Sushi Noguchi

First off, leave the kids at home. There’s really not any offerings for children. Plus it’s a total date night restaurant. We walked in with our seven and four-​year-​olds and looked around wondering how many people’s dinner we would ruin. Ugh.
Not your traditional sushi/​Japanese restaurant. I consider it more high-​end. Streamlined Décor. Like gourmet Japanese.
The portions were very small for the price you pay. I think that’s what almost all the reviews say.
But it is true that the food is good. We ordered baked asparagus, Edamame, pork Katsu, a chicken dish, and 2 sushi rolls. Crunchyroll and the rising Sun roll. I thought the two sushi rolls were the highlight of the meal.
I’d return with my husband… Just the two of us or maybe another couple… Relax, have a drink, enjoy several dishes. Oh and after payday. Expensive!

Went here on a Thursday night. My husband had called earlier in the week to make reservations at 7:30pm. We both decided to do Hiro’s Omakase which is the traditional style vs. option of Jun’s style which we were told is more fusion style. Quality: 5 stars
Taste: 5 Stars
Presentation 4 Stars (boring plates)
Service 5 Stars
OoToro was delicious! Husband loved the Ocean Trout. My fav was the Giant scallop foie gras soon yum! Uni was sweet and fresh.
Halibut carpaccio was our first plate and was very flavorful and light. Followed by a medley of Herring roe, king crab, sweet shrimp, blue fin toro, giant scallop, amberjack. Next, Golden Eye Snapper, Halibut fin, and Ocean Trout. After that, OoToro, Beltfish (which was cooked fish),
Uni, giant clam. Ended with amazing Foie Gras Giant Scallop. Our bill was $ 211 not including tip yet. No sake because it was a week night and we had to pick up kids after. Definitely would come back again!

— — — -
Ambiance (4.5÷5)
— — — -
When you first enter this small restaurant in the middle of the Imperial Highway, you are struck with the partial minimalist design, very pure white, very clean. The restaurant is very wide open, which during lunch, allows for a very nice natural lighting through the windows. The overall ambiance is met with a very attentive staff and extremely knowledgeable and attentive sushi chefs. I had sat at a table during lunch time, so I was unable to learn who the chefs who were serving me were. Something I noticed about the overall layout of the location is that it is so clean and white in their shop that it gives perfect lighting for photos (feel free to like mine :3)
— — — -
Food (⁵⁄₅)
— — — -
I ordered the Sushi Nigiri lunch set with pork Katsu and my mother (mother son lunch date) ordered the Seafood Melody Lunch dish. For a small dish of sushi, it took a very long time to prepare it; however, because I watched the entire process from my seat, I understand why. The chef who was preparing our dishes took the utmost care to delicately place every single piece of sushi into a beautifully designed artwork. He took every piece and made sure that it was in the exact position that he wanted it to be, not settling for imperfection, something that definitely was visible in the final product. When we finally got our food, we were not disappointed, The katsu was extremely delicate, with a very crispy panko batter coating the moist meat on the inside. Something that surprised me was the extent in which the pork was cooked. It was a relatively thick piece of pork, and in order to cook something like that, you have to let the pork sit in the oil, which inevitably would burn the panko batter, and surprisingly, it was not even slightly burned, something that I appreciated very much. The sushi, well do I really have to go into it? Every piece was fantastic. The salmon and tuna texture felt grades above most shops that I have been to. One piece that was noteworthy was the eel. Sushi Noguchi does eel very very well, delicate and juicy with crisp edges. Not to mention it tastes phenomenal. One way or another, I have to say, the food here, it is almost impossible to go wrong.
— — —
Drink (-/​5)
— — —
Lunch with mom on a Wednesday afternoon means no turn-​up juice.

Ok so I saw the ratings and the delicious pictures and went there with my friend. The server lady did not speak English well and couldn’t help us pick something that’s cooked/​fried. We ordered 4 rolls and they were just very average. Nothing amazing. Also ordered wine and the glass smelled like fish & I asked to change and if again smelled like fish. We ended up paying 80 $ for the 2 of us which is very pricy for the service and food we got.
The only thing that was good was the décor and design. That’s it.

I have so many Unilocal friends who rave about this place and I’ve had it bookmarked. I completely believe the 5 star reviews but I ordered Japanese cooked food and here was my experience.
–fried calamari $ 7 scant quantity and the taste of raw rice flour on the outside not great 2.5 stars
–house marinated chicken breast $ 11 a la carte, expensive and overly salty and again scant quantity-​I was expecting a half chicken breast, instead I got cut up small pieces, would not order again 3 stars
–California Roll-​decent 3.5 stars $ 7, I enjoyed this most
Service was attentive but food was overpriced for the quantity served. Not impressed with the first dinner visit here, lunch or sushi only may be a better value and experience.
-

It’s over ratings.
I love sushi and usually go to sushi restaurants in gardena or torrance area.
The quality and service are not satisfied but the price is way higher than that area.
I will not go back.

My girlfriend and I are moving to Yorba Linda/​Fullerton area and we were looking for a new sushi joint and this place just hit the spot. This review is based on a Lunch experience.
Atmosphere:
The inside has a pretty simple and clean feel in it. I liked the lights that goes across the ceiling, I feel that it would cool at night when it’s lit up. The place is pretty small but they seem to have plenty of space for small groups and tables that could be put together for bigger groups.
Food:
Food was pretty good. It’s not a cheap sushi place so don’t go here if your looking for cheap. Although I think for the price it’s really not that bad I had the Premium Chirashi and it was 20 dollars but size wise it was worth it. Fish was fresh and I particularly loved the Salmon. The main reason I had to take out a star was because of the sushi rice. I haven’t really eaten much sushi to give the best description as to how and why it’s sub-​par but when you try it something is just a bit off. Maybe it was just the batch I tried but it’s definitely something that bothered me.
Service:
Although there were only two servers working the floor they were ok point. Greet you when you enter, helpful when you ask a question and very friendly overall.
Overall:
+ Good atmosphere and clean feeling.
+ Par Food to Price ratio.
+ Great service. Felt right at home.
— Sushi Rice was a bit too much on the Vinegar side.
— Could get expensive.
— Some of the sashimi were not that good (personal preference)
Definitely will come back again and try this place for dinner!
Highly recommended.

Came here for a special birthday dinner. I had the omakase (chef choice) as did my son. One word — extraordinary!
We started with two pieces of bonito in a special soy sauce with ginger garlic. The flavors married perfectly and the fish melted in my mouth. Next they brought a plate of monkfish liver, sea bream roe, giant clam, sweet shrimp, yellowtail, diver scallop, two huge pieces of bluefin tuna and with a giant shrimp head that would be deep fried later into crispy goodness. Everything was delightful.
Then came a plate with various types of nigiri sushi. The rice was warm and flavored perfectly. The sushi was seasoned to accent the fish, there was absolutely no need to use soy sauce or wasabi although the wasabi was fresh along with the ginger. My favorite was a type of fish with foie gras on top. I closed my eyes with each bite.
The meal was finished off with deep fried shrimp head, crunchy shrimp deliciousness. And then finally a crêpe desert for my birthday.
I thoroughly enjoyed the meal. It was pricy. But considering the quality of the fish, the friendly wait staff, the cleanliness, and did I mention the food?
Five stars!

Sashimi is top grade, very fresh, chefs know what they are doing. However, the sushi rice is another story. Nigiri shouldn’t be falling apart when you try to pick it up to eat it. This place very artsy, every dish came out pretty and appetizing.
As for the Mille crêpe it’s very interesting they use honey balsamic reduction, but a warning would be great. Not saying it’s a bad combination, but my 1^st bite was all balsamic and was a bit overwhelming.

Wow! OMGakase is more like it! Took my wife here for her birthday yesterday and we had Hiro’s Omakase and it was outstanding. The fish was so fresh and well prepared and the presentation was excellent. Like a work of art. I would have loved to have the dishes keep coming but I think I would have ran out of $$$$ quicker than my stomach would get full. Really appreciate the good service and the complementary birthday dessert too. Very good dining experience. Well worth the $$$$.

Sushi Noguchi is a very high quality and upmarket sushi restaurant located in the Yorba Linda area. You can definitely tell what kind of value you’re going to get when you look at the menu.
The restaurant itself was very clean and tidy with genuine Japanese chefs working behind the counter. I came here for a wedding, so the restaurant basically pulled out all the stops for our party. We got to try everything from their sushi trio, tempura, seafood, and various sashimi. I have to say that every item served here was very delicious! Everything arrived one at a time, so even it didn’t seem like much, it got to be very filling halfway through the meal.
For a great quality Japanese restaurant in the OC, I would highly recommend paying a visit to Sushi Noguchi. It’s classy, respectful, and serves great sushi.

Sushi Noguchi is my favorite Sushi restaurant for many reasons. They offer a terrific Omakase and ala-​carte dining. Firstly, they have the freshest fish, both domestic and imported from Japan. I love their shellfish, especially Uni, Live Scallops, Sweet Shrimp, and Giant Clam. Their Blue Fin Toro and Salmon Belly melt in the mouth and the Mille Crêpe dessert is to die for. Secondly the service is genuine and friendly. Chef Hiro serves with a smile and Jun Noguchi is a sweetheart! They try so hard to please their customers. Last but not least, their décor is chic and zen-​like.
I love supporting local, family-​owned businesses. I have been going there since they first opened several years ago. Now, they have all kinds of accolades, including the Golden Globe Foodie award for best sushi in OC. Recently, they even made the Zagat list! I still vote it as one of the best places to spend our hard-​earned money!

Came back one night for a Mom’s Night out after having my last baby and had a blast. Did Hiro’s Omakase again and it was just as fresh and delicious. Service was wonderful and Jun helped us celebrate with the Mille Crêpe cake. Everyone was impressed and was already talking of coming back.
I love to support small businesses like this. They take better care of you and I trust their food quality and innovation.

We were looking for a place to have sushi on a Sunday night, and that’s when I realized not many sushi restaurants were open during that time =(luckily, I was stumbled upon Sushi Noguchi and decided to try it out. I mean, if it’s good enough to be voted best omakase in OC by CBS, then it’s worth a shot!
We arrived promptly for our 7:00 reservation and were seated at the sushi bar. We both decided to get Hiro’s Choice. There isn’t a set omakase, so you just tell the sushi bar what you do/don’t like, and he’ll continue to place sushi in front of you until you say stop (which can be a little dangerous because you have no idea how much you’re spending… especially if you’re with a big eater! *cough bf cough*).
I won’t go into too much detail about each dish, but the fish was fresh and there were some pieces that stood out among the bunch. By far, our favorite piece was the halibut topped with foie gras! This tasted like heaven. Buttery, fresh, delicious. Both of us just melted in our seats! It was so good we requested to have the scallop topped with foie gras, just because you can never have enough, right? ;)
While it wasn’t necessarily the best omakase I had, it wasn’t bad! It ended up being around $ 100 per person, and we had about 13 pieces of sushi.
Service was friendly!

Nominated and awarded as the best sushi in Orange County by the Golden Foodie Awards, Sushi Noguchi’s quaint interior was much different than my expectations. Contrary to the bustling dinner rush they experience every weekend, my friend and I arrived on Saturday evening in the thick of the dinner rush with seats available at the sushi bar. We were surprised to find there were no reservations in place or lines out the door!
We settled into our seats and looked over the menu. Since we arrived with the intent for omakase, we both settled on Hiro’s omakase valued between $ 60 — $ 100, but it varies based on selection and quantity.
Started with a tuna yamakake. Bluefin tuna sashimi topped with grated nagaimo, salmon roe, uni (sea urchin roe), quail egg, ponzu and finished with dried nori (seaweed). Our sushi chef offered us a spoon since it would be easier to eat with than chopsticks. There’s also no right way to eat this, so I just mixed all the components together. Instead of a pureed nagaimo, the grated yam provided contrasting texture to all the softer, creamier elements. Really nice way to start a meal.
Amuse bouche was offered to savor as the chef prepared our omakase plates. The plate had scallops in butter sauce, miso eggplant (nasu miso), asparagus with mayo, steamed clam and carrots. Beautiful presentation and the integrity of each ingredient was presented simply that maintained flavor and aesthetics. For me, it set the tone for Sushi Noguchi’s emphasis on presentation.
The omakase platter was filled with an assortment of sashimi. Starting from left to right, our course included abalone, charred or smoked octopus, sea bream, bluefin tuna, live sweet shrimp, squid, giant clam and snow crab.
On opposite ends were two combination concoctions. One was a spoon filled with abalone liver, live sweet shrimp head and shrimp roe that you take as a shooter. The small bowl contained butterfish topped with ponzu gelee and ginger and then finished with a drizzle of ponzu.
Once we cleared out plate, we were just getting started and a another round of beer was on our table. We continued omakase with nigiri: king scallop (hotate), mackerel, fried sweet shrimp head, yellowtail, sardine, eel handroll and negitoro.
My favorite bites of the night were the ones I forgot to take pictures of, such as sea bream, sea urchin and seared toro. I was so absorbed in the moment. I just wanted to savor it ya know?
We finished our meal with a chef recommended dessert, the mille crêpe cake made in-​house by their pastry chef. We were enticed by the description as being comparable to Lady M’s mille crepes. The cake is fluffy and served with a generous drizzle of chocolate sauce along the bottom. I could do without the chocolate, but the cake was like a carbon copy if memory serves me correctly, haha. It was the same price for half the distance.
It was a unique experience that differed from what I read. However, the unusually slow evening, one where we were the only patrons at one point in the evening, gave us the opportunity to really connect with the staff and enjoy our meal to the fullest. Sushi Noguchi has more to offer than sushi, so I’d like to try Jun’s fusion style omakase and explore the rest of their menu.

Came here for bachelorette dinner. The bride to be wanted omakase. But everyone else couldn’t afford it so we just ordered off the menu. I liked everything I ordered.
The interior is eh. Traditional Japanese. Nothing special.

I have been wanting to come here, and finally had the chance. However, it took my cuz Kevin P & his wife Kat, and my foodie pal Van D to make it happen. Kevin & Kat were going to be in Riverside, and Van was in Upland. They said sushi, and Noguchi is located in Yorba Linda that is central to all of us. It is located at YL Blvd & Lakeview.
We went big and ordered Hiro’s omakase (although Jun was our chef). The large omakase is projected to cost between $ 60 — $ 100, depending upon how much you order. In addition, we had a couple of pitchers of Kirin, and a bottle of Denshin sake ($ 65). My share was $ 130 inc tax, but before tip. Of course, we sat at the sushi bar.
We had 15 courses of über fresh, and in some cases very unique presentations & combinations. My faves were the first uni dish, the scallop w/​foie gras, amaebi inc heads, and kanpachi.
First of all, the uni w/​ikura, squash and egg was well thought out. The combination of the ingredients worked very well together: 4 Stars. Secondarily, scallops and foie gras were a match made in heaven. The sweetness of the scallops, coupled with the creaminess of the foie gras was a delight to our palates: 5+++ Stars. Thirdly, we ate amaebi sashimi style in the second dish, and later we had the fried heads. I know of no better way to enjoy fresh seafood other than eating the head: 5 Stars. Lastly, the kanpachi is not something you see on every sushi house’s menu. It has a delicate taste, and it was a nice segway into the last few items: 4 Stars.
All pieces of sushi were seasoned so that you didn’t have to dip in shoyu & wasabi. We simply turned the sushi over, and ate it fish side down so the fish touched our taste buds first: 4 Stars.
Jun was a master at his work, and has plates flying off in succession over a two hour period. We hardly noticed the time. In addition, he was super nice, and asked where we generally eat sushi. He even recommended a place in West LA that is reportedly better than Urasawa (on my hit list). The rest of the team was also super nice and efficient: 5 Stars. Regarding the ambiance, it is good sized space with an L shaped sushi bar and a number of tables: 4 Stars.
I’m glad the people I came with appreciate good sushi. Noguchi has been highly recommended by many friends, some of whom grew up in Japan. Its not that far of a drive from HB, so I would definitely come back here again to enjoy some very good sushi.

Let’s keep this simple and short. We met up here for dinner with brotha Joe P. and Van D. Sushi Noguchi to me is a solid 4 stars. The sushi here was fresh and perfectly prepared so no dipping in shoyu. The way i like it .We all ordered the Omakase. Which was roughly $ 95 a person.
Service: Was fantastic, but our sushi chef could have done a better job of letting us know what kind of fish he was serving us. Luckily I knew my fish.
Food: Omakase :
Uni/​Ikura w/​mountain squash and quail egg.
Sweet Shrimp: Super fresh the head was still moving. Awesome.
Japanese Sea Bream.
Spanish Mackerel.
Red Snapper.
King Salmon /​Daikon. Fantastic.
Bonito.
Uni.
Seared O-​Toro.
Scallop w/​seared Foie Gras. This was the highlight of the night.
Hamachi.
Kanpachi.
Saba.
Anago.
Overall it was great dinner with great company!

I literally felt like I was in Japan.
I made reservations the night before for my mom’s birthday and there was no problem in getting seats for dinner.
Jun’s Omakase (50)
1. Tuna w/​jalapeño
2. Amuse Bouche
3. Yellowtail
4. Steak Fish
5. Tuna handroll
6. Sushi platter with white fish, smoked salmon, yellowtail, tuna
My parents enjoyed all of the dishes. The sashimi was fresh and everything worked together beautifully.
Tempura (9) — Lightly battered in panko and fried perfectly. Most tempura, you could taste how heavy and greasy it is, but this one was delicate and delicious.
Wagyu Steak (27) — Cooked to a perfect medium rare. It also comes with a steak sauce which I thought was unnecessary because the steak was so good by itself.
Chilean Sea Bass Chinois Style (30) — The softest seabass ever. I loved the savory yet sweet sauce that came with the fish.
The dinner specials also come with a salad and an amuse bouche.
Salad — Salad served with a type of vinaigrette dressing, which I enjoyed.
Amuse Bouche — The sweet tofu, the shrimp with the sauce, the thousand island, and the sweet brown sauce all ties together really well.
At the end of our meal, Jun brought out a complimentary birthday cake for my mom. AND GUESS WHAT. SHE BROUGHT OUT ANOTHER ONE FOR MY FAMILY TO SHARE. You are amazing, Jun.
Wonderful time! My family enjoyed it immensely and it is definitely one of the most authentic Japanese restaurants I’ve ever been too.

Noguchi was named best sushi in OC… So my friend and I had to try it! It was good but it still cant beat my favorite sushi restaurants (Murasaki in Santa Ana and Hama in Little Tokyo)…
Overall it was good sushi and I can see myself coming back but I would do things a little differently.
My friend and I opted to do Hiro’s Omakase. One thing different about this omakase from other omakases I’ve experienced is that it’s a mixture of dishes, sashimi and sushi… Kinda like a fusion? Which I like the concept but I would have preferred to do just a sushi omakase. I’m sure if I told the chef my preference he would have catered to my needs.
Everything was fresh and of good quality. Overall I enjoyed my meal… I guess for me the pit fall were the following:
1) price (my friend and I paid $ 100 each for lunch… Pretty much ate until we were full but I don’t think we ate $ 100 worth?)
2) I’m not a fan of Japanese sashimi even if it’s good fish because I prefer eating sashimi the Korean way with chili paste sauce… It’s just a preference thing. So when the omakase consisted of a large plate of sashimi despite the fact that it was good it wasn’t to my liking. And that plate probably cost a bit too…
The sushi was good. My favorite at Noguchi was their Foie Gras with Scallop sushi. Very good. I’m in general not a fan of foie gras since I think it’s difficult to cook. I’ve only enjoyed foie gras at Michelin star restaurants and the other times I’ve been repulsed by it that I avoid it if possible but it was really good at Noguchi. Definitely loved it. Their salmon was very good as well. Not quite as good as Hama but pretty darn close.
Overall it was a good experience and I would go back for their sushi. The service was good. The sushi chef was awesome. He was this older Korean man who was friendly. He explained what all the dishes/​sushi were and we had a nice little chat back and forth at the sushi bar. Definitely a plus! The waiter and waitress (Jun) was nice and was quick to pick up finished plates and refill our waters. The interior is nice. I like the simple contemporary feel.
Oh and their crêpe dessert is good! 24 layers of thin crêpe w cream in btw. Definitely worth trying at least once esp if you’re a dessert person!