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    Lil' Buddha's

    4.5 (31 reviews)
    Closed 12:00 pm - 8:00 PM
    Updated 2 months ago

    Lil' Buddha's Photos

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    LIL' BUDDHA'S ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Outdoor seating
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - Lil' Buddha's

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    Crispy rice albacore

    Fish is very fresh. Service is very efficient and kind. It's a really small place so it feels homey. I like sitting by the window or the bar. They're a little pricey but it's Newport what else can you expect. I've gone a few times now and it's always been delicious! Thank you to the chefs and staff for many wonderful experiences!

    Right on
    Scott K.

    *Lil' Buddha ~~ Simply Down the Street* The word "Buddha" means "awakened one" and refers to someone who has attained enlightenment and spiritual awakening. It is a title used in Buddhism to describe a person who has achieved the highest state of being. I'm not a Buddhist, but spiritual...so I'll briefly enlighten you. Been going to Lil' Buddha's big papi, Buddha's Favorite, right down the street, ever since it anchored on the harbor of Lido Peninsula...and if you're interested in reading my 5-star review? Check it out once you've sailed on from here. Came for a late family lunch for four. We only needed a little pick-me-up prior to an early dinner resy...and for a sushi lover like me? This always does the deed. It's a lil' neighborhood sushi joint with a small intimate sushi bar. There's also counter seating along side two walls and the glass window facing the street. If you were to order takeout from Buddha's Favorite, this is where you come for pickup. The decor is stylish yet simple and the lighting is too...with a cool cozy vibe inside. The service is outstanding and the team behind the sushi counter is friendly & welcoming. The fish was fresh and the sushi rice was pretty good -- slightly undercooked, which happens sometimes at lunch time. I went with 2 of my favorite handrolls... 1) Negi-Hama: for those who don't know, negi means "cut-up/chopped up" in Japanese. Hama is short for Hamachi = yellowtail. It's a very traditional roll with simply yellowtail and green Japanese green onions. It's prepared simply by thinly chopping up the yellowtail along with the green onions, then mixing it all together into a handroll. Unfortunately, the very happy & friendly Rookie Sushi Chef who was serving us at the sushi bar, had no idea what it is. Strike One. Then he had to ask me what it is & how it's prepared. Strike Two. What I received was good, but he didn't listen carefully to my instructions and lesson...and I was served a layer of thickly chopped hama with a layer of green onions. He gets an A for effort. I know there's more pressing things going on in the world...But still, Strike 3. 2) Salmon Skin: was good but I've had better and shall spare you the details other than they don't offer bonito shavings/flakes inside the handroll...and that's a make or break thang. Wifey enjoyed her Blue Crab Roll which was only 5 pieces. Dad & Stepmom enjoyed their yellowtail sushi and a cut crunchy roll. And miso soup to warm their souls on a cold beachy day. Bonus points for the beautiful edible flower presentations. Prices for some of the items are reasonable...but others might seem a bit steep. But so are most sushi joints nowadays. And remember, this is Newport Beach on Lido. All in all it was a good quick lunch and will most definitely return...and give my Lil' Buddha belly a chance of redemption with ScottoSan's Handjob. {{{Grandslam Still A Fan}}} To be continued... Sayonara For Now

    "I like it raw roll" and "rainbow roll" w/ real crab.
    Melissa C.

    10/10 Found this cute little gem and decided to sit down for lunch. The inside is small and quaint with 4 chairs at the bar, two in front of the windows and 4 high top chairs. Even with it being small it didn't seem cramped. It was very clean and open. The girl taking our order was super sweet and attentive. I got the "I like it raw" roll and the California roll with no shrimp and real crab. It's a 4$ up charge for real crab instead of imitation but totally worth it because it made the roll even better. The fish quality is great and they have some really cool rolls with all the OG's. Service was fast and the green tea was splendid. Definitely recommend

    Yoshi roll
    Lenny L.

    I was excited to try this place. It is small and I think set up for more quick, to go place. Service was quite friendly and I learned they have a main restaurant so this is more focused on pick up food orders. Nevertheless, the menu was a full menu. Ordered some sushi and a roll. It was ok, but I felt it's a bit on the pricier side, I was not blown away, it was OK. But, if you are in the area wanting quick food. I think this place will suffice. The no rice roll I got was prepared beautifully. But, maybe I will try them again as I now understand what they are trying to do.

    Surf and turf roll
    Liz G.

    Love that this place exists. Great for when you want to grab some sushi really quick for lunch. Staff were friendly. Justin our server had a great attitude and was attentive. Ok, so we were the only ones there at the time but I'm sure he's usually like that. We had the yellowtail sashimi, ono sushi, red snapper sushi. a seaside roll (scallops on a cali roll), tako sunomo salad, sweet shrimp, and the surf and turf roll (wagyu on a lobster roll). All tasted delicious. $146 later! Yup, there's always that. Cons: I'm 5'2" and I seriously could have used a booster seat in their low seating chairs. Oh, and another comment, be sure to flip through all the pages of the paper menu. For some reason, appetizers and small plates are towards the end of the booklet. Not their fault, but unfortunately they hadn't received their shipment of blue crab yet when we were there around 12:30 today/Saturday. We always love Buddha's Favorite for dinner. It's one of our favorite sushi spots in Newport, although the parking sucks. And we love that this place is here for a quick lunch. Yes, we will be back!

    The bar

    The food was delicious the service was absolutely great and the waitress was so kind the ambiance was great and pretty.if you are looking for a great sushi restaurant i highly recommend lil buddhas.

    California roll Spicy tuna crispy rice  Salmon avocado roll
    Jessica P.

    Great food but forgot to add our carpaccio sauce when we ordered takeout ): sushi was delicious though, would go back

    Set up
    Chaz J.

    Holy wow! This was so yummy! We were in and out in about 20 mins. When we called to check the wait time, they let us know there is no alcohol at this location. Which we were a-ok with. Very quaint spot with the friendliest staff. FRESH, FRIENDLY, FAST & FABULOUS!!!

    Baked lobster roll & shishito pepper

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    9 months ago

    Such a great spot! Love it! We ordered for a work event and everyone loved! Super fresh and very delicious!

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    11 months ago

    Service was great, sushi was great, good vibes and great music playing throughout the place and friendly employees! Definitely recommend

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    1 year ago

    Great food and service! Everything we ordered was incredible and to perfection! I highly recommend this restaurant!

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    2 years ago

    Food was fantastic and Sandra our server was great! I didn't mind at all they don't serve alcohol!

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    2 years ago

    Great find, the big store has always been great, super glad I found it's mini-me.. food is fantastic.

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    1 year ago

    oh my god death bed meal this was amazing highly recommend bento box. definitely will come again

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    Yuzu Japanese Sushi Bar

    4.5(768 reviews)
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    Vegetarian friendly
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    I really enjoyed our date night at this sushi restaurant! Overall I felt like the sushi was…read morehigh-quality and had a lot of unique flavors that kept things fresh and exciting. You won't find your typical rainbow rolls at this restaurant (I do love a good rainbow roll though). The rolls we ordered were the Snowflake (which was flavored with yuzu), the Lobster roll (which was so much more than a typical baked lobster/langostino roll), and the Are You Kidding Me roll, which was big on truffle flavor and came topped with fried onions. I thoroughly enjoyed the Snowflake roll. It had multiple types of fish inside, and the yuzu flavor added the perfect fresh citrusy touch. It also came dotted with a tiny bit of sriracha (or some other spice) but it was just a hint and it's easy to wipe off if you don't want any spice. The Lobster roll was the star of the show. I give it a 10/10 for presentation, and it was also the best tasting one in my opinion. It was plated with a shelled lobster tail, which looks visually pleasing, but the most impressive part was right before serving, the waitress lit it on fire and handed it to us, as if it were flaming creme brulee or something. The flame actually wasn't on the roll itself, but was on what appeared to be a trail of salt (presumably soaked in some kind of alcohol to make it burn). It definitely was a cool effect and I've never seen anything like it in a sushi restaurant! Lastly, the Are You Kidding Me roll - this was my third favorite out of the three we ordered. It was pretty good but I think the truffle flavor was a bit strong. I'm also personally not a huge fan of fried onions on top of sushi since I think it clashes a bit with the freshness of the fish, and gives me too many bar food vibes. But it certainly was flavorful and my husband and I still finished it. We shared these three sushi rolls between the two of us and it was just the right amount of food to leave feeling full. Besides the food, the restaurant itself was nice although I'm not sure they really needed to have a live DJ there as opposed to having a Spotify Playlist. Didn't bother me but I don't think it really added much to the vibe. I would definitely eat here again!

    Celebrated our anniversary !…read more Service was good and friendly. The flavors were beautiful! We sat like in the center of the restaurant. It's one of my fear LOL. But the flavors of the dishes eased my fear. It was delicious. I love salmon and uni when it comes to sushi and I would recommend others to try this place! Several people already saw my instagram post and asked the name of the restaurant! I'm very happy that the food turned out phenomenal! Toyko nacho (recommend) : it was messy to eat and had a kick of spice. I didn't mind the mess though. Lots of different flavors. Uni hotate yuzu: scallops topped with uni. Eating it was like butter. Sour flavor profile from the yuzu. A bit overpowering. And the maldon sea salt was interesting. So you get the texture of buttery soft from the scallop and uni and a crunch factor from the salt. 5pc Salmon nigiri: so fatty and buttery! If you love salmon then definitely get this. The presentation was so cute. It lays on a bed of ice. And throughout the dinner the pieces of salmon were chilled. Monster nigiri (recommend) : I don't think anything about this when my honey suggested order this. But once it got to the table and we ate it. Wow! This dish flavors stood out to me. The crispy sweet onions and sauce perfected the meal. Dragon: It was pretty tasty and decent. I know my honey liked it a lot. He prefers not to eat raw fish, so this was to his liking (I recommend to those who don't eat raw fish). Truffle essence (recommend) : The taste of truffle is weirdly addicting. The presentation was eye catching because the candle is keeping the truffle butter warm. The concept of dipping or pouring the truffle butter onto the roll was a fun way of eating. Snowflake roll: A lot of reviews mentioned this was a popular dish. I can see why it was popular. It's literally a bunch of fish in a roll! Haha, fish lover this would be perfect to order. Crunchy roll: It was a decent roll, but a bit dryer than I expected. Orders and ratings: Tokyo nacho 9/10. Uni hotate yuzu 10/10. 5pc Salmon nigiri 10/10. Monster 11/10. Dragon 8/10. Truffle essence 9/10. Snowflake roll 10/10. Crunchy roll 6/10. Thank you!

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    EAT'S SUSHI

    4.7(1.9k reviews)
    4.5 mi
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    Delicious food and friendly service! The new style sushi is my favorite. Especially the salmon!read more

    We have been coming to Eat's Sushi since 2022 merely because of their high Yelp and Google ratings…read moreand haven't sought out any other place since discovering them. IYKYK! Have we tried other places? Of course - and always regretted doing so lol - now it's just Eat's Sushi every time! I attached 3 photos from this particular visit on Friday night, 5.22.26, and wrote a short blurb for each photo to explain why Eat's is hands down, the best place and usually the place of choice we go to at least 3x a month! They are always busy and that never bothers us because everyone else knows this is the place to go for fresh fish, amazing service, and friendly staff! We have figured out how to join their wait list without waiting their usual 30-60+ min wait. Even if we have to wait, we will. It's worth it every time! On this particular visit, Leo sat us down and Evelyn was our server. All of them are wonderful and these two elevated our visit yet once again! It is the main reason I wanted to post this because they deserve accolades. Leo already had our usual "hot water" order waiting for us at the table and Evelyn is always patient with us when we place several small orders because we like to keep the fish fresh. It's called "tsuika de onegaishimasu" if you care to know haha . The owner was also there that evening, and we witnessed him supporting his team quietly and gratefully by helping collect empty dishes off occupied tables to take them to the kitchen himself. His humble leadership explains why Eat's is on point with their customer service ! Price is extremely reasonable, quality is exceptional, and for us, we love the cozy ambiance! See you next week, Eat's Sushi!

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    EAT'S SUSHI - We are excited to be featured in LA times article! 
We look forward to serving delicious sushi at an affordable price to all our guests!

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    Chobop - Uni and Toro

    Chobop

    4.2(2.3k reviews)
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    WOW! I am a sushi snob and usually only frequent a couple of local sushi spots. A coworker told me…read moreabout this all you can eat sushi spot and I was VERY hesitant to try it. I don't usually go to all you can eat because I feel like the quality is not great. I don't know how Chobop does it but their all you can eat is one of the best I have ever had. The rice to fish ratio is perfect, the fish tastes fresh, the appetizers are delicious. Next time I will order less rolls because the nigiri was truly the star for me. Service was also incredible. Can't wait to come back!

    This place used to be called sushi Imari and the sushi was great. For some reason all the yelp…read morereviews from sushi Imari has been migrated to this new "all you can eat sushi" place and that is neither fair or accurate. Today we went there not knowing of the change. The food is now certainly "all you can eat" quality. We opted against the all you can eat limited menu, and ordered of the regular menu but the quality was terrible: 1. The toro nigri was chewy, very thinly cut, with a very small piece of rice. 2. We could not tell the difference between regular salmon and the salmon belly nigri they brought us. It looked and tasted exactly the same. Definitely not fatty salmon belly. 3. The yellow tail belly was chewy. 4. All the fish in their nigri sushi were thinly cut with very little rice. Definitely all you can eat amount of fish. 5. The rolls were small and for some reason all tasted the same with little flavor. If you like all you can eat sushi places which always offer low quality fish, you might like this place. We will miss sushi Imari and the great quality sushi they served.

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    What a wonderful restaurant, great location with a gorgeous view. A wide variety of fine dining…read morechoices, we loved the crab cakes, the tomato soup with grilled cheese, the espresso martini, the steaks. The staff is always friendly and attentive, service has been pleasant and we have come again and again since we like it so much. Definitely a place to stop at next time you are in Newport or if you are local!

    We were here celebrating belated Mother's Day. The alcoholic drinks were good & there were…read moredefinitely a couple standout dishes. The Butter Basted Hokkaido Scallops with black mussels was delicious. My generous portion of Chilean seabass with asparagus risotto was flavorful & well prepared. Unfortunately, the experience overall was inconsistent. The Overstuffed Bacon & Eggs lacked that distinct deviled egg flavor as described, the Catalina Roll was average. The Prime Skirt Steak looked appealing but was just average. It lacked flavor. What really left a bad impression was the issue with the seabass portions. My daughter arrived later & ordered the exact same Chilean Seabass dish, but her piece was literally about 1/3 the size of mine. We politely asked our server about the obvious difference. Eventually, a manager came out with a condescending tone insisting everything is weighed equally. The extra piece he brought out was basically the same small size as the first one my daughter received. At that point, the experience was already soured. We didn't even bother taking the extra piece or her leftovers home. Good cocktails & a few strong dishes, but the inconsistency & dismissive customer service would make us think twice about returning.

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    Bear Flag Fish - Ocean to table seafood in Lido Marina Village featuring freshly caught fish and bold coastal flavors at Bear Flag Fish Company in Newport Be

    Bear Flag Fish

    3.9(2k reviews)
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    This is a go to spot for poke bowls for us, It's always…read morehopping. Staff is very efficient and attentive for the number of customers they have. I love the customized poke bowl and we tried the calamari strips today which were excellent. There is a nice seating area with a patio section. Parking is available and complimentary. I highly recommend Bear Flag Fish.

    Located in the beautiful Lido Marina Village in Newport Beach, this spot is perfect if you're…read morecraving fresh seafood or sushi after a beach day. They also have a great variety of drinks including Arizona teas, Gatorade, beer, and wine. I stopped by on a Saturday evening after spending time at the nearby beach, and luckily it wasn't too crowded. Ordering was quick and easy, and there was plenty of seating available both inside and outside. The outdoor patio was especially nice for enjoying the cool Newport Beach evening weather. I ordered the specialty burrito with ahi poke, and it came out in less than 10 minutes. The burrito was huge, fresh, flavorful, and packed with quality ingredients. Definitely one of the most refreshing meals I've had recently. Great food, fast service, relaxed atmosphere, and no complaints at all -- definitely a 5-star experience for me!

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    Outside seating available

    Starfish - Naked Buddha roll

    Starfish

    4.5(303 reviews)
    0.5 mi
    Takes reservations
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    The quality of fish is excellent, love the yellowtail and bluefin tuna. Solid date night spot as…read moreit's on the smaller and more intimate side. If you sit at the bar and Kylee is working, you are in for such a fun time!

    My boyfriend and I wanted to try a new restaurant on our Saturday date night, and we both hoped to…read morefind a restaurant that offered seafood based cuisine and a few vegetarian options. After pursuing some options in the Newport/Huntington Beach area, I decided to make 8:30 pm reservations for Starfish in Newport Beach! I have driven past this location so many times, and was excited to finally try it out! Upon entering, I was impressed by the moody interior with beautiful lighting and a gorgeous wooden door. The hostess was kind and quick to offer us a two-top bar style seating table that was close to the kitchen. We appreciated that we were sat so promptly, and we actually enjoy sitting close to the kitchen so we could see all of the deletable food options! We began our meal with two rolls as appetizers - the Buddha roll and the Sushi Nigiri Plate. The Buddha roll was a tofu-based vegan roll with a fun touch of toasted coconut flakes and two delicious sauces layered on top. Both my boyfriend and I loved the roll and would absolutely order it again. My boyfriend loved the sashimi plate and stated that the seafood was fresh and was higher in quality compared to your average sushi restaurant. Moving onto our main course, I ordered the Thai Green Vegetable Curry with coconut rice (which our server mentioned was different from the regular white rice because they cook it with coconut milk instead of water) and my boyfriend was craving another sushi roll, so he opted for the Shrimp Tempura Roll. The Shrimp Tempura Roll was pleasantly different from regular shrimp tempura rolls, because it contained crab meat and shrimp tempura. We noticed at this point, that all three of the sushi rolls that we ordered used rice paper instead of seaweed, and this unique twist to the sushi rolls enhanced them! I LOVED the presentation of the Thai Green Vegetable Curry. Something about a large stem of basil cascading over my food makes it extra fun to eat! In all seriousness, this was one of the best curry's I have had, and the coconut rice enhanced the entree. For our beverage selection, the cold sake that we hoped to try was out of stock, so we requested hot sake instead, which we sipped on through the meal. Pro Tip: the hot house sake was only $10 which is an amazing price point! Finally, it came to my favorite part of the meal, dessert! My boyfriend was leaning towards the Scratch Cheesecake, and I was leaning towards the Mango Pudding. We asked for our server for her recommendation, and she stated that the Banana in Fillo Dough or Scratch Cheesecake were her top two options. Based on this, we opted for the Scratch Cheesecake. It was good, but I probably wouldn't get it again. In my mind, I think of a cheesecake and immediately crave a thick slice of a classic New York style cheesecake. However, this was served in a glass with a graham cracker crumble as the base, and a cheesecake-style mousse layer above, with poached asian pears as a topping. While this wasn't my favorite part of the meal, it was still a fun twist on a classic dessert with a lovely presentation. Next time, I think I'll follow my heart and try the Mango Pudding. Between the food, ambiance, wonderful service, and elevated experience for an affordable price point, we will definitely return!

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    Lil' Buddha's - sushi - Updated May 2026

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