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

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

This was an experience where my wife and I caught each other in a big lie. What wasn't a lie is that I really was looking forward to it. I was excited to try it and when we walked in I thought it was the perfect, quaint experience that tries to make you feel like you are in Italy and where everyone is warm and friendly. I think this was a place where we both wanted to love it so much that we lied about it. We tried each other's food and nodded in complete acceptance. It wasn't until we were driving home that we both admitted we didn't like our own dishes nor the other's. It was sort of a funny realization, actually. We started with the Steamed Shao-Mai, which were actually really good. We had similar ones in China and I thought these were almost spot on. I ordered the Seared Crusted Ahi but I thought it was just lacking pizzaz. The bok choy and eggplant helped a bit but it just didn't really do it for me. On top of that, my rice was served cold, meaning colder than lukewarm. My wife had the eggplant and mushroom spaghetti but it was basically like eating noodles with random veggies/funghi. For dessert, I couldn't resist trying the banana mille-feuille, and this was because I've never had it before. It's sort of a custardly with banana chunks in it and I thought it may have been one of the best desserts I've ever ordered from a restaurant. I loved that it was balanced nicely but also that it wasn't sweet. I was almost ready to order a second round. As you could tell, the appetizer and dessert were great but the entrees really let us down. Perhaps, it was what we ordered but that's what we wanted. I went through other reviews but none of the suggested entrees really were doing it for me. So with a bit of guilt, I have to give this place 3 stars although I hope to give it another chance and maybe a reason to get it on par with everyone else. Or maybe i'll just skip right to dessert! ;) read more

This is a very cute restaurant! I love love love their uni spaghetti. I like eating vegetables with my food, so I go back and forth on ordering it with spinach. I also like eating soft noodles so I always ask them to cook the noodles longer than leaving it al dente. Service is always good! read more

Went here last night with my best friend for a celebration dinner, and I absolutely adore this place! The atmosphere is a dim light, rustic France inspired decor with Japanese/Italian-influenced fusion food. I had the all so famous Uni Spinach Pasta, I can see why people rave about this dish; it was cooked perfectly. Buttery, spinach was perfectly cooked, pasta was al dente, and the uni was sweet and melt-in-your-mouth out of this world good! My best friend had their Pork Loin with Risotto special. The pork was tender and juicy, the risotto was filled with flavor. My taste buds were going nuts. As for desert, we had the Panna Cotta with fresh berries; so light and sweet perfect to end a spectacular dinner! We both wanted to lick the plate and was about to get a second one cause it was so affordable. Cafe Hiro is a great place to take someone on a first date, birthday, anniversary, any occasion. It has a quite, romantic atmosphere and very friendly service. read more

Cafe Hiro - Appetizer: Peking pork Entrée: Sea urchin & spinach Desert: Panna Cotta with fresh berries. - Italian Near Me - Cypress, California

Love their sea bass risotto and sea urchin risotto!!! Homemade soup is delicious too! I come here once a month! read more

See all

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

See all

I've only come here to snack and the 2 things we ordered were AMAZING! we got Beef Tataki which came with a ponzu sauce and fried garlic pieces.. put them all together and you get = A burst of yumminess in your mouth haha!! We also got the peeking pork, which comes with warm buns and hoisin sauce, seriously try it all together with the greens too and it is like a mini sandwich, but with a whole lot of flavor! Course we got hot sake and cold beer! My favorite! :) I will be going back to try the other dishes in hopes that they are just as good, but i dont know if they can top those 2! read more

Came here cause a friend recommended it, but since I'm not a big fan of Uni...I didn't get the Uni Spaghetti, which everyone and their moms go crazy about. Instead I ordered the Tender Pork Loin Breaded w/ rice and veggies, it was pretty good... but it seemed like I can get it somewhere else, like a korean "donkatsu" restaurant. I would come here again, but not ALL the time. Next time, I try that uni spaghetti cause someone told me you can't really taste the uni (tooo much) either that or something else. But, this place is very cozy and cute. read more

I roamed to streets of cypress looking to try something new.. and what did I find? This little gem tucked inside a dark plaza. I was initially confused on the cuisine, but ultimately decided its a fusion of Italian & Japanese, my favorites! I ordered the roasted duck w/ mushroom Risotto. The duck was cooked perfectly swimming in a rich reduction. My dish came with soup & salad which were quite tasty. Prices are slightly high, but the food did not disappoint. It's a great atmosphere, nothing fancy, but definitely not dingy. My fellow foodie ordered the curry and was beyond pleased with the size of the portion, it looked like it had its own zip code! read more

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

Wow this place really exceeds my expectations. From the outside, it looks like another Japanese restaurant serving fast but mediocre food for a low to average price range. Boy was I wrong! Well, only about the "mediocre" food part. Reasonable prices, fast service, and AMAZING foods! The place is a bit small, so lunch time gets a little cramped. You may have to wait about 15 minutes, but worth it compare to the surrounding picks. The entrees come with a side of soup. I had the green pea soup : delish! My friend and I shared the bbq beef salad and the famous uni spaghetti. I LOVE MY BBQ BEEF SALAD!!! I cannot stress how yummy it was. The beef was perfectly marinated. Tender, sweet, savory, and no where near dry. The seasoning perfectly complemented the leafy greens and beef. The uni was very unique, different. I liked it; but I thought people were giving it too much credit. The flavor was definitely savory, and they gave plenty of spaghetti, However, I liked the bbq beef salad better. read more

This place is inside the same plaza as California Fish & Grill ...and I can't believe I never tried it before. Its like a Japanese Fusion place ( food serves in small portions ). Well first thing I did was I went on Yelp to check for recommendations and .... I ended up trying their Uni Spaghetti. I have to say that I was pretty disappointed. Their carrot soup was pretty yummy and a very evenly dispersed flavoring.Their Japanese Soju was pretty good but the plum wine was way too condensed (like syrup). Probably 5 pieces of ice or more should be added to the plum wine. but i like this place. The ambiance is really enjoyable and you can be casual but eating very yummy fusion food. They have daily specials that are posted on blackboards on the walls and infront of the restaurant. Next time when I am at Cafe Hiro i am definitely trying their Ahi Tuna Poke. read more

See all

Asian Italian fusion at its best - especially in the OC area. The thing about Asian Fusion is that it's usually a euphemism for watered down Asian food. How can you blame the term for being so popular though? It sounds great! Cafe Hiro's food doesn't water down essences - it takes the best of both and leaves the rest. While it has 'pure' dishes of its influences like Carbonara and Kurobuta Pork Cutlet, the must-try here is the Uni Spaghetti. The subtle urchin flavor complements the texture of their pasta to a 't.' In regards to the dessert, you've gotta try their Croissant Bread Pudding. Following the spaghetti's lead, the sweetness isn't overpowering - it's just the right note to end a fulfilling meal. read more

See all

For me,appetizer and dessert is really good...but price a little bit pricey. I really enjoy their food,but the main dished is not that good. good appetizer: Fried calamari,salmon egg roll,seabass eggroll.almost all the appetizer is good. dessert: banana creep with walnut(sorry,i forgot the name),cream brulee and pannacotta is the best. Service is good..friendly waitress. read more

Cafe Hiro - This is my favorite dessert,so far :) - Italian Near Me - Cypress, California

See all

My friends and I came to Cafe Hiro to have dinner and we ordered a ton of food including a pitcher of beer, the scallop appetizer, calamari, bacon asparagus pasta, uni pasta, and the seabass risotto. Some of the items were a little bit salty but everything was generally good.. Just nothing to get extremely excited over. I think people mostly come here for the uni pasta.. I'm not really a fan of uni and I don't understand the craze over it, but it was creamy and a new dish for me to try. The space is pretty small and the table for 4 that we were sitting at was kind of cramped. We had to continually rearrange our plates to make everything fit on the table. read more

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

Update: 6/11/08 11:35am I came here today for lunch with a client and told myself to be fair and try something new because it's not fair to judge a restaurant by a single dish. While looking over the menu, I decided to order the same unimpressive dish as last time because really, nothing else looked attractive. Surprise Surprise. The same unimpressive dish had magically become impressive. Very flavourful and extremely enjoyable in texture. The chicken was very moist and tender on the inside with an pleasant coating. It was breaded and fried to a bit past brown and it was amazing. The once bland curry matured into a strong sauce with a deep brown colour and complex taste. Moving up from 2 stars to 3. I would give it a higher ranking except that the prices are still (in my opinion) not worth the portions. The serving sizes are generous so don't get me wrong, but $12 for chicken cutlet curry? That's a bit much. Original Review: 5/1/08 The problem with hype is that you get blue balled more often than you get satisfaction. This was exactly the case when I finally decided to try Cafe Hiro. Don't get me wrong. It didn't taste bad or anything. Nothing I tried was bad per se. The problem with the food here is that it just didn't taste....neither good nor bad. I swore that I was chewing on something but what it was, I was at a loss. Chicken cutlet curry - Hot. Clean and light curry sauce with generous portion of chicken. Pleasantly crisp outer crumb coating and extremely moist cuts of chicken. Rice was fluffy, hot, and freshly steamed. To the eye, everything was great, but to the mouth, everything was a mystery. Salad and Yam soup are fine. Could do with more salad than the soup but it wasn't anything I can feel malignant about. I doubt that I'll be returning and I'm at confused as to why this place is so great. Perhaps if I feel adventurous, I'll return and try another dish, perhaps the pasta, but as far as Japanese places go for a quick lunch, if the chicken cutlet curry isn't good, then I'm going to have to say no to the menu. You never know. I may come again but definitely not any time soon. read more

Cafe Hiro - Chicken Katsu Curry - Italian Near Me - Cypress, California

*****TRAGIC UPDATE*********** Came here a couple days ago, and I don't know if the chefs were just having an off night or what, but the quality of the food has TANKED. I had come back because I remembered the Osso Bucco as (quoting myself here): "A delicate lump of meat that, despite looking like it needs a steak knife to serve, needs only a bit of prodding from your fork to fall apart into tender little strips. Half the experience is savoring the amazing texture in your mouth, and of course, the flavors dance on your tongue beautifully." Unfortunately, the Osso Bucco was tough. And by tough, I don't mean accidentally misheated. By tough, I mean that it might as well have been sirloin steak - I had to literally saw, saw, saw away at the thing with my knife with some force to break it apart, and the meat itself was oversalted. Even the center of the meat piece was hideously chewy and bordering on tough. The canned beef stew I used to microwave in my college days was seriously more tender than this. I'm so sad that my beloved Osso Bucco from Cafe Hiro has been reduced to rivaling a can of Dinty Moore. Except it costs more than half a tank of gas. Christ. And the Chilean sea bass? I prepare Chilean sea bass at home every once in a while, and the key is to just cook it the right amount of time - it's such a flavorful fish as it is that it hardly needs any fancy preparation at all. The only thing you can really do to screw it up is to dress up it with too many fixings or overcook it and rob it of all its tender, flavorful buttery-ness. Which is exactly what happened here. Like the Osso Bucco, my sea bass was obviously mishandled in terms of cooking time and I tasted the crust more than I did the actual fish. What a tragedy that such a delicious piece of fish had been robbed of all its flavor. If I had wanted fish n chips, I'd have gone to a fish n chips place and paid a quarter of the price. As if that wasn't ridiculous enough, the risotto was undercooked, so when I had both fish and risotto in the same bite, it led to a strange amalgamation of textures and flavors in my mouth, none of which felt or tasted like they belonged (and I know this because I remember when they prepared sea bass that tasted five times better than it did now. Really! Look at the photos page, I have some of the oldest pics of this place from years ago). The sauteed mushroom salad was the only dish that was executed well. Unfortunately, that didn't come close to saving our meal. As much as I'm reluctant to do it, I'm reducing my rating to one star, seeing as how I just paid 60 bucks after tax and a decent tip (the food quality isn't the waiter's fault, after all) for essentially canned beef stew, an overcooked fish sitting on undercooked risotto, and a salad. My fond memories of this place almost kept me from doing giving it one star, but my objectivity can't let this go. Maybe I should give the place the benefit of the doubt and hope to god that they either had a new cook in training, were using a broken kitchen timer, or some other good reason (since until now I've never had a disappointing meal here), but...I was left very unhappy. ARRRGH!!! SO SO disappointed. I've never been so colossally let down by a place I used to love read more

Absolutely love the food and service at Cafe Hiro! Authentic, Japanese cooking with superb, sophisticated flavors, and desserts that are simply divine! I wish we lived closer, but we're moving further so it will be our weekend outing spot! Thank you for always having top quality, service and tasty plates - you never disappoint! read more

See all

Came here for dinner under the recommendation of several friends. Ordered the following: - Seared Albacore Tuna Salad, it was good. - Sauteed Shrimps with Sea Urchin "Risotto", this was very good and tasty. I wish there was more uni though. I choose this dish because I prefer saucy and moist food. I will have to check out the famous uni spaghetti next time. - Wild Mushroom Curry, this was not as good as I expected. The curry has a sour tasty which I do not like. Would not order this dish again. - Panna Cotta, very creamy and tasty dessert. Service was very good, attentive and friendly. read more

Wow. One of a kind food. Came here for date night and we got the omakase set with scallop carpaccio, mushroom salad, uni pasta, scallop risotto, and croissant bread pudding. Everything tasted amazing! The flavors just blended together in harmony without overpowering the natural flavors of the ingredients. The dessert was perfectly sweet. The uni pasta was the star of the show for me. It is a must have! Service was flawless. We never once had to ask for anything. As soon as we were out of water or done with the plate, a server came to grab it or give us water. We NEVER had to flag down a waiter. By far the smoothest dining experience I've had. read more

I ordered fried tofu and sea bass risotto. Fried tofu was soaked with miso sauce, it was light and yummy! n i LOVEEEEEEEED sea bass risotto. The fish was crispy on the top and soft inside. It went well with the risotto. The server is attentive too. Its a good place to eat and chill after work. Its a small restaurant but with its unique decoration. When i went in at 6 ish, there were only2 tables. But when i left, it was FULL!!!! read more

Cafe Hiro - Fried tofu - Italian Near Me - Cypress, California

See all

Cute little restaurant! It was my first time here and I was seated as soon as I walked in (Wednesday 6:30ish). My friends and I ordered the mushroom risotto ($15), scallop carpaccio ($10), and spicy garlic, bacon, spinach pasta ($17). It is on the pricier side so I had high hopes. It took some time for our dishes to come out but luckily I wasn't extremely hungry. The service is REALLY good. All the waitresses kept smiling and checked up on us many times to refill our waters. The scallop carpaccio (most popular appetizer) came first and it looked very jelly-ish. I took a bite and I was a bit surprised because it was raw (I assumed it would be cooked). I don't eat raw things so I was hoping the waitress who suggested this appetizer, had told us it was raw. Anyways, my friends loved it and said it was very flavorful. The risotto and pasta came as they finished the appetizer. The pasta comes with a focaccia which was sooo good! I don't like mushroom but this mushroom risotto was very tasty. It comes with A LOT of mushrooms, so I definitely recommend if you like mushrooms! The spicy garlic, spinach, and bacon pasta was also bomb! I wish the noodles would've been cooked a bit longer though. Compared to the price, the portion was very small. We were all still hungry after our meal and was thinking about having a second dinner haha Overall, I'd say the food was good but this probably wouldn't be a place I would come to often. read more

Cafe Hiro - Mushroom risotto & spicy garlic, spinach, mushroom pasta - Italian Near Me - Cypress, California

I love Cafe Hiro. My husband and I brought my mom here for her birthday. I've been here several times before, and each experience was wonderful! I love that it's a cozy restaurant with great food. None of that pompous ambience, although sometimes it's nice. ;) Although ordering seemed to take awhile, it was a little busy, and there were only two waitresses, and having been a waitress before, I understand. :) After ordering, the food came in a timely manner, and everything was scrumptious! From the salad, soup, entrees, and desserts- everything was delicious! My mom even got a free dessert for her birthday! The waitresses were nice, and the chef's skills were great, as usual. The food presentation was nice too! It was still pretty busy for a weekday, but then again, why wouldn't it be? ;) I really enjoyed our meal and was a happy camper bc my tummy was happy! :) My only gripe about this place is the sticky tables... ;P food is great though!! read more

See all

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

Having now been to Cafe Hiro four times, I think I have a good sense of what this restaurant is trying to be. It's Japanese-Italian/French fusion. If you order more French/Italian-styled dishes, chances are you will get something very cream-laden. If you order off the Japanese side, you will get run of the mill Japanese food. We started with the Creamy Crab Cake with Tomato Sauce. The "crab cake" was very much like a creamy Japanese croquette. Although it was tasty, the crab was indistinguishable in taste or appearance. The best I can tell, it was cream and potato, breaded in panko crumbs and deep fried. The tomato sauce was also incredibly mild and I wished it added a tartness and brightness to the dish. He ordered Osso Bucco to be served with rice. The Osso Bucco was extremely well done today. The sauce was flavorful but not overly rich. It came served with a medley of vegetables. The only weird thing was that it was not a shank but it looked like a short rib instead. I ordered the Spicy Caviar pasta, which is spaghetti, spicy mentaiko, and nori strips. I loved this. It was not overly fishy like the uni pastas can be and the heat from the mentaiko was perfect. Just be aware it's a cream-based pasta. All the desserts are also very cream-based. Tonight's special was banana mille feuille which they described as banana custard with pie crust (hmmmm), green tea blanc manger (cream), panna cotta (cream), walnut creme brule...I think you get the picture. Cafe Hiro is still one of my favorite restaurants in the Cerritos/Cypress area but it can be a bit heavy at times with its penchant for rich foods. read more

I wish Cafe Hiro's prices matched their ambiance. It is either hit or miss. There dishes that are priced less than $12 seem to not taste as great compared to the dishes that are over $12. My friend and I ordered the Oso Buco and Chilean Sea Bass. Both awesome dishes but it felt weird to pay bucco bucks where the seating wasn't comfy or the ambiance didn't feel just right. This type of place would fit perfectly in LA, especially in Melrose where people are used to paying high prices for odd or crappy ambiances. We in are in OC, we kinda of expect the food to match the ambiance. Sorry if I sound bitter but I kinda am. read more

See all

Came here with my family for dinner this pasty weekend. My brother and his GF love this place and were convinced my parents and I would love it too. He was right. The food - 4 stars. I know seems a little high, but everyone was happy with their dishes. Roasted Black Cod w/ Miso dressing - This dish is sooo good. I'm totally in love with the Black Cod. Personally I think black Cod/ Sable Fish is a better fish than Chillean Sea Bass... but that's just my opinion. The fish was delicious. Cooked perfectly. the miso broth was also delicious. My dad & I both ordered this dish and we were both so happy. Like roll your eyes back happy. Steamed Black Cod - Just okay. My brother's GF ordered this and she liked it, but it's wasn't like my roasted Black Cod. Roasted Chilean Sea Bass w/ asparagus - really good solid dish. Again doesnt beat my Roasted Black Cod, but my mom ordered this dish and she was very happy. Osso Bucco - After al lthe fish ordered, my brother decided to be the odd man out and try to Osso Bucco. It was good. Really good. However, me not being a huge fan of ultra rich, unctuous meat to begin with, I thought it was heavy. H e liked it. Everyone who tried it like it. Solid. Banana Napoleon - For dessert, the whole table shared a Banana Napoleon. It was good, but I would probably give it a 3 star. The staff was so super friendly and accommodating. It was my birthday so my family brought an outside cake for me. The staff had brought it out and lit the candles for us while my family sang. They stored the cake in their fridge and provided extra plates and forks for us. Really nice of them considering it wasn't their dessert. they never rushed us through the evening and we were there for a very long time. 5 stars! Overall great experience. Thanks Cafe Hero! We'll be seeing you again soon! read more

I wanted to like this place I really did especially after reading all of the reviews in favor of this joint... But it just fell short for me. The restaurant itself is a small restaurant with maybe 10-15 tables. When we got there it was empty except one other table. They asked if we had reservations which we did not so they stuck us in the back of the restaurant. We ordered the calamari which is lightly breaded and fried to perfection then tossed with Parmesan is quite good. It came by itself and didn't need any dipping sauce just a little squeeze of lemon to perfect this appetizer, probably the best thing I had that night. Uni pasta($16) was ehhh, once you've had EMC Uni pasta then the bar is set fairly high. This place, barely had any Uni in the pasta and the pasta itself tastes kinda watered down. The creaminess of the Uni pasta Im used to was missing. Uni and sautéed spinach pasta($17) was just a complete bust. The flavor was lacking. The pasta was even more bland than the Uni pasta, But the noodles were al dente so I guess that's a plus. Peking pork was good but I think after the reviews, I was expecting something else. The pork actually tastes like my mother's pork dish. Sautéed Chicken dish ($16) with veggies and rice was all kinds of wrong. It still had the skin on it which made it very gooey and fatty def isn't worth the price. For dessert we had the panna cotta with berries. And walnut creme brûlée. The berries were fresh and good but the panna cotta part tasted like pudding you get out of a cup. Creme brûlée was wrong also. It was watery and had a weird consistency almost mushy in texture. The sugar torched on top was so thick and hard it wasn't a dessert that I would ever get again. On the positive side, The customer service is quite good. Waitresses are very friendly and attentive, but that isn't enough to make me come back. read more

My wife and I just discovered this gem! So sorry in should have come in amd see menú earlier. Good is awesome. Chef prepare dishes with so much class, taste, care and presentation. Osso bucco,steamed Shao-mai, sea urchin, steak just to name a few.. all prepared with great passion. We been coming now like 4 times in 6 weeks! We are trying all dishes few at the time! Ah! Service is great and totally recommend you take your love one and surprise them with dinner, wine and dessert! See you soon! read more

UNI PASTA UNI PASTA UNI PASTA!!!!! what more can i say.. that totally pulled me into this place! OF course there's LOTS of other great dishes here as well. Its just surprising to find such a little gem in the middle of this oc/la area. Theres usually just chain restaurants and nothing of any great quality around here, but CAFE HIRO is definitely unique and amazing. I've been here a few times and tried a few of their dishes. here are some signature dishes you should try~ Beef tartare: they have some fantastic condiments that go with their beef which is a great texture and quality cut. sea bass risotto: risotto is cooked perfectly and the sea bass is fresh and flakes off. scallop risotto: scallops are cooked to perfection and huge! risotto is delicious miso cod: the cod is fresh and the sauce is amazing they also add some fresh cooked veggies to it for some balance uni pasta: superb! its the best thing they offer there. They add a dab of wasabi to it to give it a kick and more dimension in the flavors and the uni is fresh and creamy. It goes soo well with the pasta! they have some great desserts there too, but the main focus of the place is their entrees i think. Chef Hiro is always there to make sure the dishes are prepared correctly. And the staff is very friendly. this is a must try if you are ever in the cypress area~ recap: 1) Risotto dishes are great 2) beef tartare 3) UNI SPAGHETTI! read more

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

Sunday Night 7pm I've been wanting to try this place for YEARS, but I never had a chance to make it out until now since I was actually in the area. Considering it was a Sunday night, I wasn't expecting it to be to busy. However, I'm so glad my friend got there exactly at 7 to put our names down as a bunch of people lined up afterwards. When I arrived a little pass 7 we were immediately seated. If we had more people I definitely would've ordered more but as it was us two and we weren't too hungry, we just ordered 2 entrees and saved room for dessert! I got the Uni Spaghetti http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/bZjpwcPaxifh2Dc5rDw_1g?select=eS1QI6_pLPazEcYbsd72XA#eS1QI6_pLPazEcYbsd72XA It was as goooood, but it could've easily been better. I'll first have to admit that I never had cooked Uni before, but with raw Uni, the fresher it is the less "fishy" it is. Fresh Uni should be creamy and sweet. The spaghetti was cooked perfectly, the flavors were pretty good. The only problem was there was a bit of a fishy taste to it. I'm guessing that it's because it was Sunday and the Uni they had was a few days old. I will be trying it again, though I do want to try the other food as well. I just wish Cafe Hiro wasn't so far away from me :( My friend on the other hand got the Chicken curry. I tried a spoonful of the curry and rice and thought it wasn't anything too special. After that we still had some room so we tried the Panna Cotta. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/bZjpwcPaxifh2Dc5rDw_1g?select=eS1QI6_pLPazEcYbsd72XA#RhHix52HB9svS7kClx8D6g Very tasty as well, though I think I tasted a bit of almond to it. Wish it had a bit more consistency to it. Though I would've licked it clean if I were by myself. Overall, great food, great service and I wish this place were closer! Will be back! Might even make the drive! read more

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

See all

Tiny restaurant located in a strip mall with several other restaurants. This restaurant is a diamond in the rough with phenomenal Japanese fusion dishes with a mix of Japanese, French and Italian techniques. Been there several times and thought it was time to post a review. I have not had a dish that wasn't deeeeelicious. If you are dining with a group I would definitely recommend the Omakase course where you choose a couple of dishes and the a couple are "chef's choice." One of my favorites is the uni risotto. For dessert their bread pudding in the creme carmel sauce is one of the best I've had. Definitely will keep this in my rotation of local restaurants. read more

Cafe Hiro - Italian Near Me - Cypress, California

See all

Im a huge fan of Japanese and Italian cuisine and when I heard about this place, it was a must go for me. I did not expect this place to be so small so I am kind of curious how they accommodate big parties. Anyways, when I went on a Sunday night around 8:30pm it was still packed. My friend and I had to wait only 5 minutes which wasn't a big deal at all. We ended up getting the sautéed shrimp with sea urchin risotto and sautéed spinach and bacon spaghetti with chicken. I never had a uni risotto so that was completely new to me. Honestly, I prefer uni pasta instead but it was definitely worth trying. For sure next time, im going to try their uni pasta, some appetizers, and a dessert!! read more

See all

I've been wondering when I'd find a good Japanese-Italian restaurant... and here it is! The interior of the restaurant is very artsy, with artwork hung around the walls and intimate touches here and there. On each table, there is a decorative little vase/cup with real, fresh flowers. It's a fairly small place, and it tends to be always very busy. Make a reservation ahead of time! Also, the kitchen is semi open layout, where you can kind of see what the chefs are doing in the back. We noticed that the main chef always stood in between the kitchen and dining area, as if to monitor (presumably) his kitchen and his staff. Food: For appetizer, we chose the Beef Tataki. My gosh, I wanted more of it! It was a combination of very rare beef slices with chopped green onion, grated daikon, and a citrus sauce. There was also some kind of crunch, but I don't remember from what. But man the flavors meshed so well together. For the main course, I had the Uni and spinach spaghetti. At first I thought I was disappointed because it tasted pretty bland. Well, turns out all the flavor pooled at the bottom of the plate (I was too busy taking photos, so it sat there too long). If only I had known I would have mixed it better. The flavors were amazing though. Not too heavy, not too bland. The uni flavors coated the spaghetti and the spinach added some crunch and lightness to balance the seafood-iness. This is why I like the Japanese's take on Italian food! We also had the Carbonara with mushrooms. It was a mix of at least oyster mushrooms and shimeji mushrooms. There might have been more, but they blended into the white colored sauce. The bacon used was of a thicker cut, its flavor a bit smoked and salted. The sauce flavor was very creamy and a bit heavy, but the mushrooms helped balance it out. As for dessert, we got the Green tea blanc manger. It was a very Japanese dessert, with sweet red beans on the bottom. The green tea and red bean combination is one of those things that are always in harmony with one another. My only slight complaint was that it was too sweet. I'll be back to try the rest of the menu! read more

Very disappointed after taking my friend here for his birthday. We got the osso bucco and we sent it back. I never send back dishes in a restaurant. read more

Pretty much everything I've had here is delicious, but whenever I haven't been here in awhile I can't pass up the uni pasta! Even though we did takeout since it's still a pandemic, the food was still amazing. I thought the complimentary dessert would have been just for dine in customers, but we were pleasantly surprised with 2 scrumptious desserts. Sometimes the wait can be a little long, but it's totally worth it. Support your local businesses! read more

Great food from a great Japanese chef! Loveeee their uni spaghetti and the bread pudding. read more

See all