I'm surprised Sushi Bear has such high reviews. Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad place for sushi and rolls, but I think my experience was just okay. Prices were what I expected and service was good, but I haven't been back since my first time there a few months ago even though it's super close to where I live. It gets good business though so they must be doing something right. I went there for dinner on a Saturday and there was about a 20-minute wait for 2 people. We ordered the poki tuna salad ($13.95), the yellowtail collar ($10.95), and the ichiban roll ($13.95). Everything tasted just fine, but nothing was that memorable. I think I was most disappointed with the poki tuna salad. They tried to be cute by putting it in this plastic light up martini glass, but that already goes to show you how small the portion was. No greens in the poke salad either, which was surprising. The free sake with yelp check-in was nice (only one per table). Parking can be tough since they're in this small plaza, but you can try the lot behind them where Taco Factory is. Not sure if you're allowed to, but I doubt anyone is checking if you're there at night. read more

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5 stars because they're opened pretty late, friendly, and the sushi is good! Only been here once, but I'm very impressed. Everything was good and the sashimi was tasty! Presentation is great as well and don't forget to check-in for the free house hot sake! I don't understand the bear concept, but I'll let them be. Lol. I'll be back :) read more

Sushi Bear - Decent cut size and declicious - Sushi Bars Near Me - Tustin, California

Today, for the first time I discovered that I've been going to the wrong sushi place all these years. What an amazing find! Everybody has "their" sushi place, but you dont know what you don't know until you find a restaurant like THIS. Fresh beyond reason, their rolls are created with incredible creativity and bold mixes of flavors to yield some truly amazing, mouth-watering creations. Cilantro-garlic sauces, jalapenos, all kinds of variations of fish, impeccable presentation, knowledgeable staff, and a beautiful atmosphere all combine to make this my number one sushi restaurant. At night it's magical. People tend to go overboard on reviews where the place is either terrible or flawless. But every once in a while, you find a truly amazing gem of a restaurant and this place is it for us. The wait staff - and even the busboys - were super helpful, cheerful (without being annoyingly fake) and super attentive. The rolls and sashimi were absolutely the best I've had. In my opinion, this is the best sushi restaurant in Orange County- no hype. Try it yourself. And the prices are SUPER reasonable. Surprising even. Bottom line: Pure sushi love. PS- Love the t-shirt logo with the bear. read more

Sushi Bear - Sushi Bars Near Me - Tustin, California

We absolutely love this place. Service is good. Place can get very busy so go early. Some awesome sushi rolls. I get one with no rice that's super filling and my wife gets a flaming salmon roll. read more

Fresh and delicious sushi! The service was amazing and good music playing. Will definitely be back soon.

Loved it! Food was amazing and the staff was so helpful and sweet!I really wish I got their names but regardless everyone I encountered were just so nice read more

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This place is great and the staff is awesome. We've eaten here three times since they opened and they already treat us like regulars. Sin, the sushi chef, treats his sushi like art and every single roll, piece of sushi, or sashimi looks too good to eat. I think I've tried half their menu and it's all been very fresh and the portions are anything but stingy. You get what you pay for at this place. It's not cheap, but good sushi shouldn't be. I'd definitely recommend stopping by if you're in the area and get a hankering for sushi. Years later: This is still a five star shop. We no longer live within walking distance but stop by when we're in the neighborhood or just want good sushi. We've eaten here dozens of times and still love the consistently good sushi. Keep up the great work! read more

came here for the first time last night and there was no wait! the sushi was so fresh and tasted so yummy!! the service was top tier as well. Will definitely come back! read more

Great service and good food! Parking lot is a bit small so it can take some time to find a spot to park in. We got the yellowtail sampler and the eel roll! Both which was delicious. Mochi was delicious as well! read more

Portobello Mushrooms are the best very delicious! Hot night roll is my favorite great customer service. read more

Sushi Bear - So so yummy!! Portobello Mushroom fries - Sushi Bars Near Me - Tustin, California

This is a little hidden place! I randomly found it and it was amazing! Their fish is delicious and fresh! I believe they also serve Wagyu on a hot stone I need to try that next time. Will definitely be back!! read more

Everything about this was great. Service was amazing and sushi was so fresh. We're coming back!

Since this is the only sushi restaurant that was open at 11 am on Saturday in Tustin, we've decided to give it a try. I ordered Poke and my daughter ordered a sushi combo. I thought the portion size for poke was big and tasty with Korean spicy sauce. Their waitstaff seemed inexperienced and new but friendly enough. Nowadays, many places want you to scan QR code to see the menu but I liked how they hand you the actual menu to look at. read more

I think after trying several places in Orange County for sushi, this place misses the mark in terms of food and execution. Textures are off, and little things that could have made the food better. //CONTEXT// We came here craving sushi but some of our other spots were closed since it was Sunday. This place was open on Sunday almost all day. //ENVIRONMENT// During COVID times there is only booth seating and no more seating inside or the sushi bar I believe as I didn't see anyone there. I think the lighting made the place feel really off. //FOOD// * so I know this is a bit picky but the soy sauce was pre packaged in a Togo sealing but the soy sauce was extremely dense and thick and not good. I get it's COVID but come on. * Garlic edamame: this was pretty good but the soy sauce was overempowering and we've had bette garlic edamame where there's more crispy bits of garlic but this barely had any garlic. * sashimi salad: my boyfriend liked their salad! But again we've had better at other places neighboring the area. * Snow Corn Roll: this roll initially I loved the sauce but the Texture started to really throw us off. I don't normally care about texture (eel or anything slimy I can eat) but the minced salmon inside along with two other baked fishes was just too much and made it unappetizing. * Uni sushi: quality of the uni was good but this one was wrapped with seaweed, and the seaweed was way too chewy and again, have had it at other places where it is crispy and the uni just melts in your mouth. Didn't experience that here, made it hard to eat. //SERVICE// Terrific service //OVERALL// I wouldn't come back. Subpar food that is better executed elsewhere. read more

An Hidden gem in rustic town of Tustin. We were sweetly surprised with quality and gracious host, Young Me made sure we were comfortably placed and explained the menu, I would definitely recommend the place and go back for many more times read more

Sushi Bear - Sushi Bars Near Me - Tustin, California

I ordered sashimi and rolls combo. To my sis appointment I notice a smell of fish when I opened the bag that was given to me. The sashimi was dry and seemed like it was old The salad was not fresh and it was one thing after the next. I will never go back and I will not recommend this place. I paid 27.00 for this mess. read more

Today was my first visit, the personnel is super friendly, the menu is extensive with creative names like "put your hands up" and "bam bam", both rolls very delicious. read more

Sushi Bear - Sushi Bars Near Me - Tustin, California

I don't post reviews too often, but when I do it's only because it's one of my fave spots and I know the place has the potential to be great again. I don't know if Sushi Bear is under new management, maybe it was a complete off day, but I went in with my sister for the first time since before the pandemic and sad to say that the quality declined. The fish was not fresh, the rice was crispy (old rice), and the rolls tasted mushy and soggy. For example. Negri toro handroll has always been one of my faves, and trying it this time around tasted soggy and had a really bad after taste. Sushi Bear has always been pricy, but it was worth it because they had quality food. Please prove me wrong. I'm so disappointed. Only positive outcome today was our server, I didn't catch her name (youngest one), but we came in as soon as we opened. read more

Love this place! Definitely one of my favorite sushi spots in the OC. One of the rolls that I thought was really good was the crunch roll. Overall, they have some really good sushi at a reasonable price. Would definitely come back again and try other rolls that they have on the menu. read more

Sushi Bear - Crunch Roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Tustin, California

3.5 stars The best thing I ate today was the Fresh Spring Roll: tuna, salmon, albacore, cilantro, jalapeño, spicy tuna, spicy crab, avocado, masago wrapped in rice paper served over a layer of mustard soy and sriracha sauce. To be honest, I wasn't really digging the rice paper. I was all about the no carbs element, but soy paper would have been a better option because rice paper hardens if you don't eat it immediately. I do realize that Sushi Bear prizes themselves for oversizing all their rolls and for spending a good amount of time to make these unique creations, but I wasn't on board with everything they created. Take for instance their King Dragon roll; they use an entire eel to top the roll. If I was a slightly younger, I'd be cool...an entire eel. Except I'm not. The use of the entire eel slightly grossed me out. I also had a hard time making sense of their Mamacita roll which is basically deep fried everything ever. It was good, but overwhelming heavy because everything is deep fried. I don't know. I love Americanized sushi, but this place takes it to another level. In addition, the prices per sushi roll is not listed on the menu - they're listed on the wall. My Fresh Spring Roll was $17.95! If you're looking for a good night of sushi fun, I think Sushi Bear is your type of place. read more

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Decent sushi, especially for the price. Good spot to also drop in and sit at the sushi bar.

Nice and clean but empty! We came around an hour before closing on a Friday night and were relieved to see that they were still serving...but there was only one other party there. It's run by Koreans so I had a certain expectation of what the food would be like. It was pretty much exactly what I expected, nothing more or less. The tiger roll, baked scallop roll, and sunshine roll were all solid and I like that they design each plate with aesthetically pleasing items. Prices were a bit steep, but they keep the rice proportion down, albeit filling it with cheaper items like imitation crab. We also both noted that the rice texture was a bit off and different;it's hard to put in words but I'm not sure if that was an end-of-the-day thing or inconsistency in a daily batch or if it's always like that. Not sure I'm a fan because I shouldn't be able to feel the individual rice pieces when I'm eating sushi because it detracts from the fish. Service was impeccable. Quick and plentiful refills of water and ginger leaves me happy. Check in gets you free small sake! read more

Sushi Bear - Tiger roll and sunshine roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Tustin, California

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Was looking for a late night open reasonably price sushi place and came across sushi bear! Was immediately seated upon entering and the space itself is very inviting and cute especially with the Bears at the entrance. There was complimentary wonton chips powdered in cinnamon sugar that were very tasty. The sushi itself was very delicious and very fresh and everything that you ordered came out very quickly. read more

Sushi Bear - Sushi Bars Near Me - Tustin, California

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Amazing tasting food, very high quality fish. Bento boxes were filling and not too salty or sweet. Service was very kind and efficient, would bring my family here in the future read more

3 words: supermassive sushi rolls One feeling: satisfied Got 3 rolls and all were different tasting (sometimes a worry with these types of saucy rolls) and all were good. The whole eel one was expensive but a favorite. Also the crab is indeed krab (imitation crab) for anyone who's wondering! read more

First time here and everything was GREAT. A small little cozy boutique restaurant. A happy place employee was very nice and helpful to your needs and explained this different menu choices. read more

Sushi Bear - Sushi Bars Near Me - Tustin, California

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Great hole in the wall. Love taking friends here as the staff is always friendly and the food is always high quality and hits the spot. Plus the bears greeting you as you walk in is a nice touch! read more

It's a very well hidden location, yet very polite service, and extremely fresh sushi. Great find

Huge rolls and reasonably priced. So many options it was overwhelming! Good food, definitely would come back. Four stars because they kept bringing us the wrong order when they brought us move food. read more

Went for the first time last night, and based on the good reviews, I was extremely excited to have good sushi!! We were a group of 3 that came on a Saturday night around 730pm. Surprisingly, it was only a 20 minute wait. You write your name on a whiteboard and you can see who's ahead of you. I think we just got lucky because right when we wrote down our names, like 8 more groups showed up.... so it does indeed get poppin here and they do not take reservations. We were seated at a communal table. The only negative of this experience was the menu. It was pretty overwhelming to look at haha. It's literally like 50 or so different types of sushi rolls listed. It would've been an easier experience to have some pictures to go along with it as opposed to combing through the Yelp pictures. Regardless, not a big deal. There are choices between fresh rolls, baked rolls, and tempura rolls. We chose one from each category - rainbow, king dragon, and natural viagra. From a separate menu, we also ordered popcorn shrimp and the wagyu beef. The rolls were literally massive. I have a ton of rainbow rolls in my day, but this one is my favorite to date. It was super fresh and light. Natural viagra was flavorful and everything I need in a roll. King dragon was good. From the 3, it was our least favorite but did not disappoint. There were bonito flakes on top which isn't my personal fave but I'm not totally sure why this roll was classified under baked roll. Other than that, the presentation was gorgeous. Popcorn shrimp - shrimp was juicy and soft. The coating was flaky. Great with the lemon on the side. The wagyu beef came sizzling on a huge block of salt. My mouth was watering.... all of our mouths were watering. I think the table next to us was envious lol. That was pretty damn good as well. Service was fast. The staff was kind. read more

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Wow - I think I have to go back and change all of my previous sushi reviews that i ranked as a "5" and change to a "4"...because I have just experienced what a real 5 is...or, we could just "spinal tap" this one and call it a "6" (or an eleven) :D They went way out of the box here with soft Hints of cilantro, onion, jalapeño and many other little intricacies - and above all, the fish couldn't have tasted any more Fresh - seriously!! Sushi Bear is truly an amazing place - a true hidden gem...trust me. Our server was also amazing. She not only was knew the menu well but made great recommendations with top-shelf service!! Not only would I highly recommend this place... But I can't wait to come back here again - hopefully it'll be before I head back to New Mexico! Bravo!! read more

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Really good sushi. I was looking for a sushi place near some friends and saw the Yelp reviews for Sushi Bear. Lots of options and we enjoyed it all. Honey Roll, Aloha Roll, Sweet Dreams and Crispy Tuna. Some names of their rolls are hysterical but awkward to order! Inside is simple and bathrooms were clean. From the outside you might second guess your visit but it's all worth it. read more

Management needs to seriously fix their takeout capabilities. Tonight was our second time trying to order take out. Both times we were given a 50 min wait time until our food was ready. BOTH times we arrived and was told the food was not ready and they don't know when it will be. After sitting for an additional 40 mins (an hour and a half at this point since the order was placed) we still didn't have our food or even a time of when it would be ready. BOTH times we had to cancel the order completely because at that point it was pushing 2 hours and we were starving/irritated of sitting outside waiting. read more

Worst of worst. Ordered Sashimi 50 pieces ($105) came out with junk. Who would seriously expect that cheap frozen block thawed sashimi for that price. Totally ruined my day and money. Don't trust the pictures. Also server ordered a wrong item and took a 1 piece but they cannot do anything because I already had one piece. Terrible service as well read more

Mediocre sushi. Very Bad customer service. When an item in the menu is not described correctly and someone orders it based on the incorrect description and they don't like it because for example the menu doesn't say that a fried mushroom is "breaded" and person doesn't like it when it comes out breaded and IT DOESNT SAY IN THE MENU THAT THE THING IS BREADED , you take that item back and cross it off the customer's check like a normal nice person. You don't say manager doesn't allow refunds! 1st and last time I come here. Lack of Common by your staff cost you guys a good sushi lover customer and a bad review! read more

Omg I love this place this will be my new favorite sushi spot when ever I'm in Tustin . I went in on Christmas Eve . The night before I had a horrible experience at bjs and I was like I'm never going out to eat again and the next day I forgot to make my lunch and I had to give into going to a restaurant as soon as I walked in I was greeted got seated right away my waitress was the sweetest girl with dark hair I wish I got her name but I tipped her almost what my bill cost cause that's how happy I was . So I got the bento box and I'm pretty picky and what can I say I was so impressed everything was so delicious . Don't walk to this place run. Trust me you won't be disappointed. I will be back sushi read more

Sushi Bear - Sushi Bars Near Me - Tustin, California

The sushi was delicious and set at reasonable price points. For the price, I'd say I got my moneys worth because the sushi rolls were thick and filled to the brim, compared to other places were the rolls aren't that thick. My favorite roll was definitely the jenny because it had baked salmon and I absolutely adore baked salmon! read more

This is a very, very good sushi bar. They are masters of American style Maki rolls. Their menu is extensive; There must be like 50 different rolls on that menu. The rolls are inventive, delicious and super fresh. They are also quite generously sized. Rolls here are like 3 times the size of maki rolls you may find at other sushi restaurants. Service was excellent too. This restaurant is located in Tustin just off Newport. Its a great "hole in the wall" destination. If you love complex maki rolls full of super fresh ingredients then look no farther than Sushi Bear. read more

I'm hoping to give an updated positive review that will eradicate this one. Anyway, met a friend on a Monday late AM right when they opened. The fish was delectable but the rice in the rolls was HARD and STALE, like, unforgivingly so. Normally, I'm not such a harsh critic but this was a true deal-breaker for me. I will give this place another shot but I recommend you NOT come here early in the day. I'm assuming the rice quality improves later because of the timing of their cooking cycles. read more

9/13/16 - Update Wow, so disappointed!! Had been excited about this place for months and had been waiting to bring friends that were anxious to try it! What a letdown in so many areas!! Beef wagyu tataki shrank and became sorry, tasteless pieces of overcooked beef! https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/5vIOEcOSiT6Y8utuBtsNzw?select=KHERc71ynUlrW-y8YsTdIA&utm_source=oshare&ref=yelp-android Screaming orgasm? Where are the lights and glowing presentation, and generous sashimi pieces? https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/5vIOEcOSiT6Y8utuBtsNzw?select=3QVPFbfvOvPSx4qNsJtwdg&utm_source=oshare&ref=yelp-android We wanted to say the rolls were good but couldn't quite say so since the rice was somewhat hard. Unacceptable! I don't get it, how could the quality deteriorate so much within a couple of months? Makes me sad. I appreciate the servers trying their best to make sure we were happy, including comping the beef wagyu. I understand the quality is out of their hands. I wish I would've spoken to the chef or owner but it just takes too much effort ... So if you're reading this, you need to take care of business. I won't be back. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- I can't think of any reason not to give them 5 vs.4, so 5 stars it is!!! Only place I know with the most delicious beef wagyu tataki on a salt block!! They torch it on the block so there's a fresh, salty flavor with every bite! That's a definite must every time I hit em up! Oh and the free hot sake check-in deal is a cool draw too (get it while it lasts)! Another cool element is the Vegas theme apparent with the funky names of the yummy, fun rolls, e.g., "Tastes like my ex-girlfriend" roll and the "Screaming orgasm" which glows!! I'm not usually impressed with all these extras bc it all comes down to the freshness of the sashimi, and most places play up everything else to distract from that. Not here, their fish is really fresh! Whether they're in a roll or as sashimi, the fish is always super fresh and tingles your tastebuds! Service is super friendly and helpful. Only negative is the exterior plaza they're in but don't judge this book by its cover! #DiamondinTheRough Thanks for bringing your Vegas touch to OC, very much appreciated! See ya again and again, real soon! NOTE: They're closed Mondays. Don't accidentally make plans, like I did, and then have to frantically change them! :'( read more

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