Tori Tori Sushi

Although we’ve identified multiple consistently good to great places to enjoy affordable sushi in Orange County, we try to explore new and different options as often as possible in hopes that we’ll find a new favorite. Located near Santa Ana’s MainPlace Mall and The Outlets at Orange, Tori Tori Sushi occupies a large suite in an older Orange plaza, maintaining dedicated outdoor spaces for takeout order pickups and waitlisted guests. Inside, at least two chefs man a fairly large sushi bar next to two- and four-seat tables.

Though there are signs that Tori Tori isn’t a purely Americanized sushi place, the menu isn’t stuck on Japanese classics, either: the general theme appears to be “justify our prices with large cuts of quality fish and solid presentation.” Beyond a single page of mostly fried appetizers – gyoza, soft shell crab, okonomiyaki, takoyaki, and edamame as representative options – the menu sprawls with four-piece sushi rolls ($7-8) that wonderfully let you try multiple recipes without committing to full eight-piece options. Several pages of sushi are categorized into “topping rolls,” “big rolls,” “cream cheese rolls,” “tempura rolls,” “hot rolls,” “no rice rolls,” basic rolls, nigiri pieces, and sashimi. A few bento and noodle options are also available, though it’s very clear that Tori Tori’s main focus is on sushi.

There are few actual surprises in the sushi recipes and a lot of conceptual overlap, with numerous names and small font ingredients making a first timer’s ordering a little challenging. But we had no issue finding great-sounding items to order, and surprisingly, literally everything we picked was as good as we would have hoped, and in some cases better. Fans of Japanese drinks will also appreciate Tori Tori’s small but nice collection of affordable sakes and beers, including a handful of craft beers and approachable flavored sakes.