A must try restaurant in Irvine if you're craving top notch sushi. The restaurant feels high end and the service is very friendly and attentive. This is some of the best quality fish you can find in the area. The only reason I took a star off is because of the price but if money is not an issue, I highly recommend this place! If you want to try this place out, I recommend coming ~20-30 minutes before lunch time read more

Ootoro Sushi - Premium chirashi bowl - Sushi Bars Near Me - Irvine, California

I love to eat here ,food very fresh and good service, the people work there very friendly, I will come back again

I used to work 5 min (walking distance) from here so I used to go for lunch a lot and have had dinner here twice. Every single time, the service was amazing and the quality of fish was amazing. I usually prefer sashimi over sushi but this place, sushi's so perfect with the rice it comes with. Can't wait to go back. :) read more

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I'm critical of otoro because they used to be one of the pioneers of fine sushi dining for the Irvine area before the others popped up. The sushi is still tasty but the quality of service is mid, they forgot several rolls and it came out so incredibly slow. The meal shouldn't have been 2.5 hours but it was because of the subpar service. We loved their avocado /seaweed salad and toro sampler. Vibe is still nice and dim lit. Beware of sitting near some of their low hanging chandeliers- we were burning up! read more

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This was my second time coming to Ootoro Sushi for lunch, and one piece of advice: get there before 11 AM and put your name on the waitlist, even if it's a weekday. It fills up fast! The restaurant is surprisingly spacious once you're inside, with bar seating and regular tables along the side. They don't seat to maximum capacity, which I appreciate because it helps keep the flow smooth, especially with everyone eager to get their lunch orders in. No one wants to wait longer after already being hungry and ready to eat. The ambiance is lovely--dim lighting and a relaxed vibe, with everyone chatting and enjoying their time. The first time I came, I ordered the lunch combo: Toro-Don + Grilled Black Miso Cod, which was phenomenal and made me eager to come back. This time, I opted for the Sashimi Lunch, and while it may not look like a lot at first glance, it's super filling. The fish quality is fantastic--thick cuts, and they don't skimp on portions. It also comes with a side of rice and some of the freshest miso soup I've ever had. I'm already looking forward to my next visit to try the omakase. If my lunch expectations were this high and were met, I can only imagine how impressive dinner will be. Until next time, Ootoro! read more

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For my 2,100th review, I want to share w/ you an excellent sushi place on Michelson, down the street fr SNA. I have been to Otoro in the biz district of Irvine b4, but could not drop pics bc the previous visits were for biz. The latest visit was a friends bday, and it was a great experience. It was very similar to my visit at the original Otoro in Walnut. The four of us indulged in super fresh sushi, oysters, and other delights. In addition, Otoro has a great sake selection. Their offerings range fr reasonably priced bottles in the $30-50 range, up to a $725 bottle. After a couple of bottles of basic Dassai 45, I splurged for the bday girl and got a bottle of Shinsen ($150). You could really taste the difference. The latter was not sweet, and had a smooth, dry finish. Regarding the ambiance, its tight in here, but not overly so where you can't hear one another. It was very busy @ 6 pm on a Fri night. Luckily one person in our party is a regular. She was able to score a res. Joel (Manager), and his team took excellent care of us. Our food arrived quickly, and any special requests were handled w/ a smile. If you are looking for high quality sushi, and excellent service near John Wayne Airport, Otoro fits the bill. I'd have to say its the best sushi in Irvine IMHO. read more

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We came for the lunch combo special today. The 5 piece sashimi combo was exquisite. The fish is the most fresh you can get at a sushi restaurant. The flavor just seeps into your tongue and pulls apart so cleanly. Their wasabi and ginger is cut fresh every day which makes all the difference! Their miso cod is so soft, it feels silky smooth and is FULL of flavor. And the seared toro salad comes with such a wide variety of salad ingredients and the toro is so well seared. Never overcooked and is soft and delicious. The service here is great, our waiter is very speedy and attentive and they make sure your experience is satisfactory. Love Otoro! read more

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I'm going to give this to a mixed review but 5 stars and I'll tell you why. The service wasn't great, very polite but mediocre delivery, 3/5. But the food was really really well done and the presentation was outstanding. Our bill at the end was over 200 where it really would have been over 300 at a michelin for the food we ordered. The cuts and flavors were also pretty great. This place is a upper end price point deal but you take a slight sacrifice in service and ambiance as it is quite busy. read more

Ootoro Sushi - Sushi Bars Near Me - Irvine, California

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This sushi restaurant was excellent in last couple of years, one of my favorite restaurants in Irvine area. But, something had been changed. Food was tooooo salty. Too bad for blood pressure! Service was excellent. And the customers came there for lunch were too noisy. read more

Had an excellent, but expensive sushi lunch with a couple of coworkers. I work across the street, but it is always so crowded. The secret is to go late, after the lunch crush. We basically walked in and had plenty of time to order before last call. The combo lunch lets you order one item each each from 2 columns, and I went all sushi with a variety of white fish and a bluefin hand roll. Everything was really good, but it wasn't a ton of food. My coworkers ordered the poke salad and the salmon salad, and both were more substantial, so a mix with a larger item and a smaller item would be the way to go down the line. The fish was all high quality and the place is very pretty, with what looks like a huge wine list (at least from the glass wine cave) an oddity for a sushi restaurant. read more

AMAZING! Phenomenal cuts of fish, expertly prepared. Ordered the Sashimi Lunch special and was completely BLOWN AWAY! Every cut was premium grade perfect texture and spectacular flavor. read more

Long wait but worth it. Best to go when they open to avoid the long wait. Don't have to go to Little Tokyo or overpay at fancy Japanese restaurants. You actually pay for quality sushi here. Our favorite spot. read more

Takeout Review 1. The online ordering website was very easy to use! You can select Date and Time for pickup! 2. The sushi tasted fresh and delicious! 3. The spot has a romantic cozy ambiance when I went inside! 4. The staff were friendly and ready for me to pick up my order! Note: The shared parking lot gets crowded after 11:30 am on the weekdays! Photo: Sushi Box read more

Ootoro Sushi - Sushi Box (TikTok: @justandyvu) - Sushi Bars Near Me - Irvine, California

I love love loveee Otoro! The servers are always super nice, and the restaurant is dimly lit with spotlights at night. I've only gone early dinner on weekdays so haven't experienced any wait time. My boyfriend and I have been here 3 times together for dinner and always get the premium chirashi don ($48.95), the sweet shrimp nigiri ($18.95), and a few more nigiris to try (salmon belly, toro, etc). The quality of the fish and shellfish are so fresh and melts in your mouth. The chirashi don has everything you'd want, and every bite is so tasty! The shrimp heads can either be fried or cooked in miso soup, so two dishes for one!! I haven't tried the other cooked items, but they also look very good. Overall, this is my go to sushi spot in Irvine. I always leave satisfied and happy. Definitely give this place a try! read more

Ootoro Sushi - Premium chirashi don - Sushi Bars Near Me - Irvine, California

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Love this sushi place! Very fresh sashimi that is flavorful. We like ordering Chirashi bowl. read more

Ootoro Sushi - Chirashi bowl - Sushi Bars Near Me - Irvine, California

We got here at 11.15am on a Friday and put our names down. There was already lots of names ahead of us. When they started the seating at 11.30, we miss the first cut and the host informed they have the large sharing tables and they will wait 15 mins before seating us. In the end they took 45 mins. This was a little disappointing, if we knew it would have taken 45 mins in the first place, we would have gone somewhere else for lunch as we needed to get back to work. Tried to talk to them about this twice and they keep saying they needed more time to serve the current people seated first and does not have the bandwidth to take in everyone at once. The ambience inside is nice. Once we got seated we knew what we wanted and I ordered the premium chirashi. I wanted it with salad instead of rice and they said they can't do that, no substitution. For $43, I think they could have entertain swapping out the rice for salad, lots of other Japanese restaurant have done this for me. So the server recommended I get the sashimi deluxe which has the rice in the side which I did. He said same number of sashimi pieces as the chirashi. Food arrived quickly for the 4 of us. The cuts we thick and it tasted good. Not the best I've had. They asked if you want the shrimp head to be deep fried or in a soup. We all picked soup base on the rainy weather we we were in For the wait and the price, I rate this 3 star. I think there are a lot of better Japanese sushi restaurants in the OC. Could not understand the hype and high rating for this place. read more

Ootoro Sushi - Sashimi deluxe - Sushi Bars Near Me - Irvine, California

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What an experience! I came here for a pharm rep meeting and we went through a total of 12 courses plus dessert! The food was delicious, I've never had seafood this fresh before! It totally elevated my sushi standard. The service was amazing! Efficient and friendly, and that must've been hard because there was about 12 of us! The place is elegant, it's definitely a special occasion type of joint so it's pretty pricey but it's well worth it! I will definitely be coming back! read more

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I came here last Wednesday to celebrate my brother's birthday. As all our other family members were out of town at that time, we wanted to try this place because we had not visited it before. I previously tried the Walnut location, but I liked this location better. We arrived around 12:40 PM but had to wait for 30 minutes before being seated. It was first come, first served, and we didn't have a reservation. I tried the sashimi lunch ($24.95), and my brother had the premium chirashi ($44.95). We also shared the Ootoro ramen. I highly recommend having the sashimi lunch rather than the premium chirashi because the former has a more reasonable price. For the price, they offer fairly high-quality sashimi with a rice bowl. It just came with several pieces of sashimi and a rice bowl and no salad, but I was satisfied with the quality of the sashimi. I felt sorry that there's just one piece of uni in the premium chirashi, but the server asks whether you would like your shrimp head fried or served with the soup. My brother had it fried, and he said it was very tasty. The Ootoro ramen was great as well. It had so many ingredients, including two big jumbo shrimps, which were cut in half so you could eat them without much effort. The ramen also has miyazaki beef, char siu, clams, mushrooms, and some vegetables. The noodles were cooked perfectly, and the soup's taste had depth due to all the seafood and meat. I don't like waiting in line, but I'll come back to this location once I have time during a weekday. read more

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I went to this restaurant with my family and it was such an amazing experience! I think it was worth the price point as everything was so fresh and didn't disappoint! We did have to wait a while for dinner - we got there around 5:20 and put our name down but it is a fairly small restaurant with amazing service once you get inside! Their presentation is also amazing and again, I was blown away by how fresh everything was. I don't think that you could pick something bad here. The parking in this plaza, while free, is also horrendous. You'll eventually find something but it might take some circling as it is small! read more

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Best for their quality of fish. I would say this is hands down the most fresh and consistent sushi place in oc. Their chirashi bowl and hand rolls are my fave. Come lunch time and it's priced better than dinner time. Service is the best here they know what to get you before you ask. Pro tip: if you order chirashi bowl you can request the miso to be made with shrimp head or you can ask them to fry it! Ambiance is clean and pretty fun vibe there. They do provide private room however there is a minimum you have to spend. read more

This is my go to Japanese restaurant because of the great lunch specials. I almost always order the lunch combo with Toro Don and Miso Cod. It also comes with hot green tea and miso soup. When I come with friends we order our own meals but when I come with family, we will order a bunch of different dishes to share. Some of our favorites also include salmon kama, grilled chicken, fish head soup, and seared toro salad. read more

Ootoro Sushi - Toro Don - Sushi Bars Near Me - Irvine, California

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Tough parking in the plaza Takes credit card. They don't take reservations. It's best to show up when it opens. The fish here is phenomenal!! They overnight ship their fish from Japan, and get it in the morning from the LA fish market. All of the fish is super amazing. Oo toro (ala carte)- most fatty piece. It's a melt in your mouth. Perfect balance of flavors with rice. Scallop (ala carte)- super soft. Great flavors Sea bass- good choice. A little more meaty type flavor. Premium Chirashi ($44.95 for lunch)- get this! This is amazing. My bowl included and in order of excellence Otoro- this is amazing. probably the best cut in the bowl. Salmon- excellent. Soft belly pieces. blue fin Tuna- good quality. Amberjack- meaty, good flavor Yellowtail- subtle flavor, not as dominant as above. Mackerel- excellent flavor Minced crab- great Sweet shrimp- very fresh, sweet. read more

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Freshest, high-end sushi I've had in a while--every bite was melt-in-your-mouth perfection. Seated right away, service was patient (even with my huh-ass making them repeat themselves), and we were in and out in 30 minutes. Only complaint: those bar stools are not short-girl friendly. If you're under 5'5, sit at a booth unless you enjoy sushi with a side of dangling feet. read more

Ootoro has some of the best sushi in Southern California. Period. We've been to ootoro twice now and both times were extremely consistent. It's a traditional sushi spot and you can ask for hand rolls as well. The PACKED the hand rolls with protein. There's free parking here and I recommend making a reservation. The service is so so, but the food makes up for it. It's pricey but it's worth it every time we come and we will be back again. read more

Best sushi I've ever had and it's not close. Can't wait to go back. Excellent quality and service.

Probably one of the best authentic Japanese Sushi house with truly amazing rice and scrumptious thick Toro and kicking Wasabi with generous portions for lunch platter. The price is high for a very good reason. I rather pay a few more bucks for amazing food than eat some crappy wannabe sushi and sashimi without the soul. I'm not the biggest fan of eating raw fish but this restaurant kicks high for me and the rest of my family also agreed that this place is by far the best of all sushi restaurants in Orange County. Believe me because my daughters and my esposa really like sushi unlike me. They know what they are talking about. The lunch special with ten or twelve big pieces of sushi is probably the best choice for the price. We enjoyed every last one until no more grain of rice was on the flat serving platter. read more

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This is our go to place for sushi. Its one of the best sushi in OC. I've been to Nobu and its not the same as Nobu in Malibu and Vegas and way overpriced. This place offers delicious sushi. The fish is fresh and the flavors is wonderful. The portion size is generous as well. My favorite is the Santa Barbara Uni. The sashimi scallops is delicious. Another favorite is the squid tentacles and amazing oysters I like the lunch portion. You can pick two items from their lunch menu for under $30 I usually order the seabass and Udon combo. Fridays and Saturdays are super busy. But we'll worth the wait. read more

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My family has been coming to Ootoro for years and through C$&@#, they've main trained their level of service and quality of food. Having just returned, again, from two weeks in Japan, we can honestly say Ootoro is by far the most authentic and comparable sushi restaurant compared to those in Tokyo and Osaka. It wasn't until we tried two other locations and were severely disappointed, did we vow to return to Ootoro as soon as we are able. The cut is generous, the quality is extremely fresh, all sashimi is tender, cohesive, and that feeling when buying into it screams freshness. The sushi chefs are actual sushi chefs that caters to your needs when you order omakase...unlike the recent places we've been to where the chefs are simply an assembly line. Prices are still extremely competitive after all this time and the sake menu is amazing. Level of service is top notch, albeit short staffed, good help is very hard to find these days. Still our go to sushi restaurant in n Orange County and it looks like that will not be changing for the near future. read more

Get there early for lunch time, or be prepared to wait if you're not the first round of diners. They also have a limited lunch special. And it's totally worth it. We had the chirashi bowls and miso cod with 5 piece sushi. Fish slices in the chirashi were thick and plentiful. The miso cod was buttery and rich. Can't wait to come back for the toro bowls!!! read more

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This is a very upscale sushi restaurant. Love the decor and the booths that are available along with a sushi bar. The miso black cod is to die for. I have ordered it both times I have been here. The sashimi is fresh and you will not be disappointed. The service is consistent and there is no rush while you dine. read more

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Came in today for lunch and wow. Super fresh and flavorful fish! Rivals Sushi Gen lunch special but without the drive haha We got the sashimi special and it was only $24. A great variety of high quality fish. Others at the table got the seabass dish and the filet was huge and super soft. Hope to be back soon! read more

Ootoro Sushi - Sushi Bars Near Me - Irvine, California

Loved my experience dining here, it's a smaller restaurant with select seating that's almost always full, I think it lives up to the hype quite well. The fish was fresh and delicious, would definitely recommend getting their sashimi and nigiri here in lieu of their hot entrees. I ordered the uni pasta too but it was too salty for me, almost as if half a canister of salt was accidentally poured over it. Would stay away from this. read more

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Delicious and fresh fish for a fair price. As others have said, getting there early and putting your name on the list is the way to go read more

Ootoro Sushi - Chirashi bowl and sashimi lunch - Sushi Bars Near Me - Irvine, California

My friend, Matt C texted me early Saturday, "Wanna grab a bite?" I said, sure! I know you like sushi, your choice. I chose Korean BBQ last time... 'And let me tell you, Otoro raised the bar and ruined my usual sushi joints. (Sigh) Thanks Matt. HA! The restaurant opens its doors at 11:30am and according to Matt there was already a line down the front of the restaurant. I arrived ten minutes later. Matt signed us up for seating @ the sushi bar; best seats in the house.(Good call!) Interior: https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=UPPsUY4I6uYHMDYUwuL2Ag&userid=O6EBodP3Fgu_n67efSKnBQ Since this was Matt's go-to sushi spot, I had him place our orders. I just have to say, Matt doesn't mess around. We ate like kings. The order: Toro (Orders x2) Photo - https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=wp9HZm3qK6NT4Krf9XFyeg&userid=O6EBodP3Fgu_n67efSKnBQ Blue Fin Tuna (Orders x2) Photo - https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=aDfxQY7ngjuX_tgv8Ok-lw&userid=O6EBodP3Fgu_n67efSKnBQ Alabacore (Orders x2) Photo - https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=QqbWVPrF5BveKnqEhrkuGQ&userid=O6EBodP3Fgu_n67efSKnBQ Hamachi (Orders x2) Photo - https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=BEJIiMHGzIGyTvBXIOFGSg&userid=O6EBodP3Fgu_n67efSKnBQ Ma-Dai (Orders x2) Photo - https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=VBZauub0T2SBpgL-MhWF6g&userid=O6EBodP3Fgu_n67efSKnBQ Sake (Orders x2) Photo - https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=ycf8IuU8P6rnOwqdRkA_Pw&userid=O6EBodP3Fgu_n67efSKnBQ Dai Hotate (Orders x2) Photo - https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=n_BdppV-MDuts5-k_Ci-RA&userid=O6EBodP3Fgu_n67efSKnBQ Uni (Orders x2) Photo - https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=bZxAD259NspxretH80ylwA&userid=O6EBodP3Fgu_n67efSKnBQ White Fish - Three Way (Orders x2) Photo - https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=reEALnnKTXCCyyi9i29c1A&userid=O6EBodP3Fgu_n67efSKnBQ Dessert - Cheesecake (Orders x2) Photo - https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=uRbs8XBFHIbubT8IXlDTzg&userid=O6EBodP3Fgu_n67efSKnBQ The Bill: https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=WIbmGuJY2QrpVFLyQ7emWg&userid=O6EBodP3Fgu_n67efSKnBQ I did mention, "We ate like kings." Everything was so delicious and fresh. Yep, my usual to-go sushi spots, ruined!... 'But given the cost comparison, they will have to do. I am not sure when I will return to Otoro Sushi but I will definitely be back. Delicious. Eat well, eat often. - Big Aloha! Overall rating: 4 1/2 Stars (Rounding up) Food: 5 Ambiance: 4 Service: 5 Value: 4 read more

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Been wanting to try this place for a long time and so glad we finally did. Their hand rolls were amazing, and their Chirashi bowls r my favorite. Ambiance is great and they keep it dim inside. Service was awesome, and everyone was very nice. The fish was fresh and will definitely come back read more

Ootoro Sushi - Chirashi bowl - Sushi Bars Near Me - Irvine, California

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I've come twice now, and both times the quality of fish is absolutely incredible. Fresh and tasty. Our service at 745pm was also outstanding, the young lady was very attentive and energetic. We were seated in the back room with our party of 6. We waited just about 25min on a Tuesday evening. Parking is slightly crowded every night. We love getting the 3 Kinds Specials and the Salmon Belly sushi. I would rate everytji g but I would give them all 5's! We also had the Squid Legs, Soft Shell Crab Hand Rolls, and Chilean Sea Bass Hand Rolls for our guest who could not eat raw fish. Something to love here for everyone!! read more

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Otoro is one of my favorite sushi places around, but I had only been to the Walnut location. My friend told me this location was better and I can't say he was wrong. Great service per usual, your cup is never empty, and everyone is very friendly. This location seems a little more open and not as loud. For the food I always get the chirashi bowl and it never disappoints. The fish is always very high quality, prepared, and cut well. The sushi rice is delicious, I could eat a bowl of it by itself. The tamagoyaki is a nice touch of sweetness. We also got the Chilean sea bass roll. First time getting that and won't be the last. I usually stay away from hand rolls because of how much fish is actually in it. But this is packed with a golden deep fried and juicy piece of sea bass. Otoro is consistently top quality sushi and for the amount a fair price read more

Ootoro Sushi - Chilean sea bass hand roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Irvine, California

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Ootoro is the best sushi restaurant in So Cal - PRRIOD. We go there frequently - and they are consistently amazing with premium selections.

I will have to disclaimer that I've been here only once and ended up doing an omikaze on my birthday and it was the best decision I made. First off, this is my first omikaze and the first time I've been to Otoro. I really enjoyed the entire dinner experience. The atmosphere inside is very romantic and I was surprised that the restaurant wasn't as big as I thought it was. The food was incredible, the server we had was very attentive and made sure to explain every course we were served. I Also I want to note that I Loved the presentation of the dishes, they were so elegant. I wish we were able to sit in front of the chef but unfortunately we weren't able to. The one downfall is the wait was extremely long, I've never had to wait over 2 hours to get seated for a party of 2. Even though the wait was long, I would come back again because of the quality of the food. I definitely recommend this place, just beware that it is pricey but the quality is well worth it. I'll add a few pictures of some of our courses. read more

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Amazing service- called a day in advance for a party of 12 people and they were very accommodating! Made vegetarian plates for our vegetarian friend, and took our orders in 3 separate tables so the checks would be easier to manage. Food came promptly and Sashimi tasted very fresh! You can see the chefs on the edges of the restaurant, its an interesting view! read more

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