About Us
Welcome to Sakae Sushi, one of Gardena’s oldest and most beloved restaurants. We have been at the same location for over 60 years!
Our small, locally, family-owned sushi restaurant embodies the spirit of traditional Japanese essence. For most Japanese Americans, the flavors make us reminiscent of the sushi that we grew up with, stirring up memories of family gatherings, celebrations and other get-togethers with friends and relatives.
At Sakae Sushi, we believe in simplicity and excellence. Our menu, keeping true to the original flavors and high standards set decades earlier, features six delicious types of sushi: Nori-maki, Inari, Ebi, Saba, Tamago-maki, and California Roll.
Sakae Sushi humbly opened it’s doors back in 1962 by Aya and Sumizo Tani. It was with Aya’s recipes learned as a young girl in a small fishing village in Uragami (Wakayama Prefecture) that launched our family business. It was eventually passed down to their son Tom and his wife Etsuko in 1981. With the unfortunate passing of Tom many years ago, Etsuko Tani has been the heart and soul of Sakae Sushi ever since and now the third generation of the Tani family is involved, including Emi, Etsuko’s daughter.
Aya and Sumizo Tani
The traditions at Sakae Sushi remain very much the same since we were opened by Aya and Sumizo. The exact same recipes are used today without any deviation. Our rice is seasoned and still prepared on a stove the same way it was handed down through the generations. We do not have any automatic rice cookers. In a typical day, we can make up to 10 or 15 big stock pots full of rice, which are still cooled by an electric fan. Age (pronounced ah-ge) for the inari sushi is still carefully shaped by hand. Even the bones in the saba (mackerel) are meticulously removed one at a time with tweezers.
We have stayed with the same vendors for all these years with the same ingredients. We didn’t change anything; we kept everything exactly the same. We even still have our instantly recognizable white paper wrapped box tied with a green string. Although more difficult, we still believe in doing things the old-fashioned way, and the proof is in the delicious results.
We want to personally thank all of our customers and their family’s generations for supporting our success…now who’s hungry!
Menu
Open Wed thru Sun, 9am - 4pm
Closed Mon, Tues and some holidays.
***WE ACCEPT CASH ONLY***
Nori Maki
Inari
Ebi
Saba
Tamago Maki
California Roll
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Location
1601 Redondo Beach Blvd.
Gardena, CA 90247
Phone
(310) 532-4550
* Please pick up all orders at the pick-up window around the back *
"For the Tani clan, Sakae Sushi has been at the center of their lives for three generations."
-Zentoku Foundation
"This South Bay sushi shop has been serving the same six items for decades — and wants to keep it that way"
-L.A. Times
© 2023 Sakae Sushi, Inc.