Sansai Grill — Restaurant in Burbank

I've debated on whether on not to eat here for years. Normally when I'm in the area, I choose to eat next door. But the day I visited I was craving california rolls, so I choose to order here. My mom decided to order next door. I ordered her food first since there's usually a 10-15 min wait for walk up orders. I was only going to order sushi rolls, which shouldn't take that long, right?

To be fair, I went on a fairly busy day on the weekend. There are four options to order from here: walk up to the counter, order from the kiosks just inside the doors, phone orders, and food app deliveries. Since there was a long line, I decided to order from the kiosk. There were about five people in line ahead of me when I ordered. I paid for my order on the kiosk and waited outside, as instructed (for social distancing purposes). They have a outdoor announcing system (that you could hardly hear btw) where they call your name when your order is ready, and you are able to re-enter the establishment to pickup your order.

So I waited. And waited. And waited. All the people ahead of me in line came and went. New people came in and ordered, and left. And I was waiting. After about 20 min, I thought this isn't right. I shouldn't be waiting this long for sushi rolls. So I went back in to make sure that they didn't forget to call me or some sort or explanation. I went in and checked with the lady working the counter whether I could have missed hearing my name. She abruptly said, "we'll call you when your order is ready". Hmmm, okay that was a little rude. But again, they were busy and I was gonna give them the benefit of the doubt. Plus there was literally only one person making sushi, so I thought, okay maybe there's a big order.

More people come in to order, more people leave with their order. I finally decided to stay inside just to make sure I didn't miss my name being called. More people coming and going. I asked her again, are you sure you haven't called my name yet? And same restrained rudeness with a, "we'll call you when your order is ready".

Another 15 min passed. Still nothing. I was livid at this point. My mother had gotten her order next door and had already eaten and I still hadn't even heard a whiff of my order. Reminder: I got an order of california rolls and a spicy tempura roll. THAT'S IT. Not even a drink. I walked back in intending to just cancel my order and get my money back. She sees me come back in but still makes me wait in line behind the new people ordering their food.

When I get to the counter, I asked if I could just cancel my order. She replies, "we don't have an order for you". I was already angry and said that if they didn't have an order for me how could I have a receipt saying I paid almost an hour ago. She checks and checks. Still nothing. I dunno what finally made her check the kiosk orders, but she did. She got that look on her face that said, "oh s#!7". And (surprise!) found the order I placed an hour ago.

She couldn't apologize fast enough for brushing me off previously. If I hadn't been so hungry, I probably would have caused a scene. But I patiently waited and they placed my order (finally) ahead of the others waiting to make my order. Did I get a discount or something extra for having waited an hour? Nope. Not even an offer of a free drink for the inconvenience.

It goes without saying that I will NEVER patronize this location again. Thanks...

Sansai Japanese Grill was a wonderful experience. I ordered the hand roll box. At first I was surprised that it wasn't the rice hand rolls, but more like the cone shaped rolls. However I was then pleasantly surprised with the protein content! Those hand rolls were practically filled to the brim with salmon! There was so much protein in there, I think I got my fish allotment for the whole week. I also tried the EBI eel, however since I have to keep it non-dairy, I didn't realize that it came with coleslaw inside. I took it out and ate the whole thing with a little bit of the kale salad inserted in its place. It was still delicious! However next time I will ask for the eel to not come with the coleslaw. Keep that in mind if you are dairy sensitive like me. The service was exceptional! It's like a five star restaurant. The employee was so wonderful and accommodated all my requests for additional wasabi and ginger. All the employees were kind and professional and waved hello and goodbye. They were all smiling and obviously enjoyed their work environment. The hand rolls were delicious, and really opened me up to a new style of eating sushi. I had only had them one other time before in my life, so this was a very nice experience. I asked the employee if it's OK to bring food from another restaurant in the complex and eat inside and she said that's totally OK since I'm buying a meal from them as well. They're very accommodating and nice people. The bathrooms are clean and well-maintained. The tables are also clean. I will definitely come back, especially because the price was very reasonable. $20 for three hand rolls, miso soup and a delicious kale salad with vinaigrette dressing! You can't beat that....

I had a couple of hours to kill after landing at Burbank Airport and needed something quick but decent within walking distance while waiting for my train. After checking out a few nearby options, I landed on SanSai Grill (pardon the pun). It looked clean, convenient, and had solid reviews — so I figured it was worth a try.

The Vibe: This spot sits in a strip center near the airport, so there’s not a ton of atmosphere — it does feel a little sterile, to be honest. That said, it was spotless, which I really appreciate when traveling.

Service: Service was exactly what I expected: friendly, efficient, and no fuss. You order at the counter, grab a number, and they bring the food out to your table. Nothing particularly memorable, but also nothing to complain about — just smooth and easy, which was exactly what I wanted after a flight.

Food & Drinks: I went with the Salmon Bowl over brown rice and added the Sumi Salad on the side. The presentation was clean, and everything tasted fresh, though the flavors were pretty mild. The teriyaki sauce was standard, and the Sumi Salad — while crisp — didn’t have much personality beyond the crunch. (It’s cabbage, carrots, green onions, almonds, sesame seeds, and crispy noodles with their house dressing.) The brown rice was fine, and I stuck with water since I was rehydrating post-flight.

Overall: It definitely hit the spot for what I needed — a quick, healthy lunch before catching my train down to San Diego. I know there are several SanSai Grill locations around LA, and while I wouldn’t go out of my way to visit one, I wouldn’t hesitate to stop in again if I were nearby. Clean, convenient, and solid — just not one that leaves a...