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    Ootoro Bar

    4.4 (200 reviews)
    Closed 11:30 am - 2:00 pm, 5:30 PM - 9:30 PM
    Updated 2 months ago

    Ootoro Bar Photos

    OOTORO BAR ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Trendy
    Intimate
    Outdoor seating
    Dogs allowed

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    Sashmi lunch!!
    Calli Y.

    I've been craving sashimi so I finally made it back to here. They are closed Sunday & Mondays so make note of that. I wanted it the other day and was out of luck. We made it here today for lunch. Always friendly service. Our sashimi today was beautiful and tasted very fresh! Great food and plenty of parking.

    Tiffany C.

    [[HIGHLIGHT]]This is now my go to location as it is starting to get busier but still not crowded like the other location.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]I've returned for lunch several times and have enjoyed sitting in the booths with my family, as well as sitting at the bar where you have constant attention by the sushi chefs and staff.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]There are actually two full bar areas and I've seen them utilize both areas when they are busy but often they just start with one side.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]The place is not too loud but you hear the hustle bustle of guests and staff doing their thing.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Everyone there is friendly and happy to help. They were even able to accommodate when I placed my order and 5 minutes later changed my mind and asked if I could swap out an item. They've updated their lunch menus a bit more to remove the super premium Sea Bass and move the Miso cod to the left side of the lunch combo. I still miss the old menu but I understand it's business and they need to be able to make money as prices for the ingredients have also increased. Food is still amazing and fresh and we always leave full and satisfied.

    Jay L.

    The food was so good that it made the wait worth it! Joel was so sweet and made our experience really special. Can't wait to be back!

    Lunch menu
    Tom L.

    Amazing sushi and incredibly fresh fish. The toro was buttery and melted in my mouth, and every piece was beautifully prepared. Great service, nice atmosphere, and definitely worth the price for the quality. One of the best sushi spots in Orange County! Friendly staff and lunch deals are great!

    Elisa T.

    We were craving sushi and decided to stop by here for a quick dinner, and I'm so glad we did. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The restaurant is intimate, with two separate sushi bar counters and a few tables along the side. The lighting is dim and romantic--perfect for a date night.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] The service was excellent: super friendly, attentive without hovering, and always checking in at the right moments whenever we needed something. We started with the toro tartare, which is an absolute must-order for me. It's topped with uni and tobiko, then finished with freshly grated truffle and truffle salt. Scooping it up with the seaweed chips was such an umami bomb--rich, savory, and incredibly satisfying. All of the hand rolls and nigiri we tried tasted very fresh and flavorful. I will say the spicy hand rolls were pretty spicy for me, but still delicious if you enjoy heat. I'm so happy we found this spot, this is definitely becoming our new go-to sushi spot for me and my husband.

    Paulina N.

    No lie Ootoro Bar has the best sushi I have ever had. My boyfriend and I came on a Friday night around 6 pm and it was pretty busy. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The restaurant had a dim setting with two sushi bars and a couple tables.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Luckily they had a table open, so we were able to get sat right away. We decided to order the Sashimi Deluxe, a couple sushis, and the 3 hand roll set. Everything tasted absolutely delicious and melted in our mouths, but our favorite was the ootoro sushi which was mind blowing lol. My boyfriend said the sushi here tastes just as fresh as in Japan when he went. The hand rolls to me were just okay.. The blue crab hand roll was my favorite from the 3! Service was also great and all the servers were very attentive. Ootoro Bar is a bit pricey but it is so worth the money. I think we found our new date night spot hehe

    Blue crab cut roll with added avocado $8.50
    Kathy S.

    Ootoro Bar doesn't compare to its other location on Michelson. The was no wait at 5:45pm on a Saturday for a table. Even when we left at 730pm the bar was half empty. Is this usual for a Saturday night?? Sushi Set A includes 2 scallops, 2 kinds of white fish, 2 tunas, 2 yellowtail, 2 albacore, and 2 salmons (that we never got), and 1 daily hand roll. I don't recommend the sushi here as the sauce that paired with the fish was too overwhelming (either too tangy/sour or salty). Unless the fish isn't fresh there's no reason to drown it in sauce. 6 Hand Rolls: that's what we ordered but we only got 3 due to the lack of communication between the server and sushi chef. After the server brought our "Daily hand roll" from sushi set A she thought we had received the first 3 rolls from the hand roll set. We ended up getting only 3 rolls from our order. After waiting for 20 minutes (having given them grace for possibly a busy night plus we were seated in the back corner so we couldn't tell what took so long) we canceled our order especially having to explain to the server what we have eaten 20 minutes ago and what we didn't. We were over it! Blue crab cut roll (4 pieces) with avocado (extra charge): pretty standard Crunch cut roll (4 pieces): nothing special Servers were nice but lacked communication with the kitchen/chef. Also they stopped checking on us toward the end. When we were heading out there were probably 3-4 parties at the bar. Not sure why service was so slow. This won't be added to our sushi rotation.

    Donna L.

    I was craving sushi so I decided to swing by here. I did a walk-in (no reservations) and was easily accommodated. I may have only waited 5 minutes to get seated. I really like the ambiance. The restaurant is very modern and simple. It is a great spot for a girls night out or a couple date night. It was pretty loud but it was not unbearable. I ordered the sushi set A, which came with 12 pieces of sushi and 1 hand roll for roughly $43. I like the pace at which I was served each piece. I did not wait too long or felt rushed to get to the next piece. One thing that really stood out was the size of the fish slices. They were big enough that you could barely tell there was rice underneath. I was impressed by the fish to rice ratio.

    Chi P.

    A friend if a friend recommended this place so we decided to give it try. We couldn't get through by phone for reservations but were able to get a seat at 11:30 Friday without a problem. We got the $69 sushi set B and all of it was delicious! The fish was soft and fresh and the size was generous. Albacore is not one I usually like but theirs was quite good. The amount of soy sauce was just right too. The staff were all super nice too. I wanted to try the rolls but I was full already. I will definitely be back.

    Tempura set from two-item lunch combo
    Wayne T.

    Have been here for lunch and dinner. [[HIGHLIGHT]]It feels super authentic and you can watch as they make the sushi and sashimi dishes right in front of you at one of the two sushi bar areas.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]The bar stools are a bit high for shorter people to sit at but there's three tables too in the restaurant.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Just be prepared to wait for seating since the tables fill up almost right after opening time. Great variety of handrolls to choose from in a set, which are served one a time, fresh sashimi and sushi lunches along with two item combos, and Orion beer available. Great prices and value for this level of Japanese food, which is a very hard to find combination in the Irvine/Tustin area nowadays.

    Premium Chirashi
    Winny K.

    So happy about this additional OC location for Ootoro! This one feels more intimate (dimmer lighting) than the Irvine location, and it's mostly bar seating with a few partitioned tables. Service was efficient and we were in and out pretty quickly after enjoying Ootoro's signature delicious and fresh sushi! My husband got the Premium Chirashi, which was beautiful and chock-full of tasty and fatty cuts of fish. I ordered the Sushi Lunch, which was just as good as I remembered from the Irvine location, if not better. Love thet both options come with sweet shrimp and they ask if you'd like it deep fried (to crispy perfection) or in a very comforting and savory soup. We did one of each and I loved both! Can't wait to come back again for lunch. For the quality of fish, the lunch prices are pretty reasonable.

    Toro hand roll
    Yau-Ru C.

    A quick and easy place to enjoy hand rolls and sushi. Got the 6-piece hand roll (A) which comes with blue-fin tuna, blue crab, toro, spicy scallop, spicy salmon and spicy lobster hand rolls. I enjoyed the crisp nori and slightly warm rice. However, the 3 spicy rolls proved to be a bit overwhelming for my taste buds...all I can taste is the spice and not the ingredients. So, I would recommend going with the non-spicy set and adding a la carte spicy ones as you desire. I wish the hand roll sets would come with something like miso soup or ootoshi appetizer...because we were done with our food in under 15 minutes, feels a bit rushed.

    Chilean seabass 5 out of 5

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    Great sushi, reasonable prices and the best part - great service and almost no wait. This is our go to sushi spot.

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    Page 1 of 5

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    Ask the Community - Ootoro Bar

    Can they accommodate a gluten allergy?

    Rice is gluten free - if you order fish + rice, that's gluten free.

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    Sake2Me AYCE Sushi - Newport

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    very solid AYCE spot for sushi!! will definitely be making this my go-to spot for when i'm craving…read more there's a huge variety in their menu; particularly love their cajun seasoned fish service was great, staff were friendly and quick. the space isn't huge but it's very cozy!

    The sushi itself was decent, especially for an all-you-can-eat restaurant, but it wasn't anything…read moreparticularly memorable. Unfortunately, the service really overshadowed the entire experience. I was seated before the couple next to me, yet they had already received their drinks, soup, and even some of their sushi before anyone came to my table. It made for a very rough start and honestly took away the excitement of trying a new place. I always enjoy supporting local restaurants and I'm happy to tip well when the service is great, so it was disappointing that this experience didn't live up to that. I will say one of the servers was very kind--it just seemed like she was overwhelmed and handling a lot at once. Also, the gentleman walking around the dining room came across as very unhappy and unapproachable. I don't know what he may have had going on that day, but in the hospitality industry, your attitude plays a big role in the customer's experience. A smile or friendly interaction can make a huge difference. Overall, I probably wouldn't return. Orange County has so many great sushi spots to choose from, and based on this experience, I'd rather explore somewhere else next time.

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    Sushi Bear

    Sushi Bear

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    1.6 mi
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    Discounts available
    Casual dining

    My friend and I came here on a Saturday at 1130am when they opened. We were the only customers for…read morenearly an entire hour which allowed us to have attentive service by the staff! We each ordered a Combo B bento box, and also shared a Final Fantasy specialty roll. We only waited like 10 minutes for our food. All of the food was standard of what you'd expect in Japanese cuisine. No complaints! The interior of Sushi Bear is clean, and the staff is very kind and hospitable. The last time I ate at Sushi Bear was 7 years ago, so I anticipated they would continue serving authentic Japanese food which they certainly did! There's usually sufficient parking in the plaza.

    We were actually at Ayer next door when we wanted to try something new to eat. We aren't the most…read morefamiliar with the area, but we noticed this sushi place next door and decided to give it a try when we saw they had lunch specials. We ordered the following: Agedashi Tofu: This was honestly the highlight of the meal. I have been craving this appetizer, but not many places around here actually offer it. The last place I tried this was at Haku, and I was not impressed by it. However, the tofu here was really good! It was hot, crispy, and the sauce was perfectly sweet and salty. It comes with 4 larger sized pieces of tofu, which I thought was great, but could have been more for the price. Stir Fry Udon: This dish was advertised outside on one of their stand up signs by the front door. This is part of what brought us in, but upon receiving it, I was not too impressed. The sauce was extremely dark and it already looked salty. When I actually tasted it, I was not surprised that it tasted exactly how it looked. It was way too salty and saucey to the point, we were eating one bite then drinking water right after. It was a pretty simple dish with what looked like frozen carrots and peas and some cut up chicken. Lunch Bento Box Option 2: We opted in for the teriyaki salmon, gyoza, and salmon roll. It came with a side of salad and miso soup. The salmon was cut very thin and it did not have enough teriyaki sauce on it. It was on the dry side. The gyoza was nothing too special. Just felt frozen then dried with gyoza sauce. Miso soup and salad were also just decent. The best part of this meal probably had to be the salmon roll. I liked the big portions of salmon and the little rice on the outside. This was the perfect balance instead of just getting a mouthful of rice each bit like most other sushi places do. I think this place was decent, overall. The prices were definitely on the higher side for what you get. Nothing too much to rave about other than the agedashi tofu, so I will be by for that again, but not sure if I would necessarily get anything else. Service was attentive and great. Just know, not all their offerings are actually listed on the menu, so we did not even know how much the stir fry udon was until we got charged for it.

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    Ponzu Sushi Bar

    Ponzu Sushi Bar

    4.6
    (935 reviews)
    3.5 mi
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    Fantastic sushi - such a breath of fresh air. We live in Lake Forest where the sushi is kind of…read moredismal, so we decided to venture into Santa Ana in hopes of greener sushi pastures, and we were not disappointed. The fish was so fresh, service was fast and attentive, music was good, and the vibe was very enjoyable. Spicy tuna crispy rice: other than our favorite sushi place that sadly closed, this one was the best we've ever had. The crispy rice patty is fairly flat, which is way better and offers far superior crunch than the thick ones. "New style" salmon sashimi with white truffle: delightful. Salmon nigiri: we didn't think it could be this much better than other places. But it was. Seared escolar: I hadn't seen this on a menu in years and got really excited. It was just as incredible as I remembered. Absolutely amazing. Nevada Roll and Red Crunchy Roll: excellent. Perfect tempura flakes and perfect eel sauce. Even my daughter's humble cucumber roll was the best one we've seen in OC. It was very generous with the cucumber. We are thrilled we found this place and will definitely be back!

    We ate at Ponzu Sushi Bar in Santa Ana last night, and the food was completely overshadowed by the…read morebill. When the check arrived, we were shocked. This place nickel and dimes customers for everything. We were charged $6 just to add cucumber to a roll, $4 to add gobo, and even an extra charge to add lemon. The biggest issue wasn't even the prices, it was that our waiter never mentioned any of these upcharges when we ordered. If you're going to charge premium prices for simple additions, customers deserve to be told beforehand. We've eaten at countless sushi restaurants over the years, and we've never been charged these kinds of fees for basic add-ons, especially without any warning. It felt deceptive and left a terrible impression. Restaurants don't lose customers over a few dollars. They lose them when customers feel misled. Transparent pricing builds trust. Hidden charges destroy it. We won't be coming back, and unfortunately, we can't recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for an honest dining experience.

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    Okidoki by Meiji

    Okidoki by Meiji

    4.0
    (1.3k reviews)
    2.0 mi
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    Locally owned & operated
    Takes reservations

    My wife took me here for my birthday and I was overjoyed with the selection. I recommend getting a…read morereservation to avoid major wait times. Interior is quite the Japanese vibes, it's not very spacious but spacious at the same time? We were seated near the counter and next to us were a table of two basically right beside me. Staff here is very efficient. They're quick and attentive. Orders were taken quickly and food came out in moderate speed. Around 20 minutes or so which is a bit slow but I heard that they take their time preparing the food, hence the higher quality. I'd say it's worth the wait for sure after trying our menu items. My wife ordered the Inaka Hot Soba and I ordered the Beef Curry. Both are presented very beautifully. We also got a Crunchy Sushi Roll to share which was super delicious and a perfect appetizer before the main entrees. The Inaka Hot Soba was very delicious, it's similar to a mazesoba mix + bibimbap which both are one of my favorite dishes. Soba noodles were not tough at all and very savory. Many flavors mixed all in one bowl was the perfect dish overall. The beef curry was absolutely delicious as well. Filled with curry flavoring on the beef, it was not super overwhelming and it was very fulfilling overall. Absolutely love the portions as well. Overall, a amazing spot in Tustin that's lowkey hidden. Food is high quality and definitely made with care. Staff is fast and professional. Absolutely coming back in the near future to try their other menu items. They have more than just soba, sushi rolls, and curry. Excited to try their other sushi rolls + udon as well.

    We were craving Japanese udon and/or soba, so this spot was perfect for us. They offer plenty of…read morehouse-made udon and soba dishes as well as ramen, rice bowls, sushi rolls, and more. I ordered the Inaka soba, which was very savory and flavorful. The bowl included tororo, mushrooms, bonito flakes, shredded nori, green onions, and an egg. I enjoyed the nutty buckwheat flavor from the soba noodles and the clean taste from the light dashi broth. My husband had the curry udon with beef. The curry was aromatic and came as a silky, soup-like consistency that coated each udon noodle nicely. It had a deep umami flavor. The udon was the ideal texture - thick and chewy. As for the beef, it was very tender. We shared a crunchy roll on the side. It was cut into 8 pieces. Every piece was super crispy and delicious. The main flavor came from the eel sauce, so it tasted very sweet and savory.

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    Ootoro Bar - japanese - Updated August 2026

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