Kappo Honda

This review is long overdue. Came here for our 4^th year anniversary. Everything was delicious and I think this is my favorite Yakitori spot in OC. This place rocks. food is delicious, I think the menu has alot more variety than Honda Ya and I drank some of that $ 100+ sake which was exceptional.
Chicken hearts /​beef tongue /​agadashi tofu /​meatballs with cheese /​bacon wrapped asparagus /​tuna with the uni on top /​and cant remember half the stuff I ate. I ordered so much food. It was all delicious. As I write this review I think i’m going back tonight.

If you want pretty authentic Japanese food, I’ve heard this is the place to go. I’ve never been to Japan, so I’m not exactly sure what «authentic» Japanese food tastes like — that being said, I love the type of Japanese cuisine you can find in many American restaurants.
I wish there were «half-​star» ratings, because I’d give this place a three and a half. It’s not really quite a four for me, but don’t really think it deserves a three based off of one entrée that wasn’t good at all.
While my husband and I enjoyed a potsticker-​like appetizer with a delicious dipping sauce, filled with nacho-​ish cheese; a California roll and fried tempura; unfortunately the chicken udon bowl I got was not good at all. I took three bites and couldn’t take anymore. It had a fishy flavor, which was super gross mixed with the chicken.
Not a huge saki fan, but my husband convinced me to try the cold saki and it was delicious!
The interior of the restaurant is very cozy, but there is a large table that can accommodate large parties. It is very quaint, servers are not overly friendly (but are not rude, either); but our table was bussed often, and our drinks were never empty.
We’ll most likely come here again, but I’ll probably play it safe and stick with the chicken or beef teriyaki. My husband can be the adventurous one. :-)

Didn’t get uni on my to-​go order of the Newport Beach roll, lame :(
But I’m still obsessed with this place! Food is always on point.

I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to write a review for this place! It’s easily my favorite Japanese restaurant in the OC. When my bf and I first discovered it, we would come here every week… One week, we had dinner here three times!
I used to live in Japan when I was a kid, so coming here makes me feel super nostalgic. It has a very authentic feel to it from the staff to the décor… Love it.
The food is great, and it all comes at a reasonable price. Usually when I come, I either like to get the yaki udon or one of the combo plates of I’m feeling especially hungry but I’ve tried pretty much everything here and have not been disappointed. Except once we got the sashimi nachos and were a little disappointed with that, but you can’t win them all I guess. My bf likes to get their miso ramen which is also pretty bomb.
I totally recommend this place to anyone who needs their Japanese food fix at a good price and with great service. Since it is a bit small, it can get really packed and you can be waiting a while but personally I think it’s worth it.

i will never tire of this place. Kappo Honda is a place I often return to with the thought that I should always try something new with each visit. My brother has also joined my adventurous spirit to try new things, so it’s nice to have someone ready to tackle the menu as well, through the good and interesting. Here are a few items we’ve taken on throughout the main and special menu.
— Salads —
Avocado & Blue Crab Salad dressed with a light ponzu and chopped greens. It’s pretty basic with a scoop of crab mayo. If you’re going to be having a lot of yakitori, get the onion salad. Dressed with ponzu, Japanese mayo and bonito flakes, the sweet onions complement the meats really well. The salad is quite nice on its own as well.
— Soups —
There’s several options for miso soup, but I really like the red miso (akadashi) or the red miso with mushrooms. There’s also chazuke (rice porridge). We wanted to try the sea urchin option, but they were out for the night. We settled on salmon roe instead. If you’re looking for more hot pot style meets soba, try the yu-​tofu. The tofu and vegetables are simmered in a broth and you dip them in a soba sauce with green onions and wasabi.
— Menu —
Negiyaki (pancake). It’s like a takoyaki without the octopus topped with bonito flakes and served with Japanese mayo. Ika Somen is squid sashimi served with wasabi, green onions and soba dipping sauce. Ika Natto (squid with fermented soybean) is exactly as it sounds. Seasoned with a few drops of soy sauce and wasabi, it was perfect.
— Yakitori —
Here are a few of my favorites: Bacon Wrapped Asparagus, Pork Toro, Chicken Liver, Chicken Gizzard, Chicken Thigh with Green Onion, Bacon Wrapped Pork Sausage, Chicken Cartilage and Meatball Cheese.
— Dessert —
And to conclude on a sweet end, we’ve had our fair share of desserts from caramel flan with fruits, strawberry or fruit parfaits and shiratama zenzai (sweet red bean with mochi). They are all beautifully presented and tasty!
I have never left disappointed, unless it was closed (New Year’s Eve) or I was too hungry to wait, which is quite rare. I can always count on coming through and leaving satisfied.

Went here with my boyfriend during the weekend for a late dinner. We called prior for a reservation before we came in. The earliest time they will accept a reservations is 2 hours prior to your arrival and they will seat you as soon as the table is available. I totally recommend calling in to make a reservation because the place can get pack during prime dinner hours.
Cleanliness/​Décor
The décor was amazing! When you first walk into the restaurant, you are instantly sent to a small town ma and pa place in Japan. The place is very intimate, you could bring someone for a romantic date or have a secret dinner. As for cleanliness, the place was too dark to tell.
Food
The food was GREAT! I recommend everyone trying anything there (just be daring!).
Service
It was good! In the beginning it was slow but slowly they started picking up their pace.
Overall Experience
4 Stars! The food was Amazing and the décor was the added bonus! However service was just good.
Happy Eats Everyone!

Wow, if I didn’t write a review 3 years ago, I wouldn’t have remembered that I came here before! Service has definitely improved from back then. The food was delicious! What was ordered: the Huntington Beach Roll, Dana Point Roll, Super Crunchy Roll on Fire, and Alaska Roll along with some yakitori (beef tongue, garlic pork belly, shiitake mushroom with ground chicken, and asparagus with pork belly). We got to sit in the secluded area where you have to take your shoes off before you enter, which was a pretty neat and rare experience. Service was friendly and food was quick for it being a little after midnight arrival.

went for dinner on a Sunday. waited about 10 minutes for a table of 6, not too bad.
didn’t eat much but everything I ate was pretty good. I was actually surprised the sushi was good since its hard for a place to have fresh sushi and good meat.
i also really liked the cucumber appetizer that everyone gets in the beginning. pour some soy sauce on there and some pepper seasoning on the table.
LOVE LOVE LOVE their yuzu paste. worth the 50 cents. i dip this and a little bit of soy sauce with my yakitori and sashimi.
yakitori
— chicken liver — i didn’t like this but most of my friends did. it had a texture similar to pâté
— gizzard — LOVE gizzard! its texture is kinda like hard but not chewy. not sure how to explain it but i really liked it
— quail eggs — good but nothing special
— pork belly — i thought i would like this but ended up not liking it. kind of dry
i will come back and try more yakitori next time
from the menu
— hirame carpaccio — halibut sashimi with uni on top. very good!
— blue crab avocado salad — yummm so good! the blue crab was okay though. i’ll probably get this salad next time without the blue crab if they could do it. save some money!
— grilled squid — so gooddd with the yuzu and some ponzu mix (must ask for yuzu and ponzu)