Hidden sushi spot in Orange with ~$40 omakase? let's try it! comes with 11 pieces that all taste fresh and are of high-quality. Attentive and friendly servers with a chill ambiance. While it doesn't scream family environment, we took my 2 year old nephew and everything was fine. They offered his water in a to-go cup and provided extra dinnerware for him. They also have pitchers of beer! read more

Kaigen - Japanese Near Me - Orange, California

Came here twice now and each time we've had a great experience. Our friends love sitting at the bar, so they called in advance and requested the bar for us. We all ordered the omakase, which is hard to pass up at $42, and comes with a miso soup and salad, in addition to the 9-piece. Sounds little, but we were pretty full afterwards. Of the nine pieces, our favorite was the last one -- black cod. After the nine pieces, they ask if you want a blue crab or yellowtail handroll. We all went with blue crab and it did not disappoint. We did include an order of uni from the a la carte menu, as well as some of their yakitori sticks. All in all, we had such a great experience and the food is amazing. The price point also really helps with our experience. Most places leave a hole in your wallet when you leave. Parking is pretty easy as there is a large parking lot. read more

Sushi Chef is from northern Japan. His technique and style is amazing. The fish is so fresh. I can't say enough good things. Best sushi I've had since we were in Japan. Highly recommend the Omakase: fantastic craftsmanship and a wonderful conversation follows every dish. read more

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This was a delightful experience. The fish quality was immaculate and the service was beyond. We sat at the bar and it was such a fun and pleasant time. We will definitely be back. We ordered the sushi omakase and we 10/10 recommend! read more

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My go-to spot for sushi. Specifically the omakase! I would consider myself a bit of a foodie -- I don't like splurging on anything but good quality food. Everyone that I've taken to try Kaigen has nothing but positive things to say (and some are even bigger food critics than me). I used to live only 20 mins away but now about 40 and still choose to come back time and time again, sometimes multiple times a week lol, for the last 3 years since discovering it. Tbh, my partner and I (and all our close friends/family/coworkers we keep bringing back) come back 40% for the amazing quality of sushi/price and 60% for Andrew (tbh maybe even 99% if we're being real), his vibes are immaculate!! It may look like a plain hole in the wall but the quality of fish and service are so tough to beat. I want to gatekeep this place so bad, but I already yap about it to everyone I know & feel like it's my civic duty to announce to the world of Yelp how great Kaigen is. Please do not hesitate to try, but if you do then less of a wait time for me.... :) read more

I'm so glad my friend introduced me to this hidden gem. This restaurant is in a little row of shops and it doesn't have the best appeal from the outside but don't judge it by its exterior. Once you enter the restaurant, you'll be welcomed by the friendly staff. I had the omakase which was the perfect choice! Nine pieces of extremely fresh fish with a delicate flavor. My favorite was the toro. I wish I could have nine more pieces of just that! It was delicious. The ambiance is very casual and I thought the prices were reasonable. read more

Kaigen - Omakase - Japanese Near Me - Orange, California

Fuss-free 9-piece omakase that also comes with additional salad (loved the dressing) and miso soup comes at an unbeatable price here ($42). Preparation is simple, impactful and fresh. I don't need gold flakes on my tuna, i just want clean flavor, and that's what you get here. Love the choice of hand roll at the end. Clean, inviting atmosphere and friendly staff. Will be back read more

I'd had Kaigen bookmarked in case I was ever in this area of Orange County. Kaigen is located in an unassuming strip center but inside is nice with plenty of booths and a large sushi bar. I ordered the Sushi lunch for my daughter which comes with 5 pieces of nigiri, a roll (CA, tuna), miso soup and salad. At $20 it's not great value but the quality of the sushi makes it worth it. I ordered myself the omakase which came with 9 pieces of premium nigiri, hand roll (I chose yellowtail), salad and miso soup. At $42 I felt this was a bit overpriced. Especially compared to the $20 sushi lunch. However, the quality of the nigiri was outstanding! The fish is super high quality and very fresh tasting. I also really appreciated all of the special toppings on the nigiri. Overall Kaigen is a solid 5 stars (due to the quality of the fish and delicious flavor combinations) and I'd return for sure if I'm in this area again. The service was also outstanding. read more

Kaigen - Sushi lunch - Japanese Near Me - Orange, California

My girlfriend and I came here for Valentines Day. Originally I was going to bring her to a steak house but changed my mind since we had steak during the weekend. I called Monday and the server was gracious enough to have an opening for 530 for a small table so I took it (even though of course bar seating was full) They're strict on their 10 minute grace period but we made it. We ordered an Orion and Large Hot Sake Usually I don't order Fried Soft Shell crab but today I was feelin it. It was delicious! Nice and fluffy with a ponzu dipping sauce. 5/5 Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice 4/5. Rice was a little bit more crispy than I liked but still solid overall. Nigiri Omakase. 5/5 My gf was eating this one but half way we switched since it was too much rice for her. It was nice trying different types of fish. $48? Sashimi Omakase 5/5 - Presentation was beautiful. Slices were thick. $75? Overall, servers were all really nice! You can also take shots with them if you like! If you're looking for a cheap omakase in the Orange area I definitely recommend. I think for the price point it's amazing. The corner table on the right side ended up being perfect. Maybe since I served before so I always prebus and arrange everything nicely haha! Thank you Kaigen for the great experience! read more

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It's a hole in wall sushi restaurant in Tustin that doesn't look appealing in the outside and could get more daunting as you walk inside and see a small, homey vibe, but the food is actually pretty good. Right off the bat, I got worried because the chopsticks are cheap ones where you have to take off the splinters but when they gave me the miso soup and salad, I was happy because they were very delicious. Then the omakase began. Eat with your hands to feel the freshness of the fish. A wet towel is provided to wipe your fingers and fresh wasabi and ginger is provided to cleanse your palate. Each nigiri was carefully curated by the chef in front of you and will patiently wait for you to enjoy your plate so do not feel rushed. Each bite was so flavorful, and different. Tuna melted in your mouth, cherry salmon was sweet and buttery, the yellowtail tasted like the ocean and the scallop was just plain amazing. No need to have soy sauce and wasabi on the side because each plate was already measured to perfection. Great taste and value. I came out feeling good and not too full. read more

Kaigen - Japanese Near Me - Orange, California

Just stopped by for omakase for lunch and the fish was absolutely delicious! We normally go to Sugarfish in Newport/CDM but we didn't want to wait today so we drove north to visit this place on a whim and absolutely enjoyed our food! The service was nice and we loved everything we ate! Highly recommend! We will be back! read more

Kaigen Omakase is definitely worth trying. Chef was great but service was just okay. There weren't a lot of people when we dined during a weekday afternoon. read more

Kaigen - Japanese Near Me - Orange, California

My gf and I like usual were craving sushi and searched out a spot near by work. I had Kaigen bookmarked so we made a reservation at the bar. Parking is in an open lot, and it was pretty empty when we went inside. The menu is pretty standard, along with their specials on the board and their omakase options. They also do have yakitori which is a plus. We could not figure out what we wanted so we both decided on the sushi omakase. _Sushi Omakase ($42) Comes with 9 pieces nigiri sushi, and yellowtail hand roll or blue crab hand roll, miso soup and salad. The order is as follows; +Bluefin Tuna. The tuna is fresh and although I am not a big fan of bluefin tuna, this was simple and good. +Amberjack. A solid nigiri. It did not need much soy sauce as it was already dressed in a ligtht sauce that seemed like a ponzu sauce. +Sea Bream. A very light fish, and often can be a bit bland. It was topped with a bit of yuzu koshu and salt, that gives a light salty flavor to bring out the fish and a bit of spice from the yuzu koshu. +Scallop. One of my favorites. Fresh and meaty. Topped with a bit of black salt. +Cherry Salmon. Different from a regualr salmon and salmon belly. Less fatty than the belly, and a bit more sweeter. This was good. +Sea Bass. This was mild and light. The sauce and garnish on top was great. +Toro. The toro was fresh and slighty fatty. Melts in your mouth. +Black Cod. This is what I kept seeing on yelp and I was happy that it was included in the omakase, otherwise I would have ordered it a la carte. Slightly fatty and oily, but in the right ways. The char marks were beautifully done and had that nice depth of flavor to it. +Blue Crab Hand Roll. Pretty solid, I thought it was baked but that was my fault. Good amount of fresh crab meat to rice ratio. +Uni (off omakase) This nigiri was not the typical wrapped in nori nigiri. Just a big slab of fresh uni on top of the rice. It was fresh, not the best I''ve had, but enough to hit that uni craving. _Kiss of Fire Roll ($18) Spicy tuna, fresh jalapeno, cucumber and avocado inside, cajun peppered seared ahi tuna on top with chili ponzu sauce. This roll was a bit spicy but more of a peppery taste than a slow burning spice. A pretty good roll. I will say, I was not a fan of the sushi rice. I find that the rice can be more important than the fish itself, and I was not a fan of the texture. Overall very fair price for the quality. Great service. Will be back to itch my sushi cravings and try their yakitori as well. read more

Kaigen - Kiss of Fire - Japanese Near Me - Orange, California

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Probably the best omakase experience in terms of cost and quality in Orange County. They also have the sashimi omakase that looks amazing. Same fish, just looked like you get two pieces each. read more

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Came here late at night around 9 PM to have a random date night for sushi the place was empty at this time. The sushi was really good - I got a sashimi omakase, which was really delicious. The bluefin Toro might've been the best that I've had in my life. The yellow tail was also very very good! read more

We walked in on a Tuesday night at 6:30 and most of the restaurant still had open seating. We sat at the sushi bar for the 9 pc sushi omakase + handroll set and also ordered an appetizer and special roll. The omakase set was good and the highlights were the toro, jumbo scallop, black cod, and snow crab hand roll. There were a couple others with delicious seasoning and garnishes as well. Is it the best omakase quality out there? No. But it is good quality, delicious, and a fantastic value at $42. I would pass on the spicy tuna jalepeno poppers (1/5) and the kiss of fire roll (3/5) to try different rolls next time. Kaigen is located in a small plaza of a not so great area and I did see strange people in the parking lot so be careful walking around. read more

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It's been on my list for years now but I finally tried the $42 Sushi Omakase at Kaigen and left very happy with the quality of the fish at such a good value. All of the sushi was delicious, with my favorites being the Toro, Black Cod and Cherry Salmon. In addition to the omakase we also ordered a Hamachi collar, which was also fantastic. According to the chef, the collars are usually gone during lunch time but definitely worth checking. Service was really good the entire meal from the whole staff. In terms of parking, Kaigen is located in a relatively small lot but most of the cars seemed like they were there for Kaigen so there were plenty of spaces available. Overall, really enjoyed the experience here and will definitely be back for more delicious fish. Fish: Bluefin Tuna Amberjack Sea Bream Scallop Cherry Salmon Raw Octopus Sea Bass Toro Black Cod Blue Crab Handroll Hamachi Collar read more

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Shame on chef and hostess We drove here 30 min before lunch closing And they didn't take us . But took other party who was their same time . I understand last call but chef and hostess was just rude read more

$42 Lunch Omakase, chef choice, can't be beat. They include miso soup, salad and 8 to 10 premium sushi nigiri and a handroll of either blue carb,bluefin tuna or yellowtail. Sit at the bar so the sushi chefs can also tailor your choices to avoid anything you dislike. For me,it was makeral (saba) that I didn't want, so they avoided anything that even remotely is reminiscent of makeral taste. I told them I love kinmidai (golden eye snapper) and it happened to be in season so I was very happy. Only thing is today I did get a bone in one of the peices as well as my companion in the same cut of fish, so they had a sort of off moment. However it was the first time I experienced that in over 6 times of coming in for omakase these past few months. Overall 5 stars! read more

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Went for my birthday dinner and ordered the omakase. Sat at the bar and for a weekday night the restaurant was busy. The service was great as well as the sushi chef. I believe the restaurant is Korean owned. The music was a weird mix and pretty loud. The experience would be better with softer music. I found it super distracting and hard to talk even though we were sitting next to each other. The fish itself was good. Some fish were seasoned perfectly and tasted fantastic. Others weren't as good quality as you can see the veins in the fish which I normally do not get at other omakase serving restaurants. Overall not bad for the price and what we got. We ordered extra pieces on top of the omakase as it wasn't enough to get us full. So one star off for annoying music and some ok quality fish. read more

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$42 Omakase! 9 pieces with a handroll + soup/salad + edamame. Came here for early dinner around opening on a weekday and did not have a wait. This is a random hole in the wall in Tustin in an older plaza. Excellent quality and service for a great price. Shout out to the staff for gracefully clearing out all our plates and making sure our needs were met! Would love to come here again. Quality omakase, not basic omakase that's just salmon nigiri. Crafted with pride. Each piece is handed to you on a small little dish. read more

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I want to gate keep this place it's that's good. Andrew is the most attentive server and is very friendly. I frequent this place for not only omakase but everything. The fish is really fresh and received daily. The sushi bar is the way to go here for enjoying a great meal with friend or family. This is my go to for quick, high quality and great sushi. read more

Food was amazing. Chef was friendly and helpful. Service was super fast. Omakase top notch.

A friend recommended this place to us to try it out. $42 for Omakase. We sat at the sushi bar. Very tight seating. After we ordered, the soup came but our salad didn't come until we were almost done. The place was busy and very hard to get the server attention. All the sushi pieces were fresh and delicious. For the price, it was definitely worth giving it a try Located in a small plaza. I would definitely come back again. read more

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Love the omakase options here! Such a great price with great quality food! Surprisingly filling since they also give you soup and salad and a hand roll! The flavors are so interesting and are definitely unique from your usual sushi. If you sit by the bar you will get your pieces one at a time. If you sit by a table they bring out all the pieces at once. Can't wait to come back here! read more

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I've been wanting to try this place for awhile and finally got the opportunity to while being in the area. There was no wait time at 5pm on a Sunday. I ordered a baked salmon roll, halibut sushi, sea bream sushi, and their omakase nigiri sushi. The orders came one by one starting with the halibut and sea bream. All of their sushi was fresh and delicious. My favorite was the halibut sushi with its already slightly smoky taste. I loved the addition of blue crab rolls in the omakase nigiri sushi. The chef's choices for the omakase was very nice too, given most if not all were in season. The baked salmon roll wasn't anything special but was a nice hot plate filling for the meal. Overall, the sushi quality lived up to my expectations. The pricing was honestly cheaper than I was expecting. This is a place I'd recommend to my friends. read more

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Omakase! The best we've ever had. We won't go anywhere else. Polite, good service but the chef's preparations are exceptional. We never even dip the sushi in soy sauce. read more

The omakase is pretty good, but the service sucks. It took about 40 minutes to get our omakase, which seems pretty ridiculous, because all the sushi chef has to do is slice it and put it on a plate. I'm not sure if I'll go back, but the price for omakase is hard to beat. read more

First time here and we shall return soon! Service and food was on par. Plus, $39 for an Omakase experience with great quality sushi is hard to beat! So tip well please so they can keep up the great prices! The highlight pieces I had were the blue fin tuna, cherry salmon, black cod aaaaaannnnd toro is my all time fave! It's a super chill spot so no need to feel like you need to dress up. read more

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Japanese Family owned and ran. Love it! Food is amazing! Fresh fish! Service was great!

Easy parking. Quick service. Quality sushi. Good prices. Will be back. The omakase high quality pieces, all of them tasted good. None of them felt like a filler piece. I really enjoyed the roll that was included. I thought that was a nice touch. Miso soup and a salad a delicious standard starters (however, it seems like more places do not include this anymore...) Ika karage was nicely fried. I noticed that it is fried, then cut into smaller pieces. I wish it was the other way around. read more

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You won't find a better and cheaper omakase than here! Even with inflation and cost of good rising, I'm so thankful to find such an affordable omakase around. Not only is it affordable, it's delicious! I came here at opening for dinner without reservations. We were seated at the bar, which is the best experience for omakase. Throughout our entire dinner, the place never got too busy. This is a huge plus considering how crowded and difficult it is to get a reservation or seat at Ohshima next door. And yes, I have to compare it because everyone is asking the same thing. In my opinion, I'd choose Kaigen over Ohshima simply because it's a better atmosphere, less cramped and crowded, and no need to stress over reservations (although I hope they don't get so popular that this happens to Kaigen too). Anyways, we got the nigiri omakase ($39), which comes with 9 pieces of nigiri and a handroll. What a deal, right?! Oh, we also had miso soup, salad, and a cucumber side to start. Each piece of fish was perfectly served on a cute mini plate and flavored nicely. Make sure you ask for the real wasabi, which adds a nice flavor. I'm not a big wasabi fan, but this was so good. I finished the meal with my stomach and wallet happy. read more

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I can't say good enough things about this restaurant. At $42, the Omakase menu is an absolute steal. For the money, you get miso soup, salad, 9 pieces of nigiri, and a hand roll. Each piece of fish is perfectly crafted. I'd highly recommend sitting at the bar for the omakase. You can still order the omakase at a table, but the experience just isn't the same. The chef will serve you each piece as you eat, so the sushi is as fresh as possible. The restaurant itself is relatively small and unassuming in the middle of a little strip mall. Come here for some great sushi for any occasion! read more

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Came on a Saturday night around 8:10ish and the restaurant was not busy at all. There were maybe about less than 10 people dining before I got there. My party was seated immediately and they got us some waters while we looked at the menu. We ordered two omakase meals and it came with 9 pieces of chef's choice nigiri, a handroll, miso soup, and salad. The miso soup was your average miso soup you could find at any Japanese restaurant, the salad was just the same. Truthfully speaking, the omakase selection for the fish was really great! The quality and the freshness of the fish was delicious and for $39, I would say it's more than worth it. I feel that the rice to fish ratio was good because there was more fish to rice, but I think a little more rice would have been good. After the omakase I was intrigued to try other pieces that they had available and I will say that the uni and ankimo that they had tonight was spectacular! I also forgot to mention we did order some crispy rice with spicy tuna to begin with, which was just okay. The service was good and I always had my cup of water filled. The only issue I had with tonight was with the individual little plates they had on the table already. I'm not sure if it was just my table, but the plates they had in there were dirty with some type of residue, not sure if it was oil, water, or some sauce that wasn't washed off properly. I give this experience an 8/10 for the service and the quality of the food for such a low price. For two people I paid ~$150. read more

Kaigen - Omakase on 3/4/23 - Japanese Near Me - Orange, California

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Had a wonderful experience ordering the Sushi Omakase $42. A great value! I believe our sushi chefs name was Chris and he did a fantastic job. Not very conversational but was efficient and accommodating for my apprehension with wasabi. Each roll was carefully crafted and plated beautifully. My personal favorites: cherry salmon, toro, and black cod. After your 9 sushi dishes you get the option of either: yellow tail, blue fin, or blue crab hand roll. I chose the blue crab hand roll and it was the perfect finisher. The restaurant itself has a chill ambiance. Customers came in casual attire. Plenty of seating options. Tables seemed to accommodate up to 8. read more

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This is our go to sushi place. We love the cherry salmon belly sashimi and the yuzu yellowtail, and my parents get the spicy scallop hand roll. Every dish has amazing presentation and the service is great. Today we also got the hamachi kama, the cucumber salad, and the toro. All the fish was fresh and tender. We got extra ginger and pickled wasabi. Best visit yet. read more

First omakase experience and I thought it was a good one! For $40 you get 9 sushi and a hand roll which was fantastic ! My favorite was the toro! My husband and I celebrated our 3 year anniversary here. I tried making a phone call to make a reservation but it was quite impossible to get a hold of them so we just went right when they opened on a Saturday. We both got the sushi omakase and we're still hungry after so we got a roll and that was the perfect ending. If you're a foodie and this is your first time here, just snap your picture and eat . Do not wait for things to come out because they will not start your next order unless you're done with it since they want it fresh in your mouth! I would definitely come here again ! read more

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$39 omakase?! How can you beat that?! This sushi omakase was 9 pieces of sushi, 1 Hand roll, miso soup and salad, a complete steal! Each piece of sushi was fresh and delicious. My favorite pieces were probably the seabream, black cod and bluefin tuna. We came here right when they opened so service was great and once you were done with one piece of sushi, the chef had another ready to go. The omakase special was perfect amount for lunch as my sister and I were stuffed. We ordered the spicy edamame and beer which topped us over the edge. read more

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Such a great hidden gem! I passed by the plaza this place is in so many times and had no idea it was here! Husband and I came here on a Friday night around 5:40 and beat the dinner rush as we were seated right away. It quickly filled up after that so if you're doing a walk in, I would try coming as soon as they open. If you care about sitting at the bar, I would definitely make a reservation. We got the $39 omakase and ordered the yuzu yellowtail, tuna on crispy rice, and monkfish liver on top of it. I think we could've done without the crispy rice. Neither of us liked the texture. It was too crispy on the outside and too soft on the inside. Everything else was excellent. The omakase is definitely worth the price. We enjoyed every piece and were pleasantly surprised by the tuna and salmon. read more

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I was craving sushi, and a good friend of mine recommended coming here after seeing this place on Instagram. I came here on a Sunday about 15 minutes after they opened for dinner. Parking was a breeze as they have their own dedicated lot in a shopping plaza. However despite them being barely opened. There's already a group of 10 people waiting outside! This place is definitely popular! I put my name down for a party of 2 and it ended up being a 25 minute wait. As a new mother, I appreciate a place that seems kid friendly and this place is that. I saw two parties each with a toddler sitting in a highchair provided by the restaurant. Wait staff is friendly. Just be prepared to wait. They seem busy so it did take a while for them to take her order and a little bit of a wait for the food to come out as well. I do have to say, their 10 piece omakase is good! Not amazing quality, but good quality. And the $39 price point can't be beat. I would come here again, but come a little before they open to avoid a long wait again. read more

Kaigen - Loved the omakase - Japanese Near Me - Orange, California

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