I rarely give five star review unless the place is absolutely exceptional. I'm still thinking about the pieces of sashimi that melted in my mouth at Ootoro Bar. The omakase experience was exceptional, each piece has its own unique flavor that no soy sauce is needed. In fact, they server will ask that you don't use soy sauce. I remember the Japanese sushi in Japan made the same suggestion, he said "no soy sauce" to truly taste the fish. Great service! Great food! And make a reservation, seatings fill up quick read more

We have officially been to every Ootoro restaurant that exists in Southern California. From walnut, Hollywood, Irvine and now in Tustin, with their addition of a new concept compared to the other three. Ootoro Bar in Tustin is mostly bar style seating which it's targeting the new concept of a Sushi Handroll bar with maybe 4 to 5 four-top booths. They have their traditional menu similar to the other restaurants, but they have a Handroll menu with options of 3,4,5,6, or 7 Handroll sets. They also offer a sushi set similar to an Omakase set. With the 5, 6, or 7 Handroll sets, they offer a spicy set or a non-spicy set. If what you choose is still not enough or you want something that is not part of the various sets, they offer a la carte handroll's or you can make them into a 4 piece cut roll. If you aren't sure how much you can eat, they are willing to upgrade your choice. For instance you start with the 5 Handroll set, but later decide you want two more, they can change you 5 Handroll set to the 7 handroll's snd basically give you the two handroll's you have not gotten as part of the 7 HR set. For myself, I initially went with the 5 Spicy HR set but I wanted one last one. Instead of switching to the 6 HR set, I just ordered the Eel + cucumber a la carte Hand roll. The nice thing about the Hand roll concept is they make each Hand roll one at a time and since it's a bar set up, they give it to you immediately so One the seaweed is still crispy and two, the rice is warm. Their lunch combos or lunch plates are still offered even at the bar and are still a great value as what we have been used to for the many years we have been coming to Ootoro Sushi. As this location is further from us, unless they adopt the Hand roll set menu at the other locations, I'll come here again to break up menu fatigue. Staff here are just as friendly as Walnut. The Irvine and Hollywood locations I think deal with a whole different dynamic of clientele. read more

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Came here on a Friday at lunch. It wasn't too busy, the service was great as usual. Cute date night spot, clean and lighting is dim. We got the salmon toro don. SOOO good, it came with miso soup. Literally perfect amount for lunch. 10/10, would definitely come back and get that again for lunch read more

Ootoro Bar - Toro & Salmon don - Japanese Near Me - Tustin, California

Imagine, thick cut sashimi, sushi, grilled dishes for less than $30?! I am impressed. It's the second location of this restaurant. Cheap efficient with plenty of choices. For lunch specials you get to choose 2 dishes. It's way too much in the good way. Sashimi platter is a lot of food for $26. Staff super sweet and friendly. Inside is beautiful love the bar sit and vibe. True 5 star read more

Ootoro Bar - Japanese Near Me - Tustin, California

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The chirashi here is super fresh and I love their lunch specials as well. The portions are huge and good are excited well. The ambience is pretty and feels upscale. The service is nice. I'd recommend to get their lunch specials and also a great date night spot. read more

My new favorite sushi restaurant in the OC area! Everything as top tier quality matched with very reasonable pricing. Parking: Located in the Village at Tustin Legacy plaza alongside other numerous shops but there is plenty of parking. Ambiance: Very cozy and chic. The restaurant features two bar top seating and around five booths. It's very dimly lit and feel very intimate. Service: Very attentive. Every dish came out in a reasonable timing. Food **The fish here is very high quality and proportions are very far. The rice was cooked perfect and the seaweed remained crispy and light. I would put this restaurant above Rol Handbar and Kazunori. We ordered the 6 Handroll Set (A) (Spicy - Loved that they even offered a spicy set alongside a non-spicy set) - Bluefin Tuna - Blue Crab - Toro - Spicy Scallop - Spicy Yellowtail - Spicy Lobster Separate from the set, I ordered the soft shell crab handroll and this was also amazing. (2pcs minimum per order) The crab was so soft and had a perfect light batter. The rolls were 5/5 across the board! Fish tasted to fresh and the rolls were stacked. Hope this never changes. I also ordered the sushi set to-go and the portions were also up to par. read more

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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. read more

Ootoro Bar - Sashmi lunch!! - Japanese Near Me - Tustin, California

This is now my go to location as it is starting to get busier but still not crowded like the other location. 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. 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. The place is not too loud but you hear the hustle bustle of guests and staff doing their thing. 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. read more

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I'd been craving scallop sashimi and decided Ootoro would be a good place to satisfy it. They opened right at 11:30 a.m., and we were the first in line. As first-time diners, we were seated at the bar, where the host mentioned they were looking for customer feedback--so I put on my foodie critiquing glasses. Service felt disconnected. Our server, Faldi, was positioned behind the bar, and between the music and the distance, it was difficult to hear him. All servers working from behind the bar made interactions feel impersonal, especially for a higher-priced sushi restaurant, and the noise level only added to the issue. There was also some confusion with hand roll etiquette. Each hand roll arrived on a rectangular plate, which we assumed should be cleared after use--servers removed them each time, reinforcing that assumption. Later, a freshly rolled dry hand roll was placed on a dirty, wet plate previously used for another dish. I moved it to a clean plate, but as a first-time guest, clearer guidance and better attention to detail from the sushi chef would have helped. That said, the sushi itself hit the spot. We ordered the sashimi set ($26.95), the lunch combo with crab chawanmushi and toro cut roll ($30.95), and a five-piece hand roll set. The fish was fresh, flavorful, and satisfying, especially the toro. Ootoro delivers on food quality, but service flow and communication need refinement to match the price point. I'd try this place again--but not anytime soon. read more

My go to whenever I'm in town. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves but always fresh fish, great service and at a reasonable price. Will keep coming back for sure read more

Ootoro Bar - Premium Chirashi Bowl - Japanese Near Me - Tustin, California

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We were craving sushi and decided to stop by here for a quick dinner, and I'm so glad we did. 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. 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. read more

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Their lunch plate and combo options are amazing and affordable for the quality and amount of fish they give. I got the chirashi bowl and I appreciate the cuts of fish. If you're a sushi person you'd love this place. My friends ordered a combo and a sashimi plate and they enjoyed theirs as well. The servers were really friendly and always checked in on us, and also gave us these recommendations. When you enter, it's also not what you expect. It's a really chill good vibe when seated at the sushi bar, so you can watch the chefs do their own thing. I would recommend if you're here to catch up with friends or go on a date! read more

And we are back! The same delicious sushi and chawanmushi. The team was great at accommodating our special accessibility needs. The vibe as always was great! Hope to bring more peeps with us next time. read more

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. read more

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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! read more

Ootoro Bar - Lunch menu - Japanese Near Me - Tustin, California

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. read more

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Had a fantastic dinner with the fam. We cam late-ish in the evening, and there was no one else in the place, but the manager (I guess) was very welcoming, seated us, didn't rush us... He recommended some different 3 item sushi plates, the white fish, salmon, another plate I forgot and then a plate he made for us. The last bite was an A5 nigiri, which was amazing, but honestly, everything was great. I was about $100 pp, which isn't cheap, but considering how much toro we had plus the A5, it wasn't crazy expensive. Great service, great fish, great looking place. We'll be back. read more

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. The restaurant had a dim setting with two sushi bars and a couple tables. 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 read more

Ootoro Bar - Japanese Near Me - Tustin, California

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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. read more

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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. read more

Ootoro Bar - Premium Chirashi - Japanese Near Me - Tustin, California

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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. read more

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Will DEFINITELY be back. Comparing Ootoro Irvine and Ootoro bar Tustin. I'm bummed I can't remember the name of our chef, but everyone was truly so kind and friendly. I love that I don't have to wait 15-30 min ahead of time for Ootoro Irvine. We were able to get seated right away from Ootoro Bar and the interior was absolutely beautiful. There were two large bar tops and the chefs were in the middle serving all 4 sides. Ootoro pieces of sashimi all look like colorful and shiny pieces of gems. Both restaurants taste great. read more

Ootoro Bar - Sashimi lunch - $24 - always the best big thick cuts! - Japanese Near Me - Tustin, California

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I'm not too familiar with Tustin but happened to be in the area and gave this place a try. There is a big sushi bar that they sat most people at. Larger groups were seated at booths along the side of the restaurant. The menu has a mix of handroll sets and sushi sets so we got one of each to share. The handrolls included scallop, crab, yellowtail, etc. They even gave us a sharp knife to cut them in half since we were sharing. The seawood was nice and crispy and packed with fish. There was a sushi set A and sushi set B. Originally, we were going to get A but the server said B was a better deal because it included toro pieces. The quantity was perfect for us. Everything tasted fresh and were cut nicely. On the pricier side but great place. read more

Everything was amazing from beginning to end. Service was quick and friendly. Food was fabulous. I got there around 12:30pm and ordered off the lunch menu. I got the Chilean seabass with toro roll & I also got the sashimi lunch. Each order comes with miso soup and rice. The sashimi pieces in the sashimi lunch were melt in your mouth good and they didn't skimp-- the pieces are huge! The Chilean seabass oozes of buttery goodness. Flavor was unbelievable. To celebrate a birthday for my friend, they brought out a complimentary slice of cake. There's plenty of parking. I can't wait to come back! read more

Ootoro Bar - Chilean seabass 5 out of 5 - Japanese Near Me - Tustin, California

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We came at opening on a weekday and the place quickly filled & had a wait by the time we finished eating. We chose from the handroll set menu to get the most bang for our buck (would recommend the 5-handroll option with toro and bluefin tuna)! My personal favorite was the bluefin tuna, which just melted in my mouth. I only wish our rolls were timed or spaced out a little more, as our next roll would come before I finished the last one, so the nori wasn't as crisp. The salmon ikurai bowl (an alternative to the traditional chirashi bowl) was amazing with topped thick cuts of salmon, covering the various items underneath - rice, seaweed salad, blue crab mix, tamago. The tamago had a slightly off taste compared to other places but the quality of the bowl was great otherwise. Our fried squid legs were also a hit, with a light but tasty batter over the generous portion of squid. Perfect texture addition to the meal! Overall, a quality restaurant with many menu options in different price tiers. Service is friendly though they seemed to be running left and right, it was tough to flag someone down for the check. I wish to come back in the future when staffing is able to match the pace of the restaurant for even better service. read more

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My fiancé made a reservation right when it opened! We were promptly seated. The ambiance is very nice. It's dim inside and lots of room for seating. It also seems pretty kid friendly because there were quite a few parties with families. We got the 6 hand rolls, spicy and non spicy. The spicy had a good kick to them. For the spicy, you get Bluefin Tuna/ Blue Crab/ Toro Spicy Scallop/ Spicy Yellowtail/ Spicy Lobster. For non spicy, you get Bluefin Tuna/ Blue Crab/ Toro/ Scallop/ Salmon/ Lobster. My favorite was probably the toro, blue crab, and scallop. We also got an order of soft shell crab. That was very delicious and would get again. read more

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Easily superior to ROL hand bar. Fish is fresh. Rice is well seasoned. Service is super pleasant. I felt like they were going out of their way to make us comfortable. Some of ordered the lunch specials. The specials were massive and gave a good amount of fish. Honestly surprised it was empty for Saturday lunch. Definitely coming back. read more

Loved this spot! I appreciate any place that makes it easy to order with pre set menu options. We got a handroll set and sushi set B. Every bite was delish but the toro was so fatty and goooood. Service was so fast and professional and the ambience is relaxing with the dim lighting. read more

Ootoro Bar - Japanese Near Me - Tustin, California

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This place is run by really nice people so you feel bad when service gets busy and things start falling through the cracks. Pros Great fish, fresh Tasty dishes Sushi isn't cheap but you can get away with sticking to just a few handrolls to fill up or you can go big with some of their selections. Cons Some of their stuff do seem REALLY expensive such as their beef baguette and some of the appetizers. As mentioned, dishes get forgotten or there's some confusion on whether we received something or not, even amongst themselves. They print out a list to tape to the counter but in busy times, they aren't crossing them out upon food delivery and if you're busy socializing you may not always remember if you got something or not. On our latest visit, we ordered something when we first started and made several rounds of ordering during our meal. Every once in a while, they'd mention that one dish was still pending but it wasn't until we had to go and couldn't wait any longer, we told them forget it, we have to go and they didn't really have an explanation for why we never got it. Chirashi is a great deal - thick cuts of sashimi. Their wide variety of fish is rare around these parts. The place is nice and intimate-looking. A majority of the room is occupied by two 360 sushi counters which they will seat but I've only seen them make sushi behind one of them with the servers delivering to the 2nd counter. Check it out! read more

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My husband and I always drive by Ootoro Bar and are curious but we usually like to stick to our usual sushi spots. I've had Ootoro Sushi in Irvine before but a long time ago and remember enjoying it. We had the day off and decided to try something new since this is also close to home. So glad we did because we were very pleased and would totally come back, especially for the sashimi lunch. We felt like that was so worth it. We got that sashimi lunch set and the sushi set B. All of the servers who helped us said that the sushi set B is their most popular and a good choice, which I definitely enjoyed but I truly wasn't blown away. However I really liked the sashimi lunch, especially for it's price at a little under $30. All the fish were really fresh and clean tasting. The little sides with it were great too. My husband and I both agreed we'd definitely return more regularly for the lunch sashimi and try their hand roll sets as well. At one point, they did seem to have forgotten to check in on where I was at in my sushi set so there was a little lag time that we noticed took a little longer. Then someone asked what I got last and then I was given the rest of the set. Service was friendly though and we sat at the bar, which was very roomy. The restaurant is much bigger inside than it looks from the outside. There are two spacey bar seatings and very few booth tables. Clean and dimly lit restaurant. read more

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This hand roll bar isn't as busy as I thought it would be. We were seated right away. There was also plenty of parking. It is a spacious resturant with dim lighting for the ambiance. They have two large bar seating areas and a few booths for table dining. The hand roll sets are priced very well. Everything else on the menu is a bit more expensive compared to other restaurants. I would say this is a higher end hand roll bar. The fish was very clean tasting and did not have any fishy smell or taste in the hand rolls. The rice is also seasoned and warm. read more

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Have been here for lunch and dinner. 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. The bar stools are a bit high for shorter people to sit at but there's three tables too in the restaurant. 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. read more

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Solid sushi eatery with good portion for a decent price. Ootoro bar is located in a small plaza with a bunch of eateries. There is a decent amount of seating for an omakase place. We had a reservation but several spots were still open for walk in. I got the set A ($42.95) which comes with 12 nigiri and 1 hand roll, mg fiancé got the same and got Mackeral nigiri ikura on side. The sushi came in rounds of 4 pieces. My favorite was the hand roll and the yellow tail, the sashimi was fresh, the rice could have been less loose but otherwise quality is decent. Also got beers and sake for drinks during the meal. Overall a sushi meal that won't break the bank. Would love to try lunch next time. read more

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Not bad for a lunch date. We ordered their lunch chirashi bowl and Scallop sashimi with yuzu and sea salt. Miso soup and mini side appetizers were included to try as well. We've had better bowls, but this was a nice change to see how other restaurants offer in their specialty chirashi bowls. read more

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Came here to have a birthday dinner since it was close to me. The ambience was great with the dim lighting and mellow music playing. The staff were very friendly and helpful. But above all, the food was fresh and delicious. Picked up the deluxe sashimi and every piece was amazing. Combined with the fresh wasabi made a great combo. This store was great as their other locations. Would come back again. read more

Ootoro Bar - Deluxe Sashimi - Japanese Near Me - Tustin, California

I loved their sweet shrimp and they give you the option of deep frying it and turning one into miso soup. I love the fried heads. their fish is really fresh. I still like ROL better for Handroll I think it's ROLs yuzu sauce and their blue crab roll is better the way they make theirs. The service is amazing here though and I love the atmosphere. It's super dim and nice for date nights. It wasn't busy at all when we came here on a Tuesday at 7:00pm read more

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Incredible experience for our first time here. We came with another couple on a whim and it has immediately solidified as a go to spot for us. The ambience is the perfect moodiness with dim lighting (perfectly balanced to not hurt your eyes) and soft music playing in the background. The staff are incredibly friendly and consistently checked in on our table to ensure everything was going well. We ordered the following: - 6 Hand Roll (x2) - 7 Hand Roll (x2) - Edamame - Amberjack sushi - Red Snapper sushi - Wild Salmon sushi - Salmon Belly sushi Everything was absolutely delicious! The hand roll experience was perfect--they were each so flavorful and we loved that they were brought out individually to keep the seaweed from getting soggy. All of the sushi was also incredible and so fresh. The fish melted in our mouths and was some of the best we've ever had. Also, the pricing of everything is beyond reasonable for the high quality of food you get. Overall, I'd highly recommend coming here and we will most definitely be back! read more

Ootoro Bar - Bottom to top: amberjack, wild salmon, salmon belly, red snapper sushi - Japanese Near Me - Tustin, California

No one is at the front desk for long periods of time. We had a reservation of 4 and could visibly see we were the only reservation on the paper. when someone finally came and we told them, he looked confused, disappeared for a while, and we saw them shove 4 chairs together at the bar. When seating us he proceeded to tell us they thought we weren't coming, which makes no sense since we were on time and confirmed. We saw them bring dessert for someone else's birthday, and when I kindly asked if they were able to do the same, he said yes but never brought anything out or even wished her a happy birthday. Additionally, many flies were inside around the sushi and our drinks. It was overall not a good experience and I wouldn't go back for many different reasons, especially when Rol Hand Roll Bar exists. read more

Service was attentive and friendly. All the food came out super fast too even though the place was packed. The fish here is incredibly fresh, and each piece sliced perfectly- not too thin and not too thick. I also really liked the variety of fish you get for the nigiri selection. The ambience feels sophisticated too, moody lighting and modern decor make for a great date spot, and the two wraparound bars gave the room an open spacey feel. Highly recommend for anyone who loves high quality sushi albeit at a premium cost! read more

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Went for lunch and there was plenty of seating inside. The sashimi deluxe lunch special was delicious. It had large portions and the fish was good quality. read more

Ootoro Bar - Sashimi deluxe - Japanese Near Me - Tustin, California