This place was the top rated sushi place on google maps, and I'm glad that my party and I tried it. The omakase Lunch Tasting Course ($150) was a very delicious experience that was recommended by the waitress for first timers. The restaurant for lunchtime was a nice dimly lit table with not too loud of an area. The omakase course was about 15 different courses that were served at 1-3 pieces at a time. The fish quality was so fresh and had a delicious texture and taste for each different piece. Not pictured is the shrimp head soup that was included with the Jumbo Sweet Shrimp. The pace of each plate was very comfortable, the waitress and chef were very polite and service was attentive. My only complaint is that I can't remember which piece was which, but I'll have these pictures to remember how delicious it was. I recommend the chefs lunch omakase for first timers, if you haven't been here before because there is so much on the menu that brings you back for more. read more

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This is by far one of my favorite sushi restaurants! As a salmon sashimi lover, I ordered the salmon ikura bowl instead of the chirashi bowl. Don't get me wrong though. Both of them are equally amazing! Sometimes when I feel like tasting different variety of fishes, I would get the chirashi instead. Nonetheless, what makes their bowls special is that they add dried tuna and spicy tuna on their bowls. Their dried tuna, especially, is to die for. When budget allows, I also like to order their Toro 3 kinds that comes with the toro, ootoro, and seared toro nigiris. All 3 of which provide their own kick in the mouth and the wallet. Despite the price, I would vouch that the toro 3 kinds are worth it! The service here is also amazing. Servers can speak mandarin, english, or even indonesian! Also, the servers and chefs were very friendly, cheerful, and polite. The ambiance of the place is a little too dark for me, but I can see why. It gives off a very intimate settings. The parking is also very easy. There are lots of parking spaces on the plaza or even underground parking structure! Definitely will come back from time to time! An advice to those who want to try (especially big parties), try to reserve ahead of time! read more

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Visited on 10/14/23 and made a reservation for 8:30pm for two people. I've been to this Ootoro Walnut location 3x for dinner over the years, and the food never disappoints. Food: I like the quality, freshness, cut, and clean flavor of their nigiris. There is no fishy taste. We ordered several nigiris: Oo Toro, Toro, Kinme Dai, Me Dai, Sake Toro, Hamachi Toro, Seared Sake, and some I can't remember the names. We also got 1 vegetable roll and 2 amaebi sweet shrimps - we had one shrimp head fried and the other as a soup (quite salty for my taste). Service: Fast and efficient; seated promptly Ambiance: Mellow Price: As much as I would like to dine here often, it is on the pricey side compared to other sushi places. Great for special occasions and date nights. A must try if you're in the area and want some good, quality sushi! read more

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Had a Sashimi deluxe today but the fish was not fresh. Tuna was okay, but not the Salmon, nor the Yellowtail. They tasted rubbery and fishy. The Uni and Giant Scallop sushi were also worse than before. Hope this is just an isolated case. =( read more

Great casual omakase experience. Each dish was delicious, fresh, and explained thoroughly by our servers. Timing was on the fast side which we appreciated. Added on the uni pasta which was rich and generously portioned. Only downside was the noise level--extremely loud patrons when we went. read more

Ootoro Sushi - Japanese Near Me - Walnut, California

Does this look right for a take out blue fin tuna bowl?Seems like it's missing 2 other side dishes (sweet cooked tuna and crab salad?) It wasn't like this before. We had to wait a long time for the take out to show up. Not worth the money if you have to pay dinner price for take out. read more

Ootoro Sushi - Blue Fin Tuna (Take out) - Japanese Near Me - Walnut, California

This place has been on my list to try, and decided to go big What I ate - Shikoku omakase: Not the most expensive omakase that's offered, but definitely worth the price. According to our server, the shikoku was more expensive than the cheapest omakase due to the special beef that was grilled tableside. Honestly, I thought this omakase was a great way to try out delicious seafood. Caviar was on at least 5 courses. While I didn't love every single dish, I still appreciated the care and though that went into the dishes. I missed taking pictures of a few courses, but there were about 15 dishes in total for this omakase. Pros: - Really delicious sushi/sashimi/seafood. The quality was so good. - Server was pretty perfect, on pointe, always appearing at the right time to whisk awake dirty dishes and bring on the next course - Plenty of parking. It was my first time in this plaza, and it always looked like limited parking in the lot, but there is underground parking - While there are so many sushi places in the area, I think this was by far the best sushi I've had, with quality on par with sushi places in LA. Cons: - Quality comes with a price. While you could definitely get away with getting 1 or 2 of their dishes, opting for just sushi or an omakase meal could get pricey. - You have to call to make a reservation. I kind of wish they had an online system. Would I come again? Yes read more

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Went on a Saturday evening dinner and there was a short wait of 3 tables ahead. Wait wasn't too long and we were promptly seated. Menu selection had many options for chirashi bowls, sashimi sets, omakase, a la carte items and a selection of sakes and beers. I got the sashimi set with eel and black cod tempura a la carte. Fish was fresh with a good variety. Service was good as the serves followed frequently on drink refills and if we needed anything else. read more

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Good food and good value, the otoshi and tempura could be better but other than that all we ordered was yummy. read more

Ootoro Sushi - Japanese Near Me - Walnut, California

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明明人家在這裡但 Yelp 不給我打卡. 也許因為我是新認 Yelper 吧？ 很高興我家寶貝小姑娘常常帶我出去玩. 吃好的，喝好的. 我的孩子都非常孝順，也特別有愛心. 都不用我叫，也不肯讓我出錢. 都是小女兒強著請客. 這家真好吃，不知是否小孩和他們很熟. 坐 sushi bar 吃絕對沒錯！他們有各種 omakase (價位不凡）好吃，必試！但有時我們 a la carte （單點）因為小姑娘很會點. 更幸運的是孩子們隨時請我吃大餐，無需什麼特別節日. Ootoro 老闆也懂的讓客人歡. read more

Ootoro Sushi - 好喝 - Japanese Near Me - Walnut, California

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Great quality sushi in Walnut. Went here long time ago and time to revisit. Price on higher end, fine dining style. Presentation is nice on simple sushi plate. They gave thick sushi cut. According to them, they get it fron Japan. Service is typical. Restaurant is always full. Even during late lunch or early dinner. I usually order Chirashi so I can tell the taste and variety. So far it fresh and delicious. Rice quality for some reason not the best today. Ambiance is on darker side like bar setting all day. Plenty of tables and server. But more dinera than tables. Wait list even on off hours. Short wait though. read more

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This was the best chirashi! I was skeptic about this restaurant since we went to a lot of sushi places. But boy, I was wrong..the fish was super delicious! it melt in my mouth! it is so worth it to come for lunch. But I wouldn't do it for dinner since they are pretty steep on the pricing. The server are very helpful and nice! read more

mmm mmm mmm!!! indulged in the shiki omakase set yesterday night and it was such a treat. every dish was made and presented so well. everything was so good but my favorites were the wagyu handroll, lobster sashimi (not pictured), and scallop. an honorable mention to the snail because i've never had snail like this so i was kinda intimidated to try it but it was surprisingly really good. also have to mention the delicious tea that they did not hesitate to refill. i had at least 6 cups haha. overall, really solid place for sushi! read more

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Although I've always opted for smaller mom and pop places for my sushi fix, there's no question that Ootoro's weekday Chirashi bowl is still one of the best deals you can get, even if inflation and issues with the supply chain have risen its price from being more than couple of bucks under $20 pre pandemic and to being a couple of bunks over after reopening. That being said, the more expensive items Ootoro serves still never feels as awesome as its more value packed Chirashi bowl. The fatty and well cut pieces of tuna, salmon, and yellowtail are the bowls standouts but I think what really makes the bowl go the extra mile is its delicious blue crab, spicy tuna, and seaweed sides - you get a really well rounded experience that's not always characteristic of most Chirashi bowls. Sadly, Ootoro seems to have skimped out on its warm sushi rice...it definitely feels like you don't have as much as you should given the amount of toppings. I've always preferred the Ootoro's in Irvine as this location in Walnut, while seeming more spacious and being the lone restaurant in a plaza that sells mostly jewelry, it always seems to be too busy - as a consequence it's always been harder to talk to someone in here and you also have to wait for your food longer and perhaps wait longer to get in at times too. Service has always been solid though. That being said, if you love Chirashi bowls, it's very hard to beat Ootoro's unless you want to drive a bit more to find out that's as comparably good. read more

Ootoro Sushi - Japanese Near Me - Walnut, California

Iykyk! If you wanna impress , def go all out w the omakase , it's one of the best omakases in SoCal, be prepared to spend 250+ a head. Last time I had the omakase here was years ago. If I remember correctly we came 30 min before closing but were still able to accommodate the full course omakase. I think they change it up every once in a while and they do have diff tiers. Def don't go to AYCE esp on a date. Lol. If you solo dolo can't go wrong with the premium chirashi bowl yall. Always fire and fresh quality.. service on point. read more

Ootoro Sushi - Japanese Near Me - Walnut, California

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Ootoro has the most premium sushi in all of Irvine. This place is worth the wait and also worth the price. If u had a friend visiting from out of town, I highly recommend you take them here! They have plenty of options on the menu (lunch prices are more affordable than dinner). They have a tasting menu / omakase, or a normal a-la-carte style ordering The only downside is the service is very slow. Expect your dinner to take over 2 hours! My favorite and go to meal is the Chirashi Bowl! Tons of fish and rice, and enough to share for 2 people. read more

For a takeout out experience, not worth it at all. I originally planned on going for omakase at Sushi Yuen as my last sushi of 2022, but there were no more available seatings. As a result, I decided to try Ootoro as I've heard good things and they were super busy. I usually don't order sushi togo because it should definitely be eaten when it's as fresh as possible. I ordered several nigiri including seared salmon, salmon, salmon belly, Spanish mackerel, hamachi toro, bluefin tuna, toro, and the Wagyu fried rice. I ate the sushi in the parking lot to hopefully get the freshest experience possible. It was overall, just not good. The fish had already dried out, didn't taste super fresh. It reminded me of a couple years ago when I didn't like eating raw fish. $45 for fried rice is a literal crime and I don't know why I fell for it. One of the worst fried rices I've had in recent memory. Nothing special about it and so many ingredients that turned me off to it. Little cubes of squash and nuts don't belong in fried rice. Every single bite I was bombarded by the squash to the point where I tried eating around it. Again... $45 for fried rice. I will never be stupid enough to do that again. The Wagyu just tasted like the trimmings or scraps of a steak. My total bill was $170 and I again was feeling robbed. Not a good last sushi for the year and I regret going here. Maybe it's good when dining in because they were hella packed, but I'm not trying to waste my time and money to find out. I would have gotten amazingly fresh fish for under half the price if my original plans worked out. read more

Ootoro Sushi - Wagyu Fried Rice - Japanese Near Me - Walnut, California

Ootoro offers arguably the best sushi in the area, boasting premium quality that genuinely surprised me. Chill spot with busy parking and other spots nearby to do things in case there is a wait. Along with great ambiance very good lighting and nice feel for the place. I've indulged in their lunch specials on multiple occasions, including the chirashi bowl, sashimi deluxe, and the sushi lunch. The portions are generous, especially considering the price, and the cuts are impressively large. For sashimi lovers, I'd recommend the chirashi bowl or the sashimi deluxe. Personally, I gravitate towards the sushi lunch, which features a delightful assortment of about 10 different types of sushi. The pricing is reasonable given the exceptional quality of the fish. You do get what you pay for, and in the case of Ootoro's lunch specials, it's absolutely worth it. read more

This is literally my favorite sushi spot in all of San Gabriel Valley. If you've eaten sushi with me, you know I only like eating Nigiri style sushi with minimum toppings and no extra soy sauce other than what's already on the sushi. I'm telling you, if you've never tried their Nigiri Sushi, go now! The presentation and handling of their dishes is so incredible that every time I detected some wasabi or any other extra toppings; it was perfectly uniformed with their sweet and tangy rice, but hidden in the most pristine way that it doesn't take away the sweetness of the fish. Just enough pop, so that it don't take the spot light away from the fish. read more

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We arrived at 5:30pm when the door was just opened. Couple families lined before us. Sashimi is very fresh! The uni pasta is creamy. We enjoy all the food. read more

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Good food geart service. Had the best date ever. Would go back again for real for real

Place was great. Prices are pretty good too, especially for chirashi bowl. Got the chirashi w/ eel and was very good portion and everything tasted fresh. Comfortable inside too, service is great, ambiance is a little on the darker side but I enjoy it as there's enough light. read more

Ootoro Sushi - Japanese Near Me - Walnut, California

It was a full house on a Wednesday afternoon. Luckily, we were first on the wait list and got seated immediately. There's not much sushi Rolls here and all pretty authentic items from sashimi to sushi. There's omakase available as well as cooked options like uni pasta. All the seafood was really fresh and at a good portion. Service was friendly and fast too. read more

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I've frequent the Irvine location but this was my first time at their Walnut location. So far, I'd say both locations have been consistent in term of menu quality but Irvine hands down has the better service and ambiance. My partner and I decided to celebrate Valentine's Day early this year and arrived 30 minutes prior to their opening time on Saturday. This was also our first time taking advantage of their lunch specials which I've heard countless acquaintances rave about. It did not disappoint! I ordered the lunch special with the Tendon and miso black cod and for under $30 it was so worth it! Despite not specializing in this item, the vegetable and seafood tempura was so light and airy as if it was a speciality item. You also can't go wrong with the grilled black cod here. We also shared the deluxe sashimi plate which is our go to and the best price in town for thick quality cuts of fish like Toro and that even includes Uni! My partner also got the sushi lunch which we honestly could have done without. The chef's choice nigiri was mediocre at best - the only good part about it was the spicy tuna rolls. Tip: get the sashimi deluxe. This is what they're known for and also it's criminally affordable for the quality you get. I'll definitely be back to try their other lunch options read more

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懂得珍惜，才不會錯過， 知道感恩，才會收穫真情, 因為人生是無法重來，生命也無法倒帶， 我們都該且行且珍惜～ 兒子兩個禮拜前就跟我說，媽媽，今年妳生日會吃多少次？看來話不多的兒子真的是個觀察家， 他老木每天在幹嘛， 都看在眼裡，小小年紀就在學習看破不說破的境界，Otoro, 我覺得是家非常成功的日本料理，不管哪家店，永遠都是滿滿的人潮，中午的價位比較親民， 生魚片真的就是新鮮，很多女的朋友們都特喜歡這家， 只要能讓女人來花錢，生意要不好也難吧， 這餐是因這版認識的網友變成好友替我慶生，開心，中午就能吃這麼澎湃，真的很幸福！ -- at Otoro. read more

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The lunch specials are delicious and a good deal for the quality of food that you are getting. I always get the premium Chirashi which is plenty filling! Also be sure to get the shrimp head as the soup when asked soup or fried. It's a nice balance to the meal. Parking can sometimes be a pain as there is an underground garage but the spaces can be a bit tight. Service here is great but come early for lunch because there is usually a line at opening. It's a casual place with an upscale feel. Definitely recommend! read more

Ootoro Sushi - Premium Chirashi - Japanese Near Me - Walnut, California

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My favorite sushi bar, and at an unexpected location. Didnt know they also have at little tokyo too. Their halibut is so good, it has its own unique flavors added like something zesty, and their yellowtail is so soft and even their albacore (which i find is hard to find thats not to fishy tasting). My favorite is their variety chirashi bowl, halibut sushi, yellowtail and albacore sushi. I got their mixed tempura like 4 times but no more unforunately. We love fried tempura, but the shrimp (which is everyones favorite) is TOO salty! Its always too salty, i wish they made it less salty and then we will order it. Idk why they cant just add less salt?? All 4 times, so i guess its their thing? Notba fancy looking place inside but their quality speaks for itself! Yumm read more

Ambiance: packed inside, the dining tables layout means sometimes you have to share a large table with neighbors, somehow it is unlike traditional high end Japanese restaurants here, more like the food court, reservation is suggested for dinner and lunch is walkins only Service: I have to agree with most other reviews the service is not satisfying, excellent food but horrible service, I personally didn't have issues with servers, though they seem very busy and not so happy on their faces and rushed on everything, towards the end of my meal, one of the servers had a very bad quarrel with another diner, and it was so loud, pretty much half of the restaurant could hear them, something wrong with moving from bar to table, without knowing exactly what happened, I don't want to judge whose fault it is, however, it's definitely not a good sign in any kind of restaurants, if the waitress had fight with the customer Food: variety choices and combinations, and to go specials available Chirashi - ***** regular, tuna, salmon, yellowtail all in thick cut, and sides of blue crab, spicy salmon, tamago, seaweed, marinated cooked tuna, sweet pickles, gingle, and real wasabi not the green paste, the premium version would also include toro, uni and sweet shrimp, the raw fish is very fresh and melting in your mouth, highly recommend Miso Soup - *** average taste Price: very affordable prices for lunch usually less than $50 per person, more pricey for dinner menu and omakase selections. premium quality and absolutely worth returning for food though the service is terrifying read more

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The food here is fantastic. Service is pretty quick as well. I don't believe they have reservations for lunch so may be a good idea to get there early. You could burn a massive hole in your wallet if you chose to do so. But you don't have to. Especially if you come for lunch. Will it still be a pretty expensive lunch? Yes. It's going to likely run you about 30 dollars (as of dec 2022) after tax. But it's a very generous portion that will leave you pretty full. I came with my family for my mom's birthday and the wait for 5 people wasn't horrible. They gave us a pretty big table that was actually almost not big enough for all the food we ordered. The place looks and feels pretty swanky inside so it's a good option for a date if you're going that route. Everything I had was fresh and absolutely delicious. Again if you're looking to not burn a hole in your wallet at an Ootoro come for lunch because their specials are quite reasonably priced. read more

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Happy Thanksgiving! Appetizers - Fried squid legs - Tempura A la carte - 4 oz wagyu Lunch specials - fish head soup and poke salad Plates - Chirashi bowl - Sashimi Deluxe Drinks - Hot green tea - Japanese kuromame kyoto ale Tips - if going to lunch come 10-15 min before opening to get a seat in the first round - reservations can be made for dinner only - you get the option of frying up the large prawn (from the sashimi plates or using it in a miso soup. Both options were delicious! Summary - We loved every dish! - The sauce for the wagyu seemed unnecessary as it was already so good without it - The portions and sashimi pieces were pretty big and certainly matched the cost for quantity and quality. I was expecting those tiny servings at other higher end restaurants and I'm glad they didn't meet that expectation! - For 3 people (1 senior, 2 really hungry adults) this was way more than enough food. We ended up taking home the entire poke salad and some tempura and the mashed potatoes under the wagyu - I am so happy I don't have to brave the traffic and horrific parking to eat well in Little Tokyo. East San Gabriel Valley has it going on! read more

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So my mom LOVES this place and she would probably give it like a 100/10. She especially likes their omakase and comes here almost every single birthday. I'll be reviewing their lunch tasting menu from my point of view. Tip: If you're entire party is there just for the omakase, you can ask to sit in the sushi bar instead of waiting in their super long lines. Your entire party must be eating the omakase though or whoever doesn't want to can only order from their nigiri menu I thi So I had their lunch tasting menu which consisted of around 12 dishes. If you like plain sashimi and tasting the freshness of sashimi and having extra thick cuts of the sashimi, you'd probably love it. I personally like more seasoned sashimi like when it's flavored in some way and there were 1-2 that was seasoned quite nicely for me but the rest were eh for me. But once again, I'm probably not the best connoisseur of sushi especially since I didn't eat raw fish at all until maybe 1-2 years ago. The uni caviar one on the small piece of toast was quite flavorful and delicious! Might be one of my favorites of all of the dishes haha. The 3 slices of different tuna parts were all super duper thiccc. I forget the type of fish but the cooked fish with the sweet potato purée below it was also quite delicious. Overall, I'd reccomend this tasting menu for people who love sashimi and for those who want to try Ootoros omakase menu but not in its full form since it is a lot cheaper than the dinner price. read more

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Good sashimi and nice staff. Inside should upgrade a bit for the decor. A little bit outdated.

We made a reservation on a weekday night and the place was pretty empty. We ordered their $185 omakase and an extra order of the fatty tuna sashimi. The fish was very fresh. I would come back again to try their other items. I heard their lunch menu is pretty good as well. read more

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I've been hearing nothing but good things about Ootoro Sushi so my friends and I made a lunch date here. This is an interesting spot as its price points seem to vary greatly from splurging on omakase and premium items to its more affordable lunch specials. No matter what you decide to go with, this seems to be a popular spot for sushi. I ordered the lunch chirashi bowl with came with salmon, bluefin tuna, yellowtail, tamago, blue crab, spicy salmon, seaweed and ginger. All of the fish was thick cut and of peak freshness, especially the salmon which was so incredibly buttery it almost melted in my mouth. Overall, lunch was a great deal and also included miso soup on the side. I'm sure Ootoro can get crowded during peak hours but my friends and I didn't wait too long when we came for Saturday lunch around 12pm. We waited for a little around 20 minutes before we were seated. All in all, a great option if you're looking for something a little nicer than all-you-can-eat sushi. I'd love to come back and try their omakase or premium chirashi bowl. read more

Ootoro Sushi - Chirashi - Japanese Near Me - Walnut, California

Love coming here whenever we can. Food is amazingly fresh. Staff and service are beyond expectations. We always feel special when we come to Ootoro read more

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Soooo good. I've been coming here for years and it's still so worth it. I always get the lunch chirashi. Obviously its changed over the years in turns of quantity but the quality has stayed consistent. The service is always quick and friendly. The place has a darker intimate setting that makes the booth seating feel private. Highly recommend read more

Ootoro Sushi - Japanese Near Me - Walnut, California

For the price they charge at dinner (over $100 a head and we didn't even order that many items), I expected fine dining experience but they came up a bit short: It was a pretty loud environment, the service was not better than an average chain restaurant like Olive Garden. Our sushi came out in large time intervals, but I do appreciate they put a sticker on the table telling you which dish has just been served every time. The sushi were okay, acceptable but not exceptional for the price they charged in my opinion. Some items on the menu are very questionable for someone who happens to know a thing or two, like the $50 fried rice or putting A5 wagyu inside a hotpot, or Kobe beef without a grade. Maybe my opinion will change after I try their Omakase or the lunch menu, who knows? read more

We have never dined there but I've gotten to go twice now. To be honest I expected so much more because of the ratings but the sushi is not as fresh as I thought. It's just ok to me. The to go boxes for the sushi and hand roll sets aren't too pricy though so I guess they figure we aren't dining in so quality goes down. read more

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Such a delicious sushi spot! Came here on a Wednesday at around 12 and the wait was about 15-20 minutes. There is a sign in sheet in the front of the restaurant so you can see how many parties are ahead of you. The hostess will call your name once it is your turn. The interior has huge seats since it consists mostly of the bench seating. I got the premium and you could choose to have the shrimp head fried (recommended!). If you get the regular you get the soup with it! Probably the best sushi I've ever had. Everything was so fresh and the toro was sooo good. The matcha IPA is for people with particular taste buds as I thought it had a weird aftertaste. Other than that I would recommend it to everyone! read more

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Pretty overpriced japanese food for what it is. Service is decent and the ambience is great. The fish quality is good, but there are plenty of places nearby with similar quality at a lower price point. Highly recommend going at lunch for their lunch specials instead of at dinner. read more