I have been coming here since the previous owners ran it... well over 15 years and I can tell you this Is the best sushi bar in OC. Environment... food... staff and especially the owner and how engaged he is in the attention to detail and his clientele. Not to be missed.... Oh and ask for the "Mitch Roll" named after your truly!!!! read more

SOTA - The "Mitch Roll" on the hidden menu!!! - Japanese Near Me - Corona Del Mar, California

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

Love this place. Omakase is amazing. The sota pop is great as well. But it gets busy so we get there right when they open. 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

Best sushi in Newport, sit at the bar and order the Omakase, be amazed. Fresh fish, great chefs and fantastic atmosphere. read more

Fantastic sushi, one of the best experiences I've had in SoCal. Make sure to eat at the sushi bar and order as much as you can. Service at the bar is def better than tables but regardless would go again read more

Sota is the best!!! #1 sushi chef in the county. Fish was super fresh and tasted amazing.

Truly the best Sushi in OC, hands down. Fish is incredibly fresh, gyoza is phenomenal, and the servers / owner is the best. 10/10 would recommend read more

This is my second time here and it did not disappoint either time. The fish is excellent and the rice is made perfectly. Their rolls are fresh and delicious as well. Each bite of everything melted in my mouth read more

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So yummy. I came in for lunch, sushi chef were really nice and fish was super fresh. Very accommodating with my gluten allergy.

Amazing food, we've been here about 5 times and I will say the only complaint is that the service can be hit or miss. Do yourself a favor and order their toro! read more

Cozy little neighborhood spot, the sushi is good, I like the nigiri, they have fresh fish...good service, the cold rolls are not my favorite, but nigiri is better than sushi Roku.... read more

SOTA - Japanese Near Me - Corona Del Mar, California

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Definitely DBEST sushi experience in Orange County KUDOS to the chefs and cooks. We are frequently visitors, highly recommend to try out the Ribs(fish) never seen this anywhere else and they are delicious, also the sizzling salmon with lemon grass , the Kazan is delicious, the burrito roll. You must try these out they are delicious read more

Loved this place. Small, intimate setting, friendly sushi chefs with great recommendations, FULL BAR, great Japanese whiskies, and most important, great food. You see them breaking down the fish in front of you, everything tastes fresh, not a massive menu, but each thing was done well. Cocktails: Zendricks- gin martini with muddled ginger and cucumbers, strained into a chilled glass. not sweet, very complimentary to the delicate fish. Japanese Manhattan- Christmas in a glass. great Manhattan. Starters: Crispy rice with choice of fish - we got tuna. staple on most oc sushi places, this was the BEST i've had. super small bites, rice is soft but crispy. perfect little morsels. Hamachi sushi- fresh and buttery. Hamachi Jama- sashimi in ponzu with jalapeños and cilantro - even better. Rolls: Ma-G- De - favorite roll. shrimp tempura, snow crab, avocado topped with spicy tuna and jalapeño. Spicy aioli and sweet soy. BOMB. Cabo - big eye tuna, cucumber, gobo, sprouts, red onion, topped with albacore and red jalapeños, cilantro, cilantro, serrano ginger dressing and chili oil. FRESH. might add lemon next time. Surf and Turf - I never order this but it sounded fun. It was done well (not well done), but it was my least favorite. I would love this as an appetizer at a steak house, rather than when I'm in the mood for sushi. I would skip and try something else next time. New favorite local sushi spot. read more

Drinks were great I got the Yuzu because I am a big yuzu fan and it was wonderful and floral perfection! Food was delicious and fresh! Started with the garlic edamame, crispy rice with tuna (very small cute portions) and gyoza. Rolls I had the Cabo roll which was incredible amazing and fresh exactly what I was looking for. I also had their Ma-G-D hand roll delish! I thought the pricing was fair and great for how fresh everything was. I will say I would give them 3.5 stars for service the staff was friendly just it took very long for everything to come to the table including drinks and apps and main dishes. We wanted to order more after our main rolls but didn't end up doing so because we knew it would take a while. Overall I really recommend! read more

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Hands down it is the BEST sushi place I have been to. The atmosphere, good, presentation and staff make this out to go by place when I travel to OC. Sato is a sushi master with knife carving skills. Shoboshi Chicago read more

Favorite sushi hands down. Sota and his crew are absolutely the best from the quality of their food to the trendy and friendly experience. Sota is a must try! read more

I've had a lot of sushi in my day... but I've never had sushi this delicious in my entire life. Hands down. It's an entirely different level of sushi. The best I've ever had. Also, I can't remember the last time I had this much FUN at a sushi bar. Or the last time I couldn't finish a single martini or shot of sake. TOP NOTCH. I realize I've never really had legit sake until now. I will 100% be back. Nothing beats it. read more

Perfectly crispy rice, not too crispy, not too soft. And warm. And the perfect size. I could eat this every day. A plus is that you can have it with spicy tuna, yellowtail or salmon. read more

SOTA - Best ever Crispy Rice. - Japanese Near Me - Corona Del Mar, California

Our time at Sota was one of the most memorable meals on our trip to Orange County. We ordered the Marigold, Ma-G-De, Di's sushi burrito, and the crispy rice. The quality of the sushi was superb and the server was extremely attentive. The restaurant was beautiful and clean. We will definitely be back on our next trip to OC. read more

Very good sushi spot! I love the creativeness of the whole menu! The sushi chef actually owns the restaurant which is a plus. I love to hear sushi chefs running the show. He was working behind the bar when we visited. His last name is Sota like the restaurant! Service was very smooth and everything came out in a timely manner. We tried so many new fish here. There wasn't anything that we didn't enjoy. I would say portions could be a little bigger on fish to rice ratio but that's it. It was a lovely experience coming here! read more

Loved this sushi place! The chefs were really welcoming and prompt with their service. It was really cute in there too. I got the "Sota Pop" since I prefer no rice. It was delish and would eat there again :) read more

Can't say I'll be back. This restaurant is quite pretentious, seemingly only because it's located in Corona del mar. And while the menu items certainly try, the place itself and the food are dead giveaways...SOTA ain't foolin me. We got the black cod and two rolls, along with some alcoholic drinks. The waitress took our order without any notepad, which is fine. But then later on, she came to quietly ask what appetizer we had ordered, and when I told her, I saw her go back to the register to input it. That's also fine. But then she comes to us again and tells us it takes about 20 minutes to cook...unsurprisingly, it came out last. All because she didn't put it in when we first ordered...because she thought she could memorize our order. It's the small, simple things for me. Cmon. Sadly, that black cod appetizer was the best part of the meal. The rolls were just okay. While we should have gone there for sushi, I don't really get sushi at places that predominantly offer other things, and I have my sushi go-tos. I dont regret having tried the rolls, because that's what sealed SOTA's fate for me. No deal. read more

SOTA - Spider and burrito - Japanese Near Me - Corona Del Mar, California

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I went to this restaurant and had such a great experience and enjoyed some yummy food as well. The service was great and they came around a perfect amount of times to ask if we needed anything more. I enjoyed the interior and the seating layout a lot. I found the food to be absolutely delicious. read more

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Excellent customer service!! Can't say enough about it! The ambience is cozy and the atmosphere makes for a great experience. Clean restrooms are important and they definitely keep up with the volume of customers. The hostesses are really nice too. read more

Pretty good service and atmosphere. Don't recommend the crispy rice tuna roll appetizer. Recommend the lobster roll and blue fin!

Simply the best!! Great specials, culinary artistry and good energy! Thanks for creating an amazing experience every time we come.

Heads up - there is a parking lot behind the restaurant. I got the sashimi omakase - while it was plated very nicely, it was not a very interesting selection and was just OK. Overpriced for what I received, to be honest. I also felt the service was a bit weak - the restaurant was over half empty and I couldn't get my drinks refilled. It was clear that a lot of the customers were regulars, so they must be ordering things that are to their taste. I was a one off who wandered in randomly (I don't live in the area). Personally, if I was in the area again, I'd try a different sushi restaurant. read more

SOTA - Sashimi omakase - Japanese Near Me - Corona Del Mar, California

My buddy and I decided we wanted something light for lunch after a morning session at the Wedge. Never been to Sota so we thought we'd give it a try. Uhmmm... The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Good - friendly staff and great service. Bad - Sota Pop roll was nearly un-eatable. Philly roll was kinda small for a standard roll. Ugly - Marigold roll was not too attractive but tasted... mmmm... ok... I guess. Yeah, I know - specialty rolls can be hit or miss. In this case, both the Sota Pop and Marigold rolls were huge swings and misses. The philly roll could've made up for some of the displeasure, but didn't. Pass. read more

This is not the classy sushi restaurant it appears to be in the pictures. The food is mediocre and expensive, and the service was slow and rude. For the same price, better sushi, and better service I much prefer Seabutter or Hamamori. I sat at the sushi bar while the restaurant was around half full. I ordered 8 sets of nigiri; the first 5 came after 10 minutes, which seemed a bit slow but was ok. It was the latter 3 orders that took the duration of my 40 minutes at the restaurant to be served, and that was only after the waitress tallied the bill, and realized we hadn't received the order. They were then incredibly rude with their response as if I had been demanding because I asked. As far as food and ambience goes - the crab on the sushi burrito tasted fishy which ruined the subsequent pieces. Certain nigiri pieces were good, like the sea bass, but at $8-10 an order I was expecting far better quality and bigger pieces. The pieces are small and mediocre. I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for sushi as the prices are too high for the midrange and the quality and service too low for the high range. read more

Probably one of the best sushi restaurants I've tried in the OC. There's was a uniqueness to each item that I ordered. Highly recommend this restaurant. read more

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Excellent. A true 5* restaurant. The food is extremely fresh. The submarine roll, and tofu salad are fantastic. The restaurant does not allow reservations, so come a half hour earlier than your desired dinner time in order to place your name read more

Amazing Sushi, the best I've ever had! I've been going to Sota for the past 3 years and by far it's best quality sushi in SoCal. Haru, Yasu and Sota are the most talented sushi chefs and Natsuko, the manager, provides an excellent service. If your in the area I highly recommend trying this place, you won't be disappointed. read more

Mouthwatering, super high quality sushi . Sota himself is always super friendly and running the show. The Best sushi in town. read more

SOTA - Cabo Roll - Japanese Near Me - Corona Del Mar, California

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Food is amazing!!! Service is great!!! Next level fresh fish. Omikase roll is delicious. Sushi chefs are fantastic read more

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Cute place in CDM, but the service was okay at best. We ordered the Omakase fatty 5 Nigiri and Omakase rolls after waiting for around for 30 minutes or so we got a "sorry it's coming on right now" and still waited another 10 to 15 minute only to get smelly and what tasted like not so fresh fish. For $160 plus dollar bill, the food and experience was lackluster. read more

super pretty food!! tastes great, great service, and beautiful presentation! we walked in about half an hour before close and surprised they were still seating people! rolls were good, fresh, and not too heavy. tempura ice cream was perfect and not melted at all, super crispy on the outside! read more

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SOTA is my new go-to now for sushi! A Japanese-owned eatery with Japanese sushi chefs, that does sushi right! But still with a creative spin on it, without compromising quality. Coincidentally I sat next to a couple Giving one-star review claiming aggressive attitude. There's two sides to the story is all I can say and I saw some rude behavior from the customers so dont believe everything you hear. While The sushi chef could have worded it differently - This establishment is BUSY and I feel like Japanese food and the environment here is about having fun and relaxing. Be respectful and nice and understand that there are big parties and although it looks like many sushi chefs, many are Prepping for success. //CONTEXT// I came here with my girlfriend and we ate at the sushi bar. We were one of the first customers. //ENVIRONMENT// The environment is super fun and it's a small restaurant. There's a lot of smaller tables behind us, I think they can do a big party but it's definitely not easy to get a spot I don't think. //FOOD// * 2 rounds of 5 piece Omakase - absolutely delicious! I usually don't like when they do 5 at a time but each piece was so fresh and tasted so good! There are definitely unique touches to each one with a fusion twist to it. * 2 - Omakase rolls: the chef prepared us two rolls of his choice and WOW! I was amazed. He made us one roll with a seared yellowtail belly and another negatory cut roll with a yellow pickled radish. It was all so good! //SERVICE// Our servers were really friendly! Again it is busy, so it was nice being at the sushi bar and having more attention there. //OVERALL// I can't wait to take my friends here! read more

One of the most fun, delicious sushi places I've ever been to. The owner is there pretty much every day making sushi himself. He is hilarious. His whole crew is amazing. I love this place. read more

Waited over 1 hour, and still not seated. The hostess asked for our name and phone number, and wrote it down... told us the wait will be 45- 50 mins for a party of 3. It was too cold outside, so we waited in the car for a while. It was past 40 mins so we decided to wait outside of the restaurant, about 3 parties walked in, hostess didn't even bother too look at this so called list. 2 parties of 2 and 1 party of 4, not even on the list just walked in and they were immediately seated. Asked her how much longer too, and she told us 25 more mins. Asked her so are we just ignoring this? And just looked at me with a smile and said no, we can't squeeze in a chair at the tables for 2.... We ended up just walking away. Honestly, well what about the party of 4 that just walked in? Looks like great food and atmosphere, but horrible customer service. read more