My go to restaurant when I am in the mood for good sushi, but also don't want to travel far for it. They have a pretty decent 4 pieces chefs choice of the night for $16 that comes with 2 pieces of tamago on top of the 4 pieces. I think that is a steal considering the choices of fish I have been served, such as sweet shrimp or red snapper. It's just enough that will curb my sushi fix. I also enjoy the beef udon here, where the broth tastes like it's been simmering over night. Sometimes you may have to flag down the waiters if you ever need anything because they are just at their podium by the kitchen. But, other than that this is a solid place for Japanese food! read more

Jinbei - Beef udon - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

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Food is good but service is terrible. Waited for 40 minutes for udon. Nothing else to say

This place had the magic to surprise me like no other sushi place. I was extraordinarily pleased with my visit as I was able to satisfy my sushi craving. I arrived on a Sunday night while we were looking at restaurants in the area. As you enter, the ambiance instantly gives you a sense of ease. I know I've made a right decision. We were quickly greeted and seated at a booth in the corner. Glancing over the menu, there were various items that popped out. All of them sounded amazing. After careful thought, we ordered marinated octopus w/wasabi ($3.8), basic udon ($4.8), salmon belly nigiri (~5$), and the karaage bento box ($15). Even though our appetite got the best of us, it was still worth it. The marinated octopus was such a slippery delicacy. It was raw and chopped really small with bits of wasabi in it. It goes great as a side dish or appetizer. The salmon belly was just perfect. The buttery texture just left me wanting more. The sushi chef personally delivered it to us, which was a nice touch. The restaurant states that all the fish comes wild from japan. If this how all fish tastes like over there, I need to move now. The udon was such an amazing deal. for $5 you get a very large bowl of udon with tempura flakes in it. Probably the best deal yet, the karaage bento box. Not only does it come with your standard miso soup and salad, it comes with two appetizers and sashimi! The appetizers are marinated eggplant and a radish dish of some kind. Both were phenomenal. The chicken had the perfect amount of batter and was very tender on the inside. The sashimi platter came with large pieces of tuna, salmon, and I think yellowtail. Best choice out there. If this review is any indication, you can bet that I will be coming back for more. read more

Jinbei - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

I have eaten at nearly every sushi spot in Irvine. The first time we came to Jinbei, it was absolutely poppin' busy on a Thursday night. I'll even admit I definitely judged a book by its cover on this first visit based on how long we waited for our first dine-in at Jinbei. After the 4th, 5th, 6th, and now dozens of visits - it makes sense why they're so jam-packed busy. For lack of a better word, this sushi spot SLAPS. It's the best GD Sushi bar I've ever experience and I've suffered through 20 years of low-tier Irvine Sushi. Sure, if you sleep on this location and drop in last minute - you can expect to wait 30-60 min for a spot, or maybe you'll score some lucky last min seats at the bar with the chefs. One things for certain: Jinbei gets an EZ 5-stars from me AND the love of my life because EVERY Friday, we look forward to crushing mountains of spicy tuna and their to-die-for salmon sashimi after a long week of work. It's now a weekend tradition for us - and you're an absolute fool if you pass by this spot without checking it out. Period. read more

Fantastic sushi at pretty decent prices. I heard they get some of their fish from Japan. Kids lunch special is quite the deal. Bento box with karaage, salad, 4 pieces of California roll, and ice cream. All for $6.50. Everything I've tried there is delicious. The miso soup is good. Even the side salad is really good. The udon is probably my favorite outside of Hawaii (haven't been to Japan yet, it's on my list). The toro is probably the best I've ever had. So buttery smooth. Melts in your mouth. It is small and so not great for large groups. Also wait times can get long... but you can check in on Yelp!! My favorite sushi place in Irvine. read more

Hmm...I don't know why this place is only a four-star. I haven't had anything clean taste and high quality sushi place like this yet in Orange County... We ordered Chirashi (10 star) and the lunch special that comes with 6-piece, salad and miso soup. I recommend these two! read more

Living 5 minutes from this restaurant... having eaten here more than 10 times in the past couple of years just because its the closest japanese restaurant from my house... will never visit again. Rude staff. They have this attitude of, i dont care if u dont like our service or food because there will be others who will come regardless. No business ever survives with this attitude. Time will catch up to them. read more

The only real Japanese sushi bar in Irvine. Always on point with the selection of fish. I love this place read more

Excellent sushi and sashimi. The overall experience was good but not exceptional. Nice location in Orchard Hills with plenty of parking. read more

Have been coming here for years as it's my favorite sushi destination in OC. The staff there are friendly with minimal annual turnover which tells me they take care of their staff. read more

They are the real deal. Probably the most authentic Japanese in Irvine these days. A good place to try something unusual. You'll probably find a new favorite. read more

Our new favorite spot!! We like sitting at the sushi bar and the sushi chef always give us good recommendations! They have daily specials and a great everyday deal. So fresh! My favorites are hamachi and hamachi belly. My husband likes the albacore and blue fin tuna BACK- better than the belly. You get your food fast! And if you are hungry make sure to get uni pasta !! read more

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5 stars for Food, Service, Chefs, & Quality! 1 Star off for NO RESERVATIONS ON WEEKENDS UGH (FRI- SUN) & limited Sushi bar and dining space... So not cool when you're hangry haha Still LOVEEEEEEE you Charlie & June San!!!! Karen & Sophie are the best servers too!!!! So sweet I love the staff :) 2 days Ordered: - Regular Salmon Skin Salad w Kelp & Wakame - Customized Salmon Skin Salad - Sweet Shrimp- Head in soup - Uni Pasta... YUM CHA! - Halibut Sashimi - Ika App - Kohada HR w Herring Roe - Seared Black Cod - Tai Kobutoni (HEADDDDDD) - Mix Mushrooms - Sea Bream Sashimi - Toro Sushi - SB Uni Sushi - Sea Snail Sashimi crunchy read more

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Great sushi and nice seating ( inside ) outdoor with a Italian gardening theme . Very pretty at night . Their uni pasta is very delicious, plenty of uni ( sea urchin ) . We tried many sashimi and rolls . All are very fresh and thick cut pieces . We need to ask the waiter to serve our orders in separate plate , or else the chef would mix them all up in one big plate and harder to eat . We have a big long table for 7 person . Highly recommended. It is always busy so reservations is a must . read more

So surprised to have found a little gem like this in a super suburban area. We came here super hungry on a Sunday evening and were seated right away. Quick Tip! - they really want you to check out the daily specials. It's always changing and the fish is super fresh!!! I got the tempura udon ($4.80). Super simple udon dish with crispy tempura flakes floating in the soup. It was just what I wanted as I was also going to gorge on the other appetizers. Takowasa ($5.80) raw squid marinated in a wasabi sauce. I love this dish because I love raw squid. And the flavors of the squid play very nicely with the wasabi. The squid is super chewy but not tough. Salmon belly sushi ($5 for 2 pieces). Omg this was the best salmon belly I've had in the states probably. The quality is super good in my opinion!! The rice to salmon ratio was also perfect. Not too much rice but not too little rice! Service - friendly and efficient. They know what they're doing! Parking - plenty of spaces. Overall our experience here was super good and the food was super delicious. Would definitely come back!!!! read more

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I am a regular for most Mondays and I'm going to be honest I normally always tip and today and I didn't and am so disappointed to say the server followed me outside and asked me why I didn't tip if I ate my food and yet proceeds to ask the person I was with who has a disability "and you? Why didn't you tip?". I have never been so disgusted with someone's behavior. BTW all she did was her job which is why she is there someone else is already paying her for the tasks she is required to do I don't mean to be the asshole but there wasn't no outgoing nor remembering visit other then getting followed out and questioned for me to feel comfortable to tip. I hope no one else experiences this. read more

I absolutely love Jinbei. They have an amazing lunch special that you need to check out. I went recently this past week with my boyfriend and we decided to try something different. We got the three roll combo, the salmon skin salad, and then some nigiri sushi (tamago, salmon, ikura). It was just enough for both of us so we didn't feel stuffed, but very well-fed. The fish is always fresh and the presentation of the nigiri was also very pretty. I would recommend also doing the bento box/udon lunch special with the mini-bowl to get something filling but also some fish if you want to sample several things during one meal. read more

When you're craving Japanese, it's dinnertime (5pm) and there's a decent authentic restaurant you've never tried 2 miles from your house, well I call that a no brainer! Located in the neighborhood of Orchard Hills, this little enclave could become a regular habit. I don't know why I've never tried this spot since I've been past it dozens of times, but figured I was really craving noodle soup and maybe nigiri (sushi), or see what else they had that's even more appealing. It's Izakaya which means traditional, homestyle, full menu. Literally, "a place to eat and drink, sitting down, comfortably." So they also had rolls, sashimi, salads and a host of other dishes I was trying to familiarize myself with. About half the menu changes daily, which is another feature of this type of place. Since I already knew one of the items I wanted based on other reviews, I picked the Beef Udon Soup (9.50) and a couple of nigiri (sushi) choices - albacore, and big eye tuna. Fish is flown in at least twice a week direct from Japan's biggest fish market, as I understand. So you might pay a bit more here than other local sushi places but you know it's going to be very fresh and somewhat more authentic selections than you'll find at your average 'whatever' sushi joint. Highly recommend the udon which was my main course. Practically a meal in itself, the perfect mix of tasty beef, seasoned broth, onion, and crunchy stuff had me in savory salty tasty delight. You can also get it with shrimp and additional choices, which really would make it a full meal. Nevertheless I was impressed with the taste and texture and will order it again. Sushi was fresh, nicely cut, and served at the ideal temperature and sushi rice was nice and firm but flavorful. Hot tea was free and hit the spot, which I greatly appreciated. Sat at a table and service was superfast and on point! If you have places to go and people to see after your meal, this is a pretty nice option to have. Granted it helps if you go off-peak hours to save time. Before 6 or after 9 is best for dinner. It turned out one of the items I inquired about, mini poke bowl of the day, is only available for lunch so I'll have to go back during the day to try this. Bummer! No TVs to check the score but you can easily access the Peet's free wifi from here, since it's directly next door. I was streaming the MLB playoffs audio on my phone and peeking at the scoreboard while dining. I think if you're looking for a full service, full menu, traditional Japanese restaurant and want a mom n pop feel close to north Irvine / Tustin, this is a place to check out. The verdicts: Ambiance 3 (Hawaiian music, bootleg wifi, pleasant staff, not much else) Prices 3.5 (order carefully and bring your wallet) Freshness 4.5 (fresh! ) Taste 4 (nom!) Service 4.5 (fast and accurate! ) Menu / authenticity 4.5 (origato!) Overall 4.00 - Honestly good! read more

Jinbei - Beef udon soup and albacore sushi / nigiri - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

We've been going to Jinbei regularly for the past three years but the service has gotten so bad that we just don't feel welcome anymore. It's a shame because this used to be a neighborhood gem where you could rely on consistently good food and friendly service. On our last few visits, the servers were noticeable grumpy, unhelpful and really unpleasant. I think the boss lady sets the tone and she has been treating customers with overt disdain. They also do a poor job of honoring the Yelp reservations. We signed into the Waitlist, got there ahead of the time estimation and were passed over. The wait staff walked right by us and turned the other way. We weren't asking for special treatment, just basic customer service. We've given them a few chances to improve but it's just getting worse. So long Jinbei, it was nice while it lasted. read more

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So.... Where to start. Got there 20 mins after they opened at waited about 45 mins to sit down. Server came to take our order and they were out of at least 7 things that we tried to order. Running out of that much of the menu a little over an hour into service is terrible. Poor planning to say the least. The food was okay, nothing was a wow. The service overall was pretty bad, kept having to wave down the staff to get their attention. There are a lot of better places around to have good Japanese food where the food and service is better. For sure it was NOT worth the wait. read more

I have lived in Irvine since 2019 when my home was built. We have tried many sushi spots all around OC and always felt unsatisfied as most are over priced and mediocre. We found a hidden gem in Irvine close to home! This is hands down the freshest, cleanest sushi I have tasted so far! We love this place, a must have for us at least once a week. read more

This is my new favorite Japanese restaurant! What to order: uni pasta, any of the sushi (tonight we had the uni, scallop, toro, yellowtail, ikura, and an order of the chef's choice) The chef's choice was probably our least favorite of the sushi, though not bad. Just nothing to write home about. We proceeded to wash all of this down with some delicious, hearty udon. The staff was friendly and checked on us often. The vibe of the restaurant was cool; good music, romantic lighting without being too dark (zzz), and it was open and airy. read more

Jinbei - Uni pasta & udon - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

The lunch special looks so pretty!! Fish is fresh and the portion is very filling. We had Chirashi lunch, Sushi lunch, and Blue Fin Tuna sushi. We came 10 minutes after they opened and the Blue Fin Toro was out of order. It locates in an outdoor shopping center, so you can chill with your friends after. Nice little area. read more

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First revisit since the pandemic and it was regretfully disappointing. My son had the tonkatsu daily lunch special and it was fine. There's nothing wrong with it but I can get it just as good from the Mitsuwa deli. The wife and I each had a 10 piece omakase and that's the reason why we won't be back. The fish is good. No complaints about them. They range from so-so to pretty good, with an outstanding to the hamachi. The downfall to the entire meal was the COLD HARD RICE. Rice is half of the nigiri, and if you can't even make decent rice, you have no business opening a sushi restaurant. In fact, anyone who can't make decent rice shouldn't open an Asian restaurant. I could've gotten better rice at Yoshinoya! Goodbye, Jinbei. read more

What a gem! You will find many popular sushi places in Irvine but none like Jinbei. Japanese chefs and great customer services. High quality food so quantity can be limited. They update their menu and specials occasionally. Before Covid, our favorite spot is by the sushi bar to watch dishes being prepared by very friendly and amazing chefs. During Covid, there are some outdoor seatings and if you're lucky enjoy live music from the lounge/restaurant next door. I hope they keep up the high quality and survive this pandemic because we will be returning for more!!! read more

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Ordered the albacore sushi roll, uni pasta and shrimp tempura udon. Spicy Vegi Albacore was the best. Very fresh and just the right amount of sauce that makes it light. Highly recommend. 9/10 Uni Pasta was underwhelming. It was heavy but felt the uni flavor wasn't coming out. Also quite pricy . 6/10 Tempura Udon was also average. Didn't feel the shrimp flavor popped and was too heavily deep dried and gave it too oily of a taste. 6/10 read more

Jinbei - Uni pasta - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

I've been coming here every weekend for lunch with my bf ever since I discovered this place months ago. The service here is exceptional. They never fail to greet us in Japanese upon arriving and leaving. I love how accommodating they are whenever I call in last minute for a reservation to make sure that my party of 2 gets the booth. We are both becoming familiar to the waitresses that they know that it's me when I call in to make a reservation and they know my order before I utter a single word. Whenever we go there, we always the teriyaki chicken bento box and the niku beef udon with their mini bowl of the day. The teriyaki chicken bento comes with miso, salad, rice, teriyaki chicken, two mini sides of appetizers, and chef's selection of sashimi. Everything about that combination is exceptional in flavor and quality. Jinbei has hands down the best teriyaki chicken I have ever had and the fact that they have mixed in there grilled onions, really compliments the teriyaki chicken. The sashimi is fresh and has always been fresh every time I order it. The mini bowl changes daily and I recommend it. The salmon poke bowl and the spicy chicken karaage bowl are delicious...pieces of heaven in little bowls. Oh and if you go there for dinner, you can add a dessert to the teriyaki combination and it's the perfect end to the meal. Cons: the drive there is a bit out of the way from where I live, but I still manage to go there every weekend. It doesn't stop me. The menu can be simple because there aren't a lot of items on the menu. read more

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Tried their Sashimi salad ($13) and No.9 Udon with beef, shrimp tempura, & a poached egg ($14) and it was SO GOOD! Also recommend their 5 sashimi sampler to share. Their agedashi tofu is sooo good. Salmon skin salad looked and tasted great! Everything I've tried here has been so good. It's hard to find a restaurant that does everything well!!! They are tucked away on the left hand side of Zov's. read more

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Good variety and quality sea food. Not much vegetarian options. Service was not great as it was very busy. The place is very small and noisy too. They don't allow to sit outside where there are more open tables, that doesn't make sense. Overall, I will not go back again as there are other places close by that offers good food, service and experience. read more

Overall my experience here at Jinbei was really great! I had a reservation at 11:30 on a Tuesday and it wasn't crowded at all, but I have heard of it getting super crazy busy so be sure to make a reservation just in case! Overall the sushi here tasted really fresh and delicious! A tad pricey in my opinion, but what you need to pay for delicious fish I guess. The servers were also very kind and would check up in regular intervals. Beware it can get loud in here, so if you're looking for an intimate meal for talking, this might not be the place. Chirashi Lunch Combo: It is basically seasoned rice with sashimi on top, and comes with miso soup and salad. I enjoyed the miso soup and really liked the salad dressing. Our chirashi bowl came with assorted fish (like salmon, tuna, yellowtail, and more), octopus (which I am not a fan of in general), squid, and egg. The sashimi slices are pretty large and thick, which I really appreciate. Sushi Lunch Combo: It includes chef's choice of 6 pieces of nigiri, and 4 pieces of a roll ( I chose spicy tuna) and miso soup and salad. The spicy tuna roll in my opinion was nothing spectacular and honestly could have been from a supermarket. The nigiri came in generous portions again, and I also enjoyed it. Roll Combo: You get to pick 3 rolls (out of 6 options), and it comes with miso soup and salad. I got the spicy yellowtail roll, the crunchy roll, and the salmon roll. Personally I'd rather have nigiri or sashimi so I probably wouldn't order this again, but the rolls were still very delicious. The crunchy roll was surprisingly very tasty and not too drenched in sauce which is a problem I find in a lot of sushi restaurants. Oh and the spicy yellowtail Roll is just a normal yellowtail Roll with chilis on top (wasn't spicy at all, which was kinda disappointing) Yellowtail Roll: All in all a good Roll! I love me some yellowtail!! Deep Fried Tofu Japanese Soup: Ugh I always love this dish! It comes with 4 big pieces of tofu and I loved it! My only suggestion is to please have the waiters explain which fish is which when a chef's choice is ordered! I ate a fantastic nigiri but had no idea what fish it was :( read more

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One of the best sushi restaurants I've tried in OC and LA! So good! All the dishes I tried here during my visit were all superior. I recommend theit snail and cucumber sunomono salad!! All the sushi, especially the toro was so gooood. My friend really liked their tempura, but if you prefer crunchier tempuras like me, I wouldn't recommend ordering their tempura. My friend's favorite was their mentaiko pasta! Beef udon was okay too! Wow, we ate a lot in one night, but everything tasted really good, and I will absolutely visit again for their quality Japanese food! read more

Jinbei - Salmon belly, scallop, toro - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

cute spot with very nice workers and decent sushi. portion size might be on the smaller side to price ratio but is normal for japanese cuisine read more

Jinbei used to be our favorite restaurant. We would often bring our family and friends. Sadly the service has deteriorated. We went by last Thursday. We tried calling and calling all day for reservations and no one answered the phone. We arrived 10 minutes before opening and there was a long line. When they finally opened, we were not able to get a seat. We told the receptionist that we had tried calling to get reservations. She told us that they don't answer during opening hours because they are too busy. We told her that we also tried calling when they weren't open. All she said was you have to call. Fast forward to a week later. We have been calling all day at various hours. Regardless of the time, no one answers. We do not want to drive 30 minutes to be turned away. Unfortunately, neither us nor our family and friends will never go to Jinbei again. read more

Sushi is delicious and the chefs and staff are both very helpful and friendly! I love how they cut the fish here. It reminds me of an old school japanese style sushi! It's unique, great quality, and delicious! My favorites here are: -sushi combo -tekamaki -torotaku -takowasa read more

FYI they don't allow strollers (which the waiteress was surprisingly rude about). I figured we should eat here anyway so I held my baby the whole time. When we went they were out of several fish (major ones like tuna, yellowtail, salmon). The sushi itself was average to below average but ended up being overpriced. They also forgot an item and it took us forever to flag someone down to ask where it was. Definitely avoid this place since there are so many sushi places around. read more

I love Jinbei! I'm local to the area and have been eating here for seven years! They have some of the best sushi in Orange County, and the staff is so friendly and sweet. Eating at the restaurant is always a pleasure down to every point. The lighting is great and the music is really tailored to the restaurant. I've been coming here for my birthday every year since I was 15, I can't compliment them enough. read more

Jinbei is officially one of the best sushi places in Irvine for me. The restaurant itself is tiny, so large parties are a no-go here. Parties of 4 or less would fit a lot better. A party of seven that was waiting for a table was split into two booths while we were here, it's that small. The restaurant itself is also pretty loud, so I'm not sure about having date night here if you're looking for something a little more cozy. The service is nice and friendly, but they run out of stuff here pretty often. We came for dinner and they were out of certain beers and sweet shrimp, among other things. Dinner here is on the pricier side, mostly if you're craving sashimi or nigiri, but the second you try the fish, it is so worth the money. The quality of their fish is great and everything tastes really fresh. Skip the uni pasta if you're a fan of the one at EMC. The one here is smaller, more soupy, and doesn't have the seaweed on top like EMCs. Taste was okay, but the noodles had less bite. The fried soft-shell crab that arrived at our table was tiny, so the manager knocked off a couple dollars off the bill for it, so they know what they're doing to make their customers happy. I will definitely come back if I'm craving sushi and I have a few extra bills burning a hole in my pocket. Make sure to use Yelp to join the waitlist! read more

I personally love this restaurant. I have been going her for around 8 years now and the taste is quality, the service can be a little slow at times but they are never rude or snappy. The ambiance isn't anything too special but sitting at the bar and seeing the chef's at work is always an experience in itself. Highly recommend if you're craving some udon! read more

Hidden gem in Irvine. This place definitely seems like they're practicing the art of sushi. They have a great lunch menus including udons and sushi combo. Try dining in their outdoor patio! read more

Jinbei - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

Waited for one hour on the waitlist. After checking my place in line with them, they said their system took me off somehow.