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Waka Sakura

4.2 (236 reviews)
Closed 11:00 am - 10:00 pm
Updated 2 months ago

Waka Sakura Photos

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WAKA SAKURA ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Moderate noise
Good for groups
Dogs allowed

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Sara W.

Super yummy! The wasabi is great. As a vegetarian I found it hard to get good sushi options but they even had a corn role!

Salmon
Wendy C.

The prices were fair for the quality and portions. This spot is better than some other revolving sushi restaurants I've been to. I wouldn't say it's top tier sushi quality but definitely worth visiting if you want sushi with good service and affordable prices. The waitresses were friendly which is a plus. The shishito peppers were surprisingly delicious but towards the bottom of the bowl it can get salty. I really liked how they gave us a whole container of ginger rather than just a spoonful.

Vanessa T.

I came with a friend on a weekday for dinner and there was surprisingly no wait. You order from an ipad and the food comes out on a conveyor belt. They have somewhat a variety of items such as nigiri, rolls, etc. We ordered the salmon plate and the tuna handroll. I really enjoyed the handroll and the salmon plate. The handroll seemed fresh and paired well with the green onions. They also use seasoned rice which gives it great flavor without overpowering the fish. I believe its seasoned with vinegar and some kind of umami soup. The salmon plate came with 6 different types of salmon variation nigiri. It was actually very filling and was delicious. The service was nice and friendly. I wouldnt say their reasonably priced, it might be on the pricier side but for the quality...its not that bad.

Kami H.

Parking - While there are plenty of parking spaces, it can be difficult to pull into the lot. There is a 3-way stop that gets pretty congested so you may have to wait through multiple signals to get in. Service - The host employee was very nice and explained how everything worked. You order via the tablet and then the food comes out on conveyor belts. Drinks are brought to you by the staff. Food - We tried a few different rolls. They were all pretty decent, but nothing really stood out. It can get pricey, so I recommend pacing yourself to make sure you don't order too much food.

Menu Price Feb 2026
Christina T.

I have been eyeing this place ever since the Torrance location opened. Overall friendly and attentive service. There was a bit of wait when I arrived on a Saturday night. It was roughly 45 minutes at around 7pm. You can signup for the waitlist on the kiosk near the entrance when you walk in. The fish was very fresh and flavorful. Definitely liked the flavor profile of the rice. I would definitely recommend getting the yuzu cheesecake it was a very good way to end the meal. It is typically more expensive than other revolving sushi places like Kura. However the quality is a little bit better so I think it's worth the price if you factor that in. The one roll I felt was alittle too heavy with its execution was the Spicy Tuna topped Seared Bluefin Tuna. Inside was pretty clean and modern looking. Alittle bit more upscale in the appearance of booths and tables. Overall not too loud inside. There were about three sections of tables. Parking can be alittle difficult in this plaza since it is near multiple restaurants and supermarkets. There is more parking on the other side near the Mitsuwa but it is a bit of a walk if you decide to park there.

Salmon combo
Chanson Z.

Rating: 7.5/10 You order directly at the table kiosk and the sushi gets delivered to you on a belt that shoots the plates out to your seat. Pretty fun setup and everything arrived quickly. They have a full range of options from hand rolls, to cut rolls, to nigiri, to sashimi. Overall fish quality was solid for the price. Nothing ultra high-end, but the fish was fresh and the portions were fair. Overall, a good value sushi spot. Not the place for premium omakase, but a fun and convenient option when you want decent sushi without spending too much.

inside | tiktok & insta: @trinhiesworld
Trinh T.

Food: Overall, the food was just okay and nothing really stood out, especially for the price. It felt a bit expensive for what you get, and the selection wasn't very wide. I wouldn't say it was bad, but it just wasn't memorable. My favorite was the salmon party since I love salmon, and I appreciated that some of the pieces were nicely seared. The takoyaki and calamari came out hot and crispy. I especially enjoyed the calamari because it had a great crunch and paired well with the spicy mayo. There weren't many roll options, but the crunch roll was a solid choice. It was pretty basic but had a nice crisp texture. The sashimi tasted relatively fresh, though nothing was particularly mind blowing. The steamed egg was interesting and had a shrimp hidden in it. Tuna lovers was also decent. Service: The service was attentive. The staff consistently cleared used plates and are helpful whenever needed. The food on the conveyor belt comes out pretty quick Ambiance: The inside is super cute with a calm atmosphere. It has a very chill and relaxed vibe.

Richard F.

I was really excited that a Waka Sakura opened in OC. It's a solid spot, but I was disappointed that it didn't live up to the high standards that the Gardena location placed. Parking is relatively easy, but it's a bit difficult to get inside the plaza Food/Drink- 4 stars The food quality was decent and fresh, but a level below the Gardena location. We noticed the menu is also smaller than the Gardena location. It's still a great spot to grab my favorites, like the salmon bellies and yellowtail collars. Service- 5 stars Food came out quickly and servers were attentive Bottom Line Pretty solid conveyor belt sushi spot that offers good food and pricing. However, it falls short of the high expectations created by the Gardena location

Shrimp Assortment & Yellowtail
Evan C.

This was a very quick and easy place to eat! Came in here not too hungry but wanted to try it out. We ordered a few things including their tuna, salmon, shrimp, and my gf tried their yellowtail. Their rice was different and added a different kind of texture to the sushi that definitely is different from other places. Their tuna was actually really good, it was soft and tender and wasn't fishy. Their shrimp was my personal favorite and was super flavorful. The salmon was okay, nothing too special about it so it didn't stand out. My gf said the yellowtail was good as well though! We also ordered 2 miso soups on the side along with edamame. Edamame was fine but the miso soups felt underwhelming. Not much flavor was found and once it lost its heat it became more like flavored water than miso soup. The price wasn't all that bad compared to what I thought I was gonna pay. They don't bring you waters right away as well which I found strange, we had to order it on the tablet. The spacing is nice too because you aren't staring at other people and it gives a decent amount of privacy towards each table. Overall wasn't bad by any means, I would come again but it didn't stand out as much as I hoped for.

April V.

The sushi is so fresh & I love it. I've always went to the Gardena location so I wanted to try Irvine I still love the food but the ambiance is different. The service is decent but mainly working with the machine.

savory Japanese steamed egg
Mark H.

We enjoyed dinner here! No rush at 6:30 pm on a Thursday, busy by 7 pm. The highlight was the savory Japanese steamed egg with mushrooms and a shrimp. We also had the salmon party, negi tuna hand roll, three gyoza, matcha daifuku, and hot green tea. Everything was high quality, even simpler dishes like edamame. They had real wasabi! Ordered from a terminal at each table. Most food arrived via a two-level conveyor belt. Waitresses brought the liquid items and the daifuku

Salmon party plate, tuna lovers plate
Vivian T.

Super yummy sushi spot in the Tokyo Central plaza! The salmon party and tuna lovers plates are insanely fresh, melt in your mouth, and affordable. Love their soy sauce and fresh wasabi as well. Staff are friendly and food comes out pretty quickly. Great spot for a quick lunch or dinner.

Joan C.

So happy Waka Sakura is in Orange County! This is one of the best conveyor belt sushi spots in OC. Just like their Gardena location, this one is also very clean. The servers and hosts were friendly and attentive, and the food was solid overall. My favorite was the fried yellowtail collar--so good. I'd definitely come back again.

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Waka Sakura Reviews in Other Languages

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Kaisen Kaiten Sushi Bar

Kaisen Kaiten Sushi Bar

3.4(2k reviews)
5.9 mi
$$

Finally a place on par with Japan!…read more We arrived a little before 530pm and it was a bit busy. By 6pm there were people lining up outside. Everything we tried was fresh and tasty. I could not pick a favorite! Definitely try the oysters!

I used to really enjoy this divey old school conveyor belt sushi bar. Sometime between the last…read moretime I came in and now, they revamped their entire ordering system. Gone are the charming slips of paper where you write in your seat number and tick off your orders and slip it into the order cylinders that rotate its way to the chefs while also having the waiters available for the incidental things you require like beverages and condiments. In its place is you holding your phone and desperately tapping it, whether you're trying to get a cup of water or a hand roll. Neither will come out very fast and it's completely frustrating. Walking in, I noted how easy it was to get a seat this time. Now I know why. The food remains mostly basic and mid level quality. Random dishes roll out on the conveyor belt so that's accessible as soon as you see something you like but the items you really want, like the daily specials, you have to order. And that's going to take a long time, you'll be forced to pick up things you only half want just to have something to eat. Adding up the bill is another trial. Four of us sat at a booth table. They had no way of offering us separate bills even though that is standard when you're sitting at the individual seats. Why don't they just add a letter to your booth number for each person?? Anyway it took the waitress at least 15-20 minutes standing there to figure everything out and even then it was messed up with things being left off some bills, wrong items added to wrong bills and double charges for others. When told of these mischarges, she told us to work it out amongst ourselves. I wish I could have but I didn't even get a receipt, just told an amount to give her as she walked away. There must have been a change in ownership. The entire wait staff is now Vietnamese and the chefs are Mexican. Nobody Japanese left in sight. That's not necessarily a requirement but the restaurant sure ran better with the previous Japanese owners and staff. I will probably go elsewhere for my conveyor belt sushi fix from now on. Maybe wait for the next owners to show up.

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Kaisen Kaiten Sushi Bar - 7/23/22 (sat): Entrance to bar seating area. Only 3 table seating to the right

7/23/22 (sat): Entrance to bar seating area. Only 3 table seating to the right

Kaisen Kaiten Sushi Bar - Salmon Sashimi (x2) and Yellowtail Sashimi (x2). The Yellowtail was really good!

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Sashimi salad

Sushi Bear - Final Fantasy Tempura Roll

Sushi Bear

4.2(1.5k reviews)
3.2 mi
$$

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

This place was just okay overall. We stopped by early in the day while looking for somewhere to…read moreeat. We were craving agedashi tofu, and that ended up being the highlight, it was really good. We tried a few other items as well, but they didn't quite stand out and were a bit on the salty side for my taste. On the plus side, their sushi rolls had a great balance, not too much rice compared to the amount of fish, which I appreciated. They also offer some solid lunch specials, which is a nice option if you're stopping by during the day. It was very quiet when we visited, we were actually the only ones there, so I'm curious to see if it gets more lively at other times. I'd be open to giving it another try in the future.

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Uroko Poke

Uroko Poke

4.3(2k reviews)
6.2 mi
$$

Delicious food, probably the best in OC or at least the area!…read more Great build-your-own-bowl with consistent tasting food. The prices have gone up over the years unfortunately, but I found that a 2-scoop bowl was still plenty. I was so full by the end of my bowl, it was totally worth it. The service was good - the workers were nice but you can tell they were overwhelmed. This place doesn't ever seem not busy. There's plenty of seats inside and also expect a somewhat loud ambiance. Also to note, the single lane driveway entrance to the parking lot is a bit of a mess. It's also a steep driveway (low car friends be warned). There's also an entrance if you go through the gas station. Overall, good food, filling, just a bit pricey.

Essentially is Chipotle style poke. Great portion size and surprisingly good fish…read more Location/Parking: kind of tough to find parking. Lot is pretty small considering how big the establishment is. Service: servers were friendly and helpful. Very fast and efficient. Vibes: large eating area, lots of people sitting for a quick bite to eat. Fairly loud and lively, especially at lunchtime. Food: I love that you get to build your own poke bowl and can choose so many different options! The fish was a lot fresher than I had anticipated and tasted pretty good with the ponzu sauce. Unlimited toppings was a huge plus. Great for a quick meal! Would come back again.

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Uroko Poke - Ordering line

Ordering line

Uroko Poke - 3 scoop 2 salmon and 1 spicy tuna - eel sauce, sesame oil, spicy sauce

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Kiyo Sushi & Sake

Kiyo Sushi & Sake

3.9(721 reviews)
1.1 mi
$$

Came with my friend for the lunch special. We both ordered the Chirashi Don ($22), and it was yum!…read moreI'm allergic to shellfish and they accommodated nicely. Pretty good price for what you get. Interior is comfy, and service was fast. I will say they broke 2 glasses during our meal but accidents happen. The people next to us ordered the lunch special bentos and those looked delish. Would come again to try those!

If you're craving sashimi, sushi, or Japanese food in general, Kiyo is a really nice spot to try or…read moredine in at! My girlfriend and I were looking for a place to choose and the chirashi bowl caught her eye, so we ended up here, and were thoroughly surprised! Seating was pretty quick nearing closing and there's plenty of parking, and service is great! Servers stop by often to refill water, ask questions, make sure you feel at home honestly, and that's a big plus. I personally can't handle too much when it comes to sushi, so I only ordered 1 seared salmon roll, and I got full off it quick, but the flavor from the seared salmon was good and balanced the fatty feeling I typically get. Plus the hint of sriracha and spicy mayo added a kick, but in a good way. The mushroom miso soup was so good to have on the side, not too salty, very savory in my opinion which I liked. The salmon carpaccio was amazing, definitely have to order that if you're coming here in my opinion as it's an all around good dish. Garlic edamame was okay, it's just an average side dish to have with everything, just would maybe ask for a tiny bit less garlic overall? But it didn't ruin the dish. Lastly, I had the takowasa, and I was really surprised with this. I've never had raw octopus, but this was very wasabi heavy and the texture was really interesting. It was kind of like really firm popping boba, and tasted mostly like wasabi. The only thing I didn't try from was her deluxe chirashi don, but in her words, it was perfect and so good that she'd be thinking of this place often. So if you're really captivated by the look of it, you should try it! You won't be disappointed ^_^ we'd definitely come back some time and recommend Kiyo!

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Kiyo Sushi & Sake
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Oishi Shabu & Sushi - Hot and sour Tom yums broth

Oishi Shabu & Sushi

4.3(1.6k reviews)
4.9 mi
$$$

So I had to cheat on my favorite Shabu place because they decided to change their hours, so we…read morelooked up other options and this place popped up. The establishment is beautiful! It looks very modern and clean. Service was fast and the staff were very attentive. I brought my mama here for mother's days and it was her first Shabu experience and a great one at that. I got Tonkatsu base 10/10. An honorable mention is their cooked chicken (I'll insert a picture). Easy layout and ordering process. I think this is my new favorite Shabu. One thing to note is the kids price is a bit on the higher side $17/child (so if your kiddos eat very little maybe it won't be worth it for you). I also noticed that the restroom has a baby changing station! You'd be surprised how many don't, so thank you from a grateful mom who notices these things.

I recently visited Oishi Shabu Shabu and it honestly exceeded my expectations…read more The meat quality alone makes this place stand out. Everything is truly unlimited, and you can taste the difference in the freshness and marbling. The cuts were tender, flavorful, and cooked perfectly in the broth. If you're debating the wagyu upgrade, do it. The marbling is beautiful and it melts in your mouth. Definitely worth the upcharge. Their unlimited bar is another highlight. They offer a wide selection of fresh seafood, crisp vegetables, hot side dishes, and a full sauce station so you can customize every bowl exactly how you like it. Everything looked clean, well stocked, and high quality. What makes it even more exciting is that starting next month they'll be offering ayce sushi as well. If it's anything like the quality of their shabu, it's going to be a huge win. Great service, great selection, and premium quality ingredients. I'll definitely be coming back.

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Oishi Shabu & Sushi
Oishi Shabu & Sushi - Tonkatsu broth

Tonkatsu broth

Oishi Shabu & Sushi - The set up

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The set up

Marugame Udon - IG: happyfoodieoc

Marugame Udon

4.1(1.6k reviews)
6.2 mi
$$
Locally owned & operated
Vegan friendly

Tried Nikutama Udon and it was so delicious! The meat was tender and flavorful. Broth was delicious…read moreand I end up drink up the whole thing! It also comes with sweet onions and soft boiled egg which brings out the flavor even more. I also tried their tamagoyaki (sweet egg omelette) and shrimp and while it taste good, I could live without it. I would recommend nikutama udon 5/5. Would go here again

A good place for fresh udon and a satisfying meal in South Coast Plaza. We went on a Thursday night…read moreand there was no line which was a welcomed surprise. Most of the time when we walk by on weekends there's a fairly long line. There's a decent amount of seating, but a lot of the tables were dirty when we arrived and they stayed that way the entire time we were there. You order along the counter and find a seat after paying for your food. The service interactions are minimal and they gave very short responses when we asked questions. It was also a little bit off because the cashier went off to go do another task in the middle of our transaction so we ended up having to stand there and wait for a few minutes in order to get a receipt. The portion size is decent and the noodles are very fresh. The noodles have a really nice chewy texture and they're really enjoyable to eat. We said yes to adding tempura flakes but it ended up making the soup fairly oily. The shrimp tempura was mostly batter and it was difficult to find the shrimp inside. The next time I go back I would want to try other dishes to see if the taste is better.

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Marugame Udon - Curry Nikutama - Regular $13.95

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Marugame Udon - IG: happyfoodieoc

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Waka Sakura - conveyorsushi - Updated May 2026

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