Photo: Yuzu Japanese Sushi Bar
Eat and drink
Yuzu Japanese Sushi Bar
Yuzu Japanese Sushi Bar serves nigiri, sashimi, citrus-bright carpaccio and signature rolls on Ocean Avenue in downtown Laguna Beach, a short walk from Main Beach. Open daily from noon, with sake cocktails at the bar for walk-ins and tables to reserve.
About
Yuzu Japanese Sushi Bar brings high-grade fish and sake cocktails to Ocean Avenue, a short walk up from Main Beach. The room is modern and lively, with a bar for walk-ins and tables for a longer dinner. It's open from noon every day, so it works as easily for a late lunch after the beach as for a night out downtown. The menu leans on bright citrus, starting with the yuzu the restaurant is named for. Carpaccio comes six slices to a plate: yellowtail and halibut with yuzu juice, spicy yuzu kosho and crystal sea salt; salmon with yuzu dressing and fresh garlic; octopus with micro cilantro and serrano. New-style nigiri dresses each piece, like seared salmon belly with yuzu kosho, or albacore with garlic cream, eel sauce and fried onions. Traditional nigiri and sashimi run from albacore and bluefin tuna to ikura, sweet shrimp and A5 wagyu. To share, there's bluefin toro tartare with quail egg, uni and black truffle; hamachi serrano with yuzu soy; and strawberry hotate, Hokkaido scallop with ikura and a strawberry yuzu sauce. Among the signature rolls is one named for the town, the Laguna Beach, built around shrimp tempura and crab salad, alongside classic hand and cut rolls. Not everyone at the table eats raw fish, and the menu allows for that. Hot plates come with rice and salad: chicken teriyaki, chicken katsu, Atlantic salmon teriyaki and hibachi filet mignon. Starters include spicy garlic edamame, chicken karaage, Brussels sprout chips with truffle oil and Tokyo nachos. Vegetarian dishes, from cucumber salad to vegetable tempura, are marked on the menu. Book a table online or by phone, or walk in and wait at the bar with a sake cocktail. Yuzu also has a location in Costa Mesa.
What to know
- Reserve online or by phone; walk-ins are welcome, with drinks at the bar while you wait.
- Open daily from noon, and until 10:30pm on Friday and Saturday.
- Vegetarian dishes are marked on the menu.
- Not into raw fish? Hot plates like teriyaki, katsu and filet mignon come with rice and salad.
- Downtown parking is metered and busy on summer evenings, so allow extra time.
Getting there
231 Ocean Ave, Laguna Beach, CA 92651
Yuzu is at 231 Ocean Avenue in downtown Laguna Beach, a few minutes' walk from Main Beach. Downtown street parking is metered and fills quickly on summer evenings and weekends, so allow extra time or try one of the nearby city lots. Staying in town? Walking or the free Laguna Beach Trolley skips the search for a space.
Mon–Thu 12pm–9pm
Fri–Sat 12pm–10:30pm
Sun 12pm–9pm
FAQs
At 231 Ocean Avenue in downtown Laguna Beach, a few minutes on foot from Main Beach.
Yuzu opens at noon every day. It closes at 9pm Sunday through Thursday and at 10:30pm on Friday and Saturday.
Yes. Reserve through Yuzu’s website or call (949) 715-8167. Walk-ins are welcome too, with cocktails at the bar while you wait.
High-grade nigiri and sashimi, yuzu-dressed carpaccio, new-style nigiri, signature rolls and sake cocktails. There’s even a roll named the Laguna Beach.
Yes. Vegetarian dishes are marked on the menu, including avocado and cucumber rolls, salads, vegetable tempura, shishito peppers and Brussels sprout chips.
Yes. Hot plates such as chicken teriyaki, chicken katsu, salmon teriyaki and hibachi filet mignon are served with rice and salad, and starters include karaage and tempura.
Yes. Yuzu Japanese Sushi Bar also has a restaurant in Costa Mesa, at 103 E 17th Street.
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