Zen Sushi

This is by far my favorite sushi place in Newport-​costa Mesa area. The fish is fresh and the portions are so big. Service has always been so friendly and they always give my boyfriend great recommendations. Last time I was there we told the sushi chef what we liked and he made us some custom rolls that were so good!
The owner and staff always make us feel at home and we can’t wait to go back.
Most of all the sushi is fresh and yummmmmmmyyyyyu!!! Best sushi!

Even though the outside of the restaurant is not very appealing, you will be surprised by what is waiting for inside!
The prices are reasonable, even though I regret not having rice included with the bento box dinner. The sushi tasted good, as well as my chicken katsu.
I have to say that the service was on point. We got the edamame as a starter on the house since we checked in on Unilocal.I even got a small bottle of katsu sauce on the side without even asking. Great place!

Great happy hour. Free spicy edamame with check in (amazing) Spicy tuna bites are yummmm. We also got the spicy tuna crunchy roll. Everything is soo good I will definitely be coming back here.

Great place awesome happy hour. Food is on point and service was amazing. Favorite sushi spot

Everything we ordered tasted like the ocean itself threwup the saltiest tasting shit you have ever experienced. #SALTYASFUCK If that doesn’t turn you away, let me tell you about the image we had the pleasure of witnessing while gagging on our salt. The sushi chef was literally dissecting a fish the size of a medium sized dog in a public display while everyone in the restaurant ate their salt. Well that about sums up our lovely evening at zen sushi we will see this place never.

The rolls were delicious, great proportions and reasonable prices. We ordered the blue crab crunch roll and the caterpillar roll (the rolls were way bigger than other sushi restaurants). The server was friendly and efficient. The tempura ice cream was our favorite.

Love coming here! We ordered some «regular» rolls, but their Sabrina Special is THEEE BEST!!! It’s got lobster, spicy tuna, cream cheese, asparagus, fresh tuna and alvocado. Anything you order will taste amazing, so come in and enjoy Zen Sushi; they never disappoint;)

Very good service, got seated really quickly on a Saturday night. We were trying to go to Mama C’s Italian down the road but that wait was 1 hour. This place was worth it.

Zen is the absolute best sushi on the Peninsula! My boyfriend and I are locals and visit this spot frequently. Hannah in the best server and always greets you with a smile! She gives big hugs on the way in and out and always remembers your order. The sushi chefs are awesome and will always create special rolls if you ask. We love this place!!!

Decided to try this place tonight instead of our usual and was blown away by how fresh the fish was! We ordered 4 rolls (dragon roll, spicy tuna, Philadelphia, and Sabrina’s special) and with each bite we were more and more satisfied! Definitely will drive the extra 5 miles to come here from now on! The service was excellent too!

GREAT SERVICE! the food was so good everything I had was fresh and enjoyable ! I definitely recommend this place if you are in Newport Beach and want sushi!

We always go here for happy hour (till 630pm) because it’s great deal and the sushi are awesome. House sake is a must! The albacore lover, edamame, miso soup and the protein sushi wrapped in soy paper without rice are great. Service is always prompt and they’re super nice! The restaurant is kept clean at all times even the bathroom! Although one time, we informed the staff about the broken faucet that spills non stop water and the hostess simply replied, «oh it’s been like that all day! We can’t do anything about it!» Hello? We are on drought! Just turn off the pipe or call a plumber? Parking at the triangle can be hard but there’s $ 10 valet service available on the main floor. No validation offered!

So I have been here twice now… both were to go orders. I get off of work at 2 and I’m usually ready for dinner by 4 (I’m not a senior citizen, I just start my day very early). So when I’m craving sushi I typically have limited options since a lot of places close for a few hours midday… So that’s how I ended up here. I have tried the sashimi salad, omg roll, 949 roll, and the sashimi roll. All really good! The omg roll said «super spicy» so i had to get that… I’m all about that spice! It had a good amount of spice… not recommend for the weak. The salmon in the sashimi salad really stood out… literally melted in my mouth.
Everyone there has always been extremely nice! I will for sure be back… and I am going to try the ak47 (sounds amazing), zen, and most likely the bubba roll!

This place was great! The free appetizer was super spicy for us but yummy. We ordered the philly, the spicy tuna and the baked halibut roll. All were simply divine! The halibut one may be the best roll I have ever had. The service was great as well.

This was a good stop for lunch. Bento box lunch with teriyaki salmon was very good and the unugi don came out in a sizzling stone bowl with bottom layer of rice, next Kani, then the avocado and topped with eel drizzled with brown sauce. So good. First time I’ve ever had it with the Kani and that makes this my favorite place for ungi don. Also ordered a salmon avocado roll.

Jinu is one of the kindest person you’ll ever meet. I’ve been eating at Jinu’s establishments for the longest time. It was my weekly spot back when it was located in Triangle Square.
The food: The fish is amazingly delicious. You can get your favorites or have Juni create a tantalizing treat. I recommend the salmon baked roll for the cooked sushi lover. I recommend the sweet shrimp boat with quail egg/​ponzu or tuna boat with quail egg for the extra pop in your mouth. The sashimi is always best and their unique rolls such as the 949 roll are delicious as well.
The drinks: Zen offers the standard fare of tea, beer, wine, and sake. The staff is helpful if you need pairing guidance. I tend to stick to the cold sake. Zen offers many sakes if you want to expand your palate but the house sake is great for a couple of drinks.
The ambiance: Zen is a chill sushi restaurant. It can be a relaxing environment during the day but it can turn into a party in the evening. The sushi bar gives you front row access to Jinu and his other sushi chefs or you can chose a table in the main dining or you can get window seating and interact with the accommodating staff.
Tidbits: Parking is like any other place in Newport Beach. You can either find parking in the residential area, on the street, and wherever. They accept cash and credit. Zen always offers the best fish. There are happy hours specials Monday-​Friday from 3:00pm to 6:00pm. Don’t forget to check on the happy hour rolls!

We came here for dinner to meet my boyfriend’s uncle. He boasted about this place and how awesome it is… he was right! I love, love, love the stuffed baby squid, so tasty!
Our service was amazing both the actual server and our very attentive and excellent sushi chef (we sat at the sushi bar)
The king crab legs baked were to die for… so freaking good we couldn’t get enough and as a chef special and each KC order only being $ 15.95 we went to town! We had a few other rolls etc but the baby squid and king crab legs baked were above par. The few rolls I tried were all awesome and tasty too.
Above the great food was an all around great experience backed by stellar service. Thank you, great place, I highly recommend… their happy hour is bomb too :)

The sushi was good but had to wait a while. We ordered the kids chicken lunch special and luckily it came out right away. The sushi rolls came out at different times. The bento box was served after everyone had eaten the sushi rolls. There was only one waiter working the floor and we felt bad for the guy. He was trying really hard.

Zushi Zunday
FISHY — -I know this is a Japanese restaurant that serves raw seafood, but honestly that’s how you know about the quality of establishment and the food. As soon as I walked in i smelled the strong fish scent and that already was strike one.
Not sure how long this place has been a Japanese restaurant but it was clearly a French restaurant before. They have not remodeled the establishment, still has French wallpaper and décor throughout the location. One can definitely tell about its past with the Eiffel Tower wallpaper in the bathroom. This is also a very local, yet touristy location. I was able to spot locals and tourists during my hour there.
Zen has a happy hour from 3−6pm Monday-​Sunday, which is half off of their regular/​original rolls and choice of appetizers. This was an automatic pull for 2 already in debt and soon-​to-​be grad students. We were both very hungry and each picked 2 rolls and shared an appetizer.
–Philly roll: Very interesting mix, the inside had salmon, cream cheese, avocado, and asparagus. The top had salmon and avocado, which many restaurants don’t ever do, one of the things that impressed me.
–Crunch roll: Typical crunch roll, good flavor, but one of the pieces still had the shrimp skin on it, ew.
–Avocado roll: Only had avocado and cucumber on the inside, basic.
–Gyoza: Pork and veggie filled dumplings-​had good flavor.
There were only 2 workers during our hour stay, a third worker began his shift as we were leaving, which was good because they definitely needed the extra help. The young man was very attentive to detail and nice. The women did not have great customer service or people skills. Overall experience: If you’re looking for cheap sushi and guaranteed parking spot on the peninsula in Newport Beach, this is your place. Sushi was alright, good prices during happy hour but will not come back.

Since relocating to SoCal, I have made it a point to treat myself once a week by eating out. This week, my target was a nearby sushi restaurant offering a large hot sake as their Unilocal check-​in offer. Well… WAS my target. I arrived only to discover that they were closed for the day without any explanation. Heart breaker…
At that point, I was determined to appease my sushi craving and Unilocaled nearby sushi restaurants. Zen was closest to my location and boasted a 4-​star average so I scampered over, dodging traffic and fellow pedestrians along the way.
Upon my arrival, I was greeted and promptly seated. The nice gentleman working there handed me the main menu and a separate menu for their special rolls, but he pointed out their lunch specials on the back. I ended up with the salmon skin roll lunch combo ($ 10.95) which included five pieces of nigiri.
Dear lord…
Though the nigiri was aesthetically pleasing, it was evident from my first bite that I made an error in selecting Zen as my lunch option as the fish didn’t taste fresh at all, specifically the maguro. Yes, that tuna possessed an overwhelmingly fishy flavor and a very off-​putting texture. Not all of the pieces were that catastrophic and the salmon was actually somewhat fresh and passable. However, the most serious offense Zen committed that afternoon was underseasoning the rice. How could you? Instead of that pleasantly bittersweet sushi rice I love, I was met with bland and disappointing rice.
The thing with nigiri is that there is nothing to hide behind. No special sauces. No extravagant fillings. It is just fish and rice so any shortcomings are immediately exposed.
The salmon skin roll wasn’t as disappointing as the nigiri… thank goodness.
As for the ambiance, I was a bit confused. Some of the artwork wasn’t Japanese. Moreover, latin music was playing in the background.
Service was okay, though.
All in all, Zen is a 2.5 star establishment in my book. They were nice so I want to round up to a 3-​star review but I cannot allow myself to do so since the rice was a failure… THE RICE! Needless to say, I won’t be back…