Dining at Sweetfin

In the before times I ate out multiple times a week but when the pandemic began and everything shut down I quickly adapted to cooking at home. Two years later I continue to dine in much more often than I dine out. As such, I feel totally lost in the restaurant scene. Some of my favorites are gone and there are so many new places I’ve never even heard of let alone tried. Like Sweetfin. I had heard of it but never had an opportunity to check it out. Luckily, they invited me to stop by and I enjoyed an evening away from the kitchen.

Sweetfin is a fast casual concept that’s been cropping up all over LA (and venturing into OC and San Diego). Serving “healthful, Chef-driven, California inspired poke™” it aims to provide diners with a fresh, good for you meal that also tastes delicious.

Their signature item is the Sweetbox which features a sampling of 4 of their most loved dishes – Yuzu Salmon poke over citrus kale salad, Spicy Tuna Poke over bamboo rice, Chile Ginger Forbidden Rice Noodle Salad and homemade taro chips. As this was my first experience with Sweetfin I made sure to try it and was amazed at the array of items I received.

I immediately fell in love with the Yuzu Salmon as it was so incredibly fresh and filled with flavor. Combined with the citrus kale salad which featured fresh jicama, avocado, cucumber and edamame (among other things) it was an absolutely delicious dish. The Spicy Tuna topped with flavorful crispy onions was a satisfying mixture of creamy, spicy goodness and the Chile Ginger Forbidden Noodle Salad was just about the most gourmet pasta salad I’ve ever enjoyed.

Of course, there’s more to the menu than the Sweetbox. Much of it is devoted to a variety of poke bowls that are sure to appeal to any palette and, if none of them hit you just right, there’s a build your own bowl option. And then there’s the add-ons. Nearly forty of them! From pickled shiitake mushrooms to wasabi drizzle to chili marinated oranges and so much more there are endless possibilities.

Recently, Sweetfin also introduced the option to add on one of five signature sides to your bowl. In addition to the popular Chile Ginger Forbidden Rice Noodles there’s also Spicy Cucumber Salad, Citrus Kale Crunch Salad, Kelp Noodle Slaw and Seaweed Salad. I must admit I was a little wary of that last one but it actually turned out to be my favorite! 

I generally don’t like seaweed because I find it overly salty but this was so delicious. It was sweet yet savory and taste so fresh and flavorful. I have a feeling I’ll be ordering it with every bowl.

Just because Sweetfin has an emphasis on health doesn’t mean that they forget dessert. If you know me you know I’m a matcha nut and their Matcha Pop ticked off all the boxes. Drizzled with white chocolate and matcha powder it was a delicious way to end my meal.

And what a meal. I had no idea what to expect when visiting Sweetfin and it just blew me away. It was so flavorful, so delicious, so filling yet had no associated guilt like most indulgent meals. Dining there was an awesome experience and I can’t wait to return. Also, I’d be remiss if I didn’t give a shout out to the Costa Mesa location which is the one I visited. The manager, Richard, and his associates were so friendly and helpful and certainly contributed to my wonderful experience. If you’re in the area be sure to stop by!