Great food but portion is very small. Must be prepared to order multiple dishes which adds up quickly. Recommend reservations as limited seating. read more

The speak-easy bar section in the back has great ambiance. We sat at the bar so our server was the bartender who was great considering he had to get our order and make everyone's drinks. Everything we ordered was so delicious. It looks like the most of the options are tapas style and meant to be shared. We had the cucumber sunomono, wagyu donburi, seared hamachi, and skewered pork belly. I want to go back so I can try the other things on the menu. I recommend going early so you get a spot in the back bar. They only a few tables in this area and they fill up first. read more

Food was great, service was great but where we sat wasn't the best. We couldn't really hear each other bc it was so loud and our table was so long. The ambiance is cool so all in all I would recommend it. read more

Food and cocktails were severely overpriced and under whelming. Had this place on my list to try for a while now and sad to say I made the 30 min drive only to be disappointed. First we had the Oak Elote, which is 1 corn cob cut in half with spicy mayo on it, ...1 corn cob, $11. We got a hard time about asking for an additional fork and knife to eat it with.. I didn't get a picture of the Kushiyaki shrimp but they were over cooked, dry, had to peel them ourselves which was difficult as one 1 shrimp released from its shell properly, the other 2 were stuck and we shredded them trying to pull the shell off... and $16 for 3 pieces of shrimp that I peeled myself... The best thing we had was the Bao $18 for 3 mini buns, the shining star of the dish wasn't the wagyu meat, it was the Bao bun itself. The ginger over powder the wagyu meat on the Bao in my opinion, but it was the best thing we had. Lastly we had the seared hamachi $26, it was unfortunately fishy and the best part of the dish was the asparagus it rested on. I have had fresh yellowtail and it's one of my favorite fish as sushi or grilled this was sadly disappointing and didn't taste fresh. My friend and I kept an open mind but decided we wouldn't be back again. Good concept on paper and I love the ideas of the food as well as the atmosphere in the Oak room but overall it was a highly disappointing dinner for $165 before tip for 2 people and I'm not really fulfilled. We sat as the bar and the bartender was ok..never asked us how we liked the food or drinks. For the price, wish I went somewhere else for $100 dinner for myself after splitting the check and tip. read more

Oak & Coal - Blistered Brussels - Japanese Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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Came here and was served by Hailey. She was very friendly and helped me understand the menu and what were the best items since it was my first time here. I first started off with the chef special and those buns definitely had a kick to it but when I ordered it the second time I had them put the sauce to the side. The Wagyu beef was so tender and juicy which is why I ended up ordering the Wagyu skewers. That was probably my favorite item on the whole menu. It tasted buttery and just melted in your mouth. The cucumber salad was refreshing and helped calm the heat down from some of the other items. This is shishito peppers were hit and miss in the sense that some were incredibly spicy and some just regular. I also thought of the brussels sprouts were good definitely need to order them when you come here. All I know the food was good the drinks were good and the service was perfect never needed even a refill because she was always on top of it. read more

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the char siu buns are so good i could eat them all day. the skewers are very good and the dessert was one of the best ive had very nice decor and vibe in there. drinks are good, food is good, vibe is good. cant complain. service is also quick and nice too:) read more

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Chicken lemon grass dumplings ($6): the dumplings are steamed. Delicious Seafood garlic noodles ($22): loved it! the wild scallops and Mexican wild shrimp were sautéed with ramen noodles. The sauce was on point and the seafood tasted very fresh Tsukene ($9): the homemade chicken meatballs were sautéed with zucchini and shimeji mushrooms. Too salty. Meatballs were on the dryer side and one of them was served burnt Chicken yakitoti mix ($15): comes with 4 skewers. 2 were thigh meat and 2 were breast meat. Nothing special about this dish. I wish the meat was juicier. read more

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

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Mind blown at our dinner last night. Started with Tuna Tartare, Seared Hamachi & fresh Dumplings(these run out quick). Moved on to have the Wagu sticks and finished off with King Salmon which was so good we got another, lol. All the cooked dishes get served with a unique and delicious veggie mix. This chef & his team get down in the kitchen and demand perfection with each plate. Fun vibe, creative art, draft beer and good people. 10 out of 10 since they revamped the menu! read more

Oak & Coal - Seared Hamachi - Japanese Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

I happily drive over an hour out of my way, just to eat at Oak & Coal. It is an incredible experience to share with your friends and family. I've tried almost every dish, each one is genuinely amazing and bursting with flavor. The menu is beautifully curated so whatever you choose, you'll have a memorable meal. I recommend trying the Ponzu Prime Rib NY Strip, and the Seared Hamachi. The ambiance and service make you feel at home. The warm, speakeasy vibe in the Oak Room is accentuated by the bar, operated by incredible bartenders. They serve cocktails that are just as unique and flavorful as the food. The Tokyo Gimlet and Maui Mai Tai are my favorites, both refreshing and complimentary to the smokier dishes. Can't recommend Oak & Coal enough. read more

First of all, the service is top notch. Genuinely very nice people work at this restaurant. Nick and Ty made my first time experience fabulous. We asked for recommendations on menu items and they were friendly and the best. Very fresh, great tasty food. Healthy and nothing was over or under cooked- all was delicious. We had dinner at the bar. Fun and laid back environment. Highly recommend! read more

Soooooooo fancy and good!!! I took my daughter!! Food was great and it came super fast! Our server always had our drinks full! Tables were clean too!! read more

This is quite the GEM!! Was completed blown away at the amazing hospitality and ambiance here. Every dish that came out was better than anything I've had and I just can't wait to come back. Don't sleep on Oak & Coal. This is one of our finest and I guarantee the highest quality of food and standards here. It's unreal to me that people like Amy (review below) throw around non-sense without even addressing it with management. Yelp, please take down her false review. Keep up the great work Y'all!!!! read more

Great food and even better service. Will was our bartender and had phenomenal recommendations for both food and drinks. We certainly left satisfied. My girlfriend and I shared the chicken karage to start then shared the snake river wagyu beef entree. It was fairly light, but absolutely delicious. The ambience was mellow, modern and cool. Can't wait to come back. Can't recommend this spot enough. read more

Wow. What an amazing place. The perfect date night spot for us! The staff, the food, EVERYTHING was amazing. We will definitely be coming back and I think we've found our new spot! read more

Tapas style Japanese inspired food. Having been to many izakayas in japan, it is a fairly close experience. Wagyu skewers, miso cod, garlic noodles, pork belly are all very good. Have been there at least 4 times and generally is very consistent. read more

Doesn't look like much snuggled in a dark plaza. We stumbled upon this tiny yakatori/Japanese fusion restaurant. Was super excited to try everything on the menu. As soon as as we received our dishes and dived in.....what is this? Flavor and texture was off. How can you miss yakatori and the cucumber salad, bland, no flavor! The agedashi was a complete epic failure. Sorry but we won't be returning. read more

Oak & Coal - Cucumber salad - this batch wasn't brined long enough, was bland. - Japanese Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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Came here with my grown kids on a Wednesday evening around 5:45pm, just before it got jam packed. We landed one of the larger center tables and got served immediately. I studied the menu a bit but took a bit too long to order and just missed the happy-hour-20%-off-all-food window from 5:00 - 6:00pm. We ordered (* my favs): Lemongrass dumplings Snake river wagyu beef kushiyaki (skewers) * Pork belly kushiyaki * Kurobuta sausages Lamp chops * Charred unagi *yes! Charred corn off the the cob Veggie mix Banana pudding ** frickin amazing Matcha cheesecake Yea, we ate a lot and it was a bit pricey, but it was so worth it. We thoroughly enjoyed our dinner and will be back again soon. We just got so lost in the food, I forgot to take pictures. *gasp* Ample parking Friendly and responsive service staff Cool vibe read more

No where as good as Izakaya Hachi next to South Coast Plaza, but this is a close second! Service was really good, they are very attentive and refill your water before you even notice you need a refill. Appetizers: Hot Soba Noodle - this was okay, my friend ordered it by accident. it comes with a chicken thigh skewer, but the soup was too salty for my taste. The kimchi dumplings however was delicious! If we didn't have the noodles, we 100% would order another round. Skewers: We wanted to try a variety, so we shared the chicken thigh, kobe short rib, kobe tongue, quail eggs, and the kurobuta pork belly. The kobe tongue was my favorite, so tender! The short rib was good but I think I liked the chicken better, and the quail eggs were great. Pork belly was good too, but I didn't really care for it as much. They also give like 3 different sauces (ponzu, a green/spicy one, and another one I can't remember). I mostly used the spicy powder from the condiments tray. The overall vibe was really modern yet cozy, it's a great place to catch up with friends over some skewers and sake, or even a date! Romantic & delicious. read more

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

Jeff Chon knocks it out if the park again! Do yourself a favor and visit this incredible restaurant in Costa Mesa. The service is unmatched. The staff truly cares about your experience. The food is absolutely amazing - everything we tasted melted in other mouths. Absolutely the best meal we've had in a while. Highly recommend! read more

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Awesome skewers! Steven the server was very attentive and provided good recommendations. We would definitely come back.

Meh. It was ok. I wasn't impressed with their Wagyu skewers. I've had much better else where. Dumplings were good, but those are hard to screw up. Brussels sprouts were ok. Bacon wrapped asparagus was too salty. Service was fine. Atmosphere was seriously lacking. Bar stools were uncomfortable. read more

Oh my god what can't I say about this restaurant!!! We have been looking for a good yakitori restaurant ever since shino's in corona closed down. This place definitely delivers. It was worth the drive and my whole family enjoyed. We got so stuffed on everything the only thing that I didn't like was the scallops weren't as good as I was hoping. But their steak and all their bacon wrapped items were amazing! We got there extra early to make sure we would get a table as it is a very small place. The servers were friendly and very helpful with everything. Another plus is the beer was ice cold love having that and they have a great happy hour!! Hopefully we will be able to return soon once the scoring team is over thank you everybody at Oak and coal for the amazing food and the incredible service we'll see you soon! read more

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

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Oustanding Japanese style yakitori place serving izakaya style foods (small plates intended for sharing like tapas). The Japanese pickle dish, garlic noodles (like dan dan style) and the negima yakitori were particular standouts. Well done flavors overall with a nice balance. The pickles were not like a traditional tsukemono, but were very crispy had contained outstanding flavors. They do also serve high quality rice, but they charge a hefty fee per bowl and oddly serve it in a soup bowl. Admittedly, I was leery about the authenticity of a Japanese establishment in Costa Mesa that is not near Baker St, but my trustworthy brother convinced me that this place is worth the shot. I'm glad he did because this place nails the flavors down for the dishes we tried. And while the food is excellently prepared, what REALLY sets this place apart is their excellent service and phenomenal Japanese whisky collection. To the "in the know" whisky crowd, Japanese whiskys have shot off like a rocket in popularity especially after several Japanese whiskys received top awards in recent years. Whisky distillers have been operating for about 100 years and they learned everything from the Scots. When I saw that they have the impossible to find Yamazaki 18 for sale here--I knew fate had crossed my path here at Oak + Coal. When Yamazaki announced a few years ago that it was no longer producing the 18, whisky collectors have been scrambling to gobble up this famed bottle as quickly as possible, myself included. When I was a kid growing up in Newport Mesa, I never could have imagined eating such great food in this particular shopping area, while being served an extremely rare Japanese whisky. How fate twists and turns to criss-cross paths is just incomprehensible. But my whisky collection improvement is thankful! read more

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By far one of best drink spots in Newport/Costa Mesa, the food is even better. All the bartenders are great at what they do. The VIBES are real. Big shout out to Steven! He defused a dumb drunk person situation like a gentleman! Must sit at the bar for full experience! read more

Been here a handful of times and I am always impressed. The food, service and cocktails always exceeded expectations. Can't recommend it highly enough. If you have not been you are missing out. read more

Good food and drinks were nice. We had a group which we were able to make a group reservation by contacting the owner. This was helpful since it did get busy as the night progressed. Ambience in the front area is more casual. The bar area was nice but no open seating just to grab another drink. Desserts were good but lacked in appeal when plated. Overall good but slightly expensive. read more

I (think) Oak & Coal is an Americanized approach to yakitori. I think. I (think) yakitori is generally a Japanese type of drinking food - you order skewers + small sides - then sit in long doses chatting and mainly drinking. The menu here is not conducive to that type of dining experience. The menu is somewhat limited - skewers induced - and lacks a little bit of the veggies/sides you normally find at a yakitori restaurant. With that said, Oak & Coal tries to emulate that experience but falls a little short. My friend and I stopped by for a quick dinner. We ordered a number of skewers (quail egg, pork belly tomato, kurobuta sausages, king trumpet mushrooms, chicken breast + chicken thigh). Everything was priced around $3 and did not exceed $4. Everything was good, but not great, and certainly not memorable. We moved on to more expensive skewers - salmon + kobe ribeye ($7) - eh, it was not worth the price jump because there was no discernable flavor. We also shared the cold soba salad ($9) which was cold soba, topped with sweet onion, diakon radish, tomato + dashi stock. I was not a fan. I am a fan of soba when it is the dipping sort, but these noodles came dressed in stock. It was super vinergery, had too many onions, and overall, lacked a flavor identity. There is a lot of promise here, but there isn't enough on their menu to entice me to come back to try. read more

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Tuna tartare - 5/5!! Loved the quail egg that was added to it Pork sausages - 5/5 as well! Flavor and also the dressing on the side was a great complement to the skewers Wagyu Don - 5/5: poached egg complemented the wagyu. Overall, really delicious dish! Service: was a little thrown off at first because our server somehow got our seating situation mixed up with another table's and tried to get us to leave the table to get reseated again but they were able to make things work for us so that was greatly appreciated. Super friendly bartenders and the staff are very helpful! read more

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What used to be such a great place has become such a disappointment. Service is less then average and getting a seat at a first come first serve bar apparently requires a reservation read more

I absolutely loved this gem of a place. We sat at the bar and had drinks and food served to us right there. It's located in an obscure plaza that would lead you to believe it's closed or a bit sketch but don't let that fool you. Easy parking plus the super helpful waitlist option from Yelp. Now the vibe in this place is artsy, well-thought out and very friendly. The staff was cheerful and giving. We got complimentary sake bombs and a taste of a delicious whiskey. Their old fashioned was incredible and I'm kind of a snob when it comes to that. Their food was fantastic with a pleasant surprise that dining here didn't break the bank. If I find myself in this neck of the woods again I'm definitely coming back, hands down. read more

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

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Oak and Coal is great! Every time we come the staff are great. Service is great. Food is so good! I come and sit at the counter overlooking the kitchen often and love to order a good shishito sour, a not your average miso ramen, and a few Kushiyaki skewers! A great date spot or causal dinner spot! read more

We have been wanting to come here for a while and glad we finally did! We had a few different items; garlic noodles with seafood, chicken & lemongrass skewers, steak skewers, and chicken meatballs....paired it all with a couple of topo chicos and lime. Next time, I'll try some of their cocktails. Everything was great! read more

We have a shop in the same center This is our go to for food when we don't want to cook. The owners and workers are great. The food is my favorite. Variety of things to choose from. I love the bau buns and shishoto peppers wife loves the lamb sycles (lamb chops). read more

The best garlic noodles I've ever had! The seafood garlic noodles here and now my all time favorite noodles. The wings were also good. Unfortunately, they were out of a couple items when we went. Aside from the wings and the noodles, everything else was mediocre. Especially the lemongrass dumplings. Wish I would've skipped these. If I do come back, it would be specifically for the noodles! read more

I can't believe this place has been there so long and I'm just now discovering it. Delicious food and fast, friendly service! I'll definitely bring more friends here! read more

Good was so good Service was amazing and being our first time, our server have good suggestions and monitored how much we ordered to be reasonable too Price was okay. A bit pricey in the end but so good! 2 people, with happy hour after 9, spend close to $95 with tax and tip read more

Oak & Coal is a hidden gem. We were craving yakitori and did not want to hassle with a wait. We were seated right away on a Friday afternoon. They've got an interesting décor that is aesthetically pleasing. For example, your plate is a slab of wood. Not a big place but most Japanese places aren't big and spacious. In terms of yakitori, they've got all of the usual suspects however, they use different names for some items, perhaps to appease to their demographic. For example, they called cartilage "soft bone." Recommend getting their filet mignon yakitori. I really enjoyed their mini sauce/paste platter they brought out (yuzu, gochujang, garlic, etc.). Tomato Onion Avocado salad was refreshing. Brussel sprouts were great. Service was amazing. Parking was easy as they are located in a slow plaza but I can imagine it getting crowded. read more

Oak & Coal - Yakitori. Chicken thighs, potatos, pork belly, chicken skin, chicken wing, cartilage - Japanese Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Absolutely delicious food. I used to go to Honda-ya in Tustin for izakaya , but wow this place is just as good if not better. Service is also great. They were on point with all of our orders and made sure we were comfortable and enjoying our meal. The lady and all the staff were awesome. I'm not going to lie though this one guy sitting next to us was being an absolute entitled little b**ch. he has no respect for the restaurant industry and just demands everything on the spot. I say this because I guarantee he is writing a nasty review about the customer service but he simply just has no restaurant etiquette especially on a busy night.... I wanted to say something to him but I made sure I kept my mouth shut. Definitely coming back with the entire squad. read more

Everything about my experience there was wonderful from the staff to the food and the ambience it's nice to have a wonderful new restaurant in the area and the prices were extremely reasonable, which is also nice to see as well!! read more

5 stars to the excellent waitress service. 0 star to their staff shouting to each other. 0 star to food Here is the thing with yakitori. Every restaurant should prepare the order and calculate the time for their customer, so the customers can enjoy hot yakitori and you don't have to eat too fast. Unfortunately Oak & Coal delivers yakitori order all at once. They do allow you to order in rounds, but do I have to order 4 times in 4 orders? It's too much work for the customers. It stated on their website that they use japanese charcoal to BBQ their yakitori. There is not even a charcoal smell on their yakitori. Yes, it smells burned, but not unique smell that charcoal would provide. Where did you get your chef?Takaya Yakitori Izakaya? They are very generous with Yuzu paste, plum paste...etc. The beauty of yuzu paste is there when you use a bit of it, but not over the top. This is way over the top and extremely salty. --+ Yuzu soda: The first time is too strong and the second time it's bland. --+ Spicy chicken wings: Chicken meat is tender and juicy, chicken skin is ugly, burned and bitter. --- chicken skin: The chicken skin is soft and it has this overly sweetened sauce over the skin and it's luke warm. so gross. --+Lamb chop: Unfortunately it's cold when we start to eat it. Again, there is no charcoal smell and it's texture is dry. It's boring and chewy. --- Chicken wing: It's tender, however it's absolutely bland. We did use the generous sauce they put aside, but I was hoping that the chicken meat also has some flavors in it and not just on the outside of the skin. -++Robuta pork belly: It's charred, tender and juicy, the meat quality is pretty good. -++ Kobe short rib: Highlight of the night. It's hot, tender and juicy. no charcoal flavors as the other ones, but it does has a beautiful meat quality. Yakitori is not just put some meat on the fire and just bbq it. Then everything will taste amazing when you put all kind of sauce on it. It shows the patience and the skill of the yakitori masters. Here in Oak and Coal, they don't deliver yakitori to the customers, what they deliver is BBQ on a stick. And as to whatever charcoal they use, it's ridiculous, none of the item has charcoal aroma on them. read more

Oak & Coal - Excellent service, fake yakitori - Japanese Near Me - Costa Mesa, California