This sushi restaurant can be easily overlooked due to location but wow I was very content with everything. The food, the service, and the environment. Very friendly waiters especially Emily and Breya. I was super impressed how fast I got everything. Definitely adding this to my sushi favs! read more

An absolute hidden gem in San Clemente! From the quality of the fish to Chef Hide-San's thoughtful recommendations and warm hospitality, every dish showcased an incredible level of freshness, balance, and craftsmanship, making this one of the most memorable sushi experiences I've had. 5-Piece Omakase Set: 5/5 The Omakase set for that day included Red Snapper, Bluefin Toro, Hamachi Toro, Cherry Salmon, and Seared Miso Black Cod, with each piece showcasing its own distinct flavor and texture beautifully. The Red Snapper had a delicate sweetness that paired nicely with the fresh wasabi on top, creating a clean and refreshing start to the set. Both the Bluefin Toro and Hamachi Toro were incredibly buttery with a luxurious melt-in-your-mouth texture that immediately made us order another round. The Hamachi Toro was the definite standout, delivering a deeply savory richness with a silky finish. The Cherry Salmon was incredibly tender without feeling overly oily, allowing its natural richness to shine through. The final course, the Seared Miso Black Cod, was so decadent with the sweet and savory marinade of the miso glaze perfectly complementing the richness of the sablefish. Spooni: 10000000000000/5 The Spooni was easily the star of this meal. Featuring Santa Barbara Uni, Ikura, Tobiko, Caviar, Quail Egg Yolk and topped with scallions, it tasted incredibly luxurious and delivered an explosion of flavor as every ingredient blended together perfectly. The Santa Barbara Uni was rich and buttery, pairing beautifully with the briny Ikura, Tobiko, and Caviar to create a decadent yet perfectly balanced experience. The quail egg yolk tied everything together with its creamy, velvety richness, while the scallions added the perfect fresh finish. Every element complemented each other flawlessly, creating an absolutely unforgettable and indulgent experience. Santa Barbara Uni: 5/5 The Santa Barbara Uni was one of the best pieces of sushi I've had in a long time. The Uni was exceptionally fresh, rich, and buttery with a smooth and creamy custard-like texture that tasted incredibly luxurious. Paired with perfectly seasoned rice, it allowed the natural sweetness and briny depth of the Uni to truly shine. Engawa: 5/5 A rare and prized sushi delicacy, Hide-san recommended the Engawa to us and it absolutely exceeded every expectation! The aburi-style preparation brought a delicate smokiness from the light sear that enhanced the natural sweetness and melt-in-your-mouth texture of the Engawa beautifully. The balance of richness, softness, and subtle char made this piece truly unforgettable and one of the standout nigiri of the night! Black Snapper: 5/5 The black snapper nigiri immediately stood out to me for its exceptional freshness and clean, refined flavor. It had a delicate sweetness with a buttery finish and a soft, yet slightly firm texture that created an incredibly satisfying bite. The balance of freshness, richness, and subtle umami of the fish lingered beautifully on the palate, making this an elegant and memorable piece of nigiri. Yellowtail Special: 5/5 The Yellowtail Special was incredibly refreshing, allowing every ingredient to shine without overpowering the delicate flavor of the fish. The Yellowtail sashimi was exceptionally fresh, buttery, and rich, while the ponzu added a bright citrusy depth that enhanced its natural sweetness. The lemon brought a refreshing acidity and the jalapeño introduced a subtle heat to elevate the dish. Light, vibrant, and flavorful, the Yellowtail Special highlighted an elegant balance of acidity, heat, and rich umami. Toro-taku: 5/5 The Toro-taku delivered the perfect contrast of rich, buttery Bluefin Toro with the sharp sweetness and satisfying crunch of yellow pickled daikon radish. The toro had a creamy richness and deep, savory umami, while the takuan added a refreshing texture and brightness that balanced every bite beautifully. The dish was a perfect harmony of smooth and crunchy textures, finished with a subtle, refreshing zest that kept every bite exciting. Blue Crab Roll: 4/5 The blue crab roll was a well-executed dish that delivered a delicate sweetness and buttery richness, complemented by a subtle, briny ocean tang that created a pleasant balance. The ingredients tasted fresh, and the roll itself was light, flavorful, and enjoyable to eat. While it didn't stand out as much as some of the other dishes from the meal, it was still a solid and satisfying roll overall! Dragon Roll: 5/5 The dragon roll was absolutely outstanding and easily one of the freshest eel rolls I've had. The unagi was incredibly tender, delivering a rich, decadent melt-in-your-mouth experience with every bite. Paired with creamy avocado, sweet crab meat, rich eel sauce, and the crisp texture of shrimp tempura and cucumber, the roll blended sweet, savory, and umami-rich flavors together seamlessly. The freshness of the eel truly stood out and elevated this classic roll into something exceptional! read more

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Great Little place! Staff was very nice, and food came out at a decent speed. The rolls were great and the fried calamari was also great. The price was reasonable as well. I will come back again read more

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After eating at five star Omakase restaurant, it's difficult to give Malulu more than a three star review. Malulu is in a strip mall in San Clemente and it was super crowded when I came in. They have been here for years but I just came in for the first time a week ago.They attractive, very solid neighborhood crowd and the waitress was nice but they forgot a few things that I ordered to go. I sat at the sushi bar and ordered blue fin sushi which was solid. I also had yellowtail which was very fresh. The portions are generous so that's a good thing to bring me back I think I'll give it another try next time I'm in the area. They're not a lot of great sushi options so this is definitely worth stopping by to graze. I have to say that the Poké bowl was mediocre, I definitely wouldn't order that again. read more

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Got the omakase which should be chefs best choice of fresh fish. The sashimi pieces were pretty unevenly cut and sinewy, which you definitely should not receive in omakase. It looked like it's very popular for the sushi rolls, where fish quality doesn't need to be supreme, and that seems perfect for the market here, but don't offer omakase if you're not serving the best pieces. Will not return. read more

Sushi is amazing! Some of the best rolls and dishes we've had in California. Chefs are welcoming and hilarious. Wait staff is top tier. Love this place. Definitely recommend the poke taco appetizer and the Ichiban Roll! read more

Malulu Sushi - You're doing your mouth a disservice if you don't order the Ichiban Roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Clemente, California

we love this Hidden lil gem. The food is always fresh, delicious and prepared with care. read more

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Great sushi. Great sushi chef! This is just a confirmation that this place rocks. Always good food. Always good service. I always try something new to expand my horizons and most of the time great, some times not my cup of tea, but never awful, just not something I would get again. If you have not tried Malulu, then give it a go and order you some fresh, delicious sushi! read more

Malulu Sushi - Inside - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Clemente, California

The Best Period Never a disappointment On point Love the Sashimi Get Omakase Also Poke Bowl Always on point read more

Service was great. Lots of specials to choose from. Food was fresh and delicious. Definitely going back again.

The food here was so fresh, the fish makes me want to come again... it's a cute little vibe, good for a date read more

Malulu Sushi - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Clemente, California

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Love this place. I should have rated it long ago I dont know if this is a secret that I shouldn't share but this is my favorite sushi place around and I go to a lot of sushi spots. Great food and excellent chefs. You will love it!!! read more

The service is excellent and the sushi chefs and waitstaff are attentive. We tried something we have never had--Takoyaki, which is octopus fried inside a "doughball" with Japanese mayonnaise and a couple other things. Unique but not our fave because the octopus, in my opinion, should have been chopped. It is very hot and when you bite into it, the piece of tako comes as a single piece. That may be the intent and one should pop the whole thing at once (not sure). If so, let it cool down quite a bit. One of the chefs informed the cooks in back that maybe the tako might need to be chopped. The seaweed salad is all seaweed, which is how I prefer it, and very good. The lunch options are a great way to try new things and is a full meal any way you go. It is a sushi bar, so the room is pretty plain but not detracting. The sushi chefs make for a pleasant experience by engaging frequently. There is an omakase option as well as numerous off-menu options that are intriguing and worth future visits. read more

Great sushi chef service, great rolls. It is reasonably priced and they have a good variety of rolls, including no rice rolls! It is very cozy and friendly read more

I have fallen in love with their No Rice rolls. Great service and great vibe - always crowded with locals who have discovered their new FavPlace. Will definitely return. Personal suggestion- Lose the melted cheese on the baked green mussels...not a deal breaker but not up to par with the rest of your phenomenal menu. read more

This place was a very good sushi spot that I went to a while ago. The service was nice and the restaurant employees and owner were from Japan, so it was amazing to be able to speak to them of my experiences there. They brought with them lots of tradition, and a cozy little spot for a nice dining experience. The fish was good, and overall I have to give this place 4 stars, a solid place to get sushi read more

Today we highlighted a recommendation from one of our viewers... "Malulu Sushi". While the food was up to par with creativity and flavor, the service was C tier due to lack of staffing. However the warm and cozy atmosphere made the wait worth it! Overall, a sufficient dinner outing for a +1;) And as always, Mike Hawk Jr signing off Miso Soup- 8.8 Poke Tacos- 8.7 Sushi Burrito- 8.1 Dragon Roll- 7.8 Spicy Crispy Rice- 7 House Salad- 6.1 read more

I've dined here since I was in highschool & I've always felt happy with the portions and quality of the food. I moved out of town and I always make it a point to eat here whenever I'm local! This is one of the best spots in San Clemente for sushi read more

In a nondescript strip mall lies a real gem of a sushi restaurant. The fish was excellent, the sushi chef is great and has fun creations, the staff was a fun and fantastic crew, portions are great and all of this for a great price. read more

Malulu Sushi - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Clemente, California

I used to go to this place very regularly because: The Pros: it was conveniently close and has a local friendly vibe, the sushi was always fresh and the owner is a true Japanese gentleman. The service was generally very good. The Cons: I began to notice that the servings became smaller (tinier) over time, and food would fall apart before you can eat it after dipping in the saucer, particularly if the owner wasn't the one preparing the food. There's also a lack of pride in the presentation when the food is served to the table. Disappointedly, I started going back to my former go-to place from when I lived in Laguna Niguel, Dana Kai. The Pros: Servings are generous and the mushroom miso soup is amazing. It's more of a drive from San Clemente, but my love for sushi makes it well worth the drive. The cons: They are usually pretty busy so it takes more time getting served, and is isn't authentic Japanese owned. Been eating sushi for over 40 years at some of the best little places in Downtown LA, Palm Springs and Hollywood, so this place is pretty good by my standards. Worth a shot. read more

This place is not worth the drive or your time. Tiny rolls. Presentation usually isn't important but what a joke a piece of green paper cut into the shape of grass, you would think San Clemente would take more pride in their restaurant. Nope. They could use some fresh flowers to step their presentation up, just shows they don't take pride in their Sushi. The rolls rolls were thrown together during lunch hour when they're not even busy so I can imagine dinner sucks even worse find another place down the road. What a joke. Oh one more thing. I hope you guys are cool with watching the old man that makes your sushi rolls walk in the back and stick pieces of a roll in his mouth and come back and continue to grab rolls and start rolling them for you while he's chewing that's an awesome feeling be careful. I hope you're cool with that. Hands in his mouth, then hands in your roll. read more

Our go to sushi place! It's not just about the food; the service is excellent too. There is also a great client base that makes it fun to go. Kinda like "Cheers" but it's sushi. read more

Malulu Sushi - Sushi for us-ens - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Clemente, California

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Ended up here the other night randomly on the way home from my kids soccer game. Had a craving for sushi and let yelp help find local sushi joints. Surprisingly the sushi was very good and hit the spot. The poke tacos are excellent and fish was very fresh. I liked the k special and Ally specialty rolls. Accidentally ordered lobster roll thinking it was the baked version... so that one was on the bland side. Service was exceptional and although the place is small it has a comfy atmosphere. Prices are very reasonable and menu is big. Lots of options. So glad we got the chance to check it out. read more

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Awesome sushi spot. When visiting my daughter, she always drags my wife and I here for lunch. We were first the ones in on a Saturday at 1130 when they opened. We enjoyed a Hanabi roll, Ichiban roll and winter roll along with some poke tacos. Everything was amazing and delicious. If I had to pick though, the winter roll was the best. We noticed some dark spots of the wall next to our table and wondered how anyone got soy sauce there. Not five minutes later, my daughter was eating her poke taco over her soy sauce bowl when a piece fell out making a decent size splash adding to the wall decorations. Can't go wrong here and the nice folks working here are very very friendly and helpful. read more

Malulu Sushi - Restaurant logo. - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Clemente, California

10/10 Hole in the Wall traditional sushi restaurant for the win ‍ We started with the gyoza, miso soup, and Ono Sashimi Special--then shared the Moana Roll, Day Roll and Ally Roll. Pair it with a Kirin glass, ayyy! read more

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Great sushis. Tasty and fresh! Small but mighty place. We live an hour away and yet we found 3 different occasions to eat there in the last 6 months. It never disappoints read more

This little sushiya is a hidden gem right off highway 5 in San Clemente. I noticed the plain sign "Sushi"in the store front and thought that it must be good. The chef Kazusan was very nice and the sashimi was super fresh. Takoyaki was authentic and delicious also. We will definitely return for more! read more

Amazing sushi and employees. I rarely post reviews but this place is a gem. Highly recommend

Improve the quality of the taste and the service. Small amount of servings for a big bucks is not worth it since the food quality is not great. read more

I have mixed feelings about this place. On one hand, the food was delicious IN THE MOMENT and the staff was genuinely lovely. However, my boyfriend and I meet in San Clemente once a week, and this was our spot for the week. Unfortunately, about a day later, we both came down with intense food poisoning -- we're talking middle of the night, running to the BR at work, leaving early, level sick. The only thing we had in common that day was this meal, since we met there, ate, and then went our separate ways. Not sure if I would come back but hopeful this was a one time thing for them:/ read more

Went there for lunch today with two friends. They open at 11:30. I couldn't believe my eyes when 12 people walked in and took up the entire sushi bar and we sat at a table and this one waiter who was excellent but didn't get his name, served all of us, everything was done perfectly. It was timely. The sushi chef did a great job and we had a wonderful time first time going, but I will definitely go back. We ordered three rolls no rice and I ordered the udon soup with tempura out of this world. read more

Malulu Sushi - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Clemente, California

Delicious and fresh every time!! Super friendly staff too. Fun place to see people you know and eat amazing sushi

Honestly, this place is a hidden gem. Didn't even see it and I drive passed this place many times, it's next to subway and in the soon to be dollar tree plaza. I came here on a Tuesday morning (they open at 11 am if I'm not mistaken), limited to dine in (sit at the sushi bar) and they took great care of me. Sushi was great. I love fresh water eel and theirs were pretty damn good. I like my ungai without the sauce, balance out with the rice. I also ordered a dragon roll same thing, without the sauce and I love it. Maybe one the best sushi places so far in SC. Definitely coming back, I work less than a block away from here and would love to get it on my lunch break. read more

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I write the review with the risk of coming across as a snob, however, it is what it is. We had the unfortunate luck of being recommended this place. We walked in and from the start, they said that they didn't have a sushi check sheet other than what was on the standard restaurant menu and what we saw on the blackboard. The establishment offered us a blank post-it note to write down what we wanted, but we didn't know what they had, so we wrote down what we wanted to order. Next thing, they confused Hokkigai with Aoyagi or Bakagai (round clam), they didn't even know what it was! As if things were not already ridiculous, there were bones in the maguro (tuna) and the sake (salmon) was cut in squares not sure what that was about. The toro was cut in the strangest way ever, see pictures attached. I do not believe the chef had any formal or serious sushi preparation training. If you are a sushi connoisseur this place is not for you. If you like rolls and Americanized-style sushi then this place may be great. Just to place things in perspective if you have been to Bluefin Sushi in Newport and you would rate it an "A", then this place is a C-, if you think Bluefin is a "B" or less, then this place is a "D" if not an "F"! I still gave them 3 stars because the sushi was okay, the prices were reasonable and the service was friendly. read more

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Have lived in San Clemente for 27 years and frankly never tried Malulu Sushi because its sign just said "Sushi" so I was skeptical. My friends Cheryl and Stella meet there for dinner once a month but I had been unable to join them until tonight. Delighted with the small, unpretentious strip mall restaurant with great, attentive staff, fresh sashimi and delectable sushi! Malulu Sushi is in what I call the Dollar Tree Plaza off Avenida Pico west of I-5 The cherry salmon sashimi is to write home about - ask for thick cut portions! Worth the extra $. The Kalikimaka roll (no rice) - labeled a December 2023 special- was delicious. The ice cold sake was refreshing! The fresh sashimi offering chalk board showed halibut and red snapper, which I'll try next time. Pass on the tempura. Lots of other great menu offerings. Will post future reviews on additional menu items we try...definitely recommend! read more

Service was amazing, and the sushi was amazingly fresh. Would definitely recommend. Very good vibes from the chefs and great quality.

I was looking forward to trying this place. It was a busy Friday night and it's understandable to wait for a seat. However, when seats were available at the bar but were full of dishes and bottles, neither of the 2 servers cleared the table after 10-15 mins of standing and waiting. We were not acknowledged during this time by any of the staff. It was pretty awkward when they seated other people who arrived after my party of 3 when we had waited our turn. So we just left because the experience made us uncomfortable. read more

Sushi making is an art and I respect the craft! First time trying this place and rolls were sloppy, rice not on all sides, rice was not pressed evenly before assembled, uneven sushi slices, salmon varied in thickness, etc. Salmon had gray areas not trimmed off and flavor was ok. Rolls were on smaller side. Sesame chicken was good, served in small plastic container. Verdict is out on returning. Hopefully it was a one off so you be the judge. read more

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Super yummy! I recommend the poke taco, the spicy tuna crispy rice, and the Day roll. I always get excited when a place has crispy rice! read more

Malulu Sushi - Poke Taco - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Clemente, California

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I love this place! Anytime I am in town. Seems to be pretty often now a day. I have to get sushi at this place. The cherry salmon sashimi is to die for! All the rolls are delicious. I always get the green tea. The service is always great and friendly. Kid friendly too! It does get a little busy around 5-6ish. Understandable it's dinner time. So to avoid some of the crowd it's best around 7ish. read more