39 Degrees — Restaurant in Long Beach

Honestly came in with zero expectations as we randomly chose a Japanese place to dine in. This place is Vietnamese ran with poor food quality. The one sushi chef did not wear his mask the entire time we sat at the bar. Just so many things were not good. We ordered an agedashi tofu, edamame, eel roll, and tofulicious roll. The agedashi tofu sauce is very bitter and nowhere near authentic Japanese flavor. The edamame came cold with the majority UNCOOKED. The rolls themselves were mostly rice with the smallest portion size of ingredients inside. The Thai tea was half the size of the cup pictured on the menu so please keep that in mind. The Thai tea was also 80% ice.

Now let's talk service. We weren't greeted at the entrance and instead awkwardly stood around for several minutes. Once we were seated at the bar our drinks were promptly ordered. We honestly never saw the waiters much after. Drinks took about five minutes to be dropped off. Food came within 15-18 minutes. They forgot to give us utensils....We had our food before we got utensils. We needed napkins and no waiter was around so we took paper towels from the bar to use. Waiters never came to do a follow up. There were people lining up at the door waiting to be seated or food couriers and not a single person in sight to help. It was so bad that one man sat himself at the bar. Okay so past the fact we're being grossly crowded and the chef is without a mask during a Covid epidemic, we had to wait an additional 15 minutes to ask a waiter for the bill.

Think it ends there? Nope. Walking right out the door there's vomit all over the sidewalk from their restaurant. It looks like someone also found the food inedible. Highly recommend you avoid this place if you're used to quality Japanese food because you won't...

I luv everything about this place. The friendly staff, the great food, the ambiance and environment, my fellow sushi patrons... everything! Headed by Master Chef Sub and Hostess with the Mostest Tanya, the entire Sushi By 39 Degrees team knows their stuff and their mission, to satisfy the dining desires of every customer who walks through their door. Many of the staff also work at their sister sushi bar, I Luv Sushi in Lakewood, CA, but I wanted to give props to Ron, Chan, Raya, Etsuke, MJ, and Brian, who round out the team of Master Chefs, and create just about every delicious treat. (Here's a secret: ask them to create something special, just for you.) Lilly, Aye, Sarah and Nikki assist Miss Tanya, making each person feel like family. Javy, Raul and Pat round out the team you'll see, keeping the place spotless. But I also wanted to give a shout-out to the unseen ladies and gentlemen in the kitchen, whose names I cannot remember but who always remember me, especially with their delightful home-made treats and desserts. :) I will go out of my way to come here every chance I get. And if you see me (or my sushi friend Katy), say "hi," but don't ask about the...

We visited 39 Degrees with high expectations, given how packed the restaurant was. Clearly, it’s a popular spot. However, our experience didn’t quite match the hype.

Right off the bat, the presence of several homeless people right outside the entrance made the arrival a bit uncomfortable. Not something the restaurant can fully control, but it does affect the first impression.

As for the food — while the sushi looked beautifully presented, the taste was underwhelming. We ordered the sashimi sampler, a variety of sushis, and tried their sampler rolls. Surprisingly, the sushis were better than the sashimi sampler, but still just average. The rolls were okay, but nothing memorable.

On the positive side, the service was friendly and attentive, which we appreciated. But unfortunately, good service alone can’t salvage a sushi experience if the food doesn’t meet expectations.

With so many great sushi options around, I don’t think we’ll be returning. Looks nice, popular with the crowd, but the taste and quality just didn’t...