Taiko used to be the spot! (Heavy emphasis on USED to be.) Packed every night with food that actually made you feel something and an atmosphere that just wrapped you up. It had that spark, that something that made you want to come back again and again. But now? Walking in feels like you're stepping into some weird time capsule--and not the cool kind. The service? What service? QR codes are everywhere, but no one is around when you actually need something. And the food? That was the whole reason to go! But now, it's barely edible. Last week, I ordered the Tuna Carpaccio. After one bite, I had to send it back. The overwhelmingly pungent fishiness was unbearable. Not fresh at all. It's a heartbreaker because Taiko was special. These days, it's just... there. It's existing, sure, but not really living. And unless they can pull off some miracle, the crowd's only going to get thinner. People are already talking about new spots that remind them of what Taiko used to be. What a shame, really. It's tough to watch. read more

Food was mediocre, but service was terrible, completely forgotten that I exist after the food was served, never saw the server again.

This location used to have crazy lines, but now it seems the lines are significantly more manageable and make it an actual option for take out/dinner instead of having to wait over an hour to be seated. Of the times I have been here, the service has been OK and the food has been decent. As many others have mentioned, the portions can be quite big which is a nice surprise. The sesame chicken combo comes with plenty of chicken, large fried tempura pieces, and salad. The combo could almost be split into 2 meals as it is an impressive amount of protein. The rolls seem good and I believe the California roll actually uses real crab vs imitation (according to my aunt, although I am not sure if that may have changed in the more recent years). The rolls have always looked filled and stacked with fish, and I found the take out service to be convenient and friendly. It does seem as though the quality has changed a bit as the restaurant has changed drastically during the pandemic. It's not necessarily a bad thing but it does take away the appeal and demand of waiting for Taiko. Even with the changes, it seems to still be a popular spot for those who want sushi in the plaza. read more

What the heck happened to this place? We've been coming here for over 10 years and used to be the best Japanese sushi restaurant around. Friendly services and overall great food. Recently came back here with our kids to celebrate one of the children's birthday because they all love sushi. What a mistake that was. The staff made us feel as though it was a burden on them for us to dine there. No smiles, no friendly greetings, no water, nothing. I guess they changed the way they service orders, you order through a QR code and you pay online as well. When we asked for little things like napkins and utensils, staff seemed annoyed at us. How dare us ask for such requests! Service with an attitude is their slogan I guess. Food was mediocre at best, total waste of money. The vegan rolls were horrible, terrible, don't bother. The rest were nothing to rave about. I regretted coming here after 5 mins of seating. Husband said he felt nauseous after eating here, luckily for me I didn't eat much. A bag of ramen from home was a better meal. The only thing I enjoyed was the agedashi tofu, pretty hard to F that one up right? Never coming back. Pretty sad how this beloved place has gone downhill. Pretty evident maybe the staff hates working here that's why they are no longer friendly like they used to be. I think Covid times messed them up, I saw they have new management and the menu is completely different from what we are used to. I hate writing negative reviews but maybe if enough people are saying the same thing, they will make a change. read more

Food is still good as I remember. Service is quick...... Great value & they have double points on Monday/Tuesday, happy hour appetizers & drinks. read more

I have been here twice already and I had a good experience both times. Taiko is great for our party of 10. Just make sure to join the waitlist before you go so you don't have to wait. The auntie serving us was so pretty and sweet. Fried octopus balls: the best I have tried yet!!! I usually don't like it because all the ones I've tried was too doughy and dense. But this place makes it perfect. I'm addicted now. Tempura appetizer: delicious, light, and crispy as always. 10/10 Volcano roll: delicious and creamy. Good portion. I would probably ask for he teriyaki sauce on the side next time since I'm not a fan of too much teriyaki sauce very much. 10/10 Salmon skin salad: a lot of cucumbers and onions. . I love cucumbers but the rest of my party wanted more "salad" instead of cucumber. 9/10 Salmon sashimi: the biggest salmon sashimi ever!!! Very fresh and very good. We get it everytime. Highly recommend! 10/10 Tuna sashimi: I didn't eat it but my friend said 8/10. Salmom Oyako: 10/10 Tomago sushi: 10/10 Uni: I didn't eat it but my friend said it was 10/10 Overall, a good family friendly place. read more

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Put myself in Yelp waitlist before going to the restaurant on Sat. Service was good. I ordered the two items dinner bento with teriyaki beef and sesame chicken. I asked to cook the beef medium but it came out well done. The beef was tough and chewy. The sashimi was ok. My son likes their udon. read more

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Been here three times, and all three were mediocre at best. The slices of fish are very generous, and the quality is not terrible. 3 stars are mostly for generous portions and a good price. That's pretty much the only appeal. read more

Came here as a quick stop before my flight out of SNA and was so glad! The service was quick and friendly and the food was so good. Just got myself a lil sushi set and loved every piece. Great value for what it is ~ read more

Taiko - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

Went on a Wednesday night and it was surprisingly packed. We had more than 8 people so it took us a little longer to get seated but if you have around 2-4 people, you can get a seat pretty quickly. The ambience is very nice. It's a mid size restaurant and has a good amount of space. Also, the entrance is in the back and not the front. The front is for to go orders. There are a few signs that tell you where the back entrance is. However, Be warned!, If you get the Combi or combinations they are huge and it's fit for 2 people but if you want to have left overs for a lunch or late night snack. I got the number 4 combi meal and that included sashimi, sesame chicken and beef teriyaki. The sesame chicken was very good with the mayonnaise that comes with the green beans. Overall I enjoyed the food, but its more than you expect. read more

Taiko - Number No.4 Sashimi, Beef Teriyaki, Sesame Chicken - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

My party was looking for a Japanese spot that would accommodate 7 people. We called ahead of time to ask about a waitlist and were told there would be no wait time and that they'd be able to seat us when we arrived. When we arrived, the servers were nice and started to set up a table for us. We were separated into two tables but were still next to each other. We ordered a few sushi rolls and a chicken and beef plate. The sushi was okay (7/10). I would definitely come back for the happy hour promos. read more

Taiko - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

Meh...met up with a friend and we had dinner here. we had a sashimi ($40), namba roll that was a spicy tuna cut roll with some stuff on top ($18.50), 2 salmon skin hand rolls ($16), diet coke, hot tea. we didn't drink alcohol. with tax and tip, the total was around $150. i thought it was a bit excessive. quality was ok but not superb. read more

This place makes Japanese food the way I used to remember it. For the last 10 years I feel like the cuisine has been in decline. Taiko stands out though. Generous portions of sashimi, well cooked teriyaki chicken dark meat. Even generous with a ginger and wasabi. Oh, and they have short grain rice, I don't even remember the last time I had that! Thanks Taiko! read more

Taiko - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

Really good sushi place. Traditional Japanese food. Good quality, fresh and delicious.

We really enjoyed our dinner here on Saturday night. When you arrive, they direct you to the left side door to self check-in via a tablet device for dine-in. There's a nice amount of space outside nearby to wait by the little pond. We had the edamame, sesame chicken appetizer, rainbow roll & sashimi dinner, which was more than enough for 2 people. The portion sizes are great, and they do not skimp on the cuts of fish. The service was great. I've never had food brought to the table faster in my life, and they cleaned the plates off quickly also. This is a great restaurant for all ages. All in all, a great dinner experience! read more

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This has been my go-to spot for almost 10 years now. I enjoy coming here for their nigiri. It's great portion sized nigiri and good value for the quality. I am often less impressed by the chirashi, sashimi salad, and non-nigiri/sashimi items. I'd recommend trying this place if you're looking for good sushi in this area! Fair warning though-they are a small location so they do run longgg and slow with orders that you place for pick up. More often than not, the time they say my order will be ready isn't for at least 20-30 minutes after pickup time. read more

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ever since my dad and i found this place, we've been eating here occasionally! the grilled mackerel was tasty and came with soft bean sprouts. (i usually hate bean sprouts but these ones were that good) the teishoku was very delicious, my favorite from it being the sashimi. it made a nice, refreshing contrast from the warm, savory chicken. although, i would not get the beef teriyaki medium rare again since it was really chewy. staff were very kind and i can tell they prioritize customer service here! read more

Taiko - grilled mackerel - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

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Went there a day ago and noticed they had a notice posted basically at every corner. They will be increasing their prices and changing the menu on the 26th of February 2023! T Spoke with the wait staff and they informed us that they won't have the combination plates anymore and it'll be a whole new redone menu. So my go to order will be no more, which is very sad! They also won't have anymore free rice and miso refills. I hope they know what they are doing with their increase of price, and hopefully it won't affect the quantity and quantity! If not, you'd def losing loyal customers that have been coming here for years including myself! read more

Taiko - Announcement of their price and menu changes effective 2/26/23 - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

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Toro is super delicious. Visited twice this month. I love this place and highly recommend it. read more

Taiko - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

A classic. This is a highly, familiy-friendly location. Taiko has been opened for several years, and I think the fun atmosphere never wears off. I enjoyed the sashimi, and it's even more fun if you get it on a big, wooden boat! It's hard to get sushi and teriyaki chicken wrong. Go for the dinner combos! You won't regret it. Parking is difficult now because there are so many good places to eat in this plaza. read more

Used to go to Taiko a few times a month pre-covid. Just about two months ago, I started this up again. Between lunch and dinner, it's usually more busy (a decent wait) during dinner. But what's nice is you can use the Yelp Waitlist feature during a busy time. My order is usually the A combi for lunch and the 1. or 4. combi for dinner. The vegetable and shrimp (2 shrimp) tempura here is usually light and crispy. Both the vegetable and shrimp are of good quality. The sushi/sashimi options have always been fresh and there are a good variety to pick from. The sesame chicken is an item that is present in all of the combi for lunch and dinner. It's pretty tender and has a nice crisp on outside, but can be pretty heavy. I'd recommend taking it home if you can't finish or if you don't have a heavy appetite that day, you can pay a bit more to switch that out for another item. Beef Kushiyaki, on the lunch menu, is hit or miss. Some days it's cooked at about medium and tender and other days it's well done and dry. The beef teriyaki is much better; they usually ask how you'd prefer it to be cooked. The salmon skin salad is one of my favorite 'Specials' item. There's a good amount of salmon and salmon skin, which is served on top of veggies. I'd recommend eating the salmon before grabbing from the bottom because it may get soggy. The meals usually come with miso soup and rice, which may be refilled. Miso soup is pretty standard and has tofu skin instead of tofu and the white rice is good quality. read more

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This used to be my favorite sushi restaurant for many many years. I used to come here to show off to my friends that I knew a great sushi spot. I used to sit at the sushi bar almost every time and wait in line waiting for them to open. I have some great memories here. Since Covid, I have been here a handful of times and the sushi bar was never reopened when I came in. I ate there anyways, at a table, but the quality was just not the same as I remembered. I went again and again hoping it would go back to the way it was but it just hasn't. I had hear there was a change of ownership I think prior to Covid, but do not know anything for sure. I am praying one day it will get back to the way I remember and I can sit at the sushi bar again. I have even called from time to time to see if it opened back up. I think I am due to call again soon in hopes that it is. It was always a nice place to dine. Always clean and simple. read more

The great food and traditional Japanese ambiance here is everything you'll need to feel like you're dining in Japan. They have been in business for the last few decades which is a testament to their superb service and food. They are located in the heart of Irvine with a huge menu to choose from including sushi, udon, ramen and bento boxes. Their portion sizes are more than generous and you'll most likely walk out with to-go boxes. Can't beat their prices either. Oishii! read more

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I was told their bento serving was huge. Personally, I think the food portion size was too much for one person but thankfully I shared. Nothing wrong with the portions at all, just wanted to share. I had thought the sesame chicken would come out dry but it was quite the opposite. It was big, juicy, and flavorful. Overall, I thought my food so good and satisfying. My order was combi #4. read more

Taiko - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

It saddens me to give a low rating to a restaurant that I have been going to my whole life. Taiko is a popular Japanese restaurant in Irvine and has been for over 40 years. The sad reality is that the quality of the food and the portions have gone downhill since COVID. The last few times I ate at Taiko or ordered to go, the fish does not taste as fresh as it used to. The size of each roll is much smaller than it used to be. When you ask to add smelt egg to a roll, the just sprinkle a small amount around the outside. I truly hope that Taiko turns things back around read more

I think this place is pretty good. Our waitress was very nice and talked about her kids and how they play soccer and I really liked her. I ordered some sort of 2 item plate and got chicken and sashimi. It was a lot of food for 19 dollars or whatever it was but the sashimi wasn't as good as I remember it being years ago. Overall a 4/5 place for me. Edit: Changing my review to 5 stars now since the owner responded to my review and made me feel like a special boy. read more

Taiko is super poppin'! If you're wanting to get a table at opening for lunch, you'll need to find the line on the side of the building. At about 15 minutes to opening on a Friday i found there was a line of about 4-5 tables already. One time prior, there was a 45 minute wait for dinner, so I skipped over next door for some noodles. If you're wanting to get take out - there is online ordering or you'll go through the front doors facing the parking lot. There's a separate take out area. We got some bento box combos and they were really really good. Our bento box came with - bowl of rice, meat (beef), big salad, some green bean salad with some sort of mayo and sashimi. The combo was less than $20 and was super delicious. The food tasted fresh and not that it was mass produced because it was for a bento box/combination meal. Everything was packed for take out thoughtfully. For example, our sashimi came in a separate box, it didn't come in the same to go box as the hot meat! Would try to come back here again, probably around opening or do a take out order online. read more

I've always saw long lines for this place and finally got to try it out. We were thoroughly impressed! Portion sizes were huge so great value for the price especially with the cost of food nowadays. The restaurant was packed and lively and looked so much bigger on the inside. Our waitress was lovely and invited us to join their rewards program. We can't wait to come back again. Yelp waitlist also for the win! read more

Great place to have authentic Japanese food. Everything we had tasted great and the prices were good. I recommend the tuna nigiri! read more

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As i am lenient on holidays as mother's day can be one of the busier dinner days, this review isn't necessarily a service based one. This place has integrated a way more extensive menu (almost to the point it's overwhelming prior to the old menu when i used to come with the old management). Yet i understand they need to make money somehow. It's also a bit confusing offering online ordering/pay but our waiter also coming by to place an order. Although the pay feature is nice for the younger crowd The food I noticed a significant difference in flavor and quality. The cut of the fish has gone down drastically and the price to top that is more expensive. The scallop hand roll was probably the only dish that stayed somewhat similar although it was missing some vegetables they used to add in. The spicy tuna cut roll was good but also they definitely added more hot sauce in the new recipe cause it tasted different but still good. The biggest disappointment was the sweet shrimp and oysters. Oysters vary in sizing but for the amount I paid for them, they were extremely small. Smaller almost than those cheap oyster bars but they weren't priced like that. The sweet shrimp was quite small and the shrimp head they fry was like butchered. I came here to tag along for a mother's day dinner but also was curious if they've adjusted to new management, but unfortunately I think i will never be returning here after my last visit. read more

Should have listened to our friends that this long-time establishment had gone downhill years ago. The only highlight was our server, Yen, was really nice. The rest: Not enough highchairs (our party needed 2). Sesame chicken had no sesame on it and was dry and tasteless (large pieces though). One of the two udon broths were overly salty. Oddly enough, the chirashi bowl came last, say half an hour later than all other dishes, but was the only one where most of the entree is supposed to come uncooked. The rice underneath was cold and dried out, where the shreaded seaweed had already embedded and infused itself with the rice during some long forgotten time. There was too little nigiri, albeit I get that it's a $22 chirashi bowl. The cocktails, like the lychee one, had little to no alcohol. Mocktail versions were okay. We were seated by the back/left of the main dining room, where the sun was beating in through the windows. We pulled down the shades ourselves, and that helped a lot. Just note that this place could use a slight renovation, as the shades and handles on the shades were filthy (and there was an ant crawling on the handle nearest me). There was also sticky sauce like stuff on the side/corner of my chair, which I was unpleasantly surprised by when trying to scoot my chair up. First and likely last time we'll visit, unless they renovate and/or get new management. read more

This place met all my expectations. Had very good range of menu options and also great portion sizes. Would definitely come back again. There was a great ambiance and felt very welcomed read more

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Good old Taiko. This place has been around for a long time, like over 40 years? Our favorite dish is the sesame chicken - tender and flavorful. For the combination tempura, you'll get two shrimps, bell pepper, sweet potato, and pumpkin. Service was good. The dine-in entrance is in the back. The front entrance is for to-go pick up. Parking is a bit difficult as there are other restaurants in the plaza. read more

Taiko - Combination A (Lunch) beef skewer, sesame chicken, tempura - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

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Days after eating at Taiko, I'm still unsure about how I feel about it. The fish was AMAZING, no doubt. Blue fin sushi for $8.50 and was so tender you could cut it with a chopstick if you felt so inclined. The fish topping the rainbow roll was also incredibly fresh and tender and flavorful. The cut rolls, on the other hand, sort of missed the mark for me, and there was not a very large selection to choose from. Service was very attentive when we arrived, but got worse as dinner went on, the manager even had to step in to take our food order because he had noticed nobody had come back after we ordered our drinks. Overall, I'd likely return to Taiko for a couple pieces of sushi as an appetizer, and finish having dinner elsewhere, or possibly order something off their menu that is not sushi related. read more

Taiko - Bluefin Tuna Nigiri - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

WOW - terrible is an understatement.. we've been coming here for 30 years! It was so bad! we sent back a couple of our first orders (Sesame Chicken) - it was dried up and tasted terrible. they brought us back the SAME thing. The tempura was cold and soggy. Even the white rice (how can you screw that up?) was soggy and not good. unbelievable for a place that we used to LOVE! there used to be lines to get in this place - no longer. We tried about a two months ago and hated it, but we thought we'd give it another try (maybe it was a bad night?). NOPE! Don't go here - the restaurant is smelly and dated... We are so disappointed - end of an era!! read more

Taiko is a classic Irvine restaurant that's been around since as long as many can remember. In recent days, their food is good, but in a specific way. Their lunch/dinner combos of non-Sushi-/sashimi are a good deal and have REALLY GENEROUS PORTIONS, but if you want decent fish, be prepared to spend. The fish quality on the bento sashimi was not good, but the sashimi ordered additionally was made from good fish. The sweet shrimp were a little disappointing, however, as the best word to describe them would be...slimy. Fried heads at least was a signal that the shrimp are fresh. Will I be back? We'll see, when it happens that I'm looking for a large meal and want to sample different types of Americanized Japanese food. read more

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Got the tempura and sesame chicken plate and the portion was really generous. Food itself was also good but wish the tempura was a little more crispy. Id say the food was good but there wasn't anything that stood out too much about it. Service was very nice and respectful and ambiance was really nice. Would go here again for a nice casual dinner with friends. read more

Taiko - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

we came to eat here on a Saturday night and the service and food was amazing. It was very calm and not loud at all. I do wish that this place was rated higher. read more

Food and service is great. The tonkatsu and sashimi were very good and presented in traditional style plates. Taiko has been here for many years and my experience was just as good as ever. Will be back soon read more

This is more of a 3.5 but I rounded down. Ambiance and decor is nice, so it's 4/5! Service was average. Cleanliness was also average, didn't feel extremely clean nor dirty. The food is a bit pricey, but the portions are bigger than usual so maybe that's why it's a bit pricier? Taste is what you'd expect at any other Japanese restaurants, nothing too bold or extra.. No complaints if you're just looking for something casual. Sashimi quality was decent! read more

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