Delicious, delicious, delicious. Simple meal yet so good. Had the rice with their meat on a hot skillet and it was so delicious. You will never get cold food because it's literally cooking as you are being served. Be careful because it's good and you can easily burn your mouth trying to rush the process. Expensive but worth it. I'll be back for sure. read more

It's a little dangerous living so close to this spot. Sometimes you just need a quick spot for a simple but delicious meal. Enter Pepper Lunch. There may always be a line but it moves fairly quickly and I've had no trouble getting seated immediately. I've tried the Shrimp Pepper Rice and the Tofu and Veggies Pepper Rice while my husband had the Jumbo Beef Pepper Rice. The food is easy to cook in the hot plate. My favorite part is letting the rice sit for a while and get nice and crispy - so yummy! read more

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Came on a Friday night and it was pretty packed, had to park my Hmart. Ordered the Classic Pepper beef rice ($12.80) which came with rice, pepper, corn, green onion, and some thin steak pieces. I will say the concept is cool being served on a sizzling platter that keeps everything hot throughout your meal and it smells delicious! The portion is a little small, and it was a little bland, but adding garlic sauce and a sweet soy sauce (You will need to ask for it) really improved the taste. If you do go, I would order the kimchi pepper rice, which comes not only with sizzling kimchi but mozzarella on top, that one was pretty good. I will say kudos to the workers, they looked like they were working really hard bringing out all the plates in a quick manner to tables inside and outside. read more

Pepper Lunch - Classic Beef Pepper Rice - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

First time here and I already want to go back! You can only order when there is a table available for your party but we didn't wait too long. I ordered the Kimchi Beef and Cheese plate. It was so good! It comes out in a sizzling hot plate so the meat cooks right in front of you. My favorite part is the cheese that cooks and gets crunchy. The sweet and garlic sauce help enhance the flavor. Can't wait to come back and try other plates. read more

Pepper Lunch - Kimchi Beef with Cheese Pepper Rice - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

Our server Amy was super helpful!!!!! Super delish too!!!!!!! I got the beef pepper lunch with kimchi.

I love food that's got an interactive piece to it (kbbq, hot pot, cat fish spring rolls) and while it's pretty minimal with Pepper Lunch, it's still fun to mix the food yourself on a sizzling hot plate as the meat cooks to your liking. Pepper Lunch is a casual eatery. You place your order at the counter and then they assign you a table. Our food came out within two minutes of sitting down! I ordered the jumbo beef plate, which is the classic with more meat. Considering that the dish mostly consists of rice, it was very pricey at $18. It was also on the saltier side and the pepper flavor was quite strong (which I didn't mind). Next time, I think I'll add on kimchi, mushrooms, and cheese to help cut the saltiness a bit. Not a bad spot for a hearty meal but it does add up quick with the extras. read more

Pepper Lunch - Jumbo Beef Pepper Rice - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

stopped by pepper lunch before the airport and it was honestly delightful. I understand that the portion size might be smaller than people are used to, but it was perfect for me. it was a bit pricey for the amount of food, but it was fun to be able to cook the rice and meat my way, which involved letting the rice get more crispy before mixing everything together. I also got kimchi on the side and made it into kimchi fried rice. I want to learn how to make something similar though because it's so comforting to eat the interior was rather spacious, though it gets really busy during the weekends (but what in diamond jamboree is not busy on the weekends). I do think you have to eat inside for the full experience, so timing the wait is a skill. food came out quickly though, which is nice and allowed us to get in and out pretty quickly. read more

Pepper Lunch - Classic Beef Pepper Rice - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

I forgot how GOOD pepper lunch was! It's been years since I've last had a taste and since we were in the area, we HAD to go (also bc my bf's never had it lol). We got the classic beef pepper rice to share as a light "snack" and it was perfect! Not too heavy especially as a shared meal. We arrived at 11:30 and there was zero wait. The verdict? definitely coming back soon!! read more

such a lovely experience, I love the sizzle while the meal is cooking up! customer service was so nice because it was my first time there trying to figure out what to get. ultimately jumbo beef kimchi pepper rice was the way to go read more

Pepper Lunch - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

Solid little spot. Great for lunch! I always get their beef pepper rice. Full of flavor and always fresh! The sizzling stone plate they serve your food in creates the best crispy rice if you let it sit a bit and eat from the top. If you're looking for no frills and all flavor stop in! Parking at the plaza can be crazy on the weekends, but weekdays aren't so bad. Parking structure in the back if you can't find any near the establishment. read more

Came back here while I was visiting Irvine again. My friend and I wanted to try something new and the worker, Jonathan, helped recommend some of his favorites! My friend and I shared a Jumbo Beef Pepper Rice with egg and cheese. It was my first time getting a jumbo and the portion was more than enough for both my friend and I. It was flavorful and delicious as always but the service we received this time made our time here even more worth it! read more

Pepper Lunch - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

Food tastes good but not a lot of meat. Quick service, order at counter, nice casual place. read more

Pepper Lunch - Classic Beef Pepper Rice - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

Pepper Lunch has decreased in quality over the years and it's sad how much this chain & location has gone downhill. I had the beef with rice, mushrooms, and an egg and the portions were tiny. There was hardly any beef and the entire meal was incredibly salty and overpowering. It tasted like straight soy sauce and everything was drowned out. Nothing wrong with the service and the restaurant is clean. $14 for skimped portions just isn't it anymore. read more

Pepper Lunch - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

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Service was fast and friendly, great for lunch. But they use melamine bowls that's melted and flimsy table slides around with hot food on the table. Food is a bit greasy and salty but some might like it just not for us. read more

Terrible quality when I went. They only gave 4 slices of beef for an insane price of $25 per plate. Not to mention questionably prices add ons. Cheese for $3? Spinach for $2? And you end up with a sprinkle of it! Would never come again read more

Always a safe place to choose when in the plaza! Love the creamy chicken teppan pasta and the jumbo beef rice, absolutely my go tos! read more

Pepper Lunch - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

I've always wanted to try this place since it's quite famous. It's located at Diamond Jamboree so it might be hard to find parking if you go on a very busy day. We went in and there was a line but it went by pretty fast. You order your food at the cashier then sit down at the table they specify. It was my 1st time here so I decided to get the Beef Pepper Rice. Overall, the food was good but I honestly was disappointed with how little meat I got in proportion to the rice. In the pictures, it looks like you would get a lot more but it's not as much as I expected. read more

Pepper Lunch - Classic Beef Pepper Rice - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

Delicious and fast service as always. I love the curry sauce but it is a strong flavor so I struggle to eat the whole thing. The beef is tender and the rice is hot and crispy. The inside of the restaurant is always clean and very well air conditioned. Definitely recommend it, and heading to one of the great dessert places around Diamond jamboree after! read more

Pepper Lunch - Kimchi Beef with Cheese Pepper Rice add egg - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

The smell alone brought us in. Kara was so informative with which dishes were popular and what would the kids like. The place was so clean and inviting, we will for sure be back! read more

Pepper Lunch - Beef & Chicken Pepper Rice - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

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The amount of meat you get has definitely decreased over the years. I see that they have expanded their menu to make up for this. Such as this with this kimchi beef dish. Went during a weekday lunch time and had a fast service with getting indoor seats quickly. During that time it was mostly workers near the area getting their lunch. Is a good place for quick meals with a good about of background noise for ambiance. The parking lot/structure can be hard to park, so remember to make time for it. read more

Pepper Lunch - Kimchi Beef with Cheese Pepper Rice - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

Ferhat was super friendly and helpful when it came to explaining what I could and couldn't eat with my dietary restrictions. Extra shout out to chef, Reggie: the food came out hot, quick and was delicious! read more

Pepper Lunch - Kimchi Beef with Cheese Pepper Rice Miso Soup - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

Nathan was excellent and kind with the service. He asked if I wanted a box for my food and offered to get me a refill for my drink and got it for me. The food was good as usual. Alway love a good Pepper Lunch lunch. read more

It's extremely It's disappointing when a restaurant significantly increases its prices and shrinks its portions. My beef pepper rice is just rice with a sad side of meat. read more

Pepper Lunch - Rice with a side of meat... - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

Perfect food, amazing service lovely atmosphere everything was just right the food is fresh

This spot kept coming up on my Yelp so had to try it. I got the classic Beef Pepper Rice and I added mushrooms and an egg. Your meals come out in a hot stone pot and essentially you cook it( mix it) at your table once you get it. Pepper is definitely on the heavier hand so if you are thinking of lightly peppered this isn't that. Meat is thinly sliced in this option so it cooks quickly. There is a sweet sauce and garlic sauce at all tables. Both tasty sauces but as the dish is already quite salty adding too much of the sauce can cause it to be really salty. Overall really good first experience. There is tables inside and outside. It is fairly small so can get packed pretty quickly. This is located in the diamond jamboree plaza on the far left corner by kickin crab. This shopping plaza gets extremely busy and doesn't have much parking so prepare for this. There is a structure but it is on the other side so you will need to walk across the parking lot if parked on that side. read more

Pepper Lunch - Classic Beef Pepper Rice - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

Haven't been here in a while but was pleasantly surprised. I got the classic beef pepper rice with fries on the side (you can get a free side if you check in on yelp!) Overall service is good, ambiance is very chill and surprisingly wasn't too crowded for the weekend (Saturday, ~7-8pm) In regards to the food, I like how it comes steaming on the flatiron and it doesn't take too long for everything to cook. I know it's literally called Pepper Rice but the rice was a little too peppery for my taste, so it was overpowering in the flavor. I would recommend the garlic sauce cause it adds a nice savoriness beyond just salt and the beef was pretty good as well for the price. I'd definitely want to come back and try out the other beef menus like the steak! My friend got the curry and she seemed to enjoy it albeit it was mildly spicy. read more

Pepper Lunch - Classic Beef Pepper Rice - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

Haven't been here in a long time and I had a loyalty card to use while we're in the area for 3 days. We went last night and hubby wanted to go back today, so we went again for early dinner. Parking was not an issue as we came during off-peak hours both times that's why. Quick and friendly service. You order at the counter, you're assigned a table and deliver the order to you. I got the classic pepper beef yesterday and it was very good, just like what I remember so I am happy that the taste or quality hasn't changed. Today, I tried the ebi katsu curry (which I have been wanting to try for a while). So glad that I went for this b/c I really enjoyed it. I like japanese curry and this one didn't disappoint. Hubby ordered classic pepper seafood yesterday with shrimp, scallop and salmon. He liked it a lot, however he felt there wasn't enough of the seafood. Today, he ordered the classic pepper chicken and enjoyed it as well. Make sure you're going home after dining here, lol. Because everything is served on a sizzling plate and still cooking when they bring over, your clothes end up smelling like food. read more

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I've been to every pepper lunch in Southern California and HANDS DOWN this one was the best. Not only was the food high quality and fastidious, the service was top notch. Our server Austin provided us with the best care and he was lowkey hot. If you're seeing this, I love you man. read more

Wow! So glad my cousin took me here on my trip to Irvine a couple weeks ago. We visited on a Saturday for lunch. My cousin loves this spot and has visited many times over the years as a UCI alum. She recommended the classic beef pepper rice, which I was quite excited to try! The line wasn't too long and we were able to order for a table outside. My cousin recommended we dine in for the experience, and boy am I glad we did! The food came out on a sizzling hot platter, and we turned our beef over for it to cook fully. We promptly dug in to the delicious pepper-packed dish. I found the natural flavor of the rice and beef pretty tasty. The corn was also a great addition and went very well with the flavors of the dish. I was missing some of the spice I usually enjoy, and opted to mix in sriracha as well. All in all, this was a tasty and fun experience! I would love to come back here on my next visit to Irvine. Just make sure you flip your beef so it cooks all the way! read more

Pepper Lunch - Classic Beef Pepper Rice - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

Love this spot! Quick service and consistently great food. Perfect for a fast, satisfying meal that doesn't compromise on quality. One of my go-to favorites! read more

Came back and half to say the quality has remained the same! Sometimes I do wish the dishes had more of a kick, some spice but overall it tasted very good. The portion is fair - do check the tables/inside for sauces as some are available but it's not particularly mentioned . read more

Pepper Lunch - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

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I wanted to love it...I love filipino cuisine...and I know this place us big in the Phillipines...but I gotta say...eh. No problems with the service, same as any chipotle-style restaurant. Same with ambience...it was clean and fine for what it was. Only issue was the food. It wasn't bad...it was just so mediocre I almost would've preferred it to be bad...because at least I would've felt something. It's called pepper lunch, and I sneaze all the time...I didn't sneeze once!! And there was far more corn than protein. Corn is a filler, and we already have rice...idk...why all the damn corn!? More pepper!! Or chicken... I really wanted to like it, because I love chop-chop (cuban chopped chicken on a bed of rice)...but this was just eh... read more

Pepper Lunch - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

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Sizzling platters is what you get here. Imagine a traditional bibimbap on a hot stone bowl but American/japanese food. That's what it basically is. I had no clue what this place was but my bestie kept talking about it. Definitely not what I was expecting. Haha. The way she described it I totally thought it was like something like sukiyaki. Yeah, I don't know what I was listening to. Menu is pretty basic once you figure out what avenue you'll be taking. Rice, curry or pasta. Then, select your protein and any add ons. We both got the salmon with extra meat. Food comes out pretty quickly and yes, it's sizzling. Nothing complex, as it's just rice, fish, canned corn, slab of butter, lots of black pepper and added fried garlic. On the table, there are a couple of sauces you can add on. One is a little sweeter but the shoyu based one is a nice accompaniment to the fish. Make sure to mix well, so all the flavors are in each bite. Wasn't too impressed since this can be easily made at home. But I can see it being a good comfort meal for some. I read more

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Came in as a family of 4 and Masami and Rob were very accommodating in giving us a table right away despite it being busy.They always checked in with us and we greatly appreciated how helpful they were with explaining the menu. THANKS! read more

I tried the beef pepper lunch and the beef & chicken pepper lunch, and overall, it was a solid experience. We were told there'd be a 20-25 minute wait for a seat but only waited 6 minutes--bonus points for that! You order and pay upfront, which I actually like. The food came out super fast (like 6 minutes after we sat down), though they did mix up our order initially. They quickly fixed it, so no big deal. The meat and chicken were tender and flavorful, and cooking it on the sizzling skillet was fun. It's perfect for a post-work meal since it's piping hot and ready to eat. My only con is that there was a bit too much butter/oil, which made it a little greasy. The corn with the rice was a nice touch, though I'd say the rice felt more like fried rice. Overall, decent meal under $60 (including drinks), and great service. I'd definitely come back! read more

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My meal was at my perfect temperature.... HOT!!! We went at an off time so parking was easy and there was no line. Service was quick and delicious!!! I had the traditional beef and added mushrooms Next time I'll order double mushrooms!!! My husband enjoyed the chicken. Open restaurant with large windows. It had a nice vibe. A MUST!!! read more

Pepper Lunch - Jumbo Beef Pepper Rice-with mushrooms - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

I will always LOVE pepper lunch w all my heart Usually my go-to is the beef pepper rice, but recently I have been ordering the beef pepper udon (not pictured here but if they have on the menu still you HAVE to order). Noodles are juicy, bouncy, and flavorful. All the ingredients mixed together is *chefs kiss*, it just melts into your mouth. My boyfriend ordered the jumbo beef pepper rice & I ordered the beef pepper udon. The service here is super fast. One con I'd say is the salty and sweet sauce at your table isn't as accessible anymore so you have to go to the front to get it. If you come on a weekend, good luck finding parking. We parked super far. Regardless, the food came out amazing and I'd definitely come back again if I am craving PL in the Irvine area! read more

Pepper Lunch - Jumbo Beef Pepper Rice - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

We visited this location right when it first opened and ordered the beef plate and karaage chicken. We usually go to the other Irvine location, and compared to that, the portions here were noticeably smaller. Unfortunately, the karaage chicken was very dry. Also, for a newly opened restaurant, the interior was surprisingly dirty, which was quite disappointing. read more

Pepper Lunch - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

Been wanting to try this place forever and i finally went to the Irvine location. Had the Beef and Chicken Pepper Rice. It came out sizzling before me storing and cooking. Very flavorful and tasty as I knew it would be. Chill vibe and sort of crowded for a wed night. I am definitely anxious to try other things on the menu next time. A must try for sure. read more

Pepper Lunch - Indoor sign - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

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Food was delicious. Service was amazing. Thank yiy Nate for being attentive. You exceeded our customer expectations.