A&J is an Irvine institution!! Can't even remember how much times I've visited in the last ten years because it's probably my favorite Taiwanese spot in the area. It's about time I reviewed them! My number one dish goes to the minced pork rice- it's a pretty simple dish, but it's sooo good here for some reason. I've ordered this dish at other Taiwanese restaurants and nothing compares to the one at A&J- the pork is always SO flavorful, never dry and enough to coat all the rice, the egg is perfection, and all the little garnishes compliment the dish so well. It's also just as amazing takeout which I always appreciate. Other go-tos are the spicy beef noodle soup- the beef in it is always so tender and I love getting the thick noodle option because of the rough texture it adds. Beef roll and pan fried dumplings are always a good option for sharing. Have tried a lot of things on their menu and nothing so far has disappointed! read more

A & J Restaurant - beef roll, spicy beef noodle soup, minced pork on rice, sour noodles - Taiwanese Near Me - Irvine, California

Went to A&J with a few friends on a Friday night. There was about a 15-minute wait. We checked in, told them our party size, received a numbered ticket, and were seated shortly after. We ordered a variety of dishes to share, including the beef noodle soup, minced pork over rice, spicy wontons, fried pork chop, and scallion pancake. At first, the portions looked smaller than we expected, but the prices were reasonable and the food ended up being more filling than it appeared. We actually thought we'd need to order several more dishes for our group of four, but by the end of the meal we were completely satisfied. My favorite was definitely the spicy wontons. The wontons themselves were great, but the sauce was flavorful, slightly spicy, and addictive! read more

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It pains me to write this, but after being a loyal customer for nearly 15 years, I think our time with A&J has come to an end. This has long been our go-to for Taiwanese comfort food, and while the flavors weren't always 100% authentic, they hit the spot. However, our recent visits have been disappointing. The restaurant has become incredibly "penny-pinching" with their service. I was recently told there would be a $1 charge just for a sprinkle of scallions and another $1 for a small side of clear broth for my dry noodles--requests that were never an issue before. Furthermore, when we ordered extra noodles for my son's beef noodle soup, the original portion seemed intentionally smaller, defeating the purpose of paying for the add-on. Between the degraded service and the "nickel-and-diming" atmosphere, it is no longer worth the 30-minute drive. The vibe has changed, and the pleasure of dining here is gone. read more

The best beef noodles in OC. They have amazing pancakes, dumplings and side dishes. Lots of other rice and noodle dishes but everytime I ended here I still order 101, beef and tendon spicy noodles. Tried both wide and thin noodles, they are good in their own ways. Thin noodles grab onto broth better and it's delicious. Wide noodles are more authentic, I think that's how Taiwanese people like to eat at least from what I have seen from my friend's preferred choice. The service is fast and they bring food within minutes. Inside is extremely loud, idk what it is about the Chinese culture but ifi it's impossible to be quiet lol read more

A & J Restaurant - 101 Spicy Beef tendon Noodle Soup (Szechuan Style) - Taiwanese Near Me - Irvine, California

My husband YELPED this place and it has really high ratings and reviews so we decided to give it a try! It was 20 minutes away from the Pacific View Mortuary so we decided to come here after my husband visited his dad... GREETED UPON ENTRY! Quite nice and loudly by a nice lady! I believe I only saw ladies working in the restaurant which is pretty cool! Women power!! SPICY BEEF NOODLE SOUP: 10/10 I love the TENDONS so much!! They were nice and TENDER!!! Not chewy at all! The flavor of the broth is good and not too SALTY or SPICY so you can easily adjust it if you need more Salt or Chili oil...Better than SHANGS in Las Vegas in my opinion!!!... SPICY WONTONS: 9/10 The wontons were small and fell apart easily but, the sauce was DELICIOUS!!! It was such a TEASE because it was a small dish that was PACKED with so much flavor so I finished it as REVENGE!!! Mwahahaha!!!!... BEAN CURD WITH ASSORTED MUSHROOMS: 9/10 Loved the bean curds!!! I finished it too!!! There was only ONE MUSHROOM though so that's why I took off a point... SCALLION PANCAKE: 8/10 In not usually into it. My husband loved it and it reminded him of ROTI... PAN FRIED PORK DUMPLINGS: 9/10 It was nice and juicy! The portions were HUGE!!! Definitely had to pack this one home to finish it later... SERVICE WAS EXCELLENT!!! AMBIANCE was nice! The tables were set per close to each other towards the front of the restaurant so there wasn't much room to walk in between tables. It reminded me of the walkway that's similar to being on an AIRPLANE!!! If you are a Big person I would recommend sitting at the tables towards the back because there's more SPACE there!!! HIGHLY RECOMMEND TRYING THIS PLACE !!! A & J RESTAURANT MAKES YOU WANT TO COME EVERYDAY!!!! read more

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I've been here a few times with the family. The service is quick and friendly. We are family style, sharing all of the plates. The xiao long bao was good but the skin was a little thicker than I like. The beef roll was excellent- perfect ratio of beef and sauce and pancake. I LOVE the pickled greens and spicy beef noodle soup. It reminds me of how my grandma used to make it. Spicy wontons are also yummy. This is my go to for Taiwanese comfort food. read more

Was craving hand-pulled noodles and decided to try this popular Taiwanese restaurant in Irvine. The interior and service felt very traditional. The spicy hand-pulled noodles soup dish was decent but not memorable. We've had better at other spots. The broth has good flavor but it doesn't pack a punch. The noodles are nice and chewy. Overall, a solid 4/5 but probably would not return again. read more

A & J Restaurant - Spicy Beef Tendon Noodle Soup (Szechuan Style) - Taiwanese Near Me - Irvine, California

Love me some A&J :) I've been coming here since high school, so about 25 years now... and A&J is still the same. The menu looks slightly different since the last decade, but the food is still the same. Which is rare when you think of a lot of restaurants sometimes go down in quality over the many, many years. But not A&J. I love to come here for a quick bite. Food is great and delicious, they make the noodles in house, it is affordable, service is quick, and just overall I love eating here. I usually get the: Chinese Spice Fried Chicken or Pork Chop (depending on my mood), spicy cucumbers, pan fried beef bun, and spicy wontons. And they always "hit" every time :) Thank you A&J for the delicious bites! read more

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Food: fried chicken with soup noodles, fried chicken with rice, potstickers, onion pancake, spicy cucumbers. I like how crispy the chicken is. This place is nostalgic as we used to go to the one in Cupertino, CA. I wish they had this in Las Vegas! Service: friendly and fast. Ambiance: a few tables of varying sizes. read more

A & J Restaurant - Potstickers - Taiwanese Near Me - Irvine, California

My favorite Taiwanese spot in Irvine! I think this review is long overdue, but this place is the place to go, if you're craving Beef Noodle Soup! Hardy and spicy, the beef is flavorful, the noodles are springy and prefectly chewy! The service was fast, the apps and soup came out in like 5 minutes! The inside of the restaurant is cozy, but can accomodate larger parties as well. read more

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Beef tendon soup good! Solid 8.7/10 thick noodles good texture. Needs more meat probably 4 small pieces Pan fried dumplings ok 6/10, wish it was fried all around not just one side. Idk if I would get this again Fried pork is good 8/10 would get again just so I can have some protein I love the spicy wontons but they are small but flavor is bomb. 8/10 Scallion pancake is pretty dense but I like it when I rip the layers for a lighter flaky texture 8/10 Minced pork was comforting but the meat to rice ratio is really bad. Maybe 2 teaspoons of meat. Hella rice. 6/10 wouldn't get again unless they had more meat :/ But they're pretty fast! Solid comfort meal read more

Continue to love this place. There was once an A&J near me but sadly rising rents. This one still hits the spot. Honestly my favorite Taiwanese spot in the OC. The beef noodle soup with thicc noodles is warming, flavorful, and just right spice and oil. Tender cooked beef with chewy noodles is perfection. Fried pork chop was crispy and perfectly cooked. Dumplings had ample filling and crisp texture. Scallion pancake, crispy though I wish it were bigger. Service is always prompt and friendly, especially if you speak Chinese! Always a comfortable place to relax and eat some great food! When you got native Taiwanese ranking this place alongside places in Taiwan, you know this is the place to be. read more

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My family and I were craving Taiwanese food, so we headed over to try A&J for lunch. It wasn't too crowded when we arrived at 11:30AM; however, it got busy with people waiting outside once we finished eating and paid. A&J serves Taiwanese food as small plates to share, so we ordered a few for the table. We got pig's ear (mild and not spicy, but excellent crunchy texture), seaweed salad (umami and refreshing), beef roll (flaky pastry, albeit slightly salty beef), sesame noodles (rich and with a bit of spicy kick!), and lu rou fan (heavy, yet comforting). Total cost was around $50-55, which is not bad for the number of dishes we ordered; we even had leftovers! A&J is a no-frills restaurant that, while it might not offer new flavors, it offers familiar ones that take you back to Taiwan. read more

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We were up here for a Padres game against the Angels and stopped by. Got here around 11am and the restaurant was pretty full already. There was no wait but about 15 mins after we got there, there was a line. The service wasn't the best, but I don't really expect much from these smaller Chinese restaurants. I didn't get a good picture of the food as I almost forgot to take a picture. So I snapped one really quickly before I dug in. The cucumbers were very crisp and refreshing.. I had to add more chili but they were still good. The spicy beef noodle was very good.. reminds me of my mom's growing up. The noodles were the perfect consistency of chewy and thickness. The meat was super tender and although the soup could've been a little spicier (for me, but I eat pretty spicy)...I think for the general public it was a good balance of spice. Will definitely be back to try some other items on the menu (when we are up in this area again). read more

A & J Restaurant - Cucumber Salad in Hot Garlic Sauce and Spicy Beef Tendon Noodle Soup (Szechuan Style) - Taiwanese Near Me - Irvine, California

Excellent pork noodle soup. Love the friendly service. My absolute Favourite pork dumplings. Ambiance is busy as always even after hours. Will always come back. read more

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Love this place. Ordered the spicy beef and tendon noodle soup and it was delicious. Beef and tendon were super soft and tender. The noodles were nice and bouncy. The highlight was the sides! The beef pancake roll and dumplings were so good and flavorful. The pancake had a nice exterior with really yummy beef and the dumplings were juicy. Highly recommend. It's a no frills place. read more

A & J Restaurant - Taiwanese Near Me - Irvine, California

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I had wonton noodles and something like beef buns. The price and portion size were just right, but the wonton noodles tasted a little bland. The service was just right, too, so next time I think I'll try one of their rice dishes. read more

Nice little spot in a small plaza in Irvine. Same plaza as melo melo, which was a great dessert afterwards. Walking in, you get a nice welcoming warm, and homey vibe. The ladies working are really friendly, and to add to the homey vibe, there's people just casually wrapping dumplings on one of the open tables. As for the actual food, it's solid. I enjoyed the pig ears as an appetizer, but for the food as a whole, I wouldn't consider it the best I've had in its category or anything that stands out in general. I will say, the filling was very tasty and flavorful. I like textures for food a lot in general, and the dumplings were decent, but I did feel the potstickers were lacking that pan fried crunch you kind of look for in pan fried dumplings. This is one of my favorite dishes at dumpling places, which may have made the experience not as favorable as I would have hoped; however definitely solid food and friendly vibe! read more

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I've mentioned before on here I have my beef noodle soup go-to's in the Los Angeles area. Yes I'm going to be somewhat controversial by lumping in Orange County with LA area lol. When I have a spare day in my LA trips to head down to the OC to visit my cousins, A&J is almost always a stop for me to devour some beef noodle soup. Actually, the place is so good that I used to purposely time out my flights to arrive at John Wayne Airport around lunch time so that I could easily rent a car, hop off the first exit off the highway, eat at A&J, and then head to LA. It's that good. So yes, needless to say, the (spicy) beef noodle soup is on point. The meat is tender. The soup is flavorful. The veggies are a good mix. The hot sauce on the table pairs well with the soup. You have your choice of noodles, thin or wide. I usually opt for the thin noodles. It's not just the beef noodle soup that's good here though. My cousins and I have shared a few meals here. A few of the highlights, other than the beef noodle soup: the scallion pancake. Very yummy, great appetizer. And then a dish that likely doesn't get enough love here and I'm very surprised more places don't have this dish - the hot 'n sour sauced noodles. Admittedly, I grew up a huge fan of hot 'n sour soup, with a tendency to really like more vinegar. So when you give me those flavors with some noodles? It's really really good. Just that the beef noodle soup will always take center stage for me. This place does tend to get packed, and has for years, so service knows how to quickly get tables turned over to the next customers. This also means they are quick to get you your order. When you sit, they give you a sheet where you can mark down orders. That way, when they come by to take your order, it's pretty simple. But yes it gets packed, so either an early or late meal would be advisable, especially if it's the weekend. Otherwise, expect a bit of a wait. But that's also kind of a good sign if you think about it, right? CLEARLY, a good number of people think this place is legit. And they are right. Parking is in a plaza, but if it's packed, it can be challenging to find a parking spot. That said, if you have the patience for looping around, if needed, until you see someone about to get in their cars, you're good to go. The food is worth the wait. If you're a beef noodle soup connoisseur as I consider myself to be, trips to Irvine would not be complete without a stop at A&J. read more

A & J Restaurant - Beef noodle soup with thin noodles. Yes I added some of that hot sauce in the background. It pairs well with the soup! - Taiwanese Near Me - Irvine, California

100s across the board, I ate meat on Ash Wednesday because of this place is how good it was. A&J is infamous in Irvine and I'm so glad I have easy access to this place because everything they make here is so authentic and flavorful. Their beef broth soup they make is a savory lovers dream and the flavor explodes nicely in your mouth. I love to dip the scallion pancake or the beef rolls into the soup and that just adds a different flavor level to your palette. The service here is also amazing, every thing came out fast and we were seated very quickly as well. I would definitely come here and then finish it off with the new TP Tea they're opening up here! read more

A & J Restaurant - Taiwanese Near Me - Irvine, California

Grabbed lunch with coworker at this Taiwanese restaurant. Popular place that got super busy soon after we got seated. The spicy beef tendon noodle soup with wide noodles were delicious, the cucumber salad was good, but the soup dumplings were a little disappointing - they were small and a little dry. read more

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A & J, you make my day A & J, I don't even know what to say A & J, hooray A & J is always a solid option. Nice variety of options and everything is good. I've tried the xiao long bao, spicy wontons, beef rolls, beef soup, chicken bowl, cucumber salad, and a couple other items. Chicken bowl is actually my favorite thing here and I also really like the beef soup but it's a little bit inconsistent imo. read more

The service is nice and friendly, the servers are always chit chatty. I'd recommend getting the beef braised noodle soup which is soo comforting during cold weather! It's a very fast casual joint there's never really a wait but can get busy on the weekends. read more

Literally my family's go to restaurant for years. It's always consistent and tastes great. The quality has not changed since years ago so it's always our go to and we hope it stays the same We always get the braised beef noodle and sometimes the appetizers or potstickers and pancakes The noodle never disappoints read more

A & J Restaurant - Braised beef noodle - Taiwanese Near Me - Irvine, California

This place is an oldie but goodie, and I make it a point to take the fam here when we find ourselves in the area. I used to go here with my college roommates over a decade ago for some comforting Taiwanese noodles when there weren't too many nearby options (rough for an SGV girl)! Thank goodness we had sweet ol' A&J and their delicious noodles for any cold night (and at a price that didn't and still doesn't hurt the wallet too much). Their noodles, dumplings and baos are made in-house, and you will literally see the ladies sitting and making it at a table some afternoons. They ask you what kind of thickness for noodles you want and I always recommend the thick noodles, which have such a good bounce and chew that will make you come back for more. Service has definitely improved over the years. The lady at the front was always kind of standoffish and would laser eye your $20 bill back when they took cash only (but now they do take cards), but the past few times have been more pleasant. The Hispanic older waitress is such a sweetie and I love that she's still working there the last few times we came. Their dan dan noodle (sesame paste noodle) is still THE BEST. I love throwing 2-3 dollops of their chili paste with a dash of white vinegar to give it some spice and bit of tartness too. Their spicy beef noodle soup and scallion pancakes are also delicious, especially the latter when it comes out hot. Would definitely come visit again! :) read more

A & J Restaurant - My dan dan noodle (sesame) with chili paste and white vinegar. - Taiwanese Near Me - Irvine, California

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My coworker and I came here for lunch since it was a rainy day and we were craving noodles. It's located in The Arbor Village Center on Jeffrey Rd and Walnut Ave. One of the major drawbacks for this location is the parking situation. Your best bet is to get here early before the lunch rush. We both ordered #101, spicy beef & tendon noodle soup with small noodles. My only complaint was that it doesn't come with mustard greens. You have to order it separately. We also ordered #134, pan fried pork dumplings (8), #151, sliced pork ears, and #154, vegetarian delight to share. The portions for the appetizers were pretty tiny. Everything came out pretty quickly, except for the dumplings. At one point, we thought maybe they didn't see it on the order form. Although I wouldn't rate it as the best, it is quite decent for Taiwanese food. read more

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Food for the soul! I really enjoyed the soup and the dimsum here. I suggest going with a group as is the usual style for Chinese restaurants. Nothing better than sharing good food with family or peers. There's a few good things to try, my favorites are the Szechuan soups, fried chicken and pork chop on rice, cucumber salad, and the scallion pancake. Of course that only scratches the surface since there wasn't a single bad dish in this menu. Even the pickled mustard greens were awesome! If you had a few dishes and wanted to try more, just order! Everything comes out fast! read more

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I went here for an early dinner so definitely there were plenty of seats. We got the spicy beef noodle soup (beef and tendon), beef roll, fried chicken, scallion pancake, and XLB (soup dumplings). The spicy beef noodle soup was decent, with a good amount of beef and tendon in it. The noodle was on the softer side. The beef roll is delicious and filling. The fried chicken is more air fried / grilled and did not carry the Taiwanese popcorn chicken seasoning, so it was a bit different from what I'd have expected. The scallion pancakes were nicely made but not the best I tried. The XLB was okay. Service is very hands off - it can be a bit of effort to flag a server to fulfill requests but otherwise the meal is pretty solid and quick. read more

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I finally made it to A & J Restaurant to try some of their famous Taiwanese staples. Overall, it's a solid spot, delivering on certain dishes and providing exceptional service, though some of the items I tried could use a little more flavor. The experience is pretty straightforward; it's a typical busy Chinese/Taiwanese restaurant. You sit down, the servers are attentive, and the food starts coming out almost immediately. Service: 5/5 We came on a Friday night at around 6 PM with a party of 7 and we were seated within 15 minutes. The service here was fantastic and our waters were constantly being refilled, and the food came out incredibly fast. The servers were friendly and very communicative, making sure to announce when a hot plate was coming in or when they were walking behind us. They were really on-point and clearly prioritize customer attention. Food: 4/5 This was a bit of a mixed experience, but the hits were truly great. The absolute standout dish was the Ground Pork over Rice. This dish was incredibly flavorful and mixed perfectly with the rice, I highly recommend ordering it. The Scallion Pancake was also a winner. While it was a bit thicker than I'm used to, the flavor and satisfying crunch were excellent. The side dishes were good, the spicy cucumber was slightly sweeter than I expected but delicious, the Veggie Delight (marinated tofu, seitan, mushroom, and edamame in a sweet soy sauce) was a solid vegetarian option, and the Pig Ear and Potstickers were your typical Chinese/Taiwanese dish. The two main dishes that fell a little flat for me were the Beef Noodle Soup and the Beef Roll. The Beef Noodle Soup (tried both thin and thick noodles) was just okay, it lacked the rich flavor I've found in other spots, especially compared to places like 101 Noodle Express in SoCal (though it was definitely better than Northern Cafe). The noodles didn't seem to be hand-pulled or have the satisfying chewy texture I look for. The Beef Roll was also fine but needed more meat and stronger flavor overall. Ambiance: 3/5 The ambiance is standard for a Taiwanese restaurant. It's clean and functional with tables throughout, but there's nothing particularly unique or memorable about the decor or atmosphere. You come here for the food, not the setting. Overall: 4/5 Pros: -Exceptional and attentive service -The Ground Pork over Rice is a must-try -Scallion Pancake has great flavor and texture -Food comes out very quickly Cons: -Beef Noodle Soup lacks deep flavor compared to other restaurants -Noodles are not chewy or hand-pulled -Beef Roll is sparse on meat and flavor read more

A & J Restaurant - Taiwanese Near Me - Irvine, California

This was my 5th time going to A & J! My friend and were seated right away and we chose to sit in the back where it was quieter. My favorite is the spicy beef noodle soup. The beef is flavorful, tender, and plentiful. I also recommend getting the beef roll appetizer. It pairs well because it is crispy similar to a scallion pancake and has a hoisin-type sauce that is slightly sweet in flavor. Also, love the flavor of the chili oil at the table. Highly recommended spot to try! read more

A & J Restaurant - spicy beef noodle soup - Taiwanese Near Me - Irvine, California

When I'm craving authentic Taiwanese/Chinese, freshly made, chewy hand-torn noodz..I always go to A&J in the Arbor Village Center (by Taiko). In my opinion, it's the best of the best hand-torn noodles that I've eaten in SoCal (my ultimate fav of all time btw is Magic Noodle in Las Vegas..go check out my RxFoodie Yelp review for that yummy joint). They don't take rezos, no Yelp check-in..just OG take your name down, give you a numbered ticket and wait..so be prepared during lunch/dinner peak hours. The parking in this plaza can get cray, esp. with them Asian drivers, so beware! The restaurant is very minimal inside, no decor whatsoever but so long as it's clean, I'm just there for the food so that's fine with me. Lol My go-to 100% is always the spicy beef noodle soup, with a side of cucumber salad in hot garlic sauce and depending on my hunger level +/- a five spice flavored egg, fried tofu, scallion pancake, or pan fried pork dumplings. I personally like to add some white pepper, chili oil and a dash of the vinegar to my spicy beef broth for that extra oomph flavor to take the noodz to the next level, but it's not needed. The broth has a lot depth and flavor on its own. Everything is always on-point deelish here and the service is consistent. The OG ladies are efficient with taking your orders and clearing the table. Definitely a RxFoodie recommended/must try. Thank me laters! read more

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love this place. been here a couple times already on our way up to santa barbara. satisfies that craving for some taiwanese dishes. can't go wrong with their beef noodle or minced pork rice. side dishes were also on point. the services were quick even though it's always busy. great little joint read more

surprisingly after being to this plaza a million times, i have finally tried A&J... year after year I would hear the same thing about how bomb their dumplings were and how it was the best restaurant and people would drive an hour to come here. THE FOOD: -pan fried pork dumplings (8) - nice and crispy + well filled. this was one of my favorites! -spicy wonton - solid! not my absolute favorite, but up to par -beef noodle soup - flavorful and had lots of noodles and beef! i liked that you could choose the thickness of the noodles PROS: -good food and felt authentic (even had them at a table next to me making the dumplings... witnessed absolute skill) -priced appropriately -finally a beef noodle soup that is seasoned well -filling on the food felt adequate CONS: -on the smaller side so don't be shocked if there is a wait -parking can be a hot mess (but you'll find something) OVERALL: i understand the hype! try it out!! read more

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Easy parking + no wait time. Prices are cheap and food is good. Price reflects the portion. We got the noodles in sesame sauce with peanut powder ($9.50) and pork chop rice ($13.50). read more

A & J Restaurant - Taiwanese Near Me - Irvine, California

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My go-to for comfort food, but skip the bean curd. A&J is my absolute favorite spot for comfort food in Irvine. I always come here for the Spicy Beef Soup (with added tendon)--the broth is spicy and flavor-packed, and the meat is tender. It never disappoints. Recently, I've been cutting back on starches, so instead of the usual noodles, I asked for extra pickled mustard greens (a large order on the side) and bok choy. They were great about accommodating the request, and the greens really helped balance out the richness of the soup. Waitress still brought my noodles on the side for the family to eat. The only downside to this visit was the vegetarian bean curds, which were unfortunately really salty this time. read more

On a cool evening night, there's nothing better that hits the spot with the combo of the cucumber infused in garlic hot sauce & Szechuan beef noodle soup (request the thick noodles). The spices do creep up on you with the noodle dish, but the savory soup, thick handmade noodles, and slow-cooked beef are a home run every time. Every time I've gone, the service is swift, and what I love is that you're quickly in & out after finishing your meal. The people are welcoming, and the food speaks for itself. read more

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Came here recently and ordered the spicy beef and tendon thick noodle soup, thousand layer pancake, taro flaky buns, and a cold mustard greens with beans side dish. SPICY BEEF AND TENDON NOODLES: The spicy beef and tendon noodle soup was the highlight. The noodles had a good chew, and the broth was flavorful without being too heavy. The spice level leaned mild, which worked because it let the depth of the soup come through instead of overwhelming it. The beef and tendon were both soft and properly cooked. So far, this is the best version I've had in this area. THOUSAND LAYER PANCAKE: The thousand layer pancake was nicely flaky with good structure. Also fun to pull apart. I dipped it into the soup out of curiosity and it actually paired well. It's also solid with a little chili oil and vinegar. TARO FLAKY BUN: The taro flaky buns weren't the typical smooth taro paste filling. It looked more shredded, possibly taro or another root vegetable. I'm not completely sure, but the texture was interesting, and it's on the savory side of flavor. I appreciated that it didn't feel heavy. COLD MUSTARD, TOFU SKIN & BEANS: The cold mustard greens, tofu skin and beans dish was refreshing and balanced out the richer items. This would be especially good during warmer weather. I could eat two bowls of this stuff. SETTING AND PRICE: Ambiance is casual and a bit noisy. It's not trying to be upscale, and that's fine. The food leans more homestyle and comforting than refined. Pricing feels comparable to SGV for similar quality and portions, which seems fair. VERDICT: I'd come back if I'm nearby and in the mood for noodles. It's solid, and sometimes that's exactly what you're looking for. read more

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There are not a ton of Taiwanese restaurants in Orange County and I typically have to go to Rowland Heights or SGV for good Taiwanese food so when I heard about A&J, I was thrilled to learn there was a good Taiwanese restaurant closer to me. I went here with a party of 6 around 6 on a Friday night. We got a table right away but it got pretty busy right after we arrived. The restaurant inside is small yet loud. The restaurant is very casual. There seemed to be only 1-2 large tables and the rest of the tables seemed better suited for smaller groups of 2-4. We ordered beef noodle soup, fried green onion noodles, szechuan style spicy wontons, pork chop fried rice, scallion pancake, beef roll, and pan fried pork dumplings. Everything was good however I was a bit disappointed with the pan fried pork dumplings and the scallion pancake as they were lacking in some flavor. The pork chop fried rice and spicy wontons were my favorites. Service is good and quick. They made sure we always had water at the table. All of the food came out quick and when it came time to pay the bill, they were very fast about this as well. They do take credit cards which is a nice plus. The parking lot is busy so keep that in mind when making plans here. There are a ton of businesses in the plaza so parking can fill up fast and can be hard to find at prime dinner time. Definitely worth a try and I'm looking forward to trying more food off the menu here. read more

A&J Taiwanese Restaurant in Irvine is hands down one of the best Taiwanese restaurants in town! Every dish we tried was excellent, but the beef noodle soup really stood out; comforting broth with extremely tender beef and variety choice of noodles. The dan dan noodles also had great depth of flavor with just the right amount of spice. For appetizers, I recommend the spicy wontons. Even the cucumber appetizer was refreshing and well-seasoned, making it the perfect starter along with your meal. If you're looking for authentic Taiwanese comfort food done right, A&J is a must-visit. read more

It has been awhile since my last visit to A & J, mostly because it usually has a line out of the door and I despise lines, especially when I'm hungry. An out of town friend specifically asked for A & J today for old time sake so here we are. I was pleased to see many familiar faces when we got in, almost the entire waiting staff. It may not be obvious from outside, but it has a few round tables, so our party of 8 were seated promptly. We ordered enough food for a banquet, from appetizers to noodles, pancakes, dumplings, beef rolls, & fried rice. XLBs are still served in metal dimsum containers, 4 per order. I was surprised that we ate them all. They cleared empty plates as fast as we finished them, just in time for new arrivals. Happiness is as simple as enjoying a good meal with friends. read more

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