Such good sushi! With all of the fancy places around- this place was so nice to come across. Hole in the wall- with people waiting for them to open! Delicious food (maybe the best sushi I've had) will be going back when I'm town! read more

The sushi here is amazing! Only place I get sushi from. My friend and I got take out and it took about 15 minutes. If we chose to stay and dine in the wait would've been 5 minutes I believe. Definitely recommend this place! read more

Chobop - Spicy Crunchy Tuna Roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Solid sushi spot. Probably the best in this area. Really like the new location. Very polite and prompt service. We received complimentary onion rings which was awesome. They were delicious too. We had three rolls and loved them all. Very fresh and very delicious. My expectations were high with such great reviews, but this place lived up to it! I hadn't had much sushi since having my baby, and this place hit the spot. Definitely plan to go back. Tons of parking is always a plus too! read more

Chobop - Red Hot Chili Pepper Roll and Finding Nemo Roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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Popped in on a Friday evening around 5:30 pm. The place was hopping but did not wait long at all. All of our food was great. Our favorite roll was the Marilyn Monroe. read more

I was pretty surprised I hadn't been here before or heard of it from anyone yet because Sushi Imari is honestly such an unexpected hole in the wall! It's in a relatively dead plaza on Bristol that I don't pay much attention to driving past but it definitely keeps this place alive! The food, service, and ambience were all so on point for a cozy little Japanese sushi spot. They have awesome combo deals here where you can pick 1-3 dishes for the combo ($10.50, $13, and $14.50) that come with rice, miso soup, and salad! I got a 2 Combo with teriyaki steak and spicy tuna roll (8 pcs) and everything tasted delicious. They have a huge variety of rolls too! Will def try out just sushi next time since the spicy tuna in the combo was pretty good. On top of that, the servers were all extremely friendly and offered complimentary gyoza, tempura onion rings, and mango ice cream. They're on top of it and super prompt with seating as soon as space opens up! Parking can get a little packed when it's busy at night since the plaza is so small. Came here around 7:30pm on a Saturday and only waited about 15 min though. Great for smaller groups of friends or a date! Overall a super great find if you like Japanese food! read more

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I met two friends for our first time here, for lunch! It was terrific! The service was wonderful and the sushi fresh and yummy! We had the lunch special which is a great deal! The three rolls were all great! I loved the Titanic and Angry Salmon. They also brought us a complimentary salmon starter which we all loved. I will be back! read more

Great service and great sushi. My husband and I have been there twice so far. Whenever you are in the area and craving sushi, look no further! read more

This place was recommended to me by one of my Elite Yelp friends, I was super happy with this recommendation. Without getting too far off topic, I recently came back from a trip to Hawaii. While there, I ate lots of fresh raw fish and poke. I realized there is a huge difference in eating fresh fish versus non fresh or frozen and thawed out fish. So when I came back from this Hawaii trip, I was determined to find a place with some of the freshest sushi/sashimi. This place definitely has that! Sushi Imari is sort of tucked away at the end of a plaza, it seems sort of "hidden" to me. The wait time was perhaps 7 minutes on a friday afternoon around 7pm, so not too bad. The place is nice inside, lots of space, enough for larger parties if need be. Immediately upon being seated we were greeted by our waiter "Nacho"! This waiter was quite the gentlemen. Being that I'm new to sashimi, he was helpful and patient with all my questions. I ordered the following: Fresh wasabi (as recommended by the Michael) Bluefin tuna Yellowtail Halibut Live shrimp Rainbow roll Sake bomb roll Plum wine Gyoza The Halibut was my absolute favorite! Then the live shrimp. Following my friends suggestion about getting the fresh wasabi was probably the best thing I could have done, it was definitely fresh, and it has quite the kick, but it certainly does make a difference in taste and flavor. I will continue to do this from now on, thanks Michael! Even their ginger was better tasting than other sushi spots I've been to. Everything was fresh and delicious, no complaints about their food. The plum wine was WOW! I'm not a big on wine, but this was certainly something I thoroughly enjoyed. I enjoyed so much that I asked my waiter where I could purchase it, and I went straight there right after my meal, hahaha yes it was that good! The rolls were great as well, no complaints. I was pleased to have my waiter bring us some Gyoza on the house, not only was it a nice gesture on their end, it was in fact delicious! Thank you Sushi Imari! It was a pleasure to have Nacho as my waiter, thank you Nacho! So I would definitely recommend this place to anyone looking for great fresh tasting sushi. Enjoy! read more

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4.5 stars We arrived 5 minutes before the restaurant opened. There was already a line of people before they opened their doors on a Saturday. Luckily we made the cut and didn't have to wait even longer. They gave us (and everyone else) complimentary appetizers. The toro was melt-in-your mouth delicious! It was topped off with some fresh wasabi. SO GOOD. The fish quality here overall is one of the better ones. The rolls were pretty good too. Definitely a good place to get some good sushi without it hurting your wallet too much. read more

While the food was pretty "standard" HB/CM Japanese food, it was the customer service that would keep me as a repeat visitor. Please Note: Do NOT take this the wrong way. I deem "standard" HB/CM Japanese food to be very good and to never disappoint. There are numerous delicious restaurants, but this one stood out specifically for their service. We came in as a party of 14, nine of which were kids. The staff was very attentive, providing extra bowls/napkins/utensils, quick turnaround on our orders, while always checking in to make sure we didn't need anything else. I will definitely be back, not only for the food, but to know that my experience will always be a good one. read more

My husband and I used to love this place and we used to visit atleast twice a month. However, our last two visits have been extremely disappointing. The prices have been raised yet the fish tastes very bland. The fish cuts for sashimi became very thick and tough to consume. Even the sashimi is slathered in wasabi after requesting light wasabi. The service quality has gone down as well. We spent over 150 but there was only one dish that we actually liked. read more

This is my favorite sushi restaurant in the world. Stopped in tonight and they took a while to seat us but as always, they offered complimentary food for the wait (5-10minutes). Today it was potstickers! My go to is the Jessica Albacore roll or the Red Hot Chile Pepper roll. Tonight I tried something different and ordered the Fire Roll which was FIRE!!!! The fish here is FRESH and melts in your mouth. The costumer service is excellent and I'm so happy to live so closely to Sushi Imari. read more

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Torched salmon belly (nigiri) If you get anything, get this. The entire experience is great. Parking isn't too bad, there is a decent amount of seating, and the area is clean. The food was delicious. The prices were on par with other sushi restaurants, and was quite tasty. The lunch prices are great. The service was also spectacular. They gave us complimentary onion rings (tempura onion rings), and when they got one of our sushi rolls incorrect, they discounted it and provided the right one. We will definitely be coming again after such a great first impression. read more

With this place having 4.5 stars I expected a lot better food and service. We never received the drinks we ordered and had to ask them to be removed from the bill. The sushi wasn't bad but it wasn't anything that would make me want to come back again. I wanted this place to be great, but sadly we were disappointed. read more

This has become my go-to sushi place when I'm in the area. Fish is always fresh, service is great, and prices are very reasonable considering the quality. Definitely get the torched salmon belly, fish is buttery/delicious and literally melts in your mouth. Their specialty rolls are also a lot of fun - I've ordered the sake bomb and carpe diem before and both were great. Servers here are super friendly and always go the extra mile. Last time I went here, my friend asked if there was meat in the gyoza they brought out since she doesn't eat beef or pork. As a result, our server brought us some veggie egg rolls on the house, which he totally didn't have to do since the gyoza were free in the first place. Will definitely be back! read more

Sushi Imari is great... much needed and welcomed to their new location. Staff is always on point and their menu has massive delicious selection. read more

Chobop - Sushi Bars Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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Really great evening before the concert. Expansive menu and everything we ordered was delicious including the ice cream. The tempura veggies were perfect. Marilyn MonRoll, Bikini both really good. Matcha lemonade was unique. The place is small, and has a fun bar. Get there early. It fills up fast. A sign of a good restaurant. read more

Had the best first time experience. Every piece of sushi was good. I especially loved the salmon belly and both blue fin sushi. I spent over $300 here but it was well worth it (there were 5 of us dining in). The waitress that was serving us was very communicative and made sure that the sushi we ordered were two pieces when we ordered 8. I'm visiting from Washington, and this is the best sushi I had in California. They also gave us extra food that was on the house. They gave us two extra salmon appetizers, an extra blue fin, and a gyoza appetizer. Amazing service from this place! read more

5 stars for the amazing service. The food was great and the vibe. Would recommend to anyone looking to grab some sushi.

Service is legit. Fish is legit. Rolls are legit. 5% discount if you pay cash. Make it rain. read more

Loved the sushi here. I'm glad I trusted the yelp review. The dynamite blew us away. I will definitely go back there when I come to OC. The service was also spectacular. Very efficient and friendly. read more

Chobop - Seafood Dynamite Roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Great foods and awesome services. Friendly family style, they know you and treat you great if you are regulars. Not too much fish selections On fish but quality is always great!!! read more

A colleague and I went to Sushi iMari on Monday, 10/11/21 for lunch. The restaurant wasn't full or crazy busy. We arrived at noon, immediately placed our order and the server brought our beverages. 20 minutes later, no soup (part of lunch special), then 30 minutes later no food so we asked the server about it and he told us in 4 minutes. 15 minutes later we were still waiting for our food. I told the owner that at this point we need to take our food to go. After 1 hour of waiting, our food was brought to us in a to go bag. After all of this, the owner refused to give us a discount for the inconvenience. NEVER AGAIN! read more

Staff are so friendly and attentive which is hard to find these days! and the sushi is very good and reasonably priced! The bikini roll is AMAZING. Wish I lived closer this is better than all the sushi in LA read more

Chobop - Bikini - Sushi Bars Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

This location has changed a few times but I am glad that Sushi Imari moved in. Their sushi quality is fresh and you can taste it from their rolls to their sashimi. Their food is excellent and will be coming back here more often. Tables are well spread apart and service is great. It can get super busy and there seems to always be a wait but its well worth it. Price is a bit high but its a local business so I support what ever they need to do to get back on their feet Weve only been here once but we will be coming back again. read more

Rolls were solid. Salmon was very fresh and high quality. Waitress was super nice and service in general was very above average. Not a super loud dining experience but not dead either. Would go back if in town again read more

We came here on a Monday for lunch and had the most amazing experience. Their customer service was outstanding from the moment we walked in. They worked their best to seat us as soon as possible, and were very attentive throughout the entire meal. Our server gave us suggestions from the menu, and she was right about how good it would be! The fish was fresh and melts in your mouth immediately. Absolutely recommend this place. read more

Chobop - Sashimi Combo Lunch - Sushi Bars Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Staff is super friendly! Food is great too. I've only tried it once and had the salmon roll but it was tasty and fresh! Just fyi if you order anything baked it may take up to 30 mins so be patient! The staff lets you know about this as well! Also they give a 5% discount when you pay in cash! read more

Great sushi reasonable prices and, try the cold draft sake instead of the regular hot table sake. much much better and goes better with sushi than the hot sake. I always ask for sushi surprise so I get the chef's favorite which is always great. read more

This restaurant just reopened at their new location on Harbor blvd. I came during weekday lunch time therefore the lunch special menu was available. There are a lot to choose from, you can either rolls combo, sushi combo or choose your own bento box. I did the three rolls combo which was $26. I thought the quality and amount of the food was a bargain for the price. You get to choose from at least 15 types of rolls. My favorite were the Angry salmon and Jessica Albacore. I definitely will come back and try other stuff! read more

okay.... so I am a SUPER BIG FAN of free stuff... seriously.. WHO ISN'T??!! RIGHT?? I love this place. I really do. Customer service is 5 stars, sushi is fresh and not too expensive. I went here yesterday and usually I do not write reviews right away unless I REALLY like the place and here is my review the next day! I have had this place bookmarked for the longest time but couldn't get anyone to actually try out this place with me. I left this place soo full because of all the free food we got. Since I was getting Married this weekend, I didn't want to order so much food.. but that didn't happen... LOL! Anyways, here was our order: Scottish Salmon Sashimi - MUST ORDER, the cut was a bit different and it was think and mouth watering just looking at it. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/0OlZw-Ar6Ac8BV-UGuwsBA?select=rU_mEp0aO54AI2Taj7BC7g Wango Mango - since I LOVE mango, I had to order it. The mango wasn't ripe yet but I love mangos that way so I loved it! http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/0OlZw-Ar6Ac8BV-UGuwsBA?select=pnLLXLF2L3AZDRUA4h07lQ Halibut, yellow tail, and white tuna Sushi - VERY FRESH. Generous pieces! http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/0OlZw-Ar6Ac8BV-UGuwsBA?select=s7A8mLyVl_UYog_qkXr5og Sweet Shrimp - very fresh and the head was yummy! LOVE crispy stuff! http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/0OlZw-Ar6Ac8BV-UGuwsBA?select=6OCsX9KkjV_2veuOH7J9Zg than while eating, they kept on bringing out these free on the house samples. It was like heaven! We got: Baked Mussels - these were chopped up so it was easier to eat and wasn't chewy at all. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/0OlZw-Ar6Ac8BV-UGuwsBA?select=rvAvB0zdhY5Vmx0qT5xMBw Short Ribs - surprisingly good! Not chewy! As you can tell, not a big fan of chewy food. I feel like if the food is chewy when it's not supposed to, its probably old.. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/0OlZw-Ar6Ac8BV-UGuwsBA?select=Gohyj7Hlo-TDgXMkBDrmIA Gyoza - I didn't get to try one because I was so full but my friends liked them. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/0OlZw-Ar6Ac8BV-UGuwsBA?select=7IBKUjWCqPTILaaLPNZ_ew and lastly... ICE CREAM!! We got to try Plum, red bean and Green tea. I REALLLLLY like the plum! http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/0OlZw-Ar6Ac8BV-UGuwsBA?select=q08_uV8x5pXOcP6X5AoszQ Overall, can't wait to come back. I heard this place can get crowded so group of 4 or less might be best! read more

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4 bad omens upon entering sushi imari: 1. non-asians taking up 90% of the restaurant 2. hispanics behind the sushi bar making sushi 3. no japanese heard anywhere in the restaurant 3. waiter and waitresses started to speak korean yes. 4 bad omens. quadruple fail. fail. fail. fail. fail. they ran out of table seating so we sat at the sushi bar... and upon sitting down i saw the small plates of saran wrapped sashimi stacked in the fridge and i knew we were in for a subpar experience. we all ordered our own rolls: 1 crunchy spicy roll, 1 sake bomb roll, and 1 red hot chili pepper roll. the rolls were heavily topped with sauces, you can't really taste the fish. most of the rolls on the menu didn't have much variation, most of them are just california rolls topped with different kinds of sashimi. other than that, nothing stood out. i should've made a mental note when my non-asian coworker recommended this place... i don't deny sushi imari has great service, but i wished their sushi would be as good as their service. read more

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Oh my goodness. Words cannot express the joy we had eating dinner at this fine establishment. Walking in, it's not loud like most sushi places- there aren't any neon signs with the specials written on them, the menu is kind of bland, very to-the-point. honestly, I wasn't excited. Boy was I wrong to judge. We ordered the chef's special sashimi of 12 pieces. Wow. Wow. Wow. It rocked my socks off. The chef made it special because we don't eat shellfish or octopus... (yes, we are those picky people). Every bite was so delicious- fresh, cured properly, just the right amount of lemon. Oh my. The seared tuna was magic, just wonderful. We ordered it twice because we couldn't get enough. The jalapeño bomb is amazing too, maybe a little less spicy mayo but BOMB nonetheless. There's plenty of rolls to choose from but definitely get the sashimi. The service was amazing, the sushi chef was a delight, the food was delicious. Thank you so much! read more

- Locale Destination - It's on Bristol St and between Santa Ana Ave and Irvine Ave in Costa Mesa. It's in a small trip mall with auto related shops, next to a big hotel. Go slow because the sign isn't that big nor obvious. It's kinda odd location. I passed by too many times and finally tried it. It's very small, so it could get packed quickly. Go earlier time to avoid the waiting time. Service was quick and friendly. Decor is very simple and casual. Sushi bar and tables. Not so good for a big party since they're small. Parking isn't big but no problem finding a spot. I thought this place was run by Japanese due to the Japanese name "Imari". But it's run by Korean - no Japanese sushi chef on my visit. More cut rolls than sushi, but sushi quality isn't bad at all! - Gluttony Expedition - *** Sushi *** Fish varieties are very plain. Aji: Spanish mackerel. Good. Uni: Good. Ono: White tuna. Fatty, meaty and tasty. *** Free appetizers *** Gyoza: A bit too greasy but it wasn't bad. Onion tempra: It looked greasy, so I passed. *** Cut Roll *** Something spicy tuna roll: I don't remember the name. It was like a rainbow roll with spicy tuna inside instead of fake crab drizzled some sort of spicy sauce. The roll looked pretty, tasted ok, the sauce was bland. OK. - Conqueror's Deduction - I know no customer here knows nor orders "engawa". Everyone orders cut rolls - that kinda crowds. But they said they didn't have it when I asked for it. I don't think they know what "engawa" is... Since this sushi bar is more tuned to cut rolls, you don't get an interaction with sushi chefs (they are busy making rolls). It doesn't matter where you sit - I never sit at table when I go to authentic sushi bars so that I can get the best of what they have. But sushi quality is good surprisingly. The best Korean "sushi" I've ever tried - cut roll wasn't impressive, but sushi was good. I like this place as much as "Angotei" in Costa Mesa - good but not "awesome". My sushi stars are extremely tough as you know. It might be my 3 stars, but it could be your 5 stars if you weren't sushi "tsu" (sushi snob in Japanese) like me ;p I'll come back here for sushi anytime. If you didn't wanna go to a pretentious Japanese sushi bar with little English available, come here. You can get a good quality sushi with very casual atmosphere. read more

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yum yum yum yummmyyy..!! Hidden gem..! Why did I not find this before, I have no clue! Tiny Little hole in the wall place, where people have left their impressions all around, int he forms of instant photos.. ha ha.. really cute! I think the place can seat no more than 25 people at a time maybe, and it just has this amazing homely feeling about it. The servers were really nice and friendly. We sat at the Sushi bar where the chef was super funny and a genuinely nice guy! Two things that stood out - -The chef and the servers knew most patrons by their names. - All their ingredients were amazingly fresh! Started with the Raspberry Sake and the Apple sake. Both were awesome! The edamamme were fresh and lightly salted, steamed to perfection. The yellow tail sashimi, ah - awesomely yum! The fish tasted fresh and tender, and the seasoning was just perfect! The spider rolls, the bada bing (my fav!), the veggie sushi and the spicy tuna - Yes, we love crunchy rolls! :p :p All rolls were made to perfection, lovingly by the chef and his assistant, served with a smile :) They had some random free food for us too! They had the dumplings (beef and veggies, that I did not try) and some really good tempura onion rings! :) I love love love this place.. would come here anytime again! Thank you chef! :) :) read more

I put in sushi on yelp and Sushi Imari popped up at the top with the best reviews. I actually got there five minutes before it closed. We came in and they cleaned the table quickly for our party of seven. They have a pretty good menu with a variety of items. The service is definitely one of the best I've ever had. I ordered the Jalapeno crunch, sake bomb roll, and crunchy spicy tuna roll. These were amazing and my stomach wanted to explode. The chef also gave us three rolls for FREE! That was what really topped it off. What sushi place actually takes care of you like that. They also have a wall of polaroid photos of customers that come in. I will come back again and also tell all my friends to try it out. read more

I was swayed by all the great reviews on here and relented one night and visited with Holly W. The long wait should've been a great indicator that the food was gonna be alright, but as we watched items going to tables, we saw the rolls and less than traditional Japanese fare hit the various tables and at one point thought about walking out. The truth was, we were both hungry and we were both too lazy to go elsewhere, plus we were next on the list so what the hell. So finally we are seated and we order a large Asahi. Nothing really stood out on the menu so we ordered a couple of rolls and some specials off the board. Miso soup arrives -- we didn't order, a nice gesture -- but it was so-so. I wasn't really concerned since I didn't order it anyway and how does one complain when it's a freebie? Just a note that we weren't the only ones getting the soup. As our food slowly arrived, I tried the hamachi, snapper and uni and everything was just bland. There was no umami in the fish and the uni had that grayish tint to it. Thank god we didn't order more. Our rolls -- Me Soy Horny -- arrives and it's a hunking plate of food. This is precisely why I don't really do rolls. There is too much of a less than stellar item and then you're forced to eat it all so you don't waste it. We then get baked mussels, complimentary by the way as well as edamame. The mussels were so overcooked it had that mushy texture. PASS. A few minutes later some complimentary fried calamari were placed on our table -- super rubbery and tough. Honestly I think people love this place because they're constantly passing out freebies to everyone. The service is sweet, I have absolutely no complaints about that at all. I only wish the food was just as good as the customer service here. 1.5 stars. read more

I finally get to try this place for lunch with some of my new coworkers. The place is kind of small so I could see why there would be a wait during the lunch rush. The quality of fish here is definitely fresh and the Bento boxes are pretty good. Bluefin Tuna - fresh and melts in your mouth Amberjack - Perfect chew with the right amount of rice 3 item Bento Box (Chicken Teriyaki, 4 piece sashimi, and California roll) - Chicken was lean and cooked well. The sauce was very tasty. California is creamy, the way i like it. The sashimi in the box are just ok. The rest of my table hand rolls which looked very appetizing but with the amount of food I already had there's no way I could fit anymore. I definitely have to go back and try all their other specials. Waiter was very nice and attentive. He even brought us a free plate of onion rings. read more

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After coming here for almost 3 years every time I have a sushi craving, I feel like it's finally time I left a review! Sushi Imari is one of those places where I just want to keep a secret because it's so good! We order so much food every time we come here. Everything is so fresh and delicious from their sashimi, sushi, and rolls. Plus, the more things you order, the more freebies they give you! Once we ordered $200 worth of sushi and they gave us dumplings, two giant rolls, baked mussels, extra sashimi, and more on the house. My favorite sushi here has got to be their shrimp boat and their salmon boat ($6 for 2). It's massive and has a giant shrimp or salmon with quail egg and masago on top! I also love their uni, eel, albacore, yellowtail, salmon, mackerel, and especially toro! Once we ordered six pieces of toro and they gave us two more! My favorite rolls are the Finding Nemo roll (crab meat and avocado on the inside with imari sauce and salmon on the outside) and the Baked Scallop roll. The baked scallop roll comes with a heaping amount of scallop on top and it melts in your mouth. The Red Hot Chili Pepper roll was delicious as well! It has spicy tuna on the inside and yellowtail and jalapeños on the outside. They gave us the Genius roll for free and that was good as well. Sometimes they give out ice cream for dessert and sometimes they don't. But in the end, we are already so full from all the sushi that it doesn't matter. Whenever my friends want sushi, I bring them here and know that they will not be disappointed. Sushi Imari exceeds our expectations every single time! Can't wait to be back! read more

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Never disappointed with it. Garlic edamame is a MUST and all the rolls are well worth it in the amount you get, taste and price!