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. read more

Typical Korean owned Japanese restaurant. The fish is not top quality. It was gummy and tasted defrosted. They use a lot of ponzu or other sweetening sauce that overpowers the taste of the fish. Presentation is beautiful, clean interior and friendly staff. Considering that there's a large harbor in Dana point, I am surprised how bad the sushi restaurants are here. In comparison to the restaurants in the area, this is of the better places. In comparison to sushi restaurants in general, this place is just average and typical. read more

Dana Kai Sushi - Spicy tuna hand roll - pretty good - Japanese Near Me - Dana Point, California

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I'm gonna downgrade my Dana Kai rating. I'd say that the last three times I've come here, I have noticed that the quality of the fish/sushi has not been quite up to par. But service has been steadily good. If the owners read these reviews, I beg you, please bring back the 1st quality fish. read more

There are three sushi restaurants within a half mile of my house and Dana Kai is my favorite. The prices are really good, the staff is very friendly, and the sushi is always fresh and tasty. read more

Since moving to Aliso Viejo, I've been hard-pressed to find a really good sushi restaurant. I came in for a late lunch and was excited to find such tasty sushi not too far from me. Everything we ordered was super fresh! read more

This has been a regular neighborhood restaurant for my wife and I for about 6 months, and for the most part we have always been satisfied. However, tonight was a grotesque disappointment. Not only did they forget to bring my entree to the table (and looked at me sideways when I asked about my dinner), what followed was even more unacceptable. After waiting an extra 20 minutes to be served my entree while my wife was eating her dinner slowly, they finally brought my entree without the key ingredient of a noodle dish--noodles! Once I started to eat and try to catch up, I was advised by one of the staff that they were now closing--and they made it clear with their actions that they would like me to finish up and leave. Once the check was brought, they gave me a small discount as opposed to what any other restaurant with a modicum of class would do which would be to comp the entree. This was a greatly disappointing experience. Never again! They have lost us as customers. read more

Although they have good food, customer service still leaves much to be desired. One of the lady servers (of medium height and slim) possibly Japanese or Korean has to improve on her approach. She is quite abrupt and hard. Or perhaps she is different when dealing with Caucasian diners. Also, there was a sign outdoors that restroom cannot be used by customers due to Corona Virus. I asked if I could wash my hands in their bathroom, they pointed to the sign to me. However, when a couple of Caucasian diners asked to use their restroom, they allowed them. I still feel they are better when dealing with Caucasians rather than Asians or other minorities even if they are Asians themselves. read more

Dana Kai is the bomb! This is the best local spot! Like family. My friend and I had a wonderful evening. The fish is fresh, delicious, and I loved our server Nicole! The entire staff were so fun to talk to and very attentive! read more

Dana Kai Sushi - Japanese Near Me - Dana Point, California

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My favorite lunch spot in Dana Point. The fish is always fresh and we love the lunch combos. 3-4 Items: sushi rolls and sashimi, salad and miso soup. Every sushi roll is on point and the salmon sashimi is my absolute favorite. The staff is very attentive. I highly recommend this sushi restaurant. read more

Love this restaurant! Take out only right now, but everything was great, as always! Staff is friendly and the food preparation and packaging was excellent. Will continue to order from them and can't wait to be able to dine in person! read more

Love Danakai. My family go to for special occasions and great sushi. Staffs here are always friendly. Great us like family! Try omakase and crunch roll is best in orange county. Highly recommended! read more

Saw this on Yelp and while leaving Dana Point harbor last night decided to stop in for some sushi. The service is OK- though had 4 people coming by so wasn't sure who to ask for extra orders or drink refills. Food- frankly am not that thrilled. The seaweed salad was so chunky and salty (I have seaweed salad at least twice a week elsewhere), the yellow fin sashimi portion was tiny- small 5 pieces. The Dragon roll was the best part of the meal. The Chardonnay selection is poor- and the most expensive wine on the menu tastes like vinegar. Will not be back here but hope all of you who enjoy this place continue to support this business. read more

It was our first time having a lunch there and we were happily satisfied as the sushis no rolls were delicious with such a great presentation! The service was friendly and attentive to their customers! 5 stars for sure! read more

The sashimi is the freshest you will get anywhere! Quality is always absolutely top-notch! Very clean place, and the staff is always friendly and attentive. I live down the street and have been coming here for almost a decade, because they have the freshest fish I've ever tasted. read more

Was excited to try this place because my boyfriend and I live so close. We walked in aware that they closed at 10 but it was 915 and we figured we'd be fine. I work at a restaurant so I wasn't planning on lingering. Just eat and go. We got our food that was delicious and gorgeous but they had forgotten that we had ordered a seaweed salad . I didn't wanna make a scene so I simply asked the server to put it in a box Togo. For $8 the salad was weak. I can go to Laguna and get the same size salad for $3. (Picture for reference) Kinda felt ripped off but whatever no biggie and brushed it off my shoulder, sometimes places are overpriced. During the meal the waitress tried to clear the table but took food I hadn't finished so I had to ask her to leave it which made me feel slightly rushed. We were finishing up our dinner with the 10pm closing time in mind and around 9:40 our server dropped our check. It wasn't 5 minutes until she asked us to sign our receipt. I understand a closing restaurant but rushing us out and making us sign while we are still eating is annoying. My boyfriend was basically still chewing his sushi while walking out the door. The food was good but good enough to come back even with bad service... unfortunately no. :/ read more

Dana Kai Sushi - Japanese Near Me - Dana Point, California

soooooo good! Been here probably a hundred times! Get the Stuffed chili, salmon Kama, crispy rice with spicy tuna, truffle oil yellowtail carpaccio are all epic read more

I just love this sushi restaurant & sushi bar! I don't drink, my friends do, but they literally have something for all my friends who do not drink healthy green tea like me - and who are chicken beef eaters! I just love their sushi their poke bowls and the entire menu! Do not be afraid to have them make you any special roll they suggest! Everything here is delicious and amazing! Super clean, awesome customer service and I love seeing Stephanie & all the other lovely waitresses I know! read more

I count on Dana Kai to produce certain sensations at every meal The service was Awesome I love to see men at work especially when they are so good looking. I enjoy the spicy garlic edamame just as much as the spicy tuna rolls read more

Very disappointed with this restaurant tonight. I ordered to go and they didn't give me items I paid for. The sushi rolls were half the size they normally are. read more

This was an immaculate meal! Sashimi was so fresh and the crispy rice roll was epic. Everything was so so tasty and service was great. Highly recommend. Ate a massive amount of sushi and felt great afterwards! A stellar meal and don't forget to try the pistachio ice cream!! read more

Visited here for the first time tonight. We have been hearing about this place for years and FINALLY visited. Everything was fresh and delicious! This is definitely our new Go To for Sushi! read more

Went in for a late lunch with my son after our 1st choice was closed. Being shortly after 2:30 PM we and two other parties were the only people in the restaurant. We I ordered the hand-roll lunch special, spicy tuna (sub. reg. tuna for a $3 up-charge), a California hand roll and a salmon skin hand-roll. It also comes with a Miso soup and salad (not much to rave about). My son ordered a spicy salmon skin roll and a spicy Rainbow roll. Compared to our other sushi place the flavors were just not there. The California hand-roll was a mushy mess, the salmon skin was ok, and the tuna ok, many pieces with white lines though it meaning from the tail end and really is used to grind up for spicy tuna. My son's rolls were ok (I tried one piece of each) without much flavor and nothing to run back to have again. The restaurant space is nice with good spacing between tables. If given the choice I would always go up Crown Valley to Golden Lantern and go to Oh My Sushi. Next time I will be sure to get there before 2:30PM. read more

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DO NOT ORDER FROM HERE Horrible service I've ordered here quiet a few times and they ALWAYS MAKE SOME LIND OF MISTAKE. Where they forget your sauces or your untensils. That was never a huge issue though. Today I order a pick up order and ordered 2 crunchy rolls and they only gave me they said they had given us both rolls in one box which they did not it was on 8 piece roll. We called told them there was a mistake of which roll and drove 15 minutes to get it for them to tell us they can not give us another and they gave us both rolls and got a different roll of sushi they took out of someone to go bag to show me what one roll in a box looks like and what 2 looks like. I said they gave us one and they said no and walked away. And all of them started laughing rude service and price is not worth their food read more

Our favorite spot! My husband and I take our two year old here every week and it is so yummy!!! Jin usually serves us and loves her as much as we love the sushi! Try the seared salmon sushi special. It's heaven!!! read more

Dana Kai was such a pleasant and memorable experience for me and my friends. Evident from all the positive reviews, Dana Kai goes beyond expectations - Their omakase selection was unique and flavorful! I had waiters constantly checking in, making sure we were having a comfortable experience. the edamame had a spicy garlic option which was my favorite! Also 10/10 for the jeff special also very clean and sanitary bathroom!! The restaurant overall is very spacious and clean and the ambience really added to my experience. I would definitely return again. read more

Nice local sushi spot with both traditional and creative non-traditional choices. I definitely prefer to sit at the bar and get recommendations from the chefs. They also have a lot of "no-rice" selections - perfect for keeping the carbs low. read more

Amazing service and delicious food! I was there today for the lunch special I will be coming back soon thank you!

Went there today for lunch and ordered the beef teriyaki amongst many other things for our group. The beef was cold! Along with that it was also tough, and even though all four of us made a complaint about it, they just said I'm sorry. Added it to the bill as well. First and last time going there! read more

I LOVE DANA KAI very nice people and amazing food 13/10 would recommend! Their deserts are super cute and their chicken teriyaki is super amazing !!! read more

The food here is fresh and delicious. I am no sushi fanatic, but Dana Kai may have made me one. The service couldn't have been better and the kind woman who greeted me made my day. I ordered the baked scallop roll and the tiger roll. The baked scallops were so juicy and tender that I demolished the plate in seconds. The shrimp and avocado on the tiger roll were fresh from the heavens. My girlfriend ordered the spicy tuna roll and Gyoza. She loves spicy food, so the spicy tuna roll was perfect for her. According to my girlfriend, the spicy tuna melted in her mouth and was soaking with flavor. Even the Gyoza suprised her. A traditional looking dumpling turned out to be a mouth watering gift from the gods. Although the serving sizes were quite small, the prices justified it. I will most definitely be coming back and this time I will try to order as many Gyozas as I possibly can. Dana Kai Sushi, you may want to stock up on some more of those mouth watering Gyozas. read more

OMG! We just had the best sushi ever! We went in around 3:30 for happy hour. Chris turned us on to a Japanese white wheat beer that is a mind blower. It was lite and crisp and it would have been enough for that. But wait, that's not all, there's a lot more. We are very careful of where we eat sushi and have enjoyed Dana Kai for over a year. But being served by Chris took it over the top. I think it helped to invite him to share a beer with us, nevertheless, he prepared the standard fare of salmon, albacore and tuna sushi, at happy hour prices. So with the savings, we asked Chris to prepare something for us. He did two dishes, don't ask what and we were transported to sushi heaven. I was OK with a large bill but when you eat food this good, it doesn't matter what it cost. To our surprise, it was amazingly affordable. Go go go to Dana Kai!!!!!! read more

Great lunch specials with many options. There's something for everyone, whether more traditional nigiri or more American options like baked rolls. read more

I seriously love Dana Kai! I have been coming here with my daughter since they first opened. Last night I went there with my husband and my daughter (now 16) for a night out to celebrate. We love the quality of sushi and sashimi they have there And gobbled up all of their finest selections (our bill was about $200). My daughter is very picky with what she will eat and doesn't eat a lot due to stomach issues. For that reason she traditionally orders a kids teriyaki plate. Not to be cheap, but to not be wasteful and mindful of only taking what you need. The waiter had no problem taking that order despite the fact my daughter was a little older than the kids age. Moments later you can hear the manager running around yelling at the staff about " this is a kids order!!!! She's not a kid!!!!". Shortly after that the same manager came at me and my husband yelling the same thing " she can not order this, she has to be 11". Now if this was a problem we would have had no issue getting the adult plate. Again we were there to celebrate and had ordered double orders of toro, blue fin tuna, UNI, oysters, ect. The difference in cost between a kids meal and adult meal was clearly no problem for us. This made for a really awkward dinner afterwards and an overall feeling of guilt. This restaurant has always had the best quality and friendly atmosphere but after last night I have a really bad taste for this place in my mouth. Tip to your manager: If your stressed out don't take it out on staff in front of patrons, and more importantly never be confrontational with your paying customers ( we ate there at least every other week during covid to help keep local business stay around) read more

Review #300. YAY! I was real glad to end up at a great restaurant for my 300th review. It would have been unfortunate if dinner sucked royally. This wasn't my first time to Dana Kai, but it has been easily more than 5 years (more like 6-7) since I was last here. I definitely have to make it a point to stop by more often when I am tired of my usual sushi bar or if I happen to be in the area. The first thing you notice about Dana Kai is there are mostly Dana Point locals in the establishment. A lot of my brethren from the other half of my genes... aka its mostly white people. Not that is bad, but the focus here is rolls which is a shame because the fish they serve is actually pretty good. The second thing you notice is that there is a mix of people coming here: trendy high school students that will remind you of some show on the WB, families with their young kids (yes, the kids are eating sushi), middle aged couples on a date, and the surfers in their 20s at the sushi bar in board shorts. Finally, you notice this is a pretty mellow crowd so don't come here looking for a crazy night life. This is Dana Point after all. We order the usual cuts of nigiri (like tuna, salmon, yellowtail, etc) and a couple of rolls (spicy tuna and spicy scallop). The nigiri is definitely good. You get thick cuts of fish which is well balanced to the amount of rice. A good sign when the fish is pushing a 1/4 inch and the fish is hanging off both the ends of the rice by a good 1/2 to 1 inch. The rolls we weren't so impressed with. They were alright by roll standards... just nothing great. The service here is great... almost to the point where they are getting too crazy aggressive in trying to refill your drink. They often pass by looking to refill your glass when you have barely drank anything from it. to be honest, I would rather have that than trying to flag someone down to get a refill though. We had a great time here and the mellow atmosphere just happen to be exactly what we were looking for that night. The sushi is fresh, service is great, and the staff friendly. 4 star! read more

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. read more

Dana Kai Sushi - Dinner was delicious! California roll (fried )was amazing. - Japanese Near Me - Dana Point, California

This place is amazing. If you like sashimi try the yellowtail. The people here are so welcoming and open to everything. Not one bad thing to say about this place read more

My absolute favorite spot for sushi in Orange County! The food is always fresh - which is a major plus for seafood. The service is great; staff are friendly and quick with requests. The cost is worth the quality. Start off with a green salad ( the dressing is delicious!) and Miso soup. The best two rolls in my opinion are the Fire Crunch Roll and Popcorn Lobster roll (which I order with spicy tuna and cream cheese instead of California roll). Also a side of spicy mayo hits the spot! Management is excellent and accommodating as well read more

Dana Kai Sushi - Lobster Roll!! - Japanese Near Me - Dana Point, California

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! read more

I've been here several dozen times and have never been disappointed. The atmosphere isn't as lively as some other sushi-fusion joints, but all the sushi here is excellent. Bonus points for not basing all the special rolls on California rolls. Favorite: WOW hand roll. read more

This is now our go to place when heading north from San Diego. Very fresh, good quality sushi and Japanese food. I like the bento box lunch specials and my teen likes the Ramine drinks. read more

Dana Kai Sushi - Japanese Near Me - Dana Point, California