Sake Bistro and Sushi

Brings a touch of class to an otherwise iffy city. Top notch beers and liquor with a great mixologist. The menu is consistently good and the service top notch.
So sad to see them go…

We go for the quail egg sliders we love this place! We drive all the way from av to come here.
Food is always amazing! And the service has been spot on. Sushi was excellent along with the full bar. St. Gregory with gin a must have for starters. Along with the crab cakes they so so spot on!!! The food is worth the price! The owner even sat with us and thanked us in Korean it was lovely. It’s a wonderful family owned place. We will be back again. 5 *****stars!!!

CLOSED!
It is now The Chop House (it was rather a quick turnaround… a week to convert from one restaurant to another).
The curse of Bridgeport Marketplace continues! Should have named it Northbridge!

The service was amazing! BEYOND 5 STARS! The Crunch Roll was amazing and the sliders were to die for! Heaven on Fire Roll was so good that I’m still dreaming of the taste.
The owner «Mark» was incredibly polite and very grateful for our business. The stools at the bar came from Europe and just amazingly comfy! Trust me! You have to sit on the bar stools and then you will know what I’m talking about.
5 + STAR SERVICE!
5 + STAR FOOD!
You will not be disappointed!
Go to their Happy Hour — well worth it. Some Happy Hours are not worth your while — yet — SAKE will knock your socks off, send them to the market for new shoes…
One Word for SAKE «WOW»!

Okay so maybe this place is good. Maybe they have really awesome sushi. Maybe the bartender makes awesome drinks. But I WOULDN’T KNOW THAT SINCE MY BOYFRIEND AND I SAT AT A TABLE FOR 15 MINUTES BEING COMPLETELY IGNORED SO WE LEFT.
So that’s why they get one star… I didn’t even get to try the food so I have no food to base this review on. This is based on the service. We walked in, were seated, and then left alone. Waiters were bustling around the tables nearby, we even watched a couple get seated after us and then asked for their drink orders a minute later. They didn’t even offer us water or anything! We were literally deserted at our table with nothing but menus and napkins. I even tried to make eye contact with a few waiters and do the polite hand-​raise-​to-​get-​attention, but everyone seemed too busy to come by. It was sad. :‘[
So maybe we’ll try again in the future, but when we are going to a place to spend probably upwards of $ 100 on dinner and drinks since it’s so expensive, I would expect phenomenal service. Srsly.

Came here for Ailyne H.‘s after dinner party. MY REVIEW IS FOR THE BAR ONLY!
The female bartender was really cool after the male bartender said he couldn’t make us birthday cake shots. She let us know she didn’t have vanilla vodka but would be able to still make the shots. Our party was thrilled! One of my friends really enjoyed the shot that he wanted more. By the end of the night, we ordered so many rounds.
Thank you, Sake Bistro and Sushi, for making our friend’s night! It was a good time and if I’m ever in the area again for drinks I would come back here!
I must say, though, when entering the establishment it smelled so FISHY! Mayb better ventilation will work because you don’t want patrons to come in plugging their nose or walking out. Just a word of advice.

Santa Clarita moving up in the sushi world!
As my only SCV bookmark (I swear I had more at one point!), Sake definitely lived up to whatever it was that originally made me seek it out. The place was pretty empty on a Monday night, but then again, it’s the beginning of the year and dining out isn’t on everyone’s priority list, but a girl’s gotta eat and my kitchen doesn’t magically create culinary treats for me to indulge in, so…
The outdoor patio is really lovely. I didn’t sit there, but I could easily see it being the perfect space for a private shindig.
There’s booth seating, sushi bar seating, and bar stools. We opted for the sushi bar seats so we could be close to the action. The menu features a ton of options ranging from appetizers to sushi to sashimi to a full steak section. It’s pretty exquisite. There’s also a cocktail and sake list, as well as a separate wine list. All of it looked amazing.
Went with a glass of Educated Guess to start the evening, and they definitely provide a generous pour, so a second glass wasn’t even needed, a fantastic way to begin the Sake experience! I was immediately drawn to the Hamachi Truffle Peppercorn Sashimi (three of my favorite food words!) and the Duo Roll (spicy tuna w/​yellowtail and jalapenos). Since I commandeered our order with the first two options, my friend chimed in with an order of the Rock Shrimp Tempura.
The sushi chef gave us our assembly of ginger, wasabi, and then a unique concoction of octopus. It was glistened with soy sauce (or teriyaki as I do recall a hint of sweetness) and was super addictive. I wish I could order an entire plate of it. The hamachi came out pretty fast and was superb in presentation. I could taste the hint of truffle, the peppercorn (apple flavored!), and rayu in each bite. Sashimi heaven. The massive roll came out next and it was again, lovely in presentation. It was just the right amount of spicy, my nose was on the brink of running. which is perfect in my book. The shrimp came out last (but pretty expeditiously after the order) and although it’s not something I would normally order, I really enjoyed everything about it. The outer layer was crunchy and you could taste how fresh the dough was, it had that funnel cake batter taste, while the spicy honey aioli wasn’t overbearing or doused all over the shrimp, but glazed nicely, and the candied pecans and chives cut the sweetness of the aioli.
Definitely left super satisfied with the experience and really enjoyed every chopstick attack. Our waiter was insistent on us trying a dessert martini before we left so he made us little shot samples of them, which was a really nice touch, even though both of us weren’t into it. It was $ 65 (not including tip) for the three items and two glasses of wine. A well spent affair.
Noticed they have a late night happy hour from 9:30pm-1am on the weekends, which I think is pretty unique for the area.

We went for lunch on a Saturday and it was like a ghost town — only two other tables were occupied. On the plus side of having more employees than patrons — the service was great! However, don’t ask for substitutions or variations to the advertised or traditional rolls — That, to use another of the Axis country’s terminology is verboten.
After being told that a veggie tempura roll was out of the question and discovering no veggie tempura dinner/​plate/​box on the menu; we asked if we could have more veggies if they deleted the shrimp from the Vegetable & Shrimp Tempura Dinner. The waiter went off and huddled with another waiter and the manager and after some deliberation that rivaled that of Sunday Football Referees, we were told that was going to be acceptable. We ended up with a whole bunch of onion though, which I suppose beats the beets & squash. Though the asparagus and carrots were great — done perfectly which is, oh so rare.
The carnivores at the table started off with the signature sushi roll, the Sake Roll — a plethora of different fishes surrounded by a Daikon wrap. This had a very light flavor, it was good but all the different types of fish we lost among one another. The daikon wrap was its saving grace. Then there was the Crunchy Hamachi Roll — We asked that it be prepared ‘spicy.’ This again caused deliberation among the powers that be and we were rebuffed. While tasty it was a disappointment. This roll was more like a cucumber roll with a dollop of Hamachi and some crunch flakes sprinkled atop it. While I was expecting something different, it was none-​the-​less good.
The overall plating was extraordinary — Everything was presented and prepared expertly.
Oh, and very importantly, a great international beer selection!
The bottom line, we’re coming back. Like most sushi restaurants, I’m thinking we just need to find what they excel at and I have no doubt there will be plenty. Next time, traditional rolls and boxes — just no substitutions!

Went here to celebrate my dad’s birthday. Was sat very quickly and was served waters and given menus. After 45 minutes of waiting no server came to our table to get our order. We were seated at a booth right next to the bar where all the servers get their food so being visible was not a problem. I told my family to get up and leave after I saw another couple seated at the booth next to us and their server promptly showed up and had their order. It was a shame. I was going to go all out on the food and drinks.
I’ve never been forgotten at a restaurant like this. If this is a reflection on how they treat patrons occasionally then forget this place. People go to fancy places like this for the good service and food. None of which I unfortunately got.

We have been here many times and sometimes it’s great and sometimes it’s okay. First the good… the sushi is great. High quality fish and really talented sushi chefs make for probably one of the best sushi experiences in SCV. I know, that’s not saying much, but between Sake Bistro and the supreme Maru, diners actually have a couple of awesome options. Here, if you show any sign that you don’t only order deep fried rolls, the sushi chefs will prepare great stuff for you. The head sushi chef used to work for the very famous Morimoto at his restaurant in Philly, so he comes with plenty of experience and world class cred.
The bar is pretty good too. They have a nice selection of beers and great cocktails. They make the best version of an Old Fashioned with blueberries which give the classic drink a slightly sweeter take. Watch out for their happy hour menu though. It says half off on premium tap brews, but when I got the bill, I was charged full price. I asked about it and was told that the beer I had was more «premium» and was not part of happy hour. A better run restaurant would have recognized that the error was due to their misleading menu and honored the happy hour price. This didn’t happen. Which brings me to one of my chief issues with Sake Bistro. There always seems to be something a little off with the service or maybe the management of the restaurant. More on that later.
The regular menu is very good. Yeah, it can be a bit pricy, but I don’t mind. If I’m getting fine dining, I expect to pay for it. Some items on the menu are better than others and the menu itself always seems to be changing, which is good and bad. I get the feeling that menu changes have a lot to do with whoever is in charge in the kitchen. Some of the more complex dishes may have been abandoned when Chef Lia left recently. I still really enjoyed my entrée, but the appetizer was sent back twice. The server actually commented that dish was obviously not prepared correctly and that they may have used incorrect ingredients resulting in the dish being turned back twice. I almost never send anything back, but it was necessary this time.
Here is where they could really improve. The waitstaff is very polite and friendly, but they may not be empowered to handle such circumstances appropriately. I don’t want a handout, but an offer of accommodation is more than appropriate here. Instead I was just told that my entrée would be served shortly. It was really good but it doesn’t make up for the fact that I never received my appetizer. Offer me a glass of wine, bring out a different appetizer, but don’t just give up.
This place is kind of weird that way. I have had some truly great evenings here with some delicious food. I have also walked out slightly disappointed on occasion. The food is almost always terrific, but some slight thing seems to happen every once in a while to make me shake my head. Maybe a manager would help. Maybe they have one, but as many times as I have been here, I have never noticed one. I really think they could improve and make the place great, but customer service and restaurant management need to be addressed. It’s worth a try if you are looking for good food similar to what you find in LA proper instead of the Claim Jumpers and Chili’s predominate in the SCV. We need places like this here and few slight adjustments will make it really, really good.

Wow they’re delicious! Went there for my birthday and took my dad there for his. Everything was soooo savory. I had the scallops and polent and it was AMAZING! My mouth is watering just thinking of it. Their sushi is so good and fresh, too. I posted the pictures of the scallops, salmon roll, and rainbow roll. GOOOOOO HERE!!!
Side note — it is semi-​pricy so go here for a special occasion the first time and you’ll make the judgement of how often you could come next time. It is SO worth it though

Had a birthday dinner here a couple of years ago. It was around St. Patrick’s Day, so I ordered the sake trio and they were all tinted green. It could come off as tacky for some, but I thought it was a cute touch.
My mum, who’s not a fan of sushi, even got down with some of the rolls. The fish was fresh and the chef’s specialties were very tasty. The Ebony & Ivory lava cake was SO good. The service, though lacking at times, was otherwise pretty good.

I was invited by Sake via Facebook to have my birthday dinner there. A party was created and I just had to show up, they said my dinner and dessert was on the house! Brilliant marketing!
My husband and kids joined me. I had never been and was very excited. Terez was our waiter… not only easy on the eyes, he is actually one of the best servers I have ever had… knew the menu, suggested some great appetizers and was always there when we needed him. We had 3 appetizers and the girls had sushi… I was a little skeptical at first but when I saw the rolls they got I could not believe the price… less than some local crappy sushi bars… that being said, I had the Sunday Supper Club dinner, soup, dinner and dessert, hubby had same. EXCELLENT! My 9 year old had the salmon and loved it. The portions were spot on.
Drinks were good, atmosphere is what you make it, dressy or casual. No one will care what you are wearing unless you look like a tramp… didn’t see any though. The patio looked beautiful but since it was December, we didn’t sit out there, even though there were plenty of heaters and a gorgeous fireplace.
I will be back and hope Terez isn’t going anywhere soon. A+
A M A Z I N G. DO NOT MISS OUT ON EVERY DESSERT!!!
(i should review my unfinished posts before posting).

My boyfriend & I love Kabuki’s Happy Hour, but it was a Sunday… so we decided to try Sake’s happy hour.
The prices were very reasonable for the sushi rolls & we were excited to see yellow tail on the happy hour menu. It was delicious! The sushi chef was great & he looked like he was having a great time making the rolls. We ordered another yellow tail roll and this time the chef created sushi art on our plate. He made 3 hearts with the sauce & stacked our sushi in a fun way. Little things like that definitely make me want to come back :)
The bartender/​hostess was also very friendly and chatted with us for a bit. I also enjoyed the décor in the restaurant. I will definitely come back again, but probably just during happy hour.

The Sake Bistro makes you feel important, or at least like you should be. This place is a classy ass joint.
You enter the bistro and are welcomed by a plush lounge and fire pit. The enclosed lounge is inviting and makes one feel as if they should stay awhile. Saketini please? You get the idea.
You are greeted by a pleasant hostess, who is quite sincere when she asks how your evening is going. You can select restaurant or lounge seating, we opted for lounge.
We ordered some normal fish and vegetable sushi, as well as a few from the chef roll menu. The rolls are beautifully arranged on a lovely styled plate. The fish is bright, fresh and clean; the vegetables are obviously fresh. Overall, the sushi was seemingly spa-​light in design, but it was also filling. Skip the fried rolls here, my guess is their fresh fish really deserves the showcase.
Our bill was a bit steep, $ 60, but the ambiance and food made the bill worth footing for a delightful, nice dinner with my main squeeze.

Kind of disappointed on my last visit. It was empty on a Tuesday night at 5:30pm — 7:30pm (only 1 other table and 2 people at the bar). I was really surprised. I ordered the sage roasted chicken with butternut squash purée and sweet potato fries (which I’ve had before and was raving about to the guests I brought with me), but they said they were all out of the fries. One of the guests that came with me ordered the short rib, but they said they were out of that as well.
I ordered ice water to drink, and the waiter never brought it out and he was pretty absent minded, always hovering over the table kind of staring, but not saying much. I had to call for another waiter to get me the water.
I was expecting some sort of thanksgiving seasoned style chicken the way it was described in the menu, but when I received it, it was insanely spicy. I hate spicy food, so I couldn’t even eat it. It had a lot of Indian style spices on it, which was not at all what I was expecting and I’m not a fan of. I was left hungry and filled up on my favorite the chocolate lava cake, but I’ll be more careful next time and have to ask the waiter if the food is spicy as there was no indication on the menu.
On a positive note, the shrimp tempura appetizer was delicious and the other guests in my group enjoyed the shrimp risotto, moroccon shrimp (also spicy), and wild mushroom filet mignon.

I dropped in with a large group of friends tonight and had an awesome experience. We arrived around 630 and were seated promptly. It was my first time at Sake — so I took a good look around. The ambience was modern yet comfortable, leather and metallic accents abound. Hits from the 80s and 90s play quietly in the background to drown out the awkward silences.
The patio features a fire feature in the shape of an S… and has covered booths but an open air center. The bathrooms were clean and modern — and the sink was super fun!
Our server was fun and efficient. He had no qualms caring for such a large group, and did his best to make sure we were all happy. The food was quite tasty. As there were more of us than there were appetizers, we decided that we would try one of each of the 8 options. I sampled a little bit of everything — but the standouts in my opinion were the Rock Shrimp Tempura — a tangy sauce drizzled over tempura shrimp and seasoned with candied walnuts — the walnuts tasted like cinnamon… the flavor combination was splendid. The Maryland Blue Crab Cake also made quite an impression, it was flakey yet moist, spicy yet creamy. Just heavenly! If your not as adventurous, I recommend the Sweet potato fries, the sweetness of the potato was paired beautifully with a spicy seasoning.
For my main course I tried the Seared Albacore Tataki, the yellow tomatoes were sweet and the lemongrass and basil sauce was tangy and spicy, perfectly matched with the lightly spiced albacore. Plus the crunchy onion pieces added a necessary texture to the mix. YUM!
I was really excited for dessert. We did the same for the dessert menu, and sampled the lot — the Ebony & Ivory took a little longer to cook so they put it in before we had completed dinner. It was worth the wait! Rich and flavorful, this soufflé is one of the best I have had. I have to say though, that the PB&J was my favorite, a dark chocolate cup filled with savory peanut butter and topped with homemade whole berry jam. The flavors complimented each other so perfectly… I assure you that I will be back for more of that!
The only reason they lost a star is because its a little bit pricey — $ 18 – 25 for the entrée, and sides sold seperately, about $ 8/​each… not including appetizers, desserts or drinks — But the food is well worth it!

Any time a review starts with a discussion of the interior you know that the food just didn’t cut it.
The interior is classy. The service was top notch. The drinks were poured generously but the food portions were minute and the bill was rockin’. Dinner and a cocktail each for two people, no dessert, no appetizer and the bill was $ 130.
And even that would have been fine if the food was amazing or we’d walked out stuffed. But the food was hit or miss and we weren’t anything close to stuffed.
If you want a nice seafood dinner skip Sake and head over to Fish Tails. They’ve got lower prices, great food and a friendlier vibe.

My first review of 2011! This place opened in mid-​December and bravely threw a New Year’s Eve dinner party, which my friends and I came to. Reservations for this special night were $ 30 and included passed appetizers and champagne at midnight.
Our server was Jennie, who was just excellent. She checked on us constantly, made sure we had everything we needed and stayed friendly and efficient even as the night wore on. In fact, the staff were great in general about coming by to clear away dishes and refill drinks.
The décor is very modern, with booths and tables maximizing a modestly sized space, plus a fire pit out front. There’s a sushi bar and a full bar as well.
The passed appetizers were:
* SPICY TUNA CAKES — Spicy tuna on crispy rice… I liked their take!
* ROCK SHRIMP TEMPURA — This is supposed to come with spicy honey aioli, but I didn’t see any sauce on the tray. Still, this popcorn shrimp was good all by itself.
* FAR EAST MEATBALLS — Seasoned with garlic, ginger, cilantro and a citrus chili sauce, it had a pretty good flavor.
We supplemented with lots more food off the menu… a variety of appetizers/​small plates and sushi rolls. They pride themselves on using wild fish and their sushi was great!
* FRITES — They offer two versions of these thin-​cut fries, one with garlic and one with truffle. Both are dusted with shaved parmesan. We tried both and loved them. The fries were crispy and had the right amount of seasoning.
* CEVICHE TOSTADAS — An order comes with three small crispy maize tostadas topped with a generous amount of diced sea bass, halibut and rock shrimp. Yum!
* THAI CALAMARI — Comes with chili basil sauce and roasted garlic aioli. It was a bit greasy for me.
* SZECHUAN GREEN BEANS — The green beans were still crunchy (or under-​cooked depending on your opinion) and were good with the sauce made of garlic, ginger and sambal chili.
All the sushi rolls my friend ordered for us were delicious. What a treat! We had the SHAKE ABOCADO (salmon and avocado), BURI KARAI (yellowtail with spicy jalapeño poppers), TRIO (salmon belly, tuna and eel wrapped in soy paper), UNAGI ABOCADO (eel, avocado and sweet sauce) and one other roll that I can’t remember because there was so much!
Really the only hiccup of the night was the sound system which kept blowing out, but they’ll figure that out. Overall, this place was a very pleasant surprise. Come on, in Valencia?! Good to know there’s a great option for the area now!

I’ve been watching the construction going on here the past few months so when I saw the «grand opening» sign coming home from work last night knew dinner plans were made.
The design is very simple and welcoming with the servers all in black and white. In addition to the booths along the walls, there is both a sushi bar along with a bar itself if you’re interested in watching a game.
Food is «small plate» style so we went with the Shrimp, Sea Bass and Braised Short Ribs with a side of sweet potato fries.
Of the three, the shrimp was by far the best — large, cooked perfectly and just with enough flavor that the taste of the shrimp was enhanced but not overpowered. The short ribs were tender enough to enjoy with a fork with a great reduction sauce. The sea bass while very good would probably skip next time.
For dessert, we went with the PB&J with the most amazing homemade jelly that really was the star of this.
The bar pours premium, and strong, which are two thumbs up there!
The owner stopped by to introduce himself, tell us about his chefs, his vision for the place and how our feedback is important. I honestly wished that was done more in restaurants as it shows they really do care.
I’ll shy away from taking the kids here, which is a good thing, and will keep this as a great local place to grab dinner and a drink.