San Kai Japanese - Santa Ana

I just went today, March 24, 2024. Sankai switched owners chef. I 've been going to original Sankai 15+ years. We 've tried different sushi restaurants but still preferred original Sankai best in terms of offering quality value. Sankai was closed down for awhile so excited to find out they opened again. Then dismayed when I learned they changed management chef. We ordered the usual: assorted sushi, tempura udon, miso soup, shishito peppers. Sushi: still good, no change. We ordered salmon, sweet shrimp, tuna yellowtail. We chalked this up to they must 've retained the same suppliers. Udon: same as before, still good Tempura: really undercooked and no sweet potatoes or zucchini Shishito peppers: not cooked all the way as well miso soup: waaay to salty This may be picky of me, but the new team is not Japanese. They were speaking an Asian language I could to understand, definitely not Japanese. (It 's like going to a Mexican restaurant and you hear Portuguese. Or Chinese restaurant and you hear Vietnamese. They had an item on on menu called tofu nuggets . I asked if it was agedashi tofu and they did not understand what I was saying. Another bad sign. (In my mind, any decent Japanese restaurant would not name their item tofu nugget . Disappointed my favorite sushi restaurant is no longer my go to sushi restaurant.

Sankai on the corner of Bristol and Sunflower is now open for lunch! They are trying to get the word out. New owner and new sushi chef...remodeled and open for business!

The menu has changed after another ownership change. The interior looks nice and clean after the renovations. The sushi chefs and servers are all new, and they seem nice. But the food wasn't great. The service was slow, and the sushi was definitely not as good as when the original owner was here. The chicken karaage was tender and fried nicely, but the sushi just isn't the same quality. Sadly, I don't think I will return.

Everything was so delicious! Sat at the sushi bar for referance...Every piece of fish was clean and beautifully presented and the flavor was excellent, in every bite. Loved the use of edible flowers and fresh cut vegetables. On top of the excellent food, the service was also good! My husband and I eat slot of ginger and usually have to ask for more, but without even asking, the waitress brought us more ginger and wasabi. (I know maybe it's a small thing but I was super happy about it Was impressed with their wonderful sashimi recommendations! Stoked to have found such a great sushi restaurant so close to home! Will be back :

I've been an avid goer and I understand the frustrations from loyal customers with the constant ownership changes. But objectively, the quality of the fish is great, selection is very diverse and the people (servers and chefs) are kind. It can be on the pricey side but you get what it's worth. My favorite thing about Sankai is that the resilience is there. The servers constantly ask how the fish is, if there's anything they can improve on, which dishes from the original menu are still in demand etc. You can tell that they're trying. The new renovation does also give a nice ambiance. They also still have their famous creamy Tataki sauce! Which I know a lot of people were looking from the original menu. My favorite sushi from this place are: Kinmedai (Golden Eye Snapper) Hamachi Red Snapper Black Cod Striped Jack I come home with a happy tummy full of good sushi. And so that is why I give them a 5 star review, despite what a lot of loyal customers say.