INI Ristorante Rolls Out a Summer Menu Worth Clearing Your Calendar For
If you haven't been to INI Ristorante lately, the new summer menu is a good reason to go back. The Fountain Valley restaurant has built its reputation on a kitchen that thinks in both Japanese and Italian, and the latest seasonal lineup shows exactly why that combination works so well.
New this season: the Crab Roe Spaghetti, layered with crab roe emulsion, brown butter crab, dehydrated tomato, and stracciatella. It's rich but not heavy, which is a hard thing to pull off. The Miso-Glazed Black Cod comes over soba noodles in mushroom dashi broth with bamboo, frisee, and ponzu vinaigrette, and the Mixed Beet Salad with Meyer lemon vinaigrette, goat cheese, fennel, orange, and spiced seed mix is the kind of thing you'll order every time.
For something more substantial, the Pork Tomahawk with bacon jus and sweet potato puree has you covered. And don't skip dessert: the Blueberry Pavlova with passionfruit, mascarpone, graham crumble, basil, and crisp meringue is the right way to end the meal.
The cocktail list got a summer refresh as well. The Old Fashioned Kei features Kei Concepts Woodford Reserve, Japanese whisky, sansho pepper, and amaro reduction. The Ember and Bramble goes reposado tequila, mezcal, Japanese oak liqueur, and blackberry shrub. And the Sakura Sour brings together Japanese vodka, sakura, thyme, and egg white. Also new: a Lychee Spritz with elderflower and Okinawa juice, and the Dolce Saturno with Nikka gin, passionfruit, strawberry, and lemongrass orgeat.
The timing is worth noting. Kei Concepts founder Viet Nguyen was recently named a 2026 James Beard Award semifinalist for Best Chef: California, a Pacific Southwest finalist for EY's Entrepreneur of the Year awards, and received both the Excellence in Entrepreneurship Award and 2026 Chef of the Year honors from the Orange County Business Journal. A big moment for a restaurant group that has earned it.
INI Ristorante is open for dinner Tuesday through Sunday.
16129 Brookhurst St, Fountain Valley. (714) 277-4046
