INI Ristorante

First of the Kei Concept restaurants | got to try and it didn't disappoint. My wife and I came here on a Friday evening for dinner and there was a huge wait but thankfully we had a reservation and got in with no wait at all. Parking is free with a shared plaza with other popular shops including another Kei Concept restaurant. I love the interior design of this restaurant, very chill vibes, dampened a bit for a romantic vibe, very modern. Immediately after getting seated and through the entire course of our meal, the staff was super attentive despite how busy the restaurant is on a Friday evening. Very impressed with our servers speed and constant refills of our waters. We ordered four dishes, one small plate (apps), entree, pizza, and pasta and everything was delicious and great portions for sharing. 1. Truttle Cheese Bread: (Small plate/Appetizer): This dish is a ABSOLUTE MUST TRY. The cheese is perfect and melts with the bread to absolute perfection. Words cannot describe how good this dish is. HIGHLY RECOMMEND. 100/10 2. Truffle Funghi Pizza came next and it was bigger than I thought. The crust on the pizza is the best, not too big nor small and very crunchy. The pizza itself is very good for a start of a meal type dish, easily shareable. The veggies were plentiful but easily fallen off the pizza. Other than that, the pizza was great. 4/5 3. Veal Bolognese: This dish surprised me, its very similar to spaghetti, so if. you're a fan of spaghetti, this dish is for you. It's extremely flavorful and great mix with the meatballs and sauce. Great portions and very much shareable but can also be a solo dish. 4/5 4. Chicken Katsu Parmesan: The entree of the night, HUGE portions. The dish is a bit spicy which adds it to the extreme flavor already for the dish. The katsu was easily cut-table with a knife provided for this dish specifically. Katsu was really smooth and not super hard, but has a great mix of crunch. 5/5 Overall, INI Ristorante has impressed me. I've longed to try this establishment and will be back soon to try other dishes. Really impressed with the pasta and how professional the staff is. Love the ambiance here and is one of my favorite restaurants so far.

INI Ristorante is a popular Japanese-Italian fusion restaurant. Make sure to make a reservation ahead of time because it can get very crowded. The server was friendly, and the restaurant had a nice atmosphere. We’ve been here a few times, and the food has been consistently tasty. We tried some new items today. The calamari was yummy, the shrimp rigatoni was okay, but the ribeye was unfortunately not worth it. Note: We came for a birthday celebration and they gave us a delicious slice of Chocolate Hazelnut Cake topped with vanilla ice cream and a candle on top. I thought that was very sweet. * Calamari Fritti 4.5/5 - This was very good fried calamari. The pieces were a bit on the small size, but the flavor made up for it. It was crispy and tasty with the marinara sauce. We were devouring every bite. * Australian Ribeye 3/5 - This was our most expensive dish, but also the most disappointing. We ordered the ribeye medium, but it came out medium rare. It was also under-seasoned, chewy, and not tender. The potatoes and broccolini actually tasted better and more flavorful than the beef which shouldn't be the case. * Truffle Cheese Bread 5/5 - You can never go wrong with toasty and fluffy bread topped with cheesy goodness. This was good as always. * Shrimp Rigatoni Alla Rosa 4/5 - This dish was medium spicy. I saw the pepper icon next to its name, but the level of spiciness wasn’t clear. The pasta was good, though not super unique. The shrimp was delicious. * Meet Me in Venice 3.5/5 - This was recommended as a sweet cocktail, but it wasn’t very sweet. I had it a long time ago, and I thought it tasted better back then. This time it was just okay.

Came here for lunch on a Friday afternoon. There was no wait. It wasn’t crowded. The inside is really pretty! There’s a tree in the middle of the restaurant which was cool!!! 🌳 The waiter was super friendly. The food was great. The calamari appetizer had so much. It was like never ending lol. The beef carpaccio was so delicious omg 🤤wow. I am shocked at how delicious it is! We also got a seafood poke pizza, which sounded super interesting. The first bite was a little weird but the more I ate it, the better tasting it became. I was actually really surprised at how delicious it got! Lolol. 🍕 It is pricy here but the food is delicious and I would recommend if you’re in the mood for something out of the ordinary!

A favorite in OC for all the best reasons : top service, delicious and fresh food , and cute interiors. Everytime I visit, it’s busy and the food is consistently amazing - also love the seasonal rotating dishes. Mentaiko pizza and miso carbonara are my two favorite dishes! The fruit salads are always a great appetizer , and the truffle cheese bread is loaded with different cheeses and honey.

Had an amazing experience at INI Ristorante. The food was absolutely delicious — every dish felt thoughtfully crafted and full of flavor. They do Italian/Japanese fusion really well, blending the two cuisines in a way that feels creative without trying too hard. The pasta was perfectly cooked, the sauces were rich but balanced, and the Japanese touches added a unique twist that actually works. The ambiance is modern and relaxing, and the service was warm and attentive throughout the meal. If you’re looking for a spot that delivers great fusion food with a refined vibe, INI Ristorante is definitely worth checking out.