Tell me names of good Japanese restaurants in Orange County

[casey1012]

It's my 19th birthday on March 30th and I want to eat Japanese food/sushi! Tell me all you know about any impressive, trendy, good-tasting restaurants here in Orange County. By the way, how is Ten Asian Bistro? I've been getting mixed reviews about this.

[brekkie_fan]

I liked Ten Asian and Honda-Ya. Both sound like they would fit your criteria of trendy/tasty.
I've heard about Zipangu inside the LAB. Anyone care to comment on it?

http://www.zipanguoc.com/

[mrszondo]

Tommy's Sushi in Tustin is the best.
1051 E Main St
Tustin, CA
[phone]

[quinntran]

I have to respectfully disagree with Tommy's. It is horrible. Try Honda-Ya for yakitori and other dishes but like Elmo said earlier the sushi is not good. Uoko in Tustin also has suberb sushi as well as other traditional dishes. Seal Beach has Koi which is also very good for sushi. However these places aren't very hip or trendy. For that Ten Asian would do.

[cdmedici]

Sorry...worst sushi I have ever had.

[calabasas_trafalgar]

Mitsuyoshi in Stanton. For hot food, there's none better in SoCal. For sushi...don't.

[I got nothin]

Traditional Japanese pub grub: Honda Ya or Kappo Honda in Huntington Beach
Traditional Sushi: Sushi Shibucho
Fusion Sushi: Bluefin
Tasty Sushi: Todai . . . pause . . . NOT
Trendy Sushi/japanese: Ten Asian

[natcann]

Fukada is really good authentic japanese food in Irvine. It's in a plaza near a 24 hour fitness close to the Verizon amphitheatre. the place is always packed, esp on the weekends so you have to make reservations. I highly recommend the spicy tuna don which is served over brown rice and comes with a choice of another dish - either soba, udon, or a sashimi salad.
Honda-Ya is good too and we used to go there before Fukada opened but now we stick to Fukada...it's fresher and tastes healthier, but Honda-Ya has a funner atmosphere.
If you're in Costa Mesa you HAVE to try Anjin on Bristol, near South Coast Plaza. This place is a 2hour wait and you cook your own meat at your table, but it's the best bbq place i've been to.

[justagthing]

Restaurant Koi in Seal Beach for great sushi. Happy Birthday

[JAB]

Since Honda Ya was thrown out there which is not at all trendy, I'll throw out Shin Sen Gumi which isn't trendy either but, I prefer it to Honda Ya.

[cdmedici]

If you are looking for trendy then stick with Ten or Mosun. These have a very clubby feel. Being that you are only 19 years old you wouldn't be able to do the adjacent night clubs at these places.

For a inexpensive casual fun bar vibe with great food, I would also recommend Honda-Ya but avoid the sushi and stick with the cooked items.

If you are looking specifically for good sushi then go this Wasabi in Tustin, Sushi Shibucho in Costa Mesa. Since it is your birthday (and if someone else is paying) my all time favorite is Bluefin in Newport Coast.

I can highly NOT recommend Sushi Zen in Costa Mesa/Triangle Square Mall, 930 sushi in Newport/on PCH and Kura Sushi in Costa Mesa/ on 17th street.

[Das Ubergeek]

Oh God. NOT Mosun. Other than a really tasty tuna tataki, their sushi is just so mediocre... and the club upstairs (to which they will "invite" you if you spend enough) is full of creepy middle-aged Laguna guys trying to hit on young women who are trashed on really iced-down drinks.

Ten's so much better. Really. It's not 100% Japanese, but it's got better parking (ever tried to park in Laguna Beach?) and I like the food.

[danapointhound]

Gen Kai in Dana Point is pretty popular. Generous portions of fish for the $. If you go on a weekend, be sure to get there early (there is always a line at the door before opening time) or expect a wait, especially for the sushi bar.

[Das Ubergeek]

Honda-Ya. Ten Asian Bistro's not bad. Try the sliders. (No, I'm really not kidding.)

[elmomonster]

I second Honda-Ya, my favorite Japanese place. They specialize in yakitori, and pub food. Their sushi, however, is not very good.

Here's more about it with some pictures I took:
http://elmomonster.blogspot.com/2005/...

[katkoupai]

Yes, I Googled Japanese restaurants in Tustin this evening, and found it, and also found the description on your blog, elmomonster, which confirmed that I was thinking of the right place. By the way, my friend in OC thinks you have the best taste in food (from your blog). Coincidentally, the friend is the same person I went to Honda-Ya with. :)

[monkfanatic]

i have to say , your blog is great , and you really eat out a lot

[elmomonster]

katkoupai and monkfanatic,

Thanks! I'm just on the troll for good eats just like any good Chowhound!

http://elmomonster.blogspot.com

[katkoupai]

There's a Japanese bbq place in Tustin (Old Tustin, perhaps?). It's really good-- can't remember the name. It was really tasty.

I think this is it. Went there once with friends:

Honda-Ya
556 El Camino Real
Tustin, CA 92780
[phone]