I really like this place! It has a great outdoor seating area and for a while were coming here every Sunday, when they do Happy Hour pricing all day long. They offer up good pricing on a small variety of drinks and food for HH and our tummies are content when we leave. The service has always been great!
My only criticism is that Mahé is not dog friendly - and they are even set up for it since the outdoor area is split equally between two sections. It would be easy for them to open up one side for those of us with pups.
So thumbs up for the Happy Hour and thumbs down for pooch access!
A couple of weeks ago I was at Mahe in Seal Beach. Â Now, I found myself at the Dana Point location in random bar hop. Â A number of Yelpers have compared these places. The consensus seems to be that Seal Beach has a better reputation for food. Â At Dana Point, you'll find a much larger and open restaurant with a variety of seating options. Â It also has a cool outdoor patio with fire pits. Â
When we were there, the place was on jammin' and noisy with several larger groups celebrating birthdays or whatever. Â The service was fast. Â The food was also good (apps & sushi rolls). Â The mixed drinks came with a generous pour and there were plenty of beer options. Â The entertainment for the night was a band called, "The Three Mustaches," which mostly played rock covers. Â The puzzling part was there was only two musicians and only one of them had a mustache. Â I suppose, "The Two Guys with One Mustache" band sounds strange .... on so many levels, especially if you've been drinking.
I've probably been to Mahe about four different times now and never impressed. Food and service quality never seem to be where it should be for a restaurant at this price point. My friend ordered the lobster tail ($50 MKT) and it came out extremely over cooked, the bottom of the tail was literally burned black. I would assume that for a dish like lobster, more attention would be given to cook it properly. The macadamia crust on my mahi-mahi tasted less of nuts and more of bland powder. Our creme brulee was also burned on the top (hurt my heart to have my favorite dessert butchered)
The interior is set up with many different styles of seating options, ranging from a full bar, tall tables that surround the band stage, a sushi bar, a teppan table, outdoor seating and a dining room. I guess the options could be appealing for some but for me, it just creates a lack of cohesion throughout the restaurant.
I'll only be back when another friend drags me there.
We frequent this place with & without kids. Love the Tepan... Especially the funny Mr. Yummy Yummy. I was a little disappointed in the fish the last time I was there, but I've never been disappointed before. Probably just a random meat shipment, I hope. My favorite sushi item is the spicy yellow tail roll. The restaurant is beautiful and staff has always been friendly, prompt and helpful.
Review Source:My husband and I used to come here often when it was called Zushi. Â LOVED the teppan bar then. Â Recently came in and hostess was rude, said no teppan without a reservation. The restaurant was maybe 1/3 full. Â We settled for a seat on the patio. Â She sat us next to the long gas flame bar and we waited. The longer we waited to be served, the more sick we got from the smell of the gas as it seemed to permeate the patio. Â Finally just got up and left. Â No service, not even water.
Review Source:First time here walked in with no reservation, Â sat at the sushi bar and was immediately greeted by a chief and waitress who were extremely friendly and set a good tone my meal. The sushi was bar far the best I have ever had, everytime I come to Dana Point this will be my sushi stop.
Review Source:I would love to come here on a warm summer night and sit outside at the patio people watching while eating sushi and drinking cocktails.
My friend and I came here on a whim and the decor was wonderfulll. We came when the sun was slowly, slowly setting but still bright, so we sat outside to enjoy the sunlight still. The outdoor patio is nice with a cool urban fountain. You can tell that the patio would be an amazing place on a nice evening when the lights were turned on and people were sitting at the outdoor bar. Too bad we came at around 4-5 pm on a Sunday when it's still a little too early for dinner
VIBE/PLACE:
+nicely decorated
+super nice, accommodating servers (well, the men at least)
We came at a down-time so didn't get to see many people and what kind of people come here
+but there were two old ladies who were dressed nicely and catching up over sushi rolls and drinks outside just like my friend and I were doing
FOOD/SERVICE
+didn't catch our server's name but he is also a bartender here. He had conversations with us and was just super nice. My friend thought he was pretty cute too so there's a plus
+/- ordered jackie chan roll LOL, spicy scallop, and one side (but I forgot..) they were okk nothing too spectatular to be honest. One plus is that their rolls are not drenched with any special sauces
++ we ordered a special drink. something like a pineapple-tini and it sure had kick. I got slightly buzzed from just one...... and I think I can handle my drinks
+we were having a sweet tooth after the sushi so got green tea ice cream. the fanciest looking arrangement for green tea everr :)
+our bartender/server tells us to come back soonn. My friend said oh yes she would go back since the manager (?) looked cute as well ;)
VERDICT:
yess, since my friend lives around here, I'd come here with her again if I'm back in the area. Maybe we'll go more around dinner time and catch some more eye candy ;) I like this place mainly cause the environment is so nice and the prices aren't too ridiculous, oh and of course the drinks have kick.
Feels like there are six to eight rooms here, counting patios and all. Â In the end, I just plucked myself down at the center sushi bar. Â The quality of fish was excellent, very mild to taste, and beautiful coloration. Â The tuna was ruby and the salmon was bright orange. Â The star for me was the scallops, which were both fat and sweet.
Review Source:I'm a local real estate agent at Surterre Properties in Monarch Beach and had Mahe cater one of my events.
The food and presentation was top notch, I couldn't ask for more.
I will definitly use them in the future for personal events and any Surterre Property events.
Thank you Mahe, Dana Point!
We love going to Mahe, whether it's for happy hour, dinner and drinks, or live music. It is always worth a trip. Great drinks and sushi. For hh we recommend the Jacki Chan roll and for an appetizer definitely get the coconut shrimp, it is amazing! Ask for Patrick for a waiter, he is as god as they come.
Review Source:so we get there and its happy hour..(on one side of the place??) well the side that had happy hour was hot and there were no shady areas for our 5 month old daughter. so after a 5 minute ordeal about where we can sit for happy hour, we finally got a table. wheww!
our waitress was super nice and attentive. food and prices were pretty good for happy hour.
I've been going to the seal beach location for years. Â The Seal beach location was built on great service, better food, and dedicated locals. While down in Dana point I decided to grab a meal at Mahe since I knew what I would be getting....or so I thought.
We went on a Monday night, so crowd wasn't an issue. The atmosphere and location is where the accolades stop. The service was blah. Not horrible, not great. The service was more to the point and never really felt warm or inviting.
The food was the biggest disappointment. My girl always gets the Nate's fillet. She said it was good but "different". The cut of the meat wasn't the same and the quality seemed to be mediocre. I always get the seafood pasta. It tasted like clam chowder over top ramen. The sauce was horrible. The pasta quality and portion was weak. Usually it comes with a full lobster tail. This came with the end of the tail and no meat. It was almost a joke.
Maybe we got spoiled at the original location but this place doesn't deserve to share the same name. Horrible. If you're coming here for drinks and finger foods maybe it would be worth it but all in all not worth the over priced mediocre food.
We have been coming to Mahe for years, ever since it opened, but it has really gone downhill lately.  When it first opened the service was really good, food was consistent, crowd was trendy, and the music in the bar was fun.  However, the last few times I have been there, I have left swearing I would never go back.  We went there to give it one more shot last night, which ended up being a mistake.  The band in the bar was absolutely horrible -  screaming, dark, angry, loud, etc.  I think they were supposed to ne a hard rock cover band, but they were awful. Nobody was dancing and the bar was empty.  After ordering...err...screaming for a beer from the bartender, who I am pretty sure was coked up out of his mind, we decided to go outside and eat where we could hear each other and escape the screaming band  Service was super slow, but after complaining to the hostess they finally tracked down our server".  I asked if they had any specials - he had no idea.  I asked if they had any Kani (crab) - he no idea what Kani even is, or if they have it.  After ordering one round of shrimp sushi the kid tells me it's "last call", shoves a menu in my face, and stands there.  At first I thought it was a joke, but then had to tell him to give me a minute, I didn't feel like being pressured while he was standing over me. $150 later we finally left vowing to never return.
This isn't an isolated incident - we came here with a group of friends 2 moths ago and and they were complaining as well. Slow service, lack of knowledge on the menu items, food not showing up on time, and waaaayyy overpriced.
Bottom line is the service has gone way downhill, the food is totally overpriced and marginal at best, and there are much better options for sushi and Japanese food in Dana Point. Â Try Dana Kai or Gen Kai for the real deal without the fluff.
And to the management - why did you guys get rid of the 3-6:30 daily happy hour? Â Not that I will ever come back, but that was a solid happy hour that brought in a dedicated local clientele. Â I realize there is still a limited happy hour each day and Monday all day, but seriously, that old happy hour was solid and created buzz. Â Plus, I still found a way to spend over $100 each time. Â Somehow you guys need to clean up the "act" and partying that is going on with the employees, invest in some training so they at least know the specials, and figure out a way to get the trendy upscale crowd back in your restaurant. Â Good luck, I hope you guys make it.
I've been to Mahe at least half a dozen times, sometimes for happy hour, sometimes not. The food has always been good, but the prices and service leave something to be desired. My husband and I arrived at 6pm this past Monday, ordered promptly, and didn't receive our food until almost 7:30. The ambiance is great though. As long as you're willing to wait, and come during happy hour (bar area only), you'll probably enjoy the experience and feel like you paid a fair price for it.
Review Source:Atmosphere is great and the sushi is really really good here.
Sometimes the service is a little slow when they are really busy, but it is always worth the wait.
Plenty of parking, awesome bartenders, great managers.
Indoor and outdoor seating, bar is nice, sushi bar is nice, I have no real complaints; just that when they are busy, food service is a little slow. I usually only go during the week, not so much on the weekends and I have never had an issue.
I want to give 3.5 stars but unfortunately, Yelp doesn't support it.
Dined here with my parents and wife.
First time eating here, had a 6:30pm reservation and noticed it was at 70% capacity. I was happy because if it was empty at 6:30pm on a Saturday night, that should be a warning.
Ordered the following:
- Mahe Mahi ($23): Just a little on the dry side but it was decent. Not as flavorful as I would like it.
- Ahi ($24): Very tasty but was not too fond of the sauces that accompanied it. Requested some wasabi and used the soy sauce bottle on table to create standard sushi/sashimi dipping sauce. Will order this dish again in the future.
- Mochiko Chicken ($19): Very tasty, not dry but moist. Will order this dish again in the future.
- Cioppino ($28) : I was very disappointed with this dish. The broth was a chunky tomato and onions. Â Based on the cioppino I had at an Italian restaurant in San Diego, I was expecting more of a bisque type broth. Also, for $28 that they charge for this dish, I expected more than the 3 mussels, two shrimps and one little crab leg. So hard to find a place that serves good cioppino. Highly NOT recommended. I would have voiced my disappointment to the waiter or manager but my parents were with me. They are old fashioned and I didn't want to make them feel uncomfortable.
- Miso soup ($5): tasty and served in a larger than normal bowl.
- Red Dragon Roll ($14): Not bad. Was hoping it had more flavor.
Service was good. Even though the place was semi busy, our waiter (Toby) was friendly, informative and attentive.
The décor is modern with a hint of Asian/Japanese.
It you have a group of four or more, you might want to request the rectangular table that seats 4. When we were first seated, they gave a square table. It is quite small and we were knocking knees.
Over all, the menu is quite interesting and would come back to dine here again to try the other dishes.
Serves  Blue Fin Tuna  :(
If you go (and they have some yummy rolls!) Â please ask the manager to remove blue fin tuna from the menu. Â When our server questioned the chef about this per my request, the chef made some flippant excuse about it simply being over-fished and not endangered. Â That is reason enough for me to choose not to eat it! Â If we can make wise decisions with our purchasing power, we can have sushi to enjoy for the long run... Â
"Tuna populations have fallen 80 percent in the past 40 years, said Katherine Kilduff, staff attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity's oceans program."
Went for dinner last night. Â We both had sushi and sashimi. Â The quality of the fish was good, and they serve large portions for sashimi.
Alexis from the Real Housewives of OC was there - I get a kick out of that stuff, some people do, some people don't.
I give it three stars because 1) it is on the expensive side and 2) although our server did a good job, we got the wrong food sent to us and it took -literally- half an hour to receive the bill once we asked for it, which we had to do because we were waiting around for a while to get it.
I will try it again for the bar scene and happy hour pricing.
I absolutely LOVED the food here. We started with the artichoke and tempura vegi; both delicious. We ordered a bunch of rolls but my absolute favorite item that we ordered was the Mahi Tuna! MUST TRY if you like ahi tuna!
Also good to know: ALL DAY MONDAY AND TUESDAY their happy hour menu specials are amazing. Rolls off, apps off, sliders, drinks and martinis - no complaints here!
Mahe is great for fresh sushi and atmosphere. If you are in a HURRY for that sushi, you are going to the wrong place. Â However, the flavors and interesting combos are well worth any wait.
I have only been seated in the small dining room portion of the restaurant and both times it was oddly warm. Â Why can't they pump air into that area? Â The bar area is awesomely ventilated. Â Neither time allowed me to enjoy it due to the size of the party I was with. Â
We ordered quite a mix of items but I only know, as far as main courses go, about 2 of us (the rest stuck with sushi). Â I got the lemongrass chicken with the garlic mashed potatoes and my bro-in-law tried the butter fish(? I think that's what it was). Â He cleared his plate but my chicken was a bit salty and if there was lemongrass used at any time in the cooking process I couldn't tell at all. Â It was incredibly tender, though. Â The potatoes were yummy and the veggies were a great mix of asparagus, yellow and green squash and some green beans perfectly steamed and well seasoned. Â
We had prompt and attentive service the entire time and left very full and happy.
I have been here several times. Great atmosphere. The outside area has this glass fire pit thats pretty sweet. I have only sat in the back room. The back room has a hibachi grill. I haven't ate at the grill but the chef seems to be entertaining and the crowds always seemed pleased.
The center room has a bar and a DJ and is pretty noisy. You couldn't carry on a conversation without having to yell to one another.
You have to start with the nachos. I think they are called "carls nachos." They have scallops and shrimp and are a great way to start the meal. My wife always gets the devil rolls and she loves them. I like the Tuna Bombs.
I had one negative experience here. The rolls were not wrapped tightly enough and fell apart in the soy sauce. It was a one time deal.
The host is kind of a creepy dude.
The server I had last time was phenomenal. She spaced the meals perfectly (tables are small) so meals come out in intervals.
Decided to come here for lunch on a Sunday, and was definitely less than impressed. Â Service got me seated quickly and brought my drink quickly as well, which was a plus.
First in terms of food was the edamame, which was so thickly covered in salt I felt like I was eating one of those salt licks you give to horses.
First roll that I ordered was the Mahe roll. It's tuna, salmon, avocado, yellowtail and crab in a roll done with tempura. Sounds tasty, right? Â And it would have been, if when it came out the tempura wasn't SOGGY. Â Yep, soggy. It was doused in a sauce and had obviously sat for a while between being made and being delivered to my table, because the tempura had turned to mush. Disappointing.
Second roll was an X-roll. Â Spicy tuna and scallop roll with tuna and yellowtail on top. Â Once again, sounds promising. The roll arrived, and had a thick layer of a very spicy sauce on top. This always makes me skeptical because why would you cover the taste of good fish? Â Sure enough, I pulled off the yellowtail and tuna from one of the pieces, removed as much of the sauce as I could and ate it. It was TASTELESS. Â If I was in Ohio, I could excuse bad tuna because you're nowhere near the ocean. But I could (and have) easily take a boat just a short ways off of the coast here and caught fresh tuna, which tastes really good. Fresh tuna is amazing. But the tuna on the sushi roll was obviously not fresh, and had the texture of having been frozen and thawed at least once. Â
I expect more from a sushi place where I can sit on the patio and actually see the areas of the ocean where this fish can be caught. Plenty of other restaurants use locally caught fish and there is a world of difference.
Overall, I am leaving disappointed. The servers were nice, but that doesn't make up for bad food.
Hosted our rehearsal dinner at Mahe. I love, love, love this place. The team did a fantastic job. They had a special room away from the main restaurant set up for us. The teppan menu was very delicious and affordable. They grilled us up veggies, steak, chicken and rice. We had salad and soup too. The bar service was awesome. Our guests enjoyed the food and even the band afterwards! Our group was having a blast dancing. I forever have memories of my best friend, Laura, a new momma singing  Neil Diamond - Sweet Caroline to me with the band after a couple glasses of vino. We had so many compliments.
Thanks Bill and Brad for being excellent hosts and being so friendly and helpful.
You guys rocked!
Shawna and Matt
I figured I'd roll the dice and come here in spite of neg reviews- glad I did!
Ambiance- 5 stars (Sat outside on the heated patio and there was live band  playing on the inside. Great music!)
Service- 4.5 stars (We had a great server that was very attentive and tried to time the dishes to come out at the right time in spite of some of us getting entrees and sushi rolls for dinner. Party of 4.)
Food- 4.5 stars (Maybe I don't get out as much as I used to but the food here is amazing! We had oysters on the half, prawntini, sushi, rolls, and the scallop entree- everything was great and the scallops were seriously huge and perfectly cooked. I'm tacking on another .5 star for the creme brulee with fresh berries and mint they sent out for my bday- which is my fav dessert btw! ps- pls stop making your servers sing "happy bday"...no really, please.
Drinks- Stiff, I actually appreciate a regular drink so I can taste ingredients besides alcohol but I did like that I only had to order 1! lol.
Compared to the last place I went with these same friends (Tacos and Tequila in LV) for a bday dinner I felt like I was in heaven...so I may not be super objective, but I will be back none the less.
I came here once on Saturday afternoon and once on Sunday. I cannot comment of how the service is in "prime dinner time" but if you are looking for a laid back afternoon with some sushi and a live music near the water- this is the place. This restaurant is not suited for kids.
I love sitting in the outside lounge, the food has been very good both times (had sushi only) and discovered that they have happy hour all week. Tue-Sat 4:30-6pm and Sun-Mon all day. You can get tasty sushi rolls for $8 and wine for $5, Sapporo (lg) for $5.
This is def a great place to finish up your weekend with relaxing live Reggae music on Sundays.
i.love.mahe. i've loved the seal beach location since it first opened and i love this location! Â I mainly get sushi: the EL JEFE (bomb), rising sun, mahe are my go to rolls. Â the steamers are delish and perfect for dipping!
Recently i went with my boyfriend and i actually ordered an entree. Â best choice i ever made! i got the filet and he got the butter fish. Â I had never heard of butter fish but it is my new favorite. Â I already got another friend to try it and he was as impressed as we were.
Sunday is great on the patio with a lil live reggae..
not too mention, we have had only great service! everyone is so friendly and attentive! It's like they actually love their jobs! :)
Ugh! Â Like so many others, I want to like this place, but I just can't. Â My daughter turned 4 today and said " I WANT SUSHI" as we were driving through Dana Point, so we took her to MAHE as it was starting to get late for her.
The pluses were the waitress and guitar player, both of whom were perfect, sincere and friendly. Â The guitar player sang happy birthday to my daughter... And she ate it up..... Thanks dude!
The Negs: Â the happy hour is only available in the bar and the bar "patio" area. Â We sat 10 feet from the bar "patio" so our food was twice the price??????
I've had better sushi from Ralphs. Â The rice is warm and bland, the rolls are plain and boring, and it's expensive......REALLY expensive!!!
The waitress said their $7 " Ice Cream Cone" hand roll was popular, but it was soy paper with fake crab mixed with sarachi sauce and bay shrimp. Â
Come to drink- but eat before you show up
I've been here several times for Happy Hour & Sushi but only once for Teppan. Â Their food is amazing and I'm a fan of their strong cocktails.
HAPPY HOUR - all day on Sunday and Monday, 4:30-6pm on Tuesday to Saturday.
Ambiance = 4 stars
* live band (on certain nights), mood lighting, & modern decor. Plenty of seating in the bar/lounge area.
Food & Drinks = 4 stars
* cocktails are always strong yet surprisingly delicious. Filet Mignon teppan is a must have.
* Crunchy Roll and Spicy Tuna Roll are pretty good & only $5 during happy hour.
Customer Service = 4 stars
* friendly & fast
I only wish they'd extend their happy hour to 7pm like other restaurants but aside from that the food is worth trying.
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