Small restaurant located in a random plaza. Service was great. Only complaint is that the waitress let us know about their special after we already ordered. Dumplings and bao buns were delicious. The chicken was alright, I've definitely had better kushiyaki. Food was overpriced for bite size options. It was loud and difficult to hear the person speaking to you, so the ambience was a good 2/5. It's a good find if you're looking for something light and quick. read more

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Oak and coal is my favorite place in OC. The back room is where it's at. Great ambiance, excellent food/drinks and unmatched customer service. Have not had a dish I didn't like. The Brussels sprouts, spicy tuna don, yellowtail and salmon poke, bao buns, and whiskey sour are staples. read more

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We found this resturant on Yelp. We are all about the samplings that shareable and appetizer menus bring and Oak & Coal did not disappoint. We started with the spicy yellow tail and salmon hand rolls that were creamy and tasty, we then moved to the salmon crudo, loved it. We actually added a bowl of steamed rice to have on the side. We shared the seafood garlic noodles and loved it so much we could have kept going. We decided to finish the meal with the Ube Banana Pudding,.... OMG! The pudding was a phenomenon all on its own. We had drinks, I will say the drinks are quite pricy for the amount for the amount you get. But still tasty. We will be returning. read more

Oak & Coal - Ube banana pudding - Japanese Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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We came here for Happy Hour and was very impressed with the ambience and their friendly service. The space was small with chill vibes. We ordered several items: Brussel sprouts Tuna sashimi Chicken yakitori mix Pork belly Kushiyaki Tsukune (chicken meatballs) Seafood garlic noodles Sweet garlic soy wings wild mexican Shrimp While the flavors here might not be super authentic, or out of this world amazing, food was fresh and decent. I think it is a good place to grab small bites and casual dinner. Service was superb and made this place more attractive. read more

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I was really hoping to like the food because of the potential this place has but unfortunately the food was pretty underwhelming for me. I wanted to try some more of the grilled Japanese skewers that they offered but I knew how expensive it would be for me to order enough just to be somewhat full. Instead I decided to try the seafood garlic noodles which seem to be a favorite based on all the reviews I read prior to ordering. It was nice to see 4 good sized scallops and 3 pieces of shrimp on their because it could have easily been a couple less. I would have been happy with the meal if the garlic noodles were good since it's the base of the dish. It was severely under seasoned and it just tasted like bland noodles that were greasy and garlicky. Sure the garlic flavor was there but there was no salt to make it taste good. I tried to add the sauces they provided on the side meant for the lamb chop, but it didn't do much. Both the noodles and seafood was over cooked as well which only increased my disappointment. Since the noodles are so thin, it is so easy to overcook them leading to a mushy texture with no bite. The shrimp and scallops also tasted like they were not seasoned and the shrimp was dry and rubbery. On the bright side, the lamb chop was delightful. They were tender and seasoned properly. The thing is that it's $14 for two tiny lamb chops. There is no way I would be full or satisfied even if I were to order multiple orders of just the grilled skewers alone. With that being said, I don't think the food was worth it and it was far from a good value. I can see the appeal and it seems like a chill place, but I can't spend all my money and not leave somewhat satisfied. Even if the quality of the ingredients are any better than other Japanese restaurants serving similar food, it is just too pricey for me to want to come back. read more

Oak & Coal - Seafood Garlic Noodles - Japanese Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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Our dinner was excellent, we had their premier dishes including the garlic shrimp noodles, pork bao buns, and the special steak lettuce wraps. The garlic shrimp was plump and juicy, there were the right amount of spices and oil, the pork bao buns had the right sweetness and the steak was tender, but could have gone without the rice. The service was great, I assume we had the manager who was very efficient. Overall, great date night spot if you were also looking for libations. read more

Cute little yakitori spot. Seating is limited inside! Service is great. Prices are average compared to all the other yakitori places I've been to. I'd choose the beef over chicken here and I feel the alcohol prices are a little high for the whiskey selection so I opted for the old fashion. Overall: Not bad :) read more

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The ube banana pudding is amazing. I had to order a second one bc I shared my first one.

Hello tasty food! What an experience. I'm obsessed with going here. The fusion is firing. The Wagyu beef Bao, not your average Miso, Karaage, pork skewer and Brussels. If they still have the Korean taco special. Taste them all!!! Then finish it off with the caramel sea salt gelato. These are all a great first journey. Really the whole menu is amazing! We've tried almost everything. I keep going back for more and to see what could possibly be the next special. Their flavors are top notch. The Karaage is excellent! It has all the qualities and flavors you'd expect. I don't usually eat chicken and I had to taste it. The kids ate so much we ordered more. The Beef Bao taco I would recommend eating as soon as it comes out. It is best hot. And you will want to eat it again and again. Between the pickled onion and the jalapeño it really rounds out the taste. The Korean Tacos, Hello, get these while they still have them. The green onion, beef, rice, beautiful lily pad like butter lettuce along with the fiery sauce. This was a wow special. I would recommend to order slowly so you can taste as things roll out. Otherwise the flavors are not as deep and rememberable. The Brussel sprouts, their play on roasted Brussels was full of flavor pop. I popped a little lemon with the sauce and wow. Delicious. So the not your average miso, well there are days when I could just get this. It has a beautifully poached egg, noodles, mushrooms, seaweed, and tofu. Savor this before you dive in to something else. The whole bowl really opens your eyes to wonderful unexpected complexity and textures. The kiddos love this too! What a spot! I'm so thankful for it being here. I could go every day! read more

A must try place. Will not disappoint! My camera failed me tonight but the highlights list goes on and on, the wagyu, salmon tartare, PORK BELLY, brocillini, Bao buns.... Shishito sours, gimlet HOLY SMOKES..... I'm nearly speechless. I'll be back and order a bit of everything again, they took me to flavor town and I want more trips! read more

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My favorite spot in town by a mile - specifically The Oak Room. Great vibe...date spot, business, the boys etc. It all works. Addison is the homie and make killer drinks! Also amazing to see how hands on Jeff (the owner) is. Big-time quality control. Lastly, the Salmon Crudo is unreal (as is the rest of the menu), contrary to what the woman said in her review earlier today. I constantly order it. Extremely consistent. Buttery and melts in your mouth. Love that this is my spot and it's a few blocks away from the pad read more

Good service, friendly staff. We came with a larger party and added on drinks and food while we were dining, and they didn't seem to mind. We didn't feel rushed which I appreciated. Yummy and interesting cocktails on the menu, and there is also a full bar. Standout menu items were: the agedashi tofu (I could have drank the dashi like soup, it was sooo good), chicken skewers, and miso cod. One slight note was there are TVs in the restaurant, and I can't understand why. The ambiance would be so much better without the TVs, and no one is there to watch sports or games anyway, it's not a sports bar! read more

Came here on a late weeknight for drinks and food. We went to the back, and this place did not disappoint! We sat at the bar top, and we served our drinks in a fairly reasonable manner. It was a little bit busy, so it took the bartender a minute to get to us, but the bartender took their time and carefully crafted our drinks. We ordered some amazing appetizers and share plates that were also carefully crafted and made to order. I will definitely be coming back! read more

Oak & Coal - Mai tai - Japanese Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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This place is seriously scrumptious!! Girls night and we ordered the pork belly (10000% recommend), wagyu beef (unfortunately ours was over cooked but seasoned well), cabbage salad (seriously don't sleep on this), garlic noodles, salmon crude (YUM!), and the ube banana bread pudding (to die for). It's a small place but it has character and the food is honestly some of the best I've ever had. Portion sizes were decent for yakitori. Definitely will be back! read more

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Went here to celebrate my birthday and it was such a fun experience to try various dishes with a modern fusion take! We tried a couple of options here, but the miso butter noodles were the star of the show... to the point we ordered just the noodles 2 more times :] All the other dishes were also great, but portion wise a bit difficult to share amongst a larger party, so we had to order double each. Aside from that, we were able to dine in the oak room which was a nice moody ambience with very attentive servers! read more

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If you are looking for a traditional Japanese cuisine, this is not it. It is an inspired Japanese cuisine restaurant, fused with different cultures. But, if you are up for the adventure, don't miss it. I ordered seared habachi, chicken dumpling, and wagyu steak. The habachi has a unique texture as it is partly raw. The combination with the asparagus is just delicious. Try wraping the asparagus with the habachi! The wagyu just melted in your mouth. It is cooked at medium rare to medium, just how a wagyu should. The yuzu brings a slight of tangy-ess and freshness. I will re-order the seared habachi and wagyu steak. However, the dumpling is not my favorite. They have a twist of lemongrass, which is refreshing. But it is an acquired taste. They are juicy and flavorful. So, if you like dumpling and lemongrass, this is right up your alley. One note that I don't know before coming is the dishes are supposed to be shared. So, it's great to bring someone with, have some drinks, food, and talks. read more

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The food and service is incredible. The experience of food is outstanding. One of the best restaurants in CM

Woooow, I feel like I stumbled upon a gem! Everything we had here was fantastic. Donburi, shishito, yakitori, and a drink (it had lilikoi foam - forgot the name). Service was great. There's two days to the restaurant - both were cool. Yin/Yang vibe. Get the pork belly! read more

Oak & Coal - Shishito Peppers - Japanese Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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My friend and I absolutely enjoyed our 1St but definitely not last time at Oak & Coal. The place was amazing, food was incredible and the service perfect. Bonus treat was seeing Jeff who is responsible for such an outstanding place. Can't wait to go back! read more

3.5 They have a major fan following and Im not really sure why. Get there early or you wont have a seat in either space. Not sure why their bar is referred to as a speakeasy. The tiny front yakitori bar has zero character, the oak room is dark and very charming. The bar top is lovely. But please let's not throw around that term it's silly. So drinks and service were absolutely excellent. But I dont think this is the place for a full dinner. I feel like we ordered a decent amount of food and all of us were left hungry and underwhelmed. Food was good, but the value proposition so low it didn't encourage us to order more. Highs: dumplings, Brussels, wagyu (wild price) cucumber lows: shrimp, poke we had more items, but I honestly don't remember the impression wasn't super remarkable. Come for an amazing cocktail when they open, but perhaps skip the food, unless you're just slightly peckish read more

Stopped by Oak & Coal on a Friday around 6:30, we were seated right away outside. Right now, they have a patio with four tables, with each table seating up to four people. There are heaters so it was nice to sit outside. It got really busy after we arrived, so I think we just beat a rush. The food was decent, as other reviews have mentioned, I wouldn't call it authentic per se. We ordered the NY prime (wanted wagyu but they were sold out), the chicken meat balls, pork belly, and the natural chicken mix. The chicken was dryer then we would have liked. We really enjoyed the NY prime, along with the veggies it came on (we ordered it with vegetables that accompany the wagyu). Overall, we had a good experience but would probably opt for a different yakitori place in OC. Service was really prompt and everyone was really attentive! read more

Oak & Coal - NY prime, pork belly, chicken mix and chicken meatballs - Japanese Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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Came here for a Saturday night dinner and there was a bit of a wait. We were seated at the bar and it was nice to have a view of the kitchen. The food was overall good but I found it a little salty. I enjoyed the miso soup, which was loaded with noodles and toppings. The garlic noodles were also yummy. The restaurant was a bit loud so might be hard if you're trying to talk a lot. The kebabs were good, but not my favorite. Overall, an interesting fusion spot. read more

I was really excited to try this place. And seeing that it had a 4.5 stars on yelp it seemed like it was gonna be great. My husband and I went on a Friday night. It was busy. We signed up for a waitlist and chose bar. They sat us in the back room " bar area" not the bar at a small table right by the bar. We ordered the chicken dumpling which the sauce was not very good then we ordered the chashu bao buns and the unagi sticky rice. Ordered the sauces and was very disappointed. The pork buns were good. Place was super loud couldn't have a conversation. Staff were great and friendly and service was good. Bummed the food wasn't as great as reviews mentioned. read more

A little hole in the wall gem found! Tapas style restaurant with tastiest Snake River Farms Wagyu w/ tare basting skewers. Ended up ordering 3 of these appetizers. We also ordered the Spicy Tuna Don Sashimi Ahi | Kewpie | Chili sauce! It was so delicious and the Seared Yellowtail & Asparagus Togarashi Sesame Crust & Chili Soy was cooked to perfection!!!!! The ambience is very intimate with limited seating. Since it's a small venue the service is very personable. We walked out of this place happy and full! We loved the whole concept of this restaurant. read more

What a great atmosphere and the bartenders were great. Super tasty drinks and even one he made himself! Pretty good food but we only had 2 dishes (tapas style). This can easily become our fav place for a date night! read more

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Oak & coal from the parking lot you're like what am I getting myself into, but once you're inside the vibes are higher. The service was amazing the team was all so nice and friendly the waiter did an amazing job at recommendations, and the food was out of this world amazing. I was on a date so I didn't take any pictures. But the boa buns were so good, and the snake river kushiyaki was amazing! Like 10/10 would go back. Also the little bar area in the back was so cute, didn't eat back there but the whole place was such a vibe. read more

I came here a few months ago and I keep thinking about it and regretting the fact I forgot my left overs on the table. It was 2 of us with no reservation on a Wednesday night around 630pm and we were seated right away in their tented outside area. The service was very attentive and knowledgeable to the menu and she was able to recommend great options. We ordered a variety of plates to try and share including the meat sampler, meatballs, seafood noodles, and dumplings. Everything was delicious but the meatballs and noodles definitely stood out. We also ordered a few cocktails including our two favorites, Tokyo Gimlet and Yuzu Responsibly. Both were very well made and perfect combination with our dinner. I will absolutely be coming back! read more

Oak & Coal - Yuzu - Japanese Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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Love this place! We shared Chashu Bao Buns, Miso Black Cod, Lemongrass Dumplings, and Karaage chicken. Such creative dishes with amazing flavors! Everything was awesome and now I want to try more menu items! Service was great. read more

Sat at the bar and had delicious cocktails with a super cute vibe inside. All the food was good but actually thought the seafood/sashimi we got was actually better than the meat skewers they're known for. The banana pudding was super tasty as well read more

A modern Japanese Izakaya kind of place with small plates, skewers, rice bowls, a full bar, and a decent selection of Sake. The stars of the show are definitely the char-grilled skewers. We had chicken and scallion and chicken meatballs (comes with a side of quail eggs). Both were savory and flavorful and the meat was very juicy. We also got the wagyu beef bowl - the beef was tender, but the rice to beef ratio is a bit too high. I didn't really care for the chicken karage (a little bland) and blistered broccolini (very fried and tasted greasy). I would probably skip the unagi crispy rice as well - the fish was burnt and rice flavorless... Overall we enjoyed the ambiance but thought the dishes were just ok! read more

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Insane. I came with a party of 7 others but luckily we made reservations. The reservation process is different so go online and fill out the form. The food was so good, so flavorful, and so melt in your mouth. Service was great, everyone was nice and efficient. We were put in the back room where it was dimly lit and it felt very New York bar, very rich person penthouse kinda vibes. Portions are relatively small so I wouldn't suggest this place for a group because you will still be hungry even after ordering a good bunch of plates. I couldn't get photos of the food because our group knocked them out so fast *oh no guess I have to go back*. Anyways can't wait to bring my dad here. Standouts were: Garlic Noodles (I usually hate garlic noodles. I find them too oily and just lacking in flavor and these were not that. The mushrooms with it? Top notch noods. Miso Cod (Truly felt like biting into butter which I have done before when I was 12 because who doesn't love butter) read more

Very very good! Have been here a handful of times now and have had 10/10 experiences each time! The atmosphere is nice & quaint - they have a little speakeasy room in the back and the service has been really good as well. I've tried quite a few things on the menu now and the items that I continue to go back for are the garlic noodles, the spicy Waygu bao buns & the salted caramel gelato (omg it's to die for). Overall this place is very consistent and a cool find! 10/10 read more

I came here with coworkers for an after-work dinner. Worked out for me since I wasn't in the mood for anything heavy, like Mastro's or Javier's (those were the last two post-work dinner spots I went to). If I had to describe Oak & Coal, I would say it's a Japanese fusion izakaya (now that I'm looking at the website, I guess they agree hah). It's a small place designed for good, quick eats and drinks. We were seated in the middle table as we were a large group. We ordered a large selection of food and I only captured some photos. But I do remember what we had. The cucumber sunomono, steamed chicken lemongrass dumplings, chicken karage, edamame hummus, and the charred elote were our starters and all excellent. I really like that the karage wasn't overly breaded. The edamame hummus was fantastic and quite notable. The goal of the night was tapas so we ordered a lot of sharable foods. We tried their "famous" garlic noodles, which, tbh, didn't stand out that much to me. Was it good? Yes, but I feel like I've had better garlic noodles (the garlic noodles @ Crustacean comes to mind). We also ordered the wagyu donburi (american wagyu, surprisingly the least tasty dish to me), miso white fish, bao buns (very good), unagi and crispy rice (tasty), tuna tartare, and my favorite, the salmon crudo (also IMO a good value as I counted I believe 10 thin slices of king salmon). We also ordered a variety of kushiyaki, but none of them really stood out to me vs the shareables. In fact, their side dishes I think were better than the skewers. The shishito peppers I appreciated because they removed the stems so you can pop the whole thing in your mouth. I also had a tokyo gimlet, a well-balanced drink that I wasn't too target and refreshing. Overall I enjoyed the food, although if you're on a budget, I would suggest the following for two: hummus, bao buns, shishito peppers, and broccolini. That should fill you up (unless you're a college student or have a nuclear furnace for a metabolic system) without breaking the bank much. read more

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You may as well ignore any reviews less than 5 stars. I grew up in Asia and travelled to Japan a lot. I know good Asian food when I eat it. Skewers were cooked perfectly with interesting yet very well matched sauces. Broccolini was crispy and flavourful. Main wagyu donburi rice bowl was topped with perfectly cooked hot spring egg (right consistency, right kind of runny yolk etc). Cocktails were all very good with their own interesting spin. Dessert? Salted caramel gelato, best you could get from a restaurant. read more

We tried to come here a few times before but either the wait was too long or something came up with the kids. Therefore we had a date night without the kids! When we arrived at 6:45 we were told about 30-45 min wait for a table for 2. Happily, it was only a 15 minute wait! It's a quaint little modern Japanese restaurant and the menu is traditional but creative. Garlic noodles (veggies) - good but no garlic flavor, more similar to just stir-fried noodles. They did load on the veggies, which was nice. Lemongrass dumplings - very tasty and a solid lemongrass flavor, as advertised. Poke - light, citrusy, and fresh. Not loaded with flavor but still enjoyable. Yakitori - chicken and scallion was very good, moist and flavorful. Pork belly also delicious. Unagi was tender but with the marinade, it needed rice or noodles with it. Chicken meatball was dry and not worth ordering again. We were glad to finally get to try Oak and Coal! read more

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too salty :( not evenly seasoned :( salmon crudo aight, kushiyaki was a bit tough and so salty man :( would not go again but yum tym lemonade read more

Oak & Coal - salmon crudo - Japanese Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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I love the concept of this place, using coal as one of the ingredients for the drinks and the food they make here. They have a really nice Japanese style menu, it has a nice twist with the more modern style cuisine. I had the salmon sashimi, chicken Karaage, the beef bowl and the kitsune yakitori. Out of all of them, I feel like the beef bowl lacked something.. and I've had lots and lots of gyu don (beef bowls) in japan which is so simple yet delicious. The salmon was so buttery and delicious and I don't usually like salmon sashimi much. I was truly amazed by it. The chicken karaage was really nice as it has a touch of coal to it and they are served out black. The service was really good, it's a tiny place but they have outdoor seating as well. Definition worth bringing friends and family for a good bite. read more

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The chicken Lemon grass dumplings were so delicious I wish I would have gotten more! Then came out the main dish the Wagyu beef was INCREDIBLE so tender and juicy. We were provided some sauces on the side to dip, but honestly nothing really needed the sauces it was perfect on its own. Eel makes me cringe at times, but it was very well done here (no cringing this night) Even the very simple corn was grilled perfectly and paired with Japanese Mayo. Kinda pricey for the amount of food, but they are quality menu items. You must try the Wagyu and the drinks sake was awesome too! read more

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Shoutout to the chefs and staff, your endless hospitality and amazing food keeps us coming back for more! read more

I've had Oak and Coal bookmarked for awhile, and I finally got the chance to try it! I love a good Izakaya-style restaurant, and Oak and Coal did not disappoint. Service - we were there on a Friday night, so pretty busy. Waited about 20 minutes or so, not long at all. We got seated in their bar area, which had a DJ and was very lively! The bartenders greeted us right away... Shoutout to Nick! There were a few regulars that were seated next to us at the bar, and they started raving about the place, the food, the drinks, the staff everything... definitely started off to a great start. Food - Appetizers, we got some shishito peppers and cabbage salad. I love cabbage salad, so I'll get it anywhere I have the chance. The dressing was a bit too sweet for me, but still good. Salmon crudo was probably my favorite, the sauce was fantastic, and the fish was very fresh. Not a huge fan of Salmon sashimi in general, but this was surprisingly very good! Kushiyaki - snake river wagyu beef, 10/10. melt in your mouth. so good. Pork belly was a bit dry. 2nd fave was prob the new zealand lamb chops with their Yuzu sauce that comes with it, def a must have. Drinks - I got the Yuze Responsibly, which was good. My bf got the I do declare which he thought wasn't strong enough. Fan fave for the night was the mango boiler special. I did not know sake goes so well with Mango Cart, but now I do and my life is forever changed!!! read more

Oak & Coal - One cup ginjo that came with our Mango Boiler Special (peep the mango cart in the background) - Japanese Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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