Last night we celebrated my sister's birthday and her restaurant of choice was Seabutter in Laguna Beach. The restaurant is clean with b/w color palette, basically modern. Nothing fancy, it probably could have had more of an ambience. But hey, to me restaurants should be about the food...so clean is good! There's a sushi bar and about 12 tables. We chose to sit at a table. The service was attentive and very respectful and informative. Summer (that's her name!) was particularly helpful. Now for the food: generally, very good. First the standouts: the shiso roll was probably my favorite (even though I didn't order it), the truffle salmon was delectable but maybe it's because I love truffle seasoning. They had a different take on the salmon skin hand roll...the way the salmon skin was prepared seemed like it had a batter (?) and very delectable. The crispy rice spicy salmon was yummy but a touch too spicy for me. I know, I know, don't order spicy. Well, I'm not a complete sissy! So here's what fell short: the agedashi tofu. I prefer agedashi tofu prepared with panko, this had a thin shell of crustiness. I'm looking for that crunch. That however, wasn't the thing that I felt objectionable but I'll get to that...Also, I think that this dish should be served with daikon oroshi/grated ginger, the bare minimum would be the grated daikon. So here's the part I was incredibly disappointed: the sauce. I hate to be a snob but that sauce was too sweet...almost cloyingly sweet and too thick. The sauce should be more like tentsuyu for tempura: a light sweetness but enough savoriness to balance it out. The sweetness and the thickness overshadowed the dish. I wondered if the chef was appealing to a palate that likes sweet teriyaki sauce or it was just a different riff on this sauce. I ended up making my own sauce with shoyu and taking part of the daikon garnish to make it complete. Last but not least, crab is my absolute favorite seafood. I got a bite of the blue crab roll that was part of the omakase dinner and I felt that there was too much mayo. I LOVE Kewpie mayo but this was more about a little of it goes a long way...it made the mixture too wet. In summary, a good eating experience but for me, a couple of misses that made me sad and if you're looking for more a traditional take, don't order those. read more

Update: Still totally epic. Nailed down a reservation about 4 hours before arriving. Locked in on many great dishes, all distinct and full of flavor. House music and semi dressy fellow customers...classy, yummy and sincere. Yep, still popping! read more

If you happen to be in the area, Seabutter is a decent sushi option. I wouldn't come out of your way to drive here if you are looking for the best sushi in OC. Located on the third floor, the restaurant has a pretty spacious seating layout. Make sure to have reservations beforehand, as the restaurant became very crowded around 6pm. My table ordered the edamame and hamachi jalapeno for starters which were good. Sister who doesn't eat sushi ordered the avocado crispy rice and chicken kushiyaki (grilled skewers) which she thoroughly enjoyed. I got the spicy yellowtail crispy rice, spicy tuna cut roll, and 911 roll. Out of the three, the crispy rice was definitely something I'd order again and recommend. The spicy tuna cut roll was small but the roll was 90% fish and 10% rice which was great. The 911 roll is spicy tuna with avocado, yuzu, and jalapeno. It had a bright citrus flavor from the yuzu and wasn't that good imo. My brother got the albacore belly which he said melted in his mouth like butttahhh and was the best fish he ordered. Downside is the service is a bit slow (the food took like 30 minutes to come out). It seemed like the doordash and online pickup orders were taking precedent over dine-in. The actual floor service was great. Servers and bussers were checking in, filling water glasses, and clearing plates. Overall, Seabutter is just alright, I've had better. read more

Sooo good! It is so popular on the weekends so heads up, but it's popular for a reason. We had the 911, Mr Crab and pressed toro rolls. All were so fresh. Hostesses were friendly and our server was really good. He recommended our selections and they were just what we were looking for. I recommended calling for a reservation, which we did. It's on the 3rd floor. read more

I've only ever ordered Seabutter from doordash but let me tell you, this is the BEST sushi resturant I've tried in California. They have great prices for the quality sushi and rolls given. Often I find sushi restaurants overprice their rolls and it makes me shy away from being a repeat customer. However, this place has seemingly maintained fair prices for great food. Every roll I've tried is fantastic and tastes great even after being doordashed! read more

Seabutter - Laguna Beach - 911 Beef Gyoza Edamame Hot Night - Japanese Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

AMAZING SUSHI! definitely super fresh and lives up to its name as said in the other reviews, my group and I love to find new sushi spots and we were pleasantly surprised at how yummy everything was. the crowd favorite was the sunset roll! we would've ordered a second round of it if we didnt want to try a variety of rolls their carb friendly rolls are also really good too! honestly i recommend if you're in the area. our group isnt local, but we had a fun staycation in laguna beach and we were trying to figure our a good sushi spot. look no further because seabutter trumps every other spot with their taste, portion sizes, and fair pricing read more

Seabutter - Laguna Beach - Japanese Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

We ordered take out - it took a little longer to come than estimated but everything was tasty and fresh. We did the tempura veggies, tuna crispy rice (good portion size), and daddy long legs. That was a good roll- I liked that it was wrapped in daikon radish. Would return. read more

Seabutter - Laguna Beach - Japanese Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

The food lives up to the restaurants name: the fish and all the sushi tasted like butter, especially the salmon in the pressed salmon avo. The sushi rolls were surprisingly big compared to the sushi rolls at other sushi restaurants, which explains why the rolls were around $20. Food is very high-quality and I would recommend this place for a nice meal. Service was friendly and helpful. There is seating both inside and outside, and both give a view to the ocean. You can also sit by the sushi bar. read more

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I tried seabutter for the first time and it will definitely not be my last! I got take out (vegan medley, miso soup, and agedashi tofu) - everything was delicious. I especially appreciated the excellent customer service and the handwritten thank you note attacked inside my bag. I can't wait to check out their dine in service next time! read more

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Checked out this place for Monday dinner. Made reservations just to make sure we got a seat. This place has been nicely redone from what it was before as it was a lot brighter inside. Not all food pictured but enjoyed their sashimi dishes. Was so hungry I didn't take pics of everything I ate. The oysters were large even at 3 pieces. Will be coming back to try other items read more

Seabutter - Laguna Beach - Car - Japanese Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

This is the absolutely the best sushi I have had in years. The fish is very fresh - I judge all sushi bars on their uni, and Seabutter's uni was fantastic. Their sushi is very creative and gorgeously plated. Service is top notch. I will definitely be back- in fact we will probably make the drive from north county when we want sushi from now on. It's well worth it. read more

Seabutter - Laguna Beach - We had the omacase (chefs choice). Wonderful! - Japanese Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

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Absolutely amazing sushi here. It's a must try if you're in Laguna. Located on the second floor of a medium sized suite of businesses, it could be easily missed if you're just walking down the street. Sea butter has an extensive amount of options from sashimi, sushi and handrolls. The waiters help you by giving plenty of options to choose from. Between two peopoe we split two sushi plates and were plenty full. You can't go wrong no matter what you try. Don't miss out! read more

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Took the family here for a treat and everyone loved the sushi! High quality sushi and delicious flavors. We got a table but the sushi bar looked like a great option. My daughter has asked to go back multiple times :) read more

Seabutter is without question our favorite sushi spot. We happily drive over from San Juan Capistrano just to eat here. The ambiance is beautiful and relaxed, making it the perfect setting for our favorite date night. The quality of the sushi is always outstanding. Every dish is fresh, thoughtfully prepared, and full of flavor. We cannot stop thinking about the Kanpachi Yuzu. It is absolutely unforgettable and one of the best bites of sushi we have ever had. Jacob and Erick always go out of their way to make the evening special, and the entire team is warm and welcoming. Special shout out to Sebastian, who brings great energy and attention to detail every time we visit. If you are looking for top-tier sushi in a laid-back and elegant setting with a staff that genuinely makes you feel at home, Seabutter is the place. read more

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Seabutter is a hidden gem. I am so glad I found this place! The restaurant itself is cute and some of the tables have a view of the ocean. The service was great - our server gave wonderful recommendations and was very thorough in describing everything. Every single thing I order here was delicious and 10/10! I would recommend all the items that I ordered but my personal favorite was the Mr Crab roll. My order: Salmon Truffle Mr Crab Salmon Avo Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice Garlic Edamame Spicy Salmon Hand Roll Salmon Medley Side of yuzu sauce read more

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Fantastic sushi, but when you get take out or delivery, the rolls stick to the boxes and fall apart. They have a major box problem.

Everything we got was sooo delicious. But my two top faves were the Seabutter spoonful, and the Wagyu with uni. The restaurant is pretty small and service was sooo whatever. Not great or too awful. Only reason I'd come back is definitely their sweet uni read more

Wow!! Fresh fish!! Sunset our fav. Erick best sushi chef Polar bear to die for What a find!! We will definitely be back!! Until next time I will be thinking about Seabutter!!! read more

We got here at 6 pm on Sat night (we made the reservation). Not busy as yet. Seated right away. The food was decent . The quality of the sashimi was good. Above average. One of us got a course (picture 1- ) and we ordered several more and a bottle of sake. Everything came out within 30 mins. Real (too) fast. The table was not enough to put all the food so they had to put on another table for the time being. We had to hurry up and eat what in front of us so that we could place the rest of the plates on our table. We were thinking if they offer the course menu, they should have paced out. Once we were able to put all of our plates on our table, then we slowed down our pace eating. By that time, my friend who is Japanese disliked it. It was just too rush first 45 mins to eat. The service was alright. Attentive enough. read more

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Outstanding quality, very fresh fish. There is several locations in the Los Angeles country as well as a new experience. The Bar by Seabutter it's a must to try this sushi concept. This is a must to experience read more

It was alright but nothing to phone home about. Sexy garlic albacore - avocado was browning, insane amount of onions, sushi itself was good but heavy on the sauce Baked lobster crispy rice - very good Edamame - pretty standard Mr. Crab - needed a vegetable for some texture. Very soft, lacked a bite to it. Very creamy as well, just needed something to cut the richness. Overall was pretty good but would likely skip if visiting the area. read more

Seabutter - Laguna Beach - Garlic albacore - Japanese Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

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Tucked upstairs in mid-Laguna Beach, this place delivers solid and consistently quality sushi. And the service matches that as well. Who leaves little hand written notes even on some orders of sticky rice? Seabutter does! read more

Seabutter - Laguna Beach - A Personal Note. - Japanese Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

Super delicious & fresh sushi in Laguna Beach. Really cozy vibes upstairs with a modern layout inside. Jacob was a great help to go through the menu & find out what's best to eat. Very quick service. Each roll or item came out fresh in lightspeed fashion read more

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Love Seabutter! Everything is so fresh and delicious. Atmosphere is cool and clean, sushi chefs are spot on. The hostesses are always a little slow, I think they are kind but need a little more experience, but the staff is welcoming and knowledgeable. We eat here often and it is always great! read more

Yeah really great spot in Laguna. We were at the rooftop across the street and thought we'd give it a try. Loved their no rice rolls. Very flavorful. Also had some sake and Sapporo of course. Overall I'd come back again when I'm south laguna! read more

We sure miss your sushi Chef Henry whenever we are in town we love a visit to seabutter. The food is exceptional. We have not had a bad meal. Looking forward to coming back. The service was amazing, greeted with smiling faces sitting at the sushi bar. The atmosphere is beautiful dim lighting all around wonderful time. read more

This was the best sushi I've had in a long time. We ordered the $99 (per person) set omakase called Taste of Seabutter, and every piece was fantastic! SERVICE: Staff was friendly and accommodating. We sat at the bar and Chef Peter walked us through the entire course. The place was almost packed for a Sunday night, but not too loud in ambiance. FOOD: I couldn't even tell which was my favorite! I had upgraded my hand-roll to the blue crab +$5, which I didn't regret. We were served various nigiri and speciality nigiri along with sashimi and edamame as a starter. OVERALL: 10/10 would recommend if you want to try omakase. It's on the pricier side but I personally thought it was well worth the price. Their entrees a la carte looked amazing as well. read more

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Another great experience at seabutter Laguna. Everytime we come to Laguna we definitely come eat here. Sushi was great tonight. We sat at the bar and chef Jacob recommended special fish for us. Service was quick and friendly as always. The restaurant was clean and sushi bar chairs are always so comfortable. Thank you for another great experience. Can't wait to visit again! read more

Seabutter - Laguna Beach - Sushi - Japanese Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

Well I decided to see if eating in was any different than my prior take out experience and it was about the same. A solid 4 stars. Nothing special. Kinda heavy on the rice and thinly cut on the fish with a high price. Good flavor though. Just not 5 stars. There's plenty of space to eat inside at the ambiance is very casual. Like you can bring kids and lots of kids here when we came. It's located on the 3rd floor of the center. read more

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First time going into the restaurant and had an amazing experience. Food and service were amazing. Our waitress Summer and manager Yukino had great customer service. They made sure we were satisfied with our food and had great recommendations. read more

Went to this place because my boyfriend had never had omakase and I'd heard great things about this place's LA location. This place has street parking and was a bit confusing to find as it's a couple floors up, but we got there. (Take the stairs, it's much faster than waiting for the elevator). We sat outside because we wanted a pretty view of the ocean, and the waitress was nice enough to turn on the heater for us. We ordered the Baked Lobster Crispy Rice, O.Toro, the Shiso Special, and Omakase (Chef's choice). We also ordered some hot sake to help battle the cold. The sake was fairly priced, but I would say the other things on the menu were a bit pricy (minus the omakase). I have had fresher tasting sushi elsewhere but this place wasn't bad. I will say I was pleasantly surprised by the crispy rice and, along with the omakase, was the best thing we tried. If I was craving sushi or omakase, I probably wouldn't come back and would try elsewhere instead. read more

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So, we have been coming to Seabutter for a few years now and have always thought it was the best and freshest sushi around! Saturday night my husband and I were there and ordered a few of our favorite dishes such as hot night roll and the spicy tuna crispy rice and we each ordered our own Mr Crab because we love it so much! Well , the first bite of the Mr Crab we both knew something was off! It tasted fishy and metallic and that taste that leaves that feeling of wanting to gag in your mouth! We have never sent anything back before but since it was both of us tasting the same thing we told our waiter to take it back (we weren't charged). He commented that the Langoustines had been changed! We couldn't eat anything else after this so we asked for our bill and left hungry! Not sure if we will come back which is soooo disappointing! read more

A solid sushi option in Laguna Beach! Food is really good and fresh. Also some delicious crispy rice options that I haven't really seen and def recommend (I like the classic spicy tuna, but also albacore is really good)! If you are stuck you can't go wrong with the sunset roll, daddy long legs, or a blue crab hand-roll. The people who work here are also very nice. Also they have outdoor seating if you want to bring your doggo! read more

We cannot say enough great things about this restaurant! We have a celiac/gluten free and vegetarian in our group and they did not disappoint. Staff was incredibly knowledgeable and also friendly and attentive! Food was so wonderful!. Followed with black sesame ice cream. So good. We had Mr crab, polar bear, green goddess - so good. Plentiful and tasty. Service was just fantastic! We will definitely be back. Thank you for accommodating our gluten free diet. read more

Seabutter - Laguna Beach - Polar bear! So yummy! - Japanese Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

Very fresh seafood. Great options. Friendly & quick service. Small restaurant so if you have a large party definitely would recommend making a reservation. read more

Seabutter - Laguna Beach - Toro-Uni - Japanese Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

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The sushi here is very good. Service could be a lot better. That being said You can tell the fish is fresh and there is great balance in the sushi they make. Sometimes places use way too much rice. That is not the case at this place. The place is small and gets busy for dinner so I would recommend a reservation. We were able to get a dinner reservation same day. They offer 2 hour validated parking for the parking lot at this marketplace. The restaurant is located on the second floor. Nothing fancy but during the day looks like there are great ocean views. Some of the highlights were the truffle salmon and the toro they were both very good. Also the volcano roll and the YTJ roles were also very good. The one thing I noticed was the service was not great. It took a while before our order was taken. Probably 15 minutes and then at one point it took about 30 minutes to get a roll we ordered. Looks like the manager is present but not very involved. They should probably look at being a better service based restaurant. This is especially true because the prices are not cheap. If not for the bad service I would have given 4 stars. read more

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The BEST sushi place in OC! Fish quality is consistently amazing, my favorite is usually the nigiri especially the o-toro and salmon belly. All of the rolls I've tried were great too and you have to try the avo crispy rice! It's a cute restaurant set-up too with a nice view from the windows. Dining there is always fun, but I'm glad they're on doordash for times we don't feel like going out and they always put a cute note with the takeout order too! read more

Seabutter - Laguna Beach - Assorted nigiri: Yellowtail Belly, Otoro, Toro, Salmon Truffle, Wagyu, Salmon Belly, Albacore, Amberjack-Kanpachi - Japanese Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

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Amazing sushi rolls; the best in my life Especially "Dragon" roll Friendly stuff Convenient parking on the street read more

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I don't think I've ever been so excited to leave a review in my life. This is hands down the BEST SUSHI I have ever had IN MY LIFE! We also had impeccable service tonight. The sushi is FRESH, service is quick and our server made amazing recommendations. You have to come here ! read more

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Never again will I order Postmates or Uber Eats they should be banned for life. says it will arrive at 7:00 pm, it's 8 pm and they were still preparing. I called at 7:20 they told me it'll be done in 5 minutes. Never will spend another penny here. Take your $ to oto and have a real meal. read more