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    Koala Grill

    4.7 (65 reviews)
    Open 11:00 am - 8:00 pm
    Updated a few days ago

    Koala Grill Photos

    Business Info

    KOALA GRILL ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Dogs allowed
    Outdoor seating

    Recommended Reviews - Koala Grill

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    Menu
    Aileen J.

    We had lunch on Sunday after seeing their online ads. Hubby ordered the Curry Katsu Plate with pork for the protein. It came with rice, salad, macaroni, and an assortment of pickles (jalapenos, daikon, and veggies). Good curry flavor and plenty of rice for the sauce. I chose the Chicken and Beef Teriyaki Plate, which included a large bed of rice, macaroni, salad, and 2 egg rolls. The chicken was a little dry, but the portions were good for the price. We shared an order of gyoza. There were 8 in the order with 2 dipping sauces. Crispy and good deal at $6.99. I would have liked hot tea, but there was a good selection of sodas in the drinks fridge. The counter lady was nice, and she gave me enough to go boxes to pack up our leftovers. Small place with about 6 or 8 tables and a few outdoors. Cute mural inside. Ample parking in the shopping center lot.

    Golden trial curry katsu bowl pork
    Rick S.

    Koala Grill offers variety of katsu (pork, chicken, beef) and incredible teriyaki bowl with large portions. The katsu were hot, juicy and crispy. The macaroni side salad was also great. The staff were friendly and provided helpful recommendations. Food was made to order and came out quickly. The ambiance is casual, bright and airy. Highly recommended next time you're in Tustin.

    Interior
    Mai T.

    This was my first time trying out the food here and the staff member behind the counter stated the most popular dish was the chicken and beef teriyaki combination. So I gave it a try and ordered the regular bowl. When it came out, the rice bowl was generously covered with chicken and beef, soaked in their teriyaki sauce. The teriyaki was a tad saltier than I liked, requiring me to have some rice with each bite to temper the saltiness. I felt the dish was a good value for the price with an as-I-expected flavor profile. If I were to come back, I would opt for the pork katsu as it seems to be highly rated by other Yelpers. This is a small business with a cordial staff and clean interior. Their food offering is generous with reasonable pricing.

    Chicken and beef teriyaki plate
    Sandy N.

    I am always a HUGE supporter of independently-owned (mom & pop) restaurants that serve good food with reasonable prices. Thus, I was pleasantly surprised to stumble across this yummy food find for lunch. Koala Grill is a new establishment in Tustin ~ located in the Tustin plaza that also houses the greats of Gen Korean BBQ and Okidoki by Meiji. It's located on the left side of the plaza, near the 7 leaves. It's a cute named restaurant with equally cute & zen decor. It's bright and vibrant, yet also giving calming vibes with all the pretty crystals displayed. The Korean owner was super sweet. He took the time to talk to us, give us some history & story of his journey of becoming a restaurant owner. You can really feel the heart and pride that he pours into this place. He provided us some good recommendations and thoroughly explained the difference between some of the dishes, because the vast menu can be overwhelming..as you just wanna try them all. The owner even offered us free drinks, since we were new customers. Totally generous and unexpected. In the end, I ordered the chicken and beef plate ($13.99) ~ which was grilled with a teriyaki glaze, accompanied by a fresh salad, mac salad, and crispy egg rolls. The owner explained that the side teriyaki and white sauces used for dipping the meats & egg rolls were made fresh, in-house daily. My hubs got the same plate, but just with chicken ($11.99). The portions are PLENTY (I even had to take some of mine home) and as you can see from my pics, you really can't beat these prices..while it lasts!!! Everything was fresh, meats were marinated well, the egg roll & mac salad were tasty. The egg roll even reminded me of Filipino lumpias ~ which was very nostalgic. The hubs and I will definitely be back again, likely to try their curry and many other dishes. We left with full bellies and a warm heart. It's places like these that you wanna support and see thrive. 100% RxFoodie recommend!!!

    Cherry N.

    The service and quality is top tier here. I always want to support a mom and pop shop and when I went in, I was immediately greeted with the nicest owners. I got the gyozas and the shrimp curry plate. The food was so delicious. The gyozas came with two different sauces on the side and the gyozas were crispy and hot. The shrimp curry plate also came with mac salad and regular salad which was much needed as a cleanser when eating the curry. The shrimps were huge and crispy. I got the spicy curry which was the right amount of spice. The food left me super full and satisfied with some leftovers to take home. Overall come here to support a small business and to eat delicious food!

    Chicken katsu curry plate $16

    Finally leaving a review, after having been a regular since its inception about a half a year ago. Food - phenomenal. Very reasonably priced, clean, plentiful, and absolutely delicious. My go-to is the chicken plate, which comes with chicken, salad, macoroni salad, rice, and two small eggrolls. The chicken is perfectly grilled, and the char on it definitely delivers the Smokey flavor. Sauce is not too sweet or salty, and if perfectly complements the rice. Macaroni salad tbh is ok but the green salad and the eggrolls are also phenomenal. Today, I got the chicken katsu plate. Crispy on the outside as should be, moist on the inside as should be. Delicious. The curry is smooth and perfectly flavored. I strongly recommend. It is often too empty, and I do not know why. These folks make good food and sell at a reasonable price. The people are very nice too. I strongly recommend.

    Chicken teriyaki combination plate
    Diana R.

    We have dined here when it was under a different name. Came here with my coworker to check out the new restaurant as Koala Grill. We wanted something fulfilling and simple for our Friday lunch. The layout of the restaurant is the same where you order at the front counter either at the tablet or with the staff. There are a few tables inside and counter seating available. We let the staff know that it was our first time there, but we dined there before when it was Katsu Bar. She explained that they have different new menu items and some were similar to the previous restaurant. We ordered on the tablet individually and ended up, selecting the same exact thing which was their chicken teriyaki combination plate. It came with a large portion of chicken and not too much rice which is fine with me. There were a couple of vegetable egg rolls and a little dollop of macaroni salad and garden salad. I appreciated the variety of textures. As for the taste, it wasn't super spectacular, but it was decent and good. My coworker enjoyed her meal as well and couldn't finish it. It was more food than I would typically eat for lunch and we both brought home leftovers. I'd return to try the curry and other menu items.

    Nhi T.

    Good hot fresh food. Simple filling, healthy dishes. Lots of seatings inside. Friendly Korean service. It was tasty and good portions. I would recommend.

    Kris T.

    Very nice team. They keep the place tidy and well stocked. The food is good, the portions generous and reasonable pricing. Ample parking.

    Kyle F.

    Was craving curry and saw this place close by on Yelp. First thing you notice are the generous and tasty portions. Katsu is a nice thick size. Koala Katsu combo comes with popcorn chicken, gyoza, and shrimp tempura, along with picked sides. Will be coming back again to try the medium spiced curry.

    You have to order here, no customer service
    Frank P.

    Bland chicken teriyaki bowl. They hardly use any teriyaki at all. The Gyoza was decent, but came with no sauce to dip them in. I got what looked like ranch dressing but I didn't try it. There is zero customer service. I had to place my order on a touch screen. I had to get my own can soda, fork, and napkins. An employee wearing a mask was just walking around. They aren't that friendly. With such bad service, I wish I could have taken my tip back. I don't see this place being here a year from now. For Teriyaki I'll stick to Yogis up the street.

    Teriyaki plate
    Earlene W.

    Great family own restaurant. The curry was delicious. So was the chicken teriyaki. Will be back soon

    Jeff V.

    I recently discovered Koala Grill. I was coming in the area today so we decided to try this new place out for lunch. Everyone was super friendly and patient since we didn't know what we wanted. They do have a monitor that flips around for you to place your order but they went ahead and took our order themselves. I love Japanese curry so I was excited to try it out. I got a bowl since the plates are too big for me at lunch. I got the Katsu Udon with regular curry and my wife got the Katsu Rice and regular curry. The curry was excellent and the noodles were cooked perfectly. The Katsu was crispy but tender inside. So good! I will definitely be coming back again to try more items on the menu!!! Don't miss this place!

    Popcorn chicken with powdered cheese

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    20 days ago

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    1 month ago

    We love this place! Great portions! Best katsu in OC. We also love the teriyaki plate and katsu sandwich. Very affordable weekly option.

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    Business owner information

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    Steve H.

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    4 days ago

    Very good, Quick service, prices are reasonable and the meat quality is very good. Beef and chicken were done very well

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    1 month ago

    Great food and great service. Staff is always friendly. They also have good portions of protein in their bowls.

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    12 days ago

    Was in the area looking for something to eat and found this place! Super friendly, welcoming environment. Food is yummy and great prices!

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    Ask the Community - Koala Grill

    TANAKAYA - Matcha Soba

    TANAKAYA

    (865 reviews)

    $$

    I've been meaning to try Tanakaya after seeing their soba flight on Tik Tok! I came near opening…read moreand got seated right away, and by the end, it was pretty full, so I can see how waitlists might be long during busy hours. Plenty of parking and staff is attentive! Everything is a bit expensive for what it is, but overall taste wise, everything was amazing regardless! We got the assorted tempura, filet katsu don, and cold soba flight sampler. The assorted tempura was good, they had a lot of variety and I enjoyed the mushroom, asparagus, and potato! The shrimp tempura portion is very generous in size and was good. A little overpriced for what it is, but if you love this assortment of fried tempura, it is overall good to try! The filet katsu don was amazing, and I like that it came with a small bowl of miso soup! It's always nice to have that as a complimentary side dish. The katsu was crispy and complimented well by the sauce! I'd highly recommend this dish! And now for the star of the show... the soba flight! This was so fun to go through and I highly recommend it just for the experience! My personal favorite was the one that included enoki mushroom on the topping. Definitely would recommend trying Tanakaya if you haven't already! I'd definitely come back.

    Food: their menu is fairly priced, plain soba is $17 and their combos are usually $20-25. We enjoy…read moretheir quality of soba noodles and dipping sauce, it's a great place for authentic Japanese food. Service: their service is quite slow. We often try to go right as dinner service begins and still find ourselves waiting 30-40 minutes from ordering to get our food. I assume it's because they make their food fresh, but even so, often it takes a while to get the bill. However, the service is always nice and respectable. Parking: the lot can get pretty full sometimes, but it's quite spacious since there's not a lot of businesses in the plaza.

    Tokyo Katsu Curry - Chicken Katsu Curry

    Tokyo Katsu Curry

    (297 reviews)

    $$

    Curry is so yums! It definitely on the sweeter side but I think it balanced well with the spice and…read more"curry essence" powder they provide you. The price for the portion was really good and the chicken/pork was crispy and juicy. I didn't have any complaints! The restaurant was pretty empty when we went in on a Friday night so it was a good place to yap haha. I would definitely come again to satisfy my curry cravings :p Ratings Pork katsu curry: 4.8/5 Chicken katsu curry: 5/5

    Absolutely terrible, and it is all due to service! My boyfriend and I saw this little cute curry…read moreplace and thought let's grab takeout so it'll be quick and we will give this small little hole in the wall spot a chance... Saturday night, 7pm... About 3 tables filled. What's the harm right? Well.... 45 minutes later we are sitting there waiting on our order. It was just 2 chicken curries. Nothing special, nothing out of the ordinary... We ask the employee if it's coming out soon... He said 15 minutes, they are a bit backed up. After already invested so much time and paid we said ok, fine. 20 minutes later we ask and he says they are working on it now. Excuse my language but WTF!! First off, if in the beginning he knew they were backed up, he should have told us..just a heads up there is a bit of a wait. Then I would've respected this place a lot more! Overall waited an hour+ for some curry... Absolutely not worth the time. Sorry and I will not return

    Hako - Chicken Katsu

    Hako

    (1.9k reviews)

    $$

    I love tonkatsu, so I was really excited to try this place, and I was not disappointed. The pork…read moretonkatsu is delicious and so crunchy with every bite with the tonkatsu sauce. Every tonkatsu meal comes with a side of miso soup, rice and cabbage salad. The price is reasonable for how much food you get, so definitely come hungry! I tried my sister's hamburg beef tonkatsu and it was equally as delicious. Definitely for those who prefer beef than pork! The service was really good and the wait isn't too bad for a table. The place itself is popping and comfortable to sit in to eat. Come here if you want a great tonkatsu!

    This is hands down the best tonkatsu I've had in my life. Ever since moving from New York, I've…read morebeen on the hunt for a spot that could really hit the craving right, and this place absolutely delivers every single time. The secret here is consistency. Crispy, golden crust on the outside, juicy and tender on the inside, and portions so huge you'll question your life choices halfway through the meal... but somehow still finish the whole plate anyway. Trust me, I've tried to save leftovers and failed every time. Weekends can get wild with 30-minute to 1-hour waits, but honestly, once that first bite hits, you forget all about standing in line. The setup feels more like a busy food court than a fancy restaurant, but who cares when the food is this good? Fast service, amazing quality, and comfort food that feels like a reward after a long day. Do yourself a favor and order the curry tonkatsu. Rich curry sauce, crispy pork cutlet, fluffy rice, it's the kind of meal that instantly improves your mood. For me, this is the tonkatsu spot in OC.

    Karē Japanese Curry - Chicken Katsu plate

    Karē Japanese Curry

    (105 reviews)

    $$

    Tip was not an option on their screen and that makes me want to come more…read more Tonight was my first time visiting Kare in Irvine. I've been to their Rodeo 39 location before and loved it, so having one at the UTC is perfect for me because of how close it is. The Irvine location is very nice with a clean dining room and good music. The employees at both locations have always been helpful and courteous. I've now tried the Chicken Katsu (on Monday) and the Pork Belly (tonight), and honestly, I still can't decide which one I like more. The chicken was incredibly juicy with the perfect crunch, and the pork belly... omg. So good. The curry was another highlight--super flavorful and tasted just like the curry I enjoyed during my time in Japan. And here's a tip: the best value is to make every plate a combo (+ miso & drink). You get more variety for the price, and it's absolutely worth it. Next time, I'm going for the beef belly plate, and I think this place will be on my rotation.

    It's been cold lately, and today it finally started drizzling -- the perfect weather for comfort…read morefood. I decided to try a new spot in the UCI Center on Campus Drive called Karē Japanese Curry, and wow... I'm officially obsessed. This place just opened (it replaced Slapfish -- if you know, you know), and the inside is really cute. It's small, simple, and cozy, which honestly fits the vibe for a curry shop. I ordered the Beef Belly Curry, and let me tell you: this was amazing. I'm so glad I chose it for my first visit. The beef belly was sliced super thin and literally melted in my mouth. And the curry sauce? Now that is curry. A lot of places claim to serve Japanese curry, but the flavor ends up mild or watered down. Not here. This is the rich, warm, savory curry flavor I've been craving. The sauce comes on the side so you pour it over yourself. I was a little worried it wouldn't be enough, but it ended up being the perfect amount. I couldn't finish everything, so I took the rest home -- and honestly, the leftovers were even better the next day. Overall, 10/10 would recommend. Now that rainy season is here, I will definitely be coming back. Karē, buckle up -- you've got a new regular.

    Koala Grill - burgers - Updated May 2026

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