I'm very disheartened looking at the previous Yelp reviews. There are lots of complaints about the service and the wait time. If you come here, keep in mind this is a small Japanese restaurant with the only employees being an elderly couple. One chef and one server/host. If you've never worked a service job in your life it's easy to get annoyed, but keep in mind that Big Bear is a tourist location with lots of visitors so it's normal to experience long wait times. My family of 5 arrived in the midst of happy hour during Valentines Day weekend and the woman running the place let us know immediately that it would be around an hour until we got served based on the amount of customers they had. We weren't super hungry so this was fine for us. We ordered a Ventura Roll, a Soft Shell Crab Roll, a ton of sashimi, the beef plate, tempura, two bottles of Nigori, and hot tea. In terms of the quality of the food, it's genuinely good quality sushi for the price that you're paying. Similar to Yelp reviewers below, I grew up in OC and now live in LA, and have also visited Japan a handful of times so I'd say that my palate is trustworthy. We also weren't charged for any condiments. The woman was accurate in terms of how long our food would take, but we didn't mind. With the size of our party and the amount of customers they had it makes sense. It's not like these people are avoiding their customers. It was evident these people were working very hard to get the food out quickly without having to compromise quality. The entire time we were at this restaurant, the couple was nothing short of polite and apologetic for the wait. We came for my moms birthday and the server was balancing serving customers, grabbing the bill for others, and seating new customers so the chef came out himself to hand my mom her birthday dessert. Not only that, when things started to slow down the owner came out and bought us a bottle of sake and I insisted he takes shots with us! Everyone was so hospitable. Overall, it was a lovely experience visiting Fuji and I'm very glad my family got to celebrate my moms birthday supporting this family-owned business. If you're lucky enough to check this gem out, please be mindful that it's run only by an elderly couple who are doing their best to service their customers. read more

Fuji Restaurant - Sushi Bars Near Me - Big Bear Lake, California

The sushi rolls were mediocre. Claims to have sauces to add sweetness or spice but they are plain CA rolls. Sashimi was not thin sliced, served with plain cucumber slices reminiscent of a cucumber salad but without the soy & sugar. Miso soup was good however. Overpriced for the quality of the food. Service was pleasant. read more

This place is underrated. Theres tons of japanese restaurants out there but this one is legit 5 stars!!! read more

Fuji Restaurant - Sushi Bars Near Me - Big Bear Lake, California

Friendly staff even though the new sushi chef is a Trump supporter (yuck!). The food was mediocre. Not the freshest. Would not recommend, unfortunately. read more

I cannot give it a rate since the place was closed, although the website said it was open! I try calling and no answer. It is quite disappointing since there is not many options for sushi around the area. But it also can be understandable that there's probably no business during week days. But it's definitely a skiers season. So I don't get it. At least they should update the website so you don't venture there when you think is open. Several places have the same issue. More likely is part of the sleepy town perks. Domo Arigato my Gato. read more

DO NOT GO HERE. Horrible service, Horrible food. Rainbow roll seemed not fresh and prepared at least a day before. Dry fish, dry rice. Tried to send rice crispy roll back and lady would not take it back. Claimed it is good and is their standard. Rice crispy around roll tasted stale and fish in it was not good at all, literally spit it out of my mouth. I've had balls inside my mouth that tasted better than that. The lady went to the kitchen and we heard them arguing about the rice crispy roll. She then came back out to ask us what the heck would make it better and my friend answered her question honestly and the lady was still salty. Please do not waste your time and money here. Lady must have gotten scared we were not going to pay our bill and miscounted because she chased us out claiming we were $5 short and recounted it in front of us but it was exact change. [[HIGHLIGHT]]We did not tip because of the hostile environment and horrible food.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

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Great service. Food is always cooked to perfection [[HIGHLIGHT]]great atmosphere.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] I would recommend this place

As a Big Bear resident and not a "Flat Lander" a term we use for visiting weekend warriors who live off the mountain, I can honestly say this place has gone down hill over the past couple of years. I use to come here somewhat often but then I would show up and they would be closed when they should be open. I got so fed up I stopped coming for over a year. A friend of mine wanted sushi so we came here. We sat at the sushi bar in front and ordered Salmon, Kappa, Maki, and sashimi rolls, and yakisoba noddles along with miso soup. Everything was just ok, but the taste was somehow off, muddled and not as full flavored as before. In fact I had to order a Sapporo and hot sake just to wash the depressing taste out of my mouth. The owner Yuki who knows me sat with me and we had a chat. He seemed a little down and not his usual up beat ADD type self. I also noticed the large teppanyaki tables in the dining area have not been used in a while, a shame since was an intrical part of the dining experience. Also the food seems to take alot longer to reach the table after ordering than before. In the end I left wondering if this place will last, something I've never considered before. I wish them luck but I just don't know anymore. read more

If not gonna honor the open hrs please change it.. I was looking thru the menu for at 20min. Waste ppl time, Upset upset upset...

No Covid protocol, terrible service and the food was blah. Wasn't expecting much but this was pretty bad. No one in the place and still took forever l. Took forever to place order, forever to get order, no drink refills, forever to get to go box and check. Gyoza was soggy with grease and egg roll burnt and greasy. Everything too salty.. 2 stars because the rolls were edible. read more

I was pleasantly surprised how this place gets such fresh salmon and yellowtail!! The rice is slightly warm when you get it and has perfect texture. Super happy to have found a good sushi place in big bear! I've lived in LA and San Diego and I was still impressed! It's a quaint place with small staff so be patient with them. The melt in your mouth sushi is VERY worth it!! read more

Fuji Restaurant - Sunshine roll. So yummy!!! The salmon is so fresh and buttery tasting. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Big Bear Lake, California

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Fuji is a wonderful restaurant that is more than I was expecting! I was slightly hesitant based on the reviews but I'm glad we ended up coming here for dinner. Service was prompt for the amount of customers/staff present at the time. (It was pretty busy and I don't think there are more than 5 people working there. The quality was excellent, especially considering the time and cost to source the fish they serve. Awesome staff, awesome food, awesome customers to chat with. I'll definitely be coming back! read more

Fuji Restaurant - One of the owners, truly goated. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Big Bear Lake, California

Gave this place a chance even after seeing the reviews. Lesson learned lol. We were served fishy-smelling water, okay teriyaki, and terrible hand rolls & sushi. Spicy tuna roll looked gray and smelled suspicious enough to not even try for fear of food poisoning. Fish was far from fresh. Food took a while to arrive as well. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Furthermore, the place looked a bit unsanitary. Some surfaces looked like they hadn't been dusted in months and my peek into the kitchen wasn't very pleasing either.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] After leaving no tip for the extremely subpar food, the lady said in japanese to her coworker "nothing". Sorry, lady. But this place is not it. read more

Don't eat here! There were roaches in the bathroom. The spicy tuna looked questionable as soon as she put it on the table. I didn't even touch it. I took one bite of the mussels and could tell they had been frozen over and over. I don't know how this place can serve that food. All we ate was the miso soup. And the bill came up to $56! Never again. read more

Hmmm... the food is pretty good here (though I do wish the rolls were stuffed a bit more). But I'd have to agree with the other reviews that the service is pretty bad. It took a very long time to get our food & our initial server pretty much never checked on us. In fact, there were 2 other parties we saw leave because the service was so slow. The son that works there was the shining star of the business though. He took charge and knew exactly what he was doing and was quite literally running around. Without him, my rating would probably be a 2.5. With him, it would be a 4. So I gave this business an in the middle review of 3 stars. The service is bad but the food is good so my recommendation would be to order takeout until they can get a few new servers! read more

Fuji Restaurant - Spider roll. Pretty tasty but I wish it was stuffed more - Sushi Bars Near Me - Big Bear Lake, California

If you're in Big Bear and craving sushi or ramen, come to Fuji!!! If you're hesitant about eating fish in the mountains, don't be, I eat salmon sushi a lot and this place had delicious fish! Great service and sweet family owned place. My boyfriend and I were the only ones in this restaurant and everything we ate was delicious. We came right when they opened and we were seated right away. Truly enjoyed the food and service, I will be back when in the area!!! read more

Fuji Restaurant - Ramen, gyoza. miso marinated salmon with tempura / salad / rice and miso soup not pictured. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Big Bear Lake, California

Love the place and employees. Japanese are the friendliest and i love thw food here. Will definitely come back here with some friends! read more

Fuji Restaurant - Combination katsu and beef teriyaki - Sushi Bars Near Me - Big Bear Lake, California

It really was a 2 star experience. But, for us, a Valentines dinner last minute booking, this was our only option in Big Bear. When we arrived for our 5PM reservation (when they open), there was a gentleman sitting at the teppan table smoking a cigarette. The restaurant was just opening at 5 so the lights were off and nobody was inside. I presume he was one of the workers or owner. Needless to say, the restaurant smelled of smoke and there was ash where he snuffed his cigarette in the little trash bin adjacent to the teppan surface. Yuck. Service was arduously slow. We were not out till 7:15PM. Portions were HUGE but the teppan "show" that one might associate with a Benihanna or other cook on the table was absent. The chef was nice enough, Jose, had been there for 19 years. But there was no traditional tossing the cooked shrimp in his hat, making the rice heart beat, flames in the tower of onions. Basically he cooked, and had small talk. Thats ok. Steak was cooked medium but was not very tender. It was clear all of their meats are frozen. Thats ok. Pricing was, well, just ok. This place is a dive, smelled like smoke and was fairly dirty. It is what it is. On the plus side I didn't get sick! So there's that! read more

What's great find in Big Bear. Patio allows dogs. Sushi was great and for you non rush eaters the teriyaki chicken solves that problem read more

Fuji Restaurant - Sushi Bars Near Me - Big Bear Lake, California

Our favorite family spot in Big Bear. Wonderful Japanese owners provide authentic mom and pop fair just like when I lived in Tokyo. Not just sushi but also country home cooking like when I lived in Northern Japan. It's not Nobu in LA, it's mom and pop so don't review badly just because you don't know the difference. Not impressed with Moises S.S. who gives a one star because they were closed. Bro, this is someone's livelihood. The reviews are meant for food, not whether they were closed or not. read more

Let's get this out of way, when me and my friends came in, we noticed it was super empty, and that only 2-3 people were actually working the whole restaurant. From what I noticed, there was only one chef that made the sushi and one chef that made the appetizers and all the other things, which I can only imagine being a nightmare if the place was busier. The food: It was good! Their menu was very simple. I got their beef udon and loved it. The wait: Decently long. They were clearly making the dishes one at a time, which is likely to be expected as there is only one chef it seems. Aftermath: I got REALLY bad food poisoning, including my other friends that came besides one of them who wasn't affected. I suppose my beef wasn't cooked all the way? And the tempura my friends got was probably wasn't cooked all the way either? So my verdict? Probably not a place you should go to unless you have incredible patience and a strong stomach. read more

I have lived in Big Bear for 13 years and know the restaurants here. I'm Japanese and really really know when food is authentic. I go there regularly because it's extremely hard to find any Japanese restaurant anywhere that cooks their food the way it's supposed to be cooked. Most Japanese restaurants add more ingredients or make things with stronger flavor to cater to Americans. Due to Covid, all the restaurants in Big Bear have increased their prices so much that we stopped going to most restaurants. We go to Fuji for their $10.95 lunch special. I challenge anyone to find another Japanese restaurant where for $10.95, you get miso soup, salad, 6 pieces of California roll, chicken or beef teriyaki, and shrimp and vegetable tempura. I worked as a waitress at a Japanese restaurant in LA. Right now, they charge $27 for a similar meal. Sometimes they might be closed when it says open but they are a family owned business and it's not like there are any Japanese that live in Big Bear to help out during unexpected circumstances. I'm one of the few Japanese that live here. If the cook is not feeling well that day, what can they do? I appreciate them greatly! read more

Best sushi in big bear. Authentic fresh and fantastic. Friendly family service. This place is also very reasonably priced. Arigato !!

SKIP IT. I wanted to turn around and leave the moment we walked in. But the family said no let's stay. In fact I almost drove right past it, and should have. Overpriced, under delivers. An udon soup w noodles and bad dark meat was $16 - No veggies in it. LAME. Sushi Presentation was beautiful, with 6 different items each either tasted bland or BAD. I've had sushi in the desert 100 times that is 10 times better, so a mountain in CA should be just as fresh. Paid over $100 for $30-40 quality. Threw half of it away. read more

Best sushi and Japanese food on the mountain and even bests spots down the hill. If you have a hankering you won't be disappointed. Always consistent and quality. Why I been coming here for 10 years read more

Fuji Restaurant - Ventura Roll. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Big Bear Lake, California

Terrible food. Terrible service. They don't know how to cook their meats at all. Smallest parking lot in the world. There was no one in the restaurant and they told everyone that it was a 45 minute wait. All the customers had to ask for their checks. Not really sure why they're in business at all. Don't go there!!!! read more

We did hibachi here and it was delicious! Also very affordable. The staff are super friendly

So the chef cooks your dinner for you right in front of you on a grill. Similar to Benihana. We ordered the NY steak and chicken, Shrimp and the kids meal. It was delicious and entertaining. You have the option to sit at a regular table and choose from that regukar menu or to sit at what They call the Teppan Grill. If you choose the grill they give you another menu that gives you differnt protein options(filet mignon, ny steak, chicken, shrimp, etc.) At the grill you get Your protein meat, vegetable stir fry, Miso soup, salad and rice (fried rice for an extra cost) and... Ice cream for dessert!! The happy hour menu was well-Priced. We ordered the yellowtail hand roll, tuna sushi and avocado cut roll. The hot green tea was yummy. The chef offered us some Ghost pepper salt. It gave the food a kick. read more

I really dont understand the bad reviews here. The service was amazing and so was the food. My sister-in-law and I opted to dine-in. So many places did not offer indoor seating, so were were so happy to find out on arrival that we could eat inside. While we were there, many people(both locals and visitors) came in and handed out compliments regarding the food there. We are from Oceanside, a city literally on the side of the ocean, and the sushi is comparable to our hometown cuisine. We ordered california rolls and spicy tuna rolls, chicken fried rice (oyakodon), chicken katsu, garlic edamame and our meals came with miso soup and white rice. The katsu dish, sushi, edamame and miso soup were absolutely delicious! The flavor of the miso soup was by far the best i've ever had. My only complaint with the miso soup is that the cubes of tofu were larger than what i am used to, so it was hard for me to stomach them so i left them in the bowl. I'm not a fan of tofu. The edamame were garlicky AF, just the way I like it! The katsu was soo good - crispy, crunchy, breaded chicken with a side of tonkatsu sauce. If you like worcestershire, you'd love this! So. Much. Flavor. Now for the oyakodon... well, im not going to say it was gross, because it wasnt. The flavor was great! But i'm not a fan of the texture. I was not aware of what "oyakdon" was; the description said something along the lines of "fried rice with chicken and egg" so of course my hungry self thought it was your typical "fried rice," not even considering that we were at a Japanese restaurant and that the style of fried rice i was expecting is Chinese.. DOOOYYYYY!!! Anyway, the dish contained chunks of chicken that were cooked with egg, then added on top of rice, and mixed with sauce. The chicken was dark meat, which is yuck IMO. The egg part of the bowl was slimy. However, I overcook my egg whites, so I suspect Fuji cooked them how they actually should be cooked. As you can tell from my review, i do NOT like slimy textures when it comes to food(tofu, thigh meat, egg whites). After i mixed it all up with the rice, it was much more enjoyable. BUT I still would not order again. Again, it really isnt the food.. it's me. Considering how good service was and how great the food was overall, Fuji deserves 5 stars! read more

I've been to over50 Japanese restraints in my life and this has to be one of my least favorite. Food portions and quality were substandard. Presentation was poor. Custermee service is average. In all honesty the sushi at Vons looks better, and tastes about the same. read more

Tried to go tonight. Looks like it's been closed for a good while. Looked empty and abandoned.....

I don't expect the most quality sushi in resort towns far from the ocean. this spot is reasonable; although not the pinnacle of sushi places, it's not bad for big bear. the owners/ workers are friendly, attentive and caring. the sushi was alright. the fish had an expected freshness of a mountain town spot, which sufficed. sushi rice was a bit more al dente than I'm used to. read more

Fuji Restaurant - spicy tuna hand roll and some nigiri - Sushi Bars Near Me - Big Bear Lake, California

My husband and I came for dinner to celebrate our anniversary. We were immediately greeted and sat. The chef talked to us and was very welcoming. We ordered sushi and ramen. Our order came very fast. I don't understand how impatient people can get. I really hope this restaurant gets more stars because the owners are so kind and warm. It is a traditional Japanese restaurant. Please be respectful and kind. Know your manners and learn how to wait if there are a lot of people and only a few workers. The sushi was REALLY good and fresh. The ramen broth was rich and it really hits the spot during a cold night. Will definitely come here again. read more

Big bear local that has never tried this place until now and I've been here for nearly 5 years. I let all of the bad reviews scare me away lol- but I finally caved and tried it. Very happy! GREAT sushi (I come from west la so I know my sushi).... udon good-not the best but decent. will frequent!! read more

Fuji Restaurant - Sushi Bars Near Me - Big Bear Lake, California

I was very pleased to find good comfort food in a beautiful and cozy mountain community. I was raised on this stuff and it's authentic Japanese food. I eat here each time I visit Big Bear and haven't been disappointed yet. read more

Absolutely not!! It is unfortunate this is the only sushi restaurant in but bear, I don't know if any local that enjoys this place. You would enjoy the food more by just getting some stater brothers packed sushi. It is extremely dirty in there (the bathrooms and even the utensils and plates!) and the food is NOT fresh. I have had to send multiple plates back for just having a very fishy taste and getting bad crab. If you're dead set on going, the safest option is a spicy tuna roll and miso soup. The staff is alright, not good or bad, they're just there. Save your money and go to tropicali !! read more

This was a terrible restaurant experience. The food was inedible. The chicken was hard and not cooked all the way through. The tempura was tasteless and had mushrooms, broccoli, bell peppers, etc. Don't waste your time or your money. Service was incredibly slow. We notified the restaurant and they took 50% off the bill. Big Bear needs a new sushi restaurant! read more

Fuji Restaurant - Sushi Bars Near Me - Big Bear Lake, California

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Ordered and waited for over an hour. The tables before us got food, and the host came to say that they ran out of food and can't serve us. They did it on purpose. Worst restaurant ever. The cup for water was also not cleaned. read more

Store was not open even when they had posted hours saying otherwise. Lady answered the phone (meaning she was inside the restaurant) and said they were closed. Terrible first impression and extremely disappointed. read more

Service was welcoming and food was delicious. Great soup for a cold day. Would definitely recommend them again