50 Best Japanese Restaurants near Ladera Ranch

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

“⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
We tried the onigiri and poke yesterday and they were absolutely amazing! The flavors were fresh, authentic, and so delicious – every bite was a treat. The service was friendly and attentive, which made the whole experience even better. Definitely a spot we’ll be coming back to again and again. Highly recommend! 🍣✨“

“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.“

“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!“

“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?!“

“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!“

“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 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 have lived in Mission Viejo for 10 years and just discovered some of the best sushi that I have ever had. And, they have been at this location for over 30 years.
They also have a delicious homemade Japanese cheese cake.
If you like sushi you must pay a visit to Shin Sushi.You will not be disappointed!“

“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.“

“​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.“

“Ordered Yasai catering for a work lunch and everyone loved it! The workers are super friendly and they made sure we had all of the utensils&sauces for each dish. The sushi & chicken Katsu was delicious! 10/10 will order catering again 😊“

“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.“

“Hey I have many years eating in this restaurant the owner and his wife are so nice, especially went I order my lunch I added avocado plus ginger and please don't forget your mitso soup ,
All food deserve 1000 % good
Even eating there or to go 100 healthy .“

“Nice spot! It’s pretty spacious so there’s a lot of seating. I do like how the booths are separated by a barrier so it’s more private. There is a call button to get the waiters attention and we tried to use it but I’m not sure if it worked lol. There are so many sushi options and other appetizers and such too. The spicy garlic edamame was really good!!! 🫛
The presentation of the sashimi was very pretty and elegant! I haven’t seen that before! 🍣
The crazy boy rolls were super delicious. I really enjoyed those! 🤤
Everything tasted really good. The classic spicy tuna rolls were fat and filling.
Would definitely come back here! 👍“

“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.“

“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.“

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

“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.“

“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!“

“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”.“

“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.“

“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!!“

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

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

“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.“

“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!“

“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!“

“Robata Wasa is one of the best Japanese spots I’ve tried. The rolls were fresh and flavorful, the Makunouchi Deluxe Bento and Beef Don were both unforgettable, and the Shiitake Mushroom Salad was such a unique touch. Add in their delicious drinks, cozy modern vibe, and friendly service, this place is definitely a must-visit!“

“I recommend the AYCE. All You Can Eat for a great price. The Sushi was very fresh and flavorful, the service very good and the Price was very reasonable. I would try the Jalapeño Poppers if you like a bite of spice and uniqueness! The Melon Soda was really good. Enjoy!!!“

“AMAZEBALLS! Japanese A5 Wagyu For The Win!“

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

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

“We came here to use a coupon we got in the mail for a BOGO tonkatsu bowl. We were told this item was not on the menu but we could order it. We decided to get this mystery item and it was delicious! The menu has a very large selection and is reasonably priced. Service was fast and friendly.“

“DELICIOUSNESS! healthy, tasty and great prices“

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

“I want my review to literally reflect the 4.8 currently for this restaurant. The food is good, but with some reservations. First off, the sushi was fresh and tasty. My daughter loves sushi and they did not disappoint. I ordered the Bento box with the beef teriyaki upgrade. The teriyaki was fantastic, definitely home made and had superb flavor. The problem was the meat. It had the distinctive taste that it had been left to marinate in the blood of the meat. Understandable, while it didn't ruin the meal, the taste did give me pause. Everything else, the tempura, salad, and California rolls; were excellent. The service left me puzzled. The young lady at the counter was friendly and helpful. However, it would have been nice to know we could have ordered at our table instead of the counter. Minor quibbles aside, the food is great and the service was excellent. Definitely a place to check out in Laguna Beach.“

“I love � fukada“

“I’ve visited several times, and each time I’ve tried different dishes. Every staff member is very friendly, and the food never takes too long to be served. The food is authentic and delicious, and you can really feel the chefs’ dedication in every dish. It’s hard to find another Japanese restaurant with such great quality and value!“

“good food on the go. plenty of seafood options.“

“Sashimi is a sushi restaurant located at the corner of Lake Forest Drive and Dimension Drive. It appears to be run by a Korean family and is a popular spot among the locals. They have a sushi bar, but we opted to dine at a table. Steve greeted us and was not only friendly and helpful, but his service level enhanced our overall dining experience.

We tried a number of dishes during our visit. Among my favorites were the Veggie Tempura, Salmon Nigiri, Lake Forest Roll (I appreciate that they allow substitutions so I subbed spicy yellowtail in place of the spicy tuna) and Special Carpaccio S. The Spicy Salmon cut roll was nothing special and tasted more like a California Roll. The Yellowtail Cheek was good, but it was more meaty and less tender than I've enjoyed at other Japanese restaurants. My wife ordered the Pink Lady, but I prefer my sushi with rice. All in all, we enjoyed our Sashimi experience and I'd recommend checking it out if you're in Lake Forest and in the mood for raw fish at a reasonable price.“

“Nice atmosphere and the food was very tasty 😋“

“My family and I usually love Jizake and have been to this place multiple times over the years. However after last nights dinner not sure if we will come back. The first issue is that the server forgot to bring us 3 of our appetizers. I also noticed that my hot sake wasn't very hot and that they have trimmed down the size of their rolls. During the meal it became obvious to all of us outside that they were using a wifi speaker and whoesever phone it was hooked up to must have been moving around since the music was going in and out. Lastly while asking for the check I instructed the server to take the appetizers off our bill since we didn't receive them. He said he would and when he came back I was given a hand written bill with the break down. To his credit those appetizers were shown but not charged. I totaled up each line item and everything seemed correct as the subtotal was $170 with tax total should have been $183.17. However after taking my credit card he came back saying they totaled our bill incorrectly and apologized. Our new printed bill after charging my credit card didn't show the pricing break down for all the items but it appears that they added back in the money for the appetizers as with tax it came to $196.11 plus tip. By this point we just wanted to leave. After getting home we started not feeling so well. We don't usually have any bad reactions to sushi so maybe it was some sort of cross contamination issue. Either way I would caution everyone while eating at this establishment.“

“The food was so delicious.“

“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.“

“Restaurant is clean and open. Their sashimi bento box lunch special [includes miso soup, cucumber salad, tempura, half CA roll, and seven slices of quality sashimi served with real wasabi!] is the best and it was only $20. Thank you to sushi chef Obi for his recommendation. Now if they only served Kuronama or any other Japanese dark beer, they'd be perfect.“

“The service here is so nice and fast. You can’t beat the lunch special deals! ($10-13 for entree with soup and salad) I love coming here for lunch, I want to try all their deals haha. If I didn’t make it for the lunch specials I would definitely try one of their specialty rolls!“

“Best Pokee in the Irvine location. I highly recommend this place.“

“Oh My Sushi is a hidden gem tucked away in a strip mall in Laguna Niguel. They serve incredibly fresh fish, beautifully presented in both classic and creative sushi rolls. The Toro Tasting is amazing. The décor is modern and inviting, the drinks are inventive, and the dessert selection is a sweet surprise. Their sake list is impressive — don’t miss the sake flight, it’s a must-try!”“