50 Best Japanese Restaurants near Aliso Viejo

“​I've had a lot of sushi in Orange County, and this spot is one of the best—and the price is right. The high-quality food, the location, and the fantastic staff all make this place a winner. Tom and his wife are an absolute delight.

​I highly recommend the Poki bowl. This place was serving up poki bowls long before they were on every corner. The quality is so much better, and you get way more fish. It's a must-try.“

“Tried their new signature udon and loved it — the noodles were perfectly chewy with great texture, and the broth was flavorful (I wouldn’t mind a bit more of it!). The restaurant is bright, clean, and well-organized with a fast, efficient ordering system. No long lines and an overall great dining experience.“

“Fresh fish expertly prepared by friendly chef with equally cheerful service staff! We will be back“

“By far the best Sushi place in the area! There are two equally good sushi places further away, but I cannot recall any that is better! Food is always delicious, fresh, and very friendly and fast. You can tell that the chef is very experienced and knows how to deliver the experience! I feel lucky to live really close! :)“

“This is truly a hidden gem worth visiting for some great sushi! We went for a date night and instantly fell in love with the cozy atmosphere along with the warm and inviting service.
The rolls were delicious and fish was absolutely fresh and tasteful.
The happy hour specials were the cherry on top! The service was top notch and super fast. Servers were so sweet and friendly.
Will definitely be coming back!“

“I love Miyagi Shabu!! had the half and half with ribeye and wagyu....so delicious! best of both worlds and the porridge they make at the end is the bomb!!“

“Well worth the wait! GREAT sushi, service and quality.“

“We have been there many times and love it! One of the best sushi restaurants I know! I prefer sashimi and the presentation is beautiful and mouthwatering!“

“Fast ... very friendly... great foods and great prices... A+++++....“

“A Hidden Gem in Surfer’s Paradise – Super Bowl Express Delivers a Knockout!”

Tucked away in the heart of surf heaven, Super Bowl Express is the kind of place you stumble upon once—and never forget. The staff? Absolute legends. They literally fired up the kitchen after hours just to make me dinner. That kind of hospitality is rare.

The food? Fresh, flavorful, and made with heart. The BBQ with brown rice and vegetables is a game-changer—smoky, wholesome, and perfectly balanced. And don’t sleep on the sushi—it’s ocean-fresh and melts in your mouth.

If you’re chasing waves and crave something real, this spot is your post-surf paradise.“

“First time eating here and it did not disappoint. I ordered the sexy roll and it was delicious 🤤 . A great combination of crunchy and spicy. I also ordered miso soup and so far one of my favorites , so savory definitely recommend this restaurant. Wonderful service, i will definitely come back.“

“Super fresh, smelled clean inside. Owner is quite friendly and really cares about making a nice bowl.

Got the large bowl with brown rice, and a selection of great sides and toppings. Not *too* many, but each one worth considering. Flavors and spice level were spot on, not too salty or sweet, which highlighted how good the fish choices are.“

“This place is adorable. We've been here a few times now. Food is good and drinks are great. I mean who wouldn't like googly eyes on their sandwich bun and coconut drink?!“

“Great place! Hole in the wall with limited seating, but the food was fresh and delicious. Price was not much more than lower quality sushi restaurants.
it gets packed very quick, so reservations is recommended. We didn't have reservations and had to wait about 10-15 minutes.“

“Love this lil place. Service is amazing and love the waitresses -they are always so friendly and welcoming! I really appreciate and am grateful they have a gluten free menu! It’s limited and wish they had more options but it’s so great because I don’t need to worry about getting sick from gluten! Not many sushi places have gluten free menus!“

“Great spot to stop by at & open late! Sushi was fresh and they had plenty of selection to choose from! Overall Value was incredible too

The Spicy Garlic Edamame had a nice kick to it. Would highly recommend this place!“

“06.12.25 update: Some places are just worth visiting even with the extra drive. Maki-Yaki Express here in Laguna Hills is definitely a very good place for sushi. Same owners - very nice and humble two-team folks! Excellent array of dishes on their menu. I'm picky when it comes to pricing but if the quality and freshness are top notch, then I'm good with paying the price. Deeleeciousness on food for sure! The atmosphere inside fits with the adjacent stores. People come for the food anyway. Huge plus if owners are nice to customers👏👏👏

Reasonable prices and fairly quick service. A few of my favorites are salmon-mango roll, mango-avocado salad, shrimp tempura udon, jessica roll, shrimp tempura. Very accommodating on platter orders. Place is small in size, although not a place to impress your girl. This is one of THE places to go for good food!“

“I ordered the ramen tofu because there normal ramen was a combination of tonkotsu broth with pork and chicken.
Since I don't eat pork, it had to be the tofu one, which is really sad for me. I was expecting them to add chicken to it, but they couldn't, so I had to order a chicken lolipop on the side, which was actually pretty good.
So if you don't like/eat pork it's gonna be hard for you in there but otherwise the ramen tofu was good but I didn't want to eat tofu because I don’t like it but chicken but like I said I had no choice but to order it.“

“WOW, this place is a hidden lunch gem. My first time here. The chicken teriyaki rice bowl is delicious. I normally don’t - never - eat the little side salad at food places but this salad was fresh and light. Definitely recommend getting lunch here.“

“Everything was amazing to the food, the atmosphere and service!“

“Best sushi I have ever had“

“The staff is super friendly and the food is incredible. Best sushi Ive ever had! They also have some of the best whiskey. Will definately be taking any friends that love sushi to this place in the future.“

“I normally don’t enjoy shabu shabu, but I was surprised with how much I liked the the quality of the meats and the ambiance at Miyabi. Maybe I’ve just been cheating myself by not spending a little bit more for higher-quality shabu shabu. I’m a fan of their crispy garlic. Attentive and friendly service from Chris and Alyssa made for an excellent lunchtime dining experience.“

“This is the ultimate sushi spot. We have been coming here for many years for date nights and also nights with the family to celebrate and enjoy a special occasion. Everyone here knows us and we are always welcomed with big smiles and “come in, come in!” The staff and chefs here make this place feel like home, like this is our spot. It’s a very small restaurant, hole in the wall, which I absolutely love. We’ve sat at tables inside, the bar, and the tables outside are great too! They have enhanced the outdoor area with umbrellas and heaters, candles and table lamps. We always ask about the specials - go with the specials! They have sake, beer, sodas, tea - we usually get a large Asahi and share it, or ask for a recommendation on sake. The oysters and monkfish liver, when they have it, are incredible! Any and all of the nigiri is our go-to, can’t go wrong with any of the rolls too (we usually do sushi when dining in and get rolls for take out). I love the uni and unagi, chu toro and buri toro (all the toro), hamachi and kanpachi… I honestly love it all. The kids always get udon and karaage chicken with a side of white rice. This is our special place to celebrate, so grateful to have this kind of spot to go to that’s close to home. We love it here.“

“Sushi
Came here because we were curious and hungry. Not a lot of people which was perfect and got seated right away. The ambiance is a Japanese and Korean vibe. The food and service is so great.

Food. So many to choose from and you only have one stomach. Don’t you hate that.

What my family ordered.
Gurume steak
Salmon

Sushi and a few sushi rolls

Everything is so delicious. Sushi and sushi rolls are so fresh. Would definitely comeback her again.“

“Came here for dinner with my mom to celebrate the 15th anniversary of my dad’s passing. The fish was fresh, the miso soup was delicious, and the staff were so hospitable! We loved that it was quaint inside and easy to walk to from our Inn. Definitely recommend Maki Yaki!“

“When we searched for the best sushi place in San Clemente, Malulu Sushi came up first on the list.

Good things come in small packages, right? Well, this is a small place, but it doesn't matter because the food & service are excellent.

To me, service is very important!!! At Malulu, the Japanese hospitality is on full display. Then, the food came, and we realized that we had found our favorite sushi place in SC.

Everything we ordered was tasty. And to our surprise, the female sushi chef made the best spicy yellow tail handroll. It reminded us of a sushi roll that we could only get at a sushi restaurant in Laguna Niguel (sadly, the chef moved to Japan).

We are already planning to go back this week & bring some friends along.“

“This is the unicorn my Obaachan searched for! I only regret finding it late. Delicious authentic Japanese food made with the best ingredients by native Japanese who care. Tomoko-san, the co-owner, made sure I was aware of the City of Lake Forest Shop and Dine Card to get 50% off at this restaurant and many other LF businesses. I had the Hamachi and Salmon Donburi. The serving size and quality was perfect. I've already been back with friends and look forward to many more meals here!“

“Quick and friendly service, food is yummy!.😋“

“I’m glad Uoko survived the pandemic and still in business since the 80s.“

“Love this place. I’m surprised I haven’t reviewed it as I’ve been probably 60 times since I found it! I will say here and there sometimes it is inconsistent with the amount of sauce you get based on who is serving you, but otherwise the team is always really friendly and super quick!!!

The fish/ingredients are always fresh and flavorful.

So they earn all five stars.“

“Delicious food, fun and inviting atmosphere, excellent service and the friendliest owners Key and his lovely wife Grace. Our local reliable go to.“

“We have been going to Niko Niko for 10 years now. We love the restaurant and the community and the friends we made there I would definitely recommend this place, the food is amazing and the owners are very accommodating to the costumers needs. Love you Niko Niko family. My youngest daughter was so in love with their miso soup that they named an specific to go order with her name. “Christiana style”.“

“Love our little sushi spot. Best sushi! We get no rice rolls and we cannot find the selection elsewhere. They r fantastic with kids“

“Amazing sushi, with many fresh specials of the day - it’s popular and we had to wait a short while for a table, but we didn’t mind and it was really worth it. All the classics perfectly executed, and many new combinations for special rolls. Prices were reasonable. Highly recommend!“

“We come here often because it’s a dog friendly restaurant outside the patio. We love to take our fur baby here. Closer to home. And we can walk around after for digestion since it’s located in Irvine Spectrum like an outdoors mall with many restaurants, shops. They offer happy hour but drinks only and from Monday to Thurs.“

“I’d rate Soba Izakaya Minami one of south OC’s best izakaya. Their small portion (Japanese tapas) are delicious and served very fast. Don’t forget to order the Orion beer draft if you’re a beer lover!“

“Very clean environment and fresh sashimi. Good service too👍“

“A favorite restaurant for our friends and family. Food is always consistently good and the atmosphere is fun!!!“

“Small place. Reservations recommended. Pricey but fish is fresh and delicious.“

“What is there to complain about? I always come by whenever I'm in the neighborhood. Still one of the few deals thats under $10 for an actual meal.Their Pork Cutlet Curry ($9.25+tax) is my go-to for its volume and the home-y feeling it gives you.The gentleman at the front gingerly took my order and my food came out ~10mins. Mind you, this was on a Tuesday afternoon (2pm)I prefer this locaction sometimes compared to its sister location in Costa Mesa. The choices here are limited, but you get the quiet and convenience.Tip: There's a parking in the back corner of the mall where you have direct access to the food court instead of parking and walking through the front. If you can find it...“

“The best AYCE sushi we have had. This IS our go to sushi spot in OC. The food is superbly fresh and clean and has you wanting to get more and more. Try everything they have to offer. Or, don't bother with the generic appetizers and head straight for the sushi. The staff is generally good, but it can take some time to get their attention. But that is because they are ALWAYS so busy! But the food here is absolutely the star of the show. I think it is OC's best spot!“

“1. The onigiri was delicious and satisfying!
2. The spot has fun casual vibes since it is located inside a food hall!
3. The staff was friendly and timely with my order! It took less than 10 mins!
Note: The food hall does have restrooms available nearby!

Photo: Salmon Onigiri“

“The food is amazing!!! Knee is the best waitress ever👏👏👏👏🥰🥰“

“I love � fukada“

“Such nice service and delicious sushi, udon/soba, sake, yam fries, edamame and tempura! (pictured is the Tekka naki and Unagi and California , crunchy eel roll, and spicy tuna roll!“

“There are 3 locations in Orange County but my favorite location is Irvine. The second location would be in Costa Mesa because they do serve outdoor I can bring my fur baby. I love hot pot in general but I must say Mokkoji hot pot still my number 1 hot pot place out of all. I love their Fire Crab Soup Base which no other hot pot has this flavor. I normally ordered the Surf & Turf which they offer a large beef plate but you would pick your beef choice of cuts and the price is different as well depend on what cut you choose. Beside the beef plate it came with seafood plate contain half lobster, scallops, salmon, white gulf shrimps and shrimps paste. As for appetizer you can pick between garlic shrimps or something else. But because I always get garlic shrimp so I wouldn’t remember what are there other choices. Come with drinks and desserts as well. But this time I just ordered the combination of beef and shrimp since that’s what I felt like at that moment. Also they offer unlimited greens, but not Enoki Mushrooms or Tofu, ect….“

“Great sushi and the atmosphere is great. The owners and chef’s will stop by your table to see how things are going. They also make sure that you always have a cold beer. While you’re there, buy the chefs a beer, they love toasting with their patrons.“

“With a charming and intimate atmosphere, Taiko Japanese Restaurant is ideal for romantic dinners or special occasions. The comfortable interior design and beautiful views create a pleasant dining atmosphere. Taiko is impressive with its creative and innovative Japanese cuisine. Dishes are carefully prepared with fresh ingredients, demonstrating authentic flavours and culinary expertise. Famous dishes include exquisite sushi and sashimi platters, as well as delicious teriyaki chicken and miso cod. Despite being a high-end restaurant, Taiko is reasonably priced and offers excellent value for money food quality and service.“