San Shi Go Newport Beach — Restaurant in Newport Beach

This is THEE place to get amazing Sushi. I've had Omakase from many other great places like Oshima, Nana San, Shunka, Nobu Malibu, and Go's Mart, but I have to say that San Shi Go is my favorite. I've been here 3 times and my experience here has only gotten better every time.

TLDR: Hidden gem, fantastic food, amazing staff & chef, ask for Hiro, take the ferry!

I love that it still feels like a hidden gem, so you don't have to worry about waiting. Granted that the times I've been have been during the weekday...

First, the ambiance is nothing that wows you, it's a typical sushi restaurant with a bar that seats around 15 people or so, and a few more tables on the side to hold more. But for me, I don't come here for the ambiance, nor do I care to pay for it, if I did, I can go to Nobu.

The food is amazing, the chefs taking their time to prepare and plate each dish delicately. Each chef plates/prepares their dishes differently from one another, they just share the same seasonal ingredients that they get. They genuinely care about serving you the best food they have to offer.

Aside from normal Japanese sushi fair, they have 2 Omakase menues, raw fish or cooked items. You can't go wrong with either one, just depends on what you're in the mood for. This isn't to say that after your Omakase meal, you can't make special requests.

By far the reason why this places beats out the rest, is the atmosphere & rapport that the staff & chefs build with you. I've been here 3 times, and every time has been with my man Hiro! He's a great guy that is humble, funny, and the most amazing Chef ever! He straight up fed my GF sushi with his hands, so I think that makes us family now?

Not to say that you don't get to meet other people, we've talked to the owner Daiske (hope I spelled that right) quite a few times, and loved all the stories that he's told us about from his previous jobs and about all the other Sushi chefs that he's friends with and known for 15+ years.

If you've actually read through this long review and plan on going, here is my tip, straight from Daiske's mouth!!

Sit at the sushi bar, and eat the sushi with your hands (it's a fun experience!). At the beginning, you're given a towelette, don't let them take it away, keep it around to use after each sushi round. Daiske explained to us that eating with your hands enables you to put the entire sushi in your mouth to enjoy all in 1 bite, so you allow all ingredients to harmonize in your mouth. They don't consider it rude to eat with your hands, instead they actually respect you more, because you actually know how to enjoy sushi. And that they don't usually tell customers because they don't want to disrespect any of their customers, but feels they do a disservice to their customers if they don't let them in on this little cultural secret.

They've said that once the sushi has been prepared for every second you don't eat it, the sushi changes, the rice can fall apart, and the temperature of the rice alters the taste of the fish. You can believe me or not, but it's fun and offers a...

Omakase (regular w/ Appetizers & Sashimi / Sushi) Review: Omakase here is way too strict with rules; if you order Omakase at your table then everyone has to order the same one no exceptions. Agedashi Tofu w/ corn: 2.5 stars Very subtle hint of ginger & corn. This would have tasted better with white corn pureed instead of of just having yellow corn mixed in with the tofu. Yellow Tail w/ Tuna martini w/ Ponzu Sauce: 4 stars Very fresh but the slices of onion & tomatoes threw me off a bit. Halibut Sashimi w/ drop of Ginger & Sweet Plum: 2 stars Very light tasting with dash of halibut w/ citrus; this was way too warm, would have been better chilled. Sweet Live Shrimp: 5 stars Antennas on the shrimp head was still wiggling around when the plate was brought to me. This plate is not for the faint of heart =) This was one of the freshest sweet shrimps which Ive had. =) Sea-bass Chilean: 2 stars Had a weird sour taste to it that I didn't not care for. =( This is one of my fave fishes but this was just weird tasting. Albacore roll: 4 stars Loved the sweet rice paper that had sprinkles of black sesame in grained in it. Great balance of flavors here but had a big portion of rice here. House special soy sauce, infused w/ Sake: 4.5 stars Very tasty & enhanced the Sashimi dishes even more. Service: Very slow & forgot to bring out some of the other dishes which we ordered. He even forgot to let us know that our Omakase course was over. -1 Star It was my GF's Bday & they didnt even offer a complementary dessert for her. Boo. =( Ambiance: B+ Small cozy Japanese restaurant which the bar area dominates most of the area. Parking is a big pain here so plan ahead some extra time to...

I cannot give San Shi Go 5 stars simply because of the speed of the service. The omakase quality was excellent in my opinion -- a little on the expensive side. I did my best to enjoy the experience, and I cannot fault them for the type of crowd they attract -- typical Newport -- mixture of tourist, the rich, those on dates, adventurers, the whole gamut. Going into a restaurant such as this in a tourist location , I did have some preconceptions about the place that it would be an atypical sushi experience.

My GF and I ordered both order Omakase which was great... however each course took anywhere from 1 minute to 10 minutes. It's not a structured experience if that's what you want. Our chef was extremely funny and full of energy and I think that is what the allure and charm of this restuarant is at the sushi bar.

If you are looking for quiet experience where you will be served in a traditional sense then find sushi elsewhere in Orange County. But if you are looking for an interactive experience with the Chef, you have patience, and you genuinely want to be an engaged participant in your meal then this is a...