13962 Newport Ave/ Suite D
Tustin, CA 92780
For most of you three people who read my restaurant blog, this may become your favorite review in a long time. It has nothing to do with the restaurant or the food but with how little I'm actually going to write, thus sparing you from reading my horrible writing. Instead of going in-depth over every piece of sushi that we had here at Sushi Damu, I'll let the pictures do the talking.
Sushi Damu is an all-you-can-eat sushi restaurant. I like sushi well enough, but I do not consider myself a sushi expert by any means. I prefer quantity over quality when it comes to eating sushi. I've had some high-quality sushi, and I can see the appeal, but for something that I'm not that passionate about, I can't see paying the high price for premium sushi.
So, an AYCE sushi option is always preferable to me. I'm not a sushi purist, either. I'll eat a full range of sushi, from nigiri to deep-fried rolls that most people scoff at. That being said, I also don't want fish that's on the verge of not being fresh. No one wants the after-effects of eating sushi that's just about to turn.
I've been to Sushi Damu three times now, and it's one of the best AYCE experiences I've had in OC. It's situated on the corner of El Camino Real and Newport Avenue in Tustin, in the same shopping plaza as Habit Burger and other small businesses. Parking has never really been an issue for us, but we usually avoid the prime dining times of 6pm or later on weekends, when wait times for tables can easily eclipse the two-hour mark.
There are three dining options at Sushi Damu. Their choice offerings, which cost $39.99, include everything but sashimi and premium cuts—this is what I always get. The other two levels, which cost $45 and $60 per person, include omakase-grade cuts, sashimi, and bluefin tuna. As with all AYCE sushi places, you must agree to some rules. There's a 90-minute time limit per table and a five-item limit per person for each round. Leftovers are charged at the price on the sheet, and uneaten sushi rice is also charged. Pretty standard stuff for AYCE sushi places.
We arrived here at half past four and were seated right away. The contrast from the bright outside to the fluorescent blue light inside takes a little getting used to. The music pumping through the speakers adds to the club-like vibe, but it's not loud enough to drown out your dining companions. We made our picks for our first round and waited less than ten minutes for our first of three rounds to arrive.
As promised, I'm not going to go into detail about all the things we ate here. You're welcome. I will tell you that everything was fresh, and we left very satisfied with everything we had. The variety here was impressive. I counted 30 items on their izakaya menu alone. There are dozens upon dozens of signature rolls, cut rolls, hand rolls, and nigiri to pick from. We definitely ate our $40 worth.
The only drawback about this place is that it seems to be run by teenagers. For the most part, their service was on point, but empty dishes sat in front of us way too long. They were slow about picking up our paper for our next rounds, and we waited a long time for our check. Maybe we just caught them on an off day, but we will be back when we crave all-you-can-eat sushi.
Out of five pieces of ginger (because I'm sure with how busy this restaurant is, they go through quite a bit of ginger), five being best to zero being worst, Sushi Damu gets 3 pieces of ginger.
For more information about Sushi Damu, head to their website by clicking here: https://sushidamu.com/
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