A hidden gem for sure!! Cafe Hiro deserves to be in a bigger more visible location, but they seem to have good business. Although one can't see it from Valley View, have faith that it's in the plaza. Parking lot is small, so I try to avoid busy hours. Food: Awesome! Great Asian & Italian Fusion. Service: Awesome! Team work! Cleanliness: Awesome! Bathroom was nice. Attention to detail: Awesome! All servers refilled our water. Decor: Cute flower lights and painting on wall looks like Italian alley. Came on a Sat night and it was well packed. We were sitting all the way in the end near the bathrooms, but were not neglected!! I saw about 4 different servers who waited our table. It was quite awesome actually. Every 10 mins, they would come over to check our table, refill our waters, and make sure we were doing ok. Although we had one main server taking our orders, the other servers would be attentive and serve our needs. Wow! No other restaurant has this kind of service. Usually, other servers neglect you even as small as refilling a customer's water because that server is not "responsible" for your table. Not so at Cafe Hiro. Everyone works as a team! Love it. Food was great as always. The first time I came here I ordered the "Mentaiko" Spaghetti, which was awesome!! I love mentaiko so these spaghetti was just as good as I expected. Flavorful, salty and delicious!! This second time, I ordered the Eggplant & Mushrooms Spaghetti in a Garlic-Soy Sauce w/ Dried Bonito Shavings and Toasted Seaweed.. This was just as good too!! I asked for Sauteed Spinach on top just to make it *extra healthy* :) (I was debating whether to get the Spicy Garlic Spaghetti with Spinach & Mushrooms, and our server said it was basically the same thing. The garlic sauce was the same on both spaghetti dishes.) Curry was pretty good as well. Expect a more Japanese tasting curry rather than an Indian spice curry. Unlike other curry places like Curry House or CoCo, you cannot choose your spice level: mild-med-hot. But Cafe Hiro curry flavor is just fine. No need to change anything about it. Here's what I mean by GREAT attention to detail & all-around AWESOME Customer Service. At the end of the meal, we had asked for separate checks. You know how when you get separate checks, there are too many copies with "Manufacturer Copy" & "Customer Copy". Well, these servers are S-M-A-R-T!!! To o avoid customer mistakes or confusion, they actually stapled the manufacturer copy onto the main check, so that you would only take home you "Customer copy" of the receipt. Now, it may be a small detail to you, but I take notice of these things. They make my life easier and I appreciate what they do to help us out because I'm one of those who is always double checking to make sure that I took home my copy and left the manufacturer copy on the table. Now, if you look around, you will notice pieces of notable recognition on the wall from many media sources such as the LA TImes, OC Weekly, and others. It's very cool to read about how highly recognized this place is to so many other readers and customers. Thank you Cafe Hiro for being consistent, being true to who you are, and for maintaining customer satisfaction. :) read more

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Quick: The hot date spot, cute, quaint & casual with a selection of delicious varieties of food, Cafe Hiro never disappoints for the foodie adventurer. Personally I think this place has the best value for high class food, with most dishes reasonably priced. Pros: "Cafe" cute feel, delicious fusion selections, risotto! Cons: Usually a wait for dinner Cafe Hiro is able to balance that high class, bougie flavor you'd expect to find at Seasons 52 or AnQi but with that mom & pop, welcome to our cafe kind of motif that keeps it casual and relaxed. Food list: Scallop Carpaccio - $8 Refreshing. Drizzled with a curry sauce, this dish really works. At times the curry can be over powering but all the flavors work beautifully Mushroom Salad - $8 If you like mushrooms, this salad is one is big enough for 2 and honestly, a great value. You've paid more for salads that bring less to the table. Warm sauteed mushrooms, daikon and onions over greens and a light vinaigrette, this was one of our favorites. Careful though! Doesn't taste as good when its cold so eat up! Pork Loin over Spinach Risotto - Ok, so we love the risotto here, so any dish served with it we want. Pork loin was not what we expected, the flavor did not pair well with the risotto. On it's own, the pork was ok; it was dry and had an asian sweet bbq flavor to it. It was the only disappointment of the night but we took a chance and weren't dissatisfied. It just didn't work for us. The risotto was a punch of flavor though and no complaints there! Croissant Bread Pudding - My girlfriend loved this. I thought it was ok, though I am not a sweets person. I prefer my bread pudding to have more density, but this one was so light, it was almost like eating flan. The caramel sauce was perfect, thinned out so it wouldn't be too sugary, it matched well. A solidly good dessert. Overall we loved our time here at Cafe Hiro. In the past, we've also gotten the hamburger curry, which quite frankly is also bomb. Huge hamburger patty, moist and flavorful served over rice with curry. Woot!!! I'm hungry just writing about it. read more

wow I never would have guessed this adorable spot existed had it not been for yelp it's right next to California fish grill which is one of my go-to spots when I visit the parentals in OC and i'd always pass by café hiro but assumed it was just a boba spot or some lame "Asian-fusion" roll place but a friend of mine mentioned that it was Japanese-Italian and I knew I had to come by one, the interior is absolutely adorable like a quaint little euro café I love how they painted the walls the checkered table cloth & details two, the food was quite tasty although I think they were a little heavy handed with the salt aside from the salt, my only qualm with this spot is that they need more servers because every time we needed something, it took awhile for us to even flag down a waitress and more time to get what we needed note: there is a $10 corkage fee if you BYOB we ordered: -scallop Carpaccio (light, fresh and delicious with the yuzu) -fried prawns (heavy & salty but good as a side appetizer with sake/beer -seabass with mushroom risotto (they overcooked the rice and the fish was a little overcooked as well, but not bad) -uni pasta (this was pretty good but very heavy in comparison to some other uni pasta dishes i've tried in the past) -bread pudding (a-ok) make sure you make reservations in advance. read more

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Very small and quaint cafe. Expect to wait if you come here during peak hours but we came on a weekday at 1pm, so no wait for us! They do close for lunch at 2:30pm. The restaurant has a French meet Asian vibe to it. The servers are sweet, quick, and attentive. A major plus! Foodwise, we got: Seabass w/ Mushroom Risotto 5/5 - I am NOT a fan of risotto so I was hesitant but I am down to try anything that Yelpers recommended. Def was not disappointed. The seabass was fluffy and cooked well. The mushroom risotto actually has a good taste to it and not just a bland gooey mess. Uni Spaghetti 5/5 - This is probably the third time I've had uni pasta this week at various different places. This place takes it home for me. I wish they put more uni, but then again, what place actually does?? You can taste the uni. The pasta itself is creamy, but NOT overwhelming. AND, the wasabi adds a nice kick to it. LOVE!! Crab Cake 1/5 - So I should've been smarter and not order anything that Yelpers doesn't rave about, but I couldn't help it since I was craving for crab cakes. These were probably the weirdest crab cakes I've ever had! The inside was too soft and mushy. It didn't even tasted like there was any crabs in it. Pass on this. Green Tea Blanc 5/5 - I didn't really know what to expect with this but I love anything with green tea so I decided to try it. Best. Decision. Ever. The green tea taste was strong, but not overpowering. The custard with beans just melts in your mouth. I could eat this FOREVERRR. Oh, I almost forgot! If you come during lunch, they also serve a salad and soup. The soup tasted like pumpkin. Pretty interesting and good. I love this place. I just think it can be a little pricey. But I would eat here over and over again. P.S. Parking is plenty since it is in the same plaza as California Fish Grill. Winning! read more

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

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This is my uni spaghetti place cuz I know no other place that serves uni spaghetti! Love that stuff!! I have to say the service at lunch time on my recent visit totally sucked!! Never once did our server come by to ask us how we were doing, and I had to wave her down to get a box and the bill! And it wasn't like she was busy with other customers, it was 25% full! They were busy taking care of their own crap (like setting tables) instead of attending to us! That was annoying; therefore, 1 star GONE! read more

Cafe Hiro - Uni/seaweed, YUUUUUM!!! - Italian Near Me - Cypress, California

This a cute little spot to have a pleasant dinner. I hadn't heard of an Italian-Japanese fusion restaurant until I came here. Personally, I prefer ordering a few dishes and sharing. Here's a few of my favorites to use as a guide: appetizers - tipsy manila clams - beef tataki - scallop carpaccio entrées - uni spaghetti - chicken cutlet curry - roasted Chilean sea bass with mushroom risotto Mmmmm, good food and friendly service, bravo Cafe Hiro! read more

I like this restaurant so much that I had my practice and post wedding dinner here. I think they have some of the best Japanese Italian food in Southern California. Get the curry (cooked down veggies not from mix), roe pasta and any of the meat dishes. read more

I'm not completely convinced but I'll hang the 4 stars subject to further review. On my first visit I can certainly see why the accolades. The free range chicken katsu was outstanding. The meat was fried to perfection, so tender and juicy and the breading was not greasy. The miso black cod was first rate, very flavorful and again cooked just right. We ordered the mushroom risotto for the boys and it was also quite good though they preferred my katsu chicken. However, there were a few disappointments. The curry which accompanied my awesome katsu chicken was off. While it looked and tasted like curry, it lacked depth. I was left wondering if it was the real thing. The calamari friti consisted of only rings. I prefer some tentacles. Also, some dipping sauce would have been preferred. The baked hama hama oyster was the biggest disappointment. Told it was their signature appetizer, I simply didn't get it at all. It appeared to me as simply . . . baked oysters. I know I know. I can't claim false advertising but I expected a lot more. There might have been some seasoning but it didn't seem to me any ingredients were added. It was also a little too chewy. Chewy and oyster don't go well together. The service started off good but became more frazzled as the dinner crowd milled in. I do give it lots of credit for its uniqueness. It's something one might find in some neighborhood restaurant in Frisco or Manhattan but unfortunately too few and far between in the Southland. read more

Yummilicious. We have not been here for years and I don't know why. It was as good as I remember. They had a sign saying help wanted and I know why. Those servers worked so hard I could not be upset for the slow service. They were doing the best they could with a smile. Most had not been there before so they were so impressed. Calamari. Scallop carpaccio. Salad. Pea soup. Some eyed the peas soup with suspicion but once they tasted, they were believers. Salmon risotto. Sea bass. Panna cotta. All were happy and looking forward to coming back. Absolutely positively make a reservation. read more

Small restaurant with great eats! I've been here a few times and had the Uni Spaghetti and the Chilean Sea Bass. Really good. This time, I tried the Rock Cod Ceviche from the appetizer specials board, and the Beef Curry over rice. Never had rock cod raw before - very fresh, served with red onions. The stew in the Beef Curry was very tender - basically shredded itself. The curry is flavorful. Wish there were more rice! Can't finish a meal here without a dessert! Had the Panna Cotta that was served in a martini glass with some kiwi, sliced strawberries and raspberries. Tasty! Highly recommended! read more

Cafe Hiro - Rock Cod Ceviche - Italian Near Me - Cypress, California

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Hello. My name is MiYeon... and I'm an uni addict. That's right. I love uni. Not just any uni -- but the fresh and savory type. That's what brought me here: their Uni spaghetti. I didn't know what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised by the kind staff, quaint decor, and delicious food. Such an artful blend of flavors from this fusion of Japanese, French, and Italian cuisine -- the unique characteristics of each culture so delicately blended in a symphony of flavors. What did I consume? Beef Tataki: tender and full of flavor. It's perfectly prepared and presented. "Kurobuta" Pork Loin Cutlet: What a great cut of pork, breaded and perfectly fried. Mushroom Risotto: Ordered it on the side. Yum yum. Uni Spaghetti: Definitely did not disappoint. Met up to the hype and was worth my visit to Hiro's. I believe that every restaurant should have something from the menu that will leave a lasting impression. From what I tried, their uni spaghetti is both unique and well executed. I am definitely coming back. read more

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The Asian fusion concept for all their dishes are so delicious! I was glad that I went with a big group for my first visit so I was able to try a lot of dishes. Everything was very fresh, flavorful, and juicy. Quality over quantity. Must try: Sea bass salad Scallop carpaccio Uni pasta Uni risotto Croissant bread pudding (dessert) Worth a try: Fried chicken Pork buns Pana cotta (dessert) Average: Seafood pasta Can't wait to come back and try more dishes! read more

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Scallop Risotto : Great!!!!! Uni Spaghetti : Good! Beef Tataki : Good It's not impressive but the price is good. Cream Croquette : Great! It's very creamy and it's very hard to make it at home! I'm Japanese and I like Japanese Fusion food. This restaurant is great taste, good price, and good service. I'd like to come back soon! Thank you for great food! read more

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Seriously wish one of these were in our neighborhood. I would be eating here all the time! The uni spaghetti is exactly that: uni spaghetti with thin slices of roasted seaweed. It's light and makes for a delicious lunch.. Comes with a green salad and an asparagus-type soup. The sesame dressing was delicious... I could eat it everyday! We also had the curry chicken katsu. It was a huge piece of chicken and the sauce was a bit too mild for my liking. As with most Japanese joints, the service was great. Prices are affordable. Nice place to meet a gf for some dinner and a nice glass of wine! read more

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Came here witih a friend of mine last week. The restaurant and very small and quaint. I was very excited to try the uni pasta since I loveeeeeeeeee everything UNI. On the Specials board there was a Spicy Caviar Pasta on the menu. We asked if the chef could make that dish and add uni to it as well and he said YES!! I didn't get to try the regular uni pasta but the Spicy Caviar Uni Pasta was delicious and the best dish we had there. It was flavorful and not fishy at all. Although the pasta wasn't spicy as it stated it did not disappoint. The rest of the items we ordered we very mediocre. Another popular dish they had was the Beef Tongue Stew. I love beef tongue and was surprised of how big the beef tongue was. I've never had beef tongue that was the size of a steak! The beef tongue was very tender and soft however the stew itself was a little bland. The hama hama oysters were another special item. It came with three large oysters that were just ok. With all the toppings I still felt it was on the bland side and the oysters weren't as fresh as I had hoped. We also ordered the beef tataki and creamy crab cakes. The creamy crab cakes were a popular item from yelp but I didn't feel like there was a lot of crab it. Mostly potato like a croquette. Dessert we had the panna cotta and the creme brulee. The panna cotta consistency was a lot more loose than it normally is. I make panna cottta myself and it was weird to see how runny it was. Its almond flavored which is different than the traditional vanilla. I didn't like the creme brulee and the sugar on top was overly burnt. I would not recommend it. All in all it didn't blow me away but if you come here I would definitely get the Spicy Caviar Pasta with Uni. read more

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Scallop Carpaccio with Curry oil and Yuzu vinaigrette - $8 - Giant scallop (sliced in half I believe) topped with daikon pickle topped with the oil and vinaigrette. I liked this appetizer especially since the curry oil screams Indian but the Yuzu gives it an acidic bite that evens it out. My personal opinion though- the flavors overpower the natural taste of the scallops and I think it wouldn't hurt to put a bit less of it on the plate Calamari - Unfortunately, many MANY places think their calamari is good but it's usually mushy, fishy, bland, chalky. Hiro's calamari - AWESOME. We ordered another one after the demolishing the first Crispy whole shrimp - $8 - 5 pieces of deep fried goodness This time I had the uni spaghetti with spinach. I like that it made the meal a bit heartier and the spinach was cooked perfectly. Osso Bucco - I'm not really crazy about red meat these days but this was so tender it was falling apart Once again, the salad fell short with withered pieces and also the strawberry on our Panna Cotta looked bruised/old/fuzzy.. waitress couldn't tell but it's definitely not a piece of fruit you should serve. What is with the theme of sub-par produce? C'mon Cafe Hiro; you're better than that! read more

Cafe Hiro - Spicy garlic, spinach and bacon spaghetti (yumm) - Italian Near Me - Cypress, California

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Yet another hit of BAD SERVICE. Not sure what has gotten to my luck recently, but horrible service seems to fill my visits to restaurants. Maybe I just have a big "I can wait" on my face? Not sure exactly... Anyways, my friends and I arrived around 6:40 to put down our name. I must add that, at the time we arrived, there was already 1 table of 4 open. We waited around 1hr to finally be seated, but what bugs me is, during this duration, no one came over to acknowledge our existence, or to check-up on the waiting list. Then finally, when we were told the table for 4 was ready, we were put at the table that had been empty the moment we walked in the restaurant an hour ago. WHAT?! We then sat down and ordered, and although our appetizers came out shortly after, the main courses did not arrive until yet another hour after. Again, during this wait, no one came over to check up and see how we were doing, or to provide status on the food. By the time our food came out, it was already 8:40 pm. Although the food was good, especially the uni pasta, I don't believe it's worthy enough for this horrible service. For future references, I will be taking this to-go instead of dealing with this fiasco. The beef tataki and pork buns were also really good, except the portions were surprisingly small. My boyfriend and I shared 3 appetizers and 1 main dish and weren't really all that full after. I do not recommend the Salmon Spring Roll AT ALL. The waitress did mention at the time this dish was ordered that it only had 2 per serving, in which we thought 2 ROLLS, but no, it was 2 HALVES. So basically its 1 egg roll sized portion for $6.00, and very lacking in the plum sauce taste. At last, the panna cotta dessert was AWFUL. It tasted like plastic. Overall, for the portion sizes, especially for the appetizer, the prices were a little steep. On top of poor service that caused an overall unsatisfactory dining experience, I am not sure if I will be coming back. These people need to get their act together. read more

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Tofu salad!! YUM! Their ahi tuna tartare was pretty good as well. The mango terrine I could live without. Overall, it is kind of pricey but the ambiance is awesome. read more

Boom! Uni uni uni is all I see- that stuff isn't alive anymore and I'm gonna eat uni for about $14! Aside from my horrible jingle, Cafe Hiro is cute and offers a very popular Asian twist to Italian dishes and some might say Italian-inspired. I stopped by for lunch yesterday and was greeted warmly by the workers. I was seated at the bar since I was dining alone. Although there is a lot of cute decorations, it should be noted that this place is small and during a rush this may be problematic for customers on a tight schedule. Lunch entrees come with soup and salad! A small amount but enough to get your stomach ready for the bigger, better stuff. I got the uni spaghetti with toasted seaweed and wasabi. The noodles were al denté and the uni sauce not as creamy as I expected it to be. Nevertheless, it was good and wasn't too salty for me. I wish there was more wasabi on mine, but I wanted to try the dish without changing anything. I'm going to have to swing by again to try other dishes that look yummy or maybe even sour (here's looking at you Ume Shiso Spaghetti). Yay for driving everywhere to work and eat! read more

Cafe Hiro - Uni pasta with wasabi - $15/lunch - Italian Near Me - Cypress, California

An adorable small "hole in the wall" cafe. Nice ambiance & decor~ Reasonable pricing for the quality of the food. The servers were very attentive. Our entrees came with a salad & their soup of the day. We had the following: 1) Beef Tataki - yummy cuz it came with slices of fried garlic & ponzu sauce 2) Chilean Sea Bass w/ Mushroom Risotto - the risotto was creamy & tasty but the sea bass lacked in flavor. 3) Uni Pasta - unique dish! our absolute fav! Overall we had a really good lunch and would visit again~ read more

If I'm craving for something innovative, flavorful, whimsical and definitely local I jump in my car and drive a mere 5-10 minutes and head down to this place and you can never go wrong. - Ahi tuna tartar: the perfect appetizer. Beautiful to look at and quite savory. - BBQ beef salad: soooo good! The portion is perfect. The greens are crisp. The short ribs are full of flavor and so juicy and the dressing is very subtle but works well with the meat. - Chicken curry: yummy!! The server will ask you how spicy you want your curry. I usually go for the medium/mild but if you want spicier: go for it. Their rice is so good too. Personally, I love my rice soft and they make the best rice for all the dishes, not just this one. - Walnut creme brulee: it's sooo tiny but quite good. I remember my sister and I ordered this for dessert and the server asked us "are you sure? It's pretty small." Being that we were full, we just wanted something sweet to finish off the meal but as soon as she put it down we both looked at it and started cracking up. She wasn't lying. We practically scooped a spoonful each and cleaned out the bowl in a second. This place is pretty small but intimate. It's great to bring a date or just catching up with an old friend. Some nights it can get busy so expect the possibility of waiting. read more

Cafe Hiro - Italian Near Me - Cypress, California

Never dined at a restaurant like this! I can't even express how in love I am with this place. My boyfriend took me here for a surprise dinner for our 18 month and I could not be ANY happier. I've seen this place pop up a couple times through yelp but never gave it any notice because the name never rang a bell so trying this place was such a nice and unexpected surprise. We had reservations for 8pm and arrived promptly. When we got to the plaza, the sign was not lit or anything so it was hard to spot, but I have no complaints! It was a small little place, true definition of ' hole in the wall. ' We were seated closely to some other tables, but requested to be seated at the bar immediately and the two waitresses were so nice. Décor is cute also! My bf planned to come to this place because I got all 4 of my wisdom teeth pulled out 3 days ago (cut and stitched!) so I've been cranky and starving on my soft foods diet! He looked at the menu ahead of time and told me he planned that we would both get the chillean sea bass over mushroom risotto (some of my faveeeess)! As we looked on yelp, everyone was talking about the uni pasta! So we decided to share a plate of uni pasta and the sea bass/mushroom risotto. NOTE: the sea urchin pasta is with mayo and a more potent taste of the sea urchin (uni), the second sea urchin pasta on their menu is with spinach and our waitress explained the sea urchin is more masked in this dish. If you are totally against sea urchin/uni, I would still really suggest you atleast give this a try because cooked/raw (sushi) uni is much different! Anyways, this place is absolutely amazing. Kind of like a Japanese/Italian fusion. Prices are unbeatable for the quality/experience/ingredients! They have all sorts of things here: spicy caviar, black cod, uni, clams, risottos. If I remember correctly, all dishes are less than $20! Seriously can't wait to come back when my teeth are all better. BEST PLACE IVE HAD IN A LONG TIME. Best of all, service is quick and the owner (Hiro) is so cute and humble! Sea Urchin Pasta & Chillean Sea Bass w/ mushroom risotto (all risottos include soup/salad) = $40. Dying to come back already! read more

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This is the second year that I have joined my friend to celebrate her sister's birthday at Cafe Hiro. For us, there are special meanings for the celebration and why we do it there every year. Environment: 5 Super homie and cute restaurant. It is a bit on the smaller side. So the restaurant/seats get filled up quickly. Food: 5 Food is so good. My friend usually orders family style and prepicked food. So we didn't have to choose for the most part. This European/Japanese fusion restaurant offers few amazing dessert! Unlike other boring dessert offered by typical Japanese restaurants Service: 5 They tried to be as attentive as they could. As the restaurant being filled up and at the busy time, it is hard to get their attention every minute Overall: 5 It has been very pleasant for me (and us, large party) each time I came here. I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone *PS - they open for lunch and close and open for dinner again. So check the time before you show up. Cheers read more

Cafe Hiro - Italian Near Me - Cypress, California

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Great food and service. All dishes were well flavoured. The ambiance is a bit cheesy. There are stones inside like a river and a painting of a stone tower. The staff were amazing. We had 4 dishes and everyone loved it. read more

In a sea of boring dining choices, Cafe Hiro really stands out. This was the 2nd time we had the Valentine's Day fixed price offering and both times it was fantastic! The restaurant is located in a small strip mall and is a bit cramped, but the food is the real star here. They offer a variety of choices and each one is unique and tasty. We had smoked salmon, steak tataki, menchi katsu, uni pasta, osso bucco, roast beef, and all were well paced and generous in size. We finished our meal off with their popular panna cotta and crème brûlée. Everything was carefully prepared and presented, but most importantly absolutely delicious! The service was very friendly and they patiently answered all of our questions about ingredients and food allergies. We thoroughly enjoyed our evening out and look forward to our next meal there! read more

I came here for a friend's birthday on a Friday night. With a party of 6, we made reservations two days prior. The ambience is very intimate and romantic. (We were the only large group there that night.) We ordered: For appetizers, we ordered the fried calamari and the beef tataki. The fried calamari was decent, nothing too amazing. The beef tataki on the other hand was 100% amazing. The beef slices were rare or medium rare which made it amazingly chewy. Top it with the components and the ponzu sauce, just omg. Uni Pasta - light angel hair pasta with uni and wasabi. I've never had uni before but I seriously loved this uni pasta dish. If you like seafood, you will enjoy this dish. "It tastes like the ocean." Pescatore - angel hair pasta with tomato sauce and tons of seafood. Mussel, squid, shrimp, scallops and clams. YUM!! Risotto with scallops and mushrooms - decent amount of scallops and light and flavorful tasting risotto which tasted great. A lot of restaurants overpower the risotto and it becomes overwhelming but not here! Spicy Garlic Spaghetti with spinach + bacon and a Risotto dish with duck. For dessert, we ordered the Panna Cotta and the Walnut Creme Brûlée. Omg, too damn good. Best Panna Cotta I've tried so far!! It comes in a martini looking glass and it tasted amazing with the raspberry/blackberry drizzle. mmm Service was a bit slow that night, took a while before we got our food but I think the quality of the food makes up for it. Decor is very cute. Random surfer paintings/art on the wall but whatever. There are pillows alongside the left wall for the bar-style seating which was cute and comfortable. Will definitely return for more uni pasta and panna cotta!! read more

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The boyfriend and I didn't have any plans for Valentine's Day this year, so on the day of at around 5:00pm I looked up restaurants on Yelp that had any menu related to Valentine's Day and found Cafe Hiro. I'm not much of an Asian fusion type of gal, but thought...never went here and it's in the area, let's see if they have a table. We called and they were able to fit us in at 6pm. The restaurant is small, but I love the atmosphere of small restaurants. It has a very homey feel to it. It's great for dates. Love how the food is fancy, but you can be casual. There was a 5 course prefix Valentine's Menu. Here's what we ordered Appetizer 1: tuna and scallop salad & beef tataki Appetizer 2: crab cakes & shitake spring rolls Pasta: penne w/spinach and bacon in cream sauce & penne w/eggplant in tomato sauce Entree: both ordered prime rib (2nd choice was cod dish) Dessert: walnut creme brulee & panna cotta We shared dishes and came to a conclusion that the winners of each category were: Appetizer 1: tuna & scallop salad Appetizer 2: shitake spring roles Pasta: undecided Entree: undecided (both ordered same dish) Dessert: panna cotta (there were also 3 more dishes to choose from) Everything was very delicious! The presentation was nice. The service was also great. I would definitely go back! read more

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Their carbonara with spinach and bacon, and the uni pasta is GOOOOOD. I'm a fan for creamy noodles and these are amazing! Service is great and the lunch deals come with free soup and salad! 4 stars only because it's pretty pricey read more

Italian/Japanese fusion at it's finest! I finally was able to go here a week back on a Thursday. I called ahead for a reservation but once I came the restaurant had a few open tables. They sat us down int he hallway area. I've heard the uni pasta is of legend here so we obviously ordered that along with the scallops carpaccio, raw beef dish, scallop risotto and the sea bass. The scallop dish came first and they were AMAZING. The thinly sliced scallop was sooooooo dam fresh and soft and just melted in my mouth. WOW... jsut wow. The raw beef dish was great and came with various garnishments. It was soft and also had that melt in your mouth taste. The uni pasta was a bit underwheling... maybe because i had great expectations but still good... i couldnt really taste the uni that was blended with the cream but still pretty good as a side dish. The scallop risotto was good but the scallops were a bit small than typically pictured (maybe it was a bad day). The seabass was perfectly cooked but it was suuuuuper small.. three bites and then gone... haha. one dock of star because of portion size (a bit harsh but no 4.5 stars haha) A great date place, bday celebration, family night out... whatever it is the service,decor, and food will be solid. Will be back! read more

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Really cute hole in the wall joint and serves awesome japanese italian fusion cuisine :) The first time I came here (pre-Yelp), we didn't know what to order and got the Pork Cutlet and the Bacon Carbonara pasta. We only thought the food was "alright" and didn't bother coming back since the prices were steep. Now, 8 years later, I decided to make another visit to try and am so glad I did! We got- * Spinach and Uni Spaghetti - RICH, delicious, and SO decadent. Mix it well to get the maximum flavor. YUM. * Roasted Chilean Sea Bass with Mushroom Risotto - The sea bass was really tender, and the risotto was a little plain at first. But alternating bites between the Uni spaghetti and the risotto actually brought out and enhanced the mushroom flavor! Great combination if you're sharing! * Green Tea Blanc Manger - This dish looks like green jello at first but dig and you'll find a very japanese dessert of green tea custard and red beans at the bottom. Very refreshing and has a deep matcha taste. * Panna Cotta - YUM. I love panna cotta so I'm partial to it. Also very refreshing and not too sweet. The salad and soup that comes with the meal are small portions but very tasty! This location is in an unassuming plaza where CA Fish Grill and Carl's Jr is. Parking can be kind of a bummer, but it's worth it. read more

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Rating: 3.8 This place is very tiny and cozy; seats are pretty close to each other. I ordered the albacore salad and fried calamari as appetizers. The fried calamari was a tad bit salty, so I tapped away the salt on top and ate it. Still pretty good. The albacore salad was pretty big in size--I shared it with my friend. It tasted pretty good--traditional Japanese salad dressing. For entree, I ordered the famous uni spaghetti. The price is reasonable because of the uni. The sauce is creamy but not overwhelming at all. It comes with a mild wasabi on top.I was adventurous enough to mix the whole thing into the spaghetti. It actually went pretty well with the spaghetti. It provided a more clean with a hint of wasabi at the end. BUT I wouldn't recommend mixing the whole thing in there-maybe half. As I kept eating the spaghetti, the wasabi taste crept up on me and all I can taste was wasabi near the end haha. The servers are nice but may not be so quick to serve you. Give them some time and have patience. Would definitely go again to try out other entrees. read more

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

*Chanting sounds from far away ...inching closer and closer" Uni, Uni, UNi, UNIIIII Spaghettiiiiii!!! *applause* Yup, .. The Uni Spaghetti here is Bomb-diggity. One must try the Uni Spaghetti, ..BUT if one has NEVER had Uni, or does not understand and appreciate the delicacy of the Sea Urchin .. then ..... shoo shooo.. cuuuuuzzzz... it's Bomb-Diggity. read more

Café hiro is fantastic- the food is innovative and yet done with style and care, the staff are nice and considerate, there's variety for the easily bored and all-time favourites for those that hate change. There's even great desserts to end the meal and fragrant Shangri-lai iced tea to start it! Located in a small plaza that probably usually survives off of the Cypress lunch crowd, I was let in on its deliciousness back in college. (We still like to joke to him it's the best and only thing boring Cypress has.) The lunch menu is very reasonable and includes salad and soup. The salad is always light and refreshing with a pureed dressing that hints of tangy lemon and possibly ginger? But oh my god, the soup. I'm not going to tell you whether or not I've actually licked my bowl clean, but I'm pretty sure I've never tried to clean off my bowl as well as I do when I drink the rich, creamy, dances on your tongue as it glides down your throat, soup at Café Hiro. They change it every day so some days may be asparagus, some days sweet potato. I just know it's always delicious. I think there's very few things on this menu I have not tried. The all time favourite is the creamy yet simple oral combustion of the uni pasta like everyone says although the pork risotto (the pork does not fall apart but it does embody really good flavor into the risotto) is good. The chicken is free range and the pork is kurobata (try the curry & pork katsu, yum!). All the other pastas have always been fantastic as well, probably because Chef Hiro oversees every sauce and plate exiting his kitchen. Appetizers are good too, although portions run a bit small. They usually have a specials menu out front or on the chalkboard above the counter. Try the specials. Heck, try 3 or 4, because they might be gone the next time you come, depending on the season of ingredients. The only one I wasn't impressed with was the fries (seasoned, but typical and a little soft), the Peking Duck (small, it tasted okay but I'm here to eat Japanese-Italian fusion, not Chinese), and crab cakes (a little dry and small). Baked oysters were good, the two variations of tuna and poke were fresh, and everything else, even the mushroom salad has failed to let me down, carnivore as I am. Desserts are great. I've tried them all but I keep coming back to the panna cotta with its fresh fruit and light creaminess. K's favourite is the pot au chocolat, which he would probably sit and eat 10 of if I'd let him. Portions are a bit small but perfect for when you've had a good satisfying meal and need that sweet but refreshing finish. Downsides? Portions are generally medium to small and the tables can be pretty tiny to match. They serve according to how fast you eat, which is nice. (Plus you'd never be able to fit everything on the table at once, anyways.) There's generally a wait at night and weekends can get nasty, with people milling outside, hoping their name on the waitlist gets called. They do special prix-fixe menus for special holidays so you can give them a call or drop by. I had their Christmas special once- fabulous deal with so many courses and flavours. I enjoy this place so much, its been my last place to eat before flying out of the country lately. Delish! read more

Cafe Hiro - Uni pasta perfection - Italian Near Me - Cypress, California

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During my last week in So Cal before I made my big move to Chicago, I had a goodbye lunch at Cafe Hiro with a good friend. We were seated right away but the place was pretty packed. I ordered the famous sea urchin "uni" spaghetti while my friend got the chicken cutlet. Before we got our food, the waiter served us a salad and soup. The soup was DELICIOUS. My, my, I tried really hard to not lick off every last drop of soup from the bowl. Maybe it was because I was hungry or maybe it was one of the best simplistic soup I've ever had. Shortly after, my uni spaghetti came out and I was super excited to try it. I have heard great reviews about it and after my first bite, I finally knew what people were raving about. It was definitely an acquired taste but I love seafood so I enjoyed the uni flavored. There was nothing wrong with this dish. I had a bite of my friend's chicken cutlet and I have to say, that dish was delicious, too! The cutlet was fried to perfection and their sauce was yummy. This place is a little pricey but service is great and the quality is perfect so I definitely don't mind forking up a few extra buck for this place. Ambience is a small casual restaurant, perfect for small parties. Parking lot is ample but it does share with other restaurants like California Fish Grill so it might get busy during peak hours. read more

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

Cafe Hiro is AMAZING. Everything on their menu is delicious & satisfying in the most delectable of ways!! You may think their portions are on the small side, but because they're so rich & flavorful you'll see that they were right to serve it that way. Uni spaghetti is my favorite dish here! read more

Cafe Hiro - uni spaghetti - absolutely divine. - Italian Near Me - Cypress, California

***STRAIGHT UP LEGIT JAPANESE FOOD BY CHEF HIRO SAN*** I'm not going to lie, Ive been curious about Cafe Hiro for quite sometime, this place is consistently packed on weeknights and weekends. I frequent California Fish Grill located a few doors down but was never willing try Cafe Hiro or maybe I just flat out lacked patience to deal with the crowds. Sadly it took sparking a conversation with my car serviceman at Century BMW in Alhambra who is a total foodie alike. We instantly starting talking food and animal parts as he proceeds to tell me a little spot in Cypress called Cafe HIro that has theeee best beef tongue stew!! Oh and wait it gets better uni spaghetti that is to die for, really? uni spaghetti? Forget the tongue I can have that anytime HAHA I mean on a skewer of course. Shit I had to try this uni spaghetti ASAP. Cafe Hiro is Asian fusion-Italian flare-ish? The Chef, waiters and waitresses are primarily all Asian as well as most of the clientele, hey--my kind of crowd! :p So why the Italian flare? Hmm, well refer to my photos as the interior looks like a mom and pops version of Olive Garden. Super cozy but confusing decor, red and white checkered table cloth, the walls make you feel like you're sitting against a backdrop of a Tuscany film! Nonetheless I came for the UNI! I started off with the Peking pork steam buns, its served on a bamboo plate with a very light hoisin sauce with just the right amount of spicy mustard, all flavors combined with the steam bun was an explosion in my mouth! Main Course: Uni Spaghetti and yes it lived up to my friends ranting and raving review as well as what everyone else had to say about it in the hundreds of reviews! The pasta was al dente, just the perfect amount of sauce and I swear I tasted a little bit of uni heaven in ever twirl of pasta on my fork! Nom nom nom nom and NOM. I think what sealed the deal for me was the wasabi and garnish of dried seaweed atop. Service is superb, really cool staff that is always friendly and so knowledgeable when it comes to the Chef's menu and his specials listed on a small chalk board. I highly recommend any of the Chef's specials to new comers, you can't go wrong. Trust me I've had just about all of them; Miso black cod, beef tongue stew, chicken katsu, uni x 5 and more. Each dish did not disappoint. I now frequent Cafe Hiro and yes as stated above I tried their beef tongue stew which was delicious. Their panna cotta dessert is also a favorite Located in a Cypress suburbia strip mall! This place is truly a hidden gem with very odd decor but nonetheless COZY. The tables are small, not the best for large group dining but perfect for a party of 2 or 4 ppl. They also have a few chairs at a small bar facing the kitchen, chef is always there watching over his staff and ensuring his food is served with LOVE. The bar tender is super friendly, stinking cute and she rocks skinny jeans and chucks! Why wouldn't you take a seat for 1 at the bar?? :p I am guilty of passing by this place time and time again, what a shame I've been missing out on some great tasting food in Orange County!! Lesson learned don't judge a restaurant by its exterior or the crowds. If you're looking for a tasty dish and weekly chef specials this is the place to try when in Cypress. Cafe Hiro definitely brings healthy competition to the surrounding restaurants such as Sweetie Thai, California Fish Grill and Sushi. Look out! read more

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If I could give this place 6 stars I would. Cafe Hiro is as good as it gets. I've never tasted such delicious entrees and appetizers and pastas. Uni Pasta [6/5] - By far the best thing I've ever tasted. I love how it didn't have too much cream in the sauce. It was the right amount of fishiness taste to it. So good! I highly recommend. Scallops Carpaccio [6/5] - Oh my god. There are no words to describe this appetizer. It just opened up my taste palettes by 100x. The daikon adds a hint of sourness that is complimented by the sweet scallop. I was in heaven with each bite. The sad part? It only comes with 6 pieces but they will be the best 6 pieces of scallop you'll ever eat. Pumpkin Soup [6/5] - I can't believe I'm reviewing their soups. It's not even on the menu... it just comes with the entrees. The creaminess of the soup will blow your minds. I'm not even kidding. It's pure deliciousness with every sip. It has the perfect amount of flavor. Duck Breast Riscotto [5/5] - sooo good! I usually don't get duck but this meat was so tender and juicy. Some pieces were chewier than I would like but it tasted sooo good. The riscotto plus sauce was a perfect blend. I savored every bite. Honestly, I felt like I haven't enjoyed good food until today. The staff tries their best to attend to you and refill your water every 10 minutes. Food arrived promptly and everything was melt-in-your-mouth-delicious. For a three course meal for 2 people, it was under $50. Everyone MUST try this place!!! I will most definitely be returning!!! read more

Cafe Hiro - Uni pasta on the left, duck breast in the right - Italian Near Me - Cypress, California

My wife and I just got back from a very pleasant meal at Hiro Cafe. The menu is very close to a lot of the "fusion" restaurant we enjoeyed when we lived in Japan. They really have an intersting take on mixing Japanese cuisine and in this case Italian. I see that a lot of people have rated this as a 5 star and the only reason I gave it 4 is because the service was a bit slow. Parking was a huge pain and the wine list was just OK. As to the food, I enjoyed one of the specials. It was the Sauted Pork loin over a sweet corn risotto. The corn was suprisingly fresh but not so sweet and I believ it was a mild ponzu sauce over the pork. It was a very pleasant meal but the flavors would be what I would cal SUBTLE...there was nothing that really grabbed me from the salad, to the soup and even the entree. I would not call the dishes plain because they did have a very nice flavor it was just that it was all very SUBTLE. All in all we enjoyed a very pleasant dining experience and will return to try some of the other dishes. read more

NOTE: If you come here during Valentine's Day for dinner or Christmas I believe they only offer fix course meals for a set a price. For these special occasions, make sure to have a reservation. It was my first time trying Cafe Hiro and I went during Valentine's Day for dinner around 8:30pm. It was a 4-course meal (2 appetizer, 1 Entree, & 1 Dessert). The set meal costs 39$ each. There are two options to choose from each section. Everything form the appetizer to the desserts amazed me, the only biggest disappointment for me were the main entrees. (The salmon was good but not great, it lacked some sort of substance, while the Pork entree was plain looking albeit better than the salmon entree) The feel and look of the interior is romantic and warm. Although when you look from it from the outside it looks like a typical plain fast-food restaurant. Would I recommend coming here for a Valentines dinner date? Yes I would! I have seen other yelpers here post photos of their other food and it looks delicious so I will definitely be coming back! read more

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This is a cute hole in the wall place located in a strip mall, near the california fish grill. I don't think I would of ever known this place was here if I didn't see it on yelp first. The food tastes great here I got the Kurobuta pork entree and my friend got the uni pasta and we shared. it was so good! Maybe one of my favorite places for uni pasta actually. seasoned and cooked perfectly. The downside was that the food took a really long time to come out and we were super hungry, but the customer service was great. It's def. on the pricier side fir everything, but it's totally worth it. The pork just sorta melted in my mouth. Parking is super easy too since it's in a plaza. read more

Cafe Hiro - The amazing Kurobuta - Italian Near Me - Cypress, California