Sushi Bear is another of the many Tustin gems I managed to overlook. Based on the numerous positive Yelp reviews, I decided to give it a whirl for a mid-week lunch. I'm glad I did. The menu is extensive with something to please just about everyone. I chose the Number Four Sushi Bear Combo consisting of six pieces of Sashimi, ten pieces of chef's choice Nigiri Sushi, a roll, salad, and Miso soup. It wasn't cheap, and it was easily enough for two, but I thought why not? You only live once, right? I somehow managed to polish off all of it save for about four pieces of the roll when I was thoroughly stuffed and had to tap out. I washed it all down with a large Sapporo as one does. Every bit of it was very good. Every bit of it tasted fresh and well prepared. The service was great. I was seated immediately, and my server whose name I wish I could remember delivered the meal perfectly. Sushi Bear just might be the best Sushi place in Tustin. I haven't tried all of the other places in town yet, but I strongly suspect Sushi Bear is the best of the bunch. So why not five stars? It's a fair question I will answer thusly: I'm a Sushi snob, and very best Sushi places season each piece of fish appropriately, and their is no need to baptize each piece in soy sauce. Having said that, I will happily return to Sushi Bear nevertheless. It's a good place. p.s. check my Tustin Picks and Pans collection for other Tustin gems and some that are decidedly not gems. Cheers! read more

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We went here on a Saturday night after the gym to try a new sushi place that we haven't been to. We were sat down within a minute and they gave us free appetizer chips while we waited for our food to come out. We ordered 2 miso soups, 1 Takoyaki, a final fantasy roll and a dragon crunch roll. The food came out in about 5 minutes. I would recommend coming here. The ambiance and service were nice. The sushi was decent for the price but I've had better sushi. The miso soup and Takoyaki were good. I'd come here once in a while. read more

Sushi Bear - Free appetizer chips - Sushi Bars Near Me - Tustin, California

AMAZING!!!!!! The Food and the Service is Amazing !!! I loved every dish that came out especially the Clam Miso and Kumamoto Oysters. It's a must try! read more

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Food - Tasty and fresh rolls! Never disappoints. Service - Friendly and fast service. Ambiance - Located on a small strip with moderate amount of parking space. Cute and simple interior. Nice place to visit when I'm craving a variety of fresh sushi rolls! I also love how they name their rolls :) read more

We came here around 6pm on a Saturday and were seated almost right away! We were pretty lucky because there were people coming in right after us and we needed to eat and go to our next appointment ASAP. The waitress serving us did not look very happy to be there but the male waiter was really awesome! I guess the balance of having one positive and one negative server made us feel like the service was overall not BAD. The decoration inside was really cute. The teddy bears in the waiting room looked kinda dirty and run-down but it was a cute touch. The booths were cool, I loved the wooden walls! When you first come in, they also give you a bowl of sweet chips. It was pretty addicting! We ordered a lot of different rolls when we came here: 1. The aloha roll (with jalapeños on top) were my personal favorite! I loved how fresh the fish were. The masago and real wasabi on top really gave the roll a good kick! I loved how fresh and tasty it was. 2. We also ordered the hot night roll. It was definitely different because of the hot Cheetos looking flakes on top. However, this was my boyfriend and brother's favorite. It was very flavorful and the sauces mixed well together. There was a little crunch at the end because of the top flakes and that was amazing too! 3. The omega 3 roll was amazing! There was salmon inside and out. We all love salmon so this one was a classic and we definitely have to get it again when we come back. The male waiter actually recommended it to us and we really appreciated it. 4. The Philadelphia roll was not it. The cream cheese was a little much. It was kinda weird because usually I love Philadelphia roll but maybe because I already had too much salmon... it made me feel a little bit gross. The fish was fresh though! Which is lowkey all that matters. 5. Baked lobster roll was definitely MID. I don't think we'll ever get it again. The top lobster was pretty dry and not very flavorful. Overall, the rice was not stale and the fish was fresh. Each roll had its pros and cons! I would recommend coming here to try the Aloha, Hot Night, and Omega 3 rolls. Maybe not the baked lobster nor Philadelphia rolls though. I would come here again. Shoutout to our male server! So awesome!!! read more

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We came in on a Friday night and were seating without a wait around 6:30 pm which was surprising for most OC sushi spots. We shared the sushi bear combo that came with 6 pieces of sashimi, 10 pieces of varied sushi, and 1 roll. For the roll, we picked the aloha roll which was fresh and delicious. The sashimi was all prepared well, and it came with 2 pieces of salmon, tuna, and what was either yellowtail or albacore. The only thing we didn't like was some of the sushi pieces, a lot of the sushi I had did not have a very appetizing texture and did not melt in your mouth like the sashimi did. I would expect a chewier texture from the eel or octopus pieces, but a lot of the fish did not have the best texture or tasted especially fishy, which is not my favorite with sushi. If we came back I would re-order the aloha roll but perhaps pick the sushi we liked the most for the individual pieces. The prices here were very fair, and the service was great so it's not surprising that there was a wait by the time we left. I think if we come back we would have a better idea of what to order and this spot would get a much better rating. read more

Sushi Bear - Sushi bear combo with aloha roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Tustin, California

I enjoy this place, i have it a 3 and a half star as it's acceptable food, good service. I think service is a 5, we ordered sushi, sashimi combo with eel roll, for the price it's good value. We also had 2 rolls, one was the fresh roll which we didn't really liked, i feel the flavors were unbalanced, it could have been more successful with some crunch or a fresh element. The yellowtail roll was simple and good and i can taste the yuzu flavor. They also have cinnamon chips as an appetizer on the table. I think this is a nice touch which I almost made my rating a 4. I appreciate restaurant owners that has welcoming touches like these. The good will gestures make the restaurant welcoming right away. Service is excellent, food is acceptable, you can't good wrong i would recommend it, especially for lunch read more

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Not much curb appeal on the outside - In a small strip mall - But once you enter their doors, you are in for a treat! Clean, bright interior with simple decor. The servers are friendly, attentive, and happy to give recommendations upon request. The sushi chefs do a fantastic job and deliver artful presentations of their delicacies. They have a vast selection of specialty rolls as well as classics, and their sushi is top notch. You must try the yellowtail sushi - it was phenomenal! They have other entree options as well. read more

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I would give a 0 for customer service. Ordered food asked for a substitution and the guy on the phone was "new" and "uncomfortable" (according to the owner) and said that it was possible so we said okay. When we checked the bag it was incorrect and when I said that the EMPLOYEE said it was possible she the owner named Yung Mi was very rude and said that she couldn't accommodate because she would have the throw the food away. Okay? How is that our problem that your employee messed up. She was very rude and told us she would charge us again. Meanwhile the restaurant is already overpriced, in a dirty location, and the owner is rude. I would definitely take your money to Ponzu sushi on 17th street. They have amazing service, amazing food, and the owner isn't a you know what. Would've gone there if I knew this place was owned my horrible people. read more

From the outside this place doesn't look like much. It's in a run down strip mall and I was hesitant to try it. But the other restaurant we were going to go to had a 99 minute wait. The inside is nice, the booths are spacious and have bamboo which added a fun feel. It's small but not loud. Tables are spaced far enough apart you don't feel cramped or up against another person. We started with their shishito peppers, so delicious! I got their Kiss of Fire roll and it was a delight! All the flavors melded together well and the garlic ponzu sauce was the best I've ever had. I also tried their veggie tempura roll and it was pretty good, I forgot to ask for no sweet sauce. I am not a big sweet sauce fan on sushi. But the flavor and texture of the sushi was great. I couldn't even finish the tempura roll I was so full from the Kiss of Fire. My fiancé got the Maui roll and said it was incredible and he also got a tuna hand roll which was gigantic! And the yellowtail roll which we couldn't even eat we were so stuffed and took it home. Highly recommend! The staff was super friendly and attentive. They had great recommendations. You will not be disappointed! read more

Hidden gem! Quick and friendly service, and the baked rolls especially are delicious. Do yourself a favor and get the king dragon roll. The lunch bento is super affordable and generous portions. Perfect for family dinner. read more

Sushi bear was mid at best. My partner and I shared the sushi beach combo with came with chef's choice sashimi 6pcs & 10pcs sushi & 1 choice special roll from selected list. We chose the candy cane roll for the special roll. When it arrived, the sushi looked delicious but after the first bite of the sashimi we knew it wasn't going to be great. The tuna was tough and chewy and there were a few questionable pieces of sushi. Honorable mention to the albacore which was actually soft and tender. Not to mention the ginger and wasabi looked like it had been sitting on the table for a while and we killed about 5 fruit flies while we were there. Would not recommend. read more

Sushi Bear - Sushi bear chef special with candy cane roll. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Tustin, California

Solid sushi. The croquette was also amazing - though I don't think it was a Japanese person who makes the food.

Sushi Bear is officially my FAVORITE sushi restaurant in Orange County! I can't believe I've never heard of this local gem before! With many local businesses affected by COVID-19, I've made it a mission to discover and support as many as possible. I can't wait till it's safe to dine-in again, because I'll be first in line at Sushi Bear! Sushi Bear does a great job of following safety measures for COVID-19. You can order online or in-person for take-out. If you order in-person like I did, you wait close to the entrance of the restaurant, menus are available to browse on the table, and a server will take your order at a safe distance with a mask on. We ordered the Sushi Bear Combo, which comes with 6 pieces of sashimi, 10 pieces of nigiri, and one special roll. We ordered the Candy Cane as our special roll, and added on an additional Aloha roll (can you tell my favorite is spicy tuna? Haha). The combo also comes with a side of miso soup and salad and some crunchy deep fried chips with cinnamon sugar for dessert. We also ordered two Asahi beers to-go! When dine-in returns, you can get a free hot sake with a Yelp check-in, but it is not currently available with just take-out orders. This fish is FRESH, like super, super fresh! My favorite of the sashimi was the tuna and the albacore. Absolutely . The assorted nigiri was such a fun assortment of fresh fish chosen by the chef, it was a great amount of variety! This amount of food was plenty for two people, the sushi rolls are a very generous size! I wish I had an unlimited stomach so I could eat more and more and more! Shoutout to our lovely server who so sweet to us. We will be back again soon! read more

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I enjoyed our visit here. - Restaurant opened on time and greeted us right away - Nice decor and very clean. Music isn't too loud. - The service was friendly and the food came out in a timely manner. FOOD Ginger sesame salad - really good. The veggies were fresh and the dressing was amazing. Ginger isn't overpowering and had a sweetness to it. California roll - really big. They give a lot of imitation crab Tempura - fried nice and crisp. The type of batter they use is on the slightly thicker denser side, but it wasn't over battered at all Kiss of fire roll - fish was fresh, shrimp tempura was crispy. I enjoy this roll. Salmon roll - daughter loved it. She doesn't like cucumber and avocado. I forgot to ask to remove it. WHAT I WOULD DO NEXT TIME 1) me: Kiss of fire roll is great. Or make sure I get a roll which has imitation crab, spicy tuna, fresh fish, and some kind of spicy element to it. 2) wife: just get California roll. The bento was too much food for her. 3) daughter: salmon roll with no cucumber and avocado. read more

Very sweet lady at the front desk, food is great quality, my new sushi spot! Definitely recommend

I came back to Sushi Bear recently and there were a lot of bugs afoot. We later went on to find that they got dinged by the health inspector for roaches. The service was good as usual and the food seemed unaffected but the place felt less sanitary than usual. I'm sure if something changed or this was an off day but I'll probably give it a bit before revisiting. read more

Sushi Bear is the sleeper sushi spot of the OC area. Delicious, warm, and brimming with personality. Below you'll find both the current update and a bit more insights pre-COVID 19. COVID-19 Take-Out Update: Their entire menu seems available for takeout. I've gotten mostly the bento boxes, but they are super speedy and kind as always. The bento boxes are still on point as ever and such a good price. No issues ever here. Pre-COVID-19 Review: Sushi Bear is lots of fun from its cute stuffed animals right in front to just the sweet chips you'll get right when you sit down. Don't be dissuaded though - this is a legitimate sushi restaurant full of some interesting ideas. I also like the cost. The bento box is such a good deal at $12 (2 items)/ $14 (3 items) at lunch (and a few dollars more at dinner). I usually get the beef or chicken for my first item, the takoyaki for my second item, and the salmon roll for my third item. Some of my other favorite items: +The Tamago: Legit here. Love it - on the slightly sweeter side which is the way I like it. Big piece too. +Lemon Drop: Love crab and salmon? This mixes the two with a delicious lemon sauce. So good. +Omega 3: A roll similar to the above description. They also have several great Japanese beers (including Kawaba) and sake options. Their hot tea and waters come in giant cups (whether its a mason jar or tea cup). Service is kind and friendly and usually pretty quick. Parking is a bit tight in this areas and does get full - there is some limited street parking and some parking on the other side of the plaza. read more

Sushi Bear - Bento box - Sushi Bars Near Me - Tustin, California

The food & service is amazing. I visit this place often I am always greeted and seated right away. Sushi is great quality for what you pay! I recommend read more

This sushi joint is super cute! I love and appreciate all the thoughts to their decoration! The food is also amazing and this is one of the few places that makes amazing sweet shrimp! Both fried and raw in miso soup! Their sushi and sashimi are so good and fresh that I would just go with whatever the chef recommend most of the time! Their rolls are also delicious and not too overwhelming with the sauce! Highly recommend! read more

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this sushi place is the best! It's been one of my favorite for years. Their fish is always super fresh, and the portion size for these rolls is HUGE! Their pricing is honestly very reasonable. Shout out to Hannah for great service, she was super tentative, and happy to answer all of our questions. read more

Sushi Bear reminds me of Sugar Fish in LA. The fish is very fresh and the sushi rice tastes a little sweet. The wait to get took around 30 minutes on Sunday night. Customer service was great. I love the ambience and decor inside. The parking is pretty small for a plaza of like 7 stores. Parking on the street can be a problem as well. Overall experience was above average. read more

One of my go-to sushi places in Tustin. I can always rely on them for a good meal. They're also the only local place that has bento meals which I really like. Service is always excellent, too. read more

This has been my #1 favorite sushi place in Orange County since 2018. Pre-pandemic, this place was PACKED for lunch and dinner service (the place has a capacity of about 35). People would wait outside for an hour to be seated for dinner. A large, impressive collection of teddy bears stacked on top of each other from floor to ceiling greeted you when you entered (hence the name of the restaurant), coupled with an enthusiastic Japanese greeting from the sushi chefs behind the counter. Service was fast and attentive, and the rolls were big, fresh, and flavorful. I even had them cater sushi for my birthday, and my friends devoured every piece! During pandemic lockdown, I was happy to order takeout from them weekly to support this small business, and I even added gratuity. The rolls were just as good and fresh as dine-in. Unfortunately, I'm not sure what's happened in the past few months, but they've gone downhill. New management? New food supplier? The restaurant is now generally empty for lunch and dinner and noticeably dustier. There are only 2-3 teddy bears lazily laying on their sides, as if echoing the general demise of this restaurant. The chefs give a less enthused greeting when you enter. The lone waitress is still friendly, but not very attentive and does not seem like she wants to be there. But most importantly, the food quality has decreased significantly. When I dined in 2 months ago, I got food poisoning from one of the rolls, and I knew I would get sick as soon as I'd eaten it. The fish did not look or taste fresh. Hoping it was a one-off, I returned last week and placed the same order. Again the fish did not look fresh or taste nearly as good as it used to, but this time at least I didn't get sick. Also, the plates they served the sushi on are all cracked and chipped (see pics). The benches in the booth are cracked and need to be replaced. It hurts to have to give Sushi Bear only 3 stars, but hopefully this can serve as a wake-up call for them to fix whatever seems to be ailing this once great establishment so they can return to their former glory. read more

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Must have changed ownership or something. This sushi bear is not the sushi bear I know of the past. Rolls look completely different and quality seems sub par... everything crumbles and falls apart and size is smaller as well. Best to look elsewhere if you were looking for good sushi. read more

In short: Okay to try once. Here are the goods and the bads: Good: --Not overpriced but some items were slightly more expensive than I expected. --Friendly Staff --Interesting appetizer (free): tortilla chips with cinnamon sprinkles. They bring these out wrapped in cling film, probably to keep freshness. Not fancy but I ain't complaining --They have fresh Wasabi but it is $3 --Tamago sushi was delicious Bad: --No A/C. Not sure if it was for today only but it was to the point where all of our cold dishes (sushi, sashimi) came out warm/room temperature. I was genuinely concerned about food safety. We were all sweating during the entire visit. --Located in a bit shady place, with a homeless guy with a beer can on their bench (the employee did ask him to leave). --Really weak Wasabi. The fresh Wasabi (while better) didn't really help, either. --Meh Spanish Mackerel: I always order the Mackerel and/or squid sushi when I visit a new sushi restaurant. Nothing to write home about and didn't order the squid because of the temperature in the restaurant --Booth bench was too high for me. I am short but I don't usually notice the seat height in most restaurants. See pictures for the dish names and prices. Overall, the food wasn't bad but this is not a fancy place, both in ambience and in the quality of food. If you want to grab casual sushi, then go for it but don't make this a business lunch spot. Also, if the A/C issue is constant, then you might want to reconsider your visit. read more

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Excellent service and quality sushi! Looks like a little mom and pop shop with great ambiance. Clean and respectful space. Would absolutely come back if I'm in the area. read more

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My go to sushi place in Tustin. Been going there for years. Great service, clean restaurant and great food! A nice and quiet place to enjoy sushi with your honey or friends! read more

Sushi Bear - Sushi Bars Near Me - Tustin, California

This review is for pre-covid. We came on a Friday night and we beat the rush. After we were seated, there was a bunch of people waiting outside. We were seated at the bar. We ordered a variety of sushi rolls and some regular sushi. Overall, we didn't like the sushi rolls because they all tasted the same! Not sure if it's because they use the same type of sauce for the rolls but we could not taste the difference between which was which. And they didn't tell us which sushi roll was which either. Lastly, the sushi chefs were not that personable. We sat at the bar thinking we would have more interactions with them but they didn't say one word to us. And as the night got busier, our server was nowhere to be found until we flagged down another server. read more

I've never been charged $10 for 2 pieces of giant scallops sushi. It's way too overpriced with ordinary quality..!

Doesn't look like much when you first arrive. It's located in a small shopping area amongst some Mexican hole-in-the-wall spots. This was a quick stopover during a roadtrip to San Diego. I went off my fellow Yelpers recommendation and I was pleased to check it out! I appreciate that they have daily fresh items. When items change on the menu, that's usually a good indication the chef uses fresh fish and seafood! Ordered the lunch special which was a sushi combo platter and it was a nice selection of fish. They offer interesting rolls here as well. The aloha roll was great! I recommend this clean, casual spot if you are in the area. read more

Sushi Bear - Sushi Combo - Sushi Bars Near Me - Tustin, California

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Underwhelming in both food and service unfortunately. We had read such good reviews and were excited to try some thing that we thought would be a low key place with good sushi. it was mediocre with prices that were a bit high for the quality we received. Unlikely to return. read more

Stopped in because it was the only sushi spot open after 9pm. Last call was at 9:45 for food. Tried the crunch roll 9.5/10. Tiger roll 9/10. Salmon sashimi 9.5/10. Yellowfin sushi 9/10. Plain udon 8/10. Super great spot and will definitely will be back! Staff was extremely friendly and professional. read more

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

Horrible service. Server threw away my none empty beer and then wouldn't refund me after the beer was only half drank.

Pretty good place. I will say this, what we did have was amazing. The menu felt a bit limited and the establishment in general felt a bit run down, but again, the food was delicious. read more

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This was our first time ordering here and we got takeout. Ordered the Caterpillar roll and the Honey roll. I was disappointed to learn that we had to put the sauces on ourselves since it's a bit hard to do ourselves without the squeeze bottles that they use in-restaurant. It was a mess trying to use the chopsticks to smear the sauces evenly onto each piece, plus there wasn't nearly enough sauce for everything. I wasn't a fan of the Honey roll because the texture was so mushy and gooey from the cream cheese. Definitely wouldn't try that one again. The Caterpillar roll was better to eat, but nothing too crazy that makes it stand out from any other sushi spot I've tried. Gonna have to give this place another go, I'm sure they offer better rolls that we haven't yet tried. read more

Sushi grade poor. Hair in food gross. Over priced for poor grade Sushi is a must pass. There are better spots. Skip this place. You've been warned. read more

Been coming here for 5+ years and even though I had them a few days ago, I would eat there twice today and not even be mad about it. I love Sushi Bear. Whenever I can't decide where to eat, my boyfriend knows he can just pick up Sushi Bear. read more

I finally got to try this place after having it saved on my bookmarks for the longest time! I love sushi and I really enjoyed my dinner. My girlfriend and I wanted sushi but we weren't down for AYCE so this was our spot. The wait wasn't long, we got there and sat in front of the bar. The sushi chef was really cool and talked to a us a lot. Friendly service overall. I think the funniest thing to me here at this place is the menu. You got to read it. It was a little bit seductive though and interesting choice of sushi names. "Taste like my ex girlfriend," lol imagine ordering that while you're on a date. Anyways, we spent about almost sixty dollars including beer. We ordered a few pieces of salmon, tuna, crunch roll, and masago. We really enjoyed our sushi and it was really fresh. The only thing that could have topped off our sushi is that maybe they could add a little more oil on the rice! Give it that flavor! Our meal came with a side of crispy chips. A nice kicker to start off. Those would be amazing with spicy imitation crab!! Great fish quality~! Thank you for having us. read more

Sushi Bear - Sushi Bars Near Me - Tustin, California

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A hidden gem. Sushi quality: A+ Lunch Special Price: A+ Clean and friendly service. I'm just happy I found this spot. read more