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.

  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!

  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!

  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.

  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 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!!!!

  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.

  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.

  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.

  It's tradition for my father and me to go out and eat sushi for us to bond. I've been to many sushi restaurants in my life with him, and we both agree that this place beats them all. In fact, he swears this place is better than the sushi he's eaten in Japan!

Let me tell how much we loved this place: I've been a regular customer for 10 years (wow I didn't realize it's been that long!).

The owner is so nice and he treats his customers well. He always greets us personally when he's there. His wife is so kind as well! The staff is sweet and the sushi chefs are brilliant. The best thing to do is to sit at the sushi bar and let the chefs pick the freshest fish for you that day. Never once has that let me down!

Ten years ago, the rest of my family would rarely eat sushi, and order teriyaki or gyoza. Slowly over the years, they've come to love the sushi there just as much as we do! It's just that good!

They are more expensive than some places, but the food is worth it. Their lunch special is a great deal! Sometimes I want to order one nigiri too of something fresh but I'm just too darn full! I definitely recommend it here. It's delicious, the people are great, and it's just a fun time for everyone! おいしい!

  This is - by far - the best sushi restaurant we've ever been to. And we always consider sushi  wherever we are.  We've never been for lunch, only for dinner. The sushi chefs, especially the more experienced ones, are real artists. So creative. The way they manage to decorate your plate and put flavors together, you are in heaven. Another one of their forte's is doing all that with brown rice. Not many sushi places serve brown rice, and if they do, it's often overwhelming. The Dana Kai chefs succeeded in cooking it to perfection, so their brown rice just ads a balance, a base, to show off the delicate fish even better. Since we started eating sushi there, several years ago, other sushi places can't seem to get it right any more with their white rice.

  Stopped in here to place a to-go order. Staff was very accommodating.  Ordered 2 sushi-(Philly roll with asparagus and a fancy roll - tuna with special chili sauce). and 1 edamame ($25 total).  Kind of expensive for a few items, but they were of good fresh quality and delicious.  The dining atmosphere is appealing.  I will definitely return.

  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!

  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.

  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.

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

  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

  Incredible sushi the best ive had in southern california. The complete experience miso soup and all.

  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...

  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.

  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.

  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.

  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.

  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.

  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

  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!

  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

  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.