We love a good Japanese restaurant, and we love them even more when they’re close to home, so we were thrilled to discover Robata Wasa at the Irvine Spectrum. This upscale-casual sushi spot serves all of your favorite dishes, and the execution is fantastic. 

What’s interesting about Robata is that the initial concept of the restaurant was pretty casual and revolved around simple but well-executed, skewered meats and sushi. But, as the management team began learning more about their customer’s preferences, the concept expanded and evolved to include “cleaner” presentations and elegant dishes like Pan-Seared Miso Salmon, a spectacular selection of hot and cold appetizers, and tons of specialty rolls that will have your mouth watering!

Need another reason to try Robata Wasa? The Irvine Standard recently named the restaurant as one of the best places in the county for patio dining.

There are a lot of Japanese restaurants in Orange County. Some are good, some are okay, and some are great. Robata Wasa easily falls into the category of “great Orange County sushi restaurants”. 

Location & Atmosphere

Robata Wasa is conveniently located in the Irvine Spectrum and is popular with both shoppers in the area and locals who make the drive when they want to enjoy really good Japanese food.

The decor is clean and modern, and the big airy ceilings add an extra element of spaciousness to the dining experience.   

When you dine at Robata Wasa, you can choose between a few different seating options. To build on the strong sushi element, the restaurant has a ten-seat sushi bar; you can also sit on the patio, or indoors at a booth or free-standing table. 

A quick note about the sushi bar. All of you fellow wine lovers out there will get a kick out of the decor here. The backdrop has the coolest wine bottle art installation hanging from the ceiling, and all of the bottles are illuminated with pink, green, blue, or soft white lighting. This setup makes for a really cool Instagram shot.

Menu

The menu at Robata Wasa is crafted with fresh, seasonal ingredients, and Executive Chef Jin Kim has put together an enticing array of hot and cold tapas, sushi, sashimi, hand rolls, amazing salads, bento boxes, noodle dishes, and more.

Chef Kim also features seasonal specialties like the Fishnet, which is a tempura-fried California roll with cream cheese topped with poke. We tried this dish; it was excellent.

Other seasonal specialties currently on the menu include:

• Seared Seabream Sashimi
• Gindara Saikyo Yaki (a buttery black cod with miso)
• Binnaga Tataki with Cilantro Sauce  

Cocktails & Japanese Whiskey

Although not listed on the restaurant’s website, Robata Wasa has a full bar and serves a great selection of cocktails and Japanese whiskeys. Some of the more interesting drinks that stand out are the Osaka Vesper, a martini made with Japanese gin and a playful nod to the classic Vesper Martini, and the Machta Peachy, made with sake, pear brandy, and matcha powder.

If you love Japanese whiskey, you will be happy to know that the restaurant carries twelve different types, including a very fancy Yamazaki 18-year whiskey, which is a hefty $100.

There are a few bottles of red, white, and sparkling wines on the list, but it’s pretty trim.

Experience

The best way to dine at a Japanese restaurant is to order a bunch of different dishes and share them. 

Here is a quick rundown of everything our group tried:

• • House Salad with house-made ginger dressing
  • Warm Edamame with sea salt
  • Vegetable Udon Soup with assorted veggies, bean sprouts, corn, green onion
  • Sashimi –  paired with sauvignon blanc

• Crispy tempura

• • Pan-fried Gyoza with dipping sauce
  • Cucumber salad with garden-ripe tomatoes and sesame seeds
  • Selection of handrolls

• BlueFin Tuna, Salmon, Toro Sashimi
• Makunouchi Bento Box
• Chef’s Choice Sashimi

Our first impression of the meal was that the sushi at Robata Wasa was super fresh and flavorful. In fact, every single dish we tried had an incredible freshness and seasonal flair to it. The service was friendly and on-point, and, in a nutshell, the entire experience was pretty close to perfect. 

Tips

• The restaurant is open seven days a week for both lunch and dinner. The location in Irvine makes it a great place to host a casual business meeting.
• If you go, try one of the seasonal specialties and some of the sushi. It’s some of the best we’ve tried in Orange County.

Final Thoughts

We thoroughly enjoyed our experience dining at Robata Wasa. This is a superb addition to the dining scene here, and we cannot wait to return. If you’re looking for the best Japanese food in Irvine, do stop by.