The best omakase in Orange County! The chefs are so amazing that they will watch you and arrange the sushi so it is easiest for people to pick up, left or right handed. The waitstaff makes sure you are having a good time with your friend. This is the perfect place for a good dinner, or a night out with a date, or a party, I can't wait to go back again! read more

What a waste to drop by this restaurant. I was expecting a little more decent sushi as knew run by a Japanese guy(s). Fish is not fresh and presentation of meal is so poor. The service is none and wouldn't leave any tip. Did I do wrong? read more

A hidden gem that shines. The staff is small but very very courteous and put a real effort to make sure you have a good time. The owners are both excellent chefs and have a real unique selection of fish. This place is small so be ready for a wait, but well worth it. Our sushi that we ordered was presented beautifully and simple. We didn't need to dip our cuts into soy sauce because it was already that good. There is a select group of sake to go along with the menu but it remains complementary. There's no more and no less when it comes to this place. It's clean, quaint, and most importantly memorable. I will be returning to this location for as long as I live in Costa Mesa. read more

Jun and Sho! These guys and their staff put together some really great sushi. The red snapper with shishito peppers on top is a go-to and we're obsessed with the 3 Kings Roll. My girlfriend and I call Kakurega one of our regular sushi spots. We loved this platter they delivered our sushi on and felt compelled to share. Our family owns a small business and it makes us happy to see another small business like Kakurega succeed. Glad to see them on the other side of the pandemic too. Thanks guys, you know we'll be back, cheers read more

Kakurega - Garlic Edamame, Red Snapper, Blue Fin, Shrimp, 3 Kings Roll and Spicy Tuna Roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Omakase was fantastic and at a reasonable price point. Will be back and highly recommend!

Best sushi, best service. Whole staff is extremely friendly and make the dining experience even better. You know the sushi is good when you don't even need to dip anything in sauce. Everything is fantastic. By far my favorite sushi place to go. I highly recommend it. read more

Kakurega - Sushi Bars Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Real Japanese sushi, tapas and bento with a humble neighborhood Cali casual vibe. The quality of the fish was as good as I've had in Tsukiji or in Toyosu. And the range of fish types offered was as varied as anywhere in Japan. The nigiri was the perfect size of slice to sushi rice ratio and the nori/sushi-meshi scent you catch when you enter the restaurant took me right back to Tokyo back alleys and favorite family-run sushi-ya memories where the owner knows your order from the last time you were there. Don't like to usually send everybody running to a hidden gem that means "Hideout" in Japanese but seriously Kakurega is simply too great a hideout not share this secret of stellar Japanese cuisine in Costa Mesa.... Thanks Asahi-san for introducing this "hideout" of Kakurega and I'll be hiding there often from now on... read more

I'll be coming back again soon. Order 2 omakase, presentation was appealing and the ingredients quality and preparation. They did that under a super busy, stressful night. To me that's focus under pressure and good ability. read more

I have to say, I hesitated posting this review because i LOVE this restaurant so much and I don't want it to get too crowded, haha. But the people here are amazing, the food is INCREDIBLE and they deserve ALL the praise, so i will accept any unintended consequences lol. Let me start by saying - I'm not a big sushi fan. I think it's overpriced. This place is different. Their fried chicken is out of this world, as is their crispy rice salmon/tuna. The salmon sushi is always fresh and delicious. My partner gets different rolls every time we go (he loves eel and I don't like it so I usually don't indulge) but he loves his rolls every time. It's safe to say we will be LONG time customers here. It is the BEST sushi restaurant I've found since moving to Southern California. read more

I hate to leave bad reviews but I wouldn't come here for sushi. If you like rolls then you won't have an issue. The fish isn't the best quality. Live sweet shrimp was fresh and not bad but it wasn't a high grade sweet shrimp. Kanpachi and red snapper tasted and looked the same. Somehow I feel tricked. Everything is average. Tokyo central market have better fish then this place. It's just disappointing. read more

This sushi should be illegal it's so good! Amazing service and calm environment. Run don't walk to try this lively sushi restaurant.

If you like authentic quality sushi (sorry if you think California rolls are real sushi you might not appreciate this) - this is your place. There are only a few quality Omakase sushi restaurants in orange county, and this is definitely one of them. The sushi chefs hail from the Japanese restaurant Kitayama, and they have taken their game to a new level. And here's one more thing, unlike a lot of other omakase restaurants, their prices are very reasonable read more

So I went to this place and I have to tell you I'm super bummed out because the people were so friendly and the fish was the freshest I have ever had. The reason I'm giving it three stars is because the portions were so small it was ridiculous how small they were. Which is why I'm so bummed because if they would be normal size I would never go to another sushi bar again except this place that's how good the fish was and how fresh it was. read more

We went in with our friends who happen to know pretty much everyone in the restaurant. We went for the Chef Selection and I must say it was the best experience ever. We took the bar seats and engaged with the chefs as they prepped each dish. So many varieties and really awesome twists. I was specially impressed with their red snapper and lollipop rolls. Will definitely come back again. And if you are out in that area, pay these guys a visit. read more

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Came here at 5:15 pm and waited until 5:45. The place is empty and the lights are off and it looks like a bunch of trash and other debris is stacked outside the enclosed patio. Looks like they have closed down. Thanks for not posting a sign out front. We wasted 30 minutes of our time standing out front while we could have went somewhere else for first seating. read more

My boyfriend and I came here for our anniversary on 7/10/22 and it was the best dinner we've ever had. I honestly wish we hadn't come in so late to order omakase because we would have ordered a lot more pieces of nigiri after the omakase was done. All of the fish was so flavorful and a few had the addition of yuzu, which we love. The oysters were amazing! Also really loved the yellowtail, halibut, toro, and scallop nigiri. They were super busy when we walked in, but the sushi still came out at a great pace. We also ordered the Kakurega sake sampler which was a fun way to figure out what bottle we wanted to order. We can't wait to come back here! read more

It's my little hidden gem in the area. These guys do sushi and other items right. I've been here a couple times and the food is 4.75 stars. Service is just about average as they seem a little unpolished or inexperienced but the food more than makes up for it. The stand out items are their fresh octopus which is done three ways - fried like calamari, in a ponzu like sauce, and raw. If octopus isn't fresh you might as well be eating bubble gum because it becomes that chewy. At Kakurega, it is fresh as can be - which means its soft and tender. On the other side of the food spectrum I do like their chicken wings quite a bit as well. The flavor reminds me a slight bit of Furaibos but a bit sweeter. Their sushi rice seems to have more flavor to it as well. I'm rooting for these guys and will be back to try out some more menu items soon. read more

June is amazing he is very creative with sushi. I am always surprised with something new. The staff is very friendly. I can't wait to try omakase here again. read more

Yummmyyyy, usually I would opt for omakase, but I ordered a la carte and enjoyed every bit of it. Luckily the restaurant was slow, so we had full attention and service. Among my favorites are the uni, toro, shirako, ankimo, and octopus platter! There is an ample amount of parking and the restrooms are in the back, outside of the restaurant. read more

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Good service, messy menu, terrible rice texture. Messy menu that doesn't explain much. White fish in ponzu, they didn't explain what kind of white fish or how they are going to prepare it. Grill cheek. Is it grill beef cheek or pork cheek or hamachi collar? Sometimes they wrote hamachi and sometimes yellowtail. This building got a lot of echo. This place is deadly when someone talks loud, we can't even have a normal conversation. It's also too weird when the waitress asks what kind of sauce we want on our sashimi. That's the choice of the chef, not to ask your customers. --+ karaage: The dish looks gross. It looks like some kind of fungus grow on the birch. It's completely tasteless. However this is the best dish of the night. It's crispy on the outside and tender inside. --- Spanish mackerel, red snapper sashimi. Knife skill is rough. Fish meat is boring and It's texture is soggy. The rice fell apart when you lift the sashimi. There are too much ponzu on red snapper and too much salty yuzu pickled herbs on Spanish mackerel. Rice is terrible. It's not moist or al dente, it's like eating sands. Either they used cheap rice or they didn't add enough water in the rice or they didn't add vinegar. Anyway, their rice is hard, dry and sandy. ---Red snapper with yuzurosho and shisoleaf. Fish meat is dry and fall apart when you lift. Cutting is uneven, fragrance of shisoleaf overpowering the fish meat. They are greedy with yuzurosho, because they only put it on two fish, the rest of the fish meat got nothing on it and it's totally bland. --- Salmon skin hand roll. They didn't state that the rolls comes in brown rice. Brown rice or white rice, they both sucks. Just like the white rice, it's hard and dry. You don't taste much of salmon skin, it's soggy and there are more carrots inside than salmon skin. The entire dish is bland and dry. I'm not so sure what am I eating. Katsuobushi makes the dish even worse, it's like eating plastic bags. People who read my reviews know that I loath overly salted, overly sweetened or greasy food. But this place is just too "healthy" and too bland for me. read more

Kakurega - Kakurega 0.1 - Sushi Bars Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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Pros: Omakase, pretty good quality fish Cons: Service is really slow Love checking out new sushi spots in OC. Kakurega is located right off of the 55 in a strip mall. There's a couple seats at the sushi bar, but we ended up grabbing a seat at a table. The menu has some hot items from the kitchen, but this place definitely leans towards sushi. I opted for omakase or "chef's choice". I'm sure prices vary, but my omakase ended up costing around $60 and I probably ended up getting 16-18 pieces of nigiri or small bites. I got various types of fish and the quality was pretty good. Definitely on par with other quality sushi restaurants in OC. The only downside here is the service is really slow. I was debating giving this place a 3 instead of a 4 because of the speed of the service, but I really liked the quality of the food. Since most of the food is sushi, I think the sushi bar was constantly overwhelmed and behind. They had two sushi chefs, but I feel like they needed one more to keep up with the demand. If you come here, maybe come on a weekday or prepare yourself for a longer wait. read more

Kakurega - Sushi Bars Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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The best sushi! Great menu! Excellent staff! I have been going there since they opened because they came from another restaurant that my family frequented weekly. The Chefs added their personal touch on each order with unique flavors for each fish. You have to try it read more

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I was hesitant to write this place a review because this is so good. As it's getting more popular and more client the line is just longer for me. Since it's new, I don't have to wait an hour to get in. The sushi is good and have variety. It's totally deserved Gwen's 5 stars:)) read more

This place is delicious! Arrived at 5pm on a Friday, but noticed the actual hours were 5:30pm and made the change on Yelp because other people were there and we're not too happy about the wrong hours. Sigh. THAT ASIDE! The place is cute and intimate and maintains a Japanese restaurant atmosphere. Most of the staff speaks fluent Japanese and many Japanese speaking customers were coming in for dinner. At this time, there were only about 7 other people waiting as well. Plenty of seating outside while you wait to be seated. Seated at the bar quickly and had omakase. Amazing! I ended at 17 pieces for about $77 including tax and tip. Each piece melted in my mouth and each bite slowly changed in flavor from light and refreshing to creamy. Our chef asked us if we preferred a certain fish so you can ask for specific fish if you'd like. Overall, I would come here again for sure! The bar seated about 8 people and there were many 2-4 person tables through out the restaurant. It was amaazingg read more

Kakurega - Part of the delicious omakase - Sushi Bars Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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What a great deal on their omakase... Only $51 and we got like 18 pieces and it was amazingly fresh. Definitely comin back for this Server was a little slow but very sweet and we were not in a rush read more

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*4.5 stars* Food is so good, fish is fresh and the cooked dishes are tasty. If you can get a seat at the sushi bar, you get awesome omakase. Price wise, not bad for good sushi. But if you are looking for Sushi Island pricing you will be disappointed. Things to try: Crispy rice with spicy tuna Fried White fish with truffle ponzu Chicken karaage (Japanese fried chicken) Uni nigiri Toro Red snapper Albacore Omakase! read more

We have loved this place since the sushi chefs worked at Kitayama and let us place our baby daughter on a corner stool as we engulfed their seared salmon on crab on scallop (or was it seared salmon on scallop on crab?) and live sweet shrimp with mouth popping fried shrimp head. So good!! And they always had a fantastic deal for omakase and a bottle of sake, as well. We haven't been since pre-COVID days, but are hoping to visit again soon! read more

This was formerly Sushi Island for the locals. The restaurant has been updated and has more of a modern open feel now. Upon arriving, we were greeted immediately and sat at a table near the sushi bar. Our drink order was prompt and accurate. They have Sapporo on draft and others in bottles. Here's what we ordered: Toro sashimi - the slices were thicker than your normal sashimi cuts but hey, I'm not complaining. It was super fresh and buttery. If you've never had toro, you are missing out! Blue fin tuna sashimi - super fresh! You could tell by the color and of course by the smell (there was none). The sashimi slices sat on top of a few thin slices of cucumber with fresh wasabi on top (another plus). Salmon skin and eel handroll - they were very generous with not just the salmon skin but also added salmon in it. Same with the eel. Delicious! Smoked salmon dinner - we initially thought that this was going to be a piece of smoked salmon but it ended up being smoked salmon plated similar to sashimi. Garnished with two types of radish, dill and fresh lemon slices. Nonetheless, it was delicious. Grilled snapper cheek - if you've ever had smoked/grilled collar or cheek, you already know that it's the best part of the fish. We had the snapper cheek served with grated daikon and ponzu to dip. The texture was a little chewier than your normal salmon or hamachi cheek but this had great flavor. Kings roll - I'm not one to order rolls but the party I was with liked them so I did try a piece. The inside has shrimp, krab mix (imitation crab) topped with salmon. Just like any other King's roll from a sushi spot. It was good but again, I'm not a fan of rolls. We also had some of the House sake and the owner was so kind to pour me a glass of their Stag Leap's Artemis to cap off the delicious dinner! The overall experience was pleasant from beginning to end. From the service to the food, the servers and owner were also very attentive. I would definitely eat here again! read more

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good food, the sushi is very fresh, great service, highly recommended, would come here again read more

Kakurega - Seared Salmon, Tuna, Fresh Scallop - Sushi Bars Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Just landed at John Wayne airport and was craving for sushi. Found this place and decided to give it a try. All I can say is wow :) we ordered Omakase and everything was so good and fresh. Definitely hit the spot read more

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I've eaten alot of good sashimi and I think this place has the most fresh Japanese fish. I love the golden eye snapper and chawanmushi here! read more

This place has a decent omakase sushi so there is no complaints. Pricing is reasonable as well. However, the sushi chef is so focused in his creations that there is no lively banter between his customers and him which is rather awkward. They are not new to the business and should know that part of the fun experience at a sushi bar is the rapport with his customers. That's what equates to a repeat business. Be warned of communal bathroom outside the premise. read more

Their sushi is delicious and the fish quality is great. I enjoy my meal. Definitely will go again

The fish was fresh and the sushi was well-made. The staff, however, was drunk and service was slow and forgetful. One server ran into a chair. One took order then disappeared. The next server asked if were ordered yet. The restaurant was insanely loud with drunk workers and friends/family. The outside restrooms were well kept. No complaints on that! Sooooo Happy Mother's Day! ...I did post this very late after eating there. read more

Just found this little gems and they serve Dry fresh sushi for a veery good price. It's kinda hard to as its name is kakurega. Jun is great chef. We had omakase and he served us with fresh fish of that day. Well recommended read more

Red snapper with shishito, spicy tuna cut roll is surprisingly good, yellowtail, and toro is amazing. They didn't have yellowtail belly but definitely gonna try that. Green tea ice cream was lovely too. Spicy tuna on crispy rice was okay. The crispy rice should have been 1/2 the thickness it was a bit too much. Definitely will come back here read more

This place is definitely worth a visit! We had the calamari, chicken teriyaki, nigiri, chawan mushi and rolls. Everything was better than expected. Don't let the unassuming exterior fool you. This place is exceptional! read more

live sweet shrimp was not in season (end of january season start) spanish mackerel was out, but would order every time if i could yellowtail belly - sold out often, delicious sea urchin (santa barbara) - really, really good red snapper seared w shishito pepper - the shishito pepper is so good here lightly seared salmon belly - definitely order this white trevally - like amberjack but meatier live scallop - comes two ways, as a sushi and baked in its shell with a garlic butter sauce akadashi miso at the end - hard yes! still need to try golden eye snapper, monk fish liver, whatever else they can throw at my wife and i. thank you so much! read more

Sushi was delicious, cozy environment, friendly wait staff. My new favorite hidden gem!

Food was very good Sashimi was very fresh but small cuts Service was good I would come back for sure read more