Sushi Tai

really upset, wanted to go to a nice dinner on a tuesday night and the door was locked to the restaurant with a sign saying «private party.» there was literally 5 people in the entire restaurant… really disapointed. If thats how they think they are going to keep thier business they might want to rethink that.

Couldn’t tell you how good the food is because we didn’t get that far
We came into a empty place and a sign that says reservations are mandatory. The hostess comes out and says let me get you a menu to look before you sit down.
I thought that was kinda strange.
I look at the menu and find myself looking at rolls for 25 bucks and a limited menu.
Ummm you can keep your empty restaurant and your over priced rolls.
What a joke.

They will turn you away if you don’t have a reservation even though the restaurant is literally empty on a Friday night at 7:00. I’ve never seen anything like it. Who takes reservations still? Fail.
Disappointed as we live close by and wanted to try this place out. Doubt we will make a reservation to try again.

Best sushi ever. If you haven’t been here… you should. Stop by and say hi to Sunny

This is the Best Sushi in the OC. Hands Down!!! It’s off of Ortega Hwy and I know there’s construction going on. But worth the driving hassle! Tai & Sunny are so sweet and personable!!! Everything is so YUMMY!!! I promise you that if you don’t like sushi. You will like Sushi Tai! ;)

Sushi tai is the best sushi place in the area! You must call and make a reservation, but they almost always have openings when you call. This is our favorite sushi place!

THE BEST SUSHI THAT MONEY CAN BUY!!! The initial atmosphere is great, there is plenty of room for your group and the service is very polite and helpful! We went here for a casual meal which worked perfect for us! The food and drinks are better then we expected! The appetizers also match for a great overall meal! I suggest trying some of the dessert because it’s worth it, if you have room! Whether it’s alcoholic drinks or regular drinks everything is cold and refreshing and you will not be disappointed!

The BEST sushi I’ve had in a long time! So weird that it was virtually empty on a Friday night. This is surprising, as it came highly recommended and should be packed!
This is a dang good sushi place and very nice people who run it.
Suggestions: add mood lighting of some sort and a 3 form wall to create a little visual interest on the walls. Change the music to a more upbeat tempo (very sleepy play list currently).
Add a more robust sensory experience mood and vibe, keep serving the awesome dishes you’re making, and you’ll have a line wrapping around the corner!
We’ll definitely be back!

Wow! FINALLY we found our sushi «go to» place!!! We were recommended this restaurant by a couple we met at Five Vines Wine bar in SJC (awesome place too btw — check it out!!!).
We had the Ahi Lime & Tropical rolls… A-​MAZ-​ING!!! We both wished we were hungry enough to try more! We will definitely be back again!
It was a very slow night so service was great and very attentive. Hopefully it will be the same on a busier night. The owner, Sunny came over to check on us and was very sweet.
Half of me is hoping that no one else discovers how great this place is, but the other half wants everyone to know so it doesn’t go away. Prices aren’t the cheapest but it’s worth every penny!
The only constructive suggestion I can offer is a more upbeat vibe to their music and more décor and directional lighting on the walls.

Went in here on a weeknight, ordered yellowtail sashimi with jalapeño, halibut with mint, and the lime roll. All were incredible and if I had money I would eat here all the time! Otherwise, super expensive.

I love sushi and I’m a big guy so I usually get my sushi fix at AYCE sushi joints. I usually regret going to a normal sushi restaurant because I leave hungry and spend a lot of money. After having dinner here I again left hungry and spent a lot of money :) I will say that the sushi here tasted incredible and was much better than the majority of sushi restaurants. The chef takes a lot of pride in his work and it shows. We were very impressed with our meal. The waitress made people look at the menu before they sat down to make sure they knew the prices (I’m guessing) which was kind of funny. We received very good service. I would recommend the rolls over the sashimi even though both were pretty phenomenal. If I was a millionaire I’d eat here everyday.

I’ve been here twice for dinner, and it’s overpriced for what they offer. The chef tends to decorate Neta (the seafood part of sushi) with spicy/​acidic sauce or a lemon slice which kills flavor of seafood.
When they served me sushi with half cooked rice in my second dining experience, I swore myself to never come back here even if somebody else is buying me a dinner here… I personally do not care if the chef has $ 3K knives imported from Tsukiji when he can’t even cook rice right…

Went here based on the Unilocal reviews.
Arrived about 7:30 on Saturday night, there were only about 10 people in the restaurant. No one greeted us as we stood inside the entrance. No atmosphere to speak of and almost dead quiet.
After being seated at the sushi bar, the girl said she would be back in a min without allowing us to order a drink — I tried.
When we did, their selection is so very limited we had to have her choose our beer and sake as we were unfamiliar with the brands they carry! (We eat sushi often!)
Then an older lady came over and gave a bizarre monologue: «you are walk in right? No reservations? It’s going to be awhile. He’s helping people with reservations first. You can have drinks and appetizers. Got it?» Our confused stares must have prompted the young waitress to come back over. I asked if the one man behind the sushi bar was the only one making sushi and she said yes. We canceled our mystery drink order and left.
Was this place only staffing their restaurant based on reservations booked?!
Our 10 minutes in there was a complete joke. Needless to say we would never go back to attempt to try the food when there are so many other fantastic places for sushi nearby! (San Shi Go, Mahe’, Bistro Anju, etc.)

Asked for a roll the said no we asked why and said no why… should I say more? Food was ok but come on why can you have better customer service please. It’s not hard give a reason that’s just rude.
Not cool. Sorry not to be negative but just be nice not mean. Sushi is everywhere so step up.

Best Sushi in Orange County. They treat you like family and they care where they get their ingredients. Every dish I’ve had there is fresh and delicious.

This place is legit. I am Asian so I know a thing about sushi. Every item on the menu is bursting with flavor. Had the scallop and it was one of the best things I have ever had hands down. One of the rolls had tuna, jalapeño, thin sliced lime and a drizzle of curry oil. Fresh ingredients packed with flavor.

Great food, excellent service and a friendly staff. The intimate setting is perfect for a weeknight dinner with friends or a romantic evening with your significant other. I would recommend this place again & again!

The food was great! But there was no soul. they were so worried about getting soy sauce on the menus it just turned us off… $ 100 plus later… sorry. dont plan on going back.

Brought my only OC clients here whose office is within minutes of Sushi Tai. It’s convenient and parking is a breeze at lunch time.
We started off with beverages and Edamame. We then followed with Salmon & halibut sashimi, California roll, Sashimi roll, caterpillar roll and lastly lobster popcorn. Everything was fresh. tasted incredible and the service was on the spot as usual.
Only con is I wish I lived closer to Sushi Tai.

Came in angry, left happy.
So I get text messages from both my roommates telling me that they weren’t gonna be home for dinner. Son of a… I’m almost home and now I gotta cook dinner for one? Lame. I decided to get off at the San Juan Capistrino exit and find a place to eat. Turning to my trusty Unilocal App I ran a search for restaurants. I get repeated «cannot log onto server» and realized that my Blackberry is being a total tool again. I pulled over to a random shopping center and stumbled on Sushi Tai.
Now, I don’t want to come off as a super flamer, but to be honest the thing that attracted me to this place were the two handsome sushi chefs. They looked mad cool. Real cultured fellows, like a couple of ex-​Yazukas. I walked in and was seated immediately by one of the servers. I looked over the trendy menu and had a WTF moment. Bulgogi… Soju… Haemul pajeon… the menu has more Korean dishes than Japanese! I totally felt like I got tricked.
Just then my Blackberry started working again. I Unilocaled the place to see what I was getting myself into and found out this place has ‘$$$$’. Damn you Blackberry. Had I known, my cheap ass wouldn’t have walked in and sat down. I started to sweat bullets and the ‘$’ lights from Bravo Burger seemed to taunt and snicker at me. As I was about to get up and make a run for it, a gorgeous blonde chick startled me and dropped off some water.
«Damn it», I thought, «I don’t want to look like a cheap-​o, in front of this server. No turning back now.»
I looked through the menu and ended up going with the sashimi special + miso soup. The soup was a bit watered down and it wasn’t anything special. When the server brought me the sashimi special, I realized I’m gonna need more food.
The sashimi special was well presented and had 10 very thin slices of Salmon, Tuna, Albacore, Yellowtail, and Halibut. Typical Fishes. For 25 bucks, I was hoping I’d get to try a baby sea lion or Shamu. The thing that really stood out with my meal was the homemade wasabi. It hand a hand-​ground texture and it didn’t have a kick like most commercially made wasabi. It was a really pleasant balance. The sashimi was pretty amazing. The tuna melted in my mouth, as did the other fishes. All the fishes were very fresh and well cut. By the end of the meal, I realized that I was stuffed. I was thoroughly impressed.
Overall I was happy with the service, cleanliness of the restaurant, and the taste of the food. My bill came out to be 35 bucks with tax + tip, which is on the pricier side. I typically wouldn’t spend that much on a meal with just me and rather save this kind of money for a nice meal with friends or fiancé. But needless to say, I found a really good «Japanese» restaurant.
As I walked out, I decided to swing by Bravo Burger anyways, just because I’ve never had it before and I was worried about getting hungry on the drive home. See Part II of my dinner tonight at Bravo Burger!
A little about my credentials:
I first got into cooking & food when I was in college. After being rejected by numerous girls and getting zero action, I decided it was time for a change. I needed a new makeover to boost my geeky, engineering image. I applied for a cooking position at a Mediterranean-​Italian Restaurant near my home and learned to cook all sorts of pastas and dishes. I never became a professional chef, but I continue to enjoy & love food. 9 years later and 55 lbs heavier, I am now an engineer that travels all over the world trying new foods and learning about different cultures.