A lot of negative reviews out there, but my experience was genuinely delightful. I believe this might be the only Japanese restaurant in OC specializing in Nagoya‑inspired cuisine. I've never been to Nagoya myself, so I can't speak to the exact differences from Tokyo-style dishes, but they do offer a standout premium grilled eel served in a large bowl with a double portion of meat. We were a party of five, so we ordered a variety of dishes and shared everything family‑style. What we ordered: SEA URCHIN CREAM PASTA, PREMIUM HITSUMABUSHI, PREMIUM NIKU MABUSHI, NAGOYA-STYLE JIDORI CHICKEN WINGS, and ORION BEER. The uni pasta was rich and creamy from the uni butter coating the noodles. The niku mabushi featured Kobe beef that melted in my mouth like tender butter. The jidori wings were grilled beautifully--delicious, though the portions were on the smaller side, as jidori often is. And anytime I see Orion beer on a menu, it's an automatic yes. It's my favorite Japanese draft. Service was attentive, and I enjoyed my time here. Just be prepared: like many premium Japanese restaurants, this place isn't cheap. We definitely spent a good amount of dough by the end of the night. read more

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had been going to Sagami for over two decades, and this is the first time I've ever had to complain about their food, miso katsu set was absolute trash; meat was over cooked & burnt, breading just falls right off into crumbles, and they left the string cabbage sauce-less (not even a drip of katsu sauce); worse yet, is the aka, "red" miso soup that tasted like dish washer soap mixed with bleach.. yuck told the server what tasted just not-food with that miso, they didn't bother to try it from their pot, not even a sip, lost my appetite right then and there, paid the bill in full price w/ tip and bounced. not sure if I'll ever be back, a shame. read more

Sagami - red miso soup that taste like dish washer soap mixed with bleach.. yuck - Sushi Bars Near Me - Irvine, California

This is a very non-descript sushi place in a strip mall. It's actually a little hard to see the sign because it's set in a bit. The place is small but the sushi is quite good We had the sashimi platter which offered a couple of pieces of six different fish. For the price, I would have expected a little more, but the quality was very good. We also had a spicy tuna roll and some oysters. All good. Not the cheapest place, but overall quite good. read more

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Came here for a light dinner after working out at LA Fitness last Sunday. So glad we did. Sagami offers delicious dishes from Nagoya. The flavor on the Nagoya style jidori chicken wings were exceptional but just a heads up, these are not the typical meaty american wings served at american restaurants. The fried mountain yam was amazing. Nagoya is known for their Miso pork katsu - Sagami's version comes with red bean paste not the traditional tonkatsu that most Japanese restaurants serve. The 3 items we chose were all very good and we definitely plan to come back to try other items. Sorry I don't have a picture of the katsu b/c I was so busy devouring the Jidori wings. read more

Sagami - Nagoya Style Jidori Chicken Wings - Sushi Bars Near Me - Irvine, California

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Solid Japanese food in the Irvine area. People love to talk about their eel rice, which I definitely enjoy, but I think their zaru udon is a great choice as well. The lunch special was pretty worth it since it also comes with 2 sides which I shrimp tempura and salmon ikura bowl. The rice in the ikura bowl was sublime. Food was awesome. The udon was nice and bouncy and the sauce was delicious. This was even comparable to Meiji Seimen or even better... there's just more food in my opinion. The service can be a little slow but the place does get crowded right at opening time, so just be patient when you visit this spot. The food can be a little pricey but you can't expect a cheap meal in irvine. Also, it's a bit of a tight squeeze inside with not that much seating. However, it has great outdoor lighting. Definitely check this place out. read more

Sagami - Zaru udon, shrimp tempura, and salmon ikura bowl - Sushi Bars Near Me - Irvine, California

Japanese ppl come here But that's not to say it's the cup of tea for most sushi lovers. It's more traditional. They have a healthy amount of Nagoya style dishes too. read more

It's been years since I've been to Nagoya, so I wanted to try Sagami. I remember miso-forward dishes that were so salty I couldn't eat them. So I had to try the misokatsu teishoku. The tonkatsu was super crispy, and the miso sauce was rich and salty. The combination was very good. I appreciated that they served it with both shredded cabbage and a side salad. The miso soup was slightly thinner than what my mom and I are used to, but it was still good. My mom enjoyed the kishimen noodles. They were thin and flat, cooked to a nice texture. She found the broth different that what she's had before. The server advised us that the kishimen broth is not as salty as the misonikomi udon. We sat near the sushi bar, which was a nice, quiet, and well lit area on a Saturday afternoon. I imagine it's probably more lively and noisy at night. Our server was very patient explaining the food to us. She also explained the special New Year's dishes (osechi ryori) that they offer. If I didn't live in another state, I would be tempted to go in on an order of osechi for New Year's with three or more friends. (Many of the dishes are super sweet, so diabetics should proceed with caution.) A restaurant that offers osechi is the real deal. I'd like to go back to try their other dishes. read more

Normally the rice here is great but the rice in the bento today was hard and not as good. Overall a great experience: just wish the rice was better. Not sure what happened to the rice this time. Still would recommend others to try it out. Please see what rice was used for Lunch 3/10 read more

Sagami - OC Restaurant Week 2026 Bento Set - Sushi Bars Near Me - Irvine, California

Big menu for everyone with few special dishes from Nagoya in central Japan. They also offer different fish from different regions in Japan. Very good restaurant with limited seating. read more

I've been coming here for years and the vampire and fire crunchy rolls are so good, I can't bring myself to order anything else! My family and friends have liked all the other things they've ordered as well. read more

personally, i don't think the eel rice set was worth it. it was like $30 and it was good, but i feel like paying $30 for eel is kinda a stretch. idk, im not saying the food was bad, im just bitter about paying that much when you can go to taiko and get a huge deluxe eel bowl for like $20. service was good, but the price was typical irvine price, high and mediocre food. read more

Sagami - Sushi Bars Near Me - Irvine, California

Very good sashami I love the rice the use for in premium chirashi.They offer 5 pounds of rice for $15. I did order one and come back to pick up later. The Hitsumabudhi is really good too, so fresh and tasty. read more

I've been eating here since I was 15 and it was a small space. I still love it as much if not more. Everyone is polite and the food is well prepared. read more

Sagami is amazing! It's definitely an authentic Japanese restaurant located in a large complex with plentiful parking. I got their Hatsumabushi (eel rice) and it was delicious. Def a hefty price of $30 but it surprisingly filled me up quite well. You can eat the eel with rice or you can also eat it with the light broth provided in the tray. I also got their teba jidori which is just Japanese style chicken wings. I love the seasoning on the chicken. Not too sweet and quite savory. Be prepared to splurge. read more

Sagami - Hatsumabushi - $30 Teba Jidori - $12 - Sushi Bars Near Me - Irvine, California

Had a quick lunch date and was impressed with the lunch special "Beef Tongue Curry" for the tenderness and rich flavor. The menu has a diverse range of Japanese food including bento, cold noodle, salad, sushi, sashimi and rice. Food ingredients were fresh and tasty. I especially notice the seasoning & tempura sauce were light (not as salty) compare to other Japanese restaurants. The authentic taste and presentation brings back memory of my recent trip to Japan. Service was prompt and efficient. Outdoor patio seating with water fountain makes this dinning experience extra enjoyable. read more

Sagami - 3 items bento box- salmon, ginger beef steak, and tempura. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Irvine, California

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First of all, the people working here are nice, but don't really create a sense of customers being truly welcome over the entire course of the meal. I think this is a management issue that is trickling down. The ambiance is very nice as well, almost cozy given how there isn't much space inside the restaurant overall. There were two sushi chefs working at the sushi counter right next to our table and I don't recall them being particularly welcoming despite the opportunity. The food was, well, disappointing. The sashimi fish and sushi were the best part, and really the only good part. The salad still had so much tap water on the lettuce leaves that weren't shaken off that it was disgusting to eat and diluted the salad dressing. The sashimi set came with seven tiny pieces of sashimi and cost $25 as a set along with miso soup with a bad tap water taste and the salad. The rice, just like the other Gindaco restaurant, Jinbei, was just awful. It was hard, bad-tasting, and not served hot. When it was time to pay, the lowest percentage that was preset was 18% which was ridiculous as lunch for two would've been over $80. I tipped what my heart wanted and gave $5 to make a $76 lunch for two, which was still painful enough given the low-quality experience that we will likely never return. More attention to all of the details are necessary! read more

Sagami - Salad - Sushi Bars Near Me - Irvine, California

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We were served with the worst udon noodle it looks grossed it tasted the same as how it looks the egg was old my husband was so disgusted truly disappointing he even commented it wasn't freshly made ... they served left over The wait just to be served with udon took forever The mountain yam scrambled egg was tiny serving not appetizing We needed to eat some place else Not coming back to that yuk small place We should have read other reviews read more

Giving 5 stars because the sushi was actually better than I was expecting. Honestly, it was a little pricy for what we got, but oh well what can you do. Our waitress was very nice. When she smiled, I smiled. Reminds me of that Justin Bieber song. Not sure if I'll be going back here until I get promoted or something. read more

Nagoya Cuisine is the soul food of Japan. Every time I go to Japan, I have to pit stop in Nagoya even if its out of the way just to eat their delicious cuisine. And I am proud to say that this place captures the flavor! The featured Nagoya dishes are Misokatsu, Hitsumabushi, Tebasaki, Kishimen, and my favorite dish in the world: Misonikomi Udon! The Misonikomi Udon is not served traditionally (in earthenware pot where you use the pot lid as a plate) and it is a bit more soupy and not as thick. While it's definitely not like Japan, the flavor is great and the heat is there. If you love Udon, this is a MUST try! Their Nabeyaki Udon is also great, as is their Sansai and literally any other broth you feel like getting cuz their noodles are amazing (don't sleep on Kishimen, though keep in mind that takes longer to prepare) If you want something unique and you like eel, order the traditional Hitsumabushi. Make sure you follow the instructions on how to eat it if it's your first time, because there is a very specific non-specific way you must follow to truly enjoy it! Enough talk about nagoya cuisine, my favorite dish here is actually Tori Namban! Chicken Nanban is chicken that is twice fried with two sauces. Hard to truly explain, just order it if you love chicken, karaage, or "tartar-y" sauce. Speaking of chicken, they feature a lot of Jidori chicken here, which is actually pretty hard to find. No chicken in america can compare to the chicken in Japan, but the quality of the chicken here is on a higher tier. It feels kinda weird to have Jidori Oyako Don, but if you love egg, you cant ignore this dish read more

Sagami - Tori Namban / Chicken Nanban - Sushi Bars Near Me - Irvine, California

I've eaten here many times and the prices are competitive which is why I kept coming back. However, today, I had the displeasure of eating a fish bone that was in my salmon special order. I had to try and push it down with a few pieces of sushi to dislodge it, but I feel it is still stuck in my throat. I've never experienced this before, eating sushi. I won't be returning. read more

Sagami is an authentic Nagoya Japanese restaurant- and where they excel it's truly amazing such as their premium Unagi rice (Hitsumabushi), their lunch special combo, and authentic izakaya type appetizers. For this alone we will remain their loyal customers and visit 1-2 times a month. While some of the servers are amazing, others could at times feel a bit transactional; and their chirashi value/price is not as strong as other alternatives. read more

We ordered the Hana which included a combo of sashimi, appetizers, salad, soup, & nigiri. Everything was delicious and well thought out. We also ordered the oh no roll and really liked the simplicity of the roll. We shared that between 2 people and that was perfect for us. Service was great, the staff was very attentive. I will definitely come back. read more

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Food poisoning and waitress rushed order and don't refill water nor ask had to go up to front desk to ask for water

Sagami has some great Japanese dishes. Not just your standard run-of-the-mill stuff. I come here at least once a month and have tried a fair number of items off their menu. I've enjoyed everything so far. The food is always good but make a reservation or come early because the restaurant is cozy/small and there can be quite a wait. read more

Sagami - Chirashi - Sushi Bars Near Me - Irvine, California

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I had birthday celebration at this sushi restaurant. The sushi is very fresh and the service is great. The chef was very kind and cooked our hometown food for us. We definitely will come back again soon. read more

Love this place!! Fresh fish and tasty noodles lunch combo with reasonable price!!! One of the best lunch spot!!!

It's very small and tight inside so not the best atmosphere as the counter is right at the front door with like a meter room of standing space and it becomes too crowded when people are all trying to pay, get seated and just coming in general. We also had to wait an hour on a Saturday for this place and the food was overall 7.5/10 not the worse but nothing great that would make me come back. The salmon is very buttery and fresh melt in your mouth type of salmon sashimi the $50 rice bowl I had was good but it definitely needed a couple more shiso leaves. My husband got the udon noodle and i received my bowl first and ate it all before he even got his udon noodles it took 20-30 mins to get his udon. read more

Sagami - $50 toro uni ikura bowl - Sushi Bars Near Me - Irvine, California

This is a small place and all staff members were Japanese. The fish was quite fresh and the food was tasty. The servers were very polite. There were many Asians inside as customers. It had a casual feel and the prices are reasonable. I don't understand why this place has such mediocre reviews. The people that complained about this place did not seem to complain about the food but complained about other issues so I would not pay attention to them. read more

Sagami - Charashi bowl. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Irvine, California

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Huge disappointment. Sashimi not fresh and fishy, yet very expensive for the very standard and low quality. Definitely a ripoff. The unagi is mediocre, despite the hype. Unagi is poor quality, thin and lots of bone. Not grilled properly. With so many good authentic Japanese restaurants in the area, there is no reason to come to this place. read more

My wife ordered takeaway and got food poisoning by the uni pasta. I would advise everyone to be careful when ordering this because it was instant. She is throwing up as I write this. I tried calling to let the restaurant know that they should not serve the uni pasta tonight but no one picked up Ordered in 12/21/24 5pm read more

Sagami is located in a strip mall, making parking relatively convenient. The interior is quite small, especially if you're looking for a table for more than 2 people, so plan accordingly if you have a larger party (which, here, is anything 3 or more). Food at Sagami was decent; there were some hits and some misses. At the sushi bar, there's a chalkboard with their specials priced for both nigiri and sashimi. Items we enjoyed: the eel ochazuke ($13), various nigiri pieces, and the miso beef tongue (though it was a relatively small portion for $16). Items we thought were a miss: grilled skate fin ($9), mantis shrimp nigiri ($17 for 2 pieces). Keep in mind, Sagami is not cheap. For example, their scallop nigiri is $6.25 per piece (not for 2 pieces) before tax and tip. Another thing we found puzzling about Sagami was the sheer number of rules you need to follow when eating there. For example, you're not allowed to order soup/udon/noodles if you sit at the sushi bar (but you are allowed to order ochazuke, which is basically the same thing once you pour the dashi broth into the rice). We did enjoy the service and the attentiveness of the staff. We sat at the sushi bar, ordered nigiri directly with the sushi chef, and watched him prepare it. Overall, we spent around $315 for dinner for 3 people. Given the ambiance and quality of food, I think Sagami is a bit pricey for what it is. read more

little place tucked in next to Hawaiian bbq. I came in because i had an appointment next door and was late so i got pushed back an hour. been craving sushi (cooked sushi, im preggies) and was seated immediately at the sushi bar. The waitress took my order quickly and i ordered the dragon roll and a miso soup. The soup came out in about two mins along with my water. And the sushi chef, i noticed, started to make my roll. It was ready in under ten minutes. I have never been serviced to fast! Impressive. I was in and out of there in about 20 mins lol. i work close so I'll be back. I was delicious and speedy. Definitely recommend read more

The premium sushi bowl was excellent with such fresh fish delish Also the Miso Katsu was so delicious and wanting more again. Sagami never fails to satisfy our picky palates read more

The food was great. I was shocked to have just known about Sagami though they have been in Irvine for 30 years. Arigato Bento~!!

Wonderful taste! Rice, Karaage, Ginger Pork, Nigiri, Udon & Soup, Curry (forgot to take a photo before starting) - highly recommend! Will try omakase next time! Nice services. Servers with patience and made good recommendations. read more

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I got the katsudon, the pork was pretty dry and it was a little too sweet. My mom ordered the eel rice meal and that was yummy!

The spider roll was great. Chill even on service here. Friendly staff from front to sushi bar. read more

Sagami - Sushi Bars Near Me - Irvine, California

Love all their food!!! The best Japanese restaurant in OC so far!!! Normally good Japanese restaurants have many Japanese customers. There were several tables are Japanese, from family, business, andfriends gathering. Once again proving how authentic it is. I ordered their signature premium Eel Don, it was awesome! 100/100 even better than some store in Japan. 4 ways to enjoy the eel don: 1 original, 2 with green onion, 3 with kombu soup 4 mix all together! Hokkai Chirashi was just standard, fresh but slightly overpriced. Definitely will come back again and again until I try everything read more

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Fine, not good. I had the bento box with sashimi, salmon teriyaki, and tempura. The sashimi was fine, the tempura was yummy, but the teriyaki was not good. (For comparison, Hamamori in South Coast Plaza has excellent teriyaki, with perfectly juicy salmon, beautiful sear, and mouthwatering teriyaki sauce.) The salad was tiny (couple bites), decent dressing. The miso soup was not worth the calories. If you work nearby and need a quick lunch, it is a fine meal. Ambiance is poor, but you can sit at the tables of the strip mall outside. Food served quickly. read more

A long time friend and I had dinner at the sushi bar at Sagami, Irvine, CA last Saturday night and it was just simply amazing food and service in my view. My friend speaks Japanese, eats here regularly, knows the chefs, the menu and exactly the pace to dine at so i was in great hands. Sagami is a small restaurant with a handfull of tables in the dining area and maybe ten seats at the sushi bar and we were never forgotten or overlooked by staff. The waitress and chefs get an A+ from me in all categories. The restaurant appears to be very clean also. We had appetizers of Sunomono (Japanese cucumber salad), shrimp tempura, a squid dish (the name escapes me) and then began eating numerous pieces of sushi. In between sushi we split a steamed salmon. The unagi, ikura, anago, hamachi were my favorites. We finished off with a futo maki handroll and desert. My buddy had green tea ice cream I think and I had the lightest thing they had...flan. This place is top notch in my book. read more

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