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    Malulu Kitchen

    4.9 (32 reviews)
    ModerateSushi Bars, Japanese
    Closed Closed

    Order Malulu Kitchen Takeout or Delivery

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    MALULU KITCHEN ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Dogs allowed
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Malulu Kitchen

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    Ally Roll
    Sajeet S.

    Small spot but had a good menu. The service of great. Zack was great. Fast which is great even you have kids The teriyaki is really good. Highly recommend this to everyone The sashimi plate was ok. Recommend the Ally roll. It's bright and fresh. The crispy rice 5/5. Really good. Only reason not 5 star is several of the dishes were dirty.

    Menu
    Stacy S.

    Always on the search for a good Japanese eatery, I came across this place for lunch. They're located in a small shopping plaza off of Alicia Pkwy in Laguna Hills. Same plaza as Ralph's. Plenty of free parking is available. Their lunch specials looked good. 2 items for $16 or 3 items for $20, and you can choose from 10 different items. I ordered mine online to go, and only had to wait a few minutes when I arrived. I was greeted by the friendliest employees! The inside is small with just a few tables, so my guess is that most people get their food to go. I ordered the 2 item combo: chicken teriyaki with shrimp tempura. It also came with rice & salad. Everything was delicious! The teriyaki sauce was phenomenal! And the shrimp tempura was crunchy and had the perfect texture. I will definitely return to try more items in the near future!

    Fried jalapeños, Sushi Burrito Roll
    Aimee H.

    This is a hidden gem! My family and I agree, this is some of the best sushi we have ever had. For the kids we ordered edamame, cucumber maki rolls, plain udon, shrimp tempura and gyoza. The shrimp tempura was incredibly fresh and delicious (my husband and I had to steal some because they were too good.) the gyoza was amazing. Cooked fresh and to perfection. The Udon was by far the best broth I've ever had and the noodles were perfectly cooked. So often udon can be overcooked as mushy but this udon had the perfect firmness. And again, the broth was unreal. I ordered the Ally roll and the seared tuna was so fresh. This blew me away. Honestly it was perfect. We ordered the fried jalapeños and they were perfectly firm on the outside. We also ordered the sushi burrito and the spicy yellowtail roll which were excellent. The restaurant was incredibly clean. We had a sneak peek at the kitchen and it was sparkling clean. As was the bathroom. Very impressed. The service was so friendly and helpful and the sushi chef, I believe owns the restaurant, was kind and extremely skilled. I cannot recommend this restaurant enough. We will be regulars.

    Lion King Roll and Ally Roll
    Elizabeth H.

    This simple sushi eatery will be our go-to for delicious sushi! The sushi my husband and I shared were so fresh and mouthwatering it was impossible not to eat it! We had the Lion King, spicy tuna roll topped with seared salmon and green onion. The other set of sushi roll we had was Ally, seared salmon and green onion on top with cucumber and avocado. They were just fantastic! Besides the yummy sushi, our server Mayu was so welcoming and friendly we enjoyed her company! We can't wait to come back for more fresh sushi!

    Spicy Yellowtail Hand Roll - so good!
    Pauline N.

    This place is the real deal! A Japanese owned establishment that has a variety of items! This is probably some of the best "dirty" sushi rolls in the area! //CONTEXT// I came here as a party of two on a Saturday lunch. It wasn't crowded. Some takeout orders while we were there //ENVIRONMENT// Fast casual spot where you order up front and you can sit down. There is some seating for smaller parties. No frills spot but don't let that deter you! //FOOD// I love that this is Japanese owned! Usually when I go to non Japanese establishments the dirty sushi rolls are too big where you can barely fit it in your mouth. Here it's not like that at all! The rolls while still substantial are the perfect size, has so much fish and the fish taste so fresh compared to other spots that do dirty sushi rolls: the quality of the fish is definitely better! The rolls are flavorful. We got the Samurai and Moana roll and both were amazing! I also got a spicy yellowtail hand roll and it was terrific //SERVICE// Service was great and the person helping us was so nice! Overall I would definitely be back! I already told my friends about this spot!

    Jonathan H.

    On a rainy day, my wife and I were craving sushi and decided to stop at Malulu Kitchen. Wow! We're glad we did! It was so good it will become one of our regular go-to sushi places! We ordered two specialty rolls: Lion King (spicy tuna roll with seared salmon on top, black pepper, green onion and ponzu sauce); and, Ally (salmon, cucumber and avocado on the inside and seared salmon, lemon, green onion, and ponzu on top). Both rolls were amazing! Just a wonderful flavor! The fish and ingredients were incredibly fresh. The rolls were artfully put together. The rolls were a good, generous size. We also had miso soup, which was delicious. The price was very reasonable. While we had sushi this time, I noticed that they have very good, reasonably priced lunch specials. So next time, I might be tempted to try one of the lunch specials. The ambiance was pleasant, with a chilled, relaxed feel. The decor was cute with small paintings on the wall and splashes of color. The woman who served us was a delight. Incredibly warm and friendly and very helpful. This place is a find! I'll definitely be back!

    Rainbow roll

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    7 days ago

    Stopped in yesterday with a friend. Everything was absolutely delicious. The staff was very friendly and accommodating. Highly recommend!!

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    8 months ago

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    1 month ago

    Great food at reasonable prices! Staff is super friendly. Let's keep this small business going!

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    8 months ago

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    18 days ago

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    21 days ago

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    5 months ago

    The food is great and the staff is very nice and friendly and the place is cute and small it's perfect.

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    3 months ago

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    8 months ago

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    7 months ago

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    3 months ago

    Food was amazing and service was quick and very friendly. Would highly recommend the this location to everyone for a great experience.

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    5 months ago

    The Rainbow roll had the most delicious fresh sushi. Tempura vegetable and cucumber side dishes were perfect. Great super casual place.

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    10 months ago

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    4 months ago

    Surprisingly fresh considering it wasn't that busy when we went. Good quality food. Good prices. Very nice people.

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    4 months ago

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    7 months ago

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    8 months ago

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    7 months ago

    The vibe was awesome and the sushi tasted amazing the people are very nice highly recommend the crunchy roll

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    7 months ago

    Delicious sushi, fresh and tasty. Solid Beef Sukiyaki Udon, delicious deep flavor and noodles cook perfectly .

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    8 months ago

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    Tomikawa Japanese Restaurant

    Tomikawa Japanese Restaurant

    3.9
    (3.1k reviews)
    8.2 mi
    $$$
    Minority-owned & operated
    Takes reservations

    I've been going to this place for over a decade now (wild to think about!). Seen it go through…read moredifferent ownership and a renovation. It is definitely much busier now because of the AYCE menu. Definitely get on the waitlist when you arrive. Past few times we have been it gets busy during the lunch hours, and thus service is a bit slower. Nice seating inside with booths. Menu QR code will show you some pictures of what you want to order. We have been going down here for a while, so we have our favorites. The appetizers here are surprisingly very good! Garlic edamame and sesame chicken are our favs. I even have a soft spot for the house salad because the dressing is just yum. I rarely order salmon nigri, but for some reason this place is pretty good! The pieces I receive are always nicely portioned and soft. We never bother with the other rolls anymore because we know our favorite is the VEGAS ROLL! It's been my favorite roll since I started coming here. Literally no other sushi or Japanese restaurant has this combination of ingredients. Crunch from unagi, spicy tuna on a CA roll with eel sauce and spicy sauce. *chefs kiss* Lots of textures, flavors, sweet, salty, spicy. Just come in with a purpose. We noticed that other tables tend to a bit longer because they were never ready when the server came by.

    Solid AYCE sushi place in Irvine. Had a great time with my friends and we ordered a lot of nigiri…read moreand rolls for the table. The fish quality was good and there were a lot of options on the menu. My favorites were the salmon and yellowtail specifically. My biggest complaint is that they pack the rice so tightly that each nigiri feels like swallowing a large pill (and it definitely fills you up fast) The restaurant does get pretty crowded, especially on the weekends so be prepared to wait. We came on a Friday evening and waited about 1.5 hrs to be seated

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    O Fine Japanese Cuisine

    O Fine Japanese Cuisine

    4.1
    (1.4k reviews)
    6.4 mi
    $$

    Great OC Restaurant Week Find!…read more Wanted to celebrate my friend's belated birthday with an OC restaurant week tasting menu, and we were pleasantly surprised. It started amazing with the salmon tartare and scallop sunomono - which was fresh and perfectly vinegary. The signature sashimi was next and probably my favorite. Such unique fish options, all so fresh and perfectly balanced. Another favorite was the seafood hot pot, which was flavorful and the hot dish we needed, since the restaurant was a bit cold, but definitely rather be in a cold sushi restaurant than a hot one. The rest of the menu was also great, the service was on point, and the ambiance was modern. Will be back.

    The food presentation is amazing, but the quality of the fish and the service is sus. Ordered the…read moreomakase and got food poisoning. When we called to talk to the manager for some sort of discount on our $200+ meal we got the runaround, "oh they're not here", then missed their phone call. Called back and received the same, "managers not here" again. What is there to talk about? Your food made me sick, my wife didn't get it as bad as I did, but the phone tag nonsense means I'll never go back there and will tell my friends to avoid. Not worth it. Since I can't reply to this business owner I have to edit my review* I've eaten at some of the best sushi restaurants in the world, been to Japan twice because of my love for sushi. I know sushi. Multiple dishes we ate at this restaurant were borderline, fishy, low quality. I hadn't eaten all day before eating here. The owner can say whatever they want, but making excuses and trying to make the customer wrong isn't a good look. Maybe I should dispute my credit card for the lack of service and follow through, or perhaps I should call the city and let them know the restaurant made me sick. I tried to give them the opportunity to make it right, now I guess I take it further. Also, buyer beware, because usually my reviews get comments or something, makes me think they're spending money on yelp to hide negative reviews.

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    Main dining room
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    IG @foodieadbrentures
    IG @foodieadbrentures
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    Musashi Sushiya

    Musashi Sushiya

    3.8
    (884 reviews)
    2.1 mi
    $$

    Discovered this gem on Postmates and I'm so glad I took a leap of faith! It's definitely risen to…read morethe top sushi spot for me in my area. I generally get simple nigiri and fresh sushi rolls. I tried the Only You and Crunch Mania Roll alongside some fresh sushi like the Ama Ebi, Uni, Salmon belly, and Hotate sushi. WOW wow wow. Each and every piece was divine. And I tried to savor every bite. I love when restaurants give you the Ama Ebi fried head, this place takes the cake for me. Wasn't too greasy at all! I thought presentation for delivery wasn't too bad and the size of the cut for the rolls weren't messy and uneven. All in all, I'll be happy to explore more on the menu but at least I know from what I ordered, this place has got it down.

    No real ambiance. But, the place was fairly cleared out: only 2 tables occupied - makes you think…read moreyou're gonna get great service, right? Actually, it was "okay" - could have been worse. I really felt like a Bento box. Got the shrimp temp. with 3 vegs, miso soup, salad and rice. Ordered hot tea (tea bag in cup with "free refills of WATER" if needed - lol). Found out I'm not crazy about Oolong tea. Shrimp were very anemic, skinny, much more Tempura batter than shrimp. Veggies were more generous in the slices. Served with the usual dipping broth. This was a first and hard to believe: The dipping sauce was refrig. cold - terrible when dipping a hot shrimp in a cold liquid. When I flagged her down, she asked if I wanted it microwaved. I did. Eaten this a 1000 times and NEVER has been served with frigid broth. She acted as though this was their norm. When I took a bite of the just lettuce salad - the dressing !! was loaded with wasabi; again - another anomaly for me. I don't like wasabi. I asked her if it had wasabi in the dressing and she didn't know nor offer an alternative. A few pickled cuke slices were included with the dinner and they were fine and fresh-looking. Rice, of course. Miso soup was overly salty with 2-3 miniscule cubes of tofu & a couple small pieces of sea weed. Bathroom was clean. I won't return, sadly. Expected better for $23 - just not up to par.

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    Crazy Rock'N Sushi

    Crazy Rock'N Sushi

    3.8
    (789 reviews)
    7.6 mi
    $$
    Women-owned & operated
    Veteran-owned & operated

    I wanted to take a moment to recognize Kenny, Pam, and German, along with the entire team at Crazy…read moreRock'n Sushi at the Alton location in Irvine. Every time I visit, the level of service is consistently outstanding. Kenny, Pam, and German truly go above and beyond to create a welcoming and enjoyable experience. While I may not know everyone's name, it's clear that the entire staff takes pride in what they do and genuinely cares about their customers. German and the other sushi chefs are incredibly professional, skilled, and engaging. You can tell they have great technique and attention to detail, and they make the experience interactive and fun not just a meal. Between the excellent food, fast service, and consistently positive atmosphere, this place really stands out. I've even recommended Crazy Rock'n Sushi to several members of my local tennis club, and many of them have already started going regularly word is definitely spreading. Thank you to Kenny, Pam, German, and the entire team for always delivering such a fantastic experience. Keep up the great work!

    We were greeted right away. The service was quick to seat us... then the service went down hill. We…read morewaited for cop sticks soy sauce etc. We actually sat waiting for our check with no one paying any attention ugh. The menu is vast with photos of the various rolls and food choices. Our roll was good but too much rice-kind of bland not enough seasoning. The edamame was delicious. The soup was pretty good. The restaurant was crowded and has a good clientele. I would give it 3 + stars. Good place not great but decent.

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    Philly Roll

    Malulu Kitchen - sushi - Updated August 2026

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