Sagami Japanese Restaurant

This felt like a sweet, family-owned place, with workers who were Japanese and speaking Japanese. They offer a wide variety of options, so I thought that was pretty cool. I'd like to come back and explore their menu more honestly. Perfect if you were going with someone and feeling Japanese food. I got the Nagoya-style unagi don (Hitsumabushi), which had a bit more of a crunch than usual. I really loved that extra texture. Overall, I thought it was pretty good, but a little too sweet for me since there was quite a bit of sauce (even pooling at the bottom). I also liked the little note they included with directions on how to best enjoy the unagi don - that was a nice touch! And it was definitely very filling; I barely managed to finish it. Service was chill. I ordered, got my water, got my food. Minimal interaction, but smooth and easy. For dessert, I had the traditional red bean mochi and matcha. The mochi was simple and chewy (exactly what you'd expect), with red bean that wasn’t too sweet. The matcha was classic and not sweetened. Overall, it was a nice, comforting experience - I can tell they put care into what they serve <3

Stopped by for a casual dinner and really impressed by the food and service. We sat at the sushi counter so in addition to the great food, we also got to watch the two friendly chef working their magic with precision, focus, and a pace that's fast but not hurried. Between my wife and I, we had 8 small dishes and sushi, and some hot house sake. Every item was well made with lovely plating, and the price was very reasonable. Will definitely visit again!

Best unagi rice in Irvine! Great lineup of nigiri and fresh catch of the day, we also ordered the waygu and it was also super tender, would def recommend!

I have been to Sagami a few times and like this restaurant. Food is delicious, however, I don’t recommend udon noddle soup because the noddle was a little over cooked and became too soft. The bento box is great with variety of choice!

We had a fantastic experience at Sagami tonight, where we went for my birthday. We got agedashi mochi, hitsumabushi, and the matcha/mochi dessert set. It was by far the best and most authentic Japanese food I've had outside of Japan. The hitsumabushi was by far the star - eel on rice, served with dashi. The eel sauce was excellent - savory and mildly sweet the way it is in Japan, not syrupy and very sweet like in the US. This was particularly exciting for me - I have fructose malabsorption so I can't eat high fructose corn syrup, which most US eel sauce is made with. I confirmed that theirs is made without, so I could eat safely. So exciting for me to get unagi! The agedashi and dessert were also delicious, and the sake list was impressive. Absolutely my new favorite local restaurant!

We ordered the Hana which included a combo of sashimi, appetizers, salad, soup, & nigiri. Everything was delicious and well thought out. We also ordered the oh no roll and really liked the simplicity of the roll. We shared that between 2 people and that was perfect for us. Service was great, the staff was very attentive. I will definitely come back.

My husband and I have been on a journey to find a replacement sushi restaurant that is both high quality and fair in price. The one we had discovered closed about 5 months after we found it and were really upset. We saw Sagami in passing and put it on our list of new sushi restaurants to try. By golly, I think we found our new go-to for sushi! The patrons are mostly Japanese, so that should tell you off the bat that this place is pretty authentic. My husband and I sat at the sushi bar, so we were limited on what we could order, but we didn't mind since we were really in the mood for sushi and sashimi, anyway. The fish was incredibly fresh and delicious. Their izakaya items were incredible, too. We ordered the mountain yam omelette and the chicken karaage from the kitchen and they were so good! The omelette was dressed like okonomiyaki, so the flavors were very similar. The only difference is, instead of fried batter, you had a rather thick, eggy base. It was really good! The chicken karaage was made from pieces of chicken thigh and were freshly fried, juicy on the inside, and crispy on the outside. Our sushi chef was incredibly nice and hospitable as well. The bill didn't break the bank, either. Overall, I'd say we found our new go-to for sushi.

Came in at 12:45PM on a Sunday without a reservation and was seated right away. We order the eel, chirashi bowl, and rainbow roll. The eel was 10/10 I would definitely order it again The deluxe Chirashi bowl was also 10/10. The uni was fresh and sweet and all the fish was thick and fresh I would pass on the rainbow roll. 3/10. The fish was thinly sliced and the krab meat was dry. This place has earned a “favorite” on my google maps