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Costa Mesa, CA

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Izakaya Okan

4.1 (54 reviews)

Izakaya Okan Photos

IZAKAYA OKAN ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Intimate
Good for groups
Dogs allowed

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Dessert: puddings!
Priscilla U.

Delicious authentic Japanese food ranging from izakaya, sushi, and dons! This restaurant is in a quaint restaurant strip, they have tons of dining seatings from small (2 people) tables to medium sized group tables. There is also bar seating if you'd prefer that. They also have a late night happy hour menu, this place is great for post-work happy hour, intimate catch up dinners, or just a casual hang out with friends. When you go in, you're greeted by the nicest staff. They're enthusiastic and they also give the best food recommendations. There are pictures all of the walls that shows you the best deals and what specials they offer. Now let's talk about the menu.. It's not an izakaya meal without a fun happy hour beverage, we got the calpico and peach drink. They both were so refreshing, fruity and not too sweet. The carbonation kicked off the meal pretty well. Gabo Salad -- this salad is super healthy and is super fiberous. It's really crunchy and fun to share, we ate this throughout the entire meal and didn't try to finish it in one go. When you squeeze the lemon, a lot of the flavors are expressed. The bottom includes more of the leafy part of the salad, don't forget to mix it in with the crunch mid way through. Tamago -- The tamago they had were really fluffy and thick, it was really flavorful and I ended up adding the radish to pair. Great source of protein Mackerel -- This has got to be my favorite dish, I would highly recommend it! I ended up ordering this to go as well. The mackerel is from Norway and the way they prepared it was smoked. It wasn't too fishy and they also had prepared home made ponzu sauce. The sear really masks the fishy smell and the fish melted in my mouth. It was so buttery! The skewers: - Chicken was really tender, this one was oen of my favorites - Pork belly, this was really flavorful and the salt/acid pairs really well. I was pleasantly surprised by how crispy this was! I added wasabi to cut the salt - Beef tongue was really chewy Salmon with Ikura Kamamenshi -- This one was the nice filler meal. It takes 30 minutes to prepare and Kamamenshi is the style of cooking their rice, it's their specialty! The ikura added a lot of flavor to this dish. We ended the meal with some dessert: - Black Sesame pudding was really light and sweet. It was a great way to wrap the meal and it tasted really unique. - They also had a pudding that tasted like flan, this one was dense and more on the sweeter end but the syrup almost tasted like a hojicha syrup that I love Overall, really well rounded meal that got me feeling really satisfied! Definitely would be coming again.

Andrew L.

I've been to all their restaurants in San Diego and have been a fan for all of them, so I was excited when I realized they opened one down the street from where I live now. Taste-wise I think it was exactly the same as what I remembered from Okan San Diego (though that was over 5 years ago). It was very authentic izakaya food. Maybe it's the location? Or marketing? Either way I think they deserve more people to give it a try... cuz they seemed way too empty.

Carbonara Udon
Raul B.

Super low-key izakaya with cozy, hole-in-the-wall vibes! We came with a group of 5 on a Saturday night and were seated immediately. Loved the hand drawn menu items scattered over the walls, and super kind. We ordered the Japanese curry rice, curry udon, carbonara udon, Kobe beef carpaccio, and beef tongue clay pot rice. The beef carpaccio was cooked medium rare, served cold with a light soy sauce dressing, lemon, and raw onion slices. Pretty tender and super flavorful. The carbonara udon was a generous portion, and was rich and creamy from the egg yolk, bacon, and cream sauce. Tasty, but I wish there a bit more flavor. The curry udon had a great depth of flavor and richness in the broth, and the noodles were super chewy and springy. I recommend this one!

Beef tongue skewer - more like beef jerky
Bobby Y.

Been wanting to try this place but unfortunately it was a giant disappointment. We ordered the following for takeout: chicken & mushroom rice - no flavor at all, was as if they forgot to season the dish altogether; there were barely any mushrooms, and the rice was hard and stale. Beef tongue skewer - overcooked and very avg taste. chicken thigh skewer - another very avg dish. Kobe beef with ponzu - decent quality and flavor, but was barely lukewarm. Egg omelette - the only solid dish we had, good texture and flavor. Creamy mentai udon - this would've been fine as the umami was goo, except it was so salty that it was basically not edible until we added a whole pack of udon noodle; could've used some of this salt in the chicken rice. Def not going back.

Stephanie O.

Hidden gem alert! A small cozy store front in a tiny little business strip that you cannot afford to miss! I stopped in about 40 minutes before they closed, there was one other person besides me in the shop that felt much like being back in a little Izakaya in Japan. Service was great, the time from ordering to food delivery quick, and just an overall great experience! I ordered the steamed clams, pork belly wrapped asparagus, and pork cheek (as recommended by the server). They were all a treat! The clams were cooked perfectly and the broth comforting for a chilly evening. The pork belly and asparagus well balanced and flavorful. The pork cheek was amazing! I can't wait to come back and try more items off their menu again soon!

Uni Scallop Carpaccio
Christina C.

New casual Japanese dining spot discovery in the OC. Okan took over the previous Sakanaya OC location (I am sad that Sakanaya OC is closed!). Okan has decent food, and their pricing is ok. Everything we ordered was good: Uni Scallop Carpaccio, Deep-Fried Soft Shell Crab with Salt, Hamachi Kama, and Kamameshi Beef Tongue Rice Pot. Kamameshi Rice Pot was not hot enough to create crispy rice. Staff was friendly. I would like to come back to try their Creamy Mentai Udon next time. Their Creamy Uni Udon looked nice too. They also have late night happy hour Monday through Thursdays 9pm - 10:30pm with Sapporo pitcher for $13 (original price $19). I would love to try their happy hour, but sadly, OC is too far for me on a weekday. Their reservations are available via phone or online. Corkage fee is $25 for 720mL. Hot water is $1. Hot Green Tea is $2.50. There is free parking in the strip mall lot.

Tiffany Y.

Come here for some late night happy hour bites! This place has a variety of dishes ranging from grilled, skewers, fried, fish, rice and noodles! There's something for everybody. Some standouts: - chicken skin skewer! crispy yet tender - mackerel with ponzu, super flavorful - hamachi kama - takoyaki, perfectly cooked with a nice fluffy texture - karaage - super juicy and tender! Service is quick and friendly! Even took a selfie with us haha Atmosphere is cozy since it's not a big restaurant but it feels more intimate this way. Definitely will be coming by here to try most dishes!

Deep fried chicken gizzards
Kelly N.

Stopped by on a Friday night. We were the only ones there around 6:15pm. Soon it filled up but there was no wait. It's a cute little place and reminds me of restaurants in Tokyo. Service was great. We ordered the following to share between four: Takowasa Agedashi tofu Soft shell crab with wasabi salt Broiled chicken liver in chilled sweet soy sauce Deep fried chicken gizzards Gobo salad Beef tongue Potato, Cod Roe, corn & butter rice Eel rice Deluxe curry udon Deep fried chicken with green onion sauce Everything was delicious. I loved the potato, cod roe, corn & butter rice. It was so scrumptious. I have never had all together like this. The beef tongue was so tender. Chicken liver was made with love. It was nicely cooked. I enjoyed every dish we ordered. I just wish the portion was bigger. My mom complained that the eel rice was too sweet and had very little eel. I felt like it was American price with Japanese portion. But other than that, this is a definitely must try place if you love Japanese food.

mentai butter udon
Ashley V.

Me and 2 friends came in on a Sunday evening at 7. A lot of dish options on the menu as well as some other dishes that weren't on the menu (you can look on the walls for additional dishes). The restaurant is small and there were 3 other parties besides ours but we noticed that the service was slow. The waiter took awhile to come take our orders and it took awhile for us to get our check. The karagae was okay, it wasn't as crispy as I would like, not something I would order again. The mentai butter udon was good but a little salty. The mentai butter udon was okay, the cream is overpowering the mentai flavor so it just tasted like cream udon. The udon noodles were average when it comes to texture.

Chinh N.

Found this place upon searching on Yelp for something new. It's a little hole in the wall and it definitely did not disappoint. We didn't order any ramen or udon since others whom have rated said it was not good. We ordered monk fish liver, salmon belly, this rice with broth and salmon and eel, and yellowtail collar. All was good. Fish was fresh and seasoning was on par. The salmon belly (grilled) and the yellowtail was market price which is a bit different than other places where they have a flat price...maybe is because it's fresh rather than those frozen ones you can get at restaurant depot. This is a nice spot to come for basic family Japanese food. The restaurant is a bit small and tables are jam but it's still quiet enough to catch up and chit chat without the bustling like other places. The waiters were super friendly and accommodating.

Yellowtail collar hamachi kama
Rosie H.

4.5 rounding it up to 5 I missed the small parking lot for the strip mall but was able to go around the block with ease. It's located near a nail salon shop and Wahoo is nearby as well. Service was very good, they were on top of it and even brought me the Nanami Togarashi to add a bit of a kick and spice to the food. I'm Korean so this is a must and it paired well with everything that I put it on, especially the pasta. The food came out fairly quickly and they filled our water and tea regularly as we ate our meal. The restaurant is not very big but they have plenty of seating. We opted for a larger table since we were going to be ordering a bunch of food to try out. I wanted to eat things that I don't normally eat so we ate: eggplant with grated mountain potato, this was lighter than I thought it was going to be and my friend appreciated how nice it looked plated. We also got the creamy uni udon. It had a good sized amount of uni in the dish. I thought it was a bit TOO creamy, it was definitely decadent. I liked how it tasted with the Nanami Togarashi too. This I had to take home as leftovers because we had other food to eat. The pork cheek with green onion sauce tasted a bit like Samgyupsal or grilled pork belly to me. The fat just melted in my mouth. There were some pieces that were a little chewy but still edible. I've never had pork cheek before so I'm unfamiliar with the texture. The yellowtail collar was fantastic, it had a lot of meat to it and the miso black cod, well I could have eaten three orders of that by myself. I've had this before at other restaurants, but I have to say that theirs is the best thus far, the piece was bigger and fresher too. I saw later on the wall menu that they had nigiri. Y'all...you know I had to get the bluefin tuna and toro. It was a little bit on the pricier side but the pieces of fish were thicker and it was oh so tasty. I also could have ordered more but we had to stop ourselves. I'll definitely go back there for the nigiri and miso black cod. But I also want to try their other dishes like their prime beef skirt skewer, scallop skewer, takoyaki balls, and quick seared US Kobe beef with garlic ponzu. And their happy hour sounds legit!

Yansha Y.

Came here twice in 2 days lol!! Just randomly stumbled upon this spot when my friend & I were craving some Japanese food. And it's so good and welll priced. Sashimi was fresh, yellowtail is such a good deal here !! $10 for a small! Can't wait to try the other menu items perfect for someone who likes to try everything but doesn't want giant portions I can't finish

potato, cod roe, corn and butter kamameshi
Sharon C.

I've been wanting to try Okan for awhile ever since they announced their opening not long ago, and I finally got to try last Friday night around 6:30pm. We got seated right away, though if we came any later the restaurant would have been full since it's small with a few tables and a bar seating. They have a lot of different Japanese dishes, from noodles (udon and soba) to grilled skewers to sashimi and rice in a pot (kamameshi) so it was hard deciding what I wanted since a lot of it looked good. I ended up getting the kinpira gobo as our appetizer and the carbonara udon while my other party members got the tempura udon and the potato, cod roe, corn and butter kamameshi. The kamameshi did take longer to come because it takes 20 minutes to cook, but other than that the rest of the items came pretty quickly. The kinpira gobo was really good! I love gobo, so I can't go wrong with getting it. It was flavorful and crunchy and it also comes with carrots mixed in. My carbonara udon was surprisingly good too, it wasn't too heavy on cream (but it was still creamy) and it came with a runny egg, enoki mushroom, and bacon pieces. I finished this bowl pretty quickly, it was that good and portion size was just right. I didn't particularly like the bacon though, it tasted a bit too smoky for me. After mixing the egg in the sauce, I actually tried the sauce and it tasted like egg drop soup for some reason but it made it drinkable haha. I tried some of the tempura and it was hot and crunchy, with just enough batter. The kamameshi was a little underwhelming- I feel like the rice to topping ratio was bit more rice heavy. It had good flavor, I just wish there was a bit more of the cod roe to mix together and both me and my sister couldn't taste the butter flavor. I did like how it came with a cute spoon scooper for mixing the rice. Overall, Okan surpassed my expectations and I definitely will recommend and come back again to try their other options. Actually I was in between the mentai and carbonara udon which I chose carbonara this time, but next time I want to try the mentai. Also I would suggest looking at the specials they have posted papers in some areas of the restaurant with specific items cheaper or not on the menu (like the carbonara udon is something you can't find in the menu).

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11 months ago

My wife and I visited here a couple weeks ago. We had a great dinner. The food was delicious and authentic.

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2 years ago

This place could get 4 Michelin stars and it wouldn't be enough. Makes Jiro look like Claim Jumper.

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Izakaya Okan Reviews in Other Languages

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Vaca - Panza de Cerdo. Y Tetas de Mami

Vaca

3.9(2k reviews)
0.8 mi
•$$$

We came with a large group for a birthday and got to try a bunch of dishes! Everything was really…read moregood, but the paellas were my favorite. Tapas tried: - Tostada de Atun 5/5: really tender yellowfin poke on a crispy tostada. The yuzu aioli was perfect on it - Pulpo à la Gallega 5/5: really tender and flavorful octopus - Vieras à la Plancha 5/5: large tender scallops in a flavorful sauce - Gambas Al Ajillo 4/5: the shrimps were really large but it didn't stand out for me - Coliflor 4/5: solid cauliflower dish! Paellas and Steak: - Paella Valenciana 5/5: this was our favorite paella out of the 3. The chorizo added more savoriness vs just having seafood - Paella de Carne 4.5/5: very savory and flavorful with generous amount of meat. The beef cheek was sooo tender - Paella de Mariscos 4/5: solid seafood paella, but the other two with meat in it elevated the flavor of the rice - New York Strip 3.5/5: good steak but basic. Wouldn't order this again over the paella and tapas. The sauces it came with were a nice addition

We went here for dinner last night before we watched Beauty and the Beast at Segerstrom. We had…read morebeen once before years ago, and the food and drinks were delicious. We loved the vibes and were excited to come back. I highly suggest you call in advance (if you're watching a show) and book a reservation. Luckily, we arrived a little after they opened and we were able to sit at the charcuterie table. Their sangrias are still the best I've ever had. However, the paella and churros were just okay. The rice was overcooked, the churros were kind of dense, and the chocolate sauce was thick. I don't remember it tasting like that before. Maybe they changed their recipe? We'd still come back to try other items on the menu and of course, their sangrias!

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Vaca - Sat at the bar...nice.

Sat at the bar...nice.

Vaca - Seafood Paella Valenciana

Seafood Paella Valenciana

Vaca - Churro con chocolate & basque cheesecake

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Cafe Sevilla - Paella

Cafe Sevilla

4.2(1.8k reviews)
3.2 mi
•$$

Cafe Sevilla does 50% off all tapas every Wednesday and Thursday, and craft cocktails for $10!! So…read moreyou can literally order the entire menu to try a little bit of everything without spending an arm and a leg, and that's what we did ;) Their drinks are sublime--the mezcal old fashioned is the "it girl"--and the outdoor patio is such a vibe, but indoors is the play too with live music. And you must get their platter de carne. It's not on the happy hour menu but it's a medley of their best entrees like 16-hour braised short ribs that literally falls apart, honey mint glaze lamb chops, and more. And don't forget to bring your dancing shoes for salsa lessons on Wednesdays and bachata on Sundays! Thanks for reading! ^-^

One of the most stressful and disappointing restaurant experiences I've ever had…read more We visited Cafe Sevilla with a group of 14 for a prix fixe menu. The food was served on shared platters, but the portions were distributed unevenly. One section of our table was expected to share a single platter among eight people, while the other section received two. I brought this up several times before our server finally corrected it. Getting enough food for the people paying for the menu should not require repeated requests. The drink service made the evening even more frustrating. The restaurant was loud, and when someone at the table suggested ordering shots, the server would bring entire platters of tequila shots without confirming how many people wanted one or which tequila they wanted. I repeatedly asked him to stop bringing shots without checking with us first, yet it continued. When the bill arrived, the shots were far more expensive than expected, they were at more shots than ordered and we had also been charged for additional people who were not in our group. Our server initially told me there was nothing he could do. When I raised the issue with the manager, I was met with attitude rather than a willingness to resolve an obvious billing problem. She eventually corrected the headcount, but only after considerable back and forth. She only deducted five shots out of the 25 she charged us for, mind you most of our group was not drinking or only ordered a margarita. There was also an automatic 20% gratuity, which I understand for a large party, plus an additional 3% credit card fee. After spending the evening repeatedly addressing service and billing issues, that extra CC fee felt like the final insult. Unfortunately, the food offered no redeeming quality. It tasted soggy, excessively salty, and far from fresh. We came to enjoy an evening together. Instead, I spent much of it managing portions, trying to stop unconfirmed drink orders, and disputing the bill. Based on this experience, I would not return or recommend Cafe Sevilla for a group dinner.

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Cafe Sevilla - Full indoor bar

Full indoor bar

Cafe Sevilla - Bacon Wrapped Dates, Potatoes, and Meatballs.

Bacon Wrapped Dates, Potatoes, and Meatballs.

Cafe Sevilla - Espresso.

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Darkroom - Smoked tuna, beemster, trout roe, broccoli stem, lemon zest

Darkroom

4.6(339 reviews)
2.2 mi
•$$$$

A restaurant where the menu looks like it takes in season or available ingredients, apply simple,…read moreyet skilled techniques and lets the quality of the ingredients shine. The sense of hospitality is evident as soon as you walk in through the door. The people are very friendly and it feels like a high level service without being too stuffy. The staff plays a curated vinyl playlist to set the vibe here. I was told they used to take request, but I got too messy. I can see with the decor if paired with the right music this place could feel a little punk rock. On the evening we were there though, the playlist leaned Indie rock. The menu had a lot of fun items on it and this is what we ordered. Since the menu does feel seasonal, this could totally change at any given visit: - Fried scotch olives - Weiser Farms tomato salad - grilled and marinated Jimmy Nardello pepperss - scrambled egg agnolotti - smoked and confit maitake mushroom - yellow corn, accordion lasagna - the dry aged beef Darkroom burger Without going into too much detail with each dish, just overall the presentation was beautiful, and the food was very tasty. You could taste the quality of ingredients and each dish felt kind of playful. While I enjoyed everything I ate, maybe the standouts were the lasagna, mushrooms, and agnolotti. Just a wonderful meal. Santa Ana has a wonderful restaurant on their hands. Parking was very easy because there's a large lot. Although you need to get a pass from the front desk when you go to the restaurant only because the location is near a music venue and I suspect some people try to park in this lot.

Too much hype left me disappointed. Yes, the food is good, but not extraordinary. I applaud their…read moreability to jump around various cuisines well and not do it pretentiously; definitely not something a lot of places can do. But I didn't walk away dreaming of a dish or thinking I wanted to go back. It's also not cheap either so go with a big enough group to share the food and costs. Also, throughout the evening, a funky, maybe fish sauce smell would permeate through the dining area. I love fish sauce as much as the next person but that was unpleasant. Ok, onto the food: 1. Fried scotch olives - think scotch eggs but with olives. Fine but nothing special. The least memorable dish we had. 2. Tuna & Crispy Rice - most disappointing dish. The crispy rice was perfectly cooked but the shiso leaf overwhelmed the yuzu flavor. 3. Delicata squash - enjoyed the various textures, some crunch and brightness from the apple and pear, some meatiness from the squash and a sauce which adds creaminess. 4. Grilled baby broccoli- this was the least favorite of the group for whatever reason. Familiar flavors via the garlic chili vinegar but could have used more salt. 5. Crispy smoked potatoes - hard to go wrong. Nice smoky flavor and a well balanced creamy cheese sauce. Didn't really taste the dorito dust but was pretty good. 6. Slow roasted carrots - great XO sauce and the citrus balances the sweetness of the carrots. I would have preferred it a little less cooked to retain some crunch. 7. Scrambled egg agnolotti - this was a table favorite. Creamy inside wrapped in a slightly overcooked pasta. Delicious cream sauce that unfortunately was a little mushy. 8. Zucchini bread - this was a pleasant surprise. A nice flavor of slightly sweet and savory with the jamon. I think this is worth ordering. 9. Maitake mushroom - this was one of my favorites. The smokiness in the mushroom, a lot of textural contrast, a bright chimichurri sauce. This was maybe the best dish we had. 10. Kuri squash lasagna - I was wrong. THIS might have been the worst dish. Great presentation. Bland. No real flavor. 11. Darkroom burger - given they only make 10, I don't get the hype. Don't get me wrong, it's a good burger but the hype from only making 10 makes this disappointing. 11. Pork collar - between this and the mushroom, this was great. Nice chewiness, not too fatty, and contrasted with the bright papaya salad. 12. Foccacia bread - pretty ordinary. 13. Donuts - this was a disappointing end to the evening. Overly doughy and the sauce was tart and strange. Great service, it's definitely "dark" in there. But it was so dark that you don't get the feel of what is otherwise a cool ambiance. Not sure I'll come back but it's worth checking out once.

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Darkroom - Inside ambiance

Inside ambiance

Darkroom - Tuna crudo

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Darkroom - Black truffle risotto

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Tempo Cantina

Tempo Cantina

4.4(7.8k reviews)
16.0 mi
•$$

I haven't been here in ages but out of all the things I wanted from here... it was their butter…read morecake lol best butter cake I have ever had and the star of the show for me! Perfectly sweet and served with dulce de leche, strawberry syrup with fresh strawberries and vanilla ice cream.. they all go well with the butter cake. Of course that was for dessert.. but to start for lunch, I ordered the house taco selection which comes with 4 tacos (Korean, steak, birria, and cueva tacos). I loved the cheese crusted tortilla on their tacos, and the cueva taco was my fave out of the four! The steak was dry so it was my least fave but the Korean and birria taco were also yummy! Nice way to sample their different tacos! Their guava agua Fresca was a refreshing drink to go with my tacos. My friend ordered their cheese enchiladas in their cream red sauce. She said it was different from any red sauce she has ever had but she said she enjoyed her enchiladas. Service was attentive and friendly. Each server checked in on us regularly. Came here on a Saturday for lunch and it was surprisingly not busy at all like how it used to be. Overall, the food was just like I remembered and I wish I had come back sooner. I'll def be back again to try other things on their menu!

Recent change of ownership and they don't have their liquor license yet. The place was completely…read moreempty. We had the ceviche and a Chicken Mango salad. Both were not good. In fact, the alleged ceviche was the worst we've ever had! Service was mid and the atmosphere was not good.

Photos
Tempo Cantina - Strawberry  Margarita!

Strawberry Margarita!

Tempo Cantina - Asada Chilaquiles. Don't expect a whole plate of chilaquiles with carne asada on top! Both are served as separate sides on the plate.

Asada Chilaquiles. Don't expect a whole plate of chilaquiles with carne asada on top! Both are served as separate sides on the plate.

Tempo Cantina - Coffee. Straightforward, hot, and caffeinated.

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Coffee. Straightforward, hot, and caffeinated.

VOX Kitchen - Fountain Valley - Corn Ribs, Carne Asada Fries, Hamachi Tostada, Carne Asada Tostada

VOX Kitchen - Fountain Valley

4.5(8.3k reviews)
5.2 mi
•$$
Established in 2017
Pet friendly

Ambiance is lively but not too loud. The restaurant is pretty big. We went around 5pm on Saturday…read moreand no wait. Service was incredible. Derick was a great waiter and explained the dishes very well. He helped us decide what to get and we were NOT disappointed. The crudo was delicious to start. Refreshing so the a little kick! The beef soup was wonderful! So hearty and flavorful! The Saltado with filet was really good. The filet was so tender and a very generous about of meat. It's incredible that the fries stay crispy! Desert was refreshing if you have room. It is rare to find a restaurant with such fresh ingredients and so much flavor! Love this spot!

I did not have a good experience with the dishes I ordered today; I've been to Vox decades ago when…read morethey haven't expanded to south coast plaza or part of the Kei concept - which is fine! But I have dined at the Costa Mesa location last year and the flavor of the dishes were great! I remembered the filet mignon and fries dish was amazing with great flavors - today, there was something missing. The depth of flavor with this dish wasn't 100% there! It lacked flavor. The other dish I ordered was the beef and mushrooms! I remembered I enjoyed this dish a lot the last time I order at South Coast plaza location! It was made with rib-eye and it had a nice bite and flavor to it. Today, the menu called this beef and mushrooms and it was flavorful except , the tiny pieces of beef (not even rib-eye quality) was barley there! It was almost like a vegetarian dish with lots of mushrooms and onions and a little sprinkle of chopped end carne asada leftovers. It was VERY disappointing considering this dish cost $23 (up from $19 last year and it was made with quality rib-eye steak with a good bite). To the manager who is reading this feedback - please do better with the quality. Your name is your reputation and if you want returning customers, keep the quality of your dishes since you have already raised the prices on the menu. The beef and mushroom dish is not cutting it for $23 with barley any meat in the dish, it was more like minced, small finely diced pieces that has no bite or chew to it. And the filet mignon just lack a bit of flavor and quality. It used to be a lot more tender. 2 stars because the waiter was nice and took my dish away and took it off the check, since I wasn't really eating it; but, still didn't really offer any comp for something else to fill my tummy. It's ok, I wasn't looking for a free meal, but it would have been a nice gesture to offer a replacement on the house since the dish was disappointing and I didn't get to enjoy or eat my meal that I planned to chose this place for lunch.

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VOX Kitchen - Fountain Valley - Carne Asada Fries

Carne Asada Fries

VOX Kitchen - Fountain Valley - HamachiTostada

HamachiTostada

VOX Kitchen - Fountain Valley - Corn Ribs

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Corn Ribs

Kagura

Kagura

4.2(476 reviews)
0.0 mi
•$$

Stopped by around 7:30 PM on a Sunday and had a great experience. There was no wait to be seated,…read moreand the restaurant has a small parking lot with enough spaces available during our visit. Soft music played in the background, and the traditional Japanese decor gave the restaurant a warm, relaxing feel. Our server was friendly and respectful, and the food came out quickly and hot. We ordered the Pork Loin Katsu Curry and the Cheese Pork Katsu. The pork loin was cooked really well, with a crispy, golden crust and a tender, juicy interior. The curry was flavorful and comforting without being spicy, making it an easy choice if you prefer a milder Japanese curry. The Cheese Pork Katsu was also excellent. The melted cheese added a creamy richness that complemented the crispy pork well. Both meals also came with miso soup, which had a clean flavor, and a side of shredded lettuce with dressing that helped lighten up the richness of the fried dishes. Overall, everything was prepared well, the service was great, and the restaurant had a welcoming atmosphere. If you're looking for a reliable spot for Japanese curry and katsu, I'd definitely recommend it and would happily come back again.

9/27 -- 2:30 Takeout Order…read more I placed a takeout order and specifically requested extra salad dressing on the side, which I was willing to pay extra for. When I picked up my order, I even asked if the dressing was included, and I was told that they had put it in the bag. When I got home, however, there was only one dressing included. I called the restaurant to ask about it, and the employee told me that a regular takeout order does not come with dressing. If that is truly the case, does that mean the restaurant expects takeout customers to eat the cabbage without any dressing, while dine-in customers receive dressing with their meal? More importantly, if dressing is not included with takeout orders, the customer should be notified when placing or picking up the order--especially when the customer specifically asked for extra dressing and even confirmed it at pickup. I should not have to find out after getting home. On top of that, the katsu sauce container was only half-filled, despite being a 2-ounce sauce cup. Seriously? Even worse, I found a hair coming out of the sauce container, which is extremely concerning from a food hygiene standpoint. What made the experience even worse was the way my concern was handled over the phone. If you are working in customer service and someone calls with a legitimate question or complaint, there is no reason to be rude or dismissive. This was by far the worst customer experience I've had at Kagura. There were only two tables occupied when I visited, yet the restaurant couldn't even properly handle a simple takeout order. Very disappointing. The manager or owner should seriously consider providing additional hospitality and customer-service training to the lady staff. Regardless of whether there was a misunderstanding with the order, speaking disrespectfully to a customer is not an appropriate way to handle a complaint.

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Kagura - Inside

Inside

Kagura - Sauce Katsu Sando | $14.95

Sauce Katsu Sando | $14.95

Kagura - Misokatsu

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Misokatsu

Izakaya Okan - japanese - Updated October 2026

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