Cafe Hiro

What a great experience here at Cafe Hiro. Being local, we've always drove by it for years without giving it a try. But we finally did after being tempted with all the great reviews and pictures of the food they serve.And not only was the food so so good, the service they provided, along with the ambiance, was very much welcoming.But back to the food... it was such a nice fusion of Japanese, Italian and American. They really do a great job of blending the different flavors and ingredients. We tried a lot of the popular dishes seen on Yelp, and none of them disappointed. Do yourself a favor, and make a reservation to avoid waiting, and give them a try. We will definitely be back.

Super helpful to make a reservation before coming as this place gets busy! And keep in mind that they are only open for select lunch and dinner hours. Staff were helpful but a little reserved. I got the Japanese eggplant and mushroom pasta. The soy sauce sauce was plain but garlicky, tasty and good! The bonito flakes added a good flavor and texture. And they don't skimp on the eggplant or mushroom which I appreciate! Overall, a tasty dish which could even be eaten over 2 meals! Just wish there was a little more spice (they have 1 chili)

Chose to have the omakase dinner which is served family style ($46 per person).The package includes three appetizers (we chose - scallops carpaccio (thinly sliced radish on top of scallops topped with shiso leaf and drizzled with mustard vinaigrette)- steak Tataki over sliced red onions - served with grated radish, chives and a soy dressing - calamari with very flavorful herbed salt and parmigiana reggianoAlso included a choice of one salad - we got the sauteed mushroom salad, with romaine heart greens.Two pasta dishes our choices which were the uni pasta and mentaiko pasta. Both were super richly creamy! We probably should have gotten one pasta that was not cream based. The main entree is Chef's choice : we got the porterhouse steak (upgraded to 12 ounce) medium rare , came with a side of creamy baked potatoes and a very flavorful cold pasta ( maybe Marsala sauce?).One risotto included , tonight it was seared scallop with mushroom risotto. The dinner was capped by one each dessert - croissant bread pudding topped by chocolate and surrounded by a delicious caramel sauce - walnut crème brûlée- very tasty without being overly sweet- Panna cotta with fresh berries and berry sauce drizzle There is no kids' menu but we got a chicken curry dish for our little one - we asked for extra mild , which she seemed to enjoy. All the food was excellent, although a tad rich with the cream based sauces! Attentive service from the staff. Food was delivered at good time intervals. Since we were sharing, we also had plate changes at least three times. I got a glass of plum wine - almost a dessert wine it was very sweet and enjoyable.Subdued lighting and piped music. Plenty of parking.Check out the omakase lunch specials and also Valentine day specials!

Haiku: Cafe HiroCozy and quaint spotJapanese comforting foodsService is friendly.---I always enjoy Japanese-Italian fusion cuisine. I came for lunch and apparently they only serve their popular Seared Scallop Risotto dish during dinner only. I was terribly disappointed, but pivoted to trying the Seared Sesame Seed Crusted Ahi Tuna. It pales in comparison.The complimentary salad and the dressing are still delicious as I remember. Service is friendly and attentive. I'll have to return for dinner and get my seared scallop risotto fix.

The scallop risotto is where it's at!! Scallops were large and seared to perfection and the risotto was very flavorful! Would definitely return for this!While I liked the Peking Pork Bao and the Beef Tongue Stew, I would probably not get them again. Servers were friendly and attentive. The restaurant is on the smaller side and very loud inside, especially when there were children repeatedly throwing heavy objects around during my visit. Why the parent(s) did not stop them, I don't know. Without some sort of acoustic dampening, I would hesitate to come back.

This is my happy place. It is so nice coming to a place expecting to get the deliciousness your mouth is craving and looking for and you get exactly that. I'm not lying if I say that I have not had one bad meal here. We have tried many of the entree's here and there hasn't been any that I did not think was well prepared or cared for. If you like authentic Japanese cuisine, Cafe Hiro is the place to go to. Also one of those places whether I'm full or not, I must have a dessert, even if we share. Oishī tabemono

Japanese-Italian fusion so was interested to experience the flavors. Uni pasta was thick and creamy so it's a little heavy but the wasabi cuts through the cream a bit adding a nice kick. 9/10Beef tataki was a little over cooked for our liking but still flavorful. 6/10Not pictured: salmon risotto was absolutely divine and all our favorites. Risotto wasn't too heavy and the mushrooms in it made it so much more aromatic. The star of the show was the salmon! Crispy skin and cooked just perfectly so that the fish was still soft and moist but not raw. 10/10The place is on the smaller side so we made a reservation but if you go on an off day, you might be able to get seated quickly. On weekends, expect a wait if no reservation!

I come here every few months to enjoy a good meal. Whenever I come, it never disappoints. They have lots of great stuff on their menu. I went for their Christmas special menu, where you pay a set price and get to choose. My favorite of the night was the scallop risotto. It has large meaty scallops, cooked to perfection. Their desserts are amazing, don't skip it! Their bread pudding is so decadent and complex. It's made with croissant, which makes for a buttery and layered texture. Hats off to the chef!

Just had a lunch there and the dining experience could be less than desired. For a place with 4 stars, over 1300 reviews my group and I expected above the average service and food.The reason for 2 stars is mainly the service. The elder waitress (5 stars) was very attentive, accommodating and friendly while the younger waitress was TOTALLY OPPOSITE. No smiles, no greeting, rushing to clean the table as if there's a waitlist going on. She would murmur to the elder waitress and glance at us as we weren't invited. (We probably aren't invited in her case).Food wise tho- it was alright, curry was on the acidic side, risotto was overpowered with the taste of overwhelming Parmesan cheese. Uni past tasted like a cream pasta with no hints of umami ness from Uni. Fried calamari was a bit disappointment, beef tataki was chewy but alright. Anyways our judgement might have been affected by the service so I would say alright.Overall a very disappointed and terrible experience for a place with such high yelp rating.

TLDR: I will DEFINITELY be coming back here, the vibes are immaculate, the food is something new and refreshing, the service is impeccable, and I appreciate that there's an ample amount of parking. I will have to say though, because this place is so good, be sure to make reservations in advance just in case. I was in a party of 4 and we did the omakase course which included 3 appetizers, a salad, two pastas, a chef's choice entree, and dessert. If you're in a large party, I'd say the omakase is 100% worth it so that you're able to try lots of dishes, also they portion everything according to how many people are in your party. I liked how they timed and spaced out the courses. Also the servers are very kind and accommodating, the decor and overall feel of the restaurant is very unique and cozy.- scallop carpaccio 4/5included, curry powder, vinaigrette, daikon, scallop, and shisoI wasn't the biggest fan of this dish because I was expecting a more acidic taste, my cousins on the other hand loved the curry with the scallop. This isn't something I'd get again, but I think it was definitely nice to try something unexpected. I will say, Ioved how fresh the scallops were, they were sweet and had no stinky aftertaste. -smoke salmon with burrata 5/5The burrata balanced out the saltiness of smoked salmon, and the arugula added a nice nutty taste, the pickled bell pepper and daikon was the perfect touch. I didn't know what to expect or whether I'd like this dish, but it the server had recommended it and it turned out to be one of my favorite dishes of the night!-beef tataki 3/5the meat was tougher than expectedI liked the presentation but i would skip it if you're thinking of going for it. The dish is simple, and everything paired well together, I would've liked it more if the beef was simply more tender-mushroom salad 5/5keep in mind it is more of a slightly warm salad, it had a nice balance of savory and acidic. I would get this dish again. It had thinly sliced daikon that paired very well with sauce, lettuce, no overwhelming yuzu taste, lil peppery but not spicy. This is one of those slept on dishes, like you see it on the menu and at first glance you'd pass just because it's a salad, but I found it to be a very delightful dish that introduced new flavors to my palate. - mentaiko pasta 5/5a nice light pasta, and I'm so glad it did not taste fishy even though it has mentaiko in it. Personally, mentaiko is always a hit or miss for me depending on how fresh it is. This dish exceeded my expectations, I appreciated that the pasta was creamy while not making me feel sluggish after eating it. The noodles were perfectly al dente, and I have nothing bad to say about this dish. If you love mentaiko, you'll love this dish!- uni pasta 5/5This dish had a nice depth of uni flavor that was not overpowering. The sauce is utterly addicting, I'm not embarrassed to say me and my family licked this plate clean. The noodles were al dente, and the sauce had pieces of uni mixed into it, it was umami, creamy, and had almost a sort of salted egg yolk flavor to it too. The uni pasta is 100% worth getting, it's hard to find a place in OC that makes a good uni pasta, but Cafe Hiro did it right. - chef's choice entree (steak with creamy potatoes and pasta) 4/5This dish included a chilled, sweet mentaiko and nori pasta, it was so refreshing yet creamy at the same time, think of like a pasta salad but elevated. This pasta was absolutely addicting, I love that cafe hiro does pasta so well. The steak was tender, juicy, easy to chew, cooked perfectly medium rare to our liking. The potatoes paired well with the steak, they were saucy and creamy but a tad bit bland BUT they balanced out the savoriness of the sauces you use to dip the steak in- scallop risotto 3/5My family and I was looking forward to this dish the most, but we were slightly disappointed. We found that although the risotto was cheesy, had a nice texture, and parmesany taste, it was too bland :( I think a touch of salt would've helped.THE SCALLOPS THO, they were soft, juicy, sweet, and seared to perfection I would get tired of the risotto if i had to eat a whole plate by myself, I'm glad I did the omakase so i could try it and have a couple bites. The only redeeming factor was the scallops, other than that I'd skip out on the risotto and get a pasta- panna cotta 5/5Tasted milky and creamy. The strawberry sauce was not artificial tasting, it added a nice hint of acidity, but not a strong strawberry taste at all. The panna cotta was jiggly, and smooth in texture, and thefruit added a nice crisp texture to contrast - walnut creme brulee 5/5Oh my god this was so good, it was creamy, nutty, had a nice sugar crust, and there were bits of walnut evenly distributed in there. Thewalnut adds a nice touch in comparison to regular creme brulee.