A small sushi bar that has quietly been getting it right.
Kira Kira sits in a strip of shops on Imperial Highway, behind a white picket fence and a string of lights. Rolls cut to order, sashimi sliced when you ask for it, and a bowl of miso soup and a ginger salad set down in front of you before anything else arrives.
The salad and the soup are on us. Every meal, every time.
It is printed on the card that sits on every table here: we provide ginger dressing salad and miso soup to each and every one. Not a lunch-special add-on, not something you have to ask for. It arrives while you are still deciding.
The dressing is the restaurant's own. Ginger, orange, celery and soy sauce, blended so it is sharp rather than sweet, poured over cold iceberg. The miso comes in a lacquer bowl with scallion cut through it.
"The rolls were okay, and they give free miso soup and a small salad, which was nice!!"
Jesse Lee, Google review
Old-school on purpose, with fifties rock on the speakers.
Paper lanterns, a wooden counter, a neon SUSHI sign in the window and a few tables out front under umbrellas. It is a small, lived-in room rather than a designed one, and the regulars seem to like it that way.
Asahi, Kirin and Sapporo are all behind the counter.
15810 Imperial Highway. The hours on the door are the real ones.
"It's like you stepped right into a little slice of japan, but they're playing really great fifties and sixties rock"
Rolls first, and a sashimi plate when you want one.
The kitchen leans toward rolls, and that is where the house specials live. Sashimi is cut to order. There is tempura, katsu and edamame alongside, and the full list is on the menu in the restaurant.
Yellowtail Lover's Roll
One of the house rolls off the signature list.
Candy Roll
Salmon and avocado inside, tuna laid over the top.
Ono Special
A spicy tuna base, built as one of the kitchen's own.
Burrito Roll
Wrapped in soy paper instead of nori, cut long.
Sashimi combination
Salmon, tuna, yellowtail, albacore and scallop, cut to order and laid over shredded daikon.
Seared salmon roll
Salmon torched on top so the edges catch, with tempura on the side.
Spicy tuna, crunchy top
Spicy tuna under a heavy scatter of panko, finished with eel sauce.
Shrimp tempura roll
Shrimp tempura piled over the rice with spicy mayo and more panko.
The full menu, with prices, is in the restaurant.
Call to order for pickup
Wednesday through Sunday, lunch straight through to dinner.
No break in the afternoon. Come at two in the afternoon on a Thursday and the kitchen is still going. Call ahead and we will have it boxed and ready at the counter.
562-943-4700409 reviews, averaging 4.7.
"We absolutely love this hidden gem of a restaurant. If you're in the area of la habra near imperial, you gotta come here. It's like you stepped right into a little slice of japan, but they're playing really great fifties and sixties rock"
"Five stars isn't enough. The sushi was so fresh and the restaurant was spotless and clean, so it was a good feeling to eat there. The taste really was the best. The owner was so kind it made it an even better experience. Somewhere I definitely want to come back to. I recommend it strongly."
"I always wanted to try this place whenever I came to this mall because it looked really cozy and had an old-school Japanese vibe outside. The rolls were okay, and they give free miso soup and a small salad, which was nice!! It definitely has a lot of potential."
"Friendly, the food tastes good, and it is always clean. I like it."
"We order a lot of Sushi Roll, I Enjoy almost everything. We still enjoy the Sushi, we will try again maybe soon."
| Monday | Closed |
|---|---|
| Tuesday | Closed |
| Wednesday | 11:00 AM - 9:00 PM |
| Thursday | 11:00 AM - 10:00 PM |
| Friday | 11:00 AM - 10:00 PM |
| Saturday | 11:00 AM - 10:00 PM |
| Sunday | 11:00 AM - 9:00 PM |