. I've tried many dishes, but none of them contained fresh fish; every time I ate more, it made me nauseous. I'll never comeback read more

Kanji AYCE Sushi - Japanese Near Me - Lake Forest, California

The food was great, I just didn't like their spicy mayo. The service was pretty good for how busy it was. The ambience was very hectic, but you are paying a fair price so it's fair. read more

Price - Average | service - very below average | cleanliness - average | interior - casual vibes | parking - lot, ample DO NOT GO! Ordered the sushi AYCE Although the sushi at Kanji was decent...there are two problems with them. First, the customer service is absolutely garbage. One female waitress who yells like no one is there. She screams from welcoming customers to asking what they need to even the fellow staff of requests. At first, she worked erratically when there wasn't even half the restaurant packed to when it became full. She must think that if she sounded like she was busy and all over the place, this would make customers think the restaurant is good and busy. Instead, it made the experience very hectic and stressful. She should learn to work more efficiently and calm down so customers aren't anxious while eating. I've never seen a worker yell out at literally every action and request. Then, her service throughout the entire time was condescending and rude to me and other customers. I'll admit that I order a ton at ayce but that's what it's for. However, I do eat all the food EXCEPT when it tastes terrible. There was the dynamite and fire cracker starters that was one of the worst kitchen food items I had at an ayce sushi. Because I left these uneaten (that's how bad it was), the waitress gave me a snarky remark about knowing what I order next time. This is after I finished a ton of sushi and other starter foods. If I left two out of 50, that doesn't deserve any comment yet alone a snarky remark. How about you try it and tell me if it's good. Go fix your bad items instead of being rude after I finish everything else. The other workers were much better. Secondly, I'm not sure if it was the portion I ate but my stomache wasn't at ease afterwards. Keep in mind that I went to many ayce sushi and BBQ before and don't have these problems. It might've been timing as I also didn't eat anything all day, but there are other similar reviews to watch out for. Regardless of that, don't go here because the waitress is unprofessional and yells at literally everything. It was a very uncomfortable and annoying experience. read more

Kanji AYCE Sushi - Broken table - Japanese Near Me - Lake Forest, California

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ACTUALLY endless sushi. no limits on how many of each roll you can get at a time! super kind staff and everything is made fresh! read more

Kanji AYCE Sushi - miso ramen, tilapia , hand roll, shrimp edamame, Chicken Katsu - Japanese Near Me - Lake Forest, California

Yo! This place is . Service was fast, friendly, playful. The food was amazing. They let their quality fish speak for itself. They don't over pack the sushi with a ton of rice. Everything fresh. I love their take on the Cajun tuna! It's loud in there, it's moving, people are talking, eating, the waiter/waitress are moving and grooving bantering, getting orders in. That place is ALIVE. And we LOVED every minute of it. We will be back. read more

Walk into Kanji and it's like entering a frat party. It's dark, dank, and your shoes stick to the floor. No noise abatement. It's frenetic. Stinks of burning something. A Japanese girl yells something at you. You try to order but she ignores you. Ten minutes later you flag down someone who can take your order. The sushi is great. The spicy miso ramen will ruin your guts. But it's good. Great food, but be prepared for the frat party. And now your hair and clothes smell funky. read more

Kanji AYCE Sushi - Spicy Miso Ramen - Japanese Near Me - Lake Forest, California

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Kanji is great for AYCE sushi I went here for the first time with some friends. I called ahead to see if they took reservations and they did not. We were fine though. We came in on a Friday night and it wasn't too busy. We got seated right away. They had lots of sushi roll options including some without rice. Their nigiri was also impressive. Their rice to protein ratio was perfect. Their sushi was also fresh tasting with salmon and eel being my favorite. I didn't care for their albacore and yellowtail. Their AYCE menu also includes a variety of appetizers, udon, and ramen. We all left satisfied. The pricing was very reasonable. Service was great. They made sure to check on us and take any used plates away. The inside is casual. It's great for small groups. Its a great AYCE sushi spot for the area and was worth the drive. read more

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This lunch all you can eat sushi is a fantastic deal. Food is fresh and service is great.

I wish i could give them zero star . Me and my hubby went there on sunday for the first time and it was a lady came to take the order very rude very rude . We order a hot sake and had a sip it was awful it taste like vinegar and when we told her the sake is not good she took it a way so rudely and said if its bad u dont need to drink !!' Instead of bringing menu for us and let us choose another one she left and we left and will never go back again . Never read more

I rarely leave negative reviews, but the unprofessional behavior from one female staff was disappointing enough to warrant a warning. Unfortunately I missed other one-star reviews as warnings prior to this experience that had ruined not only my lunch but also my entire day two days ago. This one waitress who had served us is not only rude the entire time but makes condescending remarks about leaving food behind. After trying to justify to her that the leftovers were not wasting but simply unbearable for eating because of bad taste, she became raged and screamed profanity! Wow!!! There are many great spots in this neighborhood. To deal with this level of disrespect and mental distress, we won't be returning read more

3.5/5 star review because my experience at the restaurant for the AYCE sushi was truly a mixed bag. I'll likely visit again midweek instead of the weekend to get a better feel of the restaurant. Pros: -Minimal wait on a Friday night -Amazing fish to rice ratio!! -4 pieces per roll order (instead of 8) -Large variety of rolls with fun flavor combinations -Pepper tuna sushi was my favorite; it was smokey and had a great bite Cons: -Little space between the tables -Loud, like bar/club level loud -Sticky (floors and tables) -Long wait between orders (20+ mins) but the manager mentioned between short staffed by two people -General service was slow, took us a while to receive our check as well -Salmon was surprisingly fishy and didn't have a great mouthfeel read more

Kanji AYCE Sushi - Packed house- Friday night - Japanese Near Me - Lake Forest, California

Kanji is the best sushi place in OC. I come here like once a month with my girlfriend and dad. We PIG out. The music in there is such a vibe and sometimes it starts going crazy and we feel like we're in a club! So fun! The fish always tests fresh and the staff is so friendly and fun. I've tried a ton of sushi places and we always resort back to here. Highly recommend! read more

Wow. Love this sushi spot! The small rice ratio so you can eat more fish! They offers a lot of appetizers, sushi rolls & nigiri. Our favorite are the baked mussels, lolly polly, salmon nigiri, and squid nigiri. The genki roll that with salmon, tuna and cucumber wrap is a must. Service is attentive and ask to refill our water. Good vibes at the restaurant and good music. As an all you can eat sushi lover this is one of the top spots in OC. read more

Kanji AYCE Sushi - Outside - Japanese Near Me - Lake Forest, California

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尔湾日式自助天花板！吃到扶墙出 谁懂啊！在尔湾闲逛偶遇这家 kanji sushi，直接刷新我对"吃到饱"的认知----刺身鲜到能当场落泪，寿司卷料多到溢出来，热菜小吃也全都在线，性价比爆表！ 碧吃亮点 刺身&握寿司新鲜度拉满，三文鱼腩、北机贝、炙烤白金呛统统无雷 芝士焗青口香到想舔盘，豚骨拉面浓郁暖胃 天妇罗虾、蒲烧鳗鱼、飞鱼籽军舰...吴先续的快乐，碧须狠狠拿捏！ 小tips 环境温馨木质风，服务超贴心 椅盯要空腹来，朋友聚餐、家庭聚会都很适合 read more

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Very disgusted with our experience. From the moment we arrived, we were treated poorly. We were meeting up with our party and simply tried to sit together, and the server became visibly upset and began raising their voice at us. The interaction felt unnecessarily aggressive and unprofessional. Made us feel unwelcomed and uncomfortable to the point that we decided to leave before even ordering. Customer service should never make guests feel disrespected. Unfortunately, we will not be returning. read more

The price for SASHAMI and SUSHI ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT was $96.87 for two people. For this inflationary period, it is fair. We used to dine at this restaurant when it was another Japanese restaurant and not AYCE. It is showing a bit of wear and tear. The restroom especially could use some paint at minimum with a facelift needed sooner than later. The overall aesthetics need attention. SERVICE is very solid and friendly. The SEAWEED SALAD tasted a bit sweeter than most but was still pretty good. RATING = B. KARAGE FRIED CHICKEN was a bit overcooked with drier non-oily dark color. Fortunately, the chicken inside was at least not dry. Maybe not moist or juicy, but NOT dry. RATING = B+. DRAGON ROLL SUSHI was a decent rendition. RATING = B+. PINK LADY and LOLLY POLLY were the best in show. RATING = A. SALMON, ALBACORE, YELLOWTAIL SASHIMI -- all were pretty good but cut very thin. RATING = A-. OCTOPUS SASHIMI chewy. RATING = B-. SQUID SASHIMI was pretty good. RATING = B+. CAJUN SALMON -- fun to try but sauce/seasoning did not work for me. RATING = B. SALMON HAND ROLL -- very nice rendition; more simple. RATING = A. SCALLOP SUSHI = A-. SPICY SCALLOP SUSHI = A. BAKED AVOCADO with CRAB (as I recall) = A. A pretty good option for AYCE. read more

It's a nice little hole in the wall. Enjoyed the food and the waitress is pretty eccentric but overall very nice. The price is pretty good. Got the sushi combo B and it was filling enough for me. The Spicy Tuna was tasty and had a good kick. The chef's choice sushi was pretty good. Most places would give you a lot of rice and small piece of fish. But here they give you a lot of fish. read more

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After a 3 year hiatus, I was excited to be back at Kanji. This time trying out the Value AYCE option. Ordered mainly sushi, hand rolls, appetizers and a couple cut rolls. Everything was fresh, flavorful and had very little rice. Value AYCE is $24.95 and has about 60% of the main AYCE menu. You can also add on AYCE sashimi for $5 (might just be only to the original AYCE, not value AYCE ut not 100% sure). And to make things even better, customer service and ambiance is on point. I will be back! read more

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Want to start off by saying we had great service from Kyle. He was very sweet and attentive! Under some pressure as it seems he was being trained but he was great. Now, the food: I always check reviews before trying a new place especially sushi but this time I didn't because we were in a rush so I just looked up ayce and this place came up. The food was good some of the sushi tasted very buttery but I have to say I will not be returning. I ordered a baked crawfish dish and the topping tasted like mushed up whole wheat bread, it was disgusting! My husband couldn't eat it either. Never tasted something like that before so I recommend someone at the restaurant to try it themselves. Additionally, upon getting home I had a really bad stomachache! Thankfully, my family was fine it was just me but man it was not fun! You can imagine the shock I felt when I read other people felt this way soon after eating here which was really disappointing! Was excited to have found an ayce near us but until this place determines what aspect of the food handling process is being done incorrectly that is getting people sick, I will remain far far away. read more

We had a really unpleasant experience here. The lady waitress was extremely confrontational over just two small pieces of rice left on our plate while we were still eating. On top of that, she talked negatively about us, and her husband, the sushi chef, even gave me a nasty look when the other waiter was kind enough to politely say goodbye. The atmosphere was also uncomfortable -- the AC wasn't working, making the dining experience unpleasant. As for the food, the sushi itself is very average at best, nothing memorable. Between the poor service, uncomfortable environment, and mediocre food, this is not a place we'll be coming back to. read more

Been here a couple of times with my daughter cause she's a sushi fan and this is one of her favorite places. Very big AYCE menu with lots of options for appetizers and rolls. They even have a sushi burrito as an option and is very filling in itself. My favorite is the dynamite appetizer which comes out in a baked dish and is so good! I could eat multiples of that and be happy. Service is fast and workers are hard working. Busy on most nights so be patient. read more

Lady waitress, probably one of the owners or family members with them. She SUCKS. Her name is Esther and ruined the whole experience with her incessantly obnoxious shouting. Lady is woated. Don't come here if you're looking to have an enjoyable meal. Don't believe me? Read the other reviews about her. I should have. Try Tomikawa or sushi damu for a better experience at the same price. read more

Kanji AYCE Sushi - Japanese Near Me - Lake Forest, California

Whether you're a sushi lover or trying it for the first time, this place never disappoints. I keep coming at least once a month and it's always worth it. read more

We tried their AYCE option and there were lots of specialty rolls, nigiri, and appetizers to choose from. The service was really good and the rice to fish ratio is crazy! it's almost like you're eating sashimi! My all time favorite is still salmon but the crunch hand roll was pretty good as well! their rolls were also unique and packed with toppings! read more

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They have a huge AYCE menu for lunch and dinner with a variety of cooked and raw options. The Sushi Burrito is huge and packed with Tuna, crab, avocado, and shrimp tempura. The Baked Mussels are made with their house sauce and I ordered these multiple times because they were so good! My favorite roll is the Crazy Y roll. It has spicy tuna, yellowtail and a jalapeño on top. I dipped it in a side of ponzu for an even more enhanced flavor. Some other recommendations are the Salmon Skin Hand Roll, Cajun Salmon/Albacore Sushi, & the Spider Roll. Their service is superb and you can tell they're all working hard to get you everything. Plus everything comes out in a timely manner which is great. Follow @ToshiEats on IG for more! read more

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We visited Kanji Sushi in Lake Forest for an all-you-can-eat dinner with our family two adults, a 10-year-old who ordered the kids' AYCE, and our 5-year-old who only wanted miso soup with noodles. The menu doesn't list any age guidelines for children's AYCE, so we simply ordered her a miso soup and gave her a few plain noodles from our meal since there was no miso udon option and she didn't want the udon broth. To our surprise, the server became confrontational about her eating a few noodles from our AYCE meal. We explained that we weren't trying to avoid paying she barely ate anything, and we ordered on the menu for the miso soup that she actually consumed. While they ultimately did not charge us for an additional AYCE meal for our 5-year-old, the confrontational attitude during our dinner was totally uncalled for. It made what should have been a casual family meal feel uncomfortable and unnecessarily tense. We hope that the staff can express a bit of Kindness and a bit of understanding as it goes a long way. read more

We came here for my daughter's birthday. We ordered 2 All You Can Eat & 2 regular meals. The food was delicious & our server was attentive. We will definitely be back when we are in the area again. read more

I had a really bad experience the last time I ate here. The sushi tasted chewy like rubber. I felt so unwelcome. The blonde lady that worked here kept telling us that we needed to finish the rice or would be charged. The Hispanic busboy was the only nice employee at the restaurant. It was such an awful experience that I looked through the Yelp reviews when I got home to see if it was me or if it was the restaurant. I found a bunch of reviews that sounded exactly like how I felt. I used to go to Kanji a couple of years ago and it was good, but this last experience was so horrible. I will not be going back. Hopefully, the management will read these reviews and make some improvements. UNHAPPY SUSHIING! read more

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So my last review is removed so I will rewrite it shorter. The food was very bad. Both of us ended up going to the bathroom even before we left the restaurant. The fish were at least defrosted and refrozen then defrosted again. For example the tuna was more grey than red. It was hortible. Fried food tasted rancid and with black smelly oil. The server in light orange/blond hair was incredibly rude. She was also talking about customers to other workers. As we were offended and already had tummyache from food we left without leaving tip. She chased us to outside and confronted us in very belligerant tone and snatched $10. I will never come back and will be keep posting if this post will go down. This might have been a decent place before but it isn't now. read more

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It's sushi o'clock again!! And this time, follow me to this AYCE sushi place. They have super small rice portion in their sushi pieces WOW amazing! I ordered Sushi (everything x 4 pieces): 1. Salmon 2. Tuna 3. Yellow tail 4. Shrimp 5. Sweet egg 6. Squid 7. Eel (unagi) 8. Red clam 9. Scallop Appetizer dishes: 10. Takoyaki 11. Cheese baked mussels 12. Fried calamari 13. Miso soup 14. Seaweed salad 15. Adamame Super quick and nice service. Casual ambiance. read more

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From the service, to the food, and to the ambiance, everything was wonderful. Our server was very kind and helpful. He would check on us frequently so we were very well taken care of. The food tasted great and the fish was very fresh. I really loved the high fish to low rice ratios of the sauce sushi. They put huge chunks of seafood compared to the rice they put. I think my top two favorite was the regular salmon and the yellow tail. This restaurant is overall a great ayce sushi spot that everyone should try! read more

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Our favorite sushi place, sashimi is fresh and not heavily sauced up, kids like the variety in their menu: Takayoki, karaage, udon noodles and their volcano roll is amazing read more

Techno music slop shop. One server bouncing around with zero personality.... one busser trying to keep up. Horrible techno music like you need to shovel the food down. Deep fried pieces of filler food/Panko on everything. Passed on rnd 3 while trying to hiðe/disperse rnd 2. Uùuugh read more

I feel bad writing this but I feel like the ppl gotta know! And no hate to the workers they were all so sweet and lovely, that's why I gave two instead of one star. But food is just not good. The sushi style is heavily Korean influenced, and there's nothing wrong with that, but it should definitely be mentioned on their Yelp. I don't know where to start, the fish was room temperature at best, and the fish grade is below par. Their mussels are good, but spicy, they should let ppl know it's not regular mussels. The baked crawfish is so wet and mixed fully with tempura flakes so it's just a mushy combination. The tempura was hard, they definitely don't use tempura batter, I don't know what they used, the best thing was the edamame and miso soup. The irnari sushi isn't sushi, it's just rice stuffed in a tofu pocket. Not tryna be racist but I guess it might come off that way to some, but this place is def not catered to Asian people. When I came I did see they had a lot of returning customers (mostly white and Hispanic) so I can see why the reviews are so high. I never have high expectations from an AYCE sushi place, but I didn't think it could get bad bad. It has so much sauce to mask the taste of the fishiness, if any Japanese person came here they'd cry. Even Hmart has better sushi. I'm so sorry kanji but you guys definitely need to make changes to your food. I got lost in the sauce and not in a good way. I will say that the salmon skin and spicy tuna handrolls were the only good sushi there. I stopped taking photos bc I was disappointed with the first round but I regret not taking more so you could see how the baked crawfish roll looked like. If you've made it this far into my reviews I highly suggest Tomikawa Japanese in Irvine. It's the same price and not too far from here, and they try to stick to the Japanese style sushi. But thank you for the amazing hospitality!! read more

Kanji AYCE Sushi - Top left to right : Mackerel sushi,Albacore sushi,Escolar sushi, Squid sushi,Bay scallop sushi,Yellow tail sushi and irnari sushi, - Japanese Near Me - Lake Forest, California

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The Value AYCE they now offer is an amazing deal. I was very impressed by the quality food and friendly service offered for $25. The value AYCE menu has all the basic rolls and sushi I wanted. I Will be coming back soon. read more