Kaori

This place is a diamond in the ruff. Excellent authentic food, great service, though they could use an extra wait person, and possibly another chef behind the bar.
Food:
Sashimi bento plate
Teriyaki chicken bento plate
Unagi nigiri
Scallop nigiri
Ikura nigiri
We are feeling gluttonous for sharing all that food between Mister and me. Did I mention the bento plate also come with ice cream? Yum yum
Will come back.

It was my first time at this restaurant. I ordered 5 different sushi and few appetizer. Food was ok. I actually like an atmosphere of this restaurant. Price is bit pricy compare to the quality of food. Just be aware of servers. They are so single task servers. You won’t get any until you actually ask.

Simply put, this is the best sushi place I’ve eaten at in Southern California. Have I tried them all? No. But I’ve tried many of them from Laguna to Pasadena. Geno is personable and creative and his handprint is all over the menu and ambiance. Lucky for me, it’s only 20 minutes from my house (side note: I’d drive a helluva lot further for his culinary expertise). His selection of fish is top notch and he’s very region conscious.

Kaori is a sweet oasis in a bustling area. Upon walking in, I was immediately put at ease with the cherry blossom trees, soft wood décor, and sake barrels hanging from the beams. The staff was genuine and helpful with questions about the menu. The sushi bento box did not
disappoint. It’s a nice way to sample a few items. It all starts with the average cup of miso soup but then soars. The ngiri was thick melt in your mouth slices of fish with just a thin layer of rice. Quite the opposite of what I usually see at other sushi bars. The lightly battered tempura was crisp and the veggie flavors shined through. Then rounded out with a nice spring mix salad and a generous mound of rice topped with black sesame seeds. Beautiful and satisfying.

Sushi here is fresh and delicious and service is great. The restaurant is very modern and clean! One of my favorite spots to eat at when in Fullerton. I’ve even driven out of my way a few times to come here when I had a sushi craving.

you say sushi, I say Kaori… have known this place for more than 15yrs, this is his 2^nd or 3^rd spot staring from Tustin… even my 12 yr old and 11 yr old knew how to eat sushi since they were 1yr old. Gino is d guy behind this… always serving d best, freshest seafood and always accomodating with our request.
if its not busy, always ask Gino to create, play or experiment with ur sushi dreams… and he will deliver, next thing u know ur coming back for more!!!

This is the best place for sushi hands down! Gino’s specials are always so innovative exotic and delicious! Great service! Beautiful atmosphere!

My girlfriend is puking in the bathroom as I write this.
I worked all day came home and took my girlfriend out to eat. The only food we both ate the same of and we’re both sick, nausea, border line vomiting.
Thanks for the expensive food poisoning…
We will not be back and i’ll advise my friends the same.

PSA: Long rant ahead.
According to Google Maps, I live .3 miles away from this restaurant so having sushi from this place is really convenient. I’ve ordered takeout from this restaurant before without a hitch; food is usually ready in 20 minutes but never dined-​in. And after this experience, I just won’t order from them again.
That wasn’t the case this past weekend. My fiancé and I show up before the Friday rush, which was around 7pm. Except for us, there were 3 other tables that were occupied. We order seaweed salad, gyoza, and three rolls; we came to grub. By this time the place is filling up and it’s filling up quick. Ten minutes into the wait for our food, we get our drinks, which was just tap water (you can taste it). Another ten minutes roll by and I’ve noticed that everybody that around us has at least received their appetizer. I didn’t say anything immediately; I was hoping that once the server/​hostess saw a sea of people eating except for us, which happen to be seated in the middle of the TINY restaurant and a table that is DIRECTLY IN FRONT of her, she would notice and try to at least get our order of seaweed salad (unless they’re actually harvesting the seaweed to make it as fresh as possible) or gyoza (which I’m pretty sure is already made-​they just need to fry the damn thing).
But nothing. She didn’t let us know anything. She was very attentive to everybody else. I was able to tell because the hostess/​server was STANDING RIGHT IN FRONT OF US CONSTANTLY SCANNING THE ROOM to make sure that there weren’t any empty dishes on a person’s table. She’s on point — just not with our table. At this time, I politely ask her when our food would be ready, she told me 10 minutes. We had already been waiting 25 minutes. I’ve already noticed some other people in the middle of their meals. At that time I told her to cancel our order. She didn’t apologize; just stood there with a blank look on her face.
Then I started questioning myself. Did I do something wrong? Was I a douche? I wasn’t. I sat my happy ass down quietly waiting for 25 minutes. No appetizer, nothing.
That got me hangry. Yes, with an «h».
At that point, I just wanted to go to a sushi joint in where I know I would get good service. So my fiancé and I went to our favorite sushi spot (Sushi Umi in Hacienda Heights). Kaori put such a bad taste in my mouth that I didn’t even want to try any of the other 3 – 4 sushi restaurants around us and I am now convinced that it’s just safer to drive the 8 miles instead of walking .3 miles for sushi. Thanks Kaori!
edit: I just noticed if you scroll down on their main Unilocal profile, you’ll find the reviews that aren’t «recommended» by Unilocal.Other people had the same experience as I have. Makes me feel vindicated.

It is very obvious that Gino holds very high standards for Kaori, only serving the freshest sashimi. Everything is plated beautifully and the atmosphere is cozy. Kaori is a gem.

Nice and cozy little place for some sushi. Got the special roll called crispy rice which is obviously crispy/​deep fried rice, spicy tuna, and avocado, also got the spicy spider roll, Saturday night roll (blue crab, yellow tail and jalapeño) and a Roll G-​29! Time to get my sushi on!

Finest, freshest sushi in Fullerton.
Having been to Japan many many times and developing a deep love for sushi, it’s all about the chef.
Geno knows his craft to a T
Don’t bother going anywhere else. It won’t compare.
This is authentic and spot on.
Wish there were more stars to give!

Close friends introduced me to this place and I’m so glad they did. Because they know I’m Japanese, they wouldn’t have brought me here if the place wasn’t legit! I really enjoy the sashimi here because of the quality and generous cuts of fish they serve. Compare the sushi to a place like Kabuki, and you’ll see what I mean. My friends often order the sushi rolls here which look really good, but I always opt for the sashimi plates or sashimi salad. Great value for these two dishes by the way, especially with the amount of sashimi they serve! Their teriyaki beef made with filet mignon is also excellent!

Why did I never know about this place?
I love legit Japanese places.
Get the kaori bento plate!!!
The tempura is light, crispy and perfect. The fish pieces are money! And it comes with red bean or green tea icecream…
Top it off with an ice cold Asahi.
You will leave happy!

I don’t know why I haven’t written a review here yet. I’ve been coming to Kaori for nearly 5 years now (ever since they were by the old fox theater). Me and my boyfriend have always loved the food + ambience. We’ve been to many sushi places and still, we have always come back to Geno.
First, we are locals and only live 10 min away. It’s conveniently located in a small plaza away from the craziness in downtown. Secondly, it’s very mom and pop or should I say, very Geno. He runs this place and runs it well. Yes we’ve had to wait, but what good restaurant doesn’t have a wait for dinner? We’ve also been when it’s slow. Each time, his food is consistent in quality and service.
Faves: Ama Ebi (sweet shrimp)-quality is great but beware it’s seasonal. I love Ama Ebi and remember asking him in the off season if he had frozen (still a sushi amateur at this time and have had frozen at other places) to which he replied «I never have frozen fish.» I also tried to order halibut during lunch once and he told me «halibut still swimming.» So now you get it, he has fresh fish. Moving on.
Other faves include: jumbo scallop sushi-​citrusy and creamy with a bite of wasabi. Spider hand rolls are always crunchy and never soggy. My fave roll is the Green Tea Roll – the green tea flakes and sweet&spicy sauce he uses is so good. I also love the Chirashi bowl and Udon when I’m in the mood. The list just goes on: but trust me, it’s all good.
Keep a lookout for the specials board too. Always some fun stuff to try.
Yes I’m a regular. And I did earn my chopsticks. I come at least once a week if time (and money) permits. Each time is worth it. And Geno is always fun to talk to when he’s not too busy behind the bar.

l really like this place. It just keeps getting better and better. So much so that I now have to wait to be seated =(, but that’s what happens when gems like these keep getting discovered. I came here to catch up with a good friend, the chirashi bowl was amazing and so was the service.
I get nostalgic when I hear Radiohead, so the chef is amazing too because of that. Otherwise the fish is fresh, the cuts are generous, the place is cute, and I haven’t had diarrhea… which is always a good thing =)

Small restaraunt in a strip mall away from all the «action» of downtown fullerton serving up great sushi at an affordable rate. For the price you pay the quality is definitely up to par. Having not eaten sushi for a few months before coming here I decided to binge. I tried the Kaori bento box which was extremely satisfying– it even comes with a scoop of ice cream (#winning). This should do if you’re ordering for one. I decided to eat for three that night so I also ordered a few hand rolls, cut rolls and specialty rolls. The tuna hand roll was really good and I wish I’d just gotten more of these. The salmon skin roll and rainbow rolls were good but didn’t hit the spot for me like the tuna hand roll did.
If you’re coming with a big group I suggest making a reservation. We ate on a saturday night and they were fairly busy but due to limited seating most groups had a wait. My only gripe would be that the food took a long time to come out but that could have been because we ordered so much and caught the kitchen when they were already backed up. They also had a good selection of beer and sake so if you’re looking for a chill drinking spot I’d choose this over other nearby sushi spots.

Kaori is the best sushi restaurant in Orange County. Besides the sushi being incredibly fresh and tasty the service is impeccable and the owner/​sushi chef, Gino is overtly accommodating and will go above and beyond to make sure that your experience is nothin less then amazing.
Every single person that comes to this restaurant is very friendly and fun! Everyone shares their sake and even sometimes food. If you are looking for a fun family during lunch or dinner, come here!
Also, the udon is the best udon I’ve ever had. Order it medium spicy to spicy.
Lastly, TRY THE DYNAMITE OYSTERS. I truly believe it to be one of the most amazing/​flavorful oysters I’ve consumed. I order them every single time I go there and even friends that I have that do not like oysters become obsessed with them.
Gino makes all of his sauces and gets fresh fish every day!
BEST SUSHI IN ORANGE COUNTY! and probably in California.

Pros:
–Small, intimate atmosphere
–Salmon! So fresh and fatty
–Saturday night roll
–Chirashi bowl– large portion & fresh
–Mixed tempura– comes with mushroom, string beans, squash, onion, and shrimp
–Service– very attentive and cordial
–Sushi Chef/​owner– super kind and talented

Located on the corner of Chapman and Harbor, Kaori is a gem to Fullerton and North OC. I’ve been here twice, the first time with my bf and the second time to celebrate my birthday with my girlfriends. The first time I came, the service was SOOOOOOOOO painfully slow. There weren’t even that many patrons in the restaurant at that time. At most 2 parties. Anyways the second time experiencing Kaori was much better. Especially on your birthday because they give you either a complimentary carafe of sake or green tea ice cream. We opted for the sake, of course! The sake is served chilled in a beautiful glass carafe with so much sake inside! Weeee!
The sashimi platter: thick cuts of fresh ‘melt in your mouth’ fish. This platter was HUGE! I would definitely order again. This platter was shared among 3 of my friends and it was more than filling for all of us.
The interior is so sweet and intimate and the décor is dimly lit so this is perfect for a fun date night!