California Beach Sushi Restaurant

I bought a gift certificate for $ 25 3.5 years ago for this restaurant on
to redeem air mileage or something (can’t recall) and called down there just now. Disconnect then read they closed after 28 years here in Unilocal.Remind me to NEVER buy another cert that has to be redeemed for an eatery.

It was a sad day on August 31^st. Hide Mata and his crew shot the door and closed business for good after 28 years. This was my second home, my parents came here, dates, my wife, family it just too sad.
The building is getting torn down and has to make room for condos.
I can only hope that Hide Mata is going to open something else in NB some day.
Best of luck to all the guys who made our nights special at Cal Beach.
You will never be forgotten

Rumor has it that this fine establishment might be going out of business. That’s a real shame.
This place has been my go-​to for AYCE sushi in Orange County for the past 4 years. I’ve tried others like Sushi Tomo (i wrote a reivew for that, look it up: P) and have not had a comparable experience.
Like many of the people who rate this place highly, i recommend sitting at the bar. It’s the only way to get sushi coming consistently and constantly. As my friend Angela H. mentioned, omakase lets the chef be creative and do whatever he likes (I’ve never had a terrible one).
I think part of the reason why Cal Beach gets such mixed reviews is the fact that people have gotten used to extremely convoluted and fancy rolls offered by other restaurants. When it comes to Japanese cuisine, simplicity is also a priority. True, half of what cal beach offers isnt drenched in sauce, or dressed and made to look fancy, but it’s probably one of the better places in OC for nigiri, and the occasional roll. (Rolls are a trick to make you eat less expensive things, really. take off the sauce, the small sliver of fish that might be on top and look inside. In some restaurants it’s full of either cucumber or imitation crab meat. Such was my experience at Sushi Tomo).
It might sound mean but it’s a good thing that this place hasn’t bent to the whims of what is popular. Popular and authentic dont necessarily go hand in hand. Hence the phil collins.

you have to understand… for 30 bucks, your not going to find authentic Japanese people making good Japanese sushi!
The saying goes, dont judge a book by its cover. In the case of cal beach, dont judge a restaurant by its table service, waiters, vibe, etc. This is a restaurant that is strictly about its bar seating! sit in front of the chef, buy him a beer and talk to him. you will have the best sushi experience you will ever have for 30 bucks.
Please dont just order what ever you think its good. remember these are japanese people. they need your respect to uphold their pride. ask them to suggest things for you. tell them what you like and let them make the magic happen. if you order correctly this place can be THE best sushi place you will EVER go for 30 bucks

EAT AT the BAR.
I would not recommend dinning at the table.
For AYCE it is awesome.
Understand what you are paying for, when you come here, it isn’t a Fancy place by any means, but it is a fun place to come. I guess you have to make a choice when you want to stuff yourself for $ 26, Good fish, or a nice looking restaurant, because you won’t find both, and not drop 10x as much $$$
I have brought 12 people and they sat us all at the bar. Everyone had a great time. I would not have AYCE sushi anywhere else.

This restaurant is a place of extremes. The worst sushi I’ve ever had, the strangest vibe, and the weirdest waiter. I don’t even know where to start.
It’s all you can eat for about $ 30. Reasonable, but this is the WORST sushi I’ve ever had. Let me start with my rant against the food.
The salmon was dry, not oily like it’s supposed to be: my guess is that it’s been sitting for at least a few hours. The scallop is fishy and obviously canned, the rolls are disgusting with dry rice that won’t hold its shape. The octopus was cut so thin that you lose that sense of toughness that is associated with octopus. Anything referred to as ‘carpaccio’ is just overly marinated dry fish. And by ‘marinated’ i mean covered in salt and msg — pretty much what they do to the fish that has been stocked the longest in order to pass off as edible. None– and I cannot emphasize this enough– NONE of the sushi was good. All varieties were bad. BAD. VERY.
The waiter was weird and made comments that were off to say the least. The vibe was worse, I had a party of 6 so I had no choice but to sit at a table even though I was told to sit at the bar. We were placed in a corner of the restaurant that was dimly lit by a flourescent bulb in the wall. My friend described it best when he said «I feel like I’m getting sushi somewhere in the midwest… like Utah or something». My other friend who was there likes to eat a lot and has the tightest budget and the most accepting palate. That being said, he spent $ 30 for ayce sushi and ended up eating just a few bites because it was ‘kinda gross’.
We all left very unsatisfied, and worst of all we got sick.
I can say that this is the worst sushi place I’ve ever been to. Ever. Seriously.

I’m having a hard time rating Cal Beach… it really depends on what you are looking to get out of it. When one talks about an all-​you-​can-​eat sushi place you have to expect that the quality is going to take a huge hit compared to a sushi place that would cost $ 25 a piece. I have to say for AYCE we are looking at the higher end of 3 stars towards perhaps a 3.45.
For an AYCE place at least you have the convenience of variety. You get to order starters, sushi and hand rolls and all you can handle. Also, they aren’t big on waste so if you do end up acting like a gluttonous slob you may get charged for your left over food in addition to the flat $ 25 rate.
The sushi is fine. The rolls are decent. The starters are acceptable. At $ 25 a head you are going to feel the pinch but you are also going to gorge yourself on sushi, which in my opinion, is an experience unto itself.
We will go here sparsely when we really feel like getting real on some sushi and it is also relatively uncrowded on weeknights, which we also find pleasant.
So if you are in for a bounty of sea inspired treats, give Cal Beach a shot, or take a few shots and then give Cal Beach a shot. Either way for AYCE you will find just about everything you need at the tip of your pen.

So good. Love this place. Tempura all day. Usually get the Ono with jalapeño but got it with blow torched miso. Like it better so good.

I’d like to preface this by saying this is my first review, and I’m disappointed it’s a negative one, but I was extremely disturbed by the response of the manager/​owner when we alerted them to spoiled food being served.
My friend took me here for dinner, said it was a good sushi place. From the moment we sat down I thought something was off. The menus were covered in gunk and the place smelled like a bowling alley. There were three of us so we chose the «all you can eat» option since it’d allow us more variety.
The pork gyoza were good, so I was encouraged. The sashimi was not, I thought the eel was a little odd tasting. Then the rolls came out and I was getting more concerned as the fish in them tasted more off than the sashimi. The panko coating was extremely salty as well. It was then I stopped eating it.
One of the rolls was so disgusting I actually had to spit it out. We all stopped and decided to just tell our waiter we wanted our check and let him know there was something wrong with the seafood.
My friend went to speak to someone and actually spoke to the manager/​owner (?) who acknowledged that patrons had said there was something wrong with the fish all evening! While he refunded half our check, the mere fact that they knew there was a problem with the food yet did nothing and continued serving it was disturbing to say the least. In fact, it’s negligent behavior and if anyone gets seriously ill they’re going to be in serious trouble.
Never going back, I don’t recommend you go either.

Ohhh Cal Beach. If you eat sushi and you live in Newport, this is something you need to experience. Not only do you get to eat sushi, but you also get to participate in a restaurant-​wide sing-​a-​long to a Phil Collins song while banging wooden blocks together with the sushi chefs. True story. It’s like one giant, crazy, awesome gathering. Then when it’s over, time to collect the blocks and continue with the rest of your meal. I am not sure if this is all of the time but if you’re planning to go on the weekend go early otherwise you’ll never get a table.
Also, if you’re looking to do AYCE prepare your stomach. It’s only $ 25.

GOOD:
The staff were very friendly. Happy to help. The fish quality wasn’t bad at all. Wasn’t the greatest though.
BAD:
For $ 25, the sushi selection was not that great. You are limited to a paper menu, one is appetizers, the other is nigiri, and the other rolls. The nigiri is limited to 2 items per person on one paper. If you want more, get another piece of paper.
The scallop delight was small scallops. Not very delightful.
The rice was dry. Didn’t stick. Always separated from the fish.
The rolls had more vegetable than fish.
FAV:
Tataki Albacore
Tataki Tuna
Tataki Salmon
Grilled Ono w/​Jalapeño

Tried the all you can eat sushi here on a Thursday night. Im not sure if this is something they offer every night or not. The food was decent, but Ive had better sushi and better selection at other places. I do like that the offer appetizers in their all you can eat though. However, I wouldnt recommend the fried calamari. It was super tough. Felt like I was chewing on plastic.
The sushi did taste fresh and I liked that they were a little lighter on the rice. The crunchy roll was a little different than Ive had anyplace else. They mix roe in with the crunchy outer layer. I would recommend the tataki personally. That was pretty tasty.
Our sushi chef was very friendly and talkative and was very quick with our orders. Probably because we were basically the only people there. The restaurant is pretty big and does have a bar area with tvs.
Overall, I would come back if it was convenient.
Also got to see Dave Hester from Storage Wars while eating here. Apparently he comes here pretty frequently.

We’ve been coming to this AYCE sushi place for years! We frequest this restaurant at least 2 times a month. The sushi chefs are Japanese (many from Japan) and often make special rolls outside of the norm.
I posted about 10 pics of various sushi — salmon skin hand roll (my favorite!), philadelphia roll, mackarel, salmon eggs, surf clam, baked salmon special, albacore, fresh salmon, etc. Their fish is FRESH and they are generous with the cuts (more fish, less rice).
We always get the AYCE and sit at the sushi bar. The total price is $ 24.95 per person and you can sit there for up to an hour and eat as much as your tummy can take! The AYCE also includes unlimited appetizers, such as miso soup, pork gyoza, fried oysters, etc. We rarely partake in those though, as we’d rather indulge in the fresh sushi!
The restaurant gets busy on the weekends so be sure to come early for a seat at the sushi bar, or be prepared for a wait. The sushi chefs are awesome and fun! There is very little turn-​over on the staff, which shows that they must treat their employees well. They play their infamous Phil Collins song, «In the Air Tonight», and everyone grabs wooden blocks and claps the blocks together during a certain part of the song.
I used to live in Hawaii and they also had a sister restaurant (same restaurant name), located in Honolulu. It wasn’t as large as the one in Newport Beach, but they were just as friendly.
If I had to give one criticism about this restaurant, I’d have to say that the women’s restroom could be bigger and cleaner.

Real Japanese chefs ! I love this place, good selection of fish, halibut is one of my favorites, all the chefs are really cool and friendly ! For All You Can Eat its the best especially for the price ! I drive all the way from the Inland Empire every week to eat at California Beach 45 minute drive. Trust me it’s my favorite sushi place for AYCE !
Shout out to my CBS FAM !

Awesome

I hate to give out all my secrets to this place, but I’d hate it more to have this place close down. This is THE SPOT me and my friends get our cheap sushi fix. Well, it is not exactly cheap. It is about $ 30 for All you can eat (AYCE) sushi and appetizers. Which is pretty cheap in my books for decent quality sushi.
Secret #1, always eat at the sushi bar.
Fast service. Just order as you go, the sushi chefs caters to all your sushi cravings first. It is how they do it in Japan, and it’s how you should do it. Unless you have a big group.
Secret #2, stay away from the scallop. It is always over cooked, and it isn’t that good.
Secret #3, stay away from rolls. I know they look all pretty and stuff. But you are here to eat sushi. So order the nigiri sushi! The sushi chefs will give you a thumb up! Plus it fills you up super quick. This place doesn’t stuff the regular sushi with rice like other AYCE places.
Secret #4, almost always, the sushi chefs will have a special sushi. Kinda like a signature sushi. It usually pretty fancy looking. When you sit at the bar, ask about it!
It Pains me to spill all the beans, but I do it for you guys on Unilocal.
Here are some other tips, gyozas are good, tuna is not consistent, sometimes its awesome, sometimes its meh. If one of the fish isnt working out for you, there are money other choices to choose from. Gotta try the ONO with the seared jalapeño. The quail eggs are for quail egg shooters. Its ponzu sauce, some ginger, lemon, other herbs, and a quail egg. Its only $ 1. For sure party piece for anyone who is easily amused.
Follow my guide for this place and you will not be disappointed. I’d come here more often if they were closer. But Newport is one heck of a drive for me. But when I’m in town, I’d definitely visit this spot for some good sushi!

The ONLY reason we came here is because of the
gift certificate a friend bought. After reading the fine print on the gift certificate and realizing how much it’ll cost for the amount of food we were going to get we ended up NOT using the gift certificate and did all-​you-​can-​eat instead, go figure.
It was $ 21.95 per person and the menu consisted of appetizers, sushi, hand rolls, and basic rolls. Everything was below average; the appetizers tasted like it’s been sitting under a heat lamp the entire day, the fish looked old and tasted off, the rice was hard, yea, I wasn’t a happy camper.
The restaurant being located in Newport Beach and all I was expecting something better, but as soon as you walk in I was literally grossed out. The air inside was suffocating, the tables had soy sauce residue all over, everything felt old, dingy, sticky, just plain out gross. Never again.

Came here for a friend’s birthday last month. Pitchers are cheap (I wanna say $ 12), so definitely a good place to get cheap sake bombs. Also, if you sit at the bar I think you get free edamame too. Their sushi is also cheap especially if you come before their early bird deals are over for dinner.
Ambiance is fun. There’s surfboards and it’s definitely got a beach shack and sushi restaurant hybrid feel, if you can imagine that. I don’t know if they do this on the hour or anything, but the sushi chefs at the bar will whip out these bricks and start banging them together and sing and dance some Japanese like dance (which my friend was genuinely so excited about that she was so jealous that we weren’t sitting up at the bar… weirdo).
The food was okay, but they give you a lot of it. I got the sushi combo plate for $ 10, which came with miso soup, salad, and 6 pieces of CA roll with 6 pieces of nigiri as well. Not bad for $ 10. Their fish isn’t really fresh at all though, but it’s decent.
Since it was my friend’s birthday, they brought us free green tea ice cream and came to our table and sang and danced and banged on those bricks as well (my friend almost died this time she was so excited).
There’s street parking around so it’s not an issue, and the servers were super nice. Definitely come here for cheap drinks and a good time, but don’t expect amazing fish or anything. I would give it a 2.5 but I’ll round up for the entertainment.

We came last night while in the area, had never been here and we were craving sushi. From the outside, the place looked cute and busy.
Once inside, we were seated immediately. The waitress was friendly, and the service was prompt. The menus were well worn and faded, much like the décor. The place needs a bit of attention. Although it seems there are regulars, and it was busy… the place needs a fresh paint of coat. There are mismatched chairs, signs made on the computer and scotch taped to the walls… just surprising for the Lido area. None of this would have mattered as much if the sushi had blown me away. It didn’t.
We had a sampler platter, CA rolls and the special scallop roll. It was decent sushi. It wasn’t fantastic. They are very generous with their wasabi and ginger. There is a 25 $ all you can eat sushi and appetizers deal that would be a plus to bulk sushi eaters. I noted some Monday night specials for football viewing with drinks, etc. I am unlikely to become a regular, there are too many other sushi places with more ambiance and flavor.

This is the first All you can eat sushi buffet I have been to in the Socal area so I cannot compare my experience to other sushi buffets. I went here last night with 3 other friends and initially I made reservations for a table, but after reading a review that the service was better at the bar and noticing the empty slots, we sat at the bar.
The sushi chef was serving 8 people (including us), so at first it was very slow to order (25mins) and eat our food. The menu had a very large selection including around 20 appetizers, 20 sushi, 20 rolls or hand rolls. As I remember the most tasty items I ordered were fried oysters, beef terriyaki, Yellowtail, Eel, Ono special (ask for special!), Rainbow roll, spicy yellowtail roll, crunchy roll, and Philadelphia roll. All of them were 4/​5, but the secret item, sushi special, was ⁵⁄₅.
Tips —
— When seated at the bar, be patient! You will be getting full without noticing it!
— Ask for the Sushi Special!