Zipangu

It’s hard to find parking at The Lab, so I suggest parking near Memphis Café and walking through the back.
We went there for happy hour: beer and $ 2 oysters. Oysters must be bought in orders of at least 4. The sushi is good there. not memorable. Chili edemame was really tasty, but very oily.
The service there is good. It’s a very small restaurant, so there is always someone walking by your table and making sure everything is okay.

Foods ok customer service is what’s lacking here I take my clients out all the time I was embarrassed when the waitress told my client that even though he ordered a roll and said no avacafo cause Iran allergy they forgot to take it out and still charged him for it. And the manager doesn’t speak English so go figure not returning

Never thought I’d eat lamb and foie gras at a Japanese food restaurant, but I guess there’s a first time for everything.
I walked in alone looking for a quick sushi meal but ended up getting some red meat.
I started off of the shisito peppers and the karage. I’m a sucker for fried chicken. Karage was great (I don’t think you can mess that up) and the shisito peppers had the perfect amount of flavor. For entrees, I ordered the New Zealand lamb with veggies and the foie gras, not expecting too much because Zipangu is a sushi restaurant. But I was pleasantly surprised.
The foie gras was cooked perfectly and the sauce and the veggies the foie gras was served with supplemented the dish. The lamb chop, although small, was delicious and was very moist and appetizing.
The waiters were also highly attentive and patiently answered all the questions I nervously asked as I was hesitant about ordering red meat dishes at a restaurant known for sushi. I didn’t get the guy’s name, but Silvia, the other waitress who helped me, frequently checked up on me and made sure everything was peachy.
Overall, i feel i might not have enjoyed the experience as much if it wasn’t for the attentive and very amicable service provided by Silvia and the other waiter.
Food was good, but the service was even better

Sensational Sashimi! Without a doubt the freshness of the fish is high quality! Even though the dinner comes with a salad and a miso soup, i always like to add an udon soup to my meal. I tried the ‘chicken udon soup’ this time. I will admit the flavor of the broth was very good but the ‘beef udon’ is still my favorite. Overall, i always enjoy being here and leave with a smile.

Ordered Panna cotta and it was fantastic. I love the service and the atmosphere of these place. The Panna cotta is so creamy and tasted like almond. The waiters are so friendly and i would totally recommend this place to a friend and come back again.

I went to Zipangu alone on a Friday night as my partner was out of town. I had been there once before and had forgotten about it. Unilocal helped me remember it and I’m glad it did.
First, the restaurant had a great vibe going on. You can choose to sit at the bar, the lounge or in the dining room. The place is small and kind of dark as the lights are dim, but I enjoy that. Good music as well.
The service was on point. The bartender was very nice and informational as he took care of me with ease. You could tell he knew what he was doing and was very comfortable as well. Sadly, I overheard he is traveling to Japan and that was his second to last day. What a loss to the restaurant!
The food was awesome! I had two rolls, one I forget the name of but my favorite was the Jalapeño Ecstasy roll. Very fresh fish with a hint of spice, my favorite! (It’s the simple things in life. ;-))
Finally, their happy hour menu is small which is perfect. Being on both a 4customer and have worked in restaurants, an extensive happy hour is no good. This one included a bomb-​diggity deal on Sapporo. I believe it was one pint for $ 2.95! What a steal!
Overall, I love this place and they can count on me coming back more often!

This place is super nice. Really good date spot with fantastic food. They even have a happy hour.
My girl and I got two great rolls and some never ending green tea. Needless to say we were completely satisfied by the atmosphere and choice of jazz music and the demeanor of the staff. Everyone was nice and the price was great. In all this was a fantastic find for us. The only thing though I must say was that the menu states there is avocado in the rolls but we never received it in our rolls. So we had to send our rolls back to have it added… It was a chef error hopefully that never happens often and we had to wait longer for the rolls to return. Anyway other than that we had a fantastic experience. You can bet we are definitely coming back!

First time we came to this place was good. We sat at the sushi bar today and will never come back. The sushi chef was rude and slow. I sent back sushi because it smelled fishy and they talked about it in front of us then the sushi chef made a comment to me about it and was really rude then kept going to the back kitchen to get our other roll… that’s why we’re sitting at the sushi bar to see our food be made. Who knows what we just ate. Never going back.

Such a great atmosphere. Hidden in the back of «The LAB». Give it a try. Cool bar and sushi bar. Cozy tables. Great sushi and very popular in the area! Fresh food, polite staff. I would recommend!

Even though we had just ate a hefty sized dinner right across at Habana, the urge to have some raw fish was still there. So what did we do? We skipped out on dessert and headed right across to Zipangu for a couple of dishes to get our sushi fix.
We started off with some Amaebi (sweet shrimp), this particular type of smelt-​like fish (can’t recall the exact name) served sashimi style and salmon nigiri. I asked if it the sweet shrimp was served live, the waitress mentioned that live Amaebi was out of season (despite me just eating live ones in SD a couple days prior). When it arrived, I can tell from the texture that it wasn’t that fresh. Anyhow, the deep fried shrimp head is one of my favorite parts of eating Amaebi (besides the natural sweetness of the raw tail) so that made up for it. The salmon and smelt cuts were quite fresh though and you can taste the goodness once it hit the tongue.
I did order a bottle of nigori sake but halfway into our meal, I realized the waitress had totally forgot to bring it. I asked and she apologizes for completely forgetting about it so I went ahead and cancelled it.
They seem to have some really great HH deals so I will have to come back for some drinks later on and try out their other sushi and entrees. Perhaps I might update my review and rating then. =)

You need to try the
1. Chicken wings
2. OMG roll
3. Peach mojito (my fav out of all their flavors)

This restaurant is located in LAB complex.
This complex looks like gypsyfied.
When you have time take a look this complex.
«Zipangu» was the term used by travellers
Marco Polo in 1457 to describe Japan.
He believed Japan was fabulosuly
rich in silver and gold, thus naming
the country «the Land of Gold.»
Zipangu is Japanese restaurant which is selling
many kind of, Rolls (Crunch on Fire, Sashimi roll etc.)
If you go there before 7pm, you can enjoy happy
hours at low cost.
Galic Chile Edame was delicious as an appetizer.
Also, you can order udons, fries, sashimi, sushi,
Bento etc.
If you want to have experience a cool and different atmosphere, please visit this complex.

Definitely an underrated restaurant that needs more recognition. After reading some of the previous reviews, I realize it’s really unfair for customers to criticize a restaurant with such exquisite quality sushi/​sashimi just by its rolls… If people do not know how real sushi (not rolls) should taste like, they shouldn’t be so quick to downgrade a restaurant for its secondary food items.
Do yourself a favor and sit at the sushi bar! Ask the sushi chefs (my personal favorite is Masa) about their knowledge in sushi/​sashimi. You can really feel their passion once you get them talking. I recommend omakase for beginners, as it is a good way to learn how to appreciate and enjoy Japanese culture. I think Zipangu is so generously priced, especially when judging how top notch their food quality is. I look forward to their weekly Specials menus. I love their twist in creations — they do a nice job of producing a modern blend of Japenese, French, and American culture into one dish.
Service is exceptional. Seems like most of the servers here (I’ve encountered several different ones in my numerous visits) are very well educated. Service quality stays consistent — they are good at making customers feel at home!
Most definitely a noteworthy dining experience, every single time!

I went there yesterday for OC restaurant week with the boyfriend. the staff were super accommodating. we were greeted at the door and the waitress was sweet. the food was delicious. we will definitely come back again.
I ordered the clam chowder for starter, beef salad for the appetizer, braised short ribs for entrée and mango panna cotta for dessert.
the boyfriend had oysters on half shell, tuna capriccio, skirt steak& also the mango panna cotta.
both meals were $ 65. definitely would love to participate in that again next year :)

Love this place! It’s close to home, the staff is awesome, the food is delicious and they have awesome happy hour. It’s located in The Lab (towards the back) and the offer free valet with validation. It’s a cool spot to chill with friends for drinks and/​or dinner.

Omg the Cucumber Seaweed Salad and the R&B on the Hi-​Fi! Love this place for a fri nite date!

I came here with a friend for dinner on a Thursday evening. Parking was a pain, but we ended up using valet for $ 3. There was no wait for a table for 2. They have an expansive menu and it was difficult to decide what to order. They had a happy hour menu, sushi menu, a menu with a variety of plates, and the prix fix Costa Mesa restaurant week menu. We opted for the prix fix dinner menu ($ 30/​person).
I got the oyster shells, halibut carpaccio, chilean sea bass, and crêpe. The oyster shells were delish but gone in 2 seconds. The halibut carpaccio and chilean sea bass were okay. I devoured the crêpe though.
My friend got the hot & sour soup, Kobe beef meatballs, steak, and green tea cheesecake. My friend enjoyed the steak, which was cooked perfectly, and the green tea cheesecake.

The rolls here are on the pricey end but I didn’t get to try any– my out of town friend loves their low carb/​healthy roll (basically sashimi wrapped in cucumber). I ended up getting the bento box which allows you to pick from a list of A or B items. I ended up getting chicken karaage, salmon with butter sauce, cali rolls, and rice. I think that’s it. It was more than enough food and quite tasty.
The service was a bit off– I’m not sure if it was due to miscommunication since the server’s first language wasn’t English but she came across as slightly rude.
Valet it– this restaurant validates.
The last time I had Zipangu was about 5 years ago and after this visit, I remember why I wasn’t dying to return.

Came here earlier for OC Restaurant Week. Dinner was $ 30 a person, which I think was a deal for the dishes we received, but unfortunately, the food itself was very average. We got:
–Ocean Trout Carpaccio — This was definitely too fishy for me, but I am not a fan of raw fish to begin with. Friend said it was okay.
–Kobe Beef Meatball — Sauce was a bit spicy but the meatball was tender.
–Chilean Sea Bass — This came w/​the longest green beans ever, which were a bit soggy. Otherwise, my dish was good. Also came with mushrooms.
–Rib Eye Steak — Steak was a bit tough and also came with those super long green beans.
–Earl Grey Panna Cotta — Yuck! No bueno. Flavor was a bitter tea.
–Green Tea Cheesecake — This, too, wasn’t very good and was too dense.
They have a nice selection of sake-​tinis to choose from. Service is not very good. Though our waitress was very nice, she initially forgot our drinks and then later, our check. I think their staff just needs more training bc it wasn’t that busy in there. I prob wouldn’t eat here again, but I’d maybe come back for drinks or Happy Hour, which I think is every day. The interior is cozy and though it’s small, they separate some of the tables with cloth so you feel like you have a bit more privacy.

Tonight was my 2^nd time to Zipangu and I can say I am definately a fan! My reason I come back was because of their Soft Shell Crab appetizer. I can say, its the best I’ve ever had. The moment I crunch into it, I would try to savor every single bite. Also, I am a big fan of Yellowtail, but I was craving for Yellowtail Belly, which is not on the menu. I asked the chef, and they actually had it! BOMB!
I came here for happy hour (5:30−7pm everyday!), which they offer great deals on alcohol and sushi rolls. I would order the Nogori (unfiltered sake) $ 7. Delicious goodness!
The service was pretty awesome! Our waitiress was very attentive and was always checking up on us. I was quite pleased that once we were seated, she went through the menu and showed us the specials and what she recommends.
What’s great is that this is located at The Lab, so if you’re not so hungry, you can do a little shopping to build up an appetite (Urban Outfitters, Buffalo Exchange, Cafecito café, etc).
Parking can be tough, so try to avoid coming from 6−8pm, especially on weekends, or give yourself enough time to roam the parking lot.
I did notice Valet service for $ 3, and Zipangu offer validation.