ETC Bar & THAI-ZAKAYA — Restaurant in Costa Mesa

This place has been on my list of places to try and I'm so glad I finally did. We showed up and were seated right away. The restaurant itself is pretty small, but there are some tables set up outside as well. Service was quick and efficient. We definitely felt welcomed as we walked in. Plenty of parking available in the lot. Lastly, the food was delicious! I definitely recommend giving this place a try if you're in the area.

Food review: Spicy tuna on crispy rice: (5/5) Honestly, I was shocked at how big they were at first, but once I took my first bite I was impressed. Great flavor and texture!

Salmon nigiri: (5/5) Very tasty and melted in my mouth. It was super fresh tasting.

Gyoza: (5/5) These are steamed I believe, but also great flavor and the dipping sauce was super good!

Salmon avocado roll: (4/5) It was pretty good, big pieces of salmon inside and very filling.

Sushi roll (unknown name?) (5/5) My bf said it was delicious and he downed it quickly! I'm allergic to shrimp so couldn't try.

Plain udon: (4/5) This was a decent size portion. The noodles and broth were...

Staying in a nearby hotel, and got excited when we saw this sushi place nearby. I went to place an order directly through their website (not a third party app) for pickup, and was shocked to see a 10% “convenience fee” added.

I’m not sure what’s convenient about that? It’s placing a simplified order directly to the kitchen, bypassing tying up any server or host’s time. There is takeout packaging involved, but the pennies for that are less than the labor costs of full service. It didn’t say credit card processing fee, which is another annoying cost now being passed on to the customer, but it’s at least somewhat understandable (and CC fees are generally around 3%, so where’s the other 7% come in?)

I assume this fee is just for takeout, but who knows, maybe they charge it in house too. Idk I just spent my...

Hunamon Thai was booked so we stopped in this place to give it a try. The service was great don’t get me wrong, but it’s just not a 5 star type of sushi spot. The atmosphere was friendly and I don’t have any complaints, they did fine. Teriyaki beef came out cold the first time but they made up for it and sent us back a hot plate. Food was good, just not the best sushi I’ve ever had. I’m really a foodie, so I feel they could have had some better tasting sushi. I tried 5 rolls and the teriyaki beef bento box. I love the unlimited refills of green tea. Dinner was great and the price wasn’t bad. I’m not craving it though, might try another spot before I...