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We ate at Ponzu Sushi Bar in Santa Ana last night, and the food was completely overshadowed by the bill. When the check arrived, we were shocked. This place nickel and dimes customers for everything. We were charged $6 just to add cucumber to a roll, $4 to add gobo, and even an extra charge to add lemon. The biggest issue wasn't even the prices, it was that our waiter never mentioned any of these upcharges when we ordered. If you're going to charge premium prices for simple additions, customers deserve to be told beforehand. We've eaten at countless sushi restaurants over the years, and we've never been charged these kinds of fees for basic add-ons, especially without any warning. It felt deceptive and left a terrible impression. Restaurants don't lose customers over a few dollars. They lose them when customers feel misled. Transparent pricing builds trust. Hidden charges destroy it. We won't be coming back, and unfortunately, we can't recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for an honest dining experience.
Ponzu was such a great experience from start to finish! The fish was incredibly fresh, beautifully prepared, and every bite was packed with flavor. We especially loved the hand rolls and sashimi, you can really tell they use high-quality ingredients. The service was friendly, attentive, and made us feel welcome throughout the meal. The restaurant itself has a cozy, modern atmosphere that's perfect for a date night or catching up with friends. If you're looking for fresh sushi and a great overall dining experience, Ponzu is definitely worth a visit. We'll absolutely be coming back!
A solid neighborhood japanese restaurant. We had sushi and handrolls. The lunch specials. Others looked like they were enjoying bento and tempura. The service was excellent. Such nice people! Clean, well lit vibe. Lots of parking!
It's been awhile since we've visited and remembered enjoying the experience from previous visits. There's ample parking. We got there at 5:45pm and it was already semi packed with several tables already reserved. Ambience is nice, restaurant is clean and spacious. Service was good. As a walk-in we got seated right away at the end of the bar, which was fine (since we wanted to sit at the bar) and hadn't made reservations. Note this is a review for what I would call a tier 2 sushi joint. I consider tier 1 to be more omakase style and/or premium Michelin star type venues. We enjoyed everything, especially the uni toro spoon. The hand rolls and rolls are filling so it's a great value for your money. We had hot sake and Kirin. Was able to catch the last few minutes of the happy hour menu - Sky special & hot sake. We ordered the following for 2: Tinker Bell hand roll, crispy rice spicy tuna, Sky's special, Bubble Bee roll, triple belly sashimi, seared salmon belly carpaccio, black cod sushi, Nodoguro (white fish) sushi, unagi hand roll, salmon skin hand roll, uni toro spoon (my favorite)! Would come back again to enjoy your everyday typical tier 2 style sushi. Tier 1 sushi is typically saved for special occasions.
Ponzu Sushi Bar (and their sister restaurant Yuzu) are still some of my favorite sushi in OC if you want really delicious, creative sushi rolls! I devoured my food so fast I forgot to take photos and only managed an initial photo of the menu. Love it here!
PARKING (4/5): Lot is big, but gets busy nights and weekends. AMBIANCE (4/5): Very modern, clean, semi-casual. SERVICE (5/5): Service was prompt and they checked on us regularly. They also cleared dishes constantly as soon as we finished clearing up table space. Our drinks were never empty. FOOD (4/5): Everything here was really good! We didn't realize we ordered all no rice rolls which were quite nice! Not as filling and could order more. It was an all girls dinner, so we didn't feel to full after. $12 SPICY GARLIC EDAMAME: wasn't too spicy, roasted/dry edamame with crunchy garlic, we literally scooped this on our plate and ate the garlic alone! So good. $8 SEAWEED SALAD: typical seaweed salad. Big portion. Was nice to have on the side to complement everything. $16 HEY SEXY ROLL: NO RICE! Wrapped in soy paper. Tons of fish! The sauce came separate, we all didn't love the sauce so just used soy sauce instead. $28 SALMON TRUFFLE SASHIMI: AMAZING! Fatty pieces of salmon (5 pieces), perfectly sauced, light truffle flavor. Perfect bite. $8 SWEET SHRIMP SUSHI: comes with 1 PIECE! The fresh, raw sweet shrimp with Masago. Then the fried shrimp head, which is my absolutely favorite! Crunchy & flavorful. Worth every bite.
This place is great for date night and little celebration. I went here with my girlfriend around 8PM. We didn't have to wait and were sat down immediately. The service here is amazing. I wanted extra fresh wasabi and they provide me a huge amount without adding extra charges. The quality of their sushi has to be a 10/10. Especially their black cod. It was one of our favorite.
TLDR: flavor decreased, size and quality decreased compared to my last visit, the quality has unfortunately decreased so much.. I loved them for their phenomenal salty sweet balance for their trust sushi set. This time, the rice was too wet and basically had no seasoning. The sushi slices and mussels are much smaller than last time too. I don't know if they're struggling, but I would hope they don't take it out on the customers.
The food was really good and tasty. The ambience was nice and clean. The service was awesome as well.
Love this place, the food and drinks. I came to celebrate for a special occasion and everything was delicious! For appetizers, we got the crispy rice spicy tuna and baked green mussels. very flavorful. For the main, we ordered the Ponzu roll, very light with some spicy-ness, and the Long Beach roll, probably my favorite. Highly recommend this place!
My friend and I tried this sushi spot on a Saturday around 3pm. We were impressed! We tried two different rolls and a salmon carpaccio. All 3 dishes were delicious! Their presentation was really pretty too. Service was great. I would come back and try more! :)
I came here for lunch around 1:30 and the place was pretty much empty with a few people sitting at the bar. It's clean inside and there's a lot to choose from on the menu! Service was okay, we did have to flag down our waiter to ask for the check after having finished our meal for a bit. It's pretty expensive for what's being given, especially the crispy rice w/ spicy tuna ($10 for two small pieces), which was also wasn't very flavorful.
Always good to stop in! Impromptu birthday dinner even came with surprise ice cream and song! We finally moved back to the state and can come back more regularly but this didn't disappoint. Fresh, quick, friendly, and tasty! Great prices for quality and amount!
1 month ago
5 months ago
15 days ago
I went during saturday lunch last week when it was super hot so we wanted refreshing meal. We ordered the sashimi salad along with some basic rolls, including tekkamaki, negihama, and a California roll. The quality of the fish here is excellent. Butttt.... I thought the sushi rice was much too acidic. The lemon/vinegar flavor was strong enough that it overpowered the fish, which was especially noticeable in simpler rolls where the balance between the rice, fish, and nori really matters. Don't get me wrong as everything tasted very fresh, and you can definitely tell they're using high-quality ingredients. Its just how sushi was executed didnt live up to the quality of fish.. Mmm but then, Like, I was a little disappointed by the negihama. I usually expect the yellowtail and scallion to be chopped together so the scallion flavor blends into the fatty yellowtail and gives it that nice savory, umami quality. Here, the yellowtail and scallion were left more whole and simply rolled together. It was also made with the rice on the outside, which muted the flavor of the nori even more. With fish this fresh, I really wanted the preparation to let the ingredients shine. Service was average. Nothing particularly wrong with it, but nothing especially memorable either. read more
2 months ago
We ate at Ponzu Sushi Bar in Santa Ana last night, and the food was completely overshadowed by the bill. When the check arrived, we were shocked. This place nickel and dimes customers for everything. We were charged $6 just to add cucumber to a roll, $4 to add gobo, and even an extra charge to add lemon. The biggest issue wasn't even the prices, it was that our waiter never mentioned any of these upcharges when we ordered. If you're going to charge premium prices for simple additions, customers deserve to be told beforehand. We've eaten at countless sushi restaurants over the years, and we've never been charged these kinds of fees for basic add-ons, especially without any warning. It felt deceptive and left a terrible impression. Restaurants don't lose customers over a few dollars. They lose them when customers feel misled. Transparent pricing builds trust. Hidden charges destroy it. We won't be coming back, and unfortunately, we can't recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for an honest dining experience. read more
Ponzu was such a great experience from start to finish! The fish was incredibly fresh, beautifully prepared, and every bite was packed with flavor. We especially loved the hand rolls and sashimi, you can really tell they use high-quality ingredients. The service was friendly, attentive, and made us feel welcome throughout the meal. The restaurant itself has a cozy, modern atmosphere that's perfect for a date night or catching up with friends. If you're looking for fresh sushi and a great overall dining experience, Ponzu is definitely worth a visit. We'll absolutely be coming back! read more
A solid neighborhood japanese restaurant. We had sushi and handrolls. The lunch specials. Others looked like they were enjoying bento and tempura. The service was excellent. Such nice people! Clean, well lit vibe. Lots of parking! read more
20 days ago
5 months ago
It's been awhile since we've visited and remembered enjoying the experience from previous visits. There's ample parking. We got there at 5:45pm and it was already semi packed with several tables already reserved. Ambience is nice, restaurant is clean and spacious. Service was good. As a walk-in we got seated right away at the end of the bar, which was fine (since we wanted to sit at the bar) and hadn't made reservations. Note this is a review for what I would call a tier 2 sushi joint. I consider tier 1 to be more omakase style and/or premium Michelin star type venues. We enjoyed everything, especially the uni toro spoon. The hand rolls and rolls are filling so it's a great value for your money. We had hot sake and Kirin. Was able to catch the last few minutes of the happy hour menu - Sky special & hot sake. We ordered the following for 2: Tinker Bell hand roll, crispy rice spicy tuna, Sky's special, Bubble Bee roll, triple belly sashimi, seared salmon belly carpaccio, black cod sushi, Nodoguro (white fish) sushi, unagi hand roll, salmon skin hand roll, uni toro spoon (my favorite)! Would come back again to enjoy your everyday typical tier 2 style sushi. Tier 1 sushi is typically saved for special occasions. read more
2 days ago
Ponzu Sushi Bar (and their sister restaurant Yuzu) are still some of my favorite sushi in OC if you want really delicious, creative sushi rolls! I devoured my food so fast I forgot to take photos and only managed an initial photo of the menu. Love it here! read more
PARKING (4/5): Lot is big, but gets busy nights and weekends. AMBIANCE (4/5): Very modern, clean, semi-casual. SERVICE (5/5): Service was prompt and they checked on us regularly. They also cleared dishes constantly as soon as we finished clearing up table space. Our drinks were never empty. FOOD (4/5): Everything here was really good! We didn't realize we ordered all no rice rolls which were quite nice! Not as filling and could order more. It was an all girls dinner, so we didn't feel to full after. $12 SPICY GARLIC EDAMAME: wasn't too spicy, roasted/dry edamame with crunchy garlic, we literally scooped this on our plate and ate the garlic alone! So good. $8 SEAWEED SALAD: typical seaweed salad. Big portion. Was nice to have on the side to complement everything. $16 HEY SEXY ROLL: NO RICE! Wrapped in soy paper. Tons of fish! The sauce came separate, we all didn't love the sauce so just used soy sauce instead. $28 SALMON TRUFFLE SASHIMI: AMAZING! Fatty pieces of salmon (5 pieces), perfectly sauced, light truffle flavor. Perfect bite. $8 SWEET SHRIMP SUSHI: comes with 1 PIECE! The fresh, raw sweet shrimp with Masago. Then the fried shrimp head, which is my absolutely favorite! Crunchy & flavorful. Worth every bite. read more
3 months ago
This place is great for date night and little celebration. I went here with my girlfriend around 8PM. We didn't have to wait and were sat down immediately. The service here is amazing. I wanted extra fresh wasabi and they provide me a huge amount without adding extra charges. The quality of their sushi has to be a 10/10. Especially their black cod. It was one of our favorite. read more
9 months ago
TLDR: flavor decreased, size and quality decreased compared to my last visit, the quality has unfortunately decreased so much.. I loved them for their phenomenal salty sweet balance for their trust sushi set. This time, the rice was too wet and basically had no seasoning. The sushi slices and mussels are much smaller than last time too. I don't know if they're struggling, but I would hope they don't take it out on the customers. read more
1 month ago
The food was really good and tasty. The ambience was nice and clean. The service was awesome as well. read more
11 days ago
6 months ago
Love this place, the food and drinks. I came to celebrate for a special occasion and everything was delicious! For appetizers, we got the crispy rice spicy tuna and baked green mussels. very flavorful. For the main, we ordered the Ponzu roll, very light with some spicy-ness, and the Long Beach roll, probably my favorite. Highly recommend this place! read more
My friend and I tried this sushi spot on a Saturday around 3pm. We were impressed! We tried two different rolls and a salmon carpaccio. All 3 dishes were delicious! Their presentation was really pretty too. Service was great. I would come back and try more! :) read more
I came here for lunch around 1:30 and the place was pretty much empty with a few people sitting at the bar. It's clean inside and there's a lot to choose from on the menu! Service was okay, we did have to flag down our waiter to ask for the check after having finished our meal for a bit. It's pretty expensive for what's being given, especially the crispy rice w/ spicy tuna ($10 for two small pieces), which was also wasn't very flavorful. read more
22 days ago
8 months ago
Always good to stop in! Impromptu birthday dinner even came with surprise ice cream and song! We finally moved back to the state and can come back more regularly but this didn't disappoint. Fresh, quick, friendly, and tasty! Great prices for quality and amount! read more
9 months ago
Got on the waitlist but it really wasn't long till we were seated. Ordered a few beers and split the Long Beach roll and Octopus roll. Ordered the Toro crispy rice as well. Everything was great. I think this is the new sushi spot for me. Waitstaff is kind and the overall ambience was chill. I'll be back read more
1 year ago
Ordered take out, only took 16 mins! Friendly service during pick up. Everything was well packed and sealed. Ordered the following; Long Beach Roll 5/5: savory sweet, tastes like a summer night at a festival with red lanterns and bright lights. Ponzu Roll 5/5: lemony with some heat from the jalapeños. Tastes like refreshing cool summer morning/afternoon breeze. Philadelphia 5/5: husband says it tastes great haha Katsu Entree 4/5: tastes good, but a little dry. I recommend enjoying the Ponzu roll first before a Long Beach roll. Having a refreshing taste first and then eating something sweet and savory mix is better than the other way around. Which I found out after haha. Had a great experience, definitely want to try again. read more
9 months ago
Came for happy hour on a rainy Friday night and really enjoyed the menu selection, cozy atmosphere, and quick service. It wasn't my favorite sushi as far as freshness, but a positive experience overall! read more
IMPRESSED It was quite the experience dining here, after a hard workout, next-door at LA fitness. My boyfriend was starved, so we almost ordered the whole menu. lol Everything was amazing! Presentation of food was playful, artsy and of course delicious. I loved watching the reveal of the A5 Wagyu (video attached). The bold flavors of each dish got me hooked. Service here was courteous and efficient. We didn't have to wait long for each dish to come out. Ambience reminded me of Japan, except it was a bigger space. We had a tiny table in the corner though. :) This spot was definitely one for the books and we're coming back! read more
First timer here and really enjoyed our meal! Made a reservation via Yelp for 8pm on a Monday. Arrived and was seated right away! They had a couple tables taken but not completely full. Service was very friendly. My husband and I both ordered the "Trust" special, which includes 10 pieces of sushi: toro, bluefin tuna, shima aji, jumbo scallop, black snapper, halibut, yellowtail belly, king salmon, salmon eggs, and amberjack. Our least favorite was the salmon eggs but everything else was very tasty and high-quality! It was the perfect amount for the both of us and I feel like is worth it for the price. We also ordered oyster shooters which were okay. I wouldn't get it again. We were there to celebrate my husband's birthday so they gave us green tea ice cream with a candle! So cute and delicious! read more
Came here with a 9pm reservation and we were sat promptly! The vibes are really intimate and the sushi chefs are so friendly and interact with the guests. I love this place because of the fresh, variety of fish. We got the Ponzu Roll, 9-1-1 Roll, Tinker Bell Handroll & Tokyo Nachos - everything was exceptional and the presentation was so nice! read more
1 year ago
The fish is so fresh here! Does not taste fishy at all. They have a wide variety of rolls to choose from here. The brussel sprouts are my favorite I've had. They have a sea salt on them. There is a bar area and a good size seating area. Snowflake roll is fantastic as well. read more
6 months ago
Holy cow this sushi is amazing! We tried the skyline that has brussel sprout crisps on it and WOW. Such a fun new take on a sushi roll. We also tried the beast roll. This roll was also a fun option and very delicious! The location has great lighting, service is on point. Very happy customer! read more
10 months ago
We had the spicy garlic edamame to start, and honestly it was one of the best spicy edamame's I've had. The California roll was solid, and the 911 roll was really good, definitely spicy, but still manageable even if you're not great with heat. The Ebi Lover was good too, but the real standout was the Snowflake. And no, I'm not being biased , this roll was just THAT good. The combo of fresh fish, tangy ponzu, and a little baby cilantro tied everything together perfectly. It's easily one of my top rolls ever, and I'd come back just for that. Service was super fast, the place wasn't too busy, and the sushi overall was really good. Prices were moderate, nothing crazy. read more
1 year ago
I have colleagues who rave about this place. It did live up to the expectations. I came with other colleagues who really enjoyed their food. I had the opportunity to order the Sunrise on 17th. It was full of good sushi rolled around crab. No rice in this dish. It was presented really well and the taste was very fresh. I would order this again and recommend it to all sushi lovers. I had the opportunity to have the baked mussel and that was very tasty. Baked just right with a little Kewpie and eel sauce. What was disappointing was that I ordered a hot green tea and drank 3/4 of it only. This tea cost me over $4 that came in a little cup that was slightly bigger than a traditional tea cup. All would have been okay but that price for green tea certainly left me leaving fuming. I am a big fan of sushi but this place is good but not good enough to make me want to revisit. read more
2 years ago
This place really gets busy but it's more than obvious of why. Food is great quality and love that chefs are making everything in front of you. Not a place to go quick for lunch, as it will probably be a little longer to get serviced and food. Good spot if you're looking for sushi! read more
7 months ago
I came here like three times in 8 days. lol I'm addicted. I want to share more photos. Highly suggest happy hour or their lunch menu if you can get there. read more
3 months ago
The quality of the food was amazing and they have a great variety of things as well! the quality of the fish was amazing, no fishy taste and the toro melts in your mouth. They also have rolls, Miso was delicious. The service and staff was extremely friendly! read more
1 year ago
If I could summarize everything into one word it would be "Amazing". My gf and I happened to come across this place after hitting the gym at the LA fitness next door. I will say it is a bit dangerous coming here after the gym because my appetite was on another level so I was definitely on a splurging mood. We started off with the uni shooters which were pretty big but delicious! The salmon skin salad was also very generous with loads of crispy skin which we loved. When I saw toro tartare on the menu, I knew I had to have it. It was so delicious, almost creamy with the sauce and quail egg. The chips added a nice texture that played well with the tartare. My gf loves carpaccio so we chose yellowtail out of all the other options which I do want to come back and try. The yellowtail was so buttery and flavorful! We could've done two orders of it. The "Trust" was 10 pieces of quality fish for only $65. This was pretty much a steal for toro, bluefin tuna, shima-aji, jumbo scallop, black snapper, halibut, yellowtail belly, king salmon, ikura, and amberjack. Since I was pretty hungry i also ordered black cod, amaebi, and a5 wagyu. The a5 wagyu came out smoked with a very elegant presentation. I think since I ordered alot they gave me an extra amaebi which was so nice and generous of them. The shrimp head was fried perfectly. The staff were pretty friendly and attentive. There was nothing crazy about the interior but I usually come to restaurants for food. It was very clean though but could be a bit more spacious. All in all i loved my experience here and look forward to the next time. read more
2 years ago
First time here was a great experience with my wife and I for date night! The staff was very sweet and sat us down right away for our reservation! Welcoming and were consistently checking on us to make sure we were taken care of. Now, the food and the rolls! We picked the Red Crunchy, Pay Day, and the Spicy Atlantic. Appetizers, we got Miso soups and the Tokyo Nacho! The Tokyo Nacho - HIGHLY Recommend! Had some great chili oil and miso sauce on top of the spicy tuna and great flavor! The rolls were also absolutely phenomenal and packed a good punch with the chili oil! Pay Day was tangy and had a good tart to it. The Spicy Atlantic and the Red Crunchy great flavors and sauces as well but not as different from other rolls we have had BUT still great flavor and quality! Dining area is very clean and very nice lighting to set the mood. Would recommend to friends and already have to our group of foodies! Thank you for a wonderful and good time! read more
1 year ago
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More info about Ponzu Sushi Bar
1945 E 17th St
Ste 104
Santa Ana, CA 92705
Directions
(657) 231-6668
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https://ponzusushibarsantaana.com
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Ask the Community - Ponzu Sushi Bar
BYOB? Can I bring
I come here quite a bit and I have never tried or seen anyone do it. Might be worth a call and if I had to guess I bet they would let you
Does this restaurant offer omakase?
Yes they do! Just ask the chef and they'll curate one for you :)
Is this restaurant ayce?
I think you're asking if it's 'all you can eat' and the answer is no.
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