I've only been here twice and each time I've ordered the infamous Uni Pasta so this review is based on the same dish. It came with a starter salad, a cup of soup (split pea?) and soft bread. The portion for both lunch and dinner were pretty big as I wasn't able to finish either. Creamy, uni-y, fishy (but in a good way) but not overbearing. I think it's better than EMC's Uni Pasta since the pasta was cooked al dente. Little morsels of uni throughout, but not too much. Although, I wish the Uni was a bit more tender, these small pieces were a bit rubbery unlike fresh uni. But, with the salad, soup and bread, I think you do get your money's worth. Cute little gem of a place - I would come back to try their other dishes like Katsu or mushroom cream pasta dish. read more

Cafe Hiro - Uni Pasta w/o wasabi - Italian Near Me - Cypress, California

This place is so cute! One of my girlfriends made a resy here after reading all the positive Yelp reviews and it did not disappoint. Everything we ordered tasted delicious -- from the calamari, uni pasta, to their panna cotta. The inside of the restaurant is intimate (slash on the smaller side), so I would highly recommend making a reservation in advance -- we went here on a weeknight and it filled up pretty quickly. I particularly loved how they painted their walls/ceiling, as if you were in Italy. This place is a vibe :) I would recommend for a casual date night or a place I'd come to unwind after work with some food/wine. Friendly staff, great menu, and spacious parking. read more

I heard this from my friend and personally passed this place so many times but finally get to try it. The food is absolutely amazing, we ordered beef tongue stew and uni pasta. Both are really tasty. The beef tongue is literally melt in your mouth, no chewing is needed. Definitely be back to try the curry and the huge burger meat patty. Service is quick and friendly. The place is quiet small and cozy. The price can be pricey but you get what you paid for honestly. read more

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It's been a long time since we came here. Judging from the number of customers waiting outside before opening at 530 on a Saturday evening, this small intimate restaurant is still quite popular. Fortunately we made reservation. We started with a cold draft Kirin while mulling over the menu. Too bad the black cod, my favorite, is no longer on the menu. I settled for the roasted miso marinated Scottish salmon. It's nicely seasoned: sweet and savory, with a nice crust. The fish was moist and the medley of sautéed chopped vegetables nicely complemented the protein. While two of my dining companions loved their kurobuta pork cutlet curry and chicken cutlet, another one, who's somewhat of a connoisseur of carbonara, was not impressed by the version here. We liked the refreshing salad that came with the entrees. Service was very attentive, with three waitress in the small space. read more

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When I went they had a tent set up to help people social distance with fairy lights. Not ganna lie though, it was super cold since they weren't able to fit heat lamps in with the plastic tent - I know it's COVID era though, so things are definitely tough. The food, however, remains delicious - because it was cold the food became a bit lukewarm but the flavors were there. The uni pasta is always consistently good and that scallop carpaccio is scrumptious with the yuzu. The clam linguini was delicious and we dipped the bread the staff graciously gave us. We also had the Japanese beef tataki and it was so good and tender that we seriously considered ordering another plate. I don't believe I've ever had a bad dish there so I definitely recommend checking them out if you haven't. They do a great job with Japanese-Italian fusion! read more

Cafe Hiro - Scallop Carpaccio - Italian Near Me - Cypress, California

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I walked in and was seated at 5:30pm and I got my food at 6:30pm. It took them one whole hour. Is this normal wait times for the food? Because this was my first time dining here and I got a bad first impression. I had my eye on this restaurant for awhile but I don't want to deal with the long wait again... Wait time for my food: Poor 1/10 Food: Decent 7/10 Service: Friendly atleast 10/10 read more

Cafe Hiro - Roasted Chilean Sea Bass - Italian Near Me - Cypress, California

Cafe Hiro is a Japanese fusion restaurant located in Cypress. They have a lot of different offerings, but I usually go for their pastas, which I feel are the best items there. The interior dining area is a bit small, but the food is quite good. I usually order their uni pasta or pasta with meat sauce. The uni pasta is very tasty and has a light buttery taste to it. The pasta is cooked very well and the uni taste isn't too overpowering. The pasta with meat sauce is very savory and has a good flavor to the sauce. It really hits the spot if you like meat sauce! Overall, I would recommend eating at this restaurant and trying out their dishes. There may be wait though, because the dining area is a bit small. But if you don't mind the wait, you'll be treated to some great tasting food! read more

Cafe Hiro - Pasta with meat sauce! - Italian Near Me - Cypress, California

Surprisingly it wasn't crowded when my friend and I came for lunch. It's a small cute place. We ordered what everyone orders when they come here: uni pasta, roasted Chilean sea bass and panna cotta. The food didn't disappoint. Uni pasta has good amount of Uni. Chilean sea bass came on a bed of veggies. Both sea bass and veggies were cooked perfectly. Sea bass was moist and the vegetable were crunchy. Panna cotta was silky like silken tofu. Everything was yummy. read more

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Cafe Hiro is sooooo good! We tried the sea bass spring roll, Uni Pasta, and Sautéed Spinach & Uni Pasta with added mushrooms and eggplants. The salad dressing had a slight kick to it so I think it's a sesame dressing with a bit of wasabi thrown in. It was pretty tasty. The Sea Bass Spring Roll has chunks of fish and the roll was on a bed of romaine lettuce. I was expecting a sauce but it was also good by itself. I wish there was more than 1 for $14. A bit pricey but damn, it was good. The Uni Pasta was creamy and traditional. The wasabi on top is more for flavor than heat so definitely mix that sucker in. The Sautéed Spinach & Uni Pasta with added mushrooms and eggplants has a soy sauce broth base with shredded nori on top. I highly recommend their tropical tea (unsweetened) and Arnold Palmers. I think they make their own lemonade! This place is a hidden gem and I can't wait to go back to try other stuff on the menu! read more

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First time at Cafe Hiro and everything was very delicious! I tried the Usso Bucco, Peking Pork, and the Rissoto with scallops. Everything was cooked perfectly and tasted so good. I also had their Soju mixed drink with pineapple which was refreshing. The service was also great, our waitress was very kind! She had great suggestions. I definitely recommend this place. Can't wait to be back! read more

Cafe Hiro - Usso Bucco - Italian Near Me - Cypress, California

If you're a scallop risotto fan, you definitely have to check this place out. SUPER delicious! I only found this gem because I stayed at a hotel that was walking distance. read more

Cafe Hiro - Scallop risotto - Italian Near Me - Cypress, California

Make reservations. Then you'll get to experience such a nice fusion of Japanese and Italian cuisine.

What a find! My friends recommended this place and I was shocked at how delicious everything was! First off, there isn't a lot of seating inside but they have a tent set up outside that has additional seating. We had a reservation for 2 and ordered the Omakase Family style and added a couple other dishes. Everything was light, fragrant and pleasant. I wasn't overstuffed and didn't feel bloated afterwards. The bread pudding was divine! I want to go back just for that! Would recommend read more

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Best dinner I've had in a long time. My food was excellent. Portion size was just right. Ordered Uni Seafood Risotto. Smooth, tasty and creamy. My husband ordered the salmon risotto which he said was very good. We shared a Berries Panna cotta Dessert and it was refreshing. I kept saying "wow" in the car on the way home because our experience was so unexpectedly delicious. The Master Chef/ owner wasn't there but obviously he trained his cooks well because I experienced a 5 star dish with these young cooks. Bravo chef! The service was great. Dining area was clean. Restrooms clean. Definitely going to be a repeat customer. Can't wait to try other dishes. Recommend making reservations as this place is small! read more

My wife had the New York steak and I had the Seafood risotto. The steak was tender and cooked perfectly. Well seasoned and delicious. The risotto was creamy and the seafood was cooked perfectly, not rubbery or fishy. For appetizers we shared the calamari and Peking Pork. The pork was amazing, moist and tender. Calamari not rubbery and the Parmesan was great. I highly recommend this place. read more

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So the first time I have ever had the uni pasta was at EMC. I was talking to a friend about it, and found that this location had the uni pasta as well. So, I definitely had to give it a try. I came here really late almost closing, but everyone was cool enough to let me come in to dine. The place looks so unassuming and decorated like we are dining outside. It is quite quaint. I ordered the uni pasta. It was amazing. Perfectly seasoned. Plenty of flavor. The uni perfectly compliments the creaminess of the sauce, yet it has both the sweetness and umami of the uni. You must try this dish! The service was amazing (keep in mind that they have a more asia service manner) but still very kind and allowing me to dine in even when I came in so close to closing. I think this place is a great hidden treasure among the many restaurants in that plaza, and must go there... especially for the uni pasta! read more

Just came back from a Japan junk trip and we like how they decorated the place, feels very homey and warming. Food was also great and service is spot on, even learning a few Japanese vocabulary while you done. Love it! read more

Cafe Hiro is this little hidden gem in a random plaza in Cypress and it deserves more recognition. Service - 5/5 the service was amazing. The staff are all very friendly and I actually dropped my Diet Coke, and a staff member came over immediately with tissues and made sure I was okay before cleaning up the mess and bringing me a new Coke. Besides that, we were checked up on often, and it made our lunch that much better. Complimentary salad - The salad is very fresh, and while I did not eat much because I'm not a fan of wasabi and that's the base of the dressing, my friend enjoyed it. Carbonara pasta $21 - 4/5 I've had a lot of carbonara pasta before, and while this isn't the best ever, it also isn't the worst. They provide a good amount of bacon, and it was enjoyable overall. My pasta was cooked perfectly, and it came with enough pepper on it that it wasn't too creamy. Uni pasta $26 - 3/5 My friend ordered the uni pasta and his review is that while it was good, it wasn't worth the price. He says it wasn't anything special, but he enjoyed it nonetheless. Overall, I would highly recommend you try out Cafe Hiro for yourself! The staff are very friendly, and the food is very good. read more

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The food AMAZING 5 Stars!!! The service was good 4 Stars. The ambiance was quaint 4 stars. I highly recommend Cafe Hiro for the Uni Spaghetti, Risotto with fresh Scallops and the fried calamari! The seafood were ALL fresh and delicious! I personally LOVED the uni pasta dish-- depth of flavor was out of this world! read more

I'd like to let it be known that the service was excellent. Now the food, maybe all the reviews were so good that I had very high expectations. We got the uni pasta, and both my wife and I agree the ingredients were quality, but the blend was too complex and salty. We also got curry katsu, and this just tasted as expected. We also ordered the black pork, and this tasted a little better than the curry katsu. Would I ever come back at these prices? Maybe, but only if all the other great restaurants within the vicinity were super busy. read more

Had reservation for four and couldn't accommodate another person to the party. Couldn't even add a chair to the table and this was for my mother's in law birthday! read more

Twas the night before "daylight savings spring forward" when all through the "hotel, all the hungry teenage boy volleyball players were stirring because they were hungry!" We were visiting Las Alamitos for a volleyball tournament and we needed a restaurant that would take a party of 14 teenage boys and 16 parents & siblings for a "quick" team dinner before they all had to get to bed to play the next day. Cafe Hiro ended up delivering everything we needed. We called and coordinated all details with Kalani: separate tables for players and parents and ordered all our entrees and appetizers to speed up dinner. When we arrived, our tables were ready to go and after getting seated the delicious food started pouring out of the kitchen. I had the seared scallops risotto which was absolutely delicious and my son got the seafood and uni risotto which he loved. I saw lots of orders of steaks, salmon, osso bucco and no one left anything on their plates! Service was attentive and the food (from appetizers to desserts) was all solid. I saw lots of smiles and heard lots of talking and laughing - success! Thank You Kalani and Cafe Hiro. We'll definitely be coming back! read more

Took my boyfriend here for his birthday, and it did not disappoint. The risotto and the calamari had such a unique and delicious flavor. I definitely recommend ordering them. They also have a group deal where its $45 per person, which includes 3 appetizers, 1 entrée, 1 risotto, and dessert for each person (think it included salad too.. cant recall) We got the walnut creme brulee and the croissant bread pudding for dessert. The service was super friendly and fast. The timing of how the food came out was also coordinated well so that you aren't sitting without anything in front of you for a long period of time. Seating wasnt too horrible, but you are closer to the other tables. All the seats were wooden, but they had cushions tor the back and your bottom so it wasn't uncomfortable. It is more of a casual spot for those thinking of coming here for a date night. Overall, if you're considering whether or not to try this spot, I'd say don't hesitate and give it a shot. I will definitely return to try out some of their other dishes like the seafood pasta. read more

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A huge thanks to Chef Hiro for staying open during this critical time. We are celebrating Justin's 26th bday today by dinning take-out; our fav uni pasta from Chef Hiro. Thank you, Chef Hiro! Been coming here for years! Everything on the menu is excellent and Chef Hiro is chef extraordinare. Julie-head server, as well as Malayna are both awesome! My fav is the melt in your mouth ox-tongue! Bon appetite read more

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i can't truly verbalize my disappointment in cafe hiro after being so excited to try it & after reading the abundance of good reviews. service was slow but the workers are really polite. 10/10 for the workers. food wise, i got the omakase for 2 ($35 pp): - tuna tartar: tuna didnt taste fresh at all. wonton chips were hard. didnt get the lettuce on the bottom. not good. -asian beef bbq salad: not too bad! the dressing was pretty good and i liked the potato salad in the center. beef was okay, not super tender though. -uni pasta: probably the best dish of the night, but the wasabi was overpowering. good portion size for the price you pay. not a lot of uni though. - osso bucco: meat pulled apart easily. the meat was warm but the veggies were cold. i'm not sure if that's how it was meant to be? they gave us a small plate of rice, and i am not kidding, i have NEVER had mushy rice at a restaurant (let alone an asian restaurant). kind of tastes reheated. - croissant bread pudding: this was so hot inside i'm so sure it was reheated in a microwave because it tastes like bread pudding you eat the next day & reheat yourself at home. better than the pan au chocolate though. - pan au chocolate: basically tastes like solidified chocolate pudding you get from the grocery store. i left full but definitely not satisfied. for the price you pay, you can get better food elsewhere. read more

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An amazing hidden gem in Cypress Orange County area. Really great quality food with a great service with a smile and urgency. They have outdoor seating currently. The two waitresses were beyond kind, super sincere and they just want you to have a great experience in all aspects. I ordered the Chilean Sea Bass With mushroom risotto and the karage chicken with rice. The sea bass was cooked perfectly with a nice sear on the sides. The mushroom risotto is the highlight for me as the taste is heavenly. So light and well seasoned. The karage chicken was great too. Great place and want to come back to try more foods. read more

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This is a hole in the wall, local's favorite. Fusion dishes of Italian inspired Asian cuisines are going to be a pleasant surprise. Due to low capacity, reservation is highly recommended. Party of 6 or more can order their Omakase which is great for the wallet and allow variety of experience for the whole party to enjoy. read more

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Came here for my birthday celebration ... what a huge mistake. I'm Japanese-American and looked forward to this first visit. I should have read the reviews more carefully. We both ordered the seafood pasta which was bland, flavorless and served with seafood which was not fresh. It feels like the kitchen waters down the tomato sauce to minimize their food costs. A good restaurant would never disrespect their customers this way. The server never checked on us to see if everything was ok, did not refill beverages and disappeared once the entrees were served. My spouse eventually ordered the uni pasta as a replacement which she could not eat. I find it hard to believe that people like this unseasoned food. Will never return ... extremely unhappy with every aspect of the dining experience. Not the experience one usually has when dining at a Japanese restaurant. read more

Interesting menu of Japanese-Italian fusion. I liked it but may not be for everyone (like my 99 yo Japanese mom). Located in a strip mall, come early cause it fills up. Corkage is $20. Medium prices, good service read more

We were very excited to come here. And boy, what a DISAPPOINTMENT!! Do not come here! The place is small and cramped. They sat us in a hallway near the bathroom. We all ordered the seafood pasta, which our waitress said was the 2nd most popular dish after their signature uni pasta dish. The pasta had no taste and no arona. I was a little confused by the color of the sauce because it was not a red vibrant tomato color but rather a more dirty orangey colored sauce. They claim its a tomato sauce for the pasta. The seafood did not taste fresh. The calamari was rubbery in texture. It was so bad we had to ask the waitress for salt , red chillie flakes, and even soy sauce to try to bring some flavor to the pasta. It was grossly bland in taste as if it was watered down. I had to wait a long time for a waitress to come back to explain my dissatisfaction with the dish. She recommended I should try the uni pasta. I was waiting for a good 15 to 20 minutes for the "famous " uni signature dish to come. There was not enough uni flavor and very little uni present in the dish. I was disappointed with the uni pasta. The service was also not good. After giving us the food, the waitress never came back to check on us. She said she was busy in the front of the store. I wanted to like the place, but I can honestly say I will never come back and do not recommend this place. read more

Uni spaghetti is delicious! Creamy and flavorful. The wasabi definitely added a nice kick to the pasta. I also liked their pea soup, even though I don't like pea soup! It was creamy and was such a simple delight. I also tried some of my friends' dishes including the Asian BBQ salad and the spicy garlic spinach pasta. They both had good flavor. I wasn't impressed with the tuna tartare appetizer, and the texture was a bit off to me. It was interesting how they incorporated balsamic vinegar into it, and I'm not sure if it was the best match. The salad they put on top of the tartare felt a bit random and made the dish look uncohesive. Overall, decent place for some Japanese Italian fusion food (maybe minus the appetizers) but a bit pricey. read more

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At first thought it was a japanese only restaurant. I was looking forward to eating pasta and risotto, so i was a little hesitant at first. Inside of the store was well decorated and it was very cutely designed. The server who served us was very nice and explained the menu when we had any questions. We ended up getting the omakase course with salad, pasta, risotto, and desert as well. The uni pasta and the scallop rissoto were very good! read more

Well it's such a disappointment! I ordered 2 hamburg, curry & demi glace sauce. Firstly, both the sauce & the patty were bland. Secondly, the meat was raw since they made it too thick. Then the portion of the demi glace sauce was very little, it should've been enough to cover the whole patty but instead they gave me just a small dipping container. For a dish that costs $25 I expected more. This was a horrible experience. Don't think i'd ever come back here. read more

Cafe Hiro - Demi glaze hamburg - Italian Near Me - Cypress, California

If you like food, come here, it's worth every penny. Probably some of the most unique and delicious food that can be found in the area.

Hands down my favorite restaurant. The food (and i mean virtually everything) is spectacular. I highly recommend tuna tartar, carbonara, and the fried chicken. read more

This spot is a certified gem. I've enjoyed every meal I've ever had here, from the uni spaghetti to their risotto to their chicken katsu. Everything is prepared to perfection, and the service is always so kind and attentive. Long may this establishment bless the city of Cypress! read more

Cafe Hiro - Chicken cutlet (katsu) curry - chicken fried crispy and juicy! - Italian Near Me - Cypress, California

My uni pasta crave kicks in about once a month and Cafe Hiro is always our go to place. We always sat at the counter so we can watch the actions going on in the kitchen. We won't be able to enjoy the atmosphere now but being able to still get my fav uni pasta and peking pork made me so happy! Stay strong and healthy Cafe Hiro! read more

Cafe Hiro - Italian Near Me - Cypress, California

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Decent Japanese-Italian restaurant that uses good quality ingredients in its dishes. Owners are Japanese we're pretty nice. Personally, the food could use a bit more flavor. The main issue was the portions were kinda small, especially the amount of pasta and rice they give (which doesn't cost much anyways) read more

Cafe Hiro - Uni Pasta - Italian Near Me - Cypress, California

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First, they got my order wrong and it took another 10 plus minutes. By the time when I got my dish, my partner already finished his dish. We were the one and only table in the restaurant at that time and how can they get the wrong order? Second, their food... ha... I ordered chicken and mushroom curry, and it was the worst curry ever. It tasted like water down curry like soup. Instant curry you can get from the market tastes a lot better. Please do not order their curry. read more

So the boyfriend and I decided to try this place Tuesday evening. I called and after many rings someone finally picked up and I made a reservation for 2 at 7PM. Driving to this place, it's located in a smaller plaza. Walking in they have a divider that makes it a bit hard for the restaurant employees to see that there are customers at the door. I walked to the cash register area and was told to wait by the door. To be honest, I was a bit annoyed because the server was not the nicest. We were not seated right away. There was also one person a head of us waiting to be seated or helped. When we finally were seated, our server noted that we had a reservation and sat us by the window. The restaurant is on the smaller side. After looking at the menu we were able to narrow down what we wanted. 1. scallop carpaccio - $13 (it was a special on the chalk board) it was not too bad, nothing amazing, and it did have a very "fishy" flavor also tasted sort of like curry? not sure if it was the seasoning. 2. seafood & uni risotto - $31 super rich in flavor. Overall pretty good lots of thinly sliced mushrooms, shrimp, calamari and some mussels. I did not get any clams or scallops in my dish. (also comes with a salad - with ginger carrot dressing) 3. Hamburg Steak Curry - $25 the hamburg steak was a large round mass. When we cut into it, it was juicy. The curry was pretty good there are options for mild, medium or spicy. The spicy was NOT spicy whatsoever. Overall, we were satisfied with our meal. The gap between our appetizer and our actual entrées was a bit of time so hopefully you come with someone that you can have great conversation. The bill came out to be $74.35 not including tip. I think this is a place you go to once in a while. The food is pretty good, I hope that the service at least when you get seated is better in the future. read more