Yummy food and reasonably priced! Location is unbearable. A few steps away from the ocean ! Ambience is vibrant. And service was special... made us feel special. Even our senior puppy got special attention. Can't wait to go back when the weather is not as sweltering! read more

Seabutter - Laguna Beach - Happiness is sushi, sea butter sushi - Japanese Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

Enjoyed a nice date night on the patio. The yuzu sauce on the sunset roll and the pressed toro dish were the highlights of our meal. The yellowtail carpaccio appetizer had a unique combination of gourmet mushrooms, a yummy soy sauce, and fried onions. My first bite wasn't the best, but when I combined all the flavors together I ended up enjoying it. The garlic edamame and spicy tuna crispy rice were solid. The meal paired very nicely with the crisp Picpoul de Pinet wine. Service was good and our waitress brought out water for our dog which we appreciated. We street parked, but there is a parking garage on the main floor of this building and the restaurant offers validation (2 hours free). read more

Seabutter - Laguna Beach - Pressed Toro - Japanese Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

I wish we had a better experience! For how pricey I expected something more. Probably won't be coming back. I chose this restaurant for my mom's birthday and mentioned that in the reservation. They were nice enough to keep her cake in the fridge until we were ready to eat it. We sit down at a table at the far end sun in my face as the middle table was open and in the shade. We sit down and get settled. A family of 6 comes in and ends up sitting behind my party of 4. Server introduces herself and the specials to my table. Goes to the table behind us does the same thing but ask "anything to drink?" That one question we weren't asked. The table behind us gets their drinks and they get to order with a lengthy conversation. Finally our turn to order! Would have loved a nice glass of beer while we waited. Ordered 4 items, two appetizers (spicy salmon and yellowtail crispy rice), bluefin carpacio, Marilyn Monroe roll, rainbow roll. We get everything but the rainbow roll. After some time she comes back and asked if we want to order anything more. I said "do I have any other rolls coming?" Alluding to that I'm missing a roll. Her response sounded like she was questioning me as if our empty plate was the rainbow roll. We order another roll. Ready for our cake, she brought it out and lit a candle since we didn't have one. I was just expecting a free birthday item. Most restaurants celebrate birthdays with an ice cream or something. Service just felt slow and felt the other table was getting better service. read more

Seabutter - Laguna Beach - Salmon and yellow tail crispy rice - Japanese Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

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Overall decent fish. Nothing to write home about. Avoid halibut and shrimp here. Great ambiance. Great staff. Slow AF to take orders and fill. Understanding that there is a perfect balance between fish size and rice ratio when considering nigiri; I felt Seabutter was toeing the fine line of trying to be a one bite wonder to ultimately being way too small in portion size. Typically a 12 piece nigiri will fill me up from other locations - I needed 15 here and a hand roll before I felt satisfied for context. Avoid their halibut and shrimp. Halibut tasted like black licorice and has officially given me halibut PTSD, and sweet shrimp was everything but, having a strange texture more slimy than delicate. Staff was kind - but order taking and fulfillment was painfully slow, even on a slow Saturday at the bar. The pros - Otoro, seared salmon, uni spoon appetizer, goldeneye, red snapper were really good. 8-9/10 on these. read more

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Came by on a Saturday night with a reservation at 5, right when they open. One thing that was odd, they called me a few hours prior to confirm my reservation, even though I had already confirmed it via text. Thought that was a bit unnecessary. Regardless - service & food was great! I tried the following: Sexy albacore, Bluefin tuna, King salmon, Yellowtail belly sashimi, Spicy salmon crispy rice & Tuna explosion roll. Everything was full of flavor and I truly enjoyed the fresh ingredients. Great spot for a date. read more

Went for our anniversary dinner and reserved via Resy for Amex credit. Went on a Sunday and had no issues with last minute planning. The team were able to accommodate my avocado allergy and were great hosts. We had a wonderful time and great experience. The seared rolls were the absolute best and I would come here again just for that. A bit on the pricey side but again we had the amex resy credit so it wasn't too bad. read more

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The absolute best sushi spot in OC. My go to spot for a nice weekend dinner. Some must orders are the tuna shishito and YTJ roll. service is always great here. The atmosphere feels like a if you know you know neighborhood gem. read more

We love coming here, especially on holidays like Father's Day, is that a holiday? Peter is always happy to see us and he always gives us special treats! I love their kimnedai but tonight they were sadly out of it so I guess we'll have to come back tomorrow! It's always fun and the sushi is fresh, the Japanese scallops are terrific! I've been here so many times so I can't even add any new pictures read more

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Very good sushi - pressed toro and the sunset roll were the highlights. Our server was very fast and attentive. I'd recommend to anyone looking for a nice dinner in south Laguna. read more

Seabutter - Laguna Beach - Sunset roll - Japanese Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

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Seabutter in Laguna Beach was amazing experience. When I was searching for a new sushi restaurant to check out in Laguna beach for my bf bday, Seabutter was highly recommended. There's patio and indoor seating. You can bring your dog and sit in the patio area. We didn't have a view of the water but the restaurant is on the 3 floor so you should have a view at some part of the restaurant. It's quite hidden unless you know of the spot. There is a sign on the building when you're driving off PCH but I've never noticed it. This will have to be our new go to restaurant when we are Laguna. It's close to the beach, delicious and honestly affordable for the quality of the fish you're getting. It's comparable to the omakase sushi we had in Seattle. We haven't found anything in CA that comes close to it till we tried this spot. It's not AYCE but honestly we can't even eat that much anymore, and the amount we order made is full but not like bloated. Fish was so fresh and flavorful. One of our favorite sushi spots in OC so far! read more

Came here on a Wednesday night , no wait sat at the bar. Looking through the menu and we decided to get Taste of Seabutter (their version of omakase) Edamame came out first nothing spectacular , some hot and some cold pieces. We asked for a refil of ginger then we notice a group of servers and workers watching the World Cup game with another customer. About 20 mins go by I had to ask another server for ginger ... not ideal. First came out 6 sashimi pieces Very lean pieces was lacking flavor (felt like I bought grocery market fish ) Then came some nigiri The rice was the lowest quality and driest rice ive had at a sushi restaurant. As I was picking up each nigiri individual rice was falling out and the texture ruined the experience. Most of the nigiri had "lava salt" at this point that's all I tasted. Then came the pressed sushi which seemed like a slice of salmon smothered in their dry rice like hamburger buns and topped with seared salmon. We had to take the salmon and out and discard the rice. Handroll was a bluefin one I believed. Took a bite into it and the seaweed paper was stale and wet which made it incredible chewy. We also ordered a bottle of sake Overall very low quality fish and service. read more

The food and service are far better than the venue. Mediocre atmosphere in tired mall with very casual seating that is difficult to get to on third floor. However, service was excellent and friendly. Sushi was terrific and very fresh. Dress down for a dress up meal. read more

Parking- It was surprisingly easy esp for the area. There's a convenient garage connected to the building and it's not crazy expensive. The restaurant also validates! Lobster Tail Cut Roll- This was incredible! The lobster was buttery, tender, and perfectly cooked with a slight crisp on the outside. Every bite tasted fresh and well-balanced. Not overly sauced and had an almost smoky aftertaste. A5 Wagyu Nigiri- The beef was incredibly rich, buttery, and literally melted the second it hit my mouth. You could almost mistake it for salmon with how soft the bite was. Perfectly seared with just enough warmth to bring out the fat without overpowering it. This alone is worth coming back for. Bluefin Tuna Sushi- The bluefin tuna nigiri completely melted in my mouth. The fish was visibly high quality, rich, and perfectly sliced. The rice was seasoned just right and held together without overpowering the tuna. You can really taste the freshness. Definitely coming back! read more

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Food was ok, ambience kind of like fast food, service was good. Since there are other places that are much better for sushi in LB probably wont be back. read more

This restaurant is located on the 3rd floor. Street parking is probably best in the surrounding neighborhood We tried: Spicy tuna crisy rice Omakase select A5 Wagyu sushi Sweet shrimp Crispy Albacore roll Quality of the fish is OK. The wagyu I ended up swallowing it hole for some reason they meat did not break apart. Overall it's a cute spot for a date night/catching up with friends. read more

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Took my girlfriend here for a date night. Food was amazing and the fish was fresh. Kenpachi yuzu was the highlight, so good. Already looking forward to coming back. read more

Seabutter - Laguna Beach - Kanpachi Yuzu - Japanese Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

Seabutter Sushi is my go to on DoorDash. The sushi is always fresh, flavorful, and really consistent, which is why I keep ordering from here. Everything I have tried has been really good and it always hits when I am craving sushi at home. My only complaint is the packaging. I really wish they would change their containers because the rice always sticks to the container, which kind of takes away from it a little. Other than that, it is definitely one of my favorites to order in. read more

Came here to celebrate a birthday and was an amazing experience! The view, food and service were 10/10. Will be back! read more

Seabutter - Laguna Beach - Omakase select: includes 7 pieces of chef's top nigiri - Japanese Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

Phenomenal!! the waitress was extremely knowledgeable and recommended great roles and entrées. Everything we had was spectacular we will be back. read more

We booked a reservation, but we arrived 30 minutes early and still seated quickly! Service is quick but at times it was hard to get our servers attention. The food was good but definitely wish we tried different items! Soft shell crab was good, yellowtail roll was okay, Mr crab roll was yummy! Definitely would love to try the pressed sushi, and various sushi / sashimi options they had! read more

Legit some of the best sushi I've ever had. The fish is extremely fresh and delicious. Do yourself a favor and order the pressed yellowtail, it's easily my favorite dish. 100% recommend checking this place out! read more

Seabutter - Laguna Beach - Pressed tail - Japanese Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

I came here for my Birthday again this year(third time in a row) as this my absolute favorite sushi spot at home. It did not disappoint. I tried again to get a sunset window spot but alas...no luck. I will keep trying. The star here if you can only get one thing is the Salmon Nigiri! It's simple, fresh and bold! Our waiter was kind and attentive and recommended some amazing cold sake. I can't wait to come back for more! read more

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I called ahead specifically to confirm that they could accommodate my request for food prepared without seed oils and with wild-caught seafood. I was assured over the phone that this would not be a problem. However, after driving out and being seated, I was informed that nearly everything contained seed oils, and the available modifications would have required removing many of the sauces and ingredients that make the sushi enjoyable. I was very disappointed, not because they couldn't accommodate my dietary preferences, but because I was told beforehand that they could. I would have appreciated an honest answer over the phone and could have saved myself a wasted trip. read more

Let's start with the food, I would say this is one of the best sushi places I've ever been too the only problem with the food is the truffle Aoili but besides that the food was great and reasonably priced. The service was perfect they checked on us every little bit and where all kind and definitely cared that we got what we wanted. Now the only problem was it was pretty hard to find it's just in the middle of a mall but the outside part is nice and inside u can see them make the fresh sushi right there so ambience was okay. read more

Amazing everything! Food was amazing, service was fantastic and they took excellent care of us. Seating at the sushi bar, I missed the interaction with the chefs, usually order through them, but had an actual server who was fantastic just enjoy talking with the chefs. read more

We were craving sushi and Seabutter did not disappoint. We got a reservation within an hour and sat outside in the semi enclosed patio - when the sun is shining its actually quite warm out there. They also have indoor seating and bar seating if you want to see the sushi be made. Our server was a cool dude and gave us good suggestions in terms of how much food we should order. We started with the spicy salmon and spicy tuna crispy rice - 2 pieces come in each but they were quite large with a decent amount of fish. For our mains we ordered the 911 role, the sunset role, and one spicy tuna handroll & one spicy tuna cut roll. The fish all tasted super fresh, the portions were nice and filling, and the flavors felt fun and fresh. The view was gorgeous, the sake was well priced, and service was fantastic. A definite stop in Laguna beach next time around! read more

Seabutter - Laguna Beach - Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice and Spicy Salmon Crispy Rice - Japanese Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

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Recently visited this popular sushi restaurant in Laguna Beach. Having it on our radar and wanted to spend more time by the coast, it was finally time to make it happen. It's actually located on the 2nd floor off of PCH. Parking is currently only street. I think they are improving the lot below as we saw construction going on down there. But, be mindful how tricky it is to find a local street spot. Food wise, it was good. While the rice was on the drier side, overall quality and bite was good. Amberjack is our go to with every sushi meal and they no only have it, they even have a carpaccio version of it as well. It needed a bit more citrus to bring the flavor out as it was on the sweeter end. Sea Bream was also a favorite. Scallops were on the softer side for our liking but it wasn't bad. Our service staff was super friendly and patient with us. It's always nice to have subtle etiquette and patience when visiting a new establishment. As for seating, they have both indoor and outdoor seating options. It can get chilly in the evening, especially if you're sitting outside. Bring a jacket. Overall, experience was nice, food is good, service is nice... good all around. I would note that the bar seating has quite a bit going on with to go boxes on display. Glad they are getting great business flow, but perhaps put those elsewhere? Customers journey begins when they schedule a reservation until they walk out of your establishment. If you can improve that experience in any way, wouldn't you want to do so? Food for thought :) Great job team! read more

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Nice spot, hidden away from the busy street so no crazy street noise, great menu and service! The Mr Crab roll is amazing! I'd definitely come back again! read more

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Such an awesome sushi place. The staff is friendly and the chefs are exceptional. Highly recommend. read more

Seabutter - Laguna Beach - Japanese Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

Great food. Great location (old SanShiGo) fun ambiance when it's not packed to the gills. Food is great. Drinks are great as well. On the pricier side but it's Laguna !! read more

This place is incredible! I love celebrating birthdays, Valentine's Day, and other accomplishments here. I've been to a lot of sushi places around OC and this is definitely the best quality, but it is a bit pricier. With that being said, the price is worth it! Love the black snapper, red snapper, amberjack, toro, yellowtail belly, and the YTJ roll. The staff is so kind and the very sweet waitress Yukino always remembers my name :) This is such a hidden gem and I will always recommend it to anyone in Laguna Beach! read more

Review is for food only, the service was fine. Food was very mid. The best thing we tried was the kanpachi yuzu, only thing worth ordering. Their nigiri is just over priced and the quality doesn't hold up. Avoid the sweet shrimp, they sear it and put some sauce on it that really covers the natural flavor of the shrimp. By far the worst was the yellowtail press roll. Scrap cuts of yellowtail on top that are all different sizes and an uneven tiny roll. read more

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Came for an early dinner on a Friday with a reservation but it seemed there was almost no wait for walk in's too. Portions are on the lighter side but the flavors were really nice. Really like that this spot offers low carb options for rolls! Service was very attentive and quick! We ordered: - Pressed toro: very creamy fish and marinade. Slightly seared at the top, really liked this one. Has a slightest hint of spice that was nice. - Pressed tail: more creamy, the mushrooms were an interesting touch but really liked how it added to the flavor. Personally I liked this one better than the toro. - Polar bear: low carb roll, felt like a salad very refreshing. I liked the spicy tuna in this one. - Marylin monroll: funny name, presentation was super nice. Definitely on the smaller side but nice to share as a light bite. - Oyster shooter: shot of sake, ponzu, oyster, raw quail egg. I really enjoyed this, it was super refreshing and I could barely taste the bitterness of the sake. read more

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Always great service and excellent quality fish. We have a couple sushi places we love in Laguna and this one always tops the list!

to the surprise of nobody i am back at seabutter, one year since my first visit to their laguna location. mr crab roll stuns as always, warm and delicious like coming home to your wife after a long day of work. the sunset roll is also there as a perfect citrusy compliment to the sweet savory of the mr crab roll we tried something new today, the salmon avocado pressed sushi. it looked interesting and had a flavor very similar to the salmon truffle, so i highly recommend! we also tried the naked salmon which was really good and if you like the sunset roll you'll like it too. Another successful day at seabutter read more

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Laguna Beach, CA The Japanese owned restaurant we normally go to was closed so we decided to try this one. We found out after sitting down this is not Japanese owned rather a Russian owned Japanese fusion restaurant with several locations in So Cal. Definitely on trend with the LB hipster to middle aged crowd. To be honest, I prefer a more traditional experience. While our meal was satisfactory, service was outstanding. My favorite taste of the night was the miso mushroom soup. I would return just for that delicious soup. I ordered a low carb no rice marylin roll wrapped in daikon. I was so excited to try this but quite surprised at the miniscule size and the cloying sweetness of the roll and the sauce drizzled over it...not a fan at all. I even tried to save this with chili oil to no avail. We ordered salmon collar and pin bones were not removed and I did not realize this until I may have accidentally consumed some. We let the sushi chef know and he said they should have been removed by the kitchen cook...I found at least 5 or 6, possibly ate a few as well. Collar was overcooked as well. Tried a salmon skin salad with beets, the beets are very thin strands versus pieces of beet. This was OK. We were curious and tried a pressed roll, which is like a sushi roll but no seaweed, rather items are pressed together in layers. Honestly it was mostly rice, so not a fan of this at all. I picked off albacore sashimi and mushrooms from the top, spicy albacore was negligible. I am sure there are better items, but not overly impressed with fish portions of the sushi items we tried, especially at the menu price. Parking validated 2 hours in garage. read more

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This was an awesome sushi spot in the local Laguna beach area I love the yellow tail carpaccio

10/10 loved this place it was so fresh and delicious. All our food came out so fast and was mouthwatering. Our server was amazing and so sweet. We sat on the patio deck which was perfect because the weather was great. Everything just melted in our mouth and honestly was top tier sushi/fish. Would definitely come back. read more

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The fish gets an A+ for freshness! Very smooth and indeed buttery. The rolls can be rolled tighter and cleaner. A few were unraveling and some were not cut well. The rainbow rolle crab stuffing I was not a fan of but the rest of the sushi had great flavor, no discoloration, and was soft. Great service and didn't feel rushed at all. Enjoyed our night. read more

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This is a great restaurant. We've eaten here several times and the food is always fresh and delicious. Service can be spotty, however, so bring some patience with you. With that said, every bite I've had here is wonderful and satisfying. We've been coming here for years. read more