Sushi at The Venetian Gentleman’s Club

1) call ahead and make a reservation to avoid paying the clubs cover charge.
2) order EVERYTHING! Because it’s good.
3) waitresses are attentive, friendly & don’t push you to get drinks.
4) when you’re at the sushi bar you would think the dancers would be all over you trying to hustle; Nope. You’re not bothered or pestered for dances.
5) you will see plenty of eye candy.
6) when you’re done eating and pay your check… By all means, get a dance. ;)
That’s my 2¢ — VT

The staff is rude. Disappointing.

I like sushi dave. Gave him my mixtape. I rode my bike here and someone stole it. Other than that, it was dope. I enjoyed the fine caviar as well — it was a wonderful addition to my evening.
Dave hit me up let’s go see a movie if u r reading this i love you
If anyone is reading this hit me up let’s get sushi and check out some hot snatch. As they say — holler at a player

sushi creator was sweet and sushi was ok… I have had better.

OK so my boyfriend raved about the «sushi» here and like I thought hell no, their sushi is not all that great. please… the guys are here for the tits — flat out it is what it is just say it.
I am soo happy I’m a woman and I get to touch and fondle BC my girlfriend and I had more pleasure from the girls dancing on us then our guys did. Be generous with the dollar bills and they will give you a show stage side. They played «new wave» type of music… I expected more magic mike or bondage sex music.
Drinks: watered down
Food: one night stand was good but the sex roll was over baked salmon. I liked the sashimi salmon but how hard is that if it’s fresh.
Overall I would come again but NOT for the sushi

Sushi Dave, Sushi Dave. If you haven’t been here yet, what are you waiting for? I have been eating Sushi now for over 15 years and have been to many great spots. But this place is different and now my regular spot at least 2 to 3 times a week. Everything piece of sushi is always super fresh, drinks are cold and the walking eye candy is great view. My favorite spot by far and I love one of his many specialty: «The Sex Roll» and his jalapeño sauce. Yumm.
Update 2015 — Sushi Dave has retired from this location and now Sushi is being Mastered by Sushi G (Gerardo). Same fresh sushi but different ideas with his twist. You gotta come try it to believe it.

Surprisingly good!
After failing to get into two other places, we came here for an early dinner. We had been once before with a group of friends and remember having a good time. The old policy (to get and show passes to enter the club) was no longer in effect. We were told to get reservations next time so we would be on the list, but they let us in without charging cover (which is only $ 5 – 10 anyway). The place is a trip and if you go too early (like we did) it is empty and kind of depressing.
I like that there is a 2 story stripper pole and show with dinner. The drink service and bar menu is handled by the club while sushi is separate (kind of strange), which means you can get fried mozzarella sticks with your sushi and well drinks, etc. When we got there last time the sushi bar wasn’t even set up and there were literally no other customers. They sat us in a booth and brought out sushi rolls for our party of 8 two at a time, which meant dinner was extremely staggered. Every roll was surprisingly good though. I liked every roll we got. I would rank them slightly higher than your average sushi joint actually. If there were a place in San Diego that had rolls that like for the price, I would put them in my regular rotation.
After dinner we went down and watched the dancers, but some of our group actually got hassled about a drink minimum, which was ridiculous. We just spent about $ 300 upstairs, each getting at least 2 drinks with dinner. What canceled this out in my mind is that we paid a tip on top of the bill which, it turned out, included the tip already, and the chef (I think?) actually ran down and found us to tell us we overpaid and he took it off. That was really sweet.

Had dinner here last night and really enjoyed the experience. Unfortunately, the sushi chef was understaffed (he was the only one working — making sushi, taking orders, serving sake, totaling up the check, etc.) but service was still great. We had to remind him about soy sauce and some minor things but he was able to serve our group of four and at least three other tables with relative ease.
We started off with hot sake and salted edamame. The Unilocal check in special is for free garlic edamame which is SO GOOD — so don’t forget to check in! We got four rolls (one night stand, venetian roll, sex roll, and the yellowtail and jalapeño roll) and the spicy tuna nachos. All of the food was very tasty and there’s a definite spicy kick. The spicy sauce that accompanies the rolls is really good but in the dark lighting it almost looks like it could be Sriracha. I used that sauce exclusively and didn’t even rely on any soy sauce.
You can get sake from the sushi restaurant but all other drinks need to be ordered from the cocktail waitress. From where you sit at the sushi restaurant, you’ll have a nice view of the entertainment that is going on below. There are poles going up the ceiling so a dancer might make her way up closer to your vantage point but don’t worry — the scantily clad entertainment is kept at a comfortable and sanitary distance from your food.
Because I had made reservations, our cover was waived. I definitely would come back here for the sushi alone. The other entertainment going on at the same time ain’t bad either!

We’ve been looking all over Orange County and have spent a bit of money trying to find a great sushi place. Some places have been good, but this was shocking great. When you eat your sushi, you can taste the quality of the fish being used is excellent (not a pun). I would recommend this place to everyone to at least try, you will be blown away! We heard of it from friends, and thought a sushi place inside a strip club was questionable, but you will not be disappointed.

Don’t judge me, it’s a party! I hosted a party for 15+ and ordering sushi rolls and planning this event was fairly simple. The only thing is, they want half the down payment, they talk up what is booked and all that good stuff and turns out the place was a ghost town. Overall, I just swept it under the rug and say the booking process could have been smoother.
There’s no special sushi chef behind the counter, however all our rolls came out aesthetically pleasing and everyone was happy with the selections. They have a huge variety and my only peeve was a bunch of rolls were California roll based. What do you expect at a strip joint? The chef was nice enough to prepare some fish that was not guaranteed gluten-​free, but at least they get an A for effort. The service was attentive and we had an awesome waitress who played along with the boys’ teasing throughout the night.
I must say though, the set up is pretty sweet. The gentlemen working at the door will show all entering guests to the glass elevator to the second floor. It’s fairly dark, but there’s sufficient light in the dining area. It was definitely a little tight for 15+, but the extra tables surrounding the area came in handy.
The strippers stayed downstairs and the food is prepared upstairs. Far away from each other, this place is sanitized. The cushy set up, with provocative photos were just enough to make this place appear to be a classy looking joint.
To sum it all up, there was some great talent and some just shabby. With a huge party like this, we definitely made it rain. It was a thunderstorm of dollar dollar bills and obviously with a few drinks, we were the life of the party. The average was about $ 40/​person for the sushi not including any alcohol and we made sure the party was satisfied with the amount of food. They waive the entrance fee when you order dinner or get on their mailing list for comp tickets.
I’m going to be a bit brutal here and that’s just my take on it. The ladies are not that pretty, but they do make up for it with good attitude and enthusiasm. You have some decent ones, but nothing mind blowing.

So, the food is actually 3 stars– A-​OK, not the best rolls I had.
The 4 stars is for the ladies that work here, and the bartender/​sushi chef’s service! He made sure that all our orders came out, helped us flag down our hostess when we needed her and made sure that we were satisfied the whole night. Super thankful for the service we recieved from him.
The ladiesss, some were okay, some were great, and some were super impressive with their pole skills. I mean, hiking up a pole in 6 inch heels, and then zooming all the way down and stopping short of hitting the ground?! these ladies deserve all the bills they get.

Naked girls pole dancing and sushi… need I say more?
I made a reservation here to avoid the $ 10 cover charge and was pretty impressed when I walked in. The place itself was a bit classier than I expected. I really liked the lighting and color, and the size of it made it all the more intimate. The second thing I noticed was a girl wrapping her naked legs and boobies around a pole and whipping her hair back and forth, Willow Smith style. Throughout the night though, the dancing just got lamer and lamer. I’ve seen better dancing at an Oktoberfest by middle-​aged men. They kind of just stood there by the pole and moving their hips a little. But I would consider any of that exotic or sexy in the least bit. But while the dancing and music were weak, the sushi was pretty good — a little on the expensive side, but I think part of what you’re paying for is the free half-​naked show downstairs.
The restaurant is actually in the upstairs and gives you a sound view of the stage from up top. Since you have live entertainment downstairs, any waiting you would have had to do was quick, but we were fortunate enough to be the only ones there and receiving fast service. The chef was very good about his recommendations and the rolls were quite good. I actually preferred them to the sashimi. The sashimi wasn’t as fresh-​tasting as other places, and I even had to use soysauce with it, whihc I don’t normally do with sashimi ever, but these ones called for it. The chef served us salmon wonton chips, which I highly recommend, and we also ordered the garlic edamame, the rainbow roll, some salmon roll, and ahi tuna appetizer, all of which were good. Not the best sushi I ever had, but for the ambiance and all, it was a good way to go. Rolls are about $ 10-​$ 15 per roll.
I did felt a bit hurried, as the chef took my edamame way before we even finished it — and on two occasions, so I felt like I should have been owed a new one. Or at least ask before you take something away. Though I didn’t drink that night, they do have a full bar as the gentleman’s club is only topless and not full nude. It looked like it would have been a great time with friends, male or female, and being upstairs, you were safe from being solicited for lap dances — unless you want them, you still have that option too =P
Credit cards are accepted at the restaurant, and you must be 21 and over to enter. Don’t forget your dollar bills, folks!

Honestly I was nervous. I’m a huge fan of sushi, and I’ll admit, strip clubs are not so bad either. But both of them together? Umm I did not know what to think. My Co worker kept raving about how much she loved this place, so a bunch of us decided on a girls night out at the venetian, we went through the front, so we walked right passed the pole and all the half naked girls *flushes* and for a second I forgot we were here for sushi, forgive the pun. After a very slow walk upstairs to the sushi bar we sat down where Sushi Dave greeted us.
My co worker didn’t order anything off the menu, Sushi Dave already knew what she liked and he kept the rolls coming. This chef really knows what he’s doing, the sushi was fresh, his sauces were amazing, and we had a great time. Not to mention the drinks were flowing, and we couldn’t help but keep peeking over the balcony to see the girls.
Obviously this isn’t your normal family friendly sushi bar, but I’m guessing anyone who is into sushi and/​or strip clubs would have a great time here, and enjoy the food very much. If you are a little hesitant like I was, just go for it. You won’t regret it, and its an awesome place to suggest to your friends.

Try this on for size: sushi in a strip club. Nigiri with nudies. Tuna with TandA. A place where Heartbreaker and One Night Stand are both the names of menu items and potential products of the environment. And yet, the result of our evening with Chef «Sushi» Dave was a good one. By the way, if you’re wondering why our pictures are so washed out, blame the direct light we needed in that dark establishment in order to see anything at all!
It must have been a rare time in history because here I was being the one trying to get Duke D. to go (girlfriend persuading her boyfriend to go to a strip club? crazy!). However, we later learned that this wasn’t so uncommon when it came to Dave’s fish — a lot of his regulars are husband & wife duos who come for a good time with good food. As for how he ended up in this type of place for his type of craft, it just happened to be a defunct upper bar with the perfect measurements for his sushi set-​up. Now it’s the main attraction at the Venetian. By the way, there’s a cover charge but if you reach out to Chef Dave himself (find him on Facebook), he can send over passes.
We snagged two seats at the 10-​seat sushi bar and looked around at all the other tables which were empty at our early hour but guaranteed to fill up quickly. He placed the capacity at approximately 70 guests and noted that it’s usually all reserved. In fact, it’s hard to get in without a reservation. Like any dedicated sushi chef, he absolutely knew all of his regulars and what they liked eating, even making special orders for them sometimes and holding those cuts for their arrival. We started off with the Garlic Edamame ($ 6 — soybeans sauteed with minced garlic, chili oil, and soy sauce) which were fantastically garlicky and fiesty in spiciness. It’s not a dish you use your hands on because of the sauce. A plate of Cajun Seared Albacore Sashimi ($ 14 — with avocado, baby spinach, and garlic chips finished with a spicy ponzu sauce) was next and definitely something to crave. The albacore was tender enough to nearly split as I picked it up with my chopsticks, and the contrast between crunchy garlic chips and soft fish was pleasant.
It seemed like a hand torch was one of his favorite kitchen utensils as we saw him take it to the tops of rolls frequently. Keep in mind where you are when you dine here and the clientele to appeal to — you will find that rolls make up the majority of the menu but don’t judge prematurely. They’re fairly good, and Dave’s 20+ years of sushi experience is apparent. If there’s one thing you can count on, his sushi talents have gotten around.
Our torched roll was the Seared Yellowtail and Jalapeño Roll ($ 15 — crab, cucumber, and avocado topped with yellowtail and thinly sliced jalapenos lightly seared with a torch and finished with a spicy ponzu sauce). The wuss I am, I removed the slices from the tops of the rolls but their heat had already been burnt into the flesh and gave a spicy kick to each bite. His signature jalapeño sauce also added to the flames. We chased the buzz down with his Baked Green Mussels ($ 10 — New England mussels topped with crab, spicy aioli, and eel sauce) which were quite sweet and a tad heavy on the mayo from the crab.
A half and half plate of the Salmon Lime Roll ($ 15 — crab and avocado topped with salmon and thinly sliced lime lightly seared with a torch and finished with ponzu sauce) and the Yella Yella Roll ($ 15 — cajun seared albacore, crab, and avocado topped with Sushi Dave’s garlic sauce and green onions, served with a side of ponzu) graced us next. Both had a little tartness from their own citrus accompaniments, but I preferred the latter of the two for its more tender fish. Seared salmon is not always my thing.
Quite possibly our favorite roll for the night was the Spicy «Domo» Roll ($ 15 — shrimp tempura, crab, and avocado topped with spicy tuna and crunchies finished with green onion, sweet soy sauce, and spicy mayo). It’s a mouthful both in ingredients and in taste but we absolutely enjoyed it for the medley of textures and incorporation of tuna with shrimp tempura. Lastly, we gazed at how skillfully Chef Dave thinly skinned a cucumber enough to make a wrapper out of it. His artful motions ended up producing his Venetian Lollipop (tuna, yellowtail, salmon, crabmeat and avocado wrapped in a cucumber peel), a colorful mash of various fish rolled up in a refreshing, crisp package. The skewers made them easy to pop in our mouths quickly.
It was definitely a unique and surprising night that surpassed our initial expectations. We can’t hide the fact that we were skeptical at first but Chef Dave turned us around. If you manage to get a reservation and try to become a regular at this sushi bar, don’t be late. That’s the quickest way for him to knock you off his list!

Why am I even here?
Oh that’s right, I am here for sushi — except that you also get to watch girls doing their pole dances.
How to save yourself $ 10 entrée fee (per person): Give Sushi Dave a call [(714) 863‑9362] and make your reservation (10 PM is the latest RSVP time). Then he will text you an image of flyer (smart phone only) and you’ll save $ 10 entrance fee once you show flyer to the doorman.
Feel free to see whatever you want to see at the lower level (do it at your own risk). If you are only interested in sushi, just make an immediate right turn once you walk in and take the elevator to the 2^nd floor. Once you see the sushi bar, Sushi Dave will get you seated.
Just like fine-​dining, clearly state what kind of water you want. Somehow I got Voss water (cause I just said «water») and it was $ 6 per bottle. Lesson learned.
Salmon Lime Roll (Crab, and avocado topped with salmon and thinly sliced lime + lightly seared and finished w/​ponzu sauce — $ 15): I didn’t think it was crazily good, but it wasn’t bad either. The subtle lime flavor definitely gave this roll a nice touch. (3.5÷5)
One Night Stand (Spicy tuna cucumber + baked eel topped w/​thinly sliced avocado + sweet eel sauce — $ 15): Good eel, good sauce, good overall flavor. (4.5÷5)
Spicy Domo Roll (shrimp tempura, crab, and avocado topped w/​spicy tuna + crunchies finished w/​green onion, sweet soy sauce, and spicy mayo — $ 15): Probably the best order I had for the night. Sweetness and spiciness were just right. Yummy! (⁵⁄₅)
Kitchen Sink Hand Roll (Spicy tuna, crab, seared tuna, albacore, avocado, rice, and Sushi Dave’s Jalapeño sauce — $ 7): I like it, it has all the fishes and jalapeño sauce (a bit sweet, sour, and spicy — it’s like jalapeño ponzu sauce). Not to mention the portion is pretty big. (⁴⁄₅)
Overall: Good sushi rolls and good jalapeño sauce. Just don’t expect this to be a cheap meal. I can’t see myself returning to gentleman’s club for another round of sushi — just too much for me to handle (and not getting distracted by … I’ll leave that to your wildest imagination), but it was definitely an interesting experience.
P. S. — 21+ only because it serves a full bar.
P. P. S. — Sushi Dave actually sells jalapeño sauce on his website (
) and it’s $ 5 per bottle.

I really wanted to like this place, but it just wasn’t worth the drive. The sushi quality was just really… average. I’ve been to a lot of sushi places from top notch to average lunch spots and this place is definitely average.
None of the rolls are that inventive — I’ve seen iterations of all of them at other sushi places. The quality of the fish was OK, not too fishy, but nothing to rave home about. The selection was somewhat limited and the chef was always running off smoozing with other patrons. With that said, service was spotty and kind of a drag overall.
For the price I paid, I felt like I should have just hit up a sushi joint in a college town and just requested an AYCE meal. Strippers aside, there isn’t much that makes this place stand out.

a sushi joint inside a strip club?! how could i resist, right? right. sort of.
i’m not sure if it’s because my expectations were super high, or i was just too busy staring at the girls, but it wasn’t the super awesome experience that i had been anticipating.
i called to make reservations for my boyfriend and i, and sushi dave called back giving me instructions on how to get in and so forth. he sends over 2 passes to avoid paying the 10 dollar entrance fee the strip club usually has.
upon walking in, we were a bit confused at first. i should have read the Unilocal reviews more thoroughly. we finally made our way upstairs. originally our reservation was for 8, but running late, i pushed it back to 8:30. i had no problem waiting a bit longer, as i did push back the original time. the only thing that was a bit awkward is, obviously the place has no hostess or anyone to guide you to your seats, or tell you that it’ll be a bit of a wait. instead, everyone sort of stares at each other hoping it’ll answer questions. the boyfriend finally went up and asked and was told to wait.
as everyone mentioned, drinks are on a separate tab, and the service is rather slow. we had to tag down a server 3 times just to get our tab, when we had already finished paying for dinner.
the food was good. but it wasn’t anything crazy or new.
they start you off with edamame. the guy was a little salt happy and went all out with it.
the venetian roll: crab, cucumber, and avocado topped with peppercorn crusted tuna,
sweet eel sauce, and sushi dave’s jalapeño sauce. the sauce is the only thing that really made this roll stand out. had it not been for the sauce i don’t see it being that much different from any of the other roll concoctions out there. size wise, small, and $ 15.
kitchen sink handroll: this was WELL WORTH the money at $ 7. i would much rather order a few of these than the cut rolls. it has spicy tuna, seared tuna, albacore, avocado, crab, and his sauce. also, very little rice which is a huge plus. this was by far my favorite item, and i would definitely order it again.
baked green mussels: you get 4 for $ 10. it’s okay. they top the mussels with crab instead of just sauce which adds extra flavor, but again, nothing that special.
also got an order of salmon and unagi sushi. unagi was broken apart. presentation wise, i’ve had much better. $ 5 each, pretty standard.
our total came out to a little over $ 50 with tax and tip included. drinks were separate, so all in all we paid around $ 70. afterwards, we headed to a korean restaurant and ate again as we were not full at all.
again, it wasn’t bad, but it just wasn’t great, which is unfortunate because i really really wanted to love this place, and perhaps, that was the problem.
it is however, an experience. sushi, and topless girls galore. perfect guys night location.

Not sure if I’m giving 4 stars because of the food or the women! Did the taste of my food seem better because of the show going on over the railing? Quite possibly, but no one may ever know!
If you’re coming for the sushi, make sure to get a reservation so Sushi Dave will send you a flyer for free admission to this establishment! Flash the doorman (with the flyer) and you skip paying the $ 10 admission. Don’t want to see beautiful women? Don’t look left, go up the elevator on the right. At the top, just look up and see your way straight to the sushi counter that seats about 8 – 10. Do not turn around. Wait, what the hell? Turn around and enjoy the show all you want!
We were seated at a table next to the sushi counter since I came with a party of 10. These are sectioned off table areas, so you can dine without the commotion of what’s going on at the tables around you. The walls are glass, so you get to watch the show from your table. 2 poles that reach 2 stories. The ladies that climb to the top will often wave to you if you’re watching! Lots of fun with the guys, but I think the sushi is good enough to bring the ladies in for a nice meal.
My Venetian roll took forever to come out because the waiter forgot about it, but at least I was being entertained. Geez, almost forgot to review the food!
The Venetian roll was pretty good. It comes with a healthy strip of Sushi Dave’s jalapeño sauce, which it pretty damn good! I also got the Kitchen sink roll that was very enjoyable. The prices are slightly higher than normal, but you’re paying for good food and a show.
The ladies are nice, not trashy, and the alcohol is moderately priced.
Tip: No hats allowed

Let me be honest… naked girls scare me. This guy *points to self* hadn’t been to a gentleman’s club since my closet door was closed. But my friend Anne Marie P. really wanted to check it out so being the happy out-​of-​the-​closet homo I am, I happily obliged given all the stellar reviews on Unilocal.
— Cover into the establishment is $ 10.
— Drink tab is different from the sushi tab. A diet coke will run you $ 6. It’s better to just get water or something alcoholic.
— The Kitchen Sink hand roll is amazing. No rice… just jam-​packed with amazing sushi and flavors.
— Venetian roll was really good
— I don’t remember the name of it, but there’s roll topped with a slice of lime and bruleed with a blow torch… THIS WAS AMAZING. A definite must-​order.
— I love Chef Dave’s jalapeño sauce. I usually don’t like jalapenos, but for this sauce, I’ll make an exception. It’s almost a must next to the wasabi.
— Despite being in a gentleman’s club, it was surprisingly comfortable and not awkward at all.
These two guys next to us kept pouring us free sake shots… I must have had 6 or 7. They obviously don’t want you to leave. I had a great time with not just my company, but Chef Dave and the patrons were super friendly. I’m definitely coming back… for the sushi.
And this is directed to all you ladies that really want to come here and are scared to bring their boyfriends/​husbands or whatever. JUST DO IT!!! Stop denying yourself some of this awesome sushi and just come! Strip clubs are the new Starbucks! And who knows maybe seeing all those girls will finally get you some action when you get home. Or maybe you can get some girl action on both of you after dinner. Or maybe… Nevermind.
That’s all.

fail. on all levels. the girls, the sushi, just fail fail fail.