Back in the day, before it became "SOTA" it was Gen Kai （Taka & Toshi) Donna & I lived on Larkspur in CDM （1988-1995 we ate there at least 2-3x a week. After we moved - not so much anymore. Fast-forward -2022. Although we do not live in the area, we treat ourselves to SOTA every change we get and it's like going home. We always sit at the bar. The freshness of the fish & the Chef's attentional to detail are unmatched by anything you will find in WLA or anywhere else for that matter. The Chefs are attentive and amiable. By no means can we be called "regulars". Nevertheless, the times I've sat down and said "feed me" I have never been disappointed. If you ever wanted to know what really 'good' sushi is supposed to taste like - go to SOTA and treat yourself! D. Sindicich [founder & managing member of the FOUR GRIZZLIES {TM}) read more

Extremely disappointing. We came to Sota Sushi with high expectations and left very disappointed. The first table we were seated at was in the back near stored booster seats and had a strong odor resembling urine, which immediately put a bad taste in our mouths and required us to move. It was an unacceptable start and set the tone for the entire visit. Once we moved, the food did not improve the experience. Dishes were expensive yet severely under-portioned. Rolls were heavy on rice and sauce, and the fish was barely noticeable. The bluefin tuna with truffle oil was drowned in oil and lacking flavor. The spicy tuna rice cake was served cold, extremely small, flavorless, and hard. The Yellow Submarine roll was overly sauced and unbalanced. For nearly $200 at a restaurant that presents itself as high-end, the meal fell far below expectations. We left early, still hungry, and deeply disappointed. I truly wish someone had warned us. read more

UMAMI KANI. Start off your experience at this wonderful restaurant with this delicious appetizer. Great to split for two. This restaurant looks great for groups and the service was attentive and friendly. read more

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We came here to celebrate a birthday and had an absolutely fantastic experience from start to finish. Before we even sat down, one of the sushi chefs noticed us and warmly greeted us, inviting our party of three to sit at the sushi bar. It was a Saturday just before Christmas, the restaurant was packed, and we were thrilled to get seats right in front of the chefs. While looking over the menu, Chef Yan offered to send out an appetizer. I told him I trusted him and asked to be surprised--and he completely delivered. The appetizer was amazing and set the tone for the rest of the meal. I then told Chef Yan that I wanted to try all the omakase options on the menu. He handled everything with professionalism and great pacing, starting us with the regular omakase, followed by the fatty omakase, which was absolutely superb. The halibut fin was insane--OMG. He then brought out the omakase rolls, which were just as impressive. Still wanting more, we ordered the Cabo roll and the Lollipop roll, and once again, everything was outstanding. Chef Yan truly made the entire experience feel special and memorable. To top it all off, after our meal the servers surprised us with a small dessert for the birthday celebrant, and all the sushi chefs came together to sing. It was such a thoughtful and fun touch. Truly a great experience all around. Highly recommend this place--we'll definitely be back. read more

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This might be one of my new fav sushi spots - everything was so fresh and delicious. We sat at the bar and got to watch the chef make everything right in front of us. He was very nice and even made us our own custom roll with whatever we liked. Def a good sushi spot for date night or a casual dinner. We got the Hama Jala which was the best dish of the night. The yellowtail was so fresh and flavorful. The crispy rice with spicy salmon was delicious too. The ma-g-de was the best roll of the ones we tried, def recommend. Will be back! read more

Went here on a last minute decision the day after Valentine's Day since my wife was craving sushi. We waited for a bit over an hour for a seat at the bar. It was 1000% worth it. The rolls were amazing and the staff was very friendly. Although it was busy they showed effort and apologized each time they felt the time between check ins was too long. My favorite roll was the yellow submarine and the omakase roll. A small unassuming sushi place that is packed with goodness. Officially my favorite sushi spot. read more

SOTA - Rainbow roll - Japanese Near Me - Corona Del Mar, California

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The BEST sushi ever! I was blown away by the quality and flavor. The staff were so friendly and accommodating. Amazing experience and ambiance! I cannot wait to go back. You are missing out if you have not eaten here!!!!! 10 stars read more

I wanted to love this place because I'd heard great things and it's close to our house, but it just didn't do it for me. Nothing was spectacular. My favorite dish was probably the crispy rice with spicy salmon. The nigiri was also pretty good but the carpaccio and rolls were not enjoyable. read more

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Very good sushi. Very good service. I've passed this place many times on the PCH in Corona Del Mar. It's a rather small place and easy to miss. I took my mom and my son here and we were really happy with our food. My son and I love sushi. My mom doesn't like sushi, but she loved the shrimp and veggie tempura as well as the salmon main dish . Very fresh and delicious . It's a small but cozy place and the staff is really friendly. glad we found this place. We will be back! read more

Sota is amazing. Food is to die for, get the Bob's hand roll (off-menu item). Can be busy though so get there early.

This is a great place... u can reasonably get in on busy nights (one of the reasons I come) and it's reasonably priced. Theres a place on the pennisula I prefer but it's double or triple the price and it's a 2 hour ordeal at min. I feel like this is a great neighborhood spot... My Go to's Oyster: Uni shooters (we love these!) Soft Shell Crab (sooo good ) 5pc Omakase Chardonnay Lychee Martini Good wine selection basic but good enough Love the staff and chefs everyone is great here! read more

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Soooooo good! Haven't had anything here that I don't like. Staff is so cool and friendly and helpful.had the wavy skipjack, needlefish, live scallop, bluefin tuna, spicy yellowtail on crispy rice, Cabo roll and a few others and they all were delicious! Came in on a Saturday night right when they opened and couldn't believe there was already a bunch of people waiting to get in! Yeah, that good! read more

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4.5/5 SOTA came with many recommendations from one of my friends here who basically goes religiously for her sushi fix and I have had the chance to try it out twice since, once with her, and once with my family this past weekend. Right off the bat I loved the atmosphere and the menu (always looking for sushi places that serve simpler rolls and really stick to the quality of fish) and SOTA definitely achieves this, which is why it is definitely on the top of my list right now. I've had their tuna maki, a few of their specialty rolls, as well as their yellow tail and salmon sashimi, all of which have been fantastic. Their wine selection and martini's are also great. That being said, this second time that we went in, our server was extremely rude. As someone with quite a bit of experience in jobs that require a lot of customer service I definitely understand that it can be incredibly tough to tend several tables at once on a Saturday night. That being said, the effort to be kind and attentive is always appreciated (and achieved by many). However throughout our ~75-80ish min meal we never got a water refill, got checked on maybe once or twice and that was after we expressed a need, and barely were acknowledged as our server was delivering our check. Conversely we could see a much more pleasant treatment of other tables around us by that same waiter, although I'm not quite sure why this would be as we usually try to be very mindful, thankful, and low-maintenance when dining out. Before this experience I was really raving about SOTA per my first visit, and surely I will go back for the amazing sushi, but hopefully future experiences feature better service! read more

6 stars great staff - fun and attentive seafood fresh rolls inventive and flavorful Full bar read more

We came here for lunch. It is really good. I ordered nigiri...salmon, hamachi and unagi. My husband ordered the jidori chicken skewers. Overall the service and ambiance is nice. We will definitely be coming back. read more

First time trying SOTA- ordered a quick pickup order and got the crispy rice w/ spicy salmon & the MAGDE roll. There's no online menu with prices that seem accurate so it is a big difficult to order takeout & the total cost was more than what I saw online. Not crazy expensive but it's still sushi! Was told a 15 minute wait but got there and waited 30 :/ Food was delicious though I absolutely loved the crispy rice. Ambience is intimate and modern- would definitely go back! read more

Chef Sota is a master at his craft. Each piece of nigiri was a work of art with fresh and creative flavor bombs. Can't wait to go back! read more

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If you're looking for sushi that feels both elevated and authentic, Sota Sushi in Newport Beach is the spot. Relaxed, and welcoming, perfect for a night out with friends, date night, or even a solo sushi experience. The fish quality is outstanding, fresh, buttery, and beautifully presented. Every bite feels carefully crafted, not rushed. I tried a mix of rolls and nigiri, and each one was better than the last. Service is just as impressive as the food. The team here is attentive without being intrusive. They make you feel like a regular even if it's your first visit. Highly recommend making a visit to Sota. read more

The food is the best! Sota is not only an excellent chef he is so welcoming! See you soon Sota!

Service and food were top notched ! Soo good we're grabbing the rest of our group and coming back tomorrow to eat ! read more

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As much as I used to love this place and the food is still pretty good; the service on our last week's reservation was disappointing to the point that it makes me not want to go back. We waited 20 min for our water which was never refilled. We ordered several items but nobody ever checked on us during the dinner. Wanting to order more food we waited so long for someone to come we decided to leave hungry. Such a shame coz it used to be our go to. read more

Sooo I'll be honest, my friend and I actually tried to go to Sugarfish but the wait was 3 hours!! So my friend told me about Sota and said it was just down the street so we walked over and I'm actually really glad we went here instead. Sota definitely has more of a traditional sushi vibe and the sushi chefs were all so nice and attentive. I feel like we ordered everything off the menu lol the food is amazing! Sota is a must try and I can't wait to come back read more

SOTA - Japanese Near Me - Corona Del Mar, California

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True Japanese Sushi, Sashimi, Chirashi and Poke Bowl without the fake rolls with cream cheese made by the True Japanese Sushi Chef in the heart of Newport Beach's downtown business district. The place is big for a traditional Sushi restaurant, since the rent at Newport Beach must be quite high. The ambiance was old Tokyo feel with wooden chairs and semicircular bar facing the main chef and his associates working behind the glass case with freshly prepared high quality fish and octopus, shrimp etc. the $25 lunch sushi combo came with extra California Rolls and $38 lunch Deluxe Chirashi came with perfect Japanese rice with so many special sashimi that I was in heaven! The seaweed laden miso soup was perfectly delicious and not salty at all. The temperature of miso soup was so great. I loved it. read more

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food: 50/50 service: 25/25 ambience: 25/25 delish, quick and friendly place for sushi in cali! visited here and sat at the sushi bar. made pleasant conversations with our visitors and enjoyed watching the sushi masters preparing the sushi :) ordered edamame, tuna roll and miso soup. everything was delishhhh! when im back in cali i would come here again. read more

SOTA - Japanese Near Me - Corona Del Mar, California

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Sota is a gem. Great service and great food. Never disappoints. It can get quite full so we plan ahead of time, but well worth the wait.

Great sushi and wonderful sushi chefs. Suggest you just order omekasa and let the chef's do their thing.

This was my second time at Sota and both times the sushi was amazing and the service great. First time we came in with a group of four and were able to get a seat at the bar. This time we came in with a group of five and again hit it just right and were able to get a seat at the bar. For the quality of the fish the prices were very reasonable. I let our sushi chef pick the rolls and they were some of the most creative and tasty rolls I've had! I wore into sushi and sashimi, but these rolls I really enjoyed. Sota is fast becoming my go too for sushi. This restaurant has something for everyone. read more

Ambiance lively, great service. Wonderful hot green tea. High energy casual environment with good food. Tried sota roll, which was creative. Crispy rice spicy salmon was also yummy. Blue crab hand roll was cold which was surprising. Caterpillar roll was our favorite. Overall great way to end a beach day! read more

SOTA - Salmon and tuna nigiri - Japanese Near Me - Corona Del Mar, California

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Tried Sota with my kids for the first time based on a review of the restaurant from a YouTube foodie. We really enjoyed it. We got there when they opened for lunch and it was empty except for us and the sushi chefs and waiter for about 30 minutes. The menu is extensive and everything we had tasted very fresh. The staff is great and very engaging. We would go back again. read more

My tummy hurts! I ate Waaay too much. Everything was so good i couldnt stop! From the crunchy rice with yellowtail, miso mushroom soup, tempura vegies n shrimp to the cod (had to have it twice) and everything in between. Check out the photos. I forgot to take some but everything was divine! read more

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Absolute lack of customer service - no understanding for large group asking to dine - waited an hour - nothing - seated multiple smaller groups and let us wait - unacceptable - 0 stars read more

chef's choice I didn't take any pictures but come on simple walk in say you want the chef's choice and let them bring dishes to you. It's amazing. No other reviews needed just go PS the ambience there is wonderful also. read more

Wow, it has been a long long time since I wrote this review. In the intervening time, it became our regular sushi joint with our favorite sushi chef, then she left, then there was the whole pandemic thing, and now we are back for the occasonal sushi dinner. Susan our favorite sushi chef, moved away and we miss her terribly. We could put ourselves in her hands and she would make up rolls for us and do nigiri orders with two different preparations of the same fish at times. She was great, but she has moved to another hemisphere, so we don't see her any more. But the restaurant is still here, and the fish is still really good. It seems like Sota hits a sweet spot where they offer a really wide variety of fish, including Japanese imports and uncommon fish, while it is still very approachable and relatively affordable. It is the high end, or at least high-end adjacent sushi restaurant we frequent the most often. read more

Food - delicate and fresh sushi and sashimi and seafood Service - twas great all around and attentive Ambiance cozy and small but ample for small groups read more

Food - creative- innovative - fresh Service - professional - fun - attentive Ambiance - clean - chill - good sounds Love this place. Followed the owner from Laguna here and he and his team are committed to their craft. Arigatou gozaimasu Sota san. read more

IMHO, we tried a few things and all served up a delightful flavor profile that leaves you dreaming for more. Like turning the pages of a good book wondering what's next. A must: - Gindara: Saikyo miso marinated black cod. - Cabo Roll: Big Eye Tuna, cucumber, gobo, sprouts, red onion, topped with albacore and red jalapeños, cilantro garnish. Drizzled with cilantro serrano ginger dressing and splash of chili oil Will return for chapter 2. read more

Our favorite Sushi in Newport Beach. Never ever been disappointed. The quality is absolutely the best. Sota and entire staff are awesome.

Great food and service. It can get a bit noisy here, but I typically will put on my headphones or ear plugs of sound gets too overwhelming for me. read more

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One of my all-time favorite restaurants is this sushi spot in Corona del Mar. I've been coming here for over 8 years, and it's never disappointed. The staff is always friendly and perfectly attentive, and the fish is consistently fresh and delicious. I highly recommend an omakase roll to end your meal. The vibe is local, happy, and social--one of those rare places where you feel like part of the neighborhood. It's cozy enough that your order never gets lost in the shuffle, and you can actually enjoy the experience without the chaos. A true hidden gem. read more

Oh my god! This place is to die for! The Kazan Roll is my favorite. I also love the classics. The mood of everything was really modern and relaxed. I totally recommend this place! read more