Izakaya Osen - Irvine

Izakaya Osen is a must try in Irvine.We ordered the omakase bowl, beef tantan nabe, fukomaki roll, and miso eggplant appetizer.Everything was amazing, the fish quality is definitely among the best in OC.One thing to note, the Omakase bowl does come with a sea trumpet seaweed, which tastes very different than the usual seaweed. I was not the biggest fan but the fish quality made it still worth getting the dish.

This my second review for this place. The food quality and service is still consistent and even better than before. This time we had a group of 10 people celebrating a birthday and everyone loved their choice of food, arrangement, and taste. I still recommend the fresh rolls, sashimi, and steak.Among the rolls osen and rainbow are my faves!

I recently celebrated my birthday at Izakaya Osen in Irvine, and I'm so glad I took my friend's recommendation to dine here--this place is an absolute gem. The restaurant was incredibly accommodating, especially since I had a group of 11 people. They set us up in one of their private rooms, making the experience even more special. Parking was easy with the convenient structure, and they offer validation for up to two hours, which was great. When we arrived, we were told they couldn't seat us until the whole party was present, but fortunately, most of our group had already arrived, with only two people still on their way.The only minor hiccup was with the reservation process on Yelp--I had trouble modifying my reservation online and had to call the restaurant directly, which was a bit of a hassle. However, this was a small inconvenience in an otherwise amazing evening. The staff were professional, the ambiance warm, and the food was outstanding.The quality of the food is incredible, and the presentation is just as impressive. We started with a few appetizers, including the kara age, which I highly recommend--it arrived piping hot and crispy. The spicy tuna on crispy rice had the perfect balance of rice to spicy tuna, making each bite a delight. The hamachi kama (yellowtail collar) was delicious, as always--you can never go wrong with it. We also enjoyed premium sushi pieces from the chef. Neatly presented and each bite more flavorful than the last. Honestly, because of this, I really wanted more but I already knew that we had ordered much more and that it would be filling enough. We ordered couple of hot pots that were the perfect comforting addition to the meal and to end it with a bang, everyone got a delicious dessert and it was really sweet that the restaurant brought one out for me with a brightly lit candle on it. Overall, I had a fantastic experience and will definitely be returning. I highly recommend Izakaya Osen to anyone looking for a top-tier dining experience in Irvine and those who just want to eat at a quality sushi restaurant. Thank you Izakaya Osen for making my birthday memorable.

Date night material! Price is high, but the quality is so good. They take reservations, and there's a free dessert for birthdays!The premium 8pc hachi mori was the best sushi I've ever had -- the combinations were absolutely insane. My top 3 pieces had to be the sweet shrimp topped with uni, toro topped with black tobiko and gold flakes, and the seared salmon topped with truffle and black tobiko. I was hesitant about the $60 price at first, but the flavor and texture profile on this blew my mind.The black sesame ice cream with mochi cake was also a 5/5 hit. Both unique flavors plus the cold silkiness of the ice cream with the warm chewiness of the mochi cake -- another perfected combo.The ika karaage was lightly battered and very bouncy, would rate it a 4/5. I've also had better crispy rice with spicy tuna, as this wasn't crispy enough for me, but I appreciate how heavily stacked it was with spicy tuna and the micro cilantro was a unique touch.Overall, my boyfriend and I had a great experience. Loved the food and the service. We sat at the bar and got to see how stacked the makimonos were -- would love to try those and maybe a signature bowl another time!

We came here with some family that were in town during a busy wednesday night. This place was packed but luckily we had a reservation. The service was quick and attentive. We received lots of items and all did not disappoint. Their salmon skin salad was absolutely amazing, it was crispy and well seasoned and sauced. All their selections of fish were so fresh tasting. Every bite was enjoyed. The interior is very trendy and quite dim and relaxed. We were sat in these separate rooms from the dining which was a cool private dining experience. I would recommend anyone to give this place a try!

Definitely on the upscale side for pricing, but OMG the Toro Unagi Bowl was pure bliss with each bite. YUM! I would order again. Loved the side of dried seaweed that comes with it. The hot green tea was excellent paired with my meal. Customer service was very nice and accommodating. They were so brisk in making sure our hot green tea was filled up at all times. The Matcha Cake was a tasty, palate cleansing finish to my lunch meal, but I don't really like mochi which is an ingredient in the cake, so I didn't enjoy the cake part as much, but the green tea ice cream was delish!

If you're looking for an authentic Japanese dining experience in Irvine, Izakaya Onsen is hands down the best option around. Yes, it's a bit on the pricier side, but every dish we tried was well worth it. Their toro bowls, served with house-made seaweed, were a standout--the seaweed had a delightfully unique texture that really complemented the fresh toro.Beyond the amazing food, the staff was incredibly kind and welcoming, adding to the warm ambiance of the restaurant. Even though it's not the most budget-friendly spot, the combination of quality ingredients, genuine flavors, and top-notch service makes it totally worth the splurge. I can't wait to go back!

I sat at the bar and had a nice time watching the chefs prepare the food. Service was also pretty good. Definitely a nice restaurant good for special occasionsOmakase bowl: 5/5. I really liked everything about this except the sea trumpet seaweed

Back at it again :0. This time it was quite busy, highly recommend a reservation because it was packed to the tee!! We got seated in the patio this time where they offered heat lamps. Still offering tea, hot water/still/sparkling. We had a lovely waiter (male with dimples) and we were checked in on often despite being outside in the patio area. The only off thing about outside seating was that the lighting is meh. The quality of the fish is still good and I was impressed by the variety of fish offered in the chirashi. I definitely think it was shareable and may be a more fun experience than the sushi sets ( also great presentation) as each person can try a piece. Surprisingly my favorite this time was the red grouper (?) Slice which had a delicious umami torch on it. The uni is also very fragrant and on the fresher side ( they give a good amount of uni) the side dishes were also pleasant consistenting of more pickled veg which i used as palate cleansers. I only wish somewhere they offered a diagram of what all the cuts were so I'd know what to order for next time a la carte lol. Another plot twist, is that i found the bowls more enjoyable, maybe cuz it was simpler and thus felt fresher and I also liked having the experience of making my own mini hand rolls. I felt I tasted the flavors more. Scallop skewers- smaller than last time, but better grilled yakitori flavor. Still recommend Amato special- our sweet sweet waiter got us some extra dessert (heart heart). The matcha ice cream isn't too strong, and the mochi is more dense/baked than fluffy or soft like typical mochi. The cream cheese flavor in the persimmons isn't strong, it just adds a chewier texture. I was intrigued by the sprouts, but overall a satisfactory dessert. Another small thing i love about this place is the chopsticks, they are pointed on both so it makes the experience of eating feel more dainty hehe. I really appreciated the service this time, the waiter built a comfortable atmosphere. Takeaways are just get the toro belly if you are deciding between bluefin tuna, scallop skewer must try, and the bowls are a must try.

Came here to celebrate a birthday! The inside of the restaurant is beautiful -- clean, modern, elegant and with lots of Japanese zen elements. I admired the private room design we were placed in as a larger party, and the extra holiday decorations when you first walk in.Everyone was super professional but also friendly and warm. They were pretty busy today but our servers remembered our different requests (eg for hot water instead of cold water, etc) and followed up whenever they could. They even let us bring in our own cake and serve it on their plates after they cleaned up dinner! I really want to highlight and compliment this restaurant for their amazing service and just being so kind to accommodate our large group! Food-wise, everything here is pretty solid. Their Kushiyaki selection is delicious (we tried chicken gizzard, chicken thigh, lamb, and bacon wrapped shrimp). The lamb was a real standout! The chicken thigh is a solid safe choice as well. The tempura and eggplant appetizer (sorry I forgot the name) were also good! Also can't believe how creamy the Creamy Nagasaki Udon Nabe was -- really great depth of flavor and plenty of clams and oysters along with vegetables in this soup. Apparently they don't use any dairy but cook bone broth to get this creaminess! We also got two hot pots that I forgot to take pictures of, but they were really good! One was unagi and the other was blue crab. We all really enjoyed both. Unexpectedly, the sushi was not their strongest in my opinion. Still delicious and perfectly good to eat, but not my favorite I've eaten. The toro we had I was expecting to be super melt in your mouth soft and fatty, but, while it was indeed fatty, there was also a layer of some tough to chew parts (idk if it was sinew or what the correct terminology is) -- we had to chew on that long after the toro meat/fat was already eaten. Overall, was a really nice evening out to celebrate with loved ones!