Sushi Shibucho

Went here after hearing so many good things about the place. Sushi is made to order, and they are super fresh and tasty. Pricing is just right (probably below some fancy omakase place, but still more expensive than local cheaper Japanese restaurant). There are not a lot of seats, so making reservations may be helpful for busy weekend evenings, but weekdays aren't bad. The ambiance is not romantic. It is more chatty, open, and casual because when you're sitting at the sushi bar, you're constantly talking to the sushi man who is also getting orders from the people sitting next to you. You end up striking a conversation with the ppl seating next to you. I would definitely go back here.

Would not have expected something this good from the outside but it really is a hidden gem. Authentic sushi with good fresh fish at affordable prices. Very friendly chef and a proper sushi meal.

My favorite omakase place in OC. The chef is talented and really puts his thought and creativity into the craft of sushi. A wonderful experience and I’ll definitely be back again and again!

Wonderful neighborhood omakase sushi spot. The chef is welcoming and the sushi selection is excellent. We are new to the neighborhood and decided to grab some sushi. We asked the chef to prepare whatever he chose to serve. We were not let down by his selections for the evening. Serving after serving the bites were delicious. My favorite was the unagi. If you are in the mood for some good sushi and not in a rush I highly recommend a stop in here.

This the absolute best sushi I have ever had in the whole world. The chef is so kind, humble and talented. The fish is so fresh and melts in your mouth. Omakase style sushi is such a treat! Highest recommendation for Sushi Shibucho!

Love love love this place. I’ve been coming here for over 7 years. I’ve moved away but always make sure to make a reservation when I’m in town. Not a place for rolls but for genuine sushi.

Authentic and incredible. The fish is sublime. The menu is small, but honed. It feels local and wonderful all at once.

Quality of the sushi is one of the best in LA. It's a small family owned restaurant with the chef, who's the owner, and a waitress. This is a traditional style edo-mae sushi from Japan so its the exact opposite of these popular "omakase" sushi. Overall great food and priced right.

Sushi Shibucho is absolute fire! If you're looking for top-tier Omakase, this is the spot. But if you're in the mood for sushi rolls, you might want to look elsewhere since this place is all about the art of traditional sushi. The space is small and intimate, which adds to the charm, but the real star is the sushi itself as it's fresh, high-quality, and well worth every penny. A true gem. The service is great as well. The owners tend to keep to themselves and are on the quieter side but they're always attentive to their customers' needs. They let the food do the talking. 10/10 would recommend to a friend

I really wanted to like this place but it's missing a few marks. Upon walking in for my reservation, my party and I were seated at the bar and were the only ones in the restaurant. The restaurant was very quiet and in the beginning and at one point, it was so awkward because 1) there's no menu and 2) the chef and staff looked at us as if we knew how the ordering process works. This was my first time here and we had to ask the chef... "Okay, so how do we go about by ordering?" Before coming in, I already looked at Yelp and saw other reviews saying that there is no menu and that we could just order from the chef. I really wish the chef talked to us in the beginning and gave us a short introduction of what is going on or even a template would be helpful. I'm also unsure how prices are calculated because there is obviously no menu. Fast forward to finally ordering, chef was very quick and the nigiri that was served was very fresh. My favorite were the scallops and the uni that melted in my mouth. All throughout the night, I really do feel like there could've been more explaining with the sushi that was being prepared and served. I liked all of the nigiri that was served but I didn't like the awkward silence and staring from staff when we're eating. Another party walked in and they also seemed to have the same puzzled look as this was their first time. I had about 12 courses of nigiri and it came out to about $80 each. For similar quality, there are other great restaurants in the area.

I went to this restaurant on a Sunday evening and it was such an enjoyable experience! We were the first ones there after dinner hours opened (we made reservations but ended up not needing them) we sat at the bar and we didn't feel any rush to order, the chef just patiently waited and explained to us how we could order. We got the sushi combo deluxe- the fish was extremely fresh, high quality cuts. We also got complimentary miso soup. Everything was so delicious!

Chef Glen was super nice and welcoming and answered all the questions we had. We sat by the sushi bar and saw all the fresh fish he had available and honestly we were blown away by the quality. We will definitely be back!

Went here recently for Omakase with the family. We had 5 people and sat at the sushi bar - it was fun watching Chef Glen make the sushi. It was amazing how fast he was as he was the only chef. There were 3 other people at the sushi bar and 3 seated at the tables and it was at capacity. You definitely need a reservation. A total of 11 people in the room so it was very private. The uni was the best I have ever had... literally melted in my mouth. The raw scallops were very fresh.

When you first walk in Chef Glen greets you and ask you if you have reservations. Call a week in advance to make the reservation over the phone. There's only 8 seat at the bar. It's omakase or you can tell chef what you want. There is no food menu here. Chef Glen took over his Father's restaurant, it's very cozy here. It's quiet, and visited by many Japanese locals. I would come back here again.

This place is great for authentic edo-mae sushi !! I loved every single part of it & although the place is small- it is delicious !! I recommend a reservation in advance due to its capacity. The chef is very nice & the omakase was definitely a great experience. Our omakase included uni, ikura & toro !! I came recommended by our friends, and they have been going here for years !!

Sushi Shibucho--an establishment that holds a storied place in the annals of OC sushi history. Once helmed by a tough and uncompromising sushi chef who had no qualms about ejecting those he deemed unworthy, the reins have now been passed to his son. This heir, while maintaining his father's high standards, has adopted a courteous yet professional manner in place of the previous regime's more controversial approach. Make no mistake, the sushi here is competent, with rice and fish that are well-matched to the price. Shibucho stands out in an era when the obsession with omakase-style service has swept the nation. Despite the mythologizing of omakase--an experience found predominantly in certain elite Ginza sushi restaurants--it is by no means the norm in Japan nor the hallmark of an authentic sushi experience that many believe it to be. Even among sushi connoisseurs in Japan, a significant portion prefer to navigate the menu themselves. I count myself among this group, appreciating the ability to time and pace my meal at a slower, more relaxed speed. Shibucho accommodates this preference, allowing one to order to their liking--a revolutionary concept, apparently. The spread of the film "Jiro Dreams of Sushi" has unfortunately instilled in many the notion that a sushi meal should be a tense experience, where one must desperately try to demonstrate their erudition and appreciation to an authoritarian itamae, as they are presented with a rapid-fire sequence of nigiri to be consumed within a rigid timeframe. Sushi Shibucho, while perhaps not a Michelin-starred destination, offers a more relaxed and enjoyable dining experience. The sushi is solid, the atmosphere pleasant, and the approach refreshingly laid-back. Rating: 4 out of 5 stars--As Dazai Osamu wrote, "Man is a strange creature. He can endure the loss of everything but his appetite." At Sushi Shibucho, your appetite will be well-satisfied, without enduring the trials of omakase. Lucien Bramard.

I walked in at 12pm. There was one customer at the bar. I asked for a table so that I could work on some emails but they said I can only order sushi if I sit at the bar. So I moved and the sushi chef then told me that I would not be allowed to use my laptop at the bar. Mind you, I was only one of two customers. So I left. And they lost at $200 in revenue that I was planning to spend. Moral of the story- snooty and not worth the stop!

Traditional Japanese sushi spot. Food items are omakase, nigiri and maki rolls, so if you're wanting fancy rolls with multiple sauces or appetizers this place won't be for you. Chef focuses on fish and serves it with a good rice ratio to balance flavors. Limited seating where bar seats 8 people and about 3-4 table tops behind the bar. Suggest making reservations to make sure you get a seat. It's one of the top places I'd go to for omakase.

Went back for my fiancés birthday dinner. We had about 16 pieces of omakase and loved every single bite. I made sure to call ahead of time so we could guarantee our seats at the bar. Glen had impeccable timing with serving each piece and made sure we got to eat the fish we wanted. So happy to be able to enjoy this gem.

I stumbled upon this place. Omg it's the best sushi spot I've tried in Orange County. I ordered the chirashi bowl, and there was no fish smell at all--the fish tasted incredibly fresh.The price is reasonable given the quality of the sushi. I highly recommend it!

I have been coming here for years and realized that Chef Glen is super talented, he has been doing this for many years, he grew up seeing and learning from his master sushi chef dad. The love for serving traditional, fresh sushi is inherently his birth right. So if you want traditional and really good sushi O encourage you to come and dine here. It is a really one man show. But a very talented one man show. Support local business!

If you would like high quality sushi this is your go to place. Their menu is very limited so if you are picky with certain fish. This is probably not your place. As they are mainly serving omakase where the chef will select for you. In my opinion, they are quite some selection and are all very fresh. So would recommended. However, on the other hand, the service is horrible. The server is not very patient when we ask questions. There was no customer there on Sunday lunch, so we did not caught them from bad timing. We thought maybe it's the language difference, so we speak Japanese to them. But still very unfriendly. Also, my 90 year old grandma who accidentally use the tray they use to put soy sauce as soy sauce dish. The server had to come by and correct her to take it and as we apologized for the inconvenience , she rolled her eyes and walked away. Would not go there again.

Highly recommend this sushi restaurant they are a gem in Orange County. Impeccable service and the food quality is 5 star. Can't say enough and the chef is master chef!

I've been to this place many times and still enjoy it very much. The seasonal hotaruika nigiri is my first time trying and is so sweet and juicy.

We went there for lunch but not much choices but only two Chirashi or Sushi plate (11 pieces) both are for $35.50 (way over priced!!!). No customer beside us but we decided not to dine-in as the they were not so friendly and prices were little bit too much to us for what we can get. I wish the price were little bit more reasonable with more selections at least for lunch and they were more friendly. No wonder there were no customers beside us. If I need to pay this much, I will go to Blue Fin or Nana San ($24.5 for Chirashi) both are in NB.

Chef was amazing for our first experience with omakase. Gave us a run down of everything. Friendly and personalized experience to our taste. Would come back. Great deal for under $100/ person

Always fresh sashimi love the fish Make sure to reserve ahead space is small the server seems lost but owner is really good one man show

Excellent, Edomae style Omakase with extremely fresh fish. Good prices relatively too - I got 15 pieces in the Omakase plus two large beers, and the bill was around $100. They do Kohada (gizzard shad) well, which takes a lot of experience. Interestingly, did not carry Otoro or Nodoguro explaining that he felt they were overpriced/overhyped. Would recommend this place to the traditional sushi enthusiast

My favorite sushi I've ever had in California. 100% AUTHENTIC! I wish I lived closer so I could go every week

Sushi were not fresh and very limited selection. I've been to many sushi restaurants and although none could be compared to the ones in Japan, this was one of the worst ones in Orange County

Food was amazing! Great place for omakase if you're in the mood. Glenn was super nice and gave us some choice fish for our dinner! Sitting at the bar is where it's at, watching Glenn make it in front of you is part of the experience too! Will be coming back to this place for a while and made the perfect place for an early Valentine's celebration!

Excellent! What else can I say?! Worth every penny! Especially love the little mini squid when it's in season. The rice is perfect temperature and of course made to the sushi chef's perfect concoction. Traditional sushi though so none of those spicy mayo sauces. If you eat here, you should expect sushi like it is prepared in Japan! Go Chef Naga!

We had high hopes for the omakase experience after hearing about this place from a couple we met at another sushi restaurant. Arrived to a somewhat empty restaurant on a Friday evening (only one other couple there at 7pm on a Friday!). Overall this was one of the most lackluster omakase experience we've had. It's like any other mediocre sushi joint. While serving uni, the chef stated that he had tasted it and it doesn't taste good but he has to serve it since he already bought it. He was right - the uni wasn't good. And while I appreciate his honesty I am unsure why he would put it on the menu and charge us for something that wasn't good. There wasn't a set omakase menu so we decided to cut our dinner short. We were not given a menu when we arrived and I wish I had requested for one. We have no problem paying for great meals but this meal was in no way worth $200 especially since we were in and out within 35 minutes. Total rip off.

Omg... one of the best sushi places I have tried. We tried omakase left it up to the chef. Every single piece just melted away in mouth. My only complaint is that now that I have tried top tier sushi, it's hard to eat sushi elsewhere... damn..

I am soooo happy to have found this sushi place! The portions are just right, served with a variety of fresh, rich fish. The chef is very talented and the host is attentive and will make sure you have everything you need. An intimate, authentic experience. Definitely will be frequenting this place, and will spread the word to anyone I can.

One of the best sushi I have ever had! The fish was so fresh and tasty and the pieces were a decent size. It is a sushi bar so you will eat the pieces fresh as they are made and handed directly to you! It's an amazing value and quality in my opinion.

Service: great! The chef was funny, attentive and very accommodating. Food: omakase - the fish quality was great, especially for the price. This was my first time having proper sushi due to COVID-19 and it was a worthwhile experience. The selection was a little limited but understandably so.

A hole in the wall find. Glenn is second generation sushi chef, that was formally trained in Japan for 5 years. Fish are fresh and no nonsense; he has some specials up his sleeve which is kind of reserved for regulars. Price is reasonable for what you get in omakase. I would return!

Private intimate sushi dinner with fresh fish and amazing chief who is very personable. Definitely a got to sushi restaurant in Orange County.

best sushi place ever Orange County good service and quiet and peaceful restaurant ever.

This is a wonderful sushi restaurant that has high quality fish prepared traditionally, and absent of American invented saucy rolls. If you are the type to order omakase, you will probably be happy here. That said, do note that the menu prices are much higher than some of the photos that you see pictured here. Be prepared to spend the type of money you would spend at a high-end sushi restaurant. For example, the lunch items in the pictured menu that shows $16.50 or $18.50, are actually $35.50 now.

I was craving Sushi last night stopped by new place. As I was getting ready to place order, Racist Owner stated for me to go to In-N-Out to use bathroom. Americans unwelcome here so went to Nobu Newport Beach had amazing Tuna rolls!

They're not the same as they used to be when the dad was the main chef. A gf and I went for lunch and they served the most basic Omakase (salmon, snapper, tuna, o toro, mackerel, kanpachi, yellowtail, etc). I'd say for the price, go somewhere else.

BEST SUSHI EVER! This place in OC is the best in anywhere I have been to, believe me I know, I'm from Japan and I go home every year, I tried all the Japanese food in OC and LA, people pay hundreds of $$ to eat Japanese food, I'm like why you pay $300 or someplace charge more than $300 each person for the Japanese food, and when I leave the place I'm still hungry!! You can eat excellent sushi at this place, I went to lunch and I have chirashi for under $30 and come with miso soup, dinner if you paid $100 you can eat good and satisfy! I would never go anywhere else to eat sushi, bcz this place will take me back to Japan every time I eat here, so why I go other places I recommend this place 200%, but it is small place so make sure to call for reservations, it fills up the place very quick!

This is my go to spot for real sushi! If your looking for a traditional edomae sushi experience look no further. You won't find any American/Korean sushi at Shibucho only real Japanese sushi that has been properly prepared with years and family generations of training. The Chef Nagasan was trained in Japan then here in the states by his father Shibuchosan who is a sushi legend amongst Japanese Sushi Chefs.

I've tried so many omakase options since Covid restrictions started, and this by far THE favorite omakase among so many good options out there in Orange County. I love that Shibucho's style is not pretentious. If you're not as interested in Michelin haute cuisine atmosphere but just care for delicious, high quality sushi then this is your hometown sushi restaurant to count on.

So amazing. Sushi disintegrates in your mouth. Such a personal experience. You can tell the chef what you don't like before ordering omakase. Chef was very friendly. Loved everything about this!

Only take reservations ahead of time here, is a small restaurant with limited seating. This place is a hidden gem and my favorite spot. I come by here for dinner after work. My bestfriend Howie show me this place and Iove it. I really enjoy the foods here. Omakase is definitely a must! Freshness qualities of the fishes is super tasty and nigiri sushi so amazingly delicious. Shige-san is an awesome chef and very accommodating.

Owners are rude !!! They say they offer bathrooms to customers and then don't let you pay for anything to use the restroom, Stinks anyway looks dirty as well the food -

It's okay. I ordered a deluxe chirashi and it had smoked salmon vs. salmon? There are better places in the area. The chirashi bowl was mainly rice. The fish -- mediocre. It looks like authentic sushi, but the quality isn't even close. I rather get sushi from mitsuwa.

Thanks glen for the wonderful sushi experience! Local owned & lots of regular customers !

Friday night date, omakase for two. Small place that can accommodate perhaps 10-12 people tops. Fresh, good variety of fish. For how much we pigged out, the bill was super affordable. Def adding this place to our rotation.

very high quality fish for an excellent price. it's no frills and I love that - just come and have a great meal. the $34 sushi plate has not only your usual suspects but some special features too

I realized that it had been awhile since my last review. This is still the best sushi that I know of. The fish is always fresh, the variety is spectacular, and the preparation by Chef Glen is impeccable. Omakase is the way to go. This is traditional sushi at its best.

If you want real Edo-mae traditional Japanese Sushi in Orange County this is the real deal as good as the best places in Tokyo. No weird made-up rolls, overly-saused, or crazy platings. Shibucho maintains excellent sushi rice and stellar sushi quality as good as any restaurant in Ginza or Tsukiji in Tokyo. If you want real Sushi it's at Shibucho...

Came here with 6 other coworkers 10 minutes before it opened for lunch. They open exactly at noon. We made reservations, but wanted to come early for extra measure. This place is popular and tiny! They have bar seating for about 8-10 people and 4 small tables. I looked at the lunch specials and sushi list to see what I wanted when my boss said he was getting Omakase. Omakase?? What... how?... I thought that was only at the bar. Apparently not here! So I ordered myself Omakase too. They brought all the nigiri out at once rather than bit by bit like most other places. Now let's talk about some of the standouts... Salmon - melt in your mouth, so creamy and fatty... Toro - good quality, but I've had better Uni - the butter of the sea... yes, that good! Sweet Shrimp - one of my faves, but alas, they didn't have it today.. heard their shrimp is still alive and kickin' when they do have it though! Tamago - so THICK and just the right amount of sweetness, yum. I was surprised by the Omakase here because usually chef's do their little "twist" on things by adding special sauces and whatnot, but this place gave you straight up fish on rice with a side of homemade wasabi. Come here if you want nothing more than top notch quality fish without the distraction. The little lady serving us was so smiley and sweet! She always made sure our teacups were full and plates were taken away. Total price for my Omakase lunch here was $24, my mouth dropped open at the more than reasonable price for the amount they gave! Overall a great, authentic sushi place.

We were on our way to Tacolandia 2 when suddenly we decided we wanted Japanese instead. Sushi Shibucho was right there so we popped inside. I was surprised that it was such a small restaurant, but was pleased to find that it was Japanese owned and run. In fact, it's a mom and pop type of sushi place and I'm guessing the sushi chef is the owner and the server his wife. What I did not know was that this place ONLY serves sushi. Nothing else. This caused a bit of a problem because the young man isn't a sushi eater. Still, we thought since we're here, we'll just eat the sushi and then the young man can still go next door and grab some tacos. We ordered a selection of sushi from the list as well as the sushi combination ($16.50). Hubby and I were given a piece of marinated mackerel as an amuse bouche. I liked it tremendously. It had that distinctive fishy taste of mackerel with a really nice soy/mirin taste to it. Our sushi combo plate arrived rather quickly. The sushi chef is pretty swift at his game even though the sushi bar was pretty full. I was impressed. (Please see photo for the selection of fish) I thought the fish was very fresh and was very flavorful. Every piece had its own distinctive flavor -- no frills, but still, very good. I did find that there was just a tad too much rice, but other than that it was very satisfying. There is one piece on the combo plate which is tamago. I usually hate tamago. I didn't want to waste a piece so I took a bite of it but was so surprised that it tasted this good. It's not overly sweet and tasted just like what, in my mind, should taste like. When our second plate arrived, I dug into the uni. Again it was fresh and briny although not as plump as those from Murasaki. We ended up getting 2 more orders of salmon sushi for the young man who ordinarily did not eat sushi, but after we asked him to try the piece from our combo plate, he liked it and wanted more. Our combo plate came with miso soup but the lady was so kind she gave us an extra bowl. It was excellent! The miso was not overpowering and had good chunks of tofu and strips of fried tofu in it. The young man had a bowl all to himself. Service was good. The lady was very sweet and full of smiles. We left quite satisfied. Our total with tip came to $60 which makes it a reasonable yet ideal choice for every day sushi. It's not expensive and the quality of sushi is good. Just remember though, they serve sushi ONLY and nothing else.