Chirashi bowl in Irvine, California... I had this restaurant bookmarked because I wanted the uni pasta that I saw on the menu. I couldn't get it because apparently, it's a dinner item and I was there for lunch. Shucks! Anyway, there were lunch specials, so, I ordered the Chirashi Bowl... yum! It came with hot tea, miso soup, and a fresh green salad that had a delicious dressing - something like a garlicky Asian sweetness that made me want to eat it all!!! Service was really special because we sat at the sushi bar. I enjoyed watching the chefs assemble the creations with such precision! When I thought that they couldn't hear us talking, they would answer! Wow! They were really paying attention to the customers! Anyway, I would return for uni pasta if I were in the area again at dinnertime. The place is cozy, so go early for a seat! read more

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The service is bad. I ordered Uni Spaghetti, but they were out so I ordered Mentaiko spaghetti waited 15-20 minutes come to find out the server never put the order in . Also wasn't asked what I wanted to drink , after 15 minutes I had to ask for a glass of water. The food is good. Visit at your own risk. Burton was awesome . He was the only one who tended to my need, because of the poor service in the beginning I had decided to tip accordingly. His service changed my mind. Thank you Burton. read more

Want moderately priced authentic Japanese sushi? Jinbei is a secret Irvine gem that only north Irvine locals know. Great sushi and other omakase style dishes; and great Japanese hospitality. Also fantastic for lunch. I'm lucky to live practically across the street from the shopping center where Jinbei is at. read more

been going here for a while now. It's the only place my bf would go to for sushi. It's a small place but we haven't experienced a long wait. Longest wait maybe was 20 minutes. Sushi is fresh, I love the salmon belly. We don't really order sushi rolls but Ive had their Philly roll once and it was a good portion! We also like their chicken karage and Uni pasta Their bento boxes are great as well! Service is a hit or miss. We came here one night with horrific service that I didn't want to go for a while. Overall, great sushi spot! read more

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We are a big fan of this place and We visited on Saturday lunch. It seems their service is very slow right now for Covid reasons. Because food came us really slow and they don't serve to-go food without reservations. So please visit early or make a reservation for to-go. Their food is always good. Nice sushi and reasonable price. I love all the food. Especially You should try Unagi roll. read more

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My dad found this place and told me it was one of the best Japanese cuisines in town. I was skeptical at first, but this place is definitely on my book now. Must get: - Sushi - very fresh. Great fish to rice ratio. My favorite sushi place is Nana San, and this place is on par. Their take on the red snapper is different but also very good. - Uni Pasta - you can actually taste the uni. Thank god it's not too much cream. - Japanese cuisine - very authentic, although some may argue it's towards the smaller portion. This place gets packed fast, so go early if you can. Great for casual family dinner, gathering, or a casual date night. read more

Very yummy lunch. Only 10 lunch specials available at times so get there when they open! The chirashi is beautiful and very substantial. The sushi lunch is great. Even the salad, green tea and miso are delicious. Great service also. read more

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My family enjoyed having sushi lunch at our favorite sushi restaurant in town. It's nice that they are keeping the price reasonable and the fish quality are fresh . Relax atmosphere , good Latin music and good price. After lunch we dropped by next door for Peet's coffee. Thank you for serving us a nice lunch today! read more

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My favorite sushi spot in Irvine! I don't know why this place doesn't have 5 stars, the quality and flavors is "chefs kiss" Every time I've visited there is a line but I think it's worth it! The place is nice, it's pretty snug in there, but I'd definitely recommend this spot! read more

Good. Service good. Spider roll not good. Dragon crunch roll good. Udon good. California roll really good. Sashimi salad good.

My first time here. I never heard of it but I was i Vic yes here for lunch. They have a lunch special menu that offers some sashimi for $24 or so, but it's limited to 10 per day. Half an hour opening, it was already sold out. I got the pork cutlet with some sushi. The sashimi was a bit too expensive. I got the sushi and the fish was good, but it didn't stand out. In fact, I'm not so sure why it's so expensive relative to other sushi places around Irvine. The spider roll was good. The restaurant is right next to Ziv's so the location is prime. Service was good and the ambience is any typical sushi restaurant. For Thinsulin fans, there's plenty of green light options. read more

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The best Rainbow Roll I've ever had. The fish was very fresh, the cuts thick and complementary to their fresh rice and inner ingredients as well. Jinbei is the spot to go for a classy dinner with a nice and intimate setting, complete with a sushi bar that emphasizes its authenticity as a Japanese restaurant. Any of their fish selections will be fresh and up to standard, very worth the price and I will definitely be back. Probably some of the freshest sushi you can get in Irvine! read more

Jinbei - rainbow roll - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

Best and most authentic Japanese restaurant in the area!! The sushi is so fresh and great quality. The restaurant is very clean and love the Interior design. Come early if you want the chirashi bowl which is served only during lunch they only serve 10 bowls/day. They opened at 11:30am and ran out at around 12:30. Luckily they said there was one more left so we took the opportunity to try it! My fav is the spicy tuna roll and most importantly the wasabi!!! Wasabi is so fresh and amazing quality. Def would return!! read more

Jinbei - Chicken teriyaki - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

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My absolute go to for sushi. It's my regular place for a casual sushi dinner with my family. Great food and service

Uni pasta and the sushi here are so fresh and delicious! Apparently it's sister properties of the famous pasta e pasta in little Tokyo Downtown LA! So close to home, will def visit more often! read more

Jinbei - Uni pasta- same as pasta e pasta - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

The food is super fresh and authentic--I had sushi that was the best in Irvine and would rival most places in any major metro. It's cozy inside and feels like a little slice of Japan, and the staff is super friendly. Highly recommend. read more

The food was so delicious and I would recommend the dragon crunch roll.the service was amazing. The ambience was very cute.

Super yummy place. Small on the inside so there is usually a wait. But the wait was not long at all. We came around 1 pm and they closed at 2pm. You just order and write down what you want and give them the paper so it's easy. Food is good. Seaweed salad doesn't have as much seaweed as I imagined it would. It has a lot of other ingredients and some of the stuff was a little bitter. But they gave free refills on the miso soup at the end. The sushi was amazing. Super good. No complaints. Overall nice place. Would come again. read more

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This place has great lunch specials but definitely try to come here early to get the chirashi and sushi lunch sets. We were a little bummed out that they were all sold out by the time we got there - they only serve 10 of these (so be sure to come early). We ordered the beef udon w/ spicy tuna roll and Tonkatsu lunch set. -Chicken Karaage: 6/10 The chicken was very juicy; however, the sauce didn't really compliment with the chicken (in my opinion) - Beef Udon w/ Spicy Tuna: 8/10 The beef udon was very delicious but the spicy tuna was alright nothing special. -Tonkatsu Lunch Set: 7/10 I thought this was a great deal!! It comes with miso soup, salad, and 3 piece nigiri. Be aware that when you order any nigiri it comes with wasabi in it. It would be nice if our waitress warned us about this. In terms of customer service, they were kind of SLOW even though it was not too busy. Originally, I asked if they do take out, but they did not answer in a friendly tone... (They do not do takeout) I would have given this place 4/5 stars if their customer service was a bit more friendlier and not so slow. Parking is pretty easy to find here!! read more

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I've been here a couple times before, and after reading about the omakase sushi options, I was excited to come try it. We lined up a little before 11:30 am to make sure we'd be in the first seating. It was fairly busy (Friday lunch crowd), but we made it in and ordered some sashimi, the salmon skin salad, and an omakase lunch. The waitress asked if I wanted 10 or 12 pieces, and I said 12 since I was eager to try a variety. After an entire lunch seating had come and gone, and after my husband's order (sashimi and salmon skin salad) was completed and eaten, we sat around for another 15-20 minutes with no food on the table. When we finally got someone's attention, I explained I was still waiting for my omakase lunch. Turns out, they only have ~ 4-5 types of fish, and so they couldn't make my order. But instead of telling me that upfront, they chose to serve the entire restaurant beforehand. I'm not sure if it's just bad communication or if my order never got put in. Either way, I should have asked for the bill and left then and there, but I was hungry, so I ordered something entirely different - the uni spaghetti. No one at the restaurant took responsibility for what happened, zero compensation (no small discount, not even a free soda, or as some other reviewers noted, free tamago). Close to an hour later, and at least half an hour after my husband had finished eating his lunch, I finally got my lunch (uni spaghetti). Then, we had to wait another 15-20 minutes because everyone was too busy to pick up our credit card for payment. I get that restaurants are busy and short-staffed, but if you want to dine here, just be prepared for a long wait at every step of your meal. OC has way better options when it comes to sushi (ShariNori, Kiyo Sushi and Sake, Ootoro, Sushi Murasaki, OFine, Sushi Koto, Momoyama, HanaRe, OMG: Omakase by Gino, Oshima, etc...), so when the service is this depressing, not sure there's any point in choosing Jinbei over these other options. read more

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As a regular, they always have great service and food! Consisent and always quality.

I had seen this restaurant nearby, but had never checked it out until now! the two of us arrived a little after 6:30pm on a weekday and checked in on the kiosk. the server said the wait would be about an hour and we ended up waiting outside as this restaurant is small, but lots of people were in line on the kiosk app. once we were called we ordered and our food took a bit longer than usual to come out, however I know they are making everything fresh so it was fine. the service was nice with super friendly servers and staff. the overall experience was great and id love to return to try their udon and lunch specials! THE FOOD: -uni spaghetti ($22) - good sized portion and delicious flavor. they boil fresh per order and comes with a big piece of uni. the sauce is very yummy and we slurped it all up! highly recommend! -5 kinds of sashimi ($35) - came with 5 different kinds of fish, 3 pieces each. we were happy with this. def on the pricier side however the fish is definitely fresh and yummy! the menu didn't list the fish, but ask the server as this may change per day. PROS: -fresh & quality fish -they not only serve sashimi and sushi, but uni pastas and udon -they have limited lunch specials at an affordable price (can't wait to come back and try this) -friendly staff -large, easy parking CONS: -wait times -on the pricier side -closes early OVERALL: great place and would love to return! read more

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The sashimi is probably the freshest I have had in Irvine. The scallop has a sweet taste to it and in my opinion no soy sauce is needed. My 2 year old did not enjoy the kid's meal ($6.5 it's an excellent deal, trust me because I enjoyed the kid's meal very much), she went right ahead and had half of the Uni pasta. She kept saying, ' yummy!'. I guess my baby has expensive taste. Hahaha. We will be back soon as there are many other items we want to try. We will probably stick with sushi and try the tomago that everyone raves about! read more

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Ownership recently changed and down went the quality of food here. The two main sushi chefs lefts this restaurant (that should have been a sign). Service is another sad story here these days. My last experience included some stinky Albacore, subpar service and a giant check. Cannot recommend. read more

Located in a suburb plaza, jinbei offers a unique neighborhood joint to eat some nice Japanese grub. They have lunch specials so my mom got the chirashi bowl while I got the spicy tuna roll and udon combo. It wasn't something over the top amazing but appreciated the service and nice ambiance. The food was pretty fresh and nothing to complain about. One thing to note is you have to come at least 10 minutes before opening or earlier. Since it's a neighborhood restaurant, it's a small place and can only fit around 20 people and has very limited seating. COME EARLY read more

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A new favorite spot! Quality, taste, authenticity and customer service all made the dining experience enjoyable. Soft shell crab took a while, however when I ordered extra yellowtail and scallop sushi, it was delivered quickly. Menu is limited, so will be back and look forward to other offerings. And next time will choose to sit at the bar. read more

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I came to Jibbei yesterday and left very impressed. The host was extremely friendly and helped us find a table. The decor is very nice and modern. The ambiance inside is cozy and comfortable. The servers are extremely friendly. We ordered a few sushi rolls, tempura, and katsu. The spicy tuna roll and rainbow tasted very fresh and flavorful. The tempura was very fresh, flaky, and delicious. Their California roll is also tasty, too. I think I will come back to Jinbei again later because they have good food, friendly employees, and a cozy ambiance. read more

This was a great dinner! Came here on a Friday around 7 and the restaurant was packed! The restaurant is pretty small, has a couple tables with about 10 bar seats. My sister and I were lucky and got seated at the bar. We knew we wanted sushi and so we opted to get Omakase. They have a 4 pc chef selection but ended up telling our waitress we wanted 8-10pc sushi so she told the chef that. Happy with the selection he chose, he started off with giving us Blue Fin Tuna and the rest was history! We loved every piece of sushi that was given to us except the Blue Fin Toro, it was a bit chewy and too fatty for me. For what we got, the price was pretty good! 10pc of sushi each, miso soup, two beers and a seaweed salad was under $150! Fish was fresh and the chef knew exactly how to dress the fish, didn't have to use soy sauce at all! read more

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My favorite place for sushi in the Irvine area. The other stuff on the menu is good, but you should come here for the sushi. I like the amount of wasabi they add under the sushi. read more

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We walked in on a Tues evening at 7p and there was no wait. The last time we were here was before the pandemic and the menu has definitely changed quite a bit. The menu is limited but all the basics covered. The sushi was super fresh and tasty. The waitresses came by several times to check on us and it was a nice quiet evening. We will be back! read more

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

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Ordered the five kinds of sashimi, toro sashimi and uni pasta. The pasta was the highlight which is weird considering this is a sushi / sashimi restaurant. The quality of the fish is also subpar for restaurant quality. You can get better tasting / fresher at hmart. Also, the place was kind of dirty, they had a mess of napkin, used fork and chopsticks under the table from the previous party so I just sat on the other end to avoid it. Staff seemed inexperienced but that's okay. Go to kiyo, o fine or ootoro for better tasting food. read more

Jinbei - 5 kinds of sashimi - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

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Excellent service! Food exceeds my expectations, every single time! My personal slogan for Jinbei is "Every bite is a dream come true." Need I say more? read more

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Good food, slow service. Midweek lunch is not a time to wait, so I was disappointed to 1) wait longer than expected fir our lunch to come and 2) wait an extraordinarily long time to get our bill, to have our payment picked up and 3) for the payment to be processed. There were many people waiting to get a table, but this place doesn't seem to be operated with efficiency, so I'm sure others, like myself, won't try to come here for lunch again. read more

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Overall: 3.5 stars Sushi/sashimi: 4 stars Warm food: 3 stars Service: 3.5 stars We've been here a few times and always left feeling that the only good thing on the menu is the sashimi and uni pasta. We've tried almost everything from cold tofu to rolls to tempura and everything was alright. The fresh sashimi is exceptional, I'll say that! Save your money and just order sushi from the sushi bar and try their uni pasta!! It's also pricey for what you get here. The portions are small so you'll end up ordering a lot. Enjoy! read more

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Relatively new spot tucked away in Portola, Irvine. Great value for the quality. Uni pasta is one of the best I've had in a while. Now open for indoor and outdoor dining! Definitely recommend a try if you're around the South Irvine area! read more

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Best sushi in Orange County hands down. Definitely suggest it to everyone. Fresh and delicious. read more

Delicious sushi! It's definitely our family's favorite and a restaurant my adult sons always request when they are in town. We tried the udon noodles tonight and they couldn't have been better. read more

We love coming to Jinbei! We normally come for dinner, but today we decided to come for lunch We ordered: Chirashi Bowl They only serve 10 bowls a day, so you'll definitely need to come for lunch if you want to try it. It comes with a bowl of miso soup and salad This is the most authentic chirashi bowl I've ever tried! The bowl included a variety of fish, unagi, and pickled garnishes If you're looking for a hot meal, some of us ordered the udon with sushi, lunch special. The udon here is delicious, especially with a side of a sushi roll read more

Jinbei - Salad and miso soup - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

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I wanted everything. But I was too late. No red snapper, no octopus, nooooo I dunno what else but they were out. Ate the carpaccio to start, I loved. Special. Had lots more like horse mackerel, suction cups, that egg thing. Check the pics. Finished with a pasta. I practically wiped the plates clean. While I was waiting I made a heart out of flowers on the outdoor seating area. Included in pics but maybe it's still there so I hope you see it. read more

Jinbei - JINBEI PICS HEARTS FLOWERS SUSHI PASTA - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

I was very impressed by this location, even on the little details they killed it! As I walk in, there were tables of Japanese women in kimonos dining, if that's not legit then I don't know what is! This location was busy during lunch hours, but we were promptly seated. Our server was very nice, and made some good recommendations and informed us on portion sizes so that we didn't order too much food. Lunch time had some great specials on sushi and bento boxes. Uni pasta- so freakin good! I have had uni pasta at a few other locations, and this is definitely one of the best I've had. Nice creamy taste to the pasta, the uni just gives it that seafood edge. Add a fried egg on top to mix in. Karaage lunch bento box- the best karaage I've had, the included side sauce was amazing and pairs perfectly. Rice is simple, but on point. Dressing on the side salad is delicious, makes a plain salad work. Charashi lunch- smaller portion of 8 different types of sashimi (chef's choice). I love this concept, and the bowl was good and presented wonderfully, just wish the sashimi had been a little bit fresher. Overall, great meal and good service. Reasonable pricing during lunch. read more

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