Kizuna

Authentic sushi, Edomae style. The bond across the counter.

絆 · Kizuna means a bond

One thread, tied across the counter.

Rice, fish, the chef's hands, your seat at the bar. Sushi is the moment they meet. That connection is the word the restaurant is named for.

01

The rice

Warm, seasoned, pressed by hand. Reviewers single out the rice on the chirashi and the sashimi omakase as the quiet thing that holds the whole plate together.
02

The fish

Cut thick and clean at the bar. Tuna, salmon, scallop, bluefin negitoro for the premium sets. Fresh oysters when they come in.
03

The hands

Chef Masa trained in Tokyo in the Edomae style and worked the bar at Taiko for a decade before opening Kizuna. The same hands, now in Aliso Viejo.
04

Your seat

About thirty seats, a small bar, friendly in Japanese or English. Cozy enough that the chef sees you. That closeness is the whole idea of kizuna.

Sit at the bar, and the thread runs to your seat.

What to order first

Start with the chef's choice.

The dishes regulars order by name, and the premium sets that are the closest thing to saying, Masa, you choose.

An assortment of fresh nigiri at Sushi Kizuna: thick-cut tuna, scallop, and a spicy tuna roll on a white plate

The bar in one order

01 $45.5

Chef's Premium Omakase Sushi

Eight pieces of the chef's choice sushi, a bluefin negitoro cut roll, and house-made tamago. The closest thing to sitting at Masa's bar and saying, you choose.

A signature specialty roll at Sushi Kizuna topped with seared fish, tobiko, and a thin ribbon of sauce

House signature

02 MP

Kizuna Roll

The roll named for the house. Reviewers order it by name alongside the omakase and the kizuna ice. Ask the chef what is in it today.

A chirashi-style bowl at Sushi Kizuna with eel, avocado, tamago, and tobiko over seasoned rice, a side salad alongside

03 $45.5

Chef's Premium Chirashi Bowl

The chef's choice of assorted sashimi laid over warm sushi rice. The rice on this bowl is the part regulars come back for.

Japanese-style dice-cut seared beef steak at Sushi Kizuna, plated on an oval dish with scallion and ponzu

04 $26.5

Japanese-style Dice-cut Beef Steak

Seared beef, diced, finished with scallion and a bright ponzu pool. A warm plate to share before the sushi comes.

A specialty roll plated at Sushi Kizuna, glistening under a thin drizzle of sauce

05 $35.5

Sashimi Dinner

An assorted sashimi plate, cut thick the way the bar likes it. Comes with miso and salad. Simple and clean.

A crunchy tempura-topped shrimp roll on a black plate at Sushi Kizuna with pickled ginger and wasabi

06 MP

Crunch Shrimp Roll

Crisp tempura crunch over shrimp, avocado, and cucumber, finished with tobiko and a sweet-savory ribbon. One of the rolls that comes out plated to share.

See the full menu

Prices shown are from the dinner menu. Roll prices marked MP, ask the bar for today's.

★★★★★

“Very nice place, with very welcoming staff. Atmosphere is very cozy and comforting. Service was excellent and very kind. Please support your local businesses.”

Kelvin A. · Google · 4.7★ on 216 reviews

The sushi counter at Sushi Kizuna, a chef at work behind the bar in a small, warm dining room — The bar, Aliso Viejo

The chef

Chef Masa, from Tokyo.

Masaomi Yabe was born and raised in Tokyo, home of the Edomae style of sushi. He trained at Japanese cuisine restaurants around the city, then moved to chase the dream of his own bar.

For a decade he worked the sushi bar at Taiko. Regulars who followed him here still mention it by name. In Aliso Viejo, those are the same hands behind your plate, and the restaurant carries the name for the thing he is after: kizuna, a bond.

Meet Chef Masa See the Menu

Come sit