ok folks you know that thing where you eat with your eyes?
well this place is art that you can eat
fresh fresh yummy fish artfully prepared and delish.have an ice cold Sapporo with it and ENJOY

  Read the reviews and had to give them a visit. Easy access, lots of parking and very nice interior. We thought the menu was excellent, serving size and presentation great. Our waitress was wonderful, explained menu choices, made friendly conversation as this was our first visit.
Finally found the quality sushi we've been searching for!
AC was not up to par this day but can't blame staff for that. We'll be back!

  This is some of the best sushi that I have ever had. We ordered the Tuna Kai Special Rolls, Fire Crunch Rolls, and the Tempura spicy Tuna Rolls. Everything was fresh and presented well.

Kim our waitress was outstanding! She was patient and gave us great recommendations on what to order. Did even have to ask for refills on our drinks.

Absolutely will send all my sushi loving friends here.

  Ended up here by accident when we forgot to make reservations on a busy Saturday night. I am a sushi snob, and was delighted by the quality of the food. The fish was fresh and very tasty. Had the yellowtail and salmon sashimi which was delish. The seared tuna carpaccio was a wonderful surprise.  Service was spot on. She was extremely polite and attentive.  The chef was a bit quiet but kept his eye on us and kept the order spaced appropriately.  Will definitely go back again.

  I think this is my new favorite sushi place for all the following reasons:

-Sushi was fresh and tasty.
-Generous portion sizes.
-Decent prices.
-Clean restaurant with pleasant decor and warm ambience.
-Wonderful service from a very kind staff. I was also very touched at how sweet they were to our baby who was with us.

My only complaint is that I wish we would've gone there sooner! Will definitely be frequenting this place now that we've been there.

  Had an awesome meal here the other night! Under new ownership and the sushi is great ! Snow crab hand roll was beyond!! Had some bluefin tuna sashimi and some salmon. Fresh and delicious. Really happy with all their offerings that night. We will be back for more of that snow crab hand roll for sure !! Hospitality and service was great. Will be back!

  Dana Kai is The best Japanese food in Orange County. Sushi made fresh until 9:45pm! Ask for Diane, she is an excellent server. Kim, the owner, is available & will make sure your food & service food is everything you expect!
Bob, Diana, Max & Anna

  Good prices and decent sushi, very clean and nice place. We not super impressed with the sushi chef that helped us at the bar. We asked what he recommended and he had no suggestions. Prefer a more interactive sushi bar, but maybe that isn't their style? If we go again it will just be a normal table, the table service looked great. Had to ask for more beer then wait for the tab...

  One of the best sushi places in SOC!  The Jeff Roll is amazing and Daniel roll!  Too many rolls to name but delish!   So happy this place is close to home and In Laguna Niguel and Dana Point!

  Dana Kai is hands down the best sushi restaurant I have ever been to. It's not cheap, but the fish is incredibly fresh, and the rolls are made with the utmost skill on top of using fresh ingredients.

I'd order any regular sushi without hesitation, but if you really want something fun and delicious be sure and try their rotation special rolls.

  Stopped  by this sushi place while on my way back from the beach and I was pleasantly surprised on how good the sushi was.

Service here was great. They were fast and very attentive. I ordered a spicy salmon roll and one of their speciality rolls and they were both really well done.

I definitely recommend this sushi joint if you live in the area or just passing by.

  I don't eat seafood so I can not comment on the Sushi but perhaps my review could be of use to people like vegetarians or picky eaters. There are other options on the menu which is a good thing.

I like the vegetable Udon noodle soup the best and it is probably the healthiest option anyway. Udon, veggies and broth. Simple yet yummy.

The meat dishes I tried were mediocre and a bit artificial tasting, probably due to the sauces. I don't think there was MSG in the food but the sauces seem suspect as they taste highly processed and from a jar/bottle. Unfortunately without them the food was way too bland as it is perhaps the opposite of Thai food, lacking natural spices or flavors to really excite you. While the food is not low quality and not nearly as artificial tasting as in Chinese restaurants, I do think there is room for improvement.

  My go to sushi spot for dine in or take out. They have a ton of rolls and the fish is good quality. The owner is so sweet & so are the waitresses. My favs here are the fire crunch roll & yaya roll.

  I love this place .We go there really often with my family. They have  always fresh and delicious sushi, very good green tea and good service.

  This is hands down, the best sushi I have ever eaten! They are consistently delicious and fresh. All the menu items I've tried I've been very pleased with, but it's their off menu specials that are to die for! Try the Jeff, Daniel, or Adam rolls. I don't know who these guys are, but I love them

  Great Restaurant. Food drink, service, ownership. Great chefs , great people, great crowd.

  Hands down the best sushi restaurant in the area, in my opinion. Its prices have recently gone up (my wife and I can easily spend near $100when we go) but you get what you pay for. If you like cheep sushi then don't bother. Go to Ralph's or something. But if you're looking for high quality, fresh fish then you've found your sushi home!

Note: I care way more about the food than the service/ambiance etc. If the food is top of the line, I'll usually give the establishment I'm reviewing high marks, even in spite of its other failings, if any, unless it's extreme.

  My favorite sushi place in south Orange County. The food is fresh, they do an awesome job! I have moved and still make sure to stop here at least once every time I visit!

  I love great customer service!  They accidentally brought out a chicken dish instead of the delicious Yaki Niku dish I ordered. The staff quickly fixed my order and brought out extra dishes on the house! I wasn't upset or mad.. everyone makes mistakes once in a while but this caught me off guard. Such a blessing!

The food was really delicious and definitely much more quality quality than your usual japanese restaurant. We both came in for lunch and ordered bento boxes. He got the pork Katsu and liked that it wasn't drowned in gravy/sauce. The seared salmon roll sample they comped us with was a mouthful of flavors! I also liked the freshness of my veggies and the light ginger dressing.

Give it a try!

  I'm not a sushi eater but I love their tempura and I come here whenever I visit the area.  I've been coming here for years and the tempura is always great.  I'm disappointed they changed the menu and an "all tempura" dinner is no longer offered; the combination dinner restricts you to two items, one tempura and one teriyaki etc.  They won't let you get two tempura items.  Not good for a vegetarian/fish eater like me.  So I order two tempura appetizers:  one shrimp and one vegetable and I get a side dish.  My niece says their salmon teriyaki is the best.

  My husband, little girl and I came here when we visited CA last week! One of the best Japanese restaurants we've been to and we've been to quite a bit! The sushi is so fresh and the food is delicious! The staff is so friendly and very welcoming! The servers kept coming over and playing with our daughter! They're so nice and the restaurant is very clean! Wish we had this restaurant in Chicago, but we will definitely be back when we visit! Thanks for such a wonderful experience!!!!

  Had dinner late 8:45 with my daughter last Tuesday night here. She's vegan and they do have a few things she can order that are fresh and tasty. Frankly there aren't a great number of restaurants open late in Laguna Niguel/ Dana Point. Used to go here once a week as my son away in college LOVES sushi. I ordered salmon sashimi, and yellow tail and they were yummy - tender buttery and fresh. Daughter's vegetable roll was too small for the price. Sushi in general is expensive and Dana Kai is higher priced. Service from this family run restaurant is friendly but - had to ask for more water, more ginger ...

  A perennial favorite. Both an amazing sushi bar, and an atmospheric Japanese restaurant, Gen Kao delivers. Fish is always impeccably fresh and delicious, and the restaurant puts out some wonderful Japanese cuisine.

This restaurant has been an institution in Dana Point for decades. They survived a recent fire and rebuilt coming back better than ever.

  I have been here now 3 times and I enjoy it! The atmosphere is relaxing and pleasant. Although the sushi is pricey it's a nice place to dine once in awhile. I can say sushi is my favorite food, meaning I have tried many sushi places and this place has great quality sushi! It's not the best I've tried but it is on the list of good sushi joints for sure!

  We are sushi lovers and this is by far the best sushi we've ever had! The presentation is amazing and unbelievable and the quality of the food is great. I love the colorful flower pedals used in their presentation. It also has a beautiful and open atmosphere as well. We have been to over 50 sushi places but this one tops them all.

  I'm a little bit of a sushi snob because I grew up with fresh seafood in my house (my dad fishes and dives). When I find a sushi restaurant that serves FRESH fish that you can taste for a reasonable price, I'm hooked (no pun intended). Even after I moved from Dana Point to Tustin, I still make the drive whenever I am craving sushi.

This is by far my favorite in Orange County!! First off, the staff is incredibly friendly and helpful, even when they are busy. Secondly, if you have never tried a sushirito you are missing out and you need to try theirs. I get it every single time. I'm seriously getting hungry just thinking about it. It's rice paper filled with rice, krab, spicy tuna, avocado, and shrimp tempura served with a trio of sauces and it's DELICIOUS! Also, the "Ya Ya Roll" is a must-get if you like spicy food as it's topped with sriracha and jalapeno, complimented by cilantro.

Yummy!

  Went there first time last night. I loved it. Decor was great and made me feel like like I was in Japan .  Sushi rolls were delicious and  I can't wait to go back in there and taste more from their menu.

  The place can be casual and fancy with a very Asian feeling. Dark features inside and clean. No outdoor seating. Super clean bathrooms! Nice service! Fresh food with bold flavors! Bubbly, sweet soda with Japanese soda. I'd come here again.

  My girlfriend and I love right around the corner from this place and we love it. The restaurant is full of welcoming staff and they serve you QUICK! You will not need to search for a server because they get to you in a hurry. I would strongly recommend the mountain roll. All of their rolls are really delicious though and frequently they will offer some edamame on the house. If you are looking for a sake bomb, you can get one but you have to buy a miniature carafe of sake and individually order the beers. The effect is the same just a little less straight forward. They have many specials to choose from and the classics as well. They are somewhat pricy but I would say fairly comparable to any other true sushi restaurant.

  We decided to give this restaurant another try and was extremely surprised how good the service we received compared to our last visit!  They have won back our business!