The best sushi I have had in years! Such a beautiful family run restaurant. Each piece of sushi is made with love and pride. Can't wait to go back!
Fidel Escobedo
Nagisa is by far the best sushi in socal and possibly california. Ive been having the most amazing dinners with Yasu for 12 years plus. This unassuming place is a MUST! If you like authentic sushi just sit at the bar and everything is great from the snapper, to the toro and amaebi and uni. This is my favorite sushi restaurantParking: usually sufficient parking on the street
Sarah J.
3 years later and nothing has changed. Freshest fish. Best sushi. Amazing chef. Our go to place in SoCal for incredible sushi with true Japanese style.
Max S.
It's a shame you have to leave at least one star. To be honest I didn't have high expectations when we walked in and it was empty on a Saturday evening around 6pm, but this fell far below even those. First the bathrooms, walked to the back and it was filthy all around there, stuff was stacked everywhere. I just figured hey, it's not the kitchen, let's give it a shot. The service. When I ordered water (I don't drink and my girlfriend who's pregnant can't) and my girlfriend ordered coke, the waitress had a complete attitude change. She was almost disappointed we were not purchasing alcohol and kept asking "you want a beer". She made her point clear when my water cup sat empty the entire meal. Until finally I got a kid, who couldn't have been more than 14, to fill it up at the end of my meal. My girlfriend just didn't get anything after her canned coke ran out. The food. The food was overpriced and God awful. First, they upcharge you for everything. We eat sushi regularly so I don't mind paying for quality sushi and understand the higher price point, but this was Walmart quality sushi that you are paying Whole Foods pricing for. They charge you 2 dollars for a lemon in your water, they don't give you wasabi then charge you when you ask for it, they charge you for sauce, literally everything. It was just weird. My girlfriend got the tempura plate since she can't eat sushi and it had no flavor. It almost tasted like they had purposely done something to remove the flavor. Terrible. My sushi was so bad, I was worried I was going to get sick later. Finally the waiter came back after no seeing them for about 45 minutes and we were able to get the check and leave. But wait. They tried to sneak on a 40 dollar "king crab roll" onto our bill that we didn't order. We asked them about it and they said it was a mistake, which isn't likely since WE WERE THE ONLY table that had ordered. So they couldn't have gotten us mixed up. They just tried to sneak it by. I get they are probably struggling and on the risk of losing the business, but that's no excuse to cut corners everywhere and try to steal from patrons. Absolute sham of a restaurant and people should beware. Please don't go there for your own sake.
Sabrina B.
The BEST sushi ever. I always make sure to come here at least twice whenever I visit. The fish is amazingly fresh and yasu is a master at his craft. Definitely that place the locals flock to. If you go on a weekend definitely make a reservation. Every person I've brought here has been absolutely blown away. I've even got a "this is my favorite restaurant in the world" from my boyfriend. Do not miss out on the albacore sushi or anything toro and be sure to buy Yasu a Sapporo when you realize just how amazing he is. I recommend sitting at the sushi bar to watch him work and get to know the other people who are equally obsessed also sitting at the bar.
Hayden Austin
So good!! Everything tasted so fresh. The Premium Salmon Roll was so delicate and the rice was perfectly sticky and cooked. The Ayumi Roll was fantastic. The crispy rice puffs perfectly topped it off. I would highly recommend this restaurant.
Spencer T.
Best sushi in Orange County prepared by a Japanese family It's the real deal, I come here almost once a week.
sabrina Garcia
Sorry, I wish I had the hindsight to take photos of the food as It came out but I was just mesmerized. The soft shell crab… I was speechless! My personal favorite was the charlotte roll (eel) omg! Amazing!! Service was courteous and prompt. Not to mention the sushi chef(I sat at the bar) was a treat to watch. Dinner and a show! A true artist. I don’t come to Newport area often but I shall make it a point to visit any time I’m here. Highly recommend :)
Sarena Mccoy
I don’t know how I overlooked this little gem all the years I have lived here. My mother made a reservation for my birthday (make sure you make one) and they made us feel like queens. I had an adorable card they made for me, and they were entirely too generous. Hands down the best tasting sushi I have ever had and the service was amazing. I will definitely be back!
R M.
I was visiting my sister in Newport Coast and had to stay overnight at Pelican Hill. I was in the mood for Japanese food, so we decided to go here, since it was close. I am exceptionally displeased and disappointed and I will advise all Yelpers to NOT go here. The place is really a run down, old hole in the wall place that doesn't even turn on their signs at night, so it was hard to find. Upon coming in, there was only one other diner than us, on a Saturday night! That's not a good sign! I ordered the beef teriyaki and tempura. For $32.50, it better be good. What first came was a sad, tasteless, generic salad that is not worth serving anywhere, let alone in this nice neighborhood. The beef came cold, hardly grilled, hardly any care put into it. No sear on the meat, so bland, and not even tender. Sizzler has better beef cuts than this. The teriyaki sauce has no saltiness, no savoriness, no umami. Really? I asked for the beef to be reheated, and it still came only mildly warm. The tempura looked like it was prepared by a novice. No airiness in the batter. Good tempura has long thin streaks that add to the crispiness. The technique to cooking it is using cold water in the batter mix, dip the shrimp, and put the shrimp in the boiling oil away from you, with a flick of the wrist. In this way, strands of batter get thin and plentiful, for the crispiness. Really, an amateur prepared this. My sister's 1st sushi roll came without wasabi and pickled ginger. The excuse given was those items would come with the 2nd roll. The etiquette for eating sushi is first eating some ginger to cleanse your palate, then proceed. Japanese culture demands this be done, so it baffles me that our hosts, Japanese, not Korean, did not see to this. Both rolls were just par, nothing to write home about. The service was terrible, nonexistent; no water refills, no check up on our meal, nothing. For the amount of money charged, at least I expected a decent meal. It was the worst Japanese dinner I've ever had. Period I give it a score of 2/5, and not 1/5, only because of the fact I feel sorry for the young lady who waited on us. She seemed oblivious, and I suspect she is the daughter of the owner. And, on the plus side, the music I heard was authentically Japanese. That was the best part of the dining experience It seems to me this place survives only because it has become a fixture to the locals, so it's more about emotional attachment, and not real appreciation of good Japanese food. I feel bad for all the Japanese restaurateurs who do their best. I really am at a loss as to how anyone could give this place anything over 3 stars. I don't expect to see this place in business in the near future. Inferior food and dining experience is not worthy of the high standards attributed to true Japanese culture.
Fresh and delicious fish and specials are reason enough to visit. This husband and wife team have been doing this for decades and have the most amazing vibe of warmth and hospitality. That's reason to come back!
Catherine Noiboonsook
Fantastic sushi, authentic vibes, couldn't stop eating! Making the drive to come back!
Emmett D.
The food is okay but the service is terrible, they also charged us for the food we did not order, one of the waiters I think has some mental issues, this was a sad birthday dinner. The food also came exactly 40 minutes later. and there is someone living in a pantry.
gmonterastelli
If you are looking for a very tasty and light meal Nagisa is fantastic!!! They have a wide range of rolls and sushi options.!
Catherine N.
The food is very delicious. Authentic japanese very peaceful and just the type of chill environment and food that I needed today. I ate too much lol.
The best sushi I have had in years! Such a beautiful family run restaurant. Each piece of sushi is made with love and pride. Can't wait to go back!
Nagisa is by far the best sushi in socal and possibly california. Ive been having the most amazing dinners with Yasu for 12 years plus. This unassuming place is a MUST! If you like authentic sushi just sit at the bar and everything is great from the snapper, to the toro and amaebi and uni. This is my favorite sushi restaurantParking: usually sufficient parking on the street
3 years later and nothing has changed. Freshest fish. Best sushi. Amazing chef. Our go to place in SoCal for incredible sushi with true Japanese style.
It's a shame you have to leave at least one star. To be honest I didn't have high expectations when we walked in and it was empty on a Saturday evening around 6pm, but this fell far below even those. First the bathrooms, walked to the back and it was filthy all around there, stuff was stacked everywhere. I just figured hey, it's not the kitchen, let's give it a shot. The service. When I ordered water (I don't drink and my girlfriend who's pregnant can't) and my girlfriend ordered coke, the waitress had a complete attitude change. She was almost disappointed we were not purchasing alcohol and kept asking "you want a beer". She made her point clear when my water cup sat empty the entire meal. Until finally I got a kid, who couldn't have been more than 14, to fill it up at the end of my meal. My girlfriend just didn't get anything after her canned coke ran out. The food. The food was overpriced and God awful. First, they upcharge you for everything. We eat sushi regularly so I don't mind paying for quality sushi and understand the higher price point, but this was Walmart quality sushi that you are paying Whole Foods pricing for. They charge you 2 dollars for a lemon in your water, they don't give you wasabi then charge you when you ask for it, they charge you for sauce, literally everything. It was just weird. My girlfriend got the tempura plate since she can't eat sushi and it had no flavor. It almost tasted like they had purposely done something to remove the flavor. Terrible. My sushi was so bad, I was worried I was going to get sick later. Finally the waiter came back after no seeing them for about 45 minutes and we were able to get the check and leave. But wait. They tried to sneak on a 40 dollar "king crab roll" onto our bill that we didn't order. We asked them about it and they said it was a mistake, which isn't likely since WE WERE THE ONLY table that had ordered. So they couldn't have gotten us mixed up. They just tried to sneak it by. I get they are probably struggling and on the risk of losing the business, but that's no excuse to cut corners everywhere and try to steal from patrons. Absolute sham of a restaurant and people should beware. Please don't go there for your own sake.
The BEST sushi ever. I always make sure to come here at least twice whenever I visit. The fish is amazingly fresh and yasu is a master at his craft. Definitely that place the locals flock to. If you go on a weekend definitely make a reservation. Every person I've brought here has been absolutely blown away. I've even got a "this is my favorite restaurant in the world" from my boyfriend. Do not miss out on the albacore sushi or anything toro and be sure to buy Yasu a Sapporo when you realize just how amazing he is. I recommend sitting at the sushi bar to watch him work and get to know the other people who are equally obsessed also sitting at the bar.
So good!! Everything tasted so fresh. The Premium Salmon Roll was so delicate and the rice was perfectly sticky and cooked. The Ayumi Roll was fantastic. The crispy rice puffs perfectly topped it off. I would highly recommend this restaurant.
Best sushi in Orange County prepared by a Japanese family It's the real deal, I come here almost once a week.
Sorry, I wish I had the hindsight to take photos of the food as It came out but I was just mesmerized. The soft shell crab… I was speechless! My personal favorite was the charlotte roll (eel) omg! Amazing!! Service was courteous and prompt. Not to mention the sushi chef(I sat at the bar) was a treat to watch. Dinner and a show! A true artist. I don’t come to Newport area often but I shall make it a point to visit any time I’m here. Highly recommend :)
I don’t know how I overlooked this little gem all the years I have lived here. My mother made a reservation for my birthday (make sure you make one) and they made us feel like queens. I had an adorable card they made for me, and they were entirely too generous. Hands down the best tasting sushi I have ever had and the service was amazing. I will definitely be back!
I was visiting my sister in Newport Coast and had to stay overnight at Pelican Hill. I was in the mood for Japanese food, so we decided to go here, since it was close. I am exceptionally displeased and disappointed and I will advise all Yelpers to NOT go here. The place is really a run down, old hole in the wall place that doesn't even turn on their signs at night, so it was hard to find. Upon coming in, there was only one other diner than us, on a Saturday night! That's not a good sign! I ordered the beef teriyaki and tempura. For $32.50, it better be good. What first came was a sad, tasteless, generic salad that is not worth serving anywhere, let alone in this nice neighborhood. The beef came cold, hardly grilled, hardly any care put into it. No sear on the meat, so bland, and not even tender. Sizzler has better beef cuts than this. The teriyaki sauce has no saltiness, no savoriness, no umami. Really? I asked for the beef to be reheated, and it still came only mildly warm. The tempura looked like it was prepared by a novice. No airiness in the batter. Good tempura has long thin streaks that add to the crispiness. The technique to cooking it is using cold water in the batter mix, dip the shrimp, and put the shrimp in the boiling oil away from you, with a flick of the wrist. In this way, strands of batter get thin and plentiful, for the crispiness. Really, an amateur prepared this. My sister's 1st sushi roll came without wasabi and pickled ginger. The excuse given was those items would come with the 2nd roll. The etiquette for eating sushi is first eating some ginger to cleanse your palate, then proceed. Japanese culture demands this be done, so it baffles me that our hosts, Japanese, not Korean, did not see to this. Both rolls were just par, nothing to write home about. The service was terrible, nonexistent; no water refills, no check up on our meal, nothing. For the amount of money charged, at least I expected a decent meal. It was the worst Japanese dinner I've ever had. Period I give it a score of 2/5, and not 1/5, only because of the fact I feel sorry for the young lady who waited on us. She seemed oblivious, and I suspect she is the daughter of the owner. And, on the plus side, the music I heard was authentically Japanese. That was the best part of the dining experience It seems to me this place survives only because it has become a fixture to the locals, so it's more about emotional attachment, and not real appreciation of good Japanese food. I feel bad for all the Japanese restaurateurs who do their best. I really am at a loss as to how anyone could give this place anything over 3 stars. I don't expect to see this place in business in the near future. Inferior food and dining experience is not worthy of the high standards attributed to true Japanese culture.
Restaurantji Recommends
Fresh and delicious fish and specials are reason enough to visit. This husband and wife team have been doing this for decades and have the most amazing vibe of warmth and hospitality. That's reason to come back!
Fantastic sushi, authentic vibes, couldn't stop eating! Making the drive to come back!
The food is okay but the service is terrible, they also charged us for the food we did not order, one of the waiters I think has some mental issues, this was a sad birthday dinner. The food also came exactly 40 minutes later. and there is someone living in a pantry.
If you are looking for a very tasty and light meal Nagisa is fantastic!!! They have a wide range of rolls and sushi options.!
The food is very delicious. Authentic japanese very peaceful and just the type of chill environment and food that I needed today. I ate too much lol.