Great quality foods and services. I tried several lunch menus such as robata grilled skewers (Porks are thte best for me) with rice, sushi, tempura udon, and chirashi. I want to try their dinner menus serving uni pasta and sea scallops etc! I recommend you trying this place if you have a chance to stay around Irvine Spectrum! read more

See all

I love Robota Wasa. I've been eating here for years while working at the spectrum, I enjoy the food and the friendly staff. However, it seems that recently for the holidays they have hired some new hosts whom I am not a fan of. I usually call the restaurant to place my pick up order which typically is answered by whoever is standing at the host stand. Last week when I went to pick up my food, which was ordered around 15-20 minutes ago, the two hosts standing at the front looked at each other like they were confused. It became very clear to me that my order had not been made- let alone submitted to the kitchen. Working at the spectrum, I'm left a very short window of time to eat my food and relax hence why I will sometimes order at 20 to 30 minutes before my lunch. I found myself waiting for around 15 minutes for them to make my food. I do understand that 15 minutes is not a very long amount of time, but the two hosts decided to not tell me what was going on, and just told me the food would be out soon, so I had to make these assumptions on my own, and understand that I will not in fact be getting my food "soon". Just to add onto this review, tonight when I went to pick up my order, someone walked in and stole a bag of food without paying, right in front of the host and they said nothing. Glad it wasn't mine. Oh, and my order was wrong tonight. Thank you! read more

Fake place. Idk why people come here and waste their money on some bougie overpriced sushi. Don't waste your time and find a more authentic sushi place. read more

Came up to the door at literally 901 pm and were turned away for service. We were told last call has already happened even though they don't close for another hour. I suspect it was because we had 3 small children with us. We've heard great things about this place and drove 30 minutes over to try it after a long day. Never again. read more

Worst Japanese food I have ever eaten. I had better Japanese food at the San Francisco airport. Hot sushi roll was cold. Served day-old cold rice in my bento box. Chicken was cold and chewy. Service was extremely slow. Will not go back. read more

If I could give ZERO STARS I would. DO NOT EAT HERE. I hope spectrum smarts up and closes them down. The worst service in the world. We Ordered simple martinis. The "bartender" (no business license was displayed) was reading how to fix a martini on her laptop and it took her FIFTY MINUTES to serve us one drink and she handed me a half empty glass. It took her another thirty minutes to get it right but at this point we'd finished dinner and were leaving. My daughter ordered a bento box and we asked for salmon only as opposed to chicken and salmon. They initially said they couldn't accommodate us and then when they did bring us the bento box it contained pork sausage and we had to send it back and were served with her food another forty minutes later. We were a large party of six people and we ordered several sushi rolls, they did not bring us any ginger or wasabi until we asked for it. We had ordered two big bowls of udon to share and they did not bring us bowls, we had to beg three different waiters to bring it for us. During this entire fiasco the manager refused to help us or speak to us. He didn't address our issues, come to our table, nothing. We paid and even tipped and left but I'll never again eat at this POORLY MANAGED establishment ever again and you shouldn't either. Save your money and your time. read more

The appearance is very nice. Faced a challenge right away when my son was asleep in the stroller and they would not let him in. Manager said no strollers were allowed in the restaurant. It was a small stroller too. But she made an exception and let us in. Food was fresh and good. I like starting with a spicy scallop hand roll but they said they couldn't make that with their scallops. I ordered the halibut sashimi but they didn't have enough halibut for the sashimi. Overall the food was good. The problem is that the staff is not very friendly. One waitress just seemed unhappy and was just on a mission and kept bumping into the stroller. My son enjoyed his boxed kids meal. But the friendliness and welcome feel is just not there. I was hoping for a wow factor and didn't get it. The 2 stars was for the overall feel and service was a huge factor. read more

See all

got food poisoning from here! they fish definitely sat out for a while before getting served. don't try this place at all read more

Robata Wasa - Sushi Bars Near Me - Irvine, California

I went here yesterday Sunday night (11/10/2019) and entered around 9:02 with my family, the restaurant closes at 10. The hostess politely told me that they take their last call an hour before the restaurant closes so they cannot seat me. Personally I found this ridiculous because most restaurants no matter the stature will gladly accept customers even half an hour before closing. I was upset since I was really looking forward to eating here for the first time. I hope management reads this and changes their last call. I went to Brio (a quality Italian restaurant in the same mall) and I was seated immediately with no question around 9:25 and the restaurant closed at 10. I just don't understand why would stay open until 10 if your last call is read more

Up until last night, this place would be a strong 4 or 5 star recommendation. Unfortunately, last night's experience was so poor, I don't think we will ever go back. They recently changed their menu. Great! Awesome restaurants should do that. We tried a couple of new rolls and they were awful. One was a Salmon Lemon Pepper roll that was so soggy when it arrived, the bottom of the roll would fall apart when picking each piece up. Not so good, but edible. One of their other new roles is called a Yellowtail Tataki roll. We ordered it and it was so spicy, we couldn't even taste the fish -- and we like spicy food! So we called our waiter Alen (not Allen -- according to the receipt) over to see if something was wrong. He didn't discuss anything with us, just took the roll away and asked if we wanted something else. Not the best way to handle it, but definitely tolerable. We asked for a California roll with salmon on top as the replacement. It came and was fine. What you expect. Can't really mess it up. But where things took a turn was when the bill came. The normal rolls are anywhere from $6 (veggie roll) to $14, depending on the roll. For the California roll (normally $11) with salmon on top, it became a $19 roll. Alen charged us a rainbow roll with a salmon upcharge. What was so challenging was that we weren't told what the cost would be as we ordered it. Not even a heads up. As we looked at the rest of the bill, we realized that everything has gone up in price. Soy paper? Was $1, now $2. Crab leg robata was $25, now $38. When we asked Alen about the $19 California Roll with Salmon, he said it had to be that way. When we called the manager over to discuss our experience (because we thought they would WANT to know how different this experience was versus all previous visits), he was indifferent. What would have gone miles would have been a simple apology for the miscommunication and the disappointing roll that was sent back. We would have left happy. Instead, the manager nodded and said "OK, I will try to tell the chef" and walked away. Customer service goes a long way. Those of you reading this and thinking its not that big of a deal, ok. But to pay $100 for 4 rolls and 2 orders of salmon, the level of service should be significantly higher. This used to be the Sushi place over by Javier's and the movie theater. They added the Robata (grill) and have tried to re-brand as a trendier place. They have a server named Tomoko who is AMAZING. The rest of the place might want to re-evaluate what kind of restaurant they want to be and ensure the staff is on the same page. Don't go here. So many other sushi restaurants in OC. Find a better one. read more

It's an ok place . Not worth the long wait. The servers are nice but the restaurant is always understaffed. Nice patio.

Horrible service. They told us the waiting time was 20min and took my phone number. I came back to check if the tables ready after 30min and it was not. And waited 1hour more nobody called me at all. Just waited in cold for an hour and half for nothing read more

This was my first time coming here after they relocated at the spectrum and the place is a big upgrade! The dining hall is much bigger that can serve bigger parties and they have a beautiful bar with great drinks! Our server Parker was super friendly and had great customer service! I had the uni pasta and it was delicious. I would recommend ordering a plate for yourself and splitting a sushi or sashimi plate with your friends and family. I would definitely come back again! read more

Great service and good quality sushi reasonably priced. We love the new location, plenty of outside seating.

Service is wondering again with the same waitress I had left a review last time. In fact from hostess to server all good. It's Christmas Eve and feels good to be treated with such warmth and great service. Kate is so wonderful!!! Be so lucky to get her!!!! read more

My family and I absolutely love this place!! The food is amazing, sushi rolls are fresh, the staff are so helpful and friendly. They don't have reservations and the wait might be long but the wait is definitely worth it!! For high quality food. Definitely recommend for lunch or a cute date night. Make sure to try the avacado volcano for appetizer you won't regret!! read more

I passed by this restaurant a few times while shopping around, finally decided to try it out with a friend for dinner. interior is very refined and modern, not too bright and not too dark. We were seated right away by the host. i knew this place was a "fancy" Japanese restaurant so i readied my wallet and naturally set my expectations high as well. the menu was a little overwhelming as they use lots of Japanese terminology and had many categories of food, but our waiter, Sage, really helped narrow down the menu and made some much needed recommendations. food was ordered, and the wait time was pleasantly minimal. one by one, Sage brought in the dishes, each one seemingly more beautiful than the last. we tried several dishes ranging from traditional yellowtail sashimi to my favorite of the night, the uni squid ink pasta. my friend enjoyed the crab meat croquette very much and their "when uni meets crab" dish was simply gorgeous and delicious (ladies, this place is IG heaven). as if the food wasn't enough, the manager, Andy, made a surprise visit at our table, ask how our meal was going, and chatted a little bit about the dishes we had. he was very friendly and welcoming which really rounded out our experience at robata wasa. so, was my expectations met? absolutely. food was fresh, atmosphere was perfect. i'll definitely be back to try their other offerings on the menu. read more

If I could give 6 stars I would. This is the best sushi for a fair price I have ever had. For every special occasion, birthday, promotion, date night - this is where my husband and I go! My daughter (2) loves the avocado rolls too! This is a MUST try! read more

Poor service waited a long time for my order then our server told us there is a miscommunication at the back ... it will take around 15 more to cook but i waited more than enough ... i would not recommend this place ... from the time we have been seated slow service not even on a busy time read more

This place is just fantastic! The food is amazing :) I had my birthday party here and ppl were so nice and I have've been so many different Japanese restaurant, this one is genuine. I go here every week since the opening to try every food here. Ramen is the best overall. Trust me you will not regret to try here. :D read more

See all

Ordered the Mango Lobster, it was bland and lobster was not fresh. The karaage had no seasoning, again bland. The Sushi Bento Box was filled with rice. The tuna sashimi was not fresh. Only the salmon sashimi was okay. I asked the waiter what was in the Sushi Bento Box, he said "it's all there in the menu. read it." Don't waste your money. read more

The location and the decor is nice, The food not so much, Ramen was decent for $ what we paid for, overall, didn't meet expectation,,sorry read more

Went to eat here with my friends, we were seated and waited about 30 minutes before we left because no one and I mean absolutely no one helped us besides the hostess (who I will mention was the only good experience I had). No one gave us a menu or anything, no one asked if we wanted water or anything to drink nor did we receive even the slightest bit of hospitality, besides the hostess of course. I have been wanting to try this restaurant for quite sometime and after that experience, I don't think I ever will. Worst part of it all is that another group, which was significantly bigger than my small party of 3, was served almost immediately. Don't wanna say it's because they we're white and we weren't but it sure as hell felt like it. read more

It worth your time to go. If you decide to try this place go before 9 because they close the kitchen and more than half the menu is not offered which makes no sense because it apparently closes at 11. First off the service here is absolutely slow. My friend got his dish in about 15 minutes and the rest of our group didn't get ours at all. It took so long that we ended up canceling our orders. The manager never had the guts to come to our table and apologize for this. Definitely not going back anytime soon. read more

This is the first restaurant we went to since COVID and it definitely did not disappoint. It was so good and my family loved it so much!! It was definitely high quality food. It also looked delicious, we were all actually fighting over who gets the last piece of what. Haha read more

This is my first experience here and I feel like was given the red carpet treatment! When we greated by Chole and she was so nice! Then we met our server Caleb and he was so nice and he came by our table always with a pleasant attitude and we never needed to flag him down for anything! Also the heaters outside in the patio actually work lol like they reach the table and I was not cold which is fantastic. Omg the bartender Evelyn is fantastic, she came out from behind the bar to ensure we enjoyed our drinks (since we ordered some off menu drinks and they use comparable liquors to the ones that should be used) and she was hilarious!!! Definitely bringing my boyfriend here for his birthday I think he'd really enjoy it! read more

I just walked in Wasa and were told they were closing early. Yelpers, call ahead to make sure that they're going to stay open. This is our second time coming and they've closed way earlier than their normal hours. The front desk guy said oh, our hours should've been updated today- but they weren't. Sorry too bad. We drove 30 min to get there to eat and for nothing. Bad service, poor management. read more

This restaurant is open for patio dine in, so far my favorite restaurant in Irvine Spectrum Center!! The customer service is always excellent and the food is awesome!! Keep up the good job! read more

The ambience is alright but the patio had a faint smell of urine. This place is lacking in several areas but if they improved on just a few things, it could be a 4-5 Star sushi place. I will start with the seating. We got there ahead of two other groups and they received drinks before us. We waited about 10 minutes just for water. After that, we requested gluten free soy sauce for my wife because she can't have gluten. The sushi chef wasn't working in a "wiped down" environment given my wife ordered just a standard tuna roll and there was tempura in one piece (which has gluten and appeared to be in there by accident. She was sick the next morning). Then the bento box.. the kids bento box was fairly decent but the adult bento boxes, which are about $25, came in a plastic bento box while the kids came in a legit one. The bento box food was terrible; salmon extremely dry and had to be sent back to be remade. It was all very underwhelming. Some positives would be that their salmon belly is very good and the workers are courteous, even if a bit inattentive. It just doesn't feel like a fine dining place and it should if you're going to be charging ~$20 for 5 pieces of sushi. Would I go back as it is? Probably not. I do hope they improve, though. read more

I was really craving sashimi and I tried this place for the first time during Covid. They were open for outdoor only, but I did feel like the tables were pretty close to each other. Why 3 stars? I ordered the sashimi platter and it was a little overpriced and the quality was just okay. Uni pasta. I was super disappointed. Whenever I see uni pasta on a menu, it is a must for me to order. Their pasta did not taste anything uni-like, there was literally a teeny piece on top the pasta, more like decoration and the noodles' texture was weird. I wish it was a little more creamy. Fried shrimp. That was actually best thing I ordered. it was crispy, salty and tasty. definitely a must appetizer! read more

I go here multiple times a week and have been served by a few different servers but Parker and Danny are my usual and they both are fantastic! Super attentive and always right on time with everything. The food? Incredible. I've tried many things on the menu but I always get the salmon belly and yellowtail belly nigiri as well as finish with uni nigiri. It's really hard to go wrong but a few other I recommend: the tempura vegetables are awesome, salmon carpaccio is a must try, as well as just their sashimi platter. Super awesome place, I think people knock it because of the price, but it's worth it for the quality of the food and the quality of the service. read more

Robata Wasa - Salmon carpaccio - Sushi Bars Near Me - Irvine, California

They really do take their time to make beautiful quality food. This is not your AYCE kinda food. You can tell when you take a bite. The service is fantastic. It's a tiny tiny bit more expensive but it is well worth it. read more

Dirty bathroom Hot Tea and miso came room temperature Nice decor Disappointed in their average taste food read more

This is our second time here and I'm disappointed that we had the experience we did. We got there and the host gave us an estimate of 30 mins. We went back 30 mins later and were told another 15 mins and that we would be seated after another couple. They confirmed that couple would be seated next. The couple got seated and we saw 3 other parties getting seated so I went back after 15 mins and was told all the reservations were coming in and it would be a little bit longer. At this point I'm frustrated because reservations are booked in advance and that should have been considered before providing us with an estimate. I am also frustrated that the expectation wasn't set and no apology was offered. I stated that we were told something and something else happened. At this point the hostess is annoyed with me and it was very evident when she seated us and just left the menu on the table and walked away, super annoyed. I have never, ever seen a hostess treat a guest like this and although our waitress was really nice and the food was fine, I would not come back. Like others have suggested, for the price point, I would expect higher quality sushi but you pay for the convenience and atmosphere. read more

Service was great and servers were very friendly and fast but the food was not that great. I ordered the udon with shrimp and for $15, I only got two pieces of tempura shrimp and a bowl of udon. The udon noodles had a good texture to them but had an odd, bitter taste and the broth was bland. Overall, might want to consider going somewhere else. read more

This is one of my favorite place for Japanese food and robata. Honestly, their food is so good. We tried a bunch of appetizers and robata. All of them were 10/10, well cooked, well served. The ambience and atmosphere of this place is absolutely a work of art and beautiful. Definitely recommended! read more

See all

I sometimes pop into Robata Wasa when I have to take something to the neighboring Apple store and I have to wait. The service, quality of food and atmosphere is always excellent. The service at the Irvine Spectrum Apple store is excellent too, so it's a win win! read more

Food was good and reasonably priced. Got too excited and forgot to take a picture of my food. Interior is aesthetically pleasing and outside looks like great seating for good weather. If you are in the area worth dining here read more

Robata Wasa - Sushi Bars Near Me - Irvine, California

I have been here multiple times and the actual nigiri and sashimi are very fresh and good. Tonight I decided to branch out and then eat the squid ink uni pasta. It tasted terrible overall and me and my boyfriend both ended up throwing up within an hour. This ruined my experience with this restaurant and I will not be going back. This item should be taken off the menu: read more

We went late on a weeknight and there weren't many customers. The food we received was enjoyed, we had the sushi platter, several rolls, and several cooked items. The problem was our waiter kept telling us throughout our meal the steak we ordered was to arrive shortly and when we were done eating it was still just a few minutes away. We finally canceled it and asked for the check, as it had been 90 minutes of waiting for it. There were maybe 6 other people to serve besides the 3 people at my table. read more