Small local restaurant! There will probably be a wait but food is always tasty so it is worth it. The uni pasta is unique and delicious. It is a MUST TRY!! read more

Jinbei - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

Very difficult to find authentic Japanese food nowadays. I got the lunch special with the katsu and assorted sashimi and it was quite tasty. Service is quite lively; my mother, brother and I were served by a very nice lady who seemed pretty enthusiastic about working here. Coming from someone who serves at a ramen restaurant, I love the way they communicate to each other and how it makes me feel jealous that I don't have this at my own workplace. 100% recommend for people who want something a bit on the lighter side. read more

Jinbei - finished everything :) - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

I can't believe how come they represent Japanese sushi. Today's sushi was awful. I'm Japanese and I had their sushi at least ever 2 weeks. However, theIr service and food are NOT great as they used to. Their rice for sushi was terrible. Too hard like a sushi slept in refrigerator over night. I checked with the sever what happened, and their answer was "this is a traditional EDOMAE SUSHI (Traditional Japannese Sushi). No way!!!!!! They don't know the traditional sushi... or they don't accept the complain. I double checked with the sever that if this is a really Traditional Sushi?? Of course, their answer is NOT. They apologized that their condition is not different DAILY.... Oh no..... then, how come they charge the dinner at full price??? I wish they have a better service and food as before. read more

This is favorite Japanese restaurant in Irvine! The staff offers amazing service and the fish is so so fresh! Wonderful ambiance and I keep coming back! Thank you for your commitment to food and service! read more

First time back after a couple months to discover that the restaurant has changed ownership. This used to be our go-to sushi spot and my son's favorite restaurant overall, but the quality and portion sizes (at least for sushi rolls) are no longer aligned with the prices being charged. My wife immediately noticed that none of the regular sushi chefs were behind the counter, which proved to be the canary in the coal mine. Noodle dishes and appetizers appear to have retained their character and quality for now, but people come here for the sushi and it was a major disappointment. Service appears inexperienced, slow, and inattentive. Ambiance is gone as well, as the hearty "Irrashaimase!!" and "Arigato Gozaimasu!!" greetings upon entry and exit appear to have left along with the previous owners. The old Jinbei was a gem, and having it lose its soul is a real shame. read more

Very genuine Japanese food! It brings all the authentic flavors which I could only taste in Japan. It offers so many unique Japanese food that you won't find in a regular Japanese restaurant. All the plates are very sophisticated and beautifully to appreciate. I feel lucky it's so close to my home. Will come to try others dishes next time! read more

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Terrible service. I called several times to place a pick up order, but they didn't answer the phone. So I decided to walk in and place the order and they were so mean and rude to me saying how they don't accept same day pick up orders. We wont be recommending this place to friends and neighbors and will not be going back here again. read more

We love this place! Unpretentious, but their dishes are real deal. We live a bit far, but total worth the long drive to get there.

The uni was nice and creamy! Toro and salmon were good but one of the salmon slices was cut poorly, even though it didn't change the quality of the fish it looked cheap for the way it was cut. Our least favorite dish was the karage. Very disappointed! Meat was tough and stringy...Would not get the karage here again. read more

Please train your waitstaff to be more courteous to customers. So it all started by trying to get walk in take out orders.. And she is saying that all take out orders to need to be placed the night before.. I've never heard such a thing.. Can u at least post it on ur website or at your restaurant door??? But I am just more upset about the customer service I've received today by one of your waitresses. The way she spoke.. so unrespectful. Obviously I didn't know about your "New take-out policy".. if you announced it, please tell me where they are. I am hoping other customers don't have to experience what I've experienced here at Jinbei. read more

This place is great. Coming from LA where there are so many trendy sushi places, it was really refreshing to sit down at a low-key, casual, authentic place with fresh and delicious food. No pretention, just friendliness and sushi. The highlight of the experience was the squid ink tamago with uni and unagi. The most innovative dish I've had at any sushi restaurant anywhere, and delicious. I'm already a fan of tamago (cooked egg omelette), but make it black and add seafood? It's genius. Not sweet like the typical kind, but I'm not getting it for that purpose anyway. The chef sent out a couple slices of the regular tamago as a gift, and those were good too...though more egg-tasting and not as sweet as I usually like it. Typically, I get the regular tamago at the end of the meal as a light and sweet finish. Everything else was solid too. Soft shell crab was great with two dipping sauces (ponsu, tartar), and all the fresh cuts of sushi were the right size with just the right amount of rice. There are also udon, tempura and pasta dishes on the menu, so this place is great for the whole family. read more

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This is our go-to sushi place in Irvine. I have been here over 10 times now and have convinced many of my family and friends to come here and everyone is always thankful for my recommendation. Excellent food with very attentive, skilled, and friendly sushi chef. The servers are also great, refilling our tea and water often. They have improved a lot since my first time here. The place is always clean. Sit at the bar if you can. The sushi cuts are very generous and high quality with the right touch of sauce that compliment each fish very well. Most of the time, I just eat it as the chef place it in front of me without dipping into more shoyu. I recommend sitting at the bar and ask for chef's daily recommendation for 8-12 pieces and he will deliver the best to you. It is like an omakase except they don't have a specific menu, he will keep making it until you want to stop. Great experience and best way to try new fish ! Must get: TAMAGOOOO- best I've ever had, try both the original and the black one, ask for a sample. Salmon belly with a touch of yuzu - literally melts in your mouth and the flavors compliment well Toro - sometimes they do run out but when they have it, you must order it. Very buttery and delicious Yellowtail - one of the best, hands down. Toro cut roll - very generous and overflowing with toro, very filling I always end my dinner with one of these... ume, shiso, yamaimo hand roll.... if you know, you know. Uni pasta 7/10, great flavor but a little salty. Wings 8/10, perfect texture, love the batter, but the sauce they put on it is quite sweet, ask for it on the side Udon 6/10, broth taste great but the udon was overcooked and too soft Spider roll and unagi roll, they're good but quite pricey. read more

Hands down! This is my favorite sushi restaurant in Irvine! Every time I go there, I order the Chirashi bowl which comes with miso soup and side salad. $22 is never cheap for lunch but their Chirashi definitely is worth it. I guess they jazz up the fish varieties that goes into Chirashi. I was looking forward to savor the sweetest and softest squid that I couldn't forget from the last time. But the yesterday's Chirashi didn't have it. Instead, I got to enjoy this Amazingly delicious fluke fin jelly I was not disappointed for not having squid. read more

Jinbei - Chirashi bowl - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

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I do like some food they serve but for the price they charge,,, the service and food needs to be better. Here's why--- I ordered few sushi and soft crab dish. I cannot eat wasabi cuz I have reaction when I do. The sushi chief and some counter customer were making fun about it in Japanese thinking I wouldn't understand. Yes, I heard it clearly from where I was sitting!! Very unprofessional. Servers: They were incompetent. Server came back to notify that the uni I order was sold out then left without asking if I want something else instead. I had to wait 10 min for him to comeback. They are not good enough to use after tax total tip suggestion. Two stars were for the clean space and the quality of soft shell crab. I don't think they deserve a second chance, read more

As of May 1st, all takeout orders must be placed 24 hours in advance. I try to call ahead but didn't pick up. I drove to the restaurant; when I told the gentleman in front I would like to place a takeout order, the gentleman pointed at a bit of note stating their takeout policy as of May 1st. I hope others will read my post, so anyone will waste time driving there or order 24 hours ahead for your take-out. This is not a bad review, just a quick note to everyone. read more

- Jinbei sushi Orchard Hills Irvine Review: Ever since we moved to Irvine, we've been looking for a great sushi place to satisfy our cravings. We found Jinbei sushi in Orchard Hills which had great sushi. Charlie San is great at his craft and very attentive. The place can get quite busy sometimes though as many people have discovered this hidden gem. The price is not cheap but considering the food quality it's with it. Lunch is great for those who are budget conscious. read more

Absolutely amazing Chirashi lunch, if you get there in time when they open. Huge and very fresh cuts of fish

Really good quality fish! We eat here all the time. Their Udon is the best in Irvine (Make sure you order the flakes on the side). The chefs are all Japanese! And so are the waitresses! read more

food is good. the service is not great. very unconventional seating. not coming back.

Came here for lunch during the weekend and has a great experience. Sat at the sushi bar with three others in my party. The chef was attentive and helpful. We all got different things and everyone liked what they got. Can't wait to come back. read more

So surprised to have found a little gem like this in a super suburban area. We came here super hungry on a Sunday evening and were seated right away. Quick Tip! - they really want you to check out the daily specials. It's always changing and the fish is super fresh!!! I got the tempura udon ($4.80). Super simple udon dish with crispy tempura flakes floating in the soup. It was just what I wanted as I was also going to gorge on the other appetizers. Takowasa ($5.80) raw squid marinated in a wasabi sauce. I love this dish because I love raw squid. And the flavors of the squid play very nicely with the wasabi. The squid is super chewy but not tough. Salmon belly sushi ($5 for 2 pieces). Omg this was the best salmon belly I've had in the states probably. The quality is super good in my opinion!! The rice to salmon ratio was also perfect. Not too much rice but not too little rice! Service - friendly and efficient. They know what they're doing! Parking - plenty of spaces. Overall our experience here was super good and the food was super delicious. Would definitely come back!!!! read more

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We've been back a few times, but our last visit was not good. When the tempura udon was brought to our table, all of the tempura was placed over the udon resulting in soggy shrimps & veggies. The tempura coatings floated over the soup base that it looked unappetizing. Our order of chirashi got delivered to the table next to us even though we were clearly seated before them. The re-remake order took time; they didn't make it a priority that we even had to ask after observing the sushi chefs were working on other orders. Back to the search in finding a truly exceptional Japanese restaurant in the area. read more

Horrible and frustrating customer service experience at this so-called establishment. I tried calling in about 20 times to place a to-go order. They DO NOT answer their phones. So I decide to drive over and put my order in person and I see this sign in the window that says no same day to-go orders. WTH! So then I am baffled and I wait to confirm this with one of the employees. They all ignore me and avoid eye contact. So I walk up to the back and ask them nicely how I would be able to put in a to-go order if nobody answers the phone. She said that they are short staffed and if I wanted to do a to-go order, I would need to come in and place it the day before or try to call them after business hours and hope they answer their phone! We dine out a lot and this is the first time in a very long time that I've become very agitated over how a business could care less about the customer's experience. The least they could do is state on Yelp or other websites that they do not do to-go orders or at minimum set up your damn voicemail box to let the customers know that, especially if you don't answer your phones... What's the point of having a phone number?! They lost a good customer and for now they probably don't care. Over time, it will cost them. Good luck! read more

Jinbei - Would be nice to have known this information online. - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

I'm very impressed by the quality of food and service at Jinbei... and I love that they take reservations! I was able to put my name down for a table on a Saturday night half an hour before arriving. - Uni Pasta: the highlight of my meal! Imagine a creamy sauce infused with explosive uni flavor enveloping perfectly cooked pasta. Each bite was so enjoyable I didn't want it to end. - Deluxe Bento Box Combo: Silky pork katsu with chef's choice sashimi. I was expecting a little more from the pork katsu given it being described as "silky" but I didn't taste the difference from ordinary katsu. - Karaage Bento Box: Deep fried chicken with chef's choice sashimi. I was happy about how juicy the chicken was. *Note: our chef's choice sashimi came with 2 pieces of salmon, yellowtail, tuna, and albacore. The only difference between the Deluxe and Karaage Bento Box sashimi's was that the Deluxe came with 1 extra piece of (what I thought was) squid sashimi. read more

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Ordered chirashi bowl for lunch but it was a disappointment. The bowl looked pretty but man the fish was so mehhhhh. A piece of octopus was so chewy that I couldn't swallow but had to spill out. The waitress saw me spill out the fish into a napkin but didn't even bother to ask if the food was ok. Even the salmon and tuna was below average quality. Some pieces of fish were even like warm, which tasted suspicious. Will never come back since the uni pasta was whatever too. read more

Jinbei - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

We always go to Taiko but anyone who eats there know how long the wait could be. We didn't want to wait so we tried this place. This is definitely are go to sushi when we don't want to wait in line at taiko--or spend $$$ at Ikko sushi. The price is very reasonable and the sushi is great--and we only ordered the lower priced sushi too (salmon, yellow tail, a few more). Service was just as good. Ironically, we live a mile away and we never bothered to check this place out. I think it could've been the name. Jinbei just didn't sound like a good sushi place. We were wrong. read more

The best sushi in Orange County, and I've been to many sushi places around here! Always fresh and the combination of ingredients is just right for me. Nice ambience and a clean dining environment! read more

Very good izakaya in Irvine. My bf usually orders the $6 udon which is such a deal. Will come back to try other dishes read more

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The service by the waitress was terrible. She was so rude and so unprofessional. Though the food was not too bad. I would never go to that restaurant ever again. read more

Good udon and sashimi here. Warm and friendly to kids. Try their chirashi ball and beef udon, especially in the lunchtime, they have a great lunch menu. read more

Lunch sushi set is so worth it! They give you a good amount of fish and it's very filling! I will come back again:) read more

Jinbei - Lunch sushi set - $16.95 - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

Jinbei is not what it's hyped up to be: - Very limited fish selection and average quality - Staff is not very knowledgeable about sushi - Service is average or below Jinbei charges premium prices for their LIMITED and below-average quality and improperly sliced fish. There are so many better sushi options out there this one is definitely a flop! read more

Excellent fish, great service. Good ambience. Very nice plating. The rest of this review is just to clear the irritating character count. read more

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Food was good, but service was terrible. Our server was rude and seemed annoyed to take our order. We were a big party of 7. She could've faked being friendly. After our food arrived she did not check on us AT ALL to see how our food was or if we needed anything else. We were celebrating our daughter's birthday so it was an even bigger bummer. It was like pulling teeth to get boxes for our leftovers. And then my husband had to get up from the table to track someone down to pay the bill. The other staff seemed pleasant enough, but our server needs an attitude adjustment and some pointers on basic service. I was a waitress a long time ago - so I know how to keep customers happy. read more

Authentic Japanese restaurant! For best sushi, you must sit at the counter. Jinbei is not a fake Japanese restaurant.

Went for their lunch special for some beef udon and it was really great! A big portion of udon and a 4 piece roll for around $12. We also ordered the jinbei special roll #3 and some nigiri on the side! The special roll had albacore on top and only veggies on the inside. The albacore was very fresh and my bf and I really enjoyed the roll. The rolls that come with the udon were pretty standard, you can't go wrong with them. The nigiri had some really thick pieces of fish on them which was great! I personally enjoyed their salmon the best then their yellowtail came second! Definitely ordered way too much food but everything was soo good. I'd definitely recommend this spot for a quick lunch! read more

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Great sushi and love the lunch specials. I like to come here for lunch get my sushi fix. Their lunch special has the right amount of food to fill you up and the price is not to pricey either. I took one star away because if you come for dinner, you'll have to wait for bit. The place isn't too big and doesn't fit a whole lot of people. read more

One of the best sushi place I have been. Always crowded. Their sushi is so fresh and rich. Uni pasta is a must try. Remember, sushi and sake. read more

This place just isn't worth the effort anymore. Understaffed and run by inefficient clowns. Yes the food is good but if the process is so painstaking to be seated and for them to pretend to limit their lunch specials to 10 orders every day to create artificial demand, one begs the question is it worth it. The answer is a resounding no for me. read more

Honestly quite a joke of a place.. we've been coming here as we are closeby neighbors and there's not a lot of Japanese restaurants around. They offer 10 limited dishes of lunch menu, which you'd likely miss unless you line up way ahead of 11:30, the time they open. And on top of that, lots of their other menu items, supposedly NOT limited quantity, are often not available / sold out. More than half of the times we've been here, we had some sort of unpleasant experience/feeling because regardless of how early we got here we were not able to get what we wanted. Not sure if they do this on purpose or they are just short-handed or what not but we probably wouldn't come back here. There's no reason to spend money and feel bitter in the mouth every time. read more