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'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!

  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.

  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.

  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 daughter and I came here for lunch and the lunch specials were super reasonable and every detail was spot on. Clean and fast, friendly service.  My daughter ordered the $13.99 lunch special and got a ton of food. I ordered the Tuna sashimi and the crunch roll and they were perfect.  Beautifully presented and fresh and delicious.  Love this place.  Will come again.

  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!

  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.

  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.

  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.

  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.

  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!

  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.

  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

  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 🙂

  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.

  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.

  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.

  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

  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.

  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

  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.

  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!

  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!

  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!

  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've enjoyed sushi for many years. So I've eaten at some of the best sushi houses in LA and Orange County. Last night Dana Kai became my all time favorite!
From the staff, the menu, the decor, an awesome choice of sakes, and of course the fantastic sushi, sashimi, and rolls Dana Kai has it all! Don't waste your time or money going any where else.

  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!

  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.

  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!