Genki or "How YOU Doin" Sushi in Los Angeles - Oishii Desu "It's Delicious"

“O-genki desu ka” or as they say in New York “how YOU doin’?”

I can’t help but think that of their their logo and name as an angry New Yorker asking “how you doin’.”

Is that just a RBF or why so angry?

Let us get one thing straight from the beginning is that Genki Sushi strives to produce a quality product at an affordable price, but do not expect sushi Saito (the epitome of sushi). If you were thinking that, well, you can fahgettaboudit.

My first impressions of Genki Sushi

I like seeing the tiny bullet train because it makes me feel like Godzilla.

If you call the Angels of Anaheim, the Los Angeles Angels, you will not have any issue with the title saying Genki Sushi is in L.A. when it is actually in Orange County.

With my Godzilla like appetite, the food here comes at Japanese like efficiency via a bullet train whereas those other kaiten sushi places are like the 405 freeway (slow bumper to bumper traffic).

There are a couple LA based kaiten sushi restaurants which are all of Genki’s main competitors.

Don’t even try to go watch “those” sites you go to during your alone time (these tablets are for ordering food).

To order, all you gotta do is place your order via the tablet. If you have ever used a tablet before to kill angry birds or crush candy, you will be able to use those same deadly hunting skills to feed yourself here.

Lots of fried goodness which in the restaurant industry means from the freezer, to the deep fryer, to your table in no time at all.

If you don’t like those new fangled hi-tech devices, you also have the printed menus to look at although who actually uses paper nowadays? People who hate trees (I joke, I know you love trees).

The cast system for food…. know your place.

Yellow $1.80, green $2.90, orange $3.60, grey $4.70, and black $5.80. Sometimes when I’m feeling a little baller like, I go black (yo, what’s up with yellow being the cheapest? What are you trying to say).

Also you may have noticed that the prices have increased from my pics and what I wrote, so if you want to make sure you’re up to date with any menu changes, I will also give you the direct link to their PDF menus here.

Don’t let the emptiness fool you, this place gets busy up’n’here in the suburbs of Santa Ana, California.

Sucks they don’t have the random games on the tablets that they have in Japan or at Kura Sushi where the simple act of dropping used plates into the receptacle is fun.

It feels like a day at the beach, especially when you get to eat the ocean life.

Once you have placed your order, it’s just a matter of time for your food to arrive via bullet train.

As vegan as I can get because *age dashi* uses a fish/soy sauce based broth.

A man can’t live just on sushi, steaks, and crab…. well, I can, but if I plan on giving it a go at it, I’ll do it with the occasional tofu dish.

2-pieces each of ikura (salmon eggs/roe) and tuna poke gunkan.

Once your food arrives, simply grab it off the bullet train (sled) and hit the ‘return’ button your tablet to send the bullet train on back to the kitchen.

“Ikura desu ka” means how much because you better ask how much the *ikura* (salmon eggs) cost because it is not typically the cheapest thing on the menu.

I’m just going to show multiple pictures of ikura because I like it that much, especially when the nori is nice and crispy.

Some female salmon just won’t have the chance to have their eggs fertilized because they make a tastier meal.

If the ikura is spherical and not deformed, that’s typically one sign of the quality.

It’s no surprise that Genki Sushi has the bulk of their locations in Hawaii with twelves locations spread out from Oahu, Maui, Kauai, to the Big Island.

I like a lot my meats and thighs thick cuz Murica, but this tuna was Asian skinny, $3.60

I wonder if they have a BOH process on determining how thick the tuna cuts are here because my tuna was planking the rice.

Taste and quality wise it was not that bad although when you consider you’re only paying $3.60 for the 2-pieces, it tastes good enough!

I just couldn’t stick with yellow, and I just had to go grey with a spicy tuna temaki.

Since the temaki and nigiri sushi are prepared to order, you don’t have to worry about soggy nori because your food hasn’t been sitting around under lidded plate parading around the restaurant for the last hour or so.

Yes, back to being a cheap fock with a $1.80 salmon skin hand roll.

Dammmmmmmmmnnn, a $1.80. Aside from McDonalds or any other fast food restaurant, where else can you get fed for a buck eighty? Yea, not a whole lot of places.

Time for the close-up of what $1.80 looks like… it looks tasty.

I am not going to use my words, and instead I will use there’s to describe what you see here: “hand roll with lettuce, a veg mix, “orange egg” and spicy mayo….. mmmh, “orange egg.”

All the condiments you will ever need are all right here, minus the red rooster hot sauce and bleu cheese.

No spigot here with hot water for your matcha tea because that is just way too much responsibility and liability to give customers.

TOTAL PRICE: $27.22, genki desu (I’m cool bro)

About Genki Sushi

Founded: in Japan in 1979.
Type: Publicly traded on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
Type of Food: Japanese, kaiten sushi.
Menu Items: rolls, nigiri, gunkan, hand rolls, sashimi, donburi, noodles, numerous side dishes, soda, Japanese drinks, desserts, and most importantly beer and sake.
Pricing: $1.80-$5.80 per item.
U.S. Locations: California: (1) Santa Ana, Hawaii: (8) Oahu, (1) Kaui, (1) Maui, (2) Big Island, and (2) Washington: Renton, and Bellevue.
International Locations: Japanese based chain with locations in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Singapore, Kuwait, the Philippines, China, Australia, Cambodia, and Myanmar.
What to Expect: convenient, quick, and very affordable sushi.
Pros: unlike other kaiten sushi places where the food sits on a conveyor belt, Genki sushi’s bullet train prepares and delivers your food directly to you.
Cons: do not expect the best quality sushi because they are trying to provide a balance between quality and price.
Hours: open 7-days a week, Mon-Thurs 11am-9:30pm, Fri till 10pm, Sat till 9pm, and Sun till 8pm.