Oto Sushi is doing everything right! Everything from the friendly staff, to the sleek interior decor, to the large chef's sushi counter, to the perfectly prepared dishes, makes for a great experience. Your server will let you know that all of their seafood is sustainable, and their kitchen is from scratch and preservative and gluten free. Trust me when I say that starting with an order of the Crispy Garlic Edamame is a must. It just packs a flavor punch. We loved the albacore tuna with everything but the bagel seasoning as a crust, and how simple and fresh the dish was. I had one of my favorite rolls ever, the Laguna Heat. It has spicy tuna, avocado and cucumber, and is topped with garlic butter seared steelhead, shishito jam, yuzu olive oil and micro cilantro. They had me at "garlic butter seared steelhead". Last but not least, if you're looking for something hearty that gives you some variety from the seafood dishes, the Robatayaki Flight is incredible. You're served 4 skewers: Wagyu, Jidori chicken, pork belly, and veggies. Each has their own unique sauce and flavor profile and were cooked to perfection. Both the food and drink menu are very extensive, giving each diner plenty of options to choose from. read more

Unfortunately, this was a very disappointing experience. The only reason I'm giving one star is because our waiter was attentive enough to notice I hadn't touched my lychee martini at all and kindly removed it from the bill. The martini tasted completely artificial and was undrinkable. We ordered the spicy tuna hand roll, which was just okay. The two pieces of uni tasted overly fishy. The Scorch Roll was overwhelmingly spicy--I honestly don't know what they're making their spicy mayo with, but it completely overpowered the roll. The Chef's Roll was decent, but nothing memorable. The cucumber salad had a very strong citrus flavor, so only order it if that's something you enjoy. We also ordered the shishito peppers, and they came with only four peppers on skewers, which was surprising for the price. To make matters worse, the ginger and soy sauce weren't brought out until after all of our sushi had already arrived. They also don't carry Diet Coke. The funny part is that they have a sign out front claiming they're "Orange County's #1 Voted Sushi." Based on our experience, that claim was hard to believe. Overall, we spent about $170, and it honestly felt like money down the drain. The food and overall experience did not justify the price, and I wouldn't return. read more

Oto is hands-down our favorite sushi restaurant in Laguna Beach. The fact that it is gluten-free is an extra bonus for our family, because several members are severely allergic to gluten. We often go for the happy hour specials although we've sampled widely in the menu. Yesterday we enjoyed four delicious Nigiri, the Chef's special role, and the chicken Karaage. The Nigiri were fresh and included salmon, steelhead, Hamachi, and another fish that I can't remember, but it was delicious. Each was served with the perfect amount of garnish and required absolutely no tamari. The chef's roll had a tempura bean in the middle and then Hamachi on top with a beautiful lemon aïoli. It sounds odd, but it was scrumptious. The chicken karage is always crisp and delicious and served with a nice aïoli on the side. We have been to this restaurant probably 15 times sometimes just us and often with a large family group. It never disappoints. The service is super nice and friendly with a lot of expertise. The management is impeccable. Highly recommend. read more

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I love this place. They have outdoor seating. Our server was excellent and very knowledgeable about their menu. He was also super helpful to a couple seated next to us, giving them detailed tips on how to navigate Laguna. The food was absolutely delicious. I liked my chirashi, which is a bowl of sashimi with rice. It might change every day depending on what's fresh. We also ordered the garlic albacore. It was very garlicky with chili sauce, which was a big departure from a traditional Japanese dish, but it was okay. I saw other tables order the Wagyu burgers--their buns were black, probably with squid ink. They looked very interesting, and I want to try them next time. Overall, great service, great location, and great food. read more

Oto Sushi - Chef Choice Chirashi - Sushi Bars Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

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Sushi was so delicious! No sauces needed yo be added because of how flavorful each roll was, we got seated very quickly on a Sunday night. Our servers name was Matt and he was extremely kind, gave menu recommendations and told us his favorites. 10/10 recommended! read more

Oto Sushi - Sushi Bars Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

Came in for a little sushi lunch and was delighted with great service and even better food + drink. The strawberry marg had real strawberries which was a great touch and tasted delicious. I forgot the roll I ordered but it was bomb. Perfect from looks to taste and was on the spicy side which I liked. Perfect location right by the beach! read more

Oto Sushi - Strawberry Margarita - Sushi Bars Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

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I love sushi but I just don't know about this place. It's very close to the beach but can be hard to find given the GPS and area it's located in. (I would love it if they were more specific on how to find the location on their website!) We walked in and the hostess was nice enough to seat us right away although we didn't have a reservation + we were only allotted 1 hour and 30 minutes prior to their next reservation which was doable for us. We ordered a few rolls and to be completely honest they were just weird. One roll had fish eggs on top (which can be normal for sushi) but it did not pair well with the flavor profile of the roll. The chicken karaage was definitely just slightly breaded and tasted very bland although it can be very tasty + juicy at other restaurants I've been to. The only thing I loved out of everything we ordered was the sauce that came with the shrimp tempura- it was savory plus creamy. I almost wanted to have the sauce with the chicken! According to the server, this restaurant makes the majority of their items in house. Could possibly be the reason why everything wasn't the best. The restaurant is a little pricey as well! read more

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Hands downs the best sushi I have ever had ! The fish is so fresh and amazing. The staff is so attentive and knowledgeable! Thank you read more

Oto Sushi - Sushi Bars Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

There's a reason why this restaurant was voted 2nd place winner for best sushi in Orange County. What an incredible experience. What made it this great though had to do with our waiter Wes, his knowledge from living in Japan that he brought to our dinner was so unique and he really just went above and beyond. He was so attentive and engaging and if you haven't given him a raise, well now is the time The vibes are so chic, yet casual too. We had the lovely lightning as the sun was setting and sushi menu that is made to order you can taste the freshness of each bite as if you'd caught the fish yourself. We took advantage of their daily happy hour from 3-6pm and ordered some edamame, chicken kaarage and a sushi roll, then.. we went for it.. we ordered the sushi board and shared among the 4 of us which is $430. It was well worth it, along with the award winning burger. We ordered every single dessert, even the vegan one (and I'm not vegan) but ended up being my favorite surprisingly. I have no complaints other than wishing my stomach could expand when food tastes this good and you truly feel like you've known the waiter your entire life, especially as he table grated our wasabi and told us how they are grown in Japan next to waterfalls. Thank you for such a core memory that I'll forever hold dear read more

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I was so excited to finally try Oto because I would always walk by and wonder about it. Like many places in Laguna (as I've recently found out), Oto offers daily happy hour (including weekends) which is a HUGE plus, especially because the outdoor seating is so cozy and lovely. The HH food menu is extensive as are the cocktails. But, my cocktail did not arrive until about halfway through the meal which was definitely not ideal. They also do get bonus points for their intentional ingredient selection and commitment to accommodating gluten free diets, but frankly this was nowhere near one of the best sushi's I have had. We got the 4-pc nigiri set and I had the scallop and mackerel. Normally I am a HUGE scallop fan, but this one just felt so weird texturally. The karaage was good by GF standards, but also nothing to rave about. The handroll was frankly quite bland. Our server told us not to enjoy the meal with tamari because each dish was meant to have a flavor profile, but I wasn't picking up on much. The one thing I did love was the Chef's Roll and I think it was because it was so spicy and fresh. I see that this establishment has very high ratings, which I think warrants me trying out the regular menu, but I definitely can't say that I would choose this place if I wanted to grab sushi. read more

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Dined here last night since I was craving some good Sushi for an early Dinner. This was my Second time dining here this month. My family loves this place. I sat at the Bar and ordered a glass of Kubota Senjyu Sake These Rolls had just the right amount of spice I liked and they tasted Delicious! * SCORCH* Snow crab, cucumber, avocado, topped with spicy tuna, spicy aioli, tempura crunchies * AKARI COVE* Spicy salmon, tempura green onion topped with hamachi, roasted jalapeno ponzu, miso ginger, ikura, negi * SALMON SOCIETY* Salmon skin, spicy salmon, cucumber, topped with spicy aioli seared salmon, anago sauce, crisp salmon skin, ikura, lemon Service was great with Friendly Servers Chefs were friendly and made the best tasting Rolls Ambiance was nice, many others were enjoying Sushi I'll definitely be returning for the nice atmosphere and their delicious choice of Rolls. read more

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Dessert was our favorite part of dinner! The actual sushi was ok but the rolls a bit too experimental. Got the rice washed martini which was ok and it was fun to have the lemon twist, brine and pickled peach on the side to personalize it but overall I would not go back. Service was good and parking overall fine. read more

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I love that this restaurant makes everything in-house (including their sauces) and sources seafood sustainably. As an avid seafood eater and former pescatarian of over 15 years, I really wish I liked the food more than I did. The chicken karaage and shrimp tempura were a bit mushy, the hamachi nigiri was served warm, the sauce on the cauliflower was way too sweet, the rolls were uninteresting and lacked a good balance of flavor and texture, and the eggplant was under-seasoned. The sushi roll selection was also very limited. The only dish I would return for is the crispy garlic edamame, which was cooked perfectly and seasoned with a delicious sauce. Our server was friendly at the start but didn't check on us with any frequency throughout our meal. The restaurant itself is nice. We were seated on the second floor, which was quite far from the restrooms. read more

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Oto Sushi prides itself on sustainable sourcing. They source their fish worldwide, and they have a unique take on their dishes. I decided to dine here on a Sunday afternoon as it had an outdoor patio suitable for my dog. We ordered several nigiri pieces and a chirashi bowl. The food was okay. I think they really tried to substitute soy sauce with garnish and salt/sauces complementary to the fish. The chirashi bowl was a bit disappointing, there was not a lot of variety, and it was pricey. Service was excellent and very friendly. The outdoor patio was very nice on a sunny afternoon only a couple blocks from the ocean. read more

Oto Sushi - Nigiri pieces - Sushi Bars Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

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Dim lit lighting for an intimate experience if that's what you're looking for (my group ate outdoors). The sushi was phenomenal and left an unforgettable taste compared to other local Japanese cuisines . Our server was knowledgeable about the menu and made several good recommendations. The group sampled their tempura shrimp, garlic edamame - these were good starters, but our favorite was the Apollo roll which I highly recommend. The spicy tuna was good but a bit on the hotter side if that's your thing. read more

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Tried this Japanese place for happy hour. The dishes were all pretty good. All the sushi was fresh and delicious, they don't really provide soy sauce, which I think would have tasted better 7/10. The fried oyster mushroom was really good, crispy and seasoned well 8.5/10. Karage was tasty but did not have the flavor or texture of Japanese Karage 6.7/10. Service was excellent. It's definitely not your traditional type restaurant. read more

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Hands down the best sushi around--the fish, uni, and seafood are incredibly fresh. My husband's Wagyu burger was excellent, and the duck skewers are a must-try. Don't skip their house-made cocktails; the lemon raspberry custard was the perfect light, refreshing finish. Just a heads up: the tables are quite small and it gets very noisy, so it feels more like a lively casual spot than a romantic date-night vibe. Still highly recommended for the food alone! read more

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Wonderful service today from the moment we arrived until we left- and incredible happy hour prices! Sat outside at a nicely appointed patio but indoors looked incredible and completely full on a Thursday. The specialty cocktail today was a spicy margarita, and it had a delightful Tajín rim, fresh jalapeños cut inside and was reasonably strong! The hot sake was only eight dollars for a nice portion and the food was delicious and a very good value. Considering the quantity of food we received for a check that came out to just $90 and the lovely service we will 100% be back. It's also conveniently located. Just a block off the Coast highway, so it's in the heart of town, but not in the busy congested area it's slightly tucked away so the outside atmosphere is not marred by constant traffic it's tranquil. read more

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While visiting Laguna Beach, we went to Oto Sushi for dinner. We made a reservation a couple days beforehand, and recommend doing so if you are planning to dine here. We were seated promptly on arrival. The inside is small but cozy, and dining is split on two different floors. There is some bar seating right in front of the sushi chefs, as well as a small patio just outside the restaurant with heaters. They offer happy hour EVERY DAY from 4-6pm, which gives specials for some drinks, rolls, and other food options. We started with nigiri, and then tried the Scorch, Hoke Poke and Chef's roll. The food is brought out as prepared, which helped pace things a bit and let us savor each roll on it's own. The sushi was very fresh. The scorch roll, as the name implies, did have a pretty good kick to it. My favorite was the Chef's roll, and my wife really enjoyed the Hoke Poke Roll. They pride themselves on the flavoring and seasoning of the fish, and sway you away from adding soy sauce. Side note: Oto was recently voted 2nd Best Sushi Restaurant in Orange County by the OC Register. read more

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Oto Sushi in Laguna Beach was good overall, but nothing really blew me away from the sushi side. Everything tasted fresh and well prepared, but the rolls were just okay--simple, solid, and nothing extra or particularly memorable. What actually stood out more than the sushi was the yakitori. That was the highlight for me. It was flavorful, nicely cooked, and had way more impact than the rolls we tried. If you're looking for dependable sushi, this is a good spot. But if you go, I'd definitely recommend ordering some of the hot dishes like the yakitori because that's where this place really shines. read more

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What a disappointment this time around! We ordered the cucumbers and poke, and both were good. I ordered the scorch roll and the fish tasted not fresh. My friend ordered the nigiri and said three out of the four pieces didn't taste that fresh. We had good service at the beginning of towards the middle and at the end, no one was coming by. I went for happy hour and it was not a very busy time but there was more than enough staff to help us. They just didn't. Probably won't return. read more

Oto Sushi - Sushi Bars Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

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My roommate and I are visiting from Las Vegas. I've been a server for 22 years, and I am super picky with service and food. Slade, our server gave us an awesome experience. He introduced the menu and suggested 3 specialty rolls, a wagu on a barbi and shrimp tempura. Everything tasted amazing! Literally a party in my mouth! Service was superb. Slade was very attentive, gave great suggestions and was very communicative. I'm gluten free and I was so pleased to know that many of their dishes were gluten free, including their shrimp tempura!! We will definitely be back!! read more

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Absolutely love Oto (and the happy hour is clutch!). As a gluten free person it's SUCH a treat to have any sushi roll I want and know it's high quality and also gluten free. Also Wes was our server and he was the best. A really great atmosphere and reasonable prices! read more

Oto Sushi in Laguna Beach is a beautiful restaurant with a great atmosphere, though it's clearly no secret because the place is usually very busy. This was my second time visiting, specifically to get the Laguna Heat roll. It is easily one of my favorite rolls ever, and honestly, I'll keep coming back just for that. However, I found the rest of the sushi menu to be a bit of a mixed bag. For such a wonderful location, I was expecting everything to be top-tier, but several of the other options we tried felt a little "mid." We went for my husband's birthday and, since we didn't have a reservation, they were able to seat us at the bar. We decided to treat the sushi like an appetizer and ordered two of the Laguna Heat rolls to start. After finishing those, we strolled right over to Broadway by Amar Santana--which is conveniently located just across the street--to finish our celebration. I'll definitely return for that specific roll, but I might stick to using it as a delicious starting point before heading elsewhere for the full meal. read more

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Husband surprised me and brought me here on a date night as we had really been looking forward to trying it . It looked decently occupied so that was a good sign. It was last Tuesday night and we had gotten a sitter so we didn't have a ton of time to spare. We were walking in and did not have a reservation, but we asked how long the wait was (as we only had a couple hours) and the hostess at the front told us "just a couple minutes." 20 minutes go by and we're still waiting (no update on wait time) Another ten minutes and we're still waiting (no update) My husband walked up and asked for an update and she said they had reservations which is fine and I understand reservations get seated first. But please don't tell us it's only a couple minutes and then have us wait almost 40 minutes because our time is very limited. 37 minutes later we were sat. Our waitress was very sweet and made our experience a bit better. She checked on us a lot and had a very warm personality Drinks were also were taking a while. We look over at the bar and the bartender is chatting and not making any drinks for about 15 minutes as we waited. 20 minutes later we got our drinks. Besides that he was very kind and came over to check on us and see how we liked our drinks which we did appreciate. For dinner, we ordered the combination skewers which were scallops, Wagyu and duck. My husband loved the duck, and I love the Wagyu. The scallops were OK. They were a bit soft and seemed undercooked and a bit bland. We also ordered the Yuzu truffle Hamachi. That one was very good and definitely recommended! For sushi rolls, we went with Laguna heat and scorch. As they state in their menu no soy sauce or wasabi is needed. These rolls were so fresh and tasty. I like that the filling is snow crab, and not imitation :) Big plus Also, also another lady was checking on us and running around helping out a lot. I believe she is the owner? She was very kind, inviting, and personable. Definitely worth trying out as far as food and back staff, but maybe make a reservation because wait times seem really long if you're planning on walking in. Even on a weekday. read more

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Just moved here, looking for our sushi "spot". Oto is relatively new, and I found the atmosphere relaxed yet vibrant. Sushi Bar is inviting, employees are friendly and helpful, sushi is very good at not overpriced. Good go to. read more

We saw their sign promoting a daily Happy Hour and decided to pop in for an early dinner. The decor is beautiful, the space is bright, open, and has a sophisticated coastal meets modern Japanese aesthetic. We grabbed seats at the bar, where Trenton, our bartender and server, super friendly and entertaining, providing genuinely great service. As for the food and drinks, we dove right into the menu: Oyster Mushroom Karaage (Pro-tip: Order this! Lightly fried, crispy, and packed with flavor, it's a mushroom lover's dream. Scorch Roll & Nikko Roll: Both were incredibly fresh and delicious. Salmon Kama: Cooked perfectly--tender and satisfying. Table-Side Grated Wasabi: A fun, theatrical touch! You get a little show and the amazing kick of fresh wasabi. Old Fashioned with Japanese Whisky: It wasn't on the Happy Hour menu, but who cares? This is my go-to, and it was excellent. Oto Sushi is a fantastic addition to the dining scene here, stylish, approachable, with quality food and genuinely great service. Planning our next dinner visit already (and, yes, another Old Fashioned). Lol read more

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This restaurant is beautiful! We really loved the ambiance and how bright and airy it was. The menu was also pretty extensive and our server was friendly and helpful with recommendations. We both ordered a hand roll set to start and then shared the Broly burger. The filling of the hand rolls were good but the seaweed holding them together was so chewy on all 6 hand rolls. It honestly sort of ruined the experience and my husband regretted ordering his own set of hand rolls because of this. The burger on the other hand was incredible. It was perfectly made and the squid ink bun was so unique. I only wish they had served it with more than 2 onion rings because they were so light and airy and having 1 each was such a tease. read more

Oto Sushi - Broly Burger - Sushi Bars Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

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Omg amazing sushi & nigiri, amazing service right by the beach. Can't wait to come back! read more

Oto Sushi - Tuna & hamachi nigiri - Sushi Bars Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

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My favorite thing about this place is they go out of their way to make their collection of sushi sustainable environmentally friendly. You can also taste the difference. I'm not a huge fan on sushi rolls, but this place is definitely the exception. The desserts are very unique and very, very good. read more

Oto Sushi - Chocolate - Sushi Bars Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

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Best sushi in Laguna... and they offer a local's discount! We started with the cauliflower and cocktails. If you like yuzu, you should order the snapdragon cocktail (pictured). It's worth knowing the cauliflower small plate actually has a lot of cauliflower so it's a lot for two people. For our main we did the chef's choice 7 piece nigiri, Laguna heat roll, and the hoki poke box. If you get one thing, get the chef's choice nigiri! It's very nice inside but there's plenty of seating outside and heaters! The staff is helpful with any questions and explains the menu in detail. Everyone should try Oto! read more

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"Sushi Dave" gave my wife and I an incredibly memorable experience at Oto Sushi. We were recommended by a friend and sat at the sushi bar. We asked Sushi Dave to "keep bringing the fish until we're full". He asked for our allergies and what we don't like to eat (No Uni for us). Every 8-10 minutes came out a unique piece of food tasting better than the next. The fish was fresh. No fishy smell or taste. The flavor was explosive with the unique sauces. We honestly ate too much, but kept wanting more to see what Dave can make. The drinks were refreshing and cold. We judge many places by their cocktails and how they create an old fashioned. Drinks were done very well and not overly sweet. You can taste the alcohol and it's complimented with the syrups and flavors. We say next to someone who diss he comes only for the Burgers. I laughed and said This is a sushi joint. But the guy next to him even said the burgers are one of the best menu items. Next time we'll swing by for an early happy hour for the burgers and "non sushi items" read more

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Swanky sushi spot in Laguna. We weren't expecting it to be so good since we were able to get last minute reservations for 6 people. But everything was fresh. Lots of creative dishes and drinks. The best was that they grated wasabi for you table side. Parking wasn't terrible considering you're in the heart of Laguna Beach. Friendly staff. Maybe not as good as Miki Sushi...but a bigger menu and lots more seating. read more

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Probably the worst sushi I ve had in a very long time. Besides the raw oysters, everything we ordered was disappointing. Sushi had little fish and ton of rice. Every thing else had way too much sauce or dressing. read more

I went here with reservations for dinner. We were seated within 10 minutes of checking in. When ordering our server, Wes, was very helpful with explaining any questions we had about the menu. We ended up getting the sushi board for 2 which came with skewers, the sushi board, and dessert. Everything was really good. The bathroom is located downstairs and it was nice as well. I love the aesthetics of the restaurant. Each painting of the fish is apparently served fresh at their restaurant. I just want to mention Wes again because he made the night go so smoothly- amazing service from him. Love the energy he brought. read more

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Unbelievable dinner from start to finish! Wes was an exceptional server--friendly, incredibly knowledgeable, and genuinely passionate about the food, culture, and overall experience. His recommendations were spot on and made the evening even more memorable. The food was outstanding, and the service was just as impressive. We can't wait to come back. Highly recommend! read more

Went to oto a few times and always had a good time, food is always good! Wanted to say thanks to our server mathew for his hospitality and amazing service! read more

Response to Owner: at no point did anyone say "everything was great." Your employee spilled soy sauce all over my bf's shirt then disappeared, leaving the mess. How would we have said everything was great? We DID seek you out privately. You apologized as stated and said to send the cleaning bill for my bf's shirt. If he wants to communicate with you on what to do with that, that's his decision. This is my review of the establishment, not his. Your server did not "mishear" me. She simply said it was not on the menu once I asked, befuddled. We told her it was our first time there and she offered no recommendations. The diction in the owner's response is manipulative. What my review indicates is no different than what I conveyed when I was there. You seem to have wanted me to create a scene when there, which we did not. I don't see why it is "unkind" for me to simply tell you to do better. I have been to many small businesses and they do. read more

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Really delicious food here and great atmosphere. The seats were very comfortable it's an intimate setting. The only reason I didn't give it a five star is because our waiter did mess up our order slightly. We had asked for one order of the nigiri, instead we got two (not a huge deal it was worth it to get two and it was delicious) then they forgot our (ordered two) miso soup, we reminded them and they brought us one and comped it off the bill which was very nice of them. It was very tasty. It was also a bit difficult to get the sushi chefs attention but they seemed busy with prep work (not a big deal either, just wanted an avocado roll ) but all good the food was amazing and we will definitely be back. read more

Oto Sushi - Sushi - Sushi Bars Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

We were only in town for one night and decided to try Oto, and it ended up being one of the highlights of our trip. The food was outstanding. Every dish was beautifully prepared and absolutely delicious. The cocktails were just as impressive and some of the best we've had in a long time. What truly made the evening special was our server, Wes. He was knowledgeable, attentive, and incredibly personable. He didn't just serve dinner. He made the entire experience memorable. His recommendations were spot on, and his passion for the restaurant really came through. If you're in Laguna, Oto is a must-visit. Exceptional food, amazing drinks, and service that takes the experience to another level. read more