Osaka Restaurant

577 North Mountain Ave.

Upland, CA

(909) 981-5299

Osaka Restaurant, the newest Japanese restaurant in Upland, is located in the Big 5 shopping center on Mountain Avenue! This new restaurant features a full sushi bar and traditional Japanese tatami seating as well as regular table seating. We visited on a Saturday evening and were seated immediately at the sushi bar. Our sushi chef, Mike, was both attentive and friendly. The menu includes Japanese cuisine featuring sushi, teriyaki, noodle dishes, tempura, and Osaka specialties. The entrees range from $4.99 for noodle dishes (udon) to $14.99 for the combination dinner special of chicken teriyaki, tempura, sashimi, and California roll.

On our visit, we sampled only from the sushi menu. The sushi menu has the traditional variety of hand rolls, cut rolls, and nigiri sushi with only a few house specialties. Upon being seated, we were served a bowl of soy beans and a plate of deep-fried octopus. [Yuk!–ed.]We then shared a variety cut rolls including a spicy tuna roll ($5.50), a spider roll — softshell crab ($9.50), and a yellow-tail tuna roll ($5.50). We also sampled an order of fresh salmon - sake, served nigiri style ($3.95) and a fresh salmon hand roll ($4.50). The fish was very fresh and delicious, although the hand rolls were smaller than we have sampled in other restaurants. The wait staff was anxious to please and, throughout our dinner, we were presented with samples to taste, including pickled cucumber and octopus.

Osaka is new and seems to be struggling to make a go of it. The convenient location and friendly staff give it a chance of success. Epi-curious hopes so. Osaka earned three chef’s hats for food and two and one-half for ambience.