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Decent. Not fantastic but average. If you are really craving sushi and not feeling like venturing to far or inconvenient places, this place will do. It gets the job done. Everything about the place is "okay" only.
Don't go here if you are looking for amazing sushi or an out-of-this-world dining experience. You will not find either. However, if you are just craving the taste and flavors of sushi, than this will suffice.
The service is good. They are accomodating with indecisive diners (like myself) and even impressively, accomodating with late night diners. They don't get rude or impatient when you are there in their last hour of operation. (I feel like some places are extending that 1/2 hour period before closing as being a bad time to go somewhere into a full hour).
This is our favorite sushi place and there are plenty to choose from around here. We've been going here for over 2 years and the sushi is always fresh and yummy. They are very creative and put a unique twist on the basic sushi rolls.
If you make good friends with Paul, one of the sushi chefs, he'll take good care of you and you'll almost always get a little extra treat.
We never even look at the menu. He just knows what we like and we tell him we want the Paul Special.
I have no idea how some of these reviews could be negative. I've been coming here almost weekly for years and I have NEVER had old fish here. It's always fresh! It has changed names a few times but not ownership. From what I understand the name change was a legal thing because of another business with the same name. But who cares, the sushi is fantastic!
Eh. Expected decent food and got less almost less then edible food.
Why 2 stars? The little older asian waitress we had was a trooper. Didnt blink an eye at all our orders and kept up quite well.
The food? Way below par sushi.
One thing to rave about. the "Heart attack". Well worth going there alone. Anything else? Nope. No thank you. Pass. Eat a weenie.
P.S. The warm sake tastes like it was made in prison by the nazi low riders. HORRIBLE.
I've been coming here for a week now, and I've become a regular. Bill B. and I have eaten here Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. We have our own table. Happy Hour sushi makes my mouth so happy. Go for the prices and stay for the sushi. And Grace our server is adorable.
We have been comig here since it opened, always order sushi and it is always fantastic, Jun the owner is a great guy and funny too, Paul the other Sushi chef is also top notch and a great guy
We always eat Sushi, not into cooked food but from what I've seen, that looks good too
From the few negetive and mean comments I've seen here, it looks like Japengo's competition down the street is all out attack mode
Keep serving up the great sushi guys, you only get attacked when you are successful
I'm pretty much of a regular here. One reason is the great staff, friendly waitresses, cooks and of course Sushi Chef Paul. Paul makes a delicious tuna/octopus poki, my favorite! If your into rolls there are a ton of them. Chef Paul makes a special roll called SHRIMPMON, with baked salmon on top and a deep fried tempura shrimp inside. I usually have the little known stuff from the menu like scallop and veggie yakatori or the yummy green mussels. The lunch combos are just right, I usually get the chicken katsu and salmon teriyaki or the beef curry over rice. This is the kind of place to hang with friends or linger and chat with the chefs.
I don't know which is worse, Japengo or Yen Sushi. I ordered a spicy scallop cut roll and the roll always fell apart before I could stuff it in my mouth. This place is pretty sorry ass! I'm getting depressed just writing about this place.
THE WORST $74.00 I EVER SPENT!!
Crappy sushi chef with an attitude to match, bland wasabi, sushi sucked (it all had this sweet brown sauce to add SOME sort of flavor), thelarge "sake" only had 2 servings per person, and the fish in the cold case at the bar was getting cooked by the blasting sunlight coming through the shades. Very unappealing.
The best thing in the house was the Saparro on tap.
I will never, ever, go back here again. Not even with a coupon or someone else buying. Yes. It was that bad.
Alright this place was pretty horrible as far as fresh fish goes but still edible but who wants that right ha. I went for a work get together and there was a whole group of us and the atmosphere is actually pretty cool and the sake is super cheap too which would have been amazing if it wasnt the worst sake i have ever tasted in my entire life and they would only serve it hot bleccckkk. The only thing that was yummy was their jalepeno app with cream cheese and fried i dont remmeber the name but it was pretty damn good. Prolly never go back though bad definitely outweighs the good in this situation
Japengo?? Apengo? I don't know but I kind of like Japengo, I wonder if the J fell out and they just renamed it Apengo, good times...anyway.
All I have to say is, HAPPY HOUR HAPPY HOUR AND HAPPY HOUR. Come here for the happy hour, like I did, 2 dollar pints of Sapporo, I was chugging those things down, YUM! Also cheap/great tasting sushi, what else can you ask for? I only come here for happy hour cuz the prices are great, cmon enjoy the festivities of cheap beer and sushi, its great, its fun. enjoy it man!
With all the food places on 2nd street, I don't usually go for sushi. But this was definitely a good choice.
Go for happy hour! Super cheap sushi - Long Beach roll with mango/avocado was delicious.
Had spicy tuna tempura rolls and my stomach was on fire in 20 minutes and lasted throughout the day into the next day. I'm hoping it was just a bad experience with a weak stomach day and not the food.
I have come here many a time and never have a bad experience. The service is pleasing and always… Read more »
We will never go here again! Service and food were terrible. Old fish in our sushi, servers that ignore us. Nothing positive about this place.
We were apartment hunting in the area, and after hours of driving around we were craving some sushi. We had driven by a few sushi spots on the Belmont shores strip, but when we finally parked, Apengo was directly across the street. At first glance it didn't have the high end look that several others on the street did. The lights were up pretty bright, and the layout a little more stoic than some of the trendy chic spots on the strip (but at least there wasn't any TECHNO lol).
We sat at the sushi bar, and were promptly brought menus and ice water (in a cool blue square glass) with a thin slice of lemon and a straw. There was a sakebomb special for 7.50 you got a GIANT Kirin and a regular carafe of hot sake that we couldn't turn down.
We ordered two of their specialty rolls to start off. We had a cucumber wrapped roll that had salmon, tuna, and white fish with avocado, daikon, and ponzu - it was a great insight into how fresh the fish was. From there we jumped into sushi, ordering sake, yellowtail, and red snapper. Each was fresher and more delicious than the last. The salmon tasted like it was fresh off the boat.
The vibe was very cool. The WBC (World Baseball Classic) was on television and the Korean team was playing Venezuala. Several of the sushi chefs were Korean so they were watching the game with intensity. We had a great conversation with Peter Pan (as he called himself) or DJ as his real name would be abbreviated. He only works part time (Saturday nights), but if you want to talk sports or watch a game while you have some incredibly fresh fish - don't miss it.
The prices were reasonable, about $10-12 for specialty rolls, and about $5 for an order of nigiri. The sake bomb special was a great deal, and if you like your hot sake piping hot - stop in at Apango.
Apengo is a friendly, neighborhood sushi joint. In fact, it's Lisa V's friendly, neighborhood sushi joint, so that's why we came here. I love it that while Sandy T. and I are scrambling for a parking spot on a Saturday night in busy Belmont Shore, Lisa can just walk out her door and meet us on 2nd St.
Open Sesame had a half hour wait at 9:30 pm, and we were just too exhausted from our afternoon in LA at the Celadon Elite Event http://www.yelp.com/bi... to deal with it, so we walked over to Apengo. I was so thirsty, I couldn't wait to have a glass of water.
We sat at the sushi bar, and our server was so nice, she kept coming back to refill our water glasses at least four or five times. We ordered some nigiri (halibut, salmon, and yellowtail), two rolls, and an order of yellowtail collar. The nigiri was served all at the same time on a little sushi boat, which was cute.
I was a little worried about our choice for dinner after biting into the halibut, which was tough, plus I bit into something hard (bone? a scale? I don't know, but I didn't like it). Fortunately, the salmon and yellowtail were much better. The spicy scallop roll topped with salmon was very tasty. The Rock 'n' Roll, which was cucumber wrapped fish and avocado was refreshing, but it contained a piece of the dreaded Krab (crab with a K), which I never enjoy. The yellowtail collar was good, but at that point I was too full, mostly with ice water, to eat much of it.
The man sitting next to me at the sushi bar with his friends showed a strange interest in our food, particularly the cucumber-wrapped roll, and asked to take a picture of it, so he could "show the Japanese what we do with sushi". Okay....Then he asked if he could EAT a piece of it, in exchange for a fried gyoza or some such thing. I said he could just have the sushi, but we'd pass on trying his food. Lisa wasn't too impressed with his order of California Rolls either.
I wouldn't go out of my way to eat here, but it's very convenient if you live in the area, and the service was very good. As an added bonus, this is the first Japanese restaurant I've been to that gives you fortune cookies after your meal. Mine said I would soon witness a miracle. I'm still waiting!
I felt like a local in tow with Lisa V. and Amy K. Lisa knew all of the ins and out of Apengo. Probably why our service went above and beyond for the evening.
We decided to sit at the sushi bar, after all we had just gorged on ginger pineapple mojitos, parma garlic fries, and other apps from the Celadon Elite Event. Plus, the random May heat wave had taken its toll on my appetite, nothing heavy please.
The boat with sushi kind of made my laugh inside, reminded me of some of the sushi places in Boston where a boat is all the rave. Ahh, memories. I digress, I never tried the halibut but the yellow tail and salmon were good. The rock and roll choice, well, I feel kind of responsible for that. I was so excited to see a Zipanguish style roll with cucumber instead of rice (alright so I can tend to be a low carb freak sometimes) but nothing about it really made me think, wow I want to rock and roll.
The sushi chef did give us some special, thanks to Lisa V being on the in with him, which was delicious.
The people next to us, well, Amy K said enough about the California roll loving wacka-dos.
This place is nice inside. The service is always great. They are all very friendly and attentive. I've never had a problem when I've been there. I'm a vegetarian and their veggie sushi rolls are good. They aren't the most creative veggie rolls but they're good. They are very accommadating to substitutions or additions to rolls. I get the heart attack without all the fish and its amazing! It's like a Japanese jalapeño popper. So delicious!
Bad food, and bad service. The sushi was not fresh. I don't think I'm coming back here ever again. It was a horrible experience. I don't understand why all the 5 and 4 stars, maybe because it's cheap here.
It's a nice place with great service and good sushi. Our waitress was always smiling and very happy. This place is pretty good for Happy Hour, from 11ish to 6:30! We ordered the Crunch Roll, Spicy Tuna Tempura Roll, Long Beach Roll and seared tuna something (the special of that day). AND our bill came out to 23!
I was really impressed with the Long Beach Roll. I dont remember what was inside, but it was wrapped in Mango and Avocado- very refreshing on a hot day! If I'm ever on 2nd and in need of sushi, I'll definitely come here
I eat sushi almost weekly, and i eat here whenever i can.
it's clean, very, and has a great menu. (w/ pictures for all you newbies)
the staff is friendly and helpful. Chef Paul is great and is both quick and skillful.
the layout is nice and open w/ a view of the peoples on 2nd.
parking does suck. BUT it's 2nd street and you knew this.
take the red bus it's .90 and drops you off right there!
Don't expect to be inspired by their interior design but be satisfied with their service and hospitality. If you want semi-inexpensive sushi in a clean atmosphere check this place out.
Parking is tough but what can you expect for 2nd street? Even though it was busy (Friday night) we got our food at a reasonable time along with our appetizers before the main entrees as expected.
Next time I might check it out on happy hour and save some real money! They have some screamin' deals for a pitcher and roll that I wouldn't mind partaking in..
Thanks to the encouragement of Lisa V I finally tried this place, and I'm sure I'll be back again -- although oddly enough, for not for the sushi. :)
Today I came for Happy Hour, as I figured that would be the best time to sample a little of everything for a decent price. I was a little taken aback by the normal price for nigiri ($4.50!), so half price is definitely the way to go. I won't pay that much unless I'm assured of the delectable quality of the fish, and this is assuredly not a high-quality restaurant.
I tried the Long Beach roll (normally spicy tuna with mango on top, but I have an ulcer and can't eat spicy foods), which was decent, if a little boring. The tuna was soft and flavourful, but the rice was tough and ruined the taste of the roll. I also had shiro maguro nigiri (white tuna -- escolar or albacore? I should have asked), which actually tasted very nice and buttery, but was smothered in too much ponzu sauce that made the rice fall apart and distract from the taste of the fish. Unfortunately my sake nigiri was *terrible* -- everything about my piece of salmon was off, from the colour to the texture to the taste. It was just foul. So disappointing. :(
I *did* enjoy the ikayaki skewer I ordered on a whim, which was surprisingly delicious. I wasn't expecting to see have yakitori in sushi restaurant, but it seems they do grilled and prepared foods better than sushi, as my squid was fantastic. I don't think I'll ever have sushi here again, but I might return to explore more hot foods on the menu.
Well, perhaps I'll be back to chat more to the cute sushi chef as well. *grins*
Pros:
-happy hour menu (11am-6pm) -- consists of inexpensive and extremely fresh fish and sushi rolls (which is an unusual combination at sushi restaurants)
-the service is perfect -- Chefs and waiters make you feel right at home.
-free sushi at the bar -- Once in a while, the sushi chefs like to invent their own creative rolls and hand them out to the people eating at the bar.
-sushi chefs = big laker/dodger fans
-location is perfect -- right near the beach on 2nd street
Cons:
-can't really think of any
- - - - - - - - - -
Out of Wallet Costs -- Around $50 (including tip) for two people - three rolls, two unagi sushi, two hamachi sushi
Chance I would go again -- I'm there every week.
Would I recommend this place -- yes.
One of the worse sushi place I've been to. The service was so bad....and the food is somewhat like the service.
This place just opened on Second street. It's not quite "authentic" sushi - more Japanese "fusion" I'd say - but it's great nonetheless. They have a huge selection of very creative rolls, and the chefs and staff are always friendly. It's bright and clean inside and it's open all day, unlike some of the other restaurants on Second Street which close between lunch and dinner, which makes it an excellent place to stop in for a bite to eat any time you're tired of shopping.
Update: I tried the sashimi platter, and I've gotta say, stick to the rolls. The quality of the fish was okay, but the way it was cut (clumsily - the slices were much too thick) left much to be desired.
Our crowd (usually at least 10 strong) descends upon Japengo on sundays at lunchtime when the rest of 2nd Street is packed to the gills. The ravenous feeding frenzy ensues, and any lesser establishment would go ghost-white at the sight of our wild-eyed starvation. You'd think by the looks of us that not one of us has had a proper meal since the mid 80's.
Japengo never disappoints. The bento boxes are always tasty, and the rolls are inventive and fresh. The staff is extremely accommodating to large crowds, substitutions, and split checks. In fact, they usually give us a complimentary roll and edamame.
If you are ever wild-eyed with starvation and waiting 30 minutes for a seat at Le Creperie just won't cut it, give Japengo a try.
Man -- I'm so sick of LOOKING for a good sushi place that WANTS our repeat business.
When we find the place, we'll give it a LOT of business!
Initially, we were pleased to have found this place. Having just come (literally) from Zen Sushi up the street, we found the prices here at Apengo (name has changed) to be MUCH more in line for a weekday sushi craving.
They even made me my favorite sushi roll -- custom.
However, being that my favorite sushi roll is, essentially, spicy tuna with avocado on top -- I think $11 per roll was a pretty steep price to stick me with, don't you?
If they'd priced it according to other items on the menu, we'd have been in ALL THE DAMN TIME because it's literally across the bridge from us. A pleasant walk up the street.
But no.
Someone, anyone... PLEASE tell me where to find GOOD, inexpensive (not cheap!) sushi??? Please??
This place is just amazing. Their specialty rolls are insatiable. This is my favorite place for specialty rolls hands down. It's moderately priced for a Sushi restaurant, they have a vast selection of sushi, sashimi and specialty rolls. I can't get enough.
If you can handle spicy I recommend getting the "heart attack" as an appetizer. I think there is minced tuna, cream cheese and their specialty sauce baked in half a jalepeno pepper. I believe they give you five servings. It's SOOOO good!
If you are into rolls then I recommend their lobster popcorn roll, dragon crunch and pretty much everything else. This place does not disappoint. I love the consistency of fish and rice . Everything tastes very fresh.
They are one of the reason I want to move back to Long Beach.
Apengo, you make a great salmon skin salad. I also love your fancy schmancy cut rolls. The annoying guy at the next table who couldn't stop talking about how much he loooooves yellow tail? I could do without him.
Food: Home of the teeny tiny lunch combo. The poster out front looked promising but I was so disappointed when my chicken teriyaki/katsu arrived! Portions were tiny.......I finished my plate in less than 2 minutes it seemed! Food was okay but nothing great.
Price: The combo was $6.95. Yes its cheap but not worth the price!
Service: Fast and friendly
Atmosphere: I liked the atmosphere in here more than the food
Location: Can't remember much about the location
Order the special with a pitcher of beer at happy hour and you should end up happy as a clam like I am just getting home from doing what I advise to others. I have to rely on consistant performance of course but right now I am so impressed that I reccommend that you try it. Hope I'm right. I'm goin back alot if it stays constant. Cheers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am by no means a sushi connoisseur so take this review for what it's worth. I LOVE this place. The baked salmon roll is fantastic and even my ultra-picky husband found a roll he likes - the Seared tuna roll. The menu has pictures and descriptions which is key for people that don't know the ins and outs of Sushi. I hate guessing.
I've tried a lot of the other places in the area hyped to be great and really haven't found anything that blew me away. At least not enough to get in my car. I can walk here, get a great meal for 20 bucks and be back in my living room in 15 minutes. Why go anywhere else? Did I mention the waitresses are so friendly! I always get a warm hello.
It's a bit pricey but it's Belmont Shore...what do you expect? I found calling ahead and getting takeout makes eating here biweekly affordable and they have a stamp card for frequent customers. Haven't tried happy hour or anything other than the rolls but definitely recommended.
This is my go-to sushi if I want a place within walking distance from my place that is friendly, decent and always has 2 for 1 sake. What could be wrong w/ this, right? Well it def isn't as fun as Studio Sushi or quite as authentic as Koi....so choose the kind of night you want I guess!
I do have to Yelp about my experience over the weekend as they definitely are accommodating here and I have always had great service here... they just went over the top in my book this time.
Came in for an early dinner after some shopping on 2nd Street to sit as the sushi bar. Some games were on the flat screens and I was just content with sitting down to a nice meal. Well, a local lady was already 2 bottles of sake into her meal and was feelin' quite friendly. She offered to buy me some sake, and also offered me up one of her purses she just bought at the Black/White store down the street! Wow. Ummm, thanks but no thanks. She kept complementing me on my handbag and then just kept yapping away about how she wanted to go to the Coach store in SF? Ummm what? Well, I made eyes with the sushi chef and he told me that she's OK, just talkative. She simmered down after eating her next 3 courses and pretty much put her head down while eating her salmon skin and yellowtail collar. There was rice everywhere!!! Yikes! Kind of sad in a way as she just wanted a drinking partner, but I was def not going to be it!
I ordered a Long Beach roll (spicy tuna wrapped in mango) and a Spicy Scallop roll wrapped in salmon. Yum! I even got a specialty sushi the chef made for me which was white tuna stuffed with crab? It was delicious. ($22 before tip)
Happy Hour daily from 3pm-6pm, with good prices on sushi rolls ($3-6).
I'll definitely be back, but just kudos to the restaurant for handling the tipsy lady!
awful sushi - cheap but not really edible.
i'm gonna yelp it apengo, since that's the name on the building, even though my receipt says japengo. whatever _pengo it is, it is pretty damn good. we're bummed out about sushi-saurus still being closed, i wasn't too impressed by sushi of naples or yen sushi (they were good, i'm just a nasty creature of habit!), so we decided to try _pengo out. we took it to go (not too comfy inside), and really enjoyed our rolls, especially their palm springs roll. wooo! just as pricey as the surrounding sushi joints, but the rolls were big and tasted really fresh. the service was good, but that place needs a different look. it's like too sterile to go and drop a few sake bombs with friends.
Ok. So I went to Apengo for happy hour the other day and I was somewhat impressed. They lowered the price of a pitcher of Sapporo and roll to $15.75. They extended their happy hours from 11:30am to 6pm which is awesome. I had high hopes for the quality and taste of the sushi; sadly it was not what I expected. The rolls they have on special for happy hour are basic rolls. The Sapporo on tap is only $2.75 which is a big plus. My GF and I got 3 rolls and 2 pints of Sapporo for 24 dollars, not bad. This place is definitely a place to go to for a weekday dinner to grab something cheap and a beer.
First it was Gapengo, Then it was Japengo, Now its just Apengo. According to the staff, they kept getting sued by the copy written name. So they just took the first letter off the sign and kept it going from there. Weird.
Anyway, the reviews I read all say "not great but not bad". And thats how i feel about it too. Better and cheaper then any other sushi place we can walk to.
A big plus on this place is the super convenient to-go package. My hubby and i will walk in, order 3-4 rolls, and all the works that come with it, and the nice staff happily packages everything up in about 10 minutes (while we walk to Shannon's and have a quick drink and a shot). Everything is packaged perfectly (they even write the names of the rolls on the box so you remember which one your eating!
We walk it home and have a huge sushi spread in front of the TV. Movie night rules!
P.S. if you eat there, Sake is always buy one large Sake and get a second one free. Sweet!
Sometimes it's the people you come back for rather than the food itself. I find us doing this with Japengo. The sushi is good but not the best I've ever had. I only come during Happy Hour b/c I think it's overpriced. I really think they need to extend happy hour and maybe add some liquor specials because it's always empty inside! I normally prefer sushi places that are packed but since I live around the corner, sometimes it's nice when I'm in a quiet mood.
Great food. Feels authentically Japanese. I've never had any problem with their service, which is not fawning or overbearing, but always within reach. I just wish I lived nearby, because I'm rarely in this neck of the woods. Usually I order the Udon noodles with beef or chicken. Heavenly!
This is sort of the IN-N-Out burger of sushi. It's no six dollar burger, but it's affordable and hits the spot. The staff is especially friendly for a sushi restaurant. I really like the salmon sushi and the tempura. They have good happy hour specials (until 6).
Long Beach, CA
Category: Japanese
Long Beach, CA
Category: Sushi Bars
Los Alamitos, CA
Category: Sushi Bars
Long Beach, CA
Category: Sushi Bars
Long Beach, CA
Category: Japanese
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