Jinbei

Hard for me to write this review b/c I think a lot of people would prefer to gatekeep this spot. Not everyone can afford to eat here often because the prices for dinner are pretty pricey, but the lunch is quite affordable and the food quality is top notch. The service here is also great. No matter if we sit at the bar or at a table, the staff is friendly and attentive. It is also noteworthy that almost the entire staff speaks Japanese which helps create the illusion that this place could be in Japan. There has never been a time or a dish that we ordered that was not special. Each dish is handled with care and the basics are done quite well. If you eat J food a lot, you can tell quite a bit about a place by the inexpensive/overlooked items that you consume. Think about miso soup, most people think of this as a free item that is just to hold you over. Here they use real tofu, real miso and seaweed. Even something as simple as wasabi, they will give you fresh wasabi when ordering certain dishes. Their fried foods are also done to perfection. And you can tell they take the extra care to ensure your food is cooked properly (not over or underdone). We have to be careful not to come here too often because it can get expensive, but each time we do come here, it is definitely worth while. I feel blessed to have found this place and we wish the owners/staff all the best.

I came here on a Saturday for lunch with my mom and my dear friend to celebrate her entry into med school + her bday. It was my first time here, and luckily there was no wait. We were promptly served the hot tea and water we requested, and the food we ordered also came out very quickly. The presentation and amount of food we ordered was great for the quality and price. The unagi don was really delicious, and the little bit of salmon I had from my mom's chirashi set was also fresh and yummy. I would highly recommend this place if you're looking for a bite of Japanese cuisine in Irvine. I was surprised there was such a hidden gem in this plaza. I want to try coming back for their dinner menu as well sometime!

I went here twice with my boyfriend- once for Valentine's Day and another time for one of our monthaversaries. Jinbei had amazing and high quality fish for their sushi's, and I could definitely tell that it was fresh and the rolls were made with precision unlike most places where the cut rolls would look super messy. The first time I went on Valentine's day, my boyfriend and I sat at the bar tables where we could see the food being made and it was honestly entertaining to watch. The wait for both times I went was around 30 min- 1 hour, but it was worth it because of the quality of the food.The servers were also very friendly and checked up on me and my boyfriend several times respectfully without being too overbearing and bothersome. The inside of the place itself was very aesthetic and I honestly really liked the darkness of the restaurant, it adds a sort of dark ambience that plays well with the Japanese aesthetic. Overall, great food and great staff.Thank you Jinbei for the great dinners from me and my boyfriend!

Our favorite chef counter in the area! Really fresh fish with excellent cuts! Perfect preparations by the chef with delicious seasoning. Just the right balance of fish to rice ratio.

Our friends raved about the sushi bowl from here so we came to check it out. We also got the uni pasta ehivh we saw other tables ordering. The uni pasta was creamy but the uni was a bit small and wish we got a bigger portion of the uni. The sushi bowl taste fresh but it also included a lot of fish that i personally dont really eat like the squid, tomago, shrimp, and other seafood. I did really like the salmon and tuna and yellowtail , they were fatty and fresh. But our friend did earn us that we have to go right when they open because they only offer a limited amount of bowls a day. When we got there, there was a short line already.

This used to be my favorite go to spot in Irvine and after my recent visit I probably wouldn't return...this place definitely decreased in quality but heavily raised their prices. I've always loved their uni pasta and get it everytime but now I see it's almost $30 when it used to be around $22-23. But since this place is so good, I didn't mind paying the price. However, it was extremely disappointing to see that the pasta was very dried out and it had barely any sauce to go with it. Do not get this dish unless you want to waste your money. Another point was the service. Now I knew the service is always a bit slow but especially today we only ordered 2 dishes one for me and my friend. My friends order didn't come out until 30 minutes after I got my pasta. Even then it was hard to grab our server as well because this place is very busy but too understaffed. This place used to be a quality restaurant I used to frequent but I'm sad that this has dropped to a 2 star rating in my eyes.

Lunch special "sushi lunch" is so yummy and the perfect portion size.Fast service and cozy ambiance at the sushi bar. Fresh wasabi and hot green tea so good!

Jinbei is a small little sushi shop on the outskirts of Irvine. However, don't let its location fool you. This little shop served some of the best sushi I've had! We ordered the premium nigiri set at the sushi bar, and let me tell you, it was worth every penny. The sushi chef was friendly and warm as we talked about various topics. The sushi came out fresh and perfect as every piece was given so much attention by the chef. Overall, this was one of the best sushi experiences, and I highly recommend this spot to everyone.

Visited Jinbei to catch up with a mentee on a Thursday night. No wait, although the restaurant was busy and I can imagine how packed it gets!Everything was delicious, we got the uni spaghetti, the salmon skin salad. Yellowtail nigiri, and a spicy tuna roll. The uni spaghetti was a delicious umami filled bowl of pasta, definitely recommend!Overall, nice spot for a dinner or catchup.

Excellent food as always. We had their special rolls, spicy tuna with garlic & jalapeño, and baked salmon. The wait can be long depending on when you go. Will definitely be back.