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    Ootoro Bar

    4.4 (196 reviews)
    Closed 11:30 am - 2:00 pm, 5:30 PM - 9:30 PM
    Updated 2 weeks ago

    Ootoro Bar Photos

    OOTORO BAR ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Trendy
    Intimate
    Dogs allowed
    Outdoor seating

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    Lunch menu
    Tom L.

    Amazing sushi and incredibly fresh fish. The toro was buttery and melted in my mouth, and every piece was beautifully prepared. Great service, nice atmosphere, and definitely worth the price for the quality. One of the best sushi spots in Orange County! Friendly staff and lunch deals are great!

    Tiffany C.

    [[HIGHLIGHT]]This is now my go to location as it is starting to get busier but still not crowded like the other location.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]I've returned for lunch several times and have enjoyed sitting in the booths with my family, as well as sitting at the bar where you have constant attention by the sushi chefs and staff.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]There are actually two full bar areas and I've seen them utilize both areas when they are busy but often they just start with one side.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]The place is not too loud but you hear the hustle bustle of guests and staff doing their thing.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Everyone there is friendly and happy to help. They were even able to accommodate when I placed my order and 5 minutes later changed my mind and asked if I could swap out an item. They've updated their lunch menus a bit more to remove the super premium Sea Bass and move the Miso cod to the left side of the lunch combo. I still miss the old menu but I understand it's business and they need to be able to make money as prices for the ingredients have also increased. Food is still amazing and fresh and we always leave full and satisfied.

    Tempura set from two-item lunch combo
    Wayne T.

    Have been here for lunch and dinner. [[HIGHLIGHT]]It feels super authentic and you can watch as they make the sushi and sashimi dishes right in front of you at one of the two sushi bar areas.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]The bar stools are a bit high for shorter people to sit at but there's three tables too in the restaurant.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Just be prepared to wait for seating since the tables fill up almost right after opening time. Great variety of handrolls to choose from in a set, which are served one a time, fresh sashimi and sushi lunches along with two item combos, and Orion beer available. Great prices and value for this level of Japanese food, which is a very hard to find combination in the Irvine/Tustin area nowadays.

    Paulina N.

    No lie Ootoro Bar has the best sushi I have ever had. My boyfriend and I came on a Friday night around 6 pm and it was pretty busy. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The restaurant had a dim setting with two sushi bars and a couple tables.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Luckily they had a table open, so we were able to get sat right away. We decided to order the Sashimi Deluxe, a couple sushis, and the 3 hand roll set. Everything tasted absolutely delicious and melted in our mouths, but our favorite was the ootoro sushi which was mind blowing lol. My boyfriend said the sushi here tastes just as fresh as in Japan when he went. The hand rolls to me were just okay.. The blue crab hand roll was my favorite from the 3! Service was also great and all the servers were very attentive. Ootoro Bar is a bit pricey but it is so worth the money. I think we found our new date night spot hehe

    Elisa T.

    We were craving sushi and decided to stop by here for a quick dinner, and I'm so glad we did. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The restaurant is intimate, with two separate sushi bar counters and a few tables along the side. The lighting is dim and romantic--perfect for a date night.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] The service was excellent: super friendly, attentive without hovering, and always checking in at the right moments whenever we needed something. We started with the toro tartare, which is an absolute must-order for me. It's topped with uni and tobiko, then finished with freshly grated truffle and truffle salt. Scooping it up with the seaweed chips was such an umami bomb--rich, savory, and incredibly satisfying. All of the hand rolls and nigiri we tried tasted very fresh and flavorful. I will say the spicy hand rolls were pretty spicy for me, but still delicious if you enjoy heat. I'm so happy we found this spot, this is definitely becoming our new go-to sushi spot for me and my husband.

    Blue crab cut roll with added avocado $8.50
    Kathy S.

    Ootoro Bar doesn't compare to its other location on Michelson. The was no wait at 5:45pm on a Saturday for a table. Even when we left at 730pm the bar was half empty. Is this usual for a Saturday night?? Sushi Set A includes 2 scallops, 2 kinds of white fish, 2 tunas, 2 yellowtail, 2 albacore, and 2 salmons (that we never got), and 1 daily hand roll. I don't recommend the sushi here as the sauce that paired with the fish was too overwhelming (either too tangy/sour or salty). Unless the fish isn't fresh there's no reason to drown it in sauce. 6 Hand Rolls: that's what we ordered but we only got 3 due to the lack of communication between the server and sushi chef. After the server brought our "Daily hand roll" from sushi set A she thought we had received the first 3 rolls from the hand roll set. We ended up getting only 3 rolls from our order. After waiting for 20 minutes (having given them grace for possibly a busy night plus we were seated in the back corner so we couldn't tell what took so long) we canceled our order especially having to explain to the server what we have eaten 20 minutes ago and what we didn't. We were over it! Blue crab cut roll (4 pieces) with avocado (extra charge): pretty standard Crunch cut roll (4 pieces): nothing special Servers were nice but lacked communication with the kitchen/chef. Also they stopped checking on us toward the end. When we were heading out there were probably 3-4 parties at the bar. Not sure why service was so slow. This won't be added to our sushi rotation.

    Chi P.

    A friend if a friend recommended this place so we decided to give it try. We couldn't get through by phone for reservations but were able to get a seat at 11:30 Friday without a problem. We got the $69 sushi set B and all of it was delicious! The fish was soft and fresh and the size was generous. Albacore is not one I usually like but theirs was quite good. The amount of soy sauce was just right too. The staff were all super nice too. I wanted to try the rolls but I was full already. I will definitely be back.

    Donna L.

    I was craving sushi so I decided to swing by here. I did a walk-in (no reservations) and was easily accommodated. I may have only waited 5 minutes to get seated. I really like the ambiance. The restaurant is very modern and simple. It is a great spot for a girls night out or a couple date night. It was pretty loud but it was not unbearable. I ordered the sushi set A, which came with 12 pieces of sushi and 1 hand roll for roughly $43. I like the pace at which I was served each piece. I did not wait too long or felt rushed to get to the next piece. One thing that really stood out was the size of the fish slices. They were big enough that you could barely tell there was rice underneath. I was impressed by the fish to rice ratio.

    Bottom to top: amberjack, wild salmon, salmon belly, red snapper sushi

    Incredible experience for our first time here. We came with another couple on a whim and it has immediately solidified as a go to spot for us. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The ambience is the perfect moodiness with dim lighting (perfectly balanced to not hurt your eyes) and soft music playing in the background.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] The staff are incredibly friendly and consistently checked in on our table to ensure everything was going well. We ordered the following: - 6 Hand Roll (x2) - 7 Hand Roll (x2) - Edamame - Amberjack sushi - Red Snapper sushi - Wild Salmon sushi - Salmon Belly sushi Everything was absolutely delicious! The hand roll experience was perfect--they were each so flavorful and we loved that they were brought out individually to keep the seaweed from getting soggy. All of the sushi was also incredible and so fresh. The fish melted in our mouths and was some of the best we've ever had. Also, the pricing of everything is beyond reasonable for the high quality of food you get. Overall, I'd highly recommend coming here and we will most definitely be back!

    Chilean seabass 5 out of 5
    Katherine N.

    Everything was amazing from beginning to end. Service was quick and friendly. Food was fabulous. I got there around 12:30pm and ordered off the lunch menu. I got the Chilean seabass with toro roll & I also got the sashimi lunch. Each order comes with miso soup and rice. The sashimi pieces in the sashimi lunch were melt in your mouth good and they didn't skimp-- the pieces are huge! The Chilean seabass oozes of buttery goodness. Flavor was unbelievable. To celebrate a birthday for my friend, they brought out a complimentary slice of cake. There's plenty of parking. I can't wait to come back!

    Premium Chirashi
    Winny K.

    So happy about this additional OC location for Ootoro! This one feels more intimate (dimmer lighting) than the Irvine location, and it's mostly bar seating with a few partitioned tables. Service was efficient and we were in and out pretty quickly after enjoying Ootoro's signature delicious and fresh sushi! My husband got the Premium Chirashi, which was beautiful and chock-full of tasty and fatty cuts of fish. I ordered the Sushi Lunch, which was just as good as I remembered from the Irvine location, if not better. Love thet both options come with sweet shrimp and they ask if you'd like it deep fried (to crispy perfection) or in a very comforting and savory soup. We did one of each and I loved both! Can't wait to come back again for lunch. For the quality of fish, the lunch prices are pretty reasonable.

    Toro hand roll
    Yau-Ru C.

    A quick and easy place to enjoy hand rolls and sushi. Got the 6-piece hand roll (A) which comes with blue-fin tuna, blue crab, toro, spicy scallop, spicy salmon and spicy lobster hand rolls. I enjoyed the crisp nori and slightly warm rice. However, the 3 spicy rolls proved to be a bit overwhelming for my taste buds...all I can taste is the spice and not the ingredients. So, I would recommend going with the non-spicy set and adding a la carte spicy ones as you desire. I wish the hand roll sets would come with something like miso soup or ootoshi appetizer...because we were done with our food in under 15 minutes, feels a bit rushed.

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    Ootoro Bar Reviews in Other Languages

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    HONDA-YA Tustin

    HONDA-YA Tustin

    4.0
    (3.6k reviews)
    1.9 mi
    $$

    This place is a fantastic hole in the wall…read more We got lucky and walked up with no line. By the time we left there were at least 15 people waiting so plan accordingly. The food here is excellent and very reasonably priced. The yakitori skewers were as good as anywhere I've been and the sushi rolls were great as well. I especially liked their current special tuna roll and the bacon wrapped shrimp skewer. Service was attentive and friendly. Really felt like the value for portion sizes and quality was on point, especially compared to what you get in LA proper.

    Food - I order the oden hot pot, meatball, meatball w/cheese. Not in the picture garlic pork belly,…read morepork belly, beef, prime beef, Japanese beef and beef udon, As you can see in the picture oden hot pot what you see in the menu is what you get. It is 6/10 for me soup was very bland, hard boiled egg yolk had a very strong scent (which maybe boiled it for too long) didn't really get full from this. The skewers are always good and delicious. I think they have changed their menu also? There were some food items I was looking for but it seems to be discounted. The server were nice enough to explain each items in the menu but we weren't assisted that quickly as it was a very busy night. The decorations are very cozy and felt like you were in a authentic Japanese restaurant they also have a place where you can sit on the floor but that takes about 40 - 2 hours. Overall experience was great! Will go back and try other items.

    Photos
    Samurai
    Samurai
    Skewers (yakitori)
    Skewers (yakitori)
    【Spring special】
Vegetables Tempura w/curry salt $7.95
Cooked Bamboo shoots w/seaweed and dried bonito   $4.50

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    【Spring special】 Vegetables Tempura w/curry salt $7.95 Cooked Bamboo shoots w/seaweed and dried bonito $4.50
    Sushi Bear

    Sushi Bear

    4.2
    (1.5k reviews)
    1.6 mi
    $$

    We were actually at Ayer next door when we wanted to try something new to eat. We aren't the most…read morefamiliar with the area, but we noticed this sushi place next door and decided to give it a try when we saw they had lunch specials. We ordered the following: Agedashi Tofu: This was honestly the highlight of the meal. I have been craving this appetizer, but not many places around here actually offer it. The last place I tried this was at Haku, and I was not impressed by it. However, the tofu here was really good! It was hot, crispy, and the sauce was perfectly sweet and salty. It comes with 4 larger sized pieces of tofu, which I thought was great, but could have been more for the price. Stir Fry Udon: This dish was advertised outside on one of their stand up signs by the front door. This is part of what brought us in, but upon receiving it, I was not too impressed. The sauce was extremely dark and it already looked salty. When I actually tasted it, I was not surprised that it tasted exactly how it looked. It was way too salty and saucey to the point, we were eating one bite then drinking water right after. It was a pretty simple dish with what looked like frozen carrots and peas and some cut up chicken. Lunch Bento Box Option 2: We opted in for the teriyaki salmon, gyoza, and salmon roll. It came with a side of salad and miso soup. The salmon was cut very thin and it did not have enough teriyaki sauce on it. It was on the dry side. The gyoza was nothing too special. Just felt frozen then dried with gyoza sauce. Miso soup and salad were also just decent. The best part of this meal probably had to be the salmon roll. I liked the big portions of salmon and the little rice on the outside. This was the perfect balance instead of just getting a mouthful of rice each bit like most other sushi places do. I think this place was decent, overall. The prices were definitely on the higher side for what you get. Nothing too much to rave about other than the agedashi tofu, so I will be by for that again, but not sure if I would necessarily get anything else. Service was attentive and great. Just know, not all their offerings are actually listed on the menu, so we did not even know how much the stir fry udon was until we got charged for it.

    This place was just okay overall. We stopped by early in the day while looking for somewhere to…read moreeat. We were craving agedashi tofu, and that ended up being the highlight, it was really good. We tried a few other items as well, but they didn't quite stand out and were a bit on the salty side for my taste. On the plus side, their sushi rolls had a great balance, not too much rice compared to the amount of fish, which I appreciated. They also offer some solid lunch specials, which is a nice option if you're stopping by during the day. It was very quiet when we visited, we were actually the only ones there, so I'm curious to see if it gets more lively at other times. I'd be open to giving it another try in the future.

    Photos
    Sushi Bear
    Burning Sensation
    Burning Sensation
    Sayuri Sake.

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    Sayuri Sake.
    Ponzu Sushi Bar

    Ponzu Sushi Bar

    4.6
    (930 reviews)
    3.5 mi
    $$

    This place is great for date night and little celebration. I went here with my girlfriend around…read more8PM. We didn't have to wait and were sat down immediately. The service here is amazing. I wanted extra fresh wasabi and they provide me a huge amount without adding extra charges. The quality of their sushi has to be a 10/10. Especially their black cod. It was one of our favorite.

    Fantastic sushi - such a breath of fresh air. We live in Lake Forest where the sushi is kind of…read moredismal, so we decided to venture into Santa Ana in hopes of greener sushi pastures, and we were not disappointed. The fish was so fresh, service was fast and attentive, music was good, and the vibe was very enjoyable. Spicy tuna crispy rice: other than our favorite sushi place that sadly closed, this one was the best we've ever had. The crispy rice patty is fairly flat, which is way better and offers far superior crunch than the thick ones. "New style" salmon sashimi with white truffle: delightful. Salmon nigiri: we didn't think it could be this much better than other places. But it was. Seared escolar: I hadn't seen this on a menu in years and got really excited. It was just as incredible as I remembered. Absolutely amazing. Nevada Roll and Red Crunchy Roll: excellent. Perfect tempura flakes and perfect eel sauce. Even my daughter's humble cucumber roll was the best one we've seen in OC. It was very generous with the cucumber. We are thrilled we found this place and will definitely be back!

    Photos
    IG: happyfoodieoc
    IG: happyfoodieoc
    $8 SWEET SHRIMP SUSHI: SINGLE PIECE! The fresh, raw sweet shrimp with Masago. Then the fried shrimp head, which is my absolutely favorite!
    $8 SWEET SHRIMP SUSHI: SINGLE PIECE! The fresh, raw sweet shrimp with Masago. Then the fried shrimp head, which is my absolutely favorite!
    Oyster shooters (has alcohol)

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    Oyster shooters (has alcohol)
    Okidoki by Meiji

    Okidoki by Meiji

    4.0
    (1.2k reviews)
    2.0 mi
    $$
    Locally owned & operated
    Takes reservations

    We made a reservation for 5 for lunch on a Saturday. I would recommend to make a res if you're with…read morea larger party, but if you're 2 people, you can probably walk in! They have a lot of staff so service was great and attentive. We got the tamago and gyoza appetizers which were well made. They had no tako dishes (squid) of any form available at around 1:30 pm, saying it was all sold out. I ordered the spicy beef udon since I saw it online a lot, and it was definitely worth it! I got the standard spice and it had a nice kick but nothing too crazy. It was on a self burning pot so it kept it nice and hot throughout the meal. There was a good amount of beef and the soup flavor was unique and worth it! They also include a cheesy rice ball which you add into your soup at the end to make a porridge. Would definitely recommend ordering this one!

    Had dinner here with my kiddos and yummmm. I was craving udon and found this on Yelp and had to…read morecome try! The restaurant is pretty small and packs quickly so if you do decide to come make sure to get on the Yelp waiting list! Other than that the restaurant itself is cute. We ordered some appetizers... gyoza and chicken karaage. My son also ordered a California roll. I had the spicy beef udon with rice ball.. the appetizers were good. My spicy beef udon was delicious! It was brought out in a small cauldron like bowl atop a flame! It was boiling hot the whole time I ate! After you finish the udon there's a fried rice ball that you then would put in the pot to eat with the rest of the broth. I didn't go the traditional route.. instead I broke a piece of the rice and was surprised with some melted cheese inside! And took my piece and dipped it in my broth and ate it. It was great! So crunchy and umami! I would come again just for that rice ball lol

    Photos
    Spicy Beef Udon (Rice Ball)
    Spicy Beef Udon (Rice Ball)
    Okidoki by Meiji
    Okidoki by Meiji

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    Ootoro Bar - japanese - Updated July 2026

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