Zen Sushi

The best sushi! Went here with my sister and brother in law and was amazed! The sushi was the best I've ever had. Fantastic presentation and design, flavor combination was to die for, no waiting to be seated, service personnel was professional and friendly without being overly obsequeous, food arrived faster than I expected it to, given the place was nearly full and we were seated at a table rather than at sushi bar prep area. Nice looking people all throughout the joint. There was a woman seated at the sushi bar that I fell in love with, but she was gone before I had a chance to say hello, so "hello" beautiful woman! I love you! So, of course you know I'll be going back every opportunity I have whenever I am in town, lol! Now grant you, Nashville has pretty good sushi here and there, but obviously its not as fresh as coastal, but Zen Sushi was good enough for me to carry the experience of it all the way home and the memory of it still exists a month later for me to write this honored 5 star review! Congratulations Zen Sushi! You are the latest recipient of "Tipster Todd's 5 Star Fav's" award!

One of my favorite cuisine! Food was amazing, eating sushi needs good recommendations I was expecting for that. But it's okay I managed myself, Great food must visit in their happy hours! Great deal

Everything was fine I would steer clear of the baked lobster roll. It just didn’t seem right and I still paid 50% instead of the server taking it off the bill. The dragon roll was solid.

Zen Sushi is a go to for large specialty rolls! They are generous in all accounts. The sashimi and sushi rice are high quality. Great color in every fish. One thing that I can appreciate a lot is they do not load their rolls with rice. A lot of restaurants in the area will add extra rice to make the rolls seem big instead of actually offering a good amount of fish. My favorite: Kiss of an Angel roll, Sashimi Roll, Eri roll. Service and the chefs are fantastic. Friendly, quick, and they are good with large groups as well. Atmosphere is as nice or as casual as you want it to be. I’ve gone here with my wife on dates many times, dressed up and super casual. It’s a mix between everyone. So if you’re looking for a “nice casual” date then this is the perfect spot.

I’ve been going here for years and years. This staff is incredible. They are about to change management and I hope you keep all the same ladies that have been there for years. I get treated badly at so many restaurants because of how I look and they are always so kind and always have a smile on their faces when I walk in because I used to be a super regular. These are incredible women and I hope they stay if they want.

Amazing sushi! Very tasty and soft but it doesn’t fall apart! Each bite was delicious! Banked salmon roll & dragon roll ! Delicious!.

It's been awhile since I've been to this place but it's my favorite sushi place,it is always clean the staff is super nice the food is superb no matter what you ask for you will for sure love it. The prices are in my opinion very reasonable the portions are great 👍 I have been going to this place for about 10 years since before they changed the name to zen sushi and I still love it.

I ordered the Bento box at Zen Sushi and was very happy with the quality of the food. The tempura was big and crisp and delicious. The salad and teriyaki chicken were perfect. They do not skimp on their portions, and it is definitely enough to satisfy a hearty appetite. The atmosphere is very relaxing. I recommend it!

We had an outstanding meal today at Zen Sushi in Dana Point! Same owners as Zen Sushi in Aliso Viejo The spicy tuna, yellow tail, short ribs, edamame, rainbow roll were all delicious! I even tried octopus for the first time in my 40 years of eating sushi and it was great! The customer service is the absolute best!

Best lunch special around! You get 3 different specialty roll choices and they are all great! We had the baked lobster roll and the Hot Night roll with shrimp tempura and spicy tuna on top. Absolutely fresh and delicious. The chefs and servers are all very friendly and attentive. Very cozy inside, my wife and I love to come here. It's our regular weekly spot where sometimes we come twice a week! You won't be disappointed.

Zen Sushi *July 12, 2025 *6pm- Saturday *4 Stars Environment: *Large Parking Lot *Dim Lighting *Indoor and Outdoor Seating Food/Drink: *Hawaiian Roll *Baked Scallop Roll I've been to Zen Sushi a handful of times now, and it continues to be a solid Japanese spot in the area. I came with a group of 6 on a Saturday evening around 6 PM and, as expected, the place was packed. Fortunately, the wait was only about 15 minutes, which wasn't too bad. The restaurant is clean, with dim lighting and offers both indoor and outdoor seating. We sat inside, where the lighting was on the dimmer side -- cozy for ambiance, but it might be a little hard for older guests to see clearly. I ordered the Hawaiian Roll and the Baked Scallop Roll -- both were fresh and flavorful. The only issue we ran into was the timing of the food. Half of our group ordered bento boxes, which arrived 10-15 minutes before the sushi rolls for the rest of the table, so we ended up eating at different times -- a bit of a letdown that disrupted the shared dining experience. Still, the food was delicious and the staff was friendly and attentive.

Always have a great lunch here! This is my favorite place to take customers because the service and food are so great. The restaurant is super clean and organized. Comfortable seating. The sushi here is phenomenal. Lunch specials are fantastic too. Parking lot is large and has plenty of spaces. Prices are also reasonable.

Love the sushi, fresher then fresh ! and the staff is also friendly, beautiful ambiance and clean !

We came back... This is our new local favorite sushi House ... and we love sitting at the bar. Best seat in the house ! The sushi is so fresh we decided that we were going to come back and get something different every time except I love crispy rice and they make delicious crispy rice so filling ... yummy in every way. We had this delicious roll that had Korean beef on top and it was so flavorful, sweet and fresh .

I found pieces of plastic in my sushi rolls (specifically Cowboy Roll). This was very unsettling! Never coming here again!

Our experience at Zen Suchi has always been remarkable ! We give it a 5 star rating. The Suchi chef and staff are wonderful and we greatly appreciate the beautiful art work on Emrey's plate . Thank you ! Xx

Just had lunch at Zen sushi and it was so good!! The staff was so friendly and they were on it with the refills and checking in to see if we needed anything else. We will definitely be back. The vibe in there was great very zen if you will. My husband got the caliente roll and dragon something and loved them. I got the cucumber and California roll because I'm pregnant. Did not disappoint love how tight the rolls were so they don't fall apart easily if you drop them. So good!

Fresh sushi. Nice seating. 2 high tables can accommodate 9 people. Comfortable booths for 4. Service was excellent... being sushi, orders came out as they were prepared. We tried the seaweed and the octopus salad for appetizers. Very unique signature sushi available. We had one person in our group that wanted meat... the Cowboy Roll has prime NY steak on it. For lemon lovers, try the lemon salmon.

Stopped in after a nice little day at the beach not having been here before. It was pretty spacious inside and they had this really cool indoor/outdoor area as well. It was pretty quiet when we went in due to it being in between lunch and dinner. We ordered edamame, a crunch roll, salmon sushi yellowfin sushi and bluefin tuna sushi. The edamame came out quick and was both warm and salty. Just how I like it. I tried a piece of the crunch roll and it was bomb. Not too heavily riced and the panko they used was better than most. The sushi was DELICIOUS. Very generous cuts and just a little dab of rice underneath. Everything tasted super fresh. Even the hot tea was amazing. Our waitress Nikki was so sweet and accommodating even when we asked for copious amounts of ginger. Look I didn't take any photos because the food was just so good and I wanted to be present so you'll just have to trust me and try it for yourself. Definitely recommend.

We were refused service 25 minutes before closing. Doors were wide open, and people were eating.

Our server was the older Asian woman (Nikki?) who looks miserable to be there. I've eaten at Zen for 6 years now but when she is my server I always take a break from going back because she is so dismissive it puts me off. This was the 3rd time she has shocked me with her bad attitude & I don't think I'll ever go back. It's a shame it's close to my home & I like the lunch specials but Nikki has ruined too many of my meals. She is either discriminatory or loathes her job & people.

Wonderful local spot with high quality roles and nice service! Love going here with my family for a weeknight dinner or a casual bite with friends!

Unequivocally the best sushi I have ever had! The ambiance is pleasant and the staff incredibly friendly. Service is quick and attentive. I could not have asked for a better sushi experience. Try the Toro if you haven't, it's life-changing!

Fresh and tasty sushi. We will come back. Waitresses are super nice. Clean place and reasonable price.

My favorite sushi place ever! Everyone is nice and it is always a good experience. I always get the baked salmon roll, avocado roll and warm sakè. It is usually the first place I go when I land back in Socal.

September 7, 2024 Our first visit to Zen Sushi, but definitely not our last. The view of the lush green hillside contributed to an ambiance that was clean, calm and relaxed. My fiancée selected the eight piece Combo Plate and the Rainbow Roll. I had the Grilled Salmon Bento Box. The hot food was served hot and the cold food was served cold which is always very important to me. The flavors and taste were 100 percent on point and the portions were generous. The service was personable and friendly. She was quite knowledgeable of the menu and made helpful recommendations. We found the prices more than fair. Looking forward to our next visit!

No attempt at customer service. I was there for an hour waiting for a to go order that I had placed before coming in. They never acknowledged anyone waiting or said hello. No common courtesy. Clearly no system for the front of the restaurant. It was extremely chaotic to watch and it appeared no one knew where to be or what they were doing. I'm really confused how this business is still around when they don't seem to care about the customer experience. When I finally had their attention for the second time they realized my food was ready all along but they didn't know when I first had come in. There was no concern visible that my food had been sitting there the whole time while I waited and they said I should have told them I was waiting. What more should I have done besides standing in front of their counter waiting. Like I said before they didn't interact or acknowledge anyone standing in front of them. They didn't offer any discounts and instead of apologizing blamed me for not being more aggressive. Very bad experience and won't return.

Avoid this sushi place.. I sat at sushi bar and had sashimi combo. The chubby korean sushi chef "young" served me fish but I've got a food poison next morning with a fever. Overall restrooms and tables are dirty also. Never go here again.

Friendly staff! Korean owners and chefs were polite and welcoming. I especially liked the No Rice Rolls! It's so nice that they have a selection of rolls dedicated to no rice! The rolls were good but personally the sashimi salad wasn't anything to rave about. In terms of how fresh the fish is, it's not bad! I would come back for the rolls! But if you're looking for fresh sashimi or sushi pieces, I would not come here for that. However, definitely yummy rolls! Good place to pick up and go during lunch/dinner time.

We didn't get any utensils, wasabi or soy spice with our DoorDash order. This is the responsibility of the restaurant to include with your order. Very disappointed. Food was ok, extra sources, not sure what they were for??? No soy, or wasabi. ???

Excellent service and food. Loved the tempura shrimp! So happy to have found this hidden gem in Dana Point

Fresh & delicious sushi. Took one star off due to the fact that they left me on hold when I called and for hanging up on me the 2nd time I called. Once we were there though, service was good. Would come back for the quality sushi and nice ambience.

Food was good but the service was bad I ask for a booth the host told me if I was going to eat quick since it supposedly gets full on Saturday even tho the restaurant was empty I felt pressured to eat the worker name was Jessica she doesn't let you sit where you want even did it to a costumer in front of me as I was eating

Super good sushi! And the service is really good too. We come here from San clemente for date nights because it's so good. Thanks again

Came in for my friends birthday this weekend and definitely a good experience. It's a little bit on the pricey side for sushi, but everything tasted fresh. If you're in the neighborhood and want some sushi, I'd give it a shot!

Best customer service hands down! From the Owner Jay to his sushi chefs along Andrew and all the hosts. Let's not forget about how great and fresh their fish is. Best sushi place in OC hands down. Forever client. Plus don't forget to try my custom Sultan roll!

5 stars all the way around! Best sushi I've had- super fresh and amazing different flavors in the 4 signature rolls we tried for dinner.

Thought I'd give this place a try since I'm within walking distance. Food was meh. I wasn't greeted as many Japanese restaurants greet their guests. Server couldn't have cared less and showed it. I'll go to the sushi place right down the street. Much better food and friendlier staff.

5 stars for food 0 stars for very likely homophobic service. Well heated outdoor dining, and staff who are always masked are great Covid-safe perks. My girlfriend and I have been coming here 1-2x/week for over a year. Because the food is outstanding (more on that to come). The service has always been pretty measly (except the one younger female server who has always been prompt and attentive). We didn't think much of it because Covid and they have signs up about being short staffed and for me, it's just not worth getting pissy about slow/meager service. But since we've been coming here at least once a week for over a year, we've been able to observe our servers interact with other customers.... Very differently. We've watched other customers regularly get asked how their meal is, get greeted as regulars (heck, get greeted at all), get their food before us even after arriving way after, be smiled at, and not left waiting. Please note- I dig being gay. I've had almost no bad experiences around being gay. The possibility of people acting homophobically toward me just doesn't usually occur. But sadly, it seems it's very likely the case here. The clincher was yesterday, while we were waiting (per usual) to be waited on, a single woman walked in and was greeted warmly and asked, before she even sat down, whether she wanted a Firecracker roll. WHICH IS WHAT WE ORDER EVERY DAMNED WEEK. Moments later our server literally walked away while I was in the middle of ordering. So anyway. There's that. But the food! Is super good and reasonably priced. The Firecracker is a ball of deep fried rice topped w spicy tuna and a jalapeño. It's $7.50 for 4 big pieces. We usually order 2-3 servings of this and end up with a very reasonable sushi bill. We have comparison shopped this roll at many sushi places and honestly the flavor and price point of Zen's ones are a primary reason we keep coming back. The plum wine is delicious and more complex than at other places. The miso soup is really surprisingly fantastic. The house boneless ribs arrive with a lovely sizzle and great flavor (tho a bit chewy). The Viking roll is absolutely outstanding, with slices of lemon between each piece that get crispy from the whole thing arriving on fire, and add an amazing taste and texture to each bite of sushi. The funky monkey is big jalapeño halves filled with a light layer of cream cheese and spicy salmon, lightly deep fried. Real good. The ginger dressing on the house salad is yummy. The sea bass roll is real good. Also the Vegas roll. Also the caliente roll. Also the seared albacore with garlic is super super good. Also the garlic edamame is excellent. Also we keep getting the green tea tempura ice cream (recommend getting extra chocolate sauce, lots of it) even though it usually gives us a stomach ache. Until we find another sushi place that has equivalently good firecrackers at a good price with heated outdoor dining we will continue to be here weekly and bring our out and proud friends, dubious service notwithstanding.

Not the best service but decent food. Fish tasted fresh. Hotate scallop sashimi were my fav. Super yummy and fresh, served with fresh wasabi! Yumm!

Sushi was good. Crowded when I arrived. Value is okay given prices. The tempura was not my favorite but sushi was good.

Went here for an early dinner on a Friday before heading to watch the sunset up at Dana Point Beach. We were able to walk right in and be seated. They have a covered and partially enclosed outdoor seating area which was perfect. Service was prompt and the sushi was of course amazingly FRESH! We absolutely LOVED everything we ordered. My eyes were a little bigger than my stomach. We visited them in late July during a trip to Laguna Beach, CA area. Would definitely recommend them. Side note they have a diverse menu with lots of options! Look at how thick that piece of eel is on that Dragon Roll! Only thing I wasn't pleased with was that what was advertised as a Lobster Roll, tasted and looked like Langostino. So that was disappointing.

Loved coming to Zen recently! We used to come here before Covid and glad to see not much has changed. Still great service and tasty food. We brought two new friends with us who claim to be "sushi snobs" and they were blown away by the flavors and freshness of the sushi! Loved getting the garlic edamame (seriously the only time I could just eat garlic by the handfuls because it's so good)! My particular meal was also the goyza (potstickers) and a California roll because I am nooot a "real sushi" lover haha. Definitely recommend coming here as it's clean, fast and efficient!

We've come here a few times to get take out. While the food is decent, there have been several times where our orders weren't absolutely correct, probably because there was miscommunication. We always order the Salmon Lemon Roll and the Albacore Roll. My friend loves the fried avocado but we've often had this mis communicated and end up having a side of sliced avocado in our order instead of the fried avocado. I think perhaps my friend should've om stated tempura avocado and not simply fried avocado. We call ahead and the order is ready most of the time when we pick up. Make sure you give yourself enough time when ordering around dinner time as they tend to get busy.

We came here at 5pm to sit on the patio with my dog who is under 5 pounds. The guy and woman at the front both said that they don't allow dogs and then they asked if it's a service dog in which she is. He asked to see a form stating that she is a service dog so i showed him which The ADA prohibits people from asking to see documentation proving an animal is a service dog. Instead, you can simply ask whether it is, and follow that question up with an inquiry as to what disability the dog is trained to help with. I showed him the paper anyways and he said "Is that from a doctor?" which it says at the top of the document the doctors office and it is signed by a DOCTOR!! And he spent 5 minutes reading it, which you would think he wouldve seen that since its clearly signed and stated that its from my doctor. After all of that I would never eat there again or give them any more of my money!

Their sushi is out of this world and the lunch specials are the best around! The rolls are fun, filling and flavorful. Niki who works there is a sweetheart! The layout is perfect for a family or date night. It is one of our favorite sushi places in South OC!

I come here regularly with my boyfriend since it is just right across the street from our place. The sushi is always pretty good and fresh. Some days are better than others. But it's still always decent. The employees are all very nice and welcoming. And we have never had a bad experience here. We also like that they are open later. Definitely a good spot for takeout if you live in the area. It's quick, good, and not too expensive. I would give it a try if you're in the mood for some sushi.

Service and food are excellent and fresh. The only problem with this restaurant is that they close at 9:30 PM.

Food is amazing but what really shines is the customer service!! Elle is such an amazing server and took care of all our needs and made our dinner such a great experience!

My wife and I live in Laguna Beach, so we typically dine at Seabutter, Sanshigo, or O Fine sushi, but wanted to venture out and try something new. Google searched a few places and decided on Zen Sushi. Quiet, clean, and comfortable ambience with ample seating both inside and out, with plenty of parking. The staff was very pleasant, courteous, and attentive. We were served by Rita, who was from Japan. The fish was very fresh, well presented/plated, and priced fair. We ordered several rolls, nigiri, and the large sashimi platter. Definitely on my restaurant list for budget options when I don't want to drop over $400 on premium seafood dining without sacrificing quality and taste.

Terrible customer service , ignored when you walk in. Sit at the sushi bar and nobody comes by to greet you Nasty looks, stay away from this place. I got up and walked out after sitting 10 min, not coming back.

I get take away from here at least twice a month. Food here is fresh, tasty and generously portioned. I'd recommend ordering online to avoid waiting, as it could take 40 minutes on a busy night. Only wish I have is that their bowls included veggies like broccoli, bok choy, etc.

Just visiting the area but this place satisfied our sushi craving. It was a takeout order but the greeting was kind and the food was prepped and ready on time.

We came a bit later at night on the weekend and seated right away. Service could use a bit of work we actually didn't get everything we ordered which actually worked out because we order so much. We ordered a couple rolls and a bunch of apps. The tuna nachos (pictured) had some old fried tempura flakes on it, they were definitely stale and the tuna itself was spicy but bland for my taste. The rolls we got were delicious especially the ones with the Seared fish. The garlic edamame were especially good had great seasoning and came to us piping hot. I wish I could report on the Octopus salad but we never received it... other than that it was a decent sushi spot!

My family and I made reservations here for my Cousin's birthday dinner. My Aunt and I got here first. We let the host know that we had a reservation and she led us to our long table in the back of the restaurant. Slowly the rest of our party arrived. To start we got garlic edamame. Their garlic edamame was interesting. It was marinated in soy sauce, sesame seed oil and chopped garlic. It was a bit messy to eat with your fingers with the sauce, but it was really flavorful, I enjoyed it. Once everyone arrived we all ordered on sushi papers to keep our orders separate. I can't eat sushi so I got ordered a broiled salmon kama (collar) and the short rib and tempura bento box. We all had a nice time chatting and watching a football game together while waiting for our food. I got my bento box first and then a few minutes after the salmon kama. I loved my bento box. The short rib was boneless, tender and had a flavorful char. The tempura was crispy and delicious. The salmon kama was alright. There were many bones in it and it was a little on the dry side. It wasn't as good as I thought it would be, but my Aunt and Cousin liked it. Near the end of dinner our waitress came out with tempura green tea ice cream with a candle in it. We all sang happy birthday to my Cousin and shared the dessert. I loved that tempura fried ice cream. It was like a green tea ice cream donut. It was awesome. I really liked this place.

Best sushi I've ever had! So fresh, great flavors, such sweet and lovely staff. Wonderful experience and will definitely will be back as our go- to sushi joint.

Going with 3 stars because I've gotten rolls here many times and they are always good but I had the bento box and the chicken was horrible. If you like rock hard chicken that is the opposite of tender then this is your place, sushi was fine.