SUGARFISH by sushi nozawa — Restaurant in Newport Beach

I don’t consider myself a sushi snob, but I really wanted to like Sugarfish. I had heard many good things about it for years from people who I consider pickier eaters than me, so when I was finally in the area and had a chance to try it, I was excited. Unfortunately my expectations versus what I received fell very short.

My wife and I both got the Nozawa Trust Me option. It seemed like a popular choice and a good value for the price. Unfortunately it fell short. I actually want to break down how I felt about each course for you all:

Tuna and Chutoro Sashimi - ⭐️⭐️ Sashimi is probably the wrong description for it. It’s more of a poke-style and drenched in ponzu, which was very overpowering and took away from the flavor of the tuna. I felt like I was taking a tablespoon of ponzu with each bite.

Albacore Sushi - ⭐️⭐️ Decent flavor and good texture of the fish. Even though this wasn’t drenched in ponzu like the previous dish, it still felt like it had way too much ponzu, which made it too salty and took away from the overall experience

Salmon Sushi - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Happy here, though I wish the salmon was bigger and thicker cut.

Toro Hand Roll - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Well made and delicious. Eat it right away otherwise the warm rice will make the nori soft. This was easily the best piece in the set, which unfortunately means everything went downhill from here.

Yellowtail Sushi - ⭐️⭐️ The fish had good flavor and texture. Unfortunately that was ruined when they put too much lemon on it. Yellowtail already has a natural citrus flavor, and the extra lemon overpowered it.

Chutoro Sushi - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This one was mixed for me. Of the two pieces I got, the first one was bland but the second piece was perfection. I averaged this out to 4 stars.

Sea Bream - ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Interesting texture but low flavor here. Very different and happy to try something more uncommon, but it was forgettable.

Hirame Sushi - ⭐️⭐️ This had the same issue as the albacore. Too much ponzu.

Crab Hand Roll - ⭐️⭐️⭐️ I was hoping to end strong but my nori was not crunchy, meaning it had been sitting for a bit before being served and the warm rice softened it. The crab was good but otherwise it was just okay.

Service - ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Nice, friendly staff. They are slow and did not check in as often as they should have for refills and such. However, once we got their attention ourselves, they would quickly bring what we needed. It took a long time between courses even with the restaurant being not completely full.

Overall I would not choose to come back here on my own, but if I was invited by friends to eat here, I wouldn’t be completely upset.

It...

Thanks for the added detail. Here's a revised version that captures everything — the overcrowding, lack of AC, the blinding sun, and poor service:

Overhyped, Overcrowded, and Completely Disrespectful to Customers

I’ll start by saying the food might be good — but I wouldn't really know, since I only got a small portion of what I ordered after nearly two hours of waiting.

This place doesn’t take reservations, so it’s strictly walk-in. Fair enough. But the restaurant is tiny, the waiting area is even smaller, and they consistently pack in more people than should legally be allowed. There’s no air conditioning, so it’s hot, stuffy, and completely uncomfortable from the moment you arrive.

After waiting over an hour to be seated (just for a party of two), we were finally sat — and of course, they put us directly in the sun. Not just warm… I’m talking blinding sunlight. I couldn’t even look up without squinting or shielding my face. No umbrella. No shade. And the staff acted like everything was perfectly fine.

Then came the second wait: over an hour, and only 20% of our food came out. That was it. No communication, no update, nothing. I finally gave up, paid the full bill without eating, and left. The staff took my money without a single word — no apology, no explanation, no concern at all.

It’s honestly shocking how poorly run this place is. They clearly care more about volume than customer experience. This was my first and absolutely last visit. If you value your time, comfort, or basic respect, **go...

I absolutely love Sugarfish. It is my go-to sushi spot, both for dine-in and takeout. I order it way more often than I probably should because it is just that good. The fish is always fresh, the rice has that perfect warm, vinegary balance, and the simplicity of the menu makes it easy to trust that you are always getting something great.

That said, I really wish they were more consistent with their to-go order timings. For example, I just picked up my order that was supposed to be ready at 8:49 according to the email. I had a feeling they might have prepared it too early, so I showed up twelve minutes before the pickup time, and it was already sitting there. Sushi is delicate, and when it sits out for that long, it automatically affects the taste and texture.

I know Sugarfish likes to disclose that their to-go orders do not taste as good as dine-in, but letting sushi sit out for twenty minutes or more almost guarantees that it will be substantially worse. For how expensive it is, I think that is just unacceptable. The food itself is exceptional, but the pickup process needs to be better managed so that customers actually receive their sushi as fresh...