On a stretch of Bristol Street already defined by polished dining rooms and steady foot traffic, a quieter kind of opening is taking shape. On March 23, 2026, Costa Mesa gains two concepts that don’t compete for attention—they pull you in. Highball, a Japanese-style cocktail bar grounded in precision, opens alongside Naisho Omakase, a 14-seat sushi counter hidden behind a velvet curtain. The experience is designed as a progression: a drink in hand, the room humming, before stepping into something more intimate, more deliberate, where the pace slows and every movement matters.
In a region saturated with sushi counters and cocktail programs, what sets this dual concept apart is its restraint. There’s no rush to impress. Instead, the team—led by co-founders Thomas Pham and Andrew Le, Chef Shimpei Shinohara, and bar leads Justin Oh and Tony Morabito—builds the evening around intention. It’s a format that reflects Costa Mesa’s growing identity as a serious dining destination, one that increasingly values craft over spectacle.
At Highball, the philosophy is rooted in Japanese “Authentic Bar” culture, a style that treats bartending as disciplined craft. The approach is clear: perfect the classics before reinventing them. A highball—just whisky and soda—becomes a test of precision, where balance, ice, and dilution define the result. The opening menu leans into that mindset, including a Japanese-American blend of Taketsuru Pure Malt and Westland Single Malt, stretched with Singha soda for a clean, layered finish. Cocktails like the gimlet and mint julep are treated with the same respect, refined through technique rather than reinvention, while originals like chu-hi and akisame bring subtle experimentation without losing control.
Step behind the curtain, and the tone shifts. At Naisho Omakase, the room tightens—14 seats, no distractions. Chef Shimpei Shinohara approaches the format less as a sequence and more as a composition. Courses move through temperature, texture, and smoke in ways that resist predictability. Tuna-mi layers miso toro tartare with takuan and dashi-marinated ikura, while Fat & Fire introduces bluefin tuna noodles touched by binchotan charcoal and finished with caviar. Ocean Bacon, a cold-smoked Greek black snapper with Okinawan sea salt, reframes what diners expect from fish entirely.
The transition between the two spaces is intentional. Highball carries energy—conversation, carbonation, movement. Naisho quiets it. The shift isn’t just physical; it’s emotional. Guests are guided from social to introspective, from the familiar rhythm of a bar to the focused cadence of an omakase counter.
The team behind the project reflects years of overlap in Southern California’s hospitality scene. Pham and Le bring a decade of experience building restaurant brands through SLIQUE Media, while continuing to operate concepts of their own. Chef Shinohara’s training began at 13 in his family’s restaurant, shaping a career defined by discipline and long-term vision. Oh and Morabito anchor the bar with a shared belief that innovation starts with mastering what already exists. Rounding out the group, Shaun Ito helped shape the physical space, ensuring the flow between bar and counter feels seamless rather than segmented.
What emerges is not two separate venues, but a single narrative told in two parts—cocktail and cuisine, ice and fire, movement and stillness. In a dining landscape often driven by trends, Highball and Naisho Omakase take a slower approach, one built on craft that doesn’t need to announce itself loudly to be felt.
To get your reservations for Naisho and Highball, call (949) 390-8377 or visit opentable.com
Location: 3033 Bristol St #117, Costa Mesa
Hours:
Highball: 5:30–11:00 p.m.
Naisho Omakase: 6–9:30 p.m. (subject to change)
Photo credits: Niasho and Highball courtesy of business. Photo courtesy of business/venue
