The service was great and the food was delicious!! I got the salmon donburi and they gave us a good amount of food. Would definitely come back! read more

This place is a hidden gem. If you like Japanese food and you're looking for something more than your typical sushi restaurant - this is the spot. I haven't had Japanese food this good since being in Japan. read more

Love the unagi. Very authentic Japanese food. I could eat here everyday. Very fresh and tasty as well. You should try lunch menu

So, my friend recently found this place and hasn't been able to stop raving about it. She asked if I'm down to try it and, I mean. Rice? Donburi? Gyoza?!!!! Who can say no! So, today was the day to try The Rice! And might I say, it was delicious. I got the unagi donburi and the eel was very fresh. The gyoza had the perfect crunch accompanied with yummy ponzu sauce and la-you (spicy oil) - the perfect amount to share. Friend ordered their sukiyaki bento box and we all enjoyed our food. Their food tasted very honest and sincere. While we were eating, we heard a customer who came in for a order pick up - say that he was so happy because they're his favorite restaurant. Yep! I am also a fan now, and will be visiting here again real soon! read more

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This was a first time try for take out and it was very good. I read the reviews and it looked like a great place. It's probably closer to 4.5 stars, but that rating doesn't exist and I couldn't give them 5 based on this one experience. I would say the customer service is 5 stars. From the moment I called in the order to when I picked it up I felt like the owner/staff was genuinely friendly and helpful. I order the salmon sushi bowl, special curry chicken and gyoza. The salmon was not top sushi quality so I would say it was average. The sushi rice was perfect so I wish the salmon matched. The gyoza was perfect and light and fluffy. I was really looking forward to the curry. I've had Japanese curry in Japan and ate a lot of it growing up in Hawaii. I've also had some good curry in California. They indicated they use 20+ spices so I thought I'd be blown away. It wasn't the Japanese curry I'm used to and come to love. This had more of a soupier vinegar type flavor. It was good, but it didn't have the flavor I was craving. I'll be back to try a couple different dishes and give them another chance. I want to love them because they were so nice, so maybe my next visit will bump them up to a 5. read more

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Best japanese restaurant in foothill ranch,their beef sukiyaki & salmon aburi is so gooddservice always good and authentic japanese food read more

The Rice - Salmon Aburi & Gyoza - Japanese Near Me - Foothill Ranch, California

We went for lunch and it seems they added items to their menu. I got the salmon/yellowtail bowl like I did before and the fish was so fresh! My wife had the grilled saba(mackerel) and she liked it. That's her favorite, so if she says it's good, it's good! Such friendly and caring service by the owner(?) We will be back!! read more

The Rice - Salmon/hamachi donburi - Japanese Near Me - Foothill Ranch, California

鰻丼と牛タンは美味しかったが、カレーはちょっと想像とは大きく違う味 これは薬膳カレーですな。 療養中の方にはピッタリかも 店の雰囲気は家族経営の昭和の食堂で懐かしい The eel bowl and beef tongue were really delicious, but the curry tasted a little different than my expectations. This is medicinal curry! It is good food for the person having health issues. read more

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Love the unagi don. They use high-quality indigrents and food is very tasty. Service is good too.

Came to this wonderful hole in the wall, super friendly place with a friend today. This place is a gem. I actually hesitated reviewing this place for I didnt want it get over crowded as they only have 10 seats (4 tables). Ordered unagi don, assorted chirashi rice and sea urchin udon. They were done right. Fresh and flavorful. This is the type of place I wpuldnt need to enter the kitchen to know its tidy and clean. Just excellent. The service was nice too. Bowls, vessels and utensils were pretty. Interior was done with taste. I am just happy I found a great local place. read more

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This place is great. This is our go to spot for a quick Japanese eat and they rotate different specials from Japan. The servers are friendly and they offer great tasting water as well! read more

Absolutely loved The Rice! The food was fresh, flavorful, and perfectly cooked. The portions were generous, and the service was fast and friendly. Great spot if you're craving something simple, tasty, and satisfying. Will definitely be coming back! read more

A nice little hole in the wall Japanese restaurant. With only about 3-4 little tables, this place packs a punch when it comes to delivering some original Japanese comfort food. They have everything from raw seafood dishes, to bento style and hot bowls. I was in the mood for a quick bite and the Jidori chicken bento sounded very good. I chose it with salt and pepper seasoning. It comes with some daily sides like pickles, macaroni salad, and daikon pickles. The plate itself comes with rice and a miso based green salad. It was all very good but I'm definitely getting something different next time as some of the sashimi and curry looked a lot better than my dish. read more

The Rice - Jidori Chicken Bento - Japanese Near Me - Foothill Ranch, California

Hidden gem in Foothill Ranch. Always quality food, authentic Japanese food. Owners even speak Japanese. Love the donburis, especially the ones with raw fish. read more

Extremely nice staff, diverse options. The food was really tasty. The Beef Sukiyaki is a must. The curry had very interesting (yummy) flavor, not the usual. There are tables outside, so we may bring our dog next time. It's definitely a go-to if you're in the mood for Japanese food! read more

The Rice - Beef Sukiyaki - Japanese Near Me - Foothill Ranch, California

The owner is extremely rude. My kids wanted Waba Grille but my husband and I wanted to at the Rice. We asked the waitress before we were seated if it was ok for our kids to bring in their Waba and she said it was fine. After we got seated and we were looking over the menu the owner ran out from the back and rudely yelled us about how they don't allow outside food. I explained to him that I asked the wait staff before we were seated if it was ok for my kids to eat their Waba inside. He replied with, "it doesn't matter! I'm the owner! It's very dangerous. This is not a food court! If you want to eat that, go eat outside!"And he pointed outside. I said, "No problem. We will happily take our business elsewhere." I understand why an establishment would not permit outside food, and that is exactly why I asked before we were seated. What is not acceptable is the owner's behavior. Clearly he needs to speak to/retrain his staff instead of yelling at and disrespecting customers over something that is not their fault. I don't recommend supporting this establishment because the owner is absolutely rude and disrespectful. I would suggest that you drive a little bit north and go to Okidoki by Meiji in Tustin. The seating is spacious and comfortable, the food is delicious and the service is always excellent. read more

I'm a sucker for unagi don, and The Rice does it right. Even after a car ride home, the rice was warm (though slightly too wet for my taste), and the unagi was also warm with great flavor as well. There were quite a few pin bones in the eel, but that's expected. Because our order hit a certain threshold (not sure what it was), we received a free mochi dessert, which was amazing. Not too sweet and also had wonderful flavor. Located in the same plaza as Ralph's, parking is a breeze. I'm excited to try out other offerings by The Rice! read more

The Rice - Unagi Don - Japanese Near Me - Foothill Ranch, California

The best Japanese food in the area hands down. The quality has been fluctuating a little bit lately as they figure out how to scale up their mom and pop business, but by and large every meal we have there is amazing read more

When I order out, I generally expect food prepared better than I can make it myself. The food here is really sub par and I can definitely make it better myself. We ordered several curries and donburis. The flavor of the curry was sour and the consistency was very soupy and loose. The pork is like thin slices that they probably bought at H mart and just pan seared. Low skill, bad flavor, overpriced for the low quality you get. One and done... never going back to this place. read more

Was picking something up from Walmart and needed to find a new restaurant to try. I saw they have high rating and decided to eat here. We arrived 20 minutes before they open, the staff was nice and accommodating, letting me use the restroom and letting us get seated first. Food was really good! We tried the following 3 meals and they were healthy and good portions. 1) grilled jidori chicken bento box - chicken was moist and soft. Eat it while it's hot or it'll harden. 2) grilled beef tongue bento box - perfection but I wished there were more slices of beef tongue. 3) salmon & hamachi donburi - very fresh sashimi, big bowl. The kitchen staff are all Japanese women and the food is healthy and authentic. They use special rice here. If you want bigger bowl, get the donburi. The restaurant and restroom are all very clean. We will be back again next time I'm in the neighborhood! But next time we will probably get 2 beef tongues and try the chicken cartilage appetizer. read more

The indoor seating was very limited. Food came out quite fast but it was a little expensive for the portion. I ordered a sukiyaki, which wasn't really a sukiyaki but tasted delicious nonetheless. read more

This is a small Japanese owned place and has been our to-go place for good quality sashimi and grill hamachai kama, and we have been coming here mostly for take-out for the last few years. However, our takeout last night took us a little aback when we noticed a 3.75% charge on the check. When asked what this was for, we were told it was a credit card charge and that they had been doing this for the last 4 months as this was how they were able to keep their prices "low." Fyi, we ordered 1 grilled eel bowl, 1 sashimi bowl with salad and no rice, and 2 medium/small sized grilled hamachi kama. The total came to just under $100....yes, not cheap, and the portions have clearly shrunk. We get it.....inflation has hurt a lot of small businesses and most are just trying to survive. We really hope this business sticks around as we really enjoy their food. The lady up front is usually so nice and friendly to us, but last night, when we asked about the 3.75% credit card charge, she replied, "so do you want your order or not?" We were shocked as she is usually so nice to us, but I guess the stress is getting to everybody. Will we still go back here? Yes, for sure...at least till something better opens up. We love to support small businesses like these which offer very good quality food....and service, usually, but we just wished that they were more transparent about that extra charge instead of just slipping it in there and hoping nobody would notice, or bother about. read more

Although I don't have an issue with the food, about a month ago we witnessed how another family was treated by the owner, and will never go back. The customer had asked the wait staff something and then left. The customer later came back with her spouse and 2 young kids. Shortly after they sat down, the owner came out from the back and got upset the family had brought outside food for her two young kids (toddlers). The customer explained she had asked in advance if she could bring outside food, and the wait staff had said yes. Instead of believing the customer and making this a one-time exception, the owner still kicked them out. The customers handled the situation a lot better than others would have. Then again, they probably also wanted to leave asap to avoid having the toddlers get scared of the situation. We frequent that shopping center, and to this day we don't see a no outside food allowed sign. I understand that owners are entitled to do as they please, but in this economy I would have thought businesses would treat customers better. read more

They sometimes have a dessert called "kinako" or "kinako mochi". It's not on the menu, and they don't always have it. The "mochi" part is not the traditional rice mochi. It's similar to boba in texture. Kinako is sweetened soy bean powder, so it tastes a little nutty. They drizzle brown sugar syrup on top of the mochi. When you're ready to eat it, you sprinkle the kinako powder on top. I recommend you not use the entire kinako powder at once. I would pour some kinako on, eat that part, and then pour more kinako on, eat that part, and repeat, until it's empty. Of course, you can eat it any way you want. I even like it without the kinako powder. Very tasty. It's $5. read more

The Rice - Kinako mochi. "Mochi" made from starch, drizzled with brown sugar syrup. Kinako is sweetened soy bean powder, with a nice nutty taste. - Japanese Near Me - Foothill Ranch, California

The food is very fresh, but pricey for the food base on the quantity is very small. When I left after eating my bowl, I was still hungry. My friend was not impressed with the mackerel that it was kind of bland, but my other friend that got the shrimp Ramen bowl said that was super savory. Kind of wish we got that instead. read more

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Needed a quick bite to eat and just so happened to find this spot when I just happened to be craving udon. Very warm inviting staff too knotch attentive service! I got the salmon and hamachi Don and it was so fresh!!! And the main course the uni udon was super yummy too!!!! Love that they have both indoor and outdoor seating as well. Nevertheless A++++ experience so grateful this restaurant exists! read more

The Rice - Uni udon - Japanese Near Me - Foothill Ranch, California

Really authentic Japanese food. Small and quaint with a mom and pop feel. Unique flavors and style. This place is worth a try. :) read more

I've found my new favorite local Japanese spot! Tomo was very friendly and patient when taking my order over the phone and also when reviewing my order at pick-up. I learned from her that this restaurant opened during the pandemic so kudos to them! My order included: - Grilled Jidori Cartilage (each individual piece of cartilage was crunchy and included more actual chicken attached to it than I've ever had before which was a refreshing change) - Grilled Yellowtail Cheek (crispy on the outside and tender on the inside just the way I like it!) - Salmon and Hamachi Don (sashimi was fresh and also included avocado and miso soup........what more can you ask for?) I highly recommend "The Rice" so support small business and check them out! read more

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Small Japanese (run by Japanese) mom and pop shop that opened up during COVID. Support local small business! Take out is available by calling or texting ahead. Text response was super quick. I ordered 1x Nankotsu appetizer, 1x Prime Beef Steak Bento, 1x Salt Pepper Chicken Bento, 1x Mushi Yasai Curry, 1x Kake Udon and 1x Tuna Don (blue fin tuna) - all for $65! Honestly wasn't bad for the price. You don't get a massive amount of food but still filling for a family of 4 1/2 lol We haven't done too much take out but definitely will try more items next! I've noticed their menu prices change since I initially saw them open but I've included their most recent menu as of 8/24/20. It's understanding given the current situation and increased measures. Plus they didn't have a solid customer base but still need to pay rent. They also do period collaborations with Okayama Bakery in Anaheim. They recently brought Tsujita from LA which was awesome! DIY Make @ Home Tsukemen and Japanese bakery bread locally! IG - the_rice_2020 read more

The Rice - Menu as of 8/24/20 - Japanese Near Me - Foothill Ranch, California

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The Rice took over the location previously occupied by Sushi Time in Foothill Ranch. It's owned by a Japanese couple serving up bento boxes, donburi, curries (vegetarian based), udon and appetizers. A friend treated me to lunch during COV-19, so I ordered a variety of items to sample and take home. Grilled Jidori chicken with curry ($13) - This is the best Japanese curry that I have tried! It tasted amazing and was so rich and full of flavor. It paired nicely with the chicken. Without the chicken it is $8. Salmon Don ($12) - This was served with one of the best miso soups that I have tried. It had so much flavor and was very rich. I was also impressed with the fresh salmon (5 pieces) and sushi rice that came with this plate. The salmon was melt in your mouth deliciousness and reminded me of the quality of sushi at Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo. Okame Udon ($8) - I was really impressed with the okame udon and found this to be one of the better value items here. The noodles were chewy and thick, just the way I like them, served in a light broth (hot). I really enjoyed the bits of fish cake and aromatic mushrooms that came with this dish. Chicken Bento Box ($10) - This came with miso soup, vegetables, rice, and tender pieces of grilled Jidori chicken. The chicken is prepared in one of 3 ways (salt and pepper, teriyaki, or garlic). I went with the garlic preparation and really enjoyed my meal. Overall I was really impressed with the quality of Japanese food here and you would be hard pressed to find a better place in terms of quality. Portions are on the smaller side here and I feel that a single order of any 1 item is not enough to fill one up. I was also a little bummed that they raised prices here on everything by a few dollars after being opened for less than a month. However, the food is phenomenal here and I will definitely be back. read more

This is a new Japanese owned place in Foothill Ranch. I love how the chef, owner/cashier are both native Japanese because its more authentic to me :) I stopped by this place for the first time today because Okayama Kobo Bakery was doing a pop-up collab at this establishment today so while I came to pickup and bread preorder, I decided to patron this place based on some of the items I've seen for Yelpers order. This place is new and I'm not sure when they officially opened, but the prices have gone up since the very first reviewer posted a menu picture 11 days ago of my writing. The price change is worthy to note because it is the reason for me giving this place less than 5 stars. Nankotsu (chicken cartilage) was delicious! It was full of flavor and crunch while still be generous in size so it was still worth $5 and I would order it again. However, the previous price of $3 would be more preferable, which was the assumption I was under when I arrived, but found out they raised $2. Hamachi Kama (Yellowtail collar) the fish was succulent, flavorful, and juicy! It was tasty, but you only get one collarbone for $7 and I think that's pretty expensive and not worth it. Before the price increase, it was $5 and I would get it again and tried the salmon one if it stayed that price. For $7, you get very little meat and you can't actually eat the skin because it's tough with scales and the fins are inedible since they are not brittle bones. I didn't try the sushi bowls because I find it to be pricey for four pieces of fish and would rather buy my own sashimi fish block to eat at home for less. Overall, I would not be in a hurry to come and try this place out if you've never been here and I probably won't choose to return here in the future and if I do, I'd order the cartilage again. read more

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Love this place! So authentic! Top 100 places to eat in Orange County! And the owner Tomo is so sweet! Let's support local small businesses.. read more

The Rice - Miso black cod bento box - Japanese Near Me - Foothill Ranch, California

Nice dinner with great flavor but was disappointed with what I paid vs. what I got. Small sides with half a bowl of miso soup. Only got 4 pieces of pork belly and a sliver of bok choy. (Couldn't have given a whole bulb of bok choy at least?) Pork Kakuni bento box $15 (w/o tip and tax). ~ $20 w/ tip and tax read more

The Rice - Pork Kakuni - Japanese Near Me - Foothill Ranch, California

Jeez so good I went here 3x in two days haha my third order, the lady hooked it up with amazing salted/vinegared mackerel which now I'm a huge fan of and yellowtail belly. So sweet! They do not play around here. The bluefin is my absolute favorite, followed by their salmon, which is sourced from Canada. However, the grilled yellowtail is amazing. I don't tend to eat grilled fish for some reason, but this blew my mind. I was very happy with this one. Fish was nice and buttery, some bone here and there, but that just adds to the flavor. The rice is tamaki gold, and will now ruin my low carb life forever. Easy five stars. read more

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Food was excellent, and the service even more so. Our waiter made us feel calm and relaxed and went through the menu since we didn't understand most of the item. read more

The Rice - Our waiter - Japanese Near Me - Foothill Ranch, California

It's super easy to miss this quaint restaurant. They have 4 tables inside, so if you have a large party, I would recommend ordering takeout from this place. I was craving some udon and I decided to try the uni udon and the seared mackerel and mentai roll. The uni udon was mediocre- the udon itself was great (chewy and cooked to perfection), but the sauce was a bit too runny and lacked the super creamy flavor I was looking for. The mackerel and mentai roll was better. The mackerel was fresh and I am a huge fan of seared fish, so this definitely hit the spot. There was a bit too much rice on the roll for my liking, but the rice was seasoned well. Overall I will be coming back to try their don burri bowls. read more

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So I've been wanting to try this spot out for some time now because I one love Japanese Cuisine and two it was a 4+ star review rating. I decided to try it this past Wednesday for lunch so I checked the menu on yelp and called my order in. I ordered the Salmon Bento Box and thought that I needed some more vegetables and ordered the Daily Appetizer Salad. When I arrived to pick my food up; I was surprised that it ended up costing over $20 since the amount was different from what I calculated from the menus online. It will probably be a good idea for The Rice to request or take down their old menus with the old rates even though they have the new ones up too; just be careful to make sure that you are looking at the correct one as the amounts are atleast $3 different on many items. Nonetheless you get a good amount of food in the Bento Box (2 large pieces of salmon, about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of white rice, a spoonful of macaroni salad, the surprise side was pickled pickles and a cup of miso soup). After getting my food I don't think I needed the salad even though it was very fresh and delicious! I will definitely be returning and I think I would like to try the beef or pork bento box the next time and maybe some shrimp tempura. read more

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I was very excited to try this place. The great reviews really impressed me. Sadly, it's way too expensive for what you get. Ordered two deluxe chirashi bowls and a beef tongue box. Total was over $90. The fish is mediocre. I don't think the quality is good enough to charge 30+ per bowl. Many of the fish cuts were tough and hard to bite through. It's also not enough subpar fish for the price. Bowl was more rice than anything. Same with the beef tongue. Beef tongue is my favorite and it's flavorless here and not tender here. I think they figure the onion topping will save it, but the tongue should be seasoned and stand on its own. There's nothing special about this place, not the quality or value. I won't be coming back. Makes me super sad bc I love small local businesses like this too. Big sigh... read more

It's really rare to find a hole in the wall that actually has a clean atmosphere that goes along with delicious food but this is the place! It's a very tiny place with maybe 6 small tables inside and one lovely lady who takes your order, answers the phone, cleans the tables, takes payment, etc. everything so service is a little slow, however, she's most polite and helpful and still manages to check in with you. I ordered the special, which was an eel omelette and it was quite delicious and tasty! I actually don't really eat Japanese food typically or sushi, I prefer my food to be cooked so I got the salmon entrée, and though it was a simple dish, it was very well done and fresh. I truly enjoyed the food greatly. It's clean, fresh, yet tasty and presentation was very nice considering it's a small little place. The price point was unexpectedly reasonable as well. I highly recommend this place and would definitely return. read more

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If anyone ever looks through my Yelp collection of places I want to try, guaranteed at least 50% is filled with Japanese restaurants/sushi/omakase. This place, unfortunately, was not on the list, but fortunately, it was so delicious and the seafood was so fresh that it didn't deserve to be in my Yelp collection (a purgatory for who knows how long) - even their non-seafood dishes were so good! The owners are so sweet and kind and Japanese, so you know the food is also super authentic give this place a try if you're ever in the area!! read more