Diana Elizabeth Torres took knife-training classes in order to do her own quick-knife slicing.
The film was shot in real working restaurants on the days they were closed. On the days the restaurants were open, the crew would work from 5am until 11am, just before the Coach Sushi opened up for its lunch patrons. It was also filmed in B Dama Restaurant and Mijori in Oakland, California.
Done on a micro-budget, and self-financed by director Anthony Lucero. Many of the cast and crew volunteered their time as well in order to get the film done.
Diana Elizabeth Torres and Yutaka Takeuchi learned how to make sushi at the Sushi Chef Institute to make an accurate portrayal of their characters.
'East Side Sushi' was shown as one of a group of low-budget, socially-significant films in 2016 with funds provided by the New York State Council of the Arts.