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!

  Great sushi with excellent service. The fish was fresh and well priced. Will visit this place again.

  Always a winner.  Dana Kai is a go-to lunch spot.  The lunch specials are great, the rolls are good and the price is reasonable.  You can't go wrong here.

  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!

  Chris our sushi chef was awesome!!! He recommended the Dana yellowtail roll to us and it was amazing especially for 14$ we will definitely return

  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.

  Very friendly customer service. Pricey but worth the price. Very presentable staff constantly checked up on us. Seafood Udon Noodles was a little bland so we mixed it with salmon and pork katsu, it was delicious 🙂

  Great choice for sushi! The service was excellent, the food was great, the drinks were flowing and everything was well priced. Not the cheapest sushi joint out there, but I generally avoid those places anyways. You get what you pay for.

My girlfriend and I went last night and got 2 specialty rolls, one cut roll, 2 miso soups, spicy edamame (which was excellent btw), sake, large beer, and 2 oyster shooters. Total came out to $84 after tax.

Yes, I would recommend DanaKai Sushi. Get the spicy edamame and some sake to start.

  This is my favorite sushi place in town.  It's in a small strip store area off Del Avion.  
I go here 2-3 times a week for their lunch special.  You get soup, salad, and a choice of 3 rolls off the luncheon menu all for only $14.00.  
We also always add the lemon salmon roll which is amazing and so delicious.  
The waitresses are wonderful and the sushi chefs shout out a welcome when you come thru the door.  
If you're celebrating a birthday at dinner be sure to let them know.  I won't spoil the surprise but it was priceless.

  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.

  The sushi is amazing! It is always really fresh! The restaurant is very clean and the service is great:) I highly recommend Dana Kai!!

  This spot is one of the best sushi restaurants in South OC. Their fish is always fresh, the rolls are well thought out and taste fantastic, and their service is wonderful. Love the Dana Kai yellowtail roll and albacore carpaccio.

  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

  Best Sushi.  Popcorn Lobster Roll is the best.  Visited 3 years ago and loved it.  Came back a few days ago and its still great
Friendly service Good Food and Nice Restaurant

  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.

  Pleasant find in Dana point!! Fresh and delicious! Ordered poke roll, it was spicy but good. And sashimi combination which was $22 and came with 12 pieces of very fresh fish! Came with 2 kids and they were happy too!

  Best sushi restaurant in the area. Great food and service. The owners are always so nice and welcoming. Favorite rolls are Daniels Special and Jeff's Special. The fish is really fresh and the chefs are great at just whipping up a surprise.

  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!!!!

  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.

  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'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.

  If you want fresh sashimi, this is the place to be. They also have better oysters than some Dana harbor restaurant that I am not going to name. Order these early as they sell out quickly. We usually go as date night on Friday or Saturday and that's our experience anyway. And all their sushi chefs are artists. Love this place and I can't find another place like this.

  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

  This place was great.  The service was great and we really felt welcomed there.  It was just myself and my 2 year old daughter.  They lay paper out across the table and provide them with crayons, so my daughter loved drawling all over the table.  We ordered edamame and it came out piping hot and was fresh.  The miso soup came out right away as well and it was delicious they brought a bowl for myself and my daughter and we ate the whole thing.  My daughter got the teriyaki chicken plate with rice, a salad and fruit with a little umbrella.  My daughter loved this.  I got the California roll and the tiger roll both with spicy mayo.  They were rolled very nicely and didn't fall apart and the texture was great.  Most of all I loved the service.

  This place is amazing as soon as you walk in they give a warm welcome. They are very attentive, the food was delicious. I would definitely recommended.

  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.

  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.

  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.

  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 ...

  Great atmosphere with great food! My only qualm is the server was a bit weird. She asked us if we were ready to order and when we said yes, she said "ok I'll be right back". We maybe saw her 2 other times the rest of the night. Also the menu was a bit pricey and a bit difficult to understand. I ended up ordering the Dinner Combination Special with BBQ Ribs and Beef Teriyaki. It was literally finger-licking good. I was still hungry though and got the Tuna Roll. Also excellent. Would definitely go again.