Top Japanese Restaurant in Dana Point
Gen Kai Sushi
34143 CA-1, Dana Point, CA 92629, United States
DANA POINT. If you’re looking for a classic Japanese Sushi restaurant here you have it. No strip mall stuff here, looks like it’s been around a while. Cozy Sushi Bar. Try the Yellowtail Baja Style and the Monica Roll. I closed out with dessert - Fatty Tuna Sushi and Uni topped with a Quail Egg. Not all places have fatty tuna so happy to find this place. Old school, all service orders through the Chef and the service was excellent.
Dana Kai
24050 Camino Del Avion # A, Dana Point, CA 92629, United States
Fancy authentic japanese restaurant that will not hurt your wallet. High quality food, excellent environment and service.
Maki Yaki Japanese Restaurant
34119 Pacific Coast Hwy C, Dana Point, CA 92629, United States
Calling all seafood lovers! In the lantern district of Dana Point, lays a hidden treasure for sushi lovers on a budget. Once you step through the doors of the bamboo bead clad door of Maki Yaki, you know you have reached the right place for a cheap bite. The lovely, authentic, Japanese decor livens up the miniscule restaurant; intricate hand made paper and fabric dolls line one side of the wall, while a beautiful bamboo waterfall is on the other. Yes, the mustard yellow walls may be a bit frightening at first sight, and the sticky tables may encourage your fears, but do not run away yet, there is abundance of other specialties to make up for these errors. Even though this restaurant may not be for everyone, especially children and those who dislike fish. Although the manager/owner will make it seem like the restaurant is for everyone. The staff here truly give Maki Yaki a homey feeling.The menu may not be the largest, but there is enough to choose exactly what you would prefer. Whenever I eat here, I always go for the Lunch Special B which comes with: a roll of your choice, five piece sushi, a salad, and some miso soup. Just make sure to show up at the right time, from twelve P.M. to three P.M., in order to access this deal. My all time favorite roll to purchase with the lunch special is the delectable Green Dragon Roll. The Green Dragon Roll is everything good in life, warmed up. The inside of the roll includes crispy shrimp tempura, not-so-tasteable crab meat, creamy avocado, and crunchy cucumber. Lying on top is evens more avocado, and the golden child, the melt in your mouth, eel, and finally some of their special sauce to complete it. No other sushi place has eel like Maki Yaki. Even though Maki Yaki is not the best quality sushi place around, their eel makes them seem like a five star restaurant. The Dragon roll is also warmed up, which gives it a perfect flare. The only criticism I have for this roll is for there to be a spicy variation of it. Although, this roll is perfect for anyone looking for something to treat themselves with.Even though the Dragon Roll is the best, a close second would be the spicy salmon handroll. This sinus-clearing dish is best served on those cold days when you need to be warmed up from the inside out. It includes sticky rice, cucumber, avocado, crab meat, a slab of delectable spicy salmon, all wrapped up in salty crunchy seaweed. This is a great option if you are not quite ready to devour a roll, but are still hungry. Or even if you want to eat something before your roll. Either way this handroll is a great choice. Also, if you do not prefer spicy salmon, there is a choice of spicy tuna, spicy calamari, and a plain California handroll.The next runner up is something to help refresh you during your meal: boba drinks. Boba drinks are like the icing on a cake, for your meal. My favorite would be the flavorful green tea. Whenever I purchase one of these, I have to restrain myself from not gulping the entire drink once I receive it! If you have never experienced boba, this drink is a must have. Boba is soft, squishy, brown sugar tapioca balls. They are then mixed with the drink of your choice. You can have boba in either a slushy or a tea, either way it is absolutely to die for. If you are lactose intolerant, like me, be prepared; most boba drinks contain a lot of milk. Overall, I hope you will give this not-so-shabby sushi place a try. Once you go there, youll never want to leave. Just remember, the food is superior to the walls!
Ichibiri Japanese Restaurant
16 Monarch Bay Plaza, Dana Point, CA 92629, United States
This is a very good Japanese restaurant. The food was excellent and the service was outstanding. I knew it was going to be good food just because the miso soup was so good, not like the genetic miso at most Japanese restaurants. You will enjoy this place!
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Bourbon Steak Orange County
1 Monarch Beach Resort N, Dana Point, CA 92629, United States
As a steak lover who has been grilling steaks on a weekly basis for over a decade and has tried some of the best steakhouses in this country and beyond, I can say that this is one of the best steakhouses in SoCal.Short review:Excellent food. Even better service. Try the Wagyu steak trio. Their complimentary fries, soups in cups and a fried bun are excellent offerings. They ask about your dietary restrictions so as to accommodate you fully. Their dessert offerings were delightful. Ask for blankets if you get cold sitting on the balcony. Valet parking only ($10+tips with validation)Overall Experience: 9.5/10Food: 9/10Service: 10/10Cost: $$$$Reservation needed: No, but I would recommend getting a reservation just in case.Long review:To begin, the restaurant is located inside a Waldorf Astoria. Valet parking only and the restaurant will validate the parking ticket making it come out to $10 plus tips.The restaurant looks classy (as expected). We sat on the balcony which had views of the ocean and the resort. When we got cold, we were offered blankets (very nice touch) and the heaters were turned on. Excellent Service. Meal started with complimentary fries (3 different kinds coupled with individual sauces), and cups (actual cups) of tomato soup. The fries were likely duck fat fries and were definitely a treat. Tomato soup was great (its tomato soup, not much to say here) but definitely tasted well after the fries. They offer table side bourbon which is an experience altogether but as we drove from San Diego, we opted for non-alcoholic cocktails. Furthermore, they provided bread/bun but it was pretty unique as it had cheese inside and was first baked and then fried. Kudos to Bourbon management for pairing those great little appetizers.We kept the order short and sweet. 2 orders of the Wagyu Trio and a side of Truffle Mac and Cheese. Wagyu Trio was $198 each and came with 17oz of Wagyu beef (10oz of Missima Ultra NY Strip (American Wagyu), 4oz of Snake River Farms Ribeye (American Wagyu) and 3oz of Hokkaido A5 Wagyu (Japanese Wagyu)). I ordered them Medium rare plus. The steaks came out with the right warmth (maybe a smidge overcooked, I didnt expect them to hit medium rare plus anyway) but the steaks were perfectly seasoned. Needless to say the A5 Wagyu melted in the mouth so it was our favorite. The Snake River Farms have always stood out as one of the best, if not the best, American Wagyu producers and it was very evident here. Think of it being the middle ground of A5 Wagyu and the Missima ultra. The Missima ultra (ultra being the highest richness in Missima meat categories) fell short compared to the others but that was expected. They also came with peppers and they werent spicy and tasted great with the steak. The Truffle Mac and Cheese was a little disappointing to be honest. It tasted like a regular Mac and Cheese from any steakhouse. I was expecting a hint of truffle flavor but didnt feel anything was different.As we were dining, rain started pouring out of nowhere. The servers sprung to action and moved us into the restaurant quickly and efficiently and each and every server genuinely apologized to us for the rain. They didnt cause the rain, but they apologized. Nevertheless, its a sign of a very empathetic team of employees. Excellent service!!!!As dinner ended, we ordered 2 desserts. We were already stuffed from the steaks (which neither of us could finish more than half way) but ending the night on a sweet note is always good. We opted for the Souffle and the Beignets. The souffle was passion fruit so very fruity yet not too sweet. The Beignets were large and coupled with a chocolate ganache (maybe a thicker consistency than a ganache) and they were the perfect end to the evening.But wait. They offered us 2 cubes of honey when they brought the check. Think of a lightly sweet cube of honey gummy. That concluded the dinner.Will we back? Considering we live in San Diego, driving an hour to come here regularly is tricky but for celebrations, I dont see why not!
Eden Vegan Restaurant
32860 CA-1 Suite#1, Dana Point, CA 92629, United States
Excellent quality and flavor vegan Japanese restaurant at one of the most beautiful locations in the world. Highly recommend, even if you are not vegan. Great options for gluten-free as well. A must try!
180bl
1 Ritz Carlton Dr, Dana Point, CA 92629, United States
Talk about disapppointing. This has been a spot on my list of places to try for some time. So after a long day out hiking we decided it was close enough to come try before heading home and let me just say youd really expect more from a place to dine at a Ritz Carlton.Leaving more to be desired feels like an understatement and I can not even begin to express the depths of our disappointment not only with the overall quality of the food but with the service. The only positive point is the beautiful views but even that is not enough a redeeming quality for us to ever consider returning.Our initial server Tyler was great and I sincerely wish we would have stayed in his section, but we wanted to sit with a bit more of a view.As soon as we sat down I knew it was somewhere we wouldnt sit at and relax or enjoy long, the chairs were hard and uncomfortable. I had shorts on and had to sit on my sweater because the seat was so uncomfortable causing pain to the backs of my legs.We ordered our cocktails and they arrived quickly, they were fine, not particularly exciting.We moved to the balcony edge table and were switched servers. We asked for water and watched the table seated after us recieve their cocktails and we still hadnt gotten a glass of water. My partner had to go up to the bar and ask for water himself because we had waited so long, and after he sat back down and we got our water from Tyler (thank you!) Our waitress brought water for the table next to us shortly after we finally got ours. We placed our orders and someone else brought our food, and we hadnt even taken a bite before our waitress asked if everything was prepared fine and tasted good. The burger was incredibly lack luster, the double patty doesnt make up for the lack of flavor. And shockingly was not even asked how we wanted it prepared. I could get a better burger from in-n-out for less than half the cost.As we ate we listened to our waitress give so much time and attention to the table next to us who she seemed more than happy to be attentive to, and was even offering to provide them with food items not on the menu. I am certain they were provided far better service than we got.No water refills, $130 bill before we tipped. For 2 cocktails and two burgers. Take it from me, save your money an go anywhere else.This is not a place I will be returning, try any other restraurant at any other Ritz.
Maison Cafe Market
24501 Del Prado Ave, Dana Point, CA 92629, United States
On a chilly, misty morning in June, I stopped by the Maison Cafe. The kitchen had not yet opened, but I was pleased that I could order a coffee and freshly baked croissant at the counter. The kind woman serving me invited me to take a seat anywhere I liked. So, I picked up a menu and chose a table in the corner by the window.As I reviewed the menu, other people began to drift into the cafe and take seats at tables scattered around the room. This seemed like a very pleasant, serene place to enjoy a nice breakfast. Or so I thought.A bit later, a large table began to fill with eight young women and one young boy wearing a headset and playing video games. They arrived one by one, and as their table filled, the noise level became increasingly loud.Over the next 20 to 30 minutes, I saw that diners at other tables were taking notice, and at least one annoyed couple left their table in search of a quieter space in the cafe or perhaps an exit. I considered doing the same. But I was in the midst of eating my gravlax toast, which was delicious! So, I stayed put and weathered the storm.This group of eight oblivious women was obnoxiously loud, and they behaved more like a team of young soccer players at Chuck E Cheese than a group of women having breakfast in a nice, French-style cafe.Perhaps people like this should be treated like soccer players. Perhaps a yellow card should be placed on each table in the cafe. If a group at a particular table becomes loud and obnoxious, diners at other tables could ask their waiter or the manager to present the obnoxious group with a yellow card as a warning to reduce their noise level and stop their raucous behavior. If a table receives three yellow cards from three different tables, the manager would give them a red card and ask them to leave.Restaurants should not have to discipline their guests. It can be an unpleasant task. However, only the managers can control a restaurants ambience. When a group is disturbing everyone elses dining experience, management has an obligation to act.A year or two ago, I was having dinner at a very nice restaurant in Palm Desert. They had a full house, and one table of three people was engaged in a heated and vulgar conversation. A friend of mine left our table and talked to the manager who soon appeared in the dining room and escorted the offending party out of the restaurant. The remaining diners spontaneously gave him a loud round of applause. We all enjoyed the rest of our dinners in peace.Ironically, the young boy wearing a headset and playing video games was the wisest and best behaved person at the table of loud young women. His headset muffled the cacophony, and he bothered no one.I expect Ill return to the Maison Cafe, because this restaurant offers great food and wonderful service. However, if the cafe is obnoxiously loud, my friends and I will ask for outdoor seating or spend our lunch money elsewhere. Or if Im dining alone, I suppose I could take a hint from the well-behaved young man wearing the headset.The Maison Cafe. Great food, wonderful service. But be prepared for excessive noise levels if there is an obnoxiously loud group in attendance.
Project Social
24040 Camino Del Avion Suite J, Dana Point, CA 92629, United States
We arrived and they were closed at 12 noon for a private event. Nothing on their website. We even called before we came and no one answered. Not a good business practice.The Japanese restaurant in the same area was open and excellent!!
The Little Kitchen Asian Cafe
24831 Del Prado Ave, Dana Point, CA 92629, United States
PLEASE READ: My wife and i just started throwing up at the same time about 20 minutes after eating their food. I just called and said “i'm not looking for a refund, just letting you know that we have food poisoning…etc” the lady said that i'm wrong and doesn't have time to talk to me and hung up. The food tasted amazing but we're throwing up in sync so….. maybe throw away your batch of beef and listen to your customers before you get more people sick.7/22 follow up- The male manager was extremely nice after we returned the food last time after I explained what happened. He offered a credit or a refund and I took the credit to give them another chance. The female on the phone Rebecca said that I'm wrong and people cannot get sick from food and this has never happened. I said this is very rude for you to go back and forth… she continued to argue and say that we are wrong and they have never had a single complaint. I hate to be the guy that leaves a negative review and I was hoping to remove this post but Rebecca needs to take a Serv safe class and possibly go to a seminar on how to treat customers with respect. Hope we don't get sick this time. To end with a quote from her “we cooked it more for you this time so that you don't get sick again.” Thank you Rebecca, you're great…