Gatten Sushi

I haven’t been here in over two years but decided to give it another shot out of nostalgia. I wasn’t expecting anything to taste like rainbows and sunshine since I’ve already accepted that this place is known for its convenience and not for the quality of food, turns out it’s still possible to be disappointed. I CANNOT believe that they increased the price, especially when it wasn’t cheap to begin with considering the quality. The sushi on the belt did not look appetizing at all. Although the freshness of salmon today seemed okay, the tuna looked dark, avocados were all
mushy and the rolls were assembled in a sloppy way. I ended up ordering the shrimp tempura udon, which is extremely salty and very cute in portion. Definitely did not miss any of it.

We used to be regulars at this rotating sushi bar. We have moved away and only come here periodically. I do not think that we will be coming again though. the rotating bar used to have a simple pricing system with two different plates and two different prices Now there are five different prices with the highest being close to $ 7. The cuts on the sushi are not as pretty as they used to be (skin fibers showing, raw cuts room temp not cold). You’re now paying restaurant priced Sushi prices for subpar grocery store quality sushi. The staff remains very polite and helpful. Four stars for them but only two for the food.

This place was my go-​to. Aside from a few instances in the past, my gf and I would always come here. Why? Because of its price to value ratio. Food was good for the price that was listed. Saw their new menu today and it was outrageous. And for a few of their items on happy hour, you save a whopping 70 cents! Sadly won’t be coming back.

Sushi quality was just okay. I get a bit unnerved by raw fish sitting at room temperature for a long period of time. My son and I found quiet a bit of variety at low prices, and we didn’t get food poisoning from the not so fresh fish… so that’s a plus. Big plus for price and variety but big negative on quality and freshness.

About 3 months ago, this was THE place my boyfriend and I always went to for dinner. Now, I cringe when he asks me to eat here.
We live in graduate housing at UCI, so we’d always stop here after class for a snack or a full meal. Recently, they took away the 10% discount for being a student, which made me a sad panda.
Dishes went up in price too. I used to get Niku Udon for $ 4. I thought this was an ok price for the serving size (you would probably need 3 of these bowls for it to be a regular sized bowl at any other Japanese restaurant). Now it’s $ 5.25 and the same size. Btw, order this item as soon as you sit down. It’s taken over 40 minutes for me to receive this dish.
Just about everything went up in price. When you’re marketing to college students, every penny you raise your food affects your clientele.
I could deal with these changes, but the service is absolutely horrid. There’s an Asian girl in particular that looks miserable every second she’s there. She never smiles, doesn’t greet you when you walk in the door, etc. There’s only one girl that is sweet (I think she’s relatively new. I think she is Hispanic or White and she has curly hair). Other than that, I hate the service here.
On top of that, today I saw a server go into the women’s restroom. No big deal. I went in after and realized there was no soap to wash my hands. That means this server went to the restroom, didn’t wash her hands with soap and water, then continued serving food. This is a health code violation. I told one of the workers there wasn’t soap in the restroom and she just said «ok» and kept folding napkins.

Too expensive for low quality food. I would rather eat McDonald than this. Service is nice but super slow. I rated them this low just because they jack up the price recently, and yet the quality of the food it still the same as before. I am totally fine with them raising the price if they upgrade their quality, but this is not the case at all.

I used to like this place a lot more my first year of college, because the idea of revolving sushi impressed me, the quality wasn’t bad, and the price was really good ($ 2/​plate). I would have rated it 5 stars back then.
Now 2 years later, it really went downhill. The quality of the sushi is slightly below average. It does not always seem fresh, like it’s been sitting on the belt for hours. The price also went up to $ 2.50/plate. The 50 cent increase really adds up in the end. My friend and I ended up spending $ 70 the last time we came here!

They raised their prices. :(. Here for lunch most of the conveyor belt is empty, had to ask water to be re-​filled. I will go elsewhere for sushi next time. It’s a bummer because they are close to my work.

Manager in this place you should really watch your attitude. Add 20% tip to our bill. Great job.

They have some good authentic Japanese dishes on the menu like Engawa, Chawan-​mushi, and Seaweed miso soup, which is rare for a revolving sushi restaurant.
As many folks already pointed out the customer service is unbelievably slow. Most of the waiters pay almost no attention to you it’s disrespectful. I would come more often if they had better waiters who are willing to serve customers cheerfully.
Edited on 6÷1÷16
They recently changed the menu that now the dishes have different prices according to the market value. Some dishes like Sea Urchin or Salmon Belly are now over $ 5 which some may complain about, but the quality has apparently improved that it’s almost Japan level.

Gatten sushi is one of those places you end up going to only if you’re in a hurry or other people choose it. It is strategically located next to UC Irvine and has managed to survive these last coupe of years, but based on reviews and experience it’s end seems to be coming.
Food– meh. Sushi is pretty average to low quality with most items being pre made and not fresh. The item choices are very basic and nothing really stands out. They increased their prices so you no longer get a cheap price that somewhat justifies the quality of food.
Service– young servers and students. They are friendly but slow. The waiters don’t really check up on you. I had to motion for them every time I needed something.
Environment– pretty dead when I went but other people say it’s loud. Revolving sushi is cool but not that good, takes too long to order from them.
Overall, this place is not worth going to, esp after the price increases. I would rather go to Kula if I’m gonna get revolving sushi.

What a rip-​off! The Cerritos-​based Gatten Sushi USA restaurant chain must have DESPERATELY needed extra revenue after the U.S. Dept. of Labor determined that that they owed sushi chefs and workers $ 625,000 in back wages and damages this past January. (
)
The Irvine location of this conveyer belt-​sushi restaurant went to a «New Menu» a week ago, with sushi plates going from $ 2.50 each to various prices, like $ 3.95, $ 5.25, and $ 6.25 — as much as a 250% price increase — Yikes! Two pieces of Unagi eel went from $ 2.50 previously to $ 3.95 — a 160% jump. We had been regulars at the Fullerton outlet, which closed awhile ago, and then the Cerritos location. Tonight, as always, we special-​ordered 4 plates of Ume-​Shiso Seabass from the Japanese sushi chef, only to have the Indian manager bark across the room to him and the waitresses that they «don’t do special orders» any longer! 2 of the requested dishes were plopped on the table, and they were not topped with the requested Ume plum garnish, but red pepper.
There were a number of Asian customers dining in the restaurant — since when do sushi chefs not take requests?! TWO of the waitresses apologized, separately, for the «New Menu» and the Indian manager’s attitude! Clearly they knew there was a problem.
The Cerritos restaurant went to the «New Menu» last night, and was closed early in the evening for the transition. Sadly, Gatten Sushi, which had a loyal following earlier, must now be on its last, shaky legs as a chain following the Dept. of Labor suit. At this rate, they’ll be gone!

This isn’t just a regular sushi restaurant, there’s a conveyer belt that brings around sushi, other appetizers and dessert to your table. Each plate is $ 2.50 I believe, unless said other wise. You can also order your food if you want it to be fresh or come sooner. It takes a few minutes for the sushi to circle back around. Came here on a Saturday night. The place was pretty empty. Service was good but giving it two stars only because the quality of the sushi wasn’t that great. The fish didn’t seem fresh. You definitely don’t want to eat cheap sushi because that can give you food poisoning. There’s another similar restaurant that has a conveyer belt, it’s Kula Revolving Sushi in diamond jamboree plaza.

Been here a few times. Quality has gone down, but it’s good that you can control how much you eat and how much you’re willing to spend… especially if you’re on a budget.

If I can give 0 stars I would do so! We came after hiking to pre birthday celebration and it was terrible!!!
They used to be very good 6 month ago! But now! They change everything — poorest service, worst manager ever, quality of food very bad!
We have been going here for two years before, always have been happy but now– It is the horrible place! Manager attitude is like «why you came stupid people, I hate you all, go home.»
In addition there is 18% mandatory tips (I guess this because they will not get any if they not include it).
I hate to tell bad things but I just don’t won’t people experience that bad place!

YOU SPIN ME RICE ROUND BABY, RICE ROUND!!!
After a fun filled morning with cohort that the OCMA nearby, my NEED to share something quite amazing fellow OC Unilocaler introduced me to with him, cohort and I rolled in here for some sustenance, before needs could be met.
Situated in a strip mall, this naturally lit, open concept sushi joint wasn’t crowded on our sunny afternoon visit. Warmly received by a hostess/​waiter, we were seated in a booth, adjacent to a revolving belt of sushi plates, with the sushi bar, and various flat screen tvs in sight.
A double-​sided placemat size laminated menu was filled with options of nigiri, sides, desserts, and alcohol, as well as associated food porn.
ORDERED:
The daily lunch special, with a spin. Our special started off with Udon soup, which was barely ok. It wasn’t steaming hot, and the flavoring was a slight on the meh side. In between the delivery of our chef prepared eats, we grabbed a couple plates from the revolving belt among them, the Dragon Roll and Tiger Roll.
A SINGLE BITE
Being in a large strip mall parking right in front of Gatten was simple. The ladies room was clean and well stocked, not to mention, the trash can was next to the door. Great for applying a paper towel to open the door on exiting and not having to hurl it across the room in hopes it would get it into the rubbish. Their posted goal for 2016 is, «Consistently and warmly welcome each customer like your best friend.» We did get a warm welcome and were well taken care of on our visit. As so many other reviews note, you incur what you pay for, sushi didn’t knock our socks off, but it did meet our demand for living and we cast ourselves out with a satisfying smile on our fonts.
Considering it is right next to a place I personally NEED to go when in this part of the OC, there is a good chance I would get back. In that respect are other eateries adjacent to Gatten, but you can’t get the price point Gatten offers.

Gatten Sushi is primarily known for their $ 2.50 sushi, which is a blessing and a curse because hey, $ 2.50 but it’s definitely one of those things where you get what you pay for.
However, the servers are also so nice and always tend to your needs, you’re also greeted every time you come in which I love! If I had to pick my top items to get it would be the crispy rice trio, it’s their Thursday special (and I always swap the crab for spicy tuna which is a perfect touch) and the chicken teriyaki bowl which is $ 4.50 and a hefty size.
It’s definitely a good place to come for a filling, adequate, inexpensive lunch or
dinner.

This place is UCI student friendly. If you’re a current UCI student and you show them your ID card, you’ll get 10%! That is super awesome.
First time here. Came across this place after a log school day and didn’t want to drive to places to eat. Was light wait craving something with rice so I thought of this sushi place. This place is like a get whatever sushi you want off the conveyor belt place. When I walked in, it was already 6:30 PM and there was only one customer so I was told to be seated wherever I wanted. I saw down and my server was very polite and served me hot tea and handed me menus of what they have here. Everything was so cheap $ 2.50!!! However, this does reflects their quality.
Overall, it’s nice of them to have student discounts and great service. Cheap prices… Sushi was ok– not good not bad. If you want a fast dinner, come here.

Gatten Sushi brings a blasé and lackluster Kaiten sushi experience to the UCI area of Irvine.
I would like to preface this review by answering 3 questions any reader should ask:
1.) Yes, I am aware that Gatten Sushi is strategically located next to a University.
2.) Yes, I am aware that each plate comes in at a dirt cheap $ 2.50.
3.) No, I do not normally care for the Kaiten experience. I prefer to pay extra for quality seafood.
That all being said, co-​workers demanded a trip to Gatten and I was obliged to join them. The whole conveyor belt sushi idea is pretty scary to me because you don’t know how long something has been revolving on the track for and since the offerings are prepared en masse, it is a safe assumption very little outside of the bare minimum is being put into the preparation. In my opinion it is the McDonalds of sushi. Can it be executed at a permissible level? Sure, just look at Blue C in Newport Beach! That is the only time I was impressed and yes, I have been to Sushilicious and Kula. Those two both sucked.
The Tuna Nigiri is perhaps the least fresh you will find in Orange County, and that is based on appearance alone. Their was no purple tint, no translucence to the meat and it basically looked like a piece of cow tongue stuck on a bed of rice. Hell no. Uni was also available. For $ 2.50. Hell no. Raw Shrimp is offered. For $ 2.50. More hell no. «Yellow Tail should be a decent option, even here right?». Knock knock. Who’s there? HELL NO.
Moving right along…
The Edamame was unseasoned (not even rock salt) but edible. The rolls received some minor praise from the colleagues but I do not care for rolls outside of an occasional Tuna Roll in which I stole a piece off of my companion’s plate. Gatten’s Spicy Tuna Roll is a particularly nasty little number with gummy rice, a «squishy» texture to the meat interior and the spicy coming in the form of a powdered substance tossed over the roll. This is a 360 dunk of sushi roll failure. The Salmon Roe fared no better. Two words: Salty Water.
Are their any positives about Gatten?
I have 3. The Fatty Salmon Nigiri was the first plate that didn’t utterly frighten my soul and was actually a decent little rendition. Fresh, clean and with the familiar mouthfeel of a standup piece of sushi. I would order that again. Same goes for the regular Salmon Nigiri. And lastly they offer a great deal on Sapporo: a bucket of 4 for $ 12.00. This could be Irvine’s cheapest Beer option in a restaurant.
Gatten Sushi is the consummate 2 star experience. Just pay more, it is worth it.

Gatten is a place for a quick sushi fix. Is it great quality? No. But it’s convenient and quick. Came here around dinner time with a friend and was quickly seated. There weren’t any chopsticks in our bin (fail!) so we had to wait for the waitress to get us a box with chopsticks to pick from.
We ordered a couple plates off the menu. One thing that annoys me with sushi places is when they run out of a certain product. In this case, it was uni. I shrugged it off and started to take couple plates off the conveyer belt, mainly nigiri (tuna, yellowtail, etc). It was a decent cut of fish, some fresh, some not.
I ended up getting a piece of fish bone in the Mexican roll, which is another fail. I sort of felt bad for our server as she seemed to frantic running around.
I will say that this place offers more of a selection than other places.
Overall though, I got my sushi fix.