We are a party of 7( one child). Only review selected dishes. Service: good and well mannered front desk and servers. Salmon Kama: fresh and soft. Great dish. Soft shell crab: ok dish. Wish it's a bit more crunchy. Calamari: ok dish. A bit small but taste ok. Tofu: good dish. Good aroma. Crunch roll: the rice is overcooked. Taste ok. Chirashia bowl: rice is good. Fish are fresh as we can expect it from them as usual. Ambiance: family gatherings ok. A bit noisy and casual but friendly. read more

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Not bad, service was good and they gave alot of food. It's in Irvine which is a nice drive from where I live. If I lived closer I would not hesitate to bring a friend here. read more

Came here on a Sunday evening and there is already a line of people waiting so I'm glad we came early got seated immediately the food was really good fresh we had the tempura, udon and chicken teriyaki everything was cooked perfectly it was plentiful space ambiance was chill and not loud. I can see why a lot of people come here it's very consistent and we will definitely come back again also it's pretty affordable considering how large the portions were read more

Real deal Japanese came across our way back from Newport to Anaheim. Legit Japanese service and food. Sushi huge neta. Rice not the premium best but cooked the best. Good portion of uni on the gunkan. Money all day! read more

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My first time here. Never visited prior to the pandemic. So my first experience was takeout. I got the Crunchyroll + edamame. The food was delicious and fresh, prepared in time, well-packaged. No complaints. When you walk in, you are greeted by a friendly host/cashier. Behind him, there is a bustling operation of a team of people preparing the yummy food. They seem to be doing well. Lots of to-go bags waiting to be picked up. Come check them out. Glad I did. The one tough point is the parking, but hey, just park far and walk to get some extra steps in so you can eat extra! Hehehe. read more

Taiko - Welcome! - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

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Dinner Combination 1 (Beef Teriyaki, Shrimp Tempura, Sesame Chicken) Crunchy Cut Roll Sushi (Shrimp Tempura, Asparagus, Avocado, Cucumber, Masago) Overall rating: 8.5/10 Taiko is always a solid go-to place for Japanese food in Irvine, especially with their large portions for their lunch and dinner combinations. My boyfriend and I always default to dinner combination 1 during dinnertime, with beef teriyaki, sesame chicken, and shrimp tempura. It also comes with rice and salad, and miso soup when dining in. The sauce on the salad is a great balance between creaminess and nuttiness and pairs perfectly with the salad. I typically order the crunchy roll for a great combination of a cut roll and crunchiness from the shrimp tempura. I would recommend coming in early, or joining the Yelp waitlist because the line can get long at times. They also have a Toasttab for pickup and delivery if you want it to-go! Follow me @hippo.eats on IG for more food reviews and pics! read more

Taiko - No.1 Beef Teriyaki, Tempura, Sesame Chicken - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

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The food was great. Been coming to Taiko since the early 80's with my parents. Now coming here with my family. The food is the same great quality and large portions from back in the day. Service fast anf efficient. On top of everything turning tables quicky for the next guest. It was crowded but service was amazing. read more

One of my favorite sushi places when I went to college at UCI. The combination dinners are the best so you get to try a bit of everything. They give big portions and enough to share for a great value. The quality of the sushi is on par with high end sushi restaurants. The miso soup is seasoned perfectly and the tempura is crispy and savory. The sesame chicken is crispy on the outside and very flavorful. read more

Taiko - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

For the price, just go somewhere else. The reviews are true, taiko used to be the spot when I was a kid and younger and now it's empty and the chefs have changed and owners as well and it's not the same. Pretty pricey for mediocre food. Went for nostalgia since I haven't been in 7+ years, left feeling more desired. read more

Time & Date: Saturday, Sep 18th @ 8pm Waitlist: joined at 5:30pm, got seated at 7:45pm Crowd: busy, all tables were taken + a long wait Note: combo dishes are absolutely massive Based on my Yelp searches, it seems like Taiko is one of the few popular authentic Japanese restaurants in Irvine (at a decently affordable price with a casual ambience at least). The wait time was LONG like 2+ hours long, so make sure you join the waitlist early & plan accordingly! I ordered combos from their dinner menu and was not expecting it to be so massively big. For reference, I ordered the sushi, sashimi, sesame chicken combo ($22) & it consists of 2 whole plates. There actually wasn't enough space on the table because the plates were so big LOL. Of all the pieces of sushi & sashimi, I found that the salmon was the most fresh. I couldn't finish my food, honestly 2 people can share one combo if you're not that hungry! Fun side note: the miso soup & rice is unlimited! read more

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This is difficult for me because an end to an Icon has arrived, we have been going here for over 30 Years and unfortunately, things have drastically changed. This used to be the Hole-in-the-Wall that we loved coming to weekly because the food was just so good, the portions were amazing, the quality of fish was excellent, and the staff was like coming home. It didn't matter what day of the week it was, there was a 30 minute to 1 hour wait it get into the sushi bar. The funny thing though is there is not longer an operational sushi bar, they are still holding on to covid! The world has put covid behind them but not these guys, get with the times already and reopen the sushi bar. I cannot remember how many great times we have had a Taiko over the years, the relationships that sprouted and grew. The families we would see weekly, the excitement we all had having another amazing meal here together. We saw family, friends, neighbors, people would move and still come back, children would grow up and start bringing their families, occasionally we would even have celebrities drop by. When you had a bad day, Taiko could always raise your spirits, it had such a great energy with all the amazing people coming and going. The fish portions were always huge, the rea; crab meat for the rolls was always fresh, and the prices were great. Now, what can I say, you come to the entrance, and it is a mess outside, there is crap all over the floors, cheap signage all over the front entrance, and you follow the signs to the back door. Go to the back of the house because you are not welcome at our front door, it is now dedicated to the to-go orders. They have completely changed the menu, it is no longer Taiko, it is a Hole-in-the-Wall with highly overpriced smaller portioned food. Granted the sushi is decent / pretty ok but it is nothing like what Taiko use to be, the Taiko sushi dishes are now gone, the rolls and sashimi are under half the size, it is fake crab meat now, and they do not even serve exactly what is pictured on the menus. Why would anybody in their right mind take a place that was so successful and had such a huge client following change everything? I can understand raising prices a bit to offset the increased purchasing prices but to double the prices or more is not right. They increased the prices, and cut back the portions of everything by half, at least on the fresh fish size and that is what matters. I am also sad to say after coming in near opening and guess what there are no longer lines, and I am sure they wonder why? Well, I can tell you, what something isn't broken don't fix it, unfortunately you have changed it and people are no longer coming. For a first timers it will be ok, maybe ever good because they have nothing to compare it to, but the bread and butter of the restaurant are leaving or have gone. There are many higher-end beautiful sushi places in Irvine so what go it a Hole-in-the-Wall that charges so much for nothing special. I hope you can bring back the old Taiko food, quality, and portions and you can be a success again. read more

Fantastic food and service! One of the best sushi restaurants I have ever been too! Superb!

Great quality food and a great value! I also am very impressed with the service and pleasant, quiet atmosphere. Highly recommend!

Greta spot for sushi! Some of our first roles were a little bit too fishy for our taste but still ate everything! You do need to walk around the back of where the restaurants name is. That is for pickup only, dine-in is in the back. You get a starter of miso soup which was so warm and tasty. Highly recommend the eel California role and crunchy shrimp role. Tip: join the Yelp waitlist prior to showing up!! This will spread up the wait. read more

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The fact that the wait is long any day of the week is a tall tale sign that something right is going on here. After a few visits this has become one of my wife and I go to Japanese restaurants, despite its 30 min away from home. This is more of an authentic type Japanese restaurant in their menu, food prep and taste. It's not AYCE. Sushi, bento, ramen, udon Taiko does it well. The service is also good given the volume and the post covid challenge of being short staffed. If you are in the area, this place is worth the wait. read more

Taiko - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

My son and I went to Taiko around 1pm to eat lunch there. It took us 10 min to see the host to came out and lead us to the table. The restaurant was pretty empty. We waited long time to order because no one was helping us to take orders. When they finally brought us the dish, It was wrong dish and we had to wait more . When we finished our meal, There were no employees to bring the bill. Where all the employees went? I was really annoyed their service. I have been to Taiko more than 25 years. It was first time very frustrated. I had to put low tips. Il read more

We have been going to this restaurant for many years. It is a place where we take family when they're in town. We meet my brother and his wife here frequently. It is so good and authentic and fresh. The staff are very helpful. We were just talking today about our next trip to Taiko which should be next week. read more

Holy crap! I just finished lunch here, how have I lived in Irvine for the last 15 years and not known about this place? I must've been living on the moon. First of all there is always a wait but they use a app called waitlist so it's pretty convenient. I wouldn't say the service is amazing but it's not supposed to be. My dad and I always went to kitiyama for lunch in Newport Beach and this place is easily twice as good. For $12.50 I got a sashimi and chicken teriyaki combo which was a massive portion and an incredible value. Also we got a salmon collar and sashimi lunch for $14.50. I spent that much on Chick-fil-A last time I went. Seriously the best salmon collar I've ever had and I've had quite a few in my day. It was rich and fatty with zero fishiness, I truly, truly enjoyed it. I ate so fast I forgot to take pictures the guilt is overwhelming me as we speak how can I be in an an elite Yelper and not take pictures of my food. I am ashamed, please forgive me. read more

Taiko - The aftermath. Man this place is good - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

Oh my gosh, we ate here today and we absolutely love their food! Large portions great prices! Some of the best teriyaki I've ever tasted! The spicy tuna was great! Their teriyaki chicken appetizer is huge! We ended up taking two to-go boxes home, they served us so much food! Wonderful ambience. We sat by the window in the back and it was just so cute! The Server and hostess were wonderful! We are planning on going here again and again and telling all our friends to eat here! 5 stars! DH read more

Taiko is a place that I have been coming to since I was a little kid. Taiko is such a family oriented restaurant and the food quality is nice! I personally Love their tuna dishes the best here, especially their spicy tuna cut rolls! Their tuna quality is great and the staff are just very sweet and friendly! Their portions seemingly also grew significantly from what I remembered! They currently have the yelp waitlist so if you want to pre-wait, you can reserve via the Yelp App and be on the waiting list! read more

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Ordered through UberEats for me and my friend. I got the Sansai Udon and my friend got the Chirashi. The sansai udon comes with chopped up Japanese veggies. The udon was adequate and the I loved the crunchiness of the veggies. The soup was great and I loved it more as I drank more of it. I also added a pumpkin tempura to my order and it came with its own tempura sauce and that was crispy and light. I can't comment much on the chirashi since I didn't taste any but from its appearance the fish quality looked good. The yellowtail was beautiful and made me want some. The sashimi slices are quite chunky which generally is not my preference. Overall it looks very authentic and I would order from here again if I'm in the area. read more

Taiko - Sansai Udon and pumpkin tempura addon - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

this place used to be good and families and friends have been coming here for decades. It's under a new ownership and management now and all the experienced sushi chefs have retired. the sashimi is the overpriced and not fresh at all. Very disappointed with how the quality of the food plummeted over the last 3 years. Friendly staff that's about it. Will not return read more

The wait was only about 10ish minutes on a Sunday evening. Parking is usually horrible in this plaza, but we got lucky today. My boyfriend and I split the 10 piece assorted sushi (Take), the Salmon Aburi Yuzu Cut Roll, the eel cut roll, and the fried mackerel. I was pretty impressed with the size of the fish for the sushi, and for the most part it tasted fresh. I enjoyed the salmon and albacore sushi the most. The salmon aburi yuzu was also unique and delicious. The sauce was a little spicy. The eel cut roll was disappointing. Barely any eel, and it wasn't warm. The fried mackerel was super tasty. This place is definitely on the pricy side making me question if AYCE sushi would have been a better option. Quality was a step up from most AYCE sushi spots. The food amount we got this time was enough to not be hungry anymore. read more

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If you get anything, make sure to get the beef Ramen. The broth is so flavorful. The noodles are the perfect texture too. The sushi had asparagus in it, which was interesting but not my favorite read more

Taiko - Salmon aburi yuza sushi roll and namba sushi roll - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

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Been coming here for over 30 years. Best japanese food I've ever had outside of Little Tokyo! Still excellent!! Great server; great food!

One of the employees saw the spoon was dirty so the employee used her hand without gloves to wipe it of

I'm so happy my boyfriend came across this place when we were looking for Japanese restaurants in Irvine! And it's so close to our apartment! Taiko is a very authentic Japanese restaurant. Their menu is pretty big and the variety the have is enough to find something you'd like. I think the price is fair for what you get because oh man their "Combi" is sooo worth it! Portion sizes are amazing and they give unlimited miso soup (and rice I think, check the menu!) when you order the combos! Their sushi dinner is also a good choice. It comes on this giant plate and there's a good amount that keeps you feeling full but not stuffed. Last time I went, I got the combi that included a sushi platter, sesame chicken, and teriyaki beef. Their beef is so nice! It's like the steak kind, not the thinly sliced meats. Sesame chicken was humongous lol. Although it was kinda weird that my boyfriend's sesame chicken didn't look as big as mines. So many that can be a downside - the size of certain items may vary haha. Service is great and everyone there is very nice! There can be a wait but the 2 times I've went, we either beat the rush or waited about 10-15 minutes or so. Highly recommend if you're looking for a nice Japanese restaurant that servers sushi and bentos! They also have udon noodles that I do want to try but I love sushi too much haha. Definitely recommend to combi on the menu! **Also a tip: hot tea is free! No charge for tea :) It's a matcha tea that will get very strong and bitter once you're near the bottom so definitely ask for more hot water. It's great for the cold weather! read more

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We've been going to this restaurant for over 3 decades! Despite change of management, food still taste great!

Taiko is fine. It is not spectacular nor is it bad. I don't know what the lines out the door are all about. With the plethora of sushi options available in Orange County, people should venture out more. read more

My family and I have been coming here for over 10 years for celebrations and it has always been amazing. We always order the combination plates and they are always top tier. Came today to celebrate my grandpa's birthday and it was his first time and he loved it. Love coming here! Our waitress was also very friendly and attentive. read more

First, we were greeted in Japanese and seated immediately (Tuesday night ~7:30 pm)! My friend had the tempura udon. (tempura on the side), and I had the Jumbo Yakitori 4 skewers for $16 and a small beer. The Yakitori was okay; it was nothing too special, and it was not really jumbo either. The udon was interesting. I had a few bites of my friends, and the broth tasted sour. It was an odd sensation. I probably would not order it again. Also, we asked our waitress what a mango sunrise included/was made of, and she asked if we wanted to see a picture. If only we could tell the base alcohol from the picture... We asked what was in it, and she told us, "Little mango, soda, and alcohol." we thought it was funny. We didn't end up ordering it since we only knew there were mangos, soda, and mystery alcohol in it. Otherwise, it's friendly and clean, and I might try again to come to see if they have more info on their mango sunrise--the mystery drink. lol read more

One of our favorite spots in Irvine. My favorite thing to get here is a combination meal, usually with tempura and sushi. The combination meals are a bit pricey ranging from $20-35 give or take, but the meal can be enough to make two meals. read more

If you are looking for Japanese spot that gives huge portions then this is it. The price is really good for the size of the tempura and karaage set. Everyone was really nice and Taiko is a good spot to practice your Japanese! I'll be back for more real soon! read more

Taiko - Tempura and karaage set - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

I just wanted a normal, old school bento box and I got just that, which was great. The food was good and served in large portions, which we took home for another whole meal the following night. The food was reasonably priced. The kids enjoyed the dining experience because there was something for everyone. There was no line Friday evening, but then again, we got there at 5:30 p.m. Overall, we'd come here again. read more

I came here with the bestie to try Taiko for the first time, and Taiko did not disappoint. We tried a bunch of sushi: Salmon, Yellowtail, Eel and the Sweet Shrimp. Cut rolls: Rainbow and Cucumber Roll filled with Sashimi. Hot items: Baked Green Mussels and Tempura. They are all really good, but what would get us to come back here was the Yellowtail, Eel and Salmon Sushi. And of course, the Sweet Shrimp, which by the way tasted AMAZING! Whenever I see Sweet Shrimp on a menu, I always have to try it and Taiko's sweet shrimp sushi was soo good. It tasted unlike the other ones I have had. It had a creamy taste along with the sweet notes. They do not have a big sushi roll menu for some people that like rolls, they have more of the hot items and an array of 2-piece sushi. Thank you Taiko for the delicious fish and shrimp! read more

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Great service and affordable good quality Japanese food. This establishment has been here for decades. Looking forward to going again! read more

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The quickness of the waitstaff here impressed me. This sit-down sushi spot turned out orders faster than a bustling drive thru staffed by veterans of the hospitality industry. I recollect a waiter dropping by the table instantly. Glasses of water followed. We ordered a spicy tuna roll, a dynamite roll, a salmon roll, and the shrimp tempura udon. I conjecture I waited less than a few minutes before the rolls we ordered were rolling in. The dynamite and spicy tuna rolls stole the show. I expected the salmon roll to be the best offering, but we sent it back, and the waitstaff and mgmt. were courteous enough not ti charge us for the so-so roll. The shrimp udon verged on the miraculous. Each noodle was rich and fulfilling. A perfect slurp from start to finish. On a non sequitur note, I must praise the water served here. Each cup glistened with pure lucid liquid. The water was flavorless and odorless as a cloud in the sky. Refills were left up to the customer in a carafe. I poured accordingly. read more

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Food was good, service was also very good. Definitely recommend the shrimp tempura: very fresh and deliciously light! Also, I don't think there is a better late night happy hour with $2 beers from 8- close! read more

Taiko - (D) Sushi & Tempura - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

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I haven't been here in a long time but recently ordered delivery of some items including the grilled eel, miso cod, and the cucumber cut roll. The fish dishes were so tasty while the cut roll was generously packed with crab (no rice). It came with a seaweed salad too. The crowded shopping center it is in deters me from going but I hope to go to the restaurant sometime soon! read more

I'm giving 2 stars because the server was nice, but unfortunately he didn't have very good customer service skills. He is young perhaps he will learn. Ordered sesame chicken appetizer (was very greasy and I could not taste the sesame flavor much) and a volcano roll (scallops were supposed to be baked, but came out luke warm) I told server about my rolls and not sure what he did with that information. I don't think I will be back. Please note, I had a great day and was in a good mood when I arrived. I am a big yelper and do many reviews. I actually read some good reviews and that is was prompted me to try it today. read more

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