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    Little Sister

    3.7 (1.8k reviews)
    Open • 11:00 am - 9:30 pm

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    LITTLE SISTER ATMOSPHERE

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    Hipster
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    Recommended Reviews - Little Sister

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    Fresh rice paper
    Alexis T.

    Located in the Spectrum. The flavors of the food were decent. The highlight was the fresh rice paper rolls. However the prices are high, small portions, and the service was not good. It's a beautiful restaurant and has great potential. Really wanted to like it but the service ruined the experience for us. Hope they can invest in service training.

    Menu June 2026
    Anh D.

    One of the actual sit-down restaurants at the Spectrum; very pretty decor. They having mostly indoor and some patio dining. Eggplant dish was really rich yet not salty in taste; I quite enjoyed it. The chicken curry was also good; definitely Viet-influence or Viet version with the bowl of do chua. Overall, I think it's a nice restaurant, but obviously pricey for what I know Viet food to cost. However, they do have decent portions (I think the server said they operate with family style?).

    Vietnamese crepe
    Olivia H.

    Wanted to try this place for a while and finally made a reservation with a friend on a Saturday night. It has a warm cozy vibe with mood lighting and a large patio. Even though we had a reservation, we still waited about 10-15 minutes before we were seated. Our server didn't stop by for the longest time. A hostess greeted us and brought water and did give us a heads up that our server was running behind but we ordered and received an appetizer before we even got to order drinks. The food was an interesting take on Vietnamese cuisine. The milk bread app was delicious - light, fluffy, with nice crispy edges and a soft honey butter on the side. The Vietnamese crepe had crisp edges but was packed with pretty much only bean sprouts and 4 pieces of shrimp and overall lacked flavor. I love this dish and it usually has so many pickled veggies and flavor but this take on it fell a bit flat. The drinks were really good though. My friend got the Tropic Like It's Hot and it was refreshing and yummy. Overall it felt like something was off and it was really noticeable. Either our server was overworked or the restaurant was understaffed or both but it didn't make for the best experience.

    Ash Y.

    i was pleasantly surprised at the wide selection of drinks and vietnamese fusion dishes that they had. everything we ate was super flavorful with generous portions. the drinks were very vibrant and everything we ate was so good, especially the shaky shaky beef and the coconut chicken curry. service was great as well and the restaurant looked super cute on the inside.

    Imperial rolls
    Anna H.

    I came here for a Sunday lunch with my friend. The Irvine location is so much bigger than the LA location and nicely decorated. Our server was super attentive and immediately poured us water since it was a hot day. We split the imperial rolls, papaya salad, and garlic noodles. Everything was delicious.

    gina l.

    always a great meal at Little Sister staff was accommodating with putting down the blinds to cut off the winds and turning on heaters on the gorgeous outdoor area Bouillabaisse was delicious but papaya salad was just meh. bank xeo is always great and husband inhaled the chicken curry A little on the pricey side but they really do put care in preparing the food and it shows

    Passion fruit drink with jelly butterfly so yummy
    Amber K.

    I had a great experience with my friend. We ordered the pan fried eggplant without pork and the crispy tofu salad w papaya salad. Both entrees were INCREDIBLE so tasty and delicious. The crispy tofu is protected crisped and spongy the best tofu I've ever had and when you dip it in both sauces it's out of this world. The chef brought us some milky bun to try and we were blown away. Perfect crisp and soooooo soft. The butter and honey on it. Wow. We couldn't believe how amazing it was. My friend ordered the bee sting, it was kinda spicy and very refreshing so good. I ordered the Kennedy, I asked for no egg whites and the server shared that it wasn't egg white anymore it was something else and whatever it was was SO good. The butterfly jelly was a super cute touch and was yummy too. I really loved this drink. I really enjoyed my experience and I would come again to make the same exact order

    Shaky Steak | IG @moniquedao
    Monique D.

    This is such an upscale restaurant so I went in with high hopes that the food would blow me away. Unfortunately this wasn't the case. The Spring Rolls appetizer was decent. But honestly I can roll myself much better ones. They're also quite expensive - $18 for TWO rolls cut into 4 pieces. The Shaky Steak was not what I expected. The meat was cooked like a braised style where it was softer than I anticipated. There wasn't enough flavor for me to want a second bite. Since I love seabass I figured that might be a "safe" choice. But it missed the mark for me. It was average at best. I do like that parts of it were crispy. Overall, if I could just sum it all up, I would say "pricey average food." I think my mom could've made these better!

    Michelle C.

    One word: salmonella. It was our first time here and we always saw how popular this place was. We ordered the chicken wings, pho banh cuon, shaky shacks beef, and the garlic noodles with prawn. First, we got the wings and the pho banh cuon. The pho banh cuon is basically rice paper rolled over beef and veggies. It was good and the beef was soft, but the rice paper was so slippery and thick where I needed a fork and knife or eat with hands. Second, the chicken wings were RAW! We open a few pieces and it was all undercooked! We told the waitress right away and decided to send the wings back and get dumplings. We never got our dumplings. Instead the server gave us bread with butter. It was good but not what we ordered. Also, we never got our drinks. We also ate the garlic noodles and the shaky shaky beef. These two were good. The beef was soft and came with a side of rice and small salad. The garlic noodles I got with prawn and it was good. All in all, I wouldn't come back here again clearly. There was no real apology or effort by the staff. They forgot our orders, got it wrong, served us raw chicken,...I mean I can go on. The two hostess also never smiles. Not very friendly. We paid as quickly as we could and left. We got other food on the way home

    Crepe. Right side burned completely
    Elaine C.

    Food: mixed, overall good flavors but some burning messed with execution Service: server good, good timing bad Atmosphere: nice/ upscale The beef pho was excellent, soft beef and flavorful, drinkable, umami broth that wasn't too salty. The garlic noodles were just ok. They felt like spaghetti noodles that were coated in garlic sauce. Some of the garlic was burnt so it lent a bitter taste. We didn't finish and didn't pack home (I usually leave nothing behind) I ordered the Vietnamese crepe: I had to ask about it because everyone else got their food and was almost done. I got my dish about 20 min later than everyone else (who got pho). I almost asked to cancel it but the server said it was "almost done". Well the crepe was mostly good but about 1/3 of the crepe itself was burned and well...it tasted burned. See photo. The lychee non-alcoholic was tasty and tart but for volume not sure worth $10

    Strawberry Lychee

    TL;DR: Total disappointment. Between cold, dismissive service, a roughly 30 to 40-minute wait for food, hyper-sweet drinks, and mediocre, overpriced dishes, this is definitely a one-and-done for us. This spot is located near the H&M in the Irvine Spectrum. We were out doing some shopping at the Spectrum and wanted to grab food, but since there aren't many great restaurants there that we hadn't already tried before, we decided to give Little Sister a chance. When we got there, the hostess was nice and took us right to our table, but honestly, everything went downhill from there. The service was pretty terrible. Our server didn't even introduce herself, she just poured us some water, walked off to help another table, and then came right back asking if we were ready to order. My girlfriend ordered their strawberry lychee drink, but it was so sickeningly sweet that I actually had to chug a bunch of it so we could pour our table water into the glass just to tone it down. Even diluted with water, it was still way too sweet. Then came the wait for food, which took about 30 to 40 minutes. What was weird was that three different tables got their food at the exact same time. A table of four sat down before us, our table, and another table of four that sat down ten minutes after us all got served in one big batch. When the food finally arrived, it really wasn't worth the wait or the price tag. My girlfriend got the bouillabaisse, which turned out to be extremely fishy. She could barely touch it, and the bread served on the side was super tough and hard to chew. I got the coconut chicken curry, which came in a solid portion size and tasted good for the first few bites, but it got so heavy so fast that I couldn't even finish it. Overall, between the robotic service, the crazy wait times, and the overpriced, disappointing food, this place was a huge letdown. We definitely won't be coming back here again!

    Vinitha V.

    My sister was raving about this place so i had to come try it myself. I loved the dimly lit vibe of the restaurant it was very esthetically pleasing. It was nice because we ordered everything family style and got to try all the different dishes they had. The quality of the food was so good and it was cool to be able to see them make the meals as well. Our server was very nice and had a lot of great recommendations she even convinced us to get dessert which i never do but i'm glad she did because it was soooo good! I can't wait to go back and try a new dish :)

    An P.

    Little Sister is a gorgeous restuarant in Irvine Spectrum but its still very much an upscale Vietnamese restaurant with toned down flavors for their specific demographics. Safe tastes for a date night I suppose. An easy substitute for those who sadly can't be bothered to drive another 10 miles south and put in some effort to find parking for real Vietnamese food in Little Saigon area in Westminster.

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    Good service and ambiance but selection was somewhat limited and food was good but not great.

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    Little Sister Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Little Sister

    Do you need to make a reservation?

    Hi Jose, it's not required to make a reservation as we welcome walk-in guests, but if you're looking for a particular time and number of guests, you can make a reservation through OpenTable.com or on our website at dinelittlesister.com - thanks!

    Could you provide information about your happy hour menu?

    There is none!!

    Do you have happy hour? What time?

    Hi Cristina, unfortunately we don't have happy hour at this location however our Redondo Beach and El Segundo locations both have happy hour! We'll hope you'll join us!

    Can this restaurant accommodate larger parties (8-12 people)?

    Yes there is space.

    Do I have to make the reservation?

    Prefer yes.

    Is there a lunch menu? Also, are there lunch specials (special pricing)? Daily or weekly specials? Thanks!

    Yes, there is a lunch menu and a dinner menu. Each location has slight variations in their menu so to get the most accurate menu for the location you want to visit you should call that location directly and they should be able to send you their… 

    Do you have kids menu?

    Pretty sure NO.

    Is it MSG free?

    No. A restaurant doesn't have to add MSG for it to be present. It can occur naturally through certain foods or it is added through other ingredients such as chicken stock or oyster sauce.

    What vegetarian options do you have on the menu?

    What is your "must-order" dish?

    Black rice - mussels, shrimp, octopus, scallop, sausage, confit pork, lime leaf aïoli & okra.. pretty hard to go wrong if you enjoy seafood and generous portions.

    Can I leave flower and cake with the waitress for birthday surprise?

    I am sure they can accommodate your request. You would have to arrange that when you call and make reservations.

    Any gluten free options?

    We do not have a gluten free menu, but there are certain menu items that can be prepared gluten free.

    Do they serve food to the outdoor bar?

    Sometimes. Ask to be sure on the day you go. We were told they "don't always" do full service, just some days.

    Can I bring my dog?

    Yes we welcome dogs on our outside heated patio!

    I cannot see a to-go order page. Is this an anti-food to go place? Just wondering why with new covid19 infections with a new variant,.... I would really like to give this place a try with something to go.

    The restaurant seems to be dine-in only and does not support takeout options yet.

    Is there a bar to sit and eat?

    Yes!! I've been at the bar twice, it's fantastic! You have a front row seat to the amazing and intricate food assembly while a server acts as your bartender. It's super cool!!

    Is there a Happy Hour?

    No, no happy hour.

    Where is nearest parking fir handicap access? TIA

    Hi, we are located right next to a handicap access parking lot - we hope to see you soon!

    Hi, are there any vegan items on the menu and how can I know what's vegan?

    Is there corkage fee?

    Hi Phil, Yes, we charge a $45.00 corkage fee per bottle, and there is no limit to the number of bottles you can bring in. Excludes magnum bottles.

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    The Dive Oyster Bar - HOT CHEETOES TRUFFLE MAC

    The Dive Oyster Bar

    4.2(531 reviews)
    0.3 mi
    •$$

    How have I walked by this place dozens of times and never tried it out? We went last night and we…read morewere blown away. Even though it was 6:15 on a Saturday night, we were able to be sat right away. As soon as we walked in, someone greeted us and showed us to our table. Our server immediately got us waters and asked if we wanted anything else to drink (wife and I both got some delicious beers that they had on tap). We had our little one in tow with us and they were so accommodating to him! As soon as we were ready, our server took our order. We got: Chowder "frots" (fries and tots mixed in with some New England clam chowder, bacon, onions, cheese, and other goodies) 10/10, would definitely order again. My wife got the lobster roll with a side of clam chowder. Loaded with lobster, but you do pay the price. Labeled as market price, this was almost $40. Delicious, but not worth it in our opinion. 6.5/10. Pan roast (house specialty which came with shredded crab, shrimp, clams, and muscles). This, topped with rice, was heavenly. Better than any pan roast I've had. Came out ripping hot as it should. My wife was envious of my dish. 10/10 From the kids menu we also ordered the chicken Alfredo. My kid loved it, but my wife and I both had a bite and wow, we would've ordered that for ourselves it was so good. 10/10. We can't wait to come back just for the food. On top of that, however, service was above and beyond. The servers and everyone in the restaurant were so accommodating to us and our child and made us feel so, so welcome. We would come back even if the food was bad, solely for the service we received. Vibes we great, decoration on the walls look like they hired an artist to paint it. They had two TV's behind the bar / prep area that was showing NBA and PGA which I'll never complain about. All around 10/10 experience.

    I miss Ritters, this place is definitely NOT IT for pan roast. They're so stingy!…read more We ordered the House Special Pan Roast through Uber Eats and was extremely disappointed. For $27, my order came with only 2 clams, 2 shrimp, and ZERO andouille sausage. The menu description specifically says the House Special includes shredded blue crab, clams, mussels, andouille sausage, and shrimp. I attached photos because the amount of seafood I received was honestly ridiculous for the price. What made it even worse is that I specifically requested NO MUSSELS because I cannot eat them, yet I ended up biting into a mussel. If a customer specifically asks for an ingredient to be left out for a dietary reason, that request needs to be taken seriously. I've had the pan roast from the Temple City location and the difference is night and day. This location was extremely disappointing in comparison. Between the missing ingredients, barely any seafood, and still receiving something I specifically asked to be removed, I genuinely feel scammed paying $27 for this. I would not recommend this location at all. It's also located inside Irvine Spectrum, so there isn't a convenient parking lot right next to the restaurant. You have to park in the shopping center and walk over, which makes picking up an order even more inconvenient. Definitely not worth the price or hassle. I'll stick with the Temple City location from now on.

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    Seafood 1555  - Shrimp Tacos

    Seafood 1555

    4.8(149 reviews)
    16.6 mi

    This place isn't popular enough!…read more We walked here after enjoying a fun day looking at the pet farm, winning some prizes at the fair, and built an appetite! Jack o lantern fair was just a few blocks away but we were craving seafood and we decided on Seafood 1555. Oh my gosh. We shared a steak burrito and two octopus& shrimp tacos & it was grilled to perfection. They also had 7 types of salsa as well as the fresh one they make on site. I mean I need to come back and order again because it's worth it all! Just walk behind the parking lot when you enter the church, it's behind the car repairs. And they make it looks like a farmers market with about 3-4 businesses serving food and desserts :) Service was amazing they asked if we needed any thing and we were the only customers remaining so they were patient and didn't rush us at all. Super kind cook. Pop up chairs, canopies, and beautiful dishes were served. Don't think twice. Go order some stellar seafood tacos today!!

    Seafood 1555 absolutely knocked it out of the park…read more The customer service was truly off the charts--warm, attentive, and genuinely welcoming from start to finish. You can feel that they care, and it makes the whole experience even better. The shrimp tacos were loaded--generous, fresh, and insanely flavorful. Every bite was satisfying, not skimpy in the slightest, and perfectly balanced. The kind of tacos you think about later and immediately want again. And don't sleep on the chips and salsa. So many places treat it as an afterthought, but here it was very, very good--fresh, flavorful, and the perfect start to the meal. Great food, generous portions, and standout service. Seafood 1555 is a must-visit and an easy recommendation. We'll absolutely be back.

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    Seafood 1555  - They moved from their original spot in the lot but now has more tables and space

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    Le Shrimp Noodle Bar - C3 Trio Shrimp Tossed Dry Noodle

    Le Shrimp Noodle Bar

    4.2(438 reviews)
    0.2 mi
    •$$

    Might be a new favorite spot when shopping at the Spectrum!…read more Our favorite was the Shrimp w Squid Ink Noodles (5/5). Noodles were cooked perfectly and the flavor was so unique and tasty. Don't think I've had anything like it before. Bok Choy w oyster sauce (5/5). No complaints and its not super fishy as I expected. Can be messy with it dripping, but it paired great with any dish you get. Prawn & Chicken wonton (4/5). Yummy but the chili oil was a bit overkill and more sour than spicy. Didn't taste too much of the prawn but it was better than expected. Service was also very quick! Got a seat quickly. It was sweet how the workers started handing out balloons on a stick to the little customers with their parents. Would definitely be back to try more of the menu!

    It was a hot day. But there was a smell that lingered in the air that I wasnt sure was a mixture of…read morebody odor and bad shrimp that was just not pleasant while we waited to order and also waited for our food. There was a lack of experience with the service. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to order at the counter, scan the QR code at the table, or order from the server (?) if that's what her duty was. I asked if I could use the offers that were available on the website together. The free kids meal and the bok choy appetizer. She said she has to ask her supervisor... Then she said he had to ask his boss... After we ordered our food she let us know she put in the free bok choy appetizer order along with the kids meal for us. Cool. Then time passed... I just wanted to eat and get out because the weird BO/bad shrimp smell was getting to me. First the dry noodle came out... And then I was waiting for my son's kids meal because it was the same thing as the full sized dry noodle bowl but they didn't seem to notice the kids meal didn't come out. A few minutes later they brought out my shrimp noodle soup.l and side broth I ordered. My son had nothing to eat so I gave him some of my noodles with the broth. I thought my shrimp noodle soup was going to be spicy . It was not. The vegan broth was more peppery than my shrimp broth, which I thought was too shrimpy... Both were very salty too. We asked about the kids meal and we were told it was coming out.we could see through the inside of the kitchen food being prepared and none was my son's meal. The supervisor came and told us they had some system update and they were working on the kids meal. Idk it wasnt even a good excuse. we were pretty much done with my noodle soup and still the kids meal wasn't brought out. I asked them to just put it in a take out box because we had to leave. There was no care in packing the food. We opened it later and the egg roll was soaked in the rice and pretty much mush. The spinach was just laid next to the noodles. They also didn't seem to care my son didn't have food. Other facilities usually take care of the kids first. I added a star because the noodles were decent. But the flavor, lack of service, and atmosphere was truly lacking.

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    Paul Martin's American Grill Irvine Spectrum - Fresh Fish Tacos featuring sustainable seafood and housemade tortillas

    Paul Martin's American Grill Irvine Spectrum

    3.8(2.1k reviews)
    0.4 mi
    •$$
    Takes reservations
    Happy hour specials

    First time at this Irvine location, as I've had the Rancho Cucamonga location twice…read more The food here was really good. Our table ended up getting the calamari and deviled eggs to start, both of which were good. The only thing I would knock about the apps were the portion size compared to the price, specifically for the calamari. The portion was pretty small and was about 20 dollars. The quality wasn't any better than any other chain restaurant, so I don't think the price was justified based on the quality, but it was good nonetheless. For entrees, our party got a variety of dishes, including the shrimp pasta, the salmon sandwich, the brisket, the burger, and the chicken parm. From what I heard from everyone, the food was great and there were no complaints. Again, the only gripe was the price vs quality of food. The price being paid, you would expect some sort of fine dining experience and quality, especially if you order from the house specialties section of the menu, but the quality was just good, nothing outstanding that would warrant a fine dining price. If the prices were lowered to match the actual quality of the food and service, then I would give 5 stars, but overall, it was just an alright/good experience. Parking at the Spectrum can be a bit tough, depending on the time of day. I'd recommend parking in the large structure and then walking. It is between 5-10 minute walk from the large structure.

    Awful. We left disappointed and frustrated…read more My husband picked this restaurant to celebrate his 43rd birthday with family who traveled from San Diego. Let's start with the service. Horrible, absent and inattentive. You would think it wouldn't take 30 minutes from seating to order. When the food arrived, they attempted to give the food to each of us incorrectly (annoying to have to tell them x 5 - "that's for him, not me"). Then part of my father in law's order was substituted unbeknownst to him or informed by the waiter. Then they brought him an alternate side (at his request), which took until everyone was done with their dinner for him to receive - which turns out it was not worth it and was "absolutely disgusting" to quote someone at our table. At no point was this acknowledged by the waiter (dark hair, earrings with gauges) or the manager. We asked for to go boxes and the waiter brought to go boxes that did not fit amount of food we had left. Also, for a restaurant at this caliber, you would expect the waiter to package your own food to go or at least to be observant of what's needed for you to do it yourself. I took my son to the bathroom in the middle of all of this (which did not have toilet paper in either of our stalls) and as we were walking back, saw the manager (white button down sweater, black pants, dark hair in ponytail) talking trash with the bartender about a fellow employee. We ordered dessert and are currently eating it with half of our dinner plates still on the table. Please avoid this place !

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    Little Sister - vietnamese - Updated October 2026

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