Great sushi with fresh ingredients. Our go-to spot near our place! Great customer service too!

Overall the food was good. Everyone at out table was happy with their orders. Only negative was that they seemed a bit slammed and short on waitstaff for a hoiliday lunch. We ended up waiting pretty long for out food. And once our food arrived, we didn't have any chopsticks... read more

Went on a Sunday afternoon and was pretty surprised how empty it was. I ordered one of the sashimi lunches and my friend ordered the udon. The fish was not fresh. I actually could smell the tuna. Also left 2-3 pieces on the plate since they were either chewy or had a smell. The cuts of fish were also very small (not a big deal since I wouldn't have eaten it anyways.) The udon broth was very salty, and for the price was not a great deal. The restaurant has a nice patio area and the inside is cool to look at but I won't be back since I don't believe the fish is fresh. read more

Ordered the sushi set. The sushi wasn't that fresh and not as good as the bluff Wasa location. Disappointed.

This restaurant has a nice ambiance and decor. Upon arrival, Andy the manager, was really friendly and gave us some different recommendations. Our server, Sage was great, she was very helpful and patient with us. We ended up ordering the squid ink pasta, hamachi serrano, when uni meets crab, buttermilk chicken karaage, and the creamy crab croquette. The two dishes that really stood to me were the creamy crab croquettes they were delicious. It had the perfect crispiness on the outside with the potato and crab filling. The sauce that came with the dish paired well with the flavor of the croquettes. The other dish that stood out was the hamachi serrano it had a kick to it due to the jalapeno, which I really enjoyed. The one dish I wouldn't recommend getting would be the chicken karaage. It had an interesting flavor and the pieces of chicken were dry. Everything else we ordered though was delicious. For dessert, we ordered the kakigori (japanse shaved ice) and the yuzu creme brulee. The yuzu creme brulee was really unique and had a nice citrus flavor, which I really enjoyed. The kakigori was delicious as well it was matcha or green tea flavored with red bean and mochi on top. These two delicious was a nice way to end the meal. read more

We have eaten at all the Wasa restaurants in OC for the last 12 years or so. This one was sold a few years ago, and is no longer owned by James Hamamori, and has not been for several years. The new location is showy and attractive, with high ceilings, and plenty of spaces between the tables. This was our second visit, and we probably will not rush back. The menu is extremely limited, they do not give you a little paper with sushi selection, and you order simply from a two page menu. Many of the items that were on the old menu are no longer available. Our waitress came to take our drink orders and I asked for a Cosmopolitan. She acted uncertain, and then said they don't have those. I was suprised, as I know they have a full bar, but asked that she check with the bartender and did indeed come back with a tasty, but small cosmopolitan. When she took our dinner order, we ordered several tapas items and some sushi and a tempura appetizer. I then asked for a Philadelphia Roll. It was not on the menu, and she wrote it down but came back a few minutes later to say they do not make them. Okay. She brought our food, including my tempura, which was very tasty and served with tempura sauce. My husband had ordered a tempura udon. His did not come with sauce and when he asked for some, she told him he could use mine. Really? I have never experienced that kind of service in a high end Sushi restaurant. Overall the food was good. The tempura was delicate and light. The fish was fresh and great quality. It was the service and attitude that was bad. Someone spent a HUGE amount of money revamping this place. The problem is, there are many great sushi places nearby. Hopefully they work out these kinks, and learn to say yes, not no to their customers. read more

Great place to dine in. Quality of service and food is beyond. Plus the outdoor seating is really special as it overlooks the fountain and if there a love music band over there you can enjoy listening to it while dining. read more

Lunch here was... Disappointing I had been looking forward to trying out robota wasa for a while. The restaurant looked beautiful and it was admittedly very appealing aesthetically. I had some time today during lunch and decided to give it a shot. Ordered the "Chirashi Bowl" for $22 and the Toro Sushi for $14. Service was great, my waitress Jessica was attentive and friendly. Food came out quickly, and it was immediately extremely disappointing. The Chirashi bowl looked more like a Poke bowl... The fish was chopped up into bits and mixed together on top of a bed of rice. I've NEVER in my life seen a 'Chirashi bowl' presented so cheaply and poorly especially for $22. Eating it was tedious as I had to search for the pieces of fish I wanted. It really seemed like the chef just took the chopped up end bits of fish and threw it into the bowl.. TERRIBLE. seriously. Look at the picture I took and judge for yourself. In short, never going back... Who's creative idea was it to ruin or should I say .. Cheapen the Chirashi bowl, while still charging so much. 2 stars for great service, nothing else because this place doesn't deserve your money. read more

Robata Wasa - Their $22 " Chirashi bowl" ... Should really be a $10 poke bowl .. . What a joke - Sushi Bars Near Me - Irvine, California

We had lunch here on their grand opening day and I was really looking forward to having one of their special dishes (when uni meets crab) from the pictures that I saw posted. However, they don't serve this dish during lunch which was a real bummer because I really wanted to try it. Our waitress said the restaurant couldn't make any exceptions which was a disappointment, so I ordered a couple of rolls instead. - Special temaki (hand roll) was the next best thing to the 'when uni meets crab' dish. Our waitress didn't make this alternative suggestion. I figured that out on my own. It was tasty and didn't have too much of an ocean taste from the uni which was good. - RW sashimi roll - good if you're watching carbs since there's no rice in it. It was ok and comes with some kind of spicy sauce. I prefer the seaweed wrapper instead of the soy wrapper it comes with. - Salmon mango tango roll - very filling due to the rice, mango, cream cheese, and salmon. It was a bit much for me, so next time I plan to just order salmon sashimi with rice instead. Below are some kinks they still have to work out: - It took a very long time to get one dish on our table. I'd say at least 15 min. We even ordered a simple cucumber appetizer and that took a while. Recommendation: bring out the starter items first like the miso soup from the entrees so we can start eating something right away. Also, if your three 'men in black' suits could help check if customers need something, they should instead of standing around (at least as a courtesy). - We had to ask for wasabi and ginger. Recommendation: Like other Japanese restaurants, this should be brought out with the rolls and customers shouldn't have to ask. - We ordered a donburi bowl, but they missed giving us the salad that comes with it. Recommendation: please have your food runner or someone from the kitchen double check the customer order before it goes to the table. Same goes for the previous points above. - If an item is unavailable for lunch, train your wait staff to offer alternatives (like my very first point above). All in all, I give this place a pass and would come back next time since it was opening day and they're still working out the kinks. The food was good and I plan to try out other 'dinner' items next time. read more

The food here was amazing. Top quality, fresh sushi with very unique flavors unlike I have had before. The service was excellent and left us with nothing to complain about. Our server was Gretchen, who was a sweetheart and very attentive (but not too much) during our entire meal. This restaurant provided us with a fantastic night out in a great atmosphere. I highly recommend the sashimi roll, dragon roll and the tataki albacore appetizer. read more

If you are looking for a Sophisticated Japanese restaurant for a dinner date, then this is a must! The food is delicious! The sushi is top quality, super fresh. I very much enjoyed the dragon rolls, my favorite however was the Vegetable Ramen. And if your up for dessert or even an appetizer try the corn! It's super juicy, buttery and full with flavor. Everything was very delicious and filling! The prices are reasonable for the amount of food you get. The service is outstanding. The staff is very attentive, friendly yet professional. I definitely recommend Robata Wasa. read more

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I guess this is a good thre stars for a Japanese restaurant in a mall. If you want to be really picky, I doubt the owners are Japanese. The flavors were a bit off. The Uni meet crabs was tasty.. much smaller than the picture looks. Karage chicken was not crisp and the yakitori was good... a bit over seasoned with marinade. I think that is a preference, but the robata yakitori was expensive The restaurant was beautiful! The location was cool. Plenty of parking. The prices are a bit high, but they have to pay for the remodel and high rent. It would be a nice place to take guest or business associates. Personally I would rather eat in Costa Mesa or Another yakitori spit like shin sen gumi. I think it is certainly worth checking out.. but I won't be a regular read more

We were really the first of the first on 9/4 when the restaurant first opened. It was us and a whole bunch of corporate folks eating lunch. Overall, ambience - great - totally would come here again and eat outside which is where we were. Food quality - great! Service - it was good but 3/4 lunches were delivered late and this is not the server's fault. It will take a while for the cadence to be set so be patient. Here's what we ate: 1. Edamame hummus: this was good. Consistency was really nice, light taste. My only recommendation is that there needs to be more wonton chips, but you can ask your server to bring more. 2. Matcha colada: this was good as well. Interesting take on the pina colada w matcha powder added. 3. Garlic Brussel sprouts: I didn't eat this but my kids and husband thought it was good. I personally think you can make this at home and you should move on to something like... 4. Salmon tartare: my kids ate this up and said it was great 5. Buttermilk fried chicken: now this was good. Chicken pieces were just the right size. The daikon served with it was a nice touch. 6. Hot night roll and crunchy roll: crunchy roll was consistent w what a normal crunchy roll should be. Hot night - it needed something more. It was good, but it needs that added something. 7. Robata lunch box: my husband said that this was good. 8. Special temaki roll: my daughter got this and said it was amazing. You have to roll your own hand roll which is no big deal. The nori is cut so you can figure out how to fold in the ends. 9. Gyu udon: good. Order this. The broth is amazing. 10. Unagi don: this was excellent too. Overall, very good. We will come back here again. Thank you to our server, Allen. #wewerethefirst read more

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The lunch here was uninspiring. The food that they had was just run-of-the-mill. Nothing super exciting, but tasted good. The prices, now that was above-average...in a bad way. The chirashi bowl was like a small poke bowl, except it cost 2 poke bowls. Everything we ordered tasted good, but the prices were unbelievably high. The service was good and attentive. However i do miss the old Wasa and their happy hour offerings; I guess they have to pay the rent for the shnazzy new digs somehow. read more

We came here on a Saturday night and it was packed! Very great food and friendly staff. I tried the wagyu and uni for the first time and it's a must get. I definitely recommend this place! read more

Robata Wasa - Wagyu and uni - Sushi Bars Near Me - Irvine, California

I came to this restaurant because I was expecting a good foods with the good price but I was disappointed . Their vegetable soup are nothing but taste like hot water with fresh vegetables and there's no taste at all even after I put the chili powder . And the Bento is not even one with a sushi or sashimi for the price of $32 the grilled chicken tasted like a duck there's 2 pieces of shrimp and gyoza and a small of seaweed salad, a tiny sausage and potato and other than it's all vegetables gabbage underneath. My money is just a waste l. I paid total of $60. It's not even appetizing at all read more

Robata Wasa has upgraded to a new sophisticated location in between Target and H&M! If you're looking for a modern take on quality Japanese cuisine with spectacular sevice, this is your place. I know this review is crazy long, but I feel like this restaurant deserves this extensive review because of their commitment to excellence. First - the interior is GORGEOUS. The lights are empty sake bottles and that is just the most impressive and aesthetic thing ever. This place is huge and looks even bigger, similar to a banquet hall! We got seated at our table and Caleb introduced himself. At the end of the night, he had proven to be the most accommodating server I have ever met. This was something of a stress test before their grand opening and Caleb passed with flying colors. After introducing himself, he accordingly asked for any drink orders and left to put them in to give us a chance to look over our food options. He immediately returned and we ordered about three different times and every single time he precisely wrote down and repeated our entire order! The kitchen got a little backed up so we didn't get everything, but hey it's to be expected from such a crazy event. Caleb also made wonderful recommendations, answered any questions we had, and even double checked some answers if he wasn't 100% certain about something, which I genuinely appreciated! He also constantly checked up on us to see if we needed anything else throughout the night. If all of the servers are like him at all, then this restaurant has a good eye for quality customer service, much like their good eye for quality top notch food! RECOMMENDATIONS: Bluefin tuna & Halibut Sushi, Sashimi Salad, Hokkaido Sea Scallops(Cold Tapas), Beef Tongue Robata, and Squid Ink Pasta. This is what I'll order the next time I have dinner here. Salad - the Sashimi Salad was exquisite! This is definitely something that should be shared among 3 people at least. Exquisitely plated and perfectly dressed. Little gems of brightly colored fresh fish were strung throughout the arugula and the edamame added some nice fresh texture here and there. Cold Tapas - Hokkaido Sea Scallops, Albacore Tataki, and Hamachi Serrano. I'm biased and I looooove scallops so they were my favorite - a light citrus sauce really brightened up the thinly cut scallops. These three were even in flavor and presentation so I would order all of them again. Hot Tapas - Crispy Tiger Shrimp & Roasted Satsuma Sweet Potatoes. The shrimp, skin on, was immaculately seasoned, perfectly cooked, and incredibly crispy. Winner in my books! The sweet potatoes were solid! But a little heavy for me and the sauce that came with it made it taste like chocolate. Entree - Squid Ink Uni Pasta and Buta Kakuni. UNI PASTA HANDS DOWN. The uni was incredibly creamy and melted in my mouth as I ate it with the perfectly al dente squid ink pasta. The frothy sauce was a bit heavy and creamy but the salmon roe lightened it up while giving a salty note and some texture. Our second order was underdone, but the kitchen got busy at that time so can't blame them. The Pork Belly was incredibly soft and you could just cut it with your fork - made to eat like a lettuce wrap and accompanied with this sweet chili sauce, garlic chips, and jalapenos. Special Rolls - Hot Night & Dragon Roll. Both were okay! Some parts of the rolls were rolled better than others. Hot Night was topped with spicy tuna and Dragon roll with avocado and unagi. Robata - Found out that robata is grilled with different coals that have a higher burning temp than the ones used for yakitori! In order of my favorites - beef tongue (ran out at the end of the night), steak with garlic chips, pork with shishito peppers and chicken thigh. Heard the salmon belly was good too, but they ran out beforehand! All of it was juicy, but the beef tongue was the most tender and flavorful out of all of them! Steak wasn't really seasoned but incredibly juicy. Pork was a bit heavy but the shishito peppers helped lighten it a bit. Chicken thighs were tough to eat because it was a thigh rolled out but bone in, but still very good. Sushi/Sashimi - ALL FRESH AND DELICIOUS. In order of my favorites - Bluefin tuna, halibut, salmon, albacore, yellowtail, salmon roe. Bluefin tuna and halibut just melt in your mouth. The sushi counterpart was better than the sashimi only because their sushi rice had just the right amount of vinegar and they had just the right ratio of rice to fish! Cocktails - we had the pleasure to try all their cocktails and my favorites were the Midori Mule, Matcha Colada, and Whimsical#2. All great and strong, so be careful! Overall, I had such a positive experience at Robata Wasa. They have already shown what a powerhouse of a restaurant they can be from tonight. I cannot wait for their grand opening so I can return and hope to get served by Caleb again. read more

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Pretty good but pretty expensive is what I'd say to describe Robata Wasa. A bunch of my coworkers came for a friend's birthday. Service was prompt & our waitress was very courteous and attentive. Everyone had some Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice to share as appetizers and it was pretty good! Basically some tuna wrapped in a crunchy rice shell. I'd eat like 10 of these if I could! I got the Tonkatsu Curry Set for my entree and it was really good! However, it tasted almost exactly the same as the tonkatsu curry at Coco Ichibanya (also delicious), but for a lot more $$$. I would rather go to Coco! The rest of the food my coworkers got looked pretty good. I probably wouldn't go back only because it's pricey, but I would definitely recommend it to people to try. read more

"Last Call" I would give this place ZERO stars if I could. Want the short review... don't eat here! Ever!!!! Unless you want to made to feel like you're a worthless piece of trash and a liar! Manager Andy did a marvelous job of just that to my daughter and I! Is the food good... hummm I don't know... wasn't even given the opportunity to try it! Want to leave a restaurant in tears? Then go here! They do a superb job of that! Want to turn your evening into a shit show?... Here's the place for you! What happened, you might be asking?? I'll give you the whole story but make it quick. My daughter and I showed up on waiting list, perfect, no problem. We had to leave for personal reason. Asked if we could come back. The hostess, Marina (not sure how to spell it) Said we can't do waiting list or push us back. Again okay, no problem. She told us we could come back because "last call" is 7:30. My daughter said IN FRONT OF HER to me, "okay great, we will have time to go and come back and then we will just wait to get a table." The hostess nodded and we where off. Came back at 7:00 put our names on list and we where told by manager Andy that we will have a 30 min wait" (which was fine by us) then he continued "but we are not sure if we can seat you." Excuse me... Then he said, "we will try to get you a table but you have to be seated by 7:30 or we can't serve you." I'm sorry but wtf! The hostess Marina lied in front of Her manager and said she told us that.... but... we all know she didn't. The manager continued to back her up and condescendingly said "I wish there was more I could do." I said "we are so willing to wait that is not the issue, so if we are willing to wait then we should be seated at a table. We absolutely would not of come all the way back if we knew this information." He said "I can't guarantee you a table." I'm sorry again but wtf! Then make your last call earlier! Don't make us wait 30 minutes and then tell us that sorry but we are not willing to seat or serve you now. Absolutely ridiculous and completely de-humanizing. I say that word because It is, you put us in a position to have us wait for X amount of time and then want us to be okay with telling us to leave a restaurant. If we are willing to wait and have our names on "last call" then why wouldn't we be treated with respect! My daughter and I chose to leave because I'm not willing to give them a dime of my money and be treated with such arrogance and disrespect. ('You' reading this, choose to do with this as you want but just know that "last call" or waiting list, means absolutely nothing.) Go ahead and wait 30 minutes or maybe even hours to eat and then be told "I'm sorry we can't serve you now..." everyone else took to long eating and now you must leave the premises. Geeez what a terrible let down and a disappointment this establishment is. You would think they would be bending over backwards to earn customers hard earned money. But not this place! They could care less, they are just fine slamming the door in your face and to top it off calling the customer basically a liar and doing nothing about earning our business or trust. This manager Andy should be ashamed of himself! read more

Had an amazing time! The food was excellent and arrived promptly with a flourish. Our server Parker really made the night though. While the food was simply delicious, the light conversation and the prompt service of our waiter made a good night into a memorable one. read more

Robata Wasa - The Sushi Platter - Sushi Bars Near Me - Irvine, California

Someone have a gift card for this sushi restaurant for my birthday, so I gave them a try. The person who was taking my order was very rude and didn't know where/what some of the menu items were. The sushi quality and taste was not good as well. read more

Love this sushi restaurant!! Super yummy rolls especially the salmon lemon pepper roll. The service is wonderful. Try this place you won't be disappointed!! read more

Service is excellent. I ordered the house salad ($7) which was difficult to eat politely in public because of the long, stringy lettuce. Dressing was bland and had zero of the ginger zing you'd expect this salad to have. The sashimi roll ($21) sans jalapeño is extremely bland and their krab mixture is smooshy, way to sweet and just gross. I tried using more wasabi than I normally would to add taste to this roll and it did not help. Restaurant is not cheap - expected better. read more

My friends and I came here for lunch today, and we were in for a treat. The food were delicious. The broth for the udon and ramen were full load flavor. The edamame hummus was tasty. Caleb was our server and provided excellent services. He was attentive to our needs. He always checked on us to make sure we have everything we need. I cannot say enough good things about him. The place is not overly decorated and modern. I would recommend everyone to checkout this restaurant, and you will not be disappointed. read more

Parker made this the greatest sushi experience I have ever had and I have lived in Japan for 20 years. The chirashi don was the best cut of every sushi Ive ever had. Yummy in my tummy read more

Robata Wasa - Sushi Bars Near Me - Irvine, California

Empezamos a comer cuando salieron de la nada entre nuestros pues dos ratas gigantes... y si, aun así nos cobraron la comida. Asco de lugar

We had dinner here on Friday, 9/7/18 and the food was good, but here's the thing: 1. They ran out of their salmon belly robata since the day before, according to our server. 2. They ran out of all their ice creams for the kids except for Green Tea. And most disturbing... 3. Since they ran out of ice cream except green tea, our child elected for the fruit bowl instead. Unfortunately for us, there was mold in the fruit bowl (on the blueberries). We did receive apologies, but unfortunately, nothing else. I know maybe that's asking too much and I shouldn't feel entitled to anything more, but I was kind of disappointed. Normally, I wouldn't even think twice about expecting more than apology, but the fact that there was mold....that took it to another level. And please, just check the fruit before consuming. It was disgusting. read more

Service sucks. Servers aren't friendly, attentive or helpful. Most of servers look very disconnected and distracted. The food was okay but worth it. Nit coming back. The ambiance is modern - good music. read more

Actually loved the food here. The onlly reason it is not 5 stars is the price. I know that all restaurants have really jacked up the prices post Covid so I have stopped giving 5 stars pretty much. The garlic Edame is really good. The Tempura (both Veg and Shrimp) was great. The Salmon sashimi was very fresh and yummy. The cucumber salad is worth going back for. It is not a "salad" in any traditional sense, just very thinly sliced baby cucumber in a great dressing. The Gyoza were good, with a potsticker pasta that was not overly thick. The childrens Bento Box with chicken teriyaki and salmon was also good and our 2 year old loved the sausage and meatballs. And I would recommend the Salmon and crab rolls. As you can see, nothing negative about the food and the service was excellent. read more

Having and early anniversary lunch with my boyfriend. Came in looking for the uni pasta, but they only serve it at dinner time. A little disappointed at first until we got our food and realized That was OKAY though because everything else we had was amazingly FRESH..... and now gives us a reason to come back to try their dinner menu. I've posted everything we had today and of course as you can see uni is our fav.... and that uni toast was delicious. Our server Andrew was very attentive and knowledgeable about what is served at this establishment. Overall the food and customer service here from the staff and management was outstanding and it takes me a lot to say that, since it's so hard to find that now a days. read more

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We were so excited to try this place out and we were so disappointed. The food was not good at all and my friend was served bad tuna. Would never go back. Also the bar is closed during the week, they only serve a small selection of beer & wine. read more

Great Japanese food, without exception. With 3 decades experience in Japan, I know authentic tasting Japanese food when I eat it. Overall, the dining settings are pretty good too, although they tend to put people close to each other, even when plenty of empty tables. This makes it hard to enjoy a romantic or personal conversation, so not completely comfortable with that. The other thing that is frustrating is the service. The people owning or managing the restaurant don't know or apply Japanese dining etiquette. Yes, this is the US, but when I eat out at a Japanese restaurant I don't want the server to be slow in taking (10+ mins) and bringing orders, sometimes 40 minutes in total wait, and then quick to try and remove half or nearly empty plates. It feels like they are hovering to clear you out, so that should stop. Reason for the 4 Star rating it the food, otherwise it would be a 2 or 3. read more

We came here last Saturday for dinner and we were blown away. It was our friend's birthday and we decided to come to their new location. When we got there, the host told us that there would be a wait of 40 minutes and they took our name down. Within 15 minutes they texted us and we got sat. The decor and interior is beautiful in this restaurant. We ordered many dishes, but I think all of their presentation was awesome. The service was excellent and the manager Andy took great care of us recommending the matcha cheesecake for our dessert. It is bit on the pricey side, but the experience was well worth it. read more

Improper handling of raw fish led to my family getting food poisoning (dined on July 10th 2022). Attempted to warn Robata Wasa through their messaging system and had called 5 times to no avail. Requested a call back to confirm they weren't knowingly serving bad fish, but have not heard back. Highly unethical business practices, placing profit over the health and safety of the customers. read more

The sushi here is great! Caleb was an amazing server, very friendly and helpful The lobster tail was especially good as well as the lemon pepper salmon: read more

Excellent food! So far love the service, helpful, friendly and know their menu. I love both the noodle soups and their famous robata lunch specials. Been there a few times and quality is always fantastic. read more

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The food was absolutely amazing! We had three rolls, tempura and garlic edamame. It was amazing would recommend. read more

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Spacious inside and outdoor patio dining, with delicious authentic Japanese food! Everything made fresh, from tasty appetizers to savory main dishes. Prices are very reasonable. This place is a keeper! read more

Enjoyed. Service and atmosphere surpassed expectations. Rolls were a bit too salty. Could be the soy sauce. Everything else was true to its flavor. First time experience, I hope for consistency. read more

30 minutes later, still waiting for food. Whatever has come out, average food at best, overpriced. Servers are nice. Don't open restaurants for the sake of having one if you're not going to put any effort and creativity into the food. read more