The wait time for walk-in customers was long! !With tables being prioritized for those with reservations, which is understandable. However, I was shocked when the staff seated people who arrived after me and had no reservations ahead of me. Upon inquiry, the staff confidently stated that they were being seated because they were opting for omakase or sashimi. They claimed that if I wanted to dine in the same manner, I could also be accommodated. However, there was a complete lack of communication beforehand, and the staff failed to assess the situation of those waiting in line. As a result, many walk-in customers, including myself, left after waiting for an extended period without any seating arrangements. Overall, I would not recommend this establishment for walk-ins.!!
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Sam Lam
Excellent sushi restaurant for a special $$ lunch during lunch. We enjoyed OoToro very much each time visited, thank you!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
JB R.
There aren't very many places in the vicinity that serves fresh and healthy servings. Omakases are pricey but worth it. There's never a time where we didn't wait less than 15 minutes; often, the wait is 30 minutes to an hour. A bit darker than some of the other sushi places but the ambiance matched the intent and the demographics of the regular people.
Chloe Sun
The attitude of the waiter is very bad! While we were waiting for a table outside, the waiter talked with guests like quarreling with them! They don't care about the guests! I will never come again! Strongly not recommended!The attitude of the waiter is very bad! It’s completely like you don’t know whether to eat or not! When we were waiting for a table outside, it looked like we were going to quarrel with the guests! Will never come again! Strongly not recommended!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 1
Gina C. M.
I have been here multiples since they open many years ago. Always love freshness of their sushi. One of the best in OC. Would always come back for more. Good service.
CH M.
All you need to know is that this restaurant is not Japanese operated including all he staff there. The food is way overpriced and honestly, none of the dishes we ordered is worth the price they charged me. One of the dishes is the lobster dynamite, which is so far from the authentic one I had in terms of it's quality. If you want something more authentic and cost a lot less, you can try Ninja Sushi or even Sushi Land...just not here.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 2
Nicole T.
Ootoro has the most premium sushi in all of Irvine. This place is worth the wait and also worth the price. If u had a friend visiting from out of town, I highly recommend you take them here! They have plenty of options on the menu (lunch prices are more affordable than dinner). They have a tasting menu / omakase, or a normal a-la-carte style ordering The only downside is the service is very slow. Expect your dinner to take over 2 hours! My favorite and go to meal is the Chirashi Bowl! Tons of fish and rice, and enough to share for 2 people.
Calvin C.
This place was the top rated sushi place on google maps, and I'm glad that my party and I tried it. The omakase Lunch Tasting Course ($150) was a very delicious experience that was recommended by the waitress for first timers. The restaurant for lunchtime was a nice dimly lit table with not too loud of an area. The omakase course was about 15 different courses that were served at 1-3 pieces at a time. The fish quality was so fresh and had a delicious texture and taste for each different piece. Not pictured is the shrimp head soup that was included with the Jumbo Sweet Shrimp. The pace of each plate was very comfortable, the waitress and chef were very polite and service was attentive. My only complaint is that I can't remember which piece was which, but I'll have these pictures to remember how delicious it was. I recommend the chefs lunch omakase for first timers, if you haven't been here before because there is so much on the menu that brings you back for more.
Michelle L.
Ootoro never disappoints! Dined in during lunch most recently and had a wonderful time. The tea was great, the Ootoro Bowl is to die for.
Tiffany W.
Ootoro has premium sushi quality, probably the best you can get in the area. I was pleasantly surprised. I really enjoyed the salmon house special, the tuna, oysters in the oyster tasting were so good, and the sweet shrimp. Sweet shrimp they will ask if you want the shrimp head to be made into soup or fried. Uni special was interesting but I think I prefer uni by itself, the pairings took away from being able to enjoy uni. I read a lot of reviews about the blue crab roll so I got it, I think the blue crab is fresher here for sure but I realized that I personally don't like this roll (across all restaurants) because of how much mayo is in there. The fried squid legs was very value! They don't skimp and the pieces were so big. Everything else was really fresh. My boss ordered the kobe beef fried rice which was really tender and flavorful. I've also ordered their lunch specials before such as the chirashi bowl, sashimi deluxe, and the sushi lunch. The portions are good considering the prices, cuts are huge! If you like sashimi then opt for the chirashi bowl or the sashimi deluxe, I prefer the sushi lunch because it was a set of ~10 different sushis. I think prices are pretty fair. You're paying for quality fish so need to expect to pay this much. The lunch specials are worth imo!
Ootoro Sushi's commitment to excellence in preparing sushi and sashimi dishes is evident in their invitation to explore their methods. With a focus on high-end dining, they aim to exceed the highest expectations. The emphasis on Omakase dining as an artistic performance by experienced Sushi Chefs promises a unique and opulent edible art experience. The dedication to excellence in every step of preparation reflects their commitment to delivering exquisite dishes featuring delicacies. Consider Ootoro for a dining experience that goes beyond expectations. The service was amazing, knowledgeable, and kind. They helped tremendously boosting the quality of service on top with delicious food! The Salmon Ikura Bowl, Blue Fin Tuna Bowl, and Mix Sashima and Eel Bowl is highly recommended.
Anny V.
Love love this place. Yanthi, André and everyone are always taking good care of us. We love coming here - always. Great service, fresh and tasty food.
L T.
Great quality sushi here, you won't be disappointed! Joel is the man! The entire staff is always so friendly and welcoming! The restaurant is fairly 'small' which is typical of sushi spots BUT this one doesn't smell like a lot of others - bleach. It's always a little on the colder side, so a light jacket may be a good idea if you're easily cold.
The wait time for walk-in customers was long! !With tables being prioritized for those with reservations, which is understandable. However, I was shocked when the staff seated people who arrived after me and had no reservations ahead of me. Upon inquiry, the staff confidently stated that they were being seated because they were opting for omakase or sashimi. They claimed that if I wanted to dine in the same manner, I could also be accommodated. However, there was a complete lack of communication beforehand, and the staff failed to assess the situation of those waiting in line. As a result, many walk-in customers, including myself, left after waiting for an extended period without any seating arrangements. Overall, I would not recommend this establishment for walk-ins.!!
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Excellent sushi restaurant for a special $$ lunch during lunch. We enjoyed OoToro very much each time visited, thank you!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
There aren't very many places in the vicinity that serves fresh and healthy servings. Omakases are pricey but worth it. There's never a time where we didn't wait less than 15 minutes; often, the wait is 30 minutes to an hour. A bit darker than some of the other sushi places but the ambiance matched the intent and the demographics of the regular people.
The attitude of the waiter is very bad! While we were waiting for a table outside, the waiter talked with guests like quarreling with them! They don't care about the guests! I will never come again! Strongly not recommended!The attitude of the waiter is very bad! It’s completely like you don’t know whether to eat or not! When we were waiting for a table outside, it looked like we were going to quarrel with the guests! Will never come again! Strongly not recommended!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 1
I have been here multiples since they open many years ago. Always love freshness of their sushi. One of the best in OC. Would always come back for more. Good service.
All you need to know is that this restaurant is not Japanese operated including all he staff there. The food is way overpriced and honestly, none of the dishes we ordered is worth the price they charged me. One of the dishes is the lobster dynamite, which is so far from the authentic one I had in terms of it's quality. If you want something more authentic and cost a lot less, you can try Ninja Sushi or even Sushi Land...just not here.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 2
Ootoro has the most premium sushi in all of Irvine. This place is worth the wait and also worth the price. If u had a friend visiting from out of town, I highly recommend you take them here! They have plenty of options on the menu (lunch prices are more affordable than dinner). They have a tasting menu / omakase, or a normal a-la-carte style ordering The only downside is the service is very slow. Expect your dinner to take over 2 hours! My favorite and go to meal is the Chirashi Bowl! Tons of fish and rice, and enough to share for 2 people.
This place was the top rated sushi place on google maps, and I'm glad that my party and I tried it. The omakase Lunch Tasting Course ($150) was a very delicious experience that was recommended by the waitress for first timers. The restaurant for lunchtime was a nice dimly lit table with not too loud of an area. The omakase course was about 15 different courses that were served at 1-3 pieces at a time. The fish quality was so fresh and had a delicious texture and taste for each different piece. Not pictured is the shrimp head soup that was included with the Jumbo Sweet Shrimp. The pace of each plate was very comfortable, the waitress and chef were very polite and service was attentive. My only complaint is that I can't remember which piece was which, but I'll have these pictures to remember how delicious it was. I recommend the chefs lunch omakase for first timers, if you haven't been here before because there is so much on the menu that brings you back for more.
Ootoro never disappoints! Dined in during lunch most recently and had a wonderful time. The tea was great, the Ootoro Bowl is to die for.
Ootoro has premium sushi quality, probably the best you can get in the area. I was pleasantly surprised. I really enjoyed the salmon house special, the tuna, oysters in the oyster tasting were so good, and the sweet shrimp. Sweet shrimp they will ask if you want the shrimp head to be made into soup or fried. Uni special was interesting but I think I prefer uni by itself, the pairings took away from being able to enjoy uni. I read a lot of reviews about the blue crab roll so I got it, I think the blue crab is fresher here for sure but I realized that I personally don't like this roll (across all restaurants) because of how much mayo is in there. The fried squid legs was very value! They don't skimp and the pieces were so big. Everything else was really fresh. My boss ordered the kobe beef fried rice which was really tender and flavorful. I've also ordered their lunch specials before such as the chirashi bowl, sashimi deluxe, and the sushi lunch. The portions are good considering the prices, cuts are huge! If you like sashimi then opt for the chirashi bowl or the sashimi deluxe, I prefer the sushi lunch because it was a set of ~10 different sushis. I think prices are pretty fair. You're paying for quality fish so need to expect to pay this much. The lunch specials are worth imo!
Restaurantji Recommends
Great food and prices!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great food and prices!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ootoro Sushi's commitment to excellence in preparing sushi and sashimi dishes is evident in their invitation to explore their methods. With a focus on high-end dining, they aim to exceed the highest expectations. The emphasis on Omakase dining as an artistic performance by experienced Sushi Chefs promises a unique and opulent edible art experience. The dedication to excellence in every step of preparation reflects their commitment to delivering exquisite dishes featuring delicacies. Consider Ootoro for a dining experience that goes beyond expectations. The service was amazing, knowledgeable, and kind. They helped tremendously boosting the quality of service on top with delicious food! The Salmon Ikura Bowl, Blue Fin Tuna Bowl, and Mix Sashima and Eel Bowl is highly recommended.
Love love this place. Yanthi, André and everyone are always taking good care of us. We love coming here - always. Great service, fresh and tasty food.
Great quality sushi here, you won't be disappointed! Joel is the man! The entire staff is always so friendly and welcoming! The restaurant is fairly 'small' which is typical of sushi spots BUT this one doesn't smell like a lot of others - bleach. It's always a little on the colder side, so a light jacket may be a good idea if you're easily cold.