Culichi House

Culichi House’s branding and website are so polished that one would expect to arrive at a large, well-established business – in reality, this Sinaloan sushi and seafood restaurant in Anaheim is smaller, with perhaps a dozen tables and a shared (somewhat tight) mini-plaza parking lot, and younger, only opened in mid-2024. Thanks to very good food and friendly, family-style service, we expect that it will be around for years to come.

Spanish first with English translations, the lengthy printed menu can most easily be summarized as offering numerous variations on raw fish and seafood, plus cooked items including tacos. Between ceviches, aguachiles, shrimp cocktails, and tostadas topped with the same items, many of the choices feature citrus and chili-soaked raw or lightly cooked shrimp, tuna, octopus, and/or squid, plus sliced onions, cucumbers, and avocados.

As molcajete lava rock bowls are commonly served hot at Mexican restaurants with sizzling items inside, we were surprised the “Molcajete Especial” we ordered instead arrived cool to the touch with variants on the same raw seafoods and vegetables. Only later did we discover that this particular molcajete was in a “barra fria especial” (cold bar) section of the menu, separate from the hot “Molcajete Caliente” we had intended to order. Despite this surprise, the cold bowl’s flavors and textures were all excellent; that said, we would want to try the sizzling hot classic on a subsequent visit.