We came here for my fiancé's birthday. I've actually had this place bookmarked for about a year and never made it out until last night. The place is quite small, only a few tables and a sushi bar. They don't take reservations so go early to avoid the lines. We came around 6 o'clock and all the tables were full already and there was only room at the sushi bar, which was fine because we came for the sushi. Just keep in mind that you can't order regular food at the sushi bar. Our sushi chef was great. We asked for omakase and he did not disappoint. The great thing about omakase is that the sushi is already flavored so you shouldn't have to dip it in any kind of sauce. We had about 10 pieces each and I enjoyed every piece. We also ordered a few basic rolls. The vegetable rolls were surprising very good. The best roll was the shunka roll though (obviously, it's named after the restaurant). The service was quick and easy. We were in and out in about an hour. The wait staff were friendly. The owner chef actually came over to our side of the bar to tell us about each roll. He was super nice and funny. It was such a great dinning experience. I definitely will be back. read more

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We dined in on a Friday night. Waited around 15 mins and got seated at the bar at 6:30pm. It's our second time here and this place never disappoints. The omakase 10-piece sushi is $60 per person. You get to try special fishes that were shipped from Japan which made the experience special. The sushi chief was also super patient and friendly and introduced the fishes we ate to us. I particularly liked the blue fin tuna, uni, akamutsu, and seared black cod. A very satisfied meal. read more

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Starting with a disclaimer: I wouldnt say I have an incredibly refined palatte when it comes to sushi. This was my first omakase and I had no complaints regarding my experience. We arrived for an early lunch on a Saturday and we were seated at the sushi bar with no wait. Chef Juro prepared our sushi and he explained that there were two omakase options: 8 pieces of sushi and a handroll for $45, and unlimited chefs choice of sushi (minimum 6 pieces), for however much you eat. I would say my favorites were the sweet shrimp (+fried heads), uni, hamachi, ootoro, and chilli. I would definitely come back to see what else this place has to offer! read more

Sushi Shunka - Chefs choice Omakase ~$100 per person for 10 pieces - Sushi Bars Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Came here for their omakase - right when I walked in, we sat at the sushi bar to get the omakase. It was 10-piece omakase, and for the price it was good. We ended up ordering more sushi dishes. For the money, it's definitely good for what you get. If you're craving quick omakse for a good price, come here! We were able to secure a spot at the bar for 2 without a reservation, but obviously YMMV. read more

This used to be our go-to sushi place. We have been coming here for years. Servers are sweet and sushi is fresh except for recently. Our past few orders have been very disappointing. They have increased their prices and aren't focused on quality right now... this is what we received tonight. For $117 I would hope we could at least get a fresh avocado... chefs -how did you let this leave the kitchen? read more

Sushi Shunka - Our avocado - Sushi Bars Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

So my boyfriend has been telling me about this place for awhile now , finally he just took me for my birthday weekend lunch! It was so good I started with a salmon skin hand roll it was hot and crispy with sliced cucumber and gobo rice etc.. then I followed with the spider hand roll ( soft shell crab) asked for gobo to be put in it as well just adds that crunch and yummy flavor that gobo has (looks like a little carrot ) we had the rainbow roll as well it was delicious ! I had for dessert the anago (fresh water eel) it was delicious ! They brought me their green tea ice cream for dessert it was so creamy and delicious! Will be back ! read more

I don't like to leave one star reviews but this place earned it. I brought my team with me to this place to celebrate a birthday. First impressions was the place smelled and looked dirty. Table barely big enough to accommodate our party of six. Servers were really rude and curt. But it gets worse. The sushi did not taste fresh. As soon as I put it in my mouth I had a bad feeling we might all be getting sick later. Sure enough, one staff member barfed within a couple hours. Two of us, self included, felt sick all night long. I will never ever eat here again. I don't know how it has such a high average rating here on Yelp. There are many other much better places to get sushi in OC. I will be sticking to Oshima in Orange from now on. read more

Shunka uses to offer 1 sushi per dish for Omakase. All my friends enjoy eating one after another waiting for another dish Now they just make everything together and bring them 1 time. Also there was no communication that such change was made before foods arrived. Suggestion: Charge extra for bringing each piece in Omakase even $5-10 extra service charge people still order. Just give a choice to customer If any change in service, let them Know or write in menu such change is made. read more

Hands-down one of the best sushi spots in Orange County. Everything is super fresh and the chefs take creative libertines with their dishes. read more

Sushi Shunka - salmon and yellowtail nigiri - Sushi Bars Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Came here to try Omakase because of the good Yelp review but experience by far lower than expectation. Fish: average quality, not melt in your mouth, not fresh as it should be Rice: Dry and hard No Ootoro, no oyster on a Sunday night Not Omakase authentic sushi, the nigiri not well seasoned and still need dipping with soy sauce. Nice customer service, cozy place with not expensive price. read more

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Now this was some nice tasty sushi, fresh... one sushi chef for every 4-5 patrons... the rolls were delicious... spicy tuna, vegetable, salmon skin, we also had albacore, sardine, hamachi... and I splurged for a dynamite ... for two of us our bill was only 50$ that was including a large Asahi!!! It is a very small restaurant so you either Nd to go early or be willing to wait... There is no waiting room inside..... but I was willing to wait read more

We had a great chef's omakase sushi dinner. 60 USD for 10 great variety sushi. Presentation, quality, taste, portion sizes were so wonderful. We also tried monthly specials sake from Ishikawa pref. Thank you Chef Inaba so much for creating great meal for us. read more

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By far one of the best sushi places in the area. It's small and quant and wouldn't think it would be so good, but it is. They even have real wasabi which most places don't offer. Very traditional, good value and great quality! read more

Great place! Omakase is the best here! New favorite place best sushi place Service is great yuki the owner is nice read more

Ok, yes, it's in a strip mall... but what would you think if you had to put your name on a sign in sheet that's sitting outside the restaurant long before it opens? Yes, this is the kind of place where people line up before they open. Why? Because it's that good. Original food that's fresh and tasty. Take a look at my pictures... too many dishes to describe. Everything is mouthwatering. Service is fast and prices are reasonable. I come here every time I'm in Newport... which is a lot. read more

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One of the best sushi place in the Costa Mesa area. If you come here, don't waste the moment with the Chicken Teriyaki, but go for their daily specials, and their recommendations. Their fish here are very fresh, and their amaebi (raw shrimp) was excellent. Fatty tuna is a must try if they have it. Place is a bit small and you can expect a good wait during dinner hours. read more

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Food was great and staff was super attentive. The sumo roll was my favorite and my Japanese in laws approved.

I'm not sure what all the hype is about here? For the quality and the price point I will say its all average. Nothing wowed me. It wasn't terrible, but definitely not 4.5 stars worthy. Definitely don't need to go out of your way to come here. The photos looked great, but the sushi I received did not look the same? 1. Ordered the blue crab hand roll: there was no roe in the roll. Also my hand roll looked much smaller than those pictured. :( 2. Ordered a tofu salad: only received some wilted spinach and lettuce and tofu. No tomatoes, no carrots, no onions. Dressing was good. Service 1. Asked for a straw for my water 3 times and never received one. 2. Felt very rushed, we still had food on the table and they dropped off our check (without us asking) Last thing ... they charge $3 for extra ginger. At the prices they are charging that felt really penny pinching. read more

The food was great, service was good, however the restaurant for the last few weeks or so doesn't seem to have AC, hopefully they'll fix this soon especially since it's summer. read more

Hidden Gem in Costa Mesa! Skip the rolls- the sushi and sashimi is where it's at. High quality fish that melts in your mouth. Excellent service too! read more

Sushi Shunka - Seabream sushi and black cod. Melts in your mouth! - Sushi Bars Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

There are very few things in life I enjoy more than having omakase and a few drinks at a sushi bar, and there is no better place in Orange County to do this than Shunka. Restaurants of this caliber don't really need my endorsement so I'll just add a few things. The nigiri served here is both traditional and non-traditional, in that some pieces are served simply to accentuate the taste of the fish, while others come with a small garnish to heighten the experience. Come with an open mind and you'll be treated to some sublime combinations. You can't go wrong with the kanpachi, blue fin toro, sea bream and bonito, but their extensive list of fish from Japan is where the real magic happens. The kinmedai (golden eye snapper), akamutsu (blackthroat seaperch), and tachiuo (belt fish) were a real treat. The ankimo was silky smooth and the blue crab hand roll finish was perfect. We are fortunate enough in the OC to have many options for excellent sushi. But I have spent a lot more at many a sushi bar, without enjoying it nearly as much as Shunka. So for me, this place takes the top spot. read more

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Fabulous service and some of the best and freshest fish in Cali. Imported from Japan. Yuki - the owner can guide you through a fabulous meal. read more

In my opinion, Shunka is by far the best sushi in Orange County. Yes, there are other amazing places like Ohshima, Nana San and San Shi Go (Newport Beach), but Shunka outshines them in quality, preparation, price, ambiance and just overall experience. Whenever a new high rated sushi spot pops up I try it, but they never compare to Shunka. My husband and I have been coming here for about 5 years, and it's just as excellent today as it was then. Yuki-san, sushi chef and owner, and the rest of the sushi chefs are masters of their craft and very personable. The rest of the staff are great as well. Shunka is very traditional and very much reminds me of sushi spots in Little Tokyo like Sushi Gen. If you're looking for a large selection of American rolls, this may not be your place. They do, however, offer a handful of sushi rolls. This is definitely your place if you're wanting Omakase. Along with omakase, I also recommend trying anything off the "Today's Specials" board or any of their fresh fish from Japan. Some of my favorites are the Medai, Kanpachi, Sea Bream, Buri, Bonito, Aji, King Salmon and amberjack. read more

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Past Saturday visited this restaurant for the first time after viewing favorable reviews. I was greatly disappointed. I ordered 2 chirashi bowls, hamachi collar, tempura appetizer and two nigiri sushi from menu board. Chirashi came with an assortment of fish which definitely were not fresh, especially the tuna which verged on grey color. The management insisted it was fresh but begrudgingly offered a much fresher looking tuna pieces after our complaint. I wish I had taken pictures for comparison sake but was much too upset. Just not up to par for $35. Hamachi collar was tasty but was unevenly salted such that some parts were so salty my friend and I could not eat it. We found parts less salty which were tasty but overpriced for such careless cooking. Tempura was light and crispy, not oily. Mirugai sushi and otoro were fine except very thin. I will not be coming back to this establishment. Spent $158 on a most unhappy experience. read more

Everything is five stars here. Better than Nobu or Sugarfish. Every time m in Orange County I make it. Point to eat here.

Have eaten here numerous times over the years. Simply stated, it's the best sushi in Southern California. Period.

Very impressed by the quality and freshness of the sushi here! We ordered takeout, and everything was packaged very nicely. Even the sauces were labeled for each sushi roll! We tried the shunka and sumo rolls and the spicy yellowtail and soft shell crab hand rolls. Everything was delicious. The soft shell crab hand roll was my personal favorite. The soft shell crab was perfectly soft, flaky, and tender. My first bite tasted like the most delicious party in my mouth. Will definitely be coming back to try more rolls! read more

Best Sushi in Newport hands down. Very affordable and great service, we come here all the time!

WhereTF have I been strikes again!!! I always see the ultimate Japanese playa Greg T checking in here, and I wondered what the allure was. However, I also saw that several of my yfs gave favorable ratings, esp my dining pal Van D. Shunka is located on 17th off Tustin in Costa Mesa. Omakase is the way to go at Shunka. We had 8 courses ($59/each - toro, kanpachi, scallop, ocean trout, bonito, aji, Spanish mackerel, barracuda, Japanese sea bass, and Japanese uni w/ quail egg). There is no set menu. You simply tell the chef when you are satisfied. To wash it all down, we had a bottle of Dassai sake ($20). Dassai is a light sake that goes well w/ the warm weather, as well as the fish that is available during this time of year. All of the fish was uber fresh, the rice properly prepared (non-sticky, slightly warm), and the fish to rice ratio was really good. In addition, the overall price of $59 was very reasonable: 5 Stars. Likewise, the sake was perfect for a hot summer night: 5 Stars. Regarding the ambiance, it is traditional Japanese. The best place to enjoy is the sushi bar. Nonetheless, although the space is small, it does not feel crowded: 5 Stars. The service was excellent. Our sushi chef, Yuki was super nice. In addition, the waitstaff was very friendly and efficient. Costa Mesa is home to some of the best sushi places in OC: Previously reviewed Angotei & Ikko, and newly reviewed Shunka. A definite must try in the area even though Greg T hangs out here - LMAO!!! read more

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This is probably without a single doubt the BEST sushi I have ever had in my life. The fish here comes fresh from Japan. Ever since I've been to Shunka, standard sushi just really doesn't satisfy my taste buds anymore. We came here for dinner on a weeknight and luckily there was no wait. We were seated immediately at the bar area where Nobu-san handed us hot hand wipes. We didn't really get a menu or anything, we were told that it was up to us to discuss with our sushi chef. Being confused and indecisive we just went with the Omakase. Our delicious Omakase: - Toro - Kanpachi - Buri - Saba - Kinme - Benito - Fresh Octopus - Hoke - Blue crab Handroll In addition we ordered uni, more sabe nigiri, and also the kuro dai nigiri!! It was all so delicious. If I was paying I would have probably ordered more but I didn't want to be to gluttonous. We were given grapes that were topped with a sweet special house syrup as a mini dessert. I glanced and the bill came out to be about $100/person after tax and tip... So expensive!!!!! But definitely worth it!! read more

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Aok. A very nice, clean and updated restaurant. The hostess was grumpy. I ordered the poke salad, salmon belly and the kids meal. The Kids Meal - 4 Stars the kids meal, by far, was the best option. It came with plenty of teriyaki chicken, egg with rice and a salad that included fruit and tomato. This was all for 7 bucks. Salmon Belly-2 Stars I love salmon belly. This was listed on the daily special list. It did not taste good at all and I don't think it was very fresh. If it was fresh, it was just a bad set of fish. It was also expensive what I normally pay for a pretty good sushi set with some belly. Poke Salad-3 Stars The salad was good. However, the poke seems to have been from two different batches. There were some pieces that were extremely fresh, soft and full of taste and other pieces that were chewy and rubber-like. The above is just my opinion. I understand the quality of the sushi maybe different on different days of the week or different times of the day. However, consistency it's a major part of restaurant's business. I would have to say that my overall experience was AOK but I doubt I will be back. Aok. read more

Sushi Shunka - Kids meal - Sushi Bars Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Great sushi place. All the fish were really fresh, especially the salmon. The salmon skin hand roll was the bomb. Don't hesitate to try this place, they are really good. read more

Shunka! My friend and I were looking for a place to get good sushi and open past 9. This place was a nice place that was empty at 9:15pm on a Thursday night. We got in and then got asked, bar or table. We chose the bar because we wanted to see the sashimi. The sushi-chef who was behind the bar gave us our menus and it was simple. All we had to do was tell him what we wanted. Seared salmon- That was actually really good. The salmon still had the raw feeling and it had a little bit of delicious tough taste as well. :D Would get again. TOTALLY. The salmon avocado was good. Adding avocado and salmon together? It's not one of their best rolls but something that I liked myself. Salmon skin (Yes the salmon was good)- not as good as I thought it would be, because it seemed the skin was a little bit burned too much but it was palatable. Their SCALLOP roll was delicious. OMG It is something you have to try to believe it. It melts in your mouth and it has a wonderful taste and it was something that I wanted to get again and again and again :D Only bad thing I saw was that the chef was taking shots with one of the guests, but that's something you have to live with, with what you see. But they have really good sashimi at somewhat hefty prices. If you also don't know what you want, ask the chefs for a recommendation :) read more

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I had heard great things about Shunka from Yelp Elite Lizel O. I was pleasantly surprised that the sushi bar had a modern, sleek feel to it. The sushi chefs were all fluent Japanese guys. We sat down, ordered a beer and opted for omakase. Overall, the meal was great. The fish is fresh, there's a wide variety (though they were out of uni that night), and they are pretty traditional when it comes to style. Only a few pieces of nigiri had ponzu, sea salt or yuzu. My favorites of the night: toro, salmon belly, scallop, mackerel and the lobster hand roll. For the quality of fish, prices are extremely reasonable. Our bill came out to $125 for omakase for 2 people. What a steal! And the bill shows you how much each nigiri order costs so you know what you're paying for. I can't wait to go back! read more

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Cool little sushi spot. Fresh fish. Great price. Ordered a couple pieces of sushi and some rolls. Great service. Definitely would come back again. read more

Sushi Shunka - Sushi Bars Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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With Greg T. being a regular and all the stellar reviews, my curiousity got the best of me and I made my way down to the end of the 55S to lunch at the high and mighty Shunka. Nestled in a bustling plaza with the likes of Plums Cafe, you will find yourself dodging walkers and cars whilst fighting for a parking spot. It was definitely a treat once we finally sat down at a booth inside. Spicy Tuna Roll -- You know that one dish you have to get at every restaurant just because you like it and want to find out who makes it best? Well, the spicy tuna roll would be the one for me. I really enjoyed the sushi rice wrapped with nori and spicy tuna inside. A lot of restaurants don't do that and use regular rice. The tuna was lightly spiced and I could barely tell there was mayo in it. Kanpachi -- Thinly sliced fish that had hints of pink. Simply amazing. I probably should've slowed down to relish each bite but I was popping them like tic tacs. Each slice was rich and buttery. Absolutely delish! Albacore -- Thick slices of beautiful albacore, eaching towering over a small portion of room temperature sushi rice. My mouth is watering from just thinking about it. They're lighlty flavored with ponzu sauce and garnished with green onions. The albacore had so much flavor and the color looked healthy and fresh. Unagi -- Toasted to perfection. The sides were a little crispy but when I bit into the eel, I could taste that distinct flavor with the juicy meat. A lot of places go sauce happy and drown the eel with eel sauce, which in turn makes the entire thing a disappointment. Shunka had barely any sauce to allow the eel to shine. It's sprinkled with but a few sesame seeds which gives it that extra flavor. They have a specials board where select fishes are imported from Japan. Definitely check it out if you feel like stepping outside the box and getting something other than your usual suspects. read more

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Another one checked off the list! Shunka has been on my bookmarked list on Yelp for quite awhile and I finally made my way over. I had met up with a friend and we were seated at the end of the bar. Our chefs for the night was Shige-san and Juro-san. With no preferences holding us back, we were ready. Start! Live Scallop Sushi and Sashimi. Whatever they couldn't serve raw, was baked with mushrooms, mayo and other yummy things and topped with bonito flakes. Nothing goes to waste! Spanish Mackerel. We also got the head and bones fried to a crisp. I think the spine could have used a little extra time in the fryer, but it was quite crispy nonetheless. If you don't like things with eyes on your plate staring at you, this might not be your thing. Amaebi. Live sweet shrimp. These didn't twitch too much but they were quite tasty. The heads were fried but I saw that they didn't capitalize on the roe and serve it as a sushi. Oh well... Sea Bream also known as Tai also known as Japanese Red Snapper. Juro-san served us this one and instructed us to not use soy sauce. It was prepared with a bit of yuzu, salt and topped with fresh wasabi. That yuzu man...changes the flavor and pairs so well. Akamutsu. I had to look this one up. It's a yellow stripe ruby snapper. It's a bit tougher with a slight chew than the sea bream, but a light and sweet aftertaste. One of my all-time favorites, UNI. Sea urchin. They were a bit smaller, but Juro-san piled them on. Tamago. Homemade. According to Shige-san, his sensei (teacher/mentor) Juro-san, makes a legit tamago. And yes he does. My lawwwwwd. Make sure you get this before you leave. Worth it! Live Octopus (tako). Shige-san says that not many restaurants have live octopus. I'm normally not a fan of octopus, but I can't say no to something I haven't tried. The texture was really chewy, but it had a sweet aftertaste. However, the fried octopus we got was AWESOME. It's the suction part of the tentacle and it was crunchy like the consistency of cartilage. If I got a basket of that, I would be so happy. We also got: - Bluefin Tuna - Kanpachi - Ankimo - Yellowtail Belly - Blue Crab Hand Roll Shunka was definitely a fun experience! Maybe next time I won't go too crazy on the beers, but the chefs also enjoyed my presence, telling my friend that I was a fun person. LOL! She was telling me about this scene from the movie White Chicks and I was seriously laughing for about 5 minutes. Every time I looked up, Juro-san was smiling/laughing at/with me. Eiji-san would wave at me. Haha. Shige-san was very informative about recommendations. So if you're at the bar, talk to your chefs! The best ice breaker? Offer them a drink. read more

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Great sushi place!!! I had a wonderful family dinner here, we did have to wait a while to be seated because we had a party of five and the place is kind of on the small side. There are only a couple of booths and few tables so it was easily packed on a Saturday night. The service was great although they did forget to bring us two Miso soups which was fine but then they ended up charging us for them which was not cool but it was all sorted out at the end. We ordered the Shunka special roll which was amazing along with another one of their most popular rolls, Yum and Yum! We also shared some sushi, the salmon tasted very fresh and they were not stingy with the size of fish they were serving. The siushi chefs were very generous with the portions. The yellowtail, albacore, bonito and shirmp sushi was amazing. I was only slightly disappointed with the amount of wasabi that was put in the rice underneath the fish. It was just too much wasabi for me which overpowered the taste of the fish. I mean that's why they give you a side of wasabi so you can decide how much wasabi you want to serve yourself.... right?? But the quality of the fish was pretty darn good so I will ignore the wasabi incident maybe I was just being too picky. This place is kind of on the pricey side but I think its worth it. read more

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For some reason, majority of the Japanese restaurants are closed on Sunday? But not Shunka *thumbs up!* for feeding your customers everyday of the week! 9 omakase - $70each. Make sure you sit in the bar with juro, he's so funny and nice. His cuts are good hefty portion! This restaurant does not take reservations, first come- first serve. I went at 8pm, there was no wait! Luckily had the chance to sit and be served by Juro! Woohoo!! ( Sorry I was not able to take photos of the 9pcs of individual fish the chef prepped for us, my date was being a nazi. So I only got the pictures of what we ordered after the omakase was over.) Also they have a picture in the front door -no cell phone usage while dinning, funny. read more

Sushi Shunka - Sushi Bars Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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Shunka continues to offer an authentic and delicious sushi experience. The place is small, so you definitely need to get there early to avoid having to wait. If you're lucky enough to sit at the bar in front of Juro or Eiji, you're in for a treat. They craft some of the best sushi and they're super friendly guys. All of their fish is fresh but if you're feeling adventurous, it's worth exploring the specials board with fish flown in from Japan. I recently tried the Sea Bream ($7.50) and Bonito ($7.50). Both were tasty and not fishy. I also enjoy their rolls like the Philly ($8.50) and Crunchy ($9). They're basic rolls, but they make them very well here. The rice is cooked perfectly and the flavors are on point. This is the place to go when you want a real sushi treat. read more

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