Food and service always exceed expectations. Our waitress was on top of everything we could want and the 3 generations having dinner together could not have been happier read more

The food is great. this is my go-to when I am in the mood for mixed tempura and salmon nigiri. Each nigiri is around $5 each per piece, it is a bit on the expensive side but well worth the value. I like their combinations, each range between $22-28. The service is also quick. Ambiance is okay- lights turned on outside of the restaurant and kind of hurt our eyes since they dont have any shades in there, but it wasn't too big of a deal. If you are looking for somewhere nice and date vibes, here is the place to be. read more

Taiko - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

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We have been going to Taiko for 40 years! The best sushi ever! Sad that they don't make some of the original items from the original owners but we have found new things on the menu it their stead. Still miss the baby tuna sashimi salad though... read more

I had a lunch with my daughter at Taiko. I love this place! Food is delicious every time we come here. The service is great! Our waitress was very attentive and helpful. The ambiance is nice, tables are clean. I would definitely come here! read more

Taiko - Menu - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

I've been coming here since I was a kid, and have never been disappointed by this spot. Always expect a line though, because this place is so popular. They offer yelp check-in now, so don't forget to do that before arriving! I've never had their sushi, but rather have always come for their rice dishes. So good! I can whole heartedly endorse their "A Teishoku," or Combination A. This includes their sesame chicken with tempura. It's served with miso soup, bowl of rice, salad with some dressing, green beans with kewpie mayo, and of course the sesame chicken + tempura (shrimp, pumpkin, zucchini). The portion sizes are huge! Gigantic plate, plenty of meat, and reasonable prices. I usually come for lunch because dinner can be slightly pricier. This will fill you up, ensuring you a great experience. I have to mention it again, but their sesame chicken is amazing. I dream of this stuff, and it has kept me coming back over the years. The texture, flavor, and dressings match perfectly, and every bite leaves you wanting for more. The inside has a warm Japanese restaurant feel, making you feel that you've been transported to little Tokyo or something. They used to bow and greet customers in unison, but I'm not sure if they still do that. It used to be a super fun and memorable greeting from the servers. read more

Taiko - Combo A (Teishoku A) - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

Been coming to Taiko for lunch for almost 20 years. The service, atmosphere and food are excellent. If you're planning on going for lunch get there early as the lines are long. read more

This is my go to Japanese spot. I also get the tempura and sesame chicken combo. It comes with rice, salad, and miso soup. About a two ago the soup and rice were unlimited. Not anymore. The California rolls are always good in my book too. The service he always decent. Every server is willing to help you. You usually don't have to ask for refills. The restaurant is always clean and inviting. The prices are decent and affordable. read more

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I guess they were famous a long time ago but based on how chewy and tasteless the sesame chicken is, they might be retiring soon.

Tried out this restaurant yesterday for dinner and was super satisfied!! Had a handroll with salmon + salmon roe, red snapper and bluefin tuna nigiri, and then tuna, yellowtail, and salmon sashimi! The serving was perfect and the server I had was also super sweet - she did a great job! The restaurant itself was very spacious yet homey and there was tons of parking! read more

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Fresh fish, large portions and great variety. If I'm within 50 miles of this place I go. Line forms about 30 minutes prior to open.

First time here and definitely coming back! My husband and I were a late party, arriving just shy of last call but the entire staff was so welcoming and made sure we got our orders in. We were also surprised by how spacious and neat the restaurant was! Shoutout to Yen, our server! She guided us through their happy hour deals, which I must say is the best in Irvine! We ordered a handful of nigiri's, and the portion was so generous! I ordered a scallop handroll, and my God, it did not disappoint!! The experience was phenomenal, definitely coming back with friends soon! read more

Taiko - Toro, salmon, yellowtail, Spanish mackerel, eel nigiri - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

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Fresh, delicious sushi. Particularly loved the seared sushi specials - so delectable. Soft shell crab with asparagus handroll was super tasty- we ended up ordering a second. Friendly service. read more

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Taiko has been around for a long time, I always enjoy the experience, but a lot has changed. Friendly staff and service is wonderful. Menu items are generally the same, but I miss the simplicity of the old menu and the beautiful drawings rather than the photos. Small nuances like pickled cabbage, hot tea service, and miso soup have changed. I appreciate having happy hour, integrating more tech with ordering, but I miss the simplicity. Thank you. read more

Love taiko!! Been coming here for more than 10 yrs. Through new owners and Covid we keep coming back!! Good quality and good service. Thanks to the cooks and sushi masters for your continued service!!! Gracias!! read more

I came here twice within the same month, and I realize your experience can definitely change based on what you order and when you come. In my opinion, the portions are very generous and the food is pretty good! I ordered the Build Your Own Teishoku -- Teriyaki Chicken and Vegetable Tempura! Each Teishoku dish comes with a generous side of salad and soup, in addition to what you order. The teriyaki chicken was very tender and the teriyaki sauce was just the right amount! The salad wasn't bad either, and overall the portion was huge (very good value)! The tempura was pretty good, although some pieces were more well-battered than others. The appetizer sesame chicken was very flavorful, as well! It came out pretty quickly and was warm and soft, so I quite enjoyed it! It's not the crispy type and has a thin batter. My first experience was pleasant, and I greatly enjoyed the flavorful, filling food paired with the more traditional Japanese-feeling decor and furnishing! However, the second time we went, my friend ordered the Teishoku dish with sesame chicken and their chicken wasn't exactly warm. We did go during a busier time, so perhaps that may be why it wasn't the best quality, but regardless it did dampen the experience. In addition, the restaurant gets very busy fast. We went around opening time and there was already an extremely long line outside the store. The staff get everyone seated pretty fast, but still I will recommend either going early before they open or later in the afternoon when the traffic dies down. In general, this place has good value (they give you a lot of food for the price, especially for the Teishoku options), so it's really filling). The flavors are strong, and the interior decoration is very calm and creates a very fitting vibe! read more

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The food was good, service friendly and the ambience was nice. I visited after a long time and was surprised to see there was plenty of room. The food was fine. read more

This is a great spot for a wide variety of sushi. We went there with extended family and almost closed the place down because we were enjoying the company and not pressured to free up a table. The service was decent (they don't check on you but will immediately get what you need when you ask; it's an Asian thing), and the atmosphere is very casual and comfortable. I'm not a sushi person so I ordered a 2 item Teishoku (think bento), which had so much food I couldn't finish it and for the amount, the prices were actually quite reasonable. My dish had sesame chicken and vegetable tempura, while also coming with salad, miso soup, and rice. My daughter barely finished her salmon aburi yuzu (salmon sushi with a yuzu sauce), and my wife could not finish her unagi California. Again, solid flavors and a lot of food for the price. read more

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Always friendly and delicious. The crunch roll is amazing. All the entrees are delicious and the portions are large. Always have leftovers for lunch the next day. Family friendly. read more

LONG LIVE TAIKOS!!!!! I just wanted to say that I ordered the tempura chicken last night and it was perfect. Thank you Taikos for keeping me fed and continuing to be one of my favorite restaurants in the world (and shoutout all the staff especially Hiro for all the hard work they do). Love you guys and thanks so much for taking my feedback into account! read more

Been coming here for almost 2 decades. Love the food,portions and people here. There's usually a wait but it worth it. We usually get the Crispy Calamari; Spicy Tuna Cut Roll, Salmon Kama (if they have it), Tempura and Teriyaki Plate. And don't worry if you order too much. The leftovers the next day hit the spot. read more

If you're looking for quantity over quality, Taiko has you covered. Parking sucks because the restaurant is in the same plaza as A&J, kbbq, Sunmerry, etc. It can get really packed, so be patient. Waitlist on Yelp before you get to the restaurant! Also, note dine in is through the back entrance. (Front entrance is for take out.) Service is just OK. Not the best but not the worst. You have to flag people down for things. For food, you're better off sticking to the Taiko bento and combination plates. The noodles are not that great and the broth is a bit salty sometimes. The bento has a lot of variety for the price and tastes pretty good. The combination plates are huge and can usually last 2-3 meals (depending on what you order). If you're starving, it's a great place to go because of the huge portions. read more

Taiko - Sesame chicken + beef skewer + sashimi combination lunch. Dec 2022. - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

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Friday early dinner, we got seated immediately at around 5:15. Ordered some sushi (ninja roll), a combo Teishoku with spicy tuna and sesame chicken and happy hour fried dumplings. The sushi came out quickly and the everything else took forever, some of the cooked food was cold especially the fried stuff. The ninja roll tasted off, maybe it was the soft shell crab. The spicy tuna roll was good. The fried dumpling and sesame chicken was pretty dry and tough. Overall this place has passed its prime and its holding on to its glory days from 20 years ago. There are just too many other sushi places in Irvine for this quality to be acceptable. read more

Excellent, excellent, excellent! Not very commercial and trendy. Just great food, excellent service, and a family friendly atmosphere with lots of locals. The sushi rolls we ordered were great flavors, simple and straightforward. Not all the drizzled sauces. Will definitely recommend and go back whenever Im in the area. read more

This is the best authentic Japanese restaurant left on the west side. No fusion or drink bars. Just authentic Japanese food i always get Ikura oroshi udon. My date gets hot udon with wakame and vegetables curry combo. And salmon skin salad. Best value. But they also make things for gringos too. read more

I wish I had good news for my favorite restaurant of all time; but, like all things in life, change happens. Taiko has been sold and is now under the direction of strangers to all of us. These new owners have dismantled the most amazing Japanese landmark and icon to Irvine since the mid 1980's. Imagine spending your entire day building a sand castle, only to see it crumble under the power of the incoming tide. This is what is happening to Taiko. For forty years of my adult life, I have seen regular customers stand in line at around 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. to wait for an hour to be first in line for the sushi bar. This is gone, crumbled like a wall of sand of your castle. No sushi chefs yelling your name when you enter the restaurant. Replaced my young teenagers who will work for minimum wage. Taking away the sushi bar is the single biggest mistake anyone in the restaurant world has done or will do with Taiko. I remember eating with the mayor and his family there. We would get off work, race over to the restaurant on a Friday, put our name in at 5:15 p.m and then come in at 7:30 pm to be seated. It was the best sushi in Orange County and the chefs all treated you like family. All gone now. Then there is the secret menu, that only the locals knew: #3, #4, or spicy fish nuggets. The new owners took all those away from us. Not cost effective I suppose. They are not listening to anyone but themselves. So sad. Now a combo costs $26 instead of $18 a year ago. Prices are up 40%. Only half the restaurant is being used. The sushi is mediocre. All the old chefs are replaces by young guys with not the same level of training. So sad. I can't express the sadness I feel now at Taiko. If you are an owner reading this and you have noticed that revenue is dropping off, then do one thing: CHANGE back to way things were. Ask your veteran sushi chef to help you right this ship, and most importantly, open up the sushi bar and bring back our chefs. read more

When my mother and I discovered this spot online as one of the best sushi spots in Irvine, we took the family out to examine what the hype was all about. Low and behold, Taiko did not disappoint! Our server was the sweetest and most polite lady who guided us to a cozy table and gave us countless recommendations for our first visit. We ordered numerous rolls such as the Rainbow Roll, Baked Scallops, Salmon Aburi, Fresh Roll with tuna, Cosmic Roll, Vegetable Roll, and countless plates of sashimi and nigiri. We're bound to order the exact same items for sure--maybe try some other rolls and dishes too--and yes, this has become one of our favorite spots in Irvine! read more

Taiko - Salmon Aburi - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

The food is okay but the service is lacking in so many ways. After waiting 15 minutes, we had to flag down a passing waitress to take our order. My daughter's udon came out right away and she was almost done with her dinner and I still had to wait another 20 minutes for my tofu salad to come out! After we were done, we had to again flag down a server after no one came by after another 15 minutes. Then, this new handheld card terminal has the server watching you as you apply tip, and the tip at the left starts with 22%, 20% and 18%...wow. Tip is based on service and is up to the customer. Anyways, from start to finish, dinner took almost 2 hours for 2 people. I have lived in Irvine for over 40 years and Taiko used to be the place where people used to line up at the door before opening. Those days are long gone with past ownership. Guess good things can't last forever. It's a shame. read more

Have been coming here for years. I thought I had already reviewed it but I guess I forgot? Anyways, it's been around for decades. The food quality was great back then and is great now too! Pricing is on point and the staff is very friendly. It's A LOT of food. Most of the items can be shared and I always plan on taking left overs home. Only thing that most people won't be used to: they bring the food out when it's ready and not necessarily together. Which means that for a party of 6, one or two people may be completely done eating when one or two appetizers comes out. It's odd, but it's been like this for 25 years. read more

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Last time was better. Now the tempura was hard and too crispy and the chicken was mostly greasy dark meat with skin etc. It was busy and server was nice. Hiro Nori on Irvine Center Drive was excellent. read more

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

My family has enjoyed dining at Taiko for many years, and I've finally decided to share my thoughts. Recently, I've had a few standout dishes that were so exceptional, they compelled me to write this review. The hand rolls, especially the Hokkaido scallop roll, the honeymoon oyster, and the uni cream pasta, are truly remarkable. I almost want to keep these delicious secrets to myself, but I highly recommend trying them if you haven't already. The staff at Taiko is consistently friendly and attentive, ensuring a wonderful dining experience every time. read more

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We were in the shopping center Taiko is located in and saw that there were people waiting by the door around 4:30 PM. Then we happened to leave a store next door at 5 PM and saw the line was very long and joined it right as it opened! I ordered the creamy uni udon, which was reminiscent of lobster bisque. I just wish there was more uni for $30 (it only came with one piece and ikura). Then my husband and I each got a piece of salmon ootoro which was so fresh. My daughter got shrimp tempura udon which wasn't anything special. Then my husband got the teishoku meal combo with spicy tuna roll and beef teriyaki. The only thing is he asked for medium well and it was well done. Also we wanted to wait for his food to arrive before we started eating but our broth was getting cold. His food ended up coming after we were done, it took that long. read more

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When people tell me that they live/work/go to school in Irvine and have never been to Taiko...I tell them it's blasphemy! Taiko's been around for decades because they know what it takes to stick around as a restaurant in Irvine. Food, portions, prices, and service are reliably good. Taiko has been my fam's go-to for celebratory gatherings or spontaneous outings. The staff are attentive and accommodating. For lunch and dinner, we usually order entrees or combis, and we always get at least one order of baked scallops. The plates come with a huge amount of food, and I don't think I've ever been able to finish everything in one sitting. The sashimi, rolls, and other appetizers like agedashi tofu and sesame chicken are also decent. I still down the miso soup every time. I can't vouch for the authenticity of the food - I've heard people say that this is not "real" Japanese food, or that it's Americanized, but it doesn't bother me because the meals are very satisfying and provide delicious leftovers without breaking the bank. Parking and wait times have drastically improved over the years, which I think is partly due to Covid. It's nice that they use a Yelp waitlist now. It's also nice that they are in the same plaza with a bunch of sweets/dessert shops. I will continue to get my teriyaki proteins, sesame chicken, and baked scallops here. read more

Taiko - Sashimi lunch, very filling! - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

I honestly don't get the hype about this place. Im usually not a very picky eater but even I couldn't enjoy this place. We ordered 3 dishes and they really don't taste that good... I didn't order any sushi because iI just don't think it would be good. The seafood nabe - honestly I think I can make a better seafood udon soup at home, it's flavorless and a bit salty. The scallop cut roll - the scallops are dry and doesn't taste very fresh. The ninja roll - the soft shell crab are not crispy at all, and I don't really understand the portion of this roll.... You are suppose to eat the entire piece together but it's so big that u can't fit... Anyway, I'm sorry to say that the only thing that's reasonable is the price .. If you don't care much about sushi quality and just want some reasonable priced dinner, you can come here... otherwise theres plenty of other better choices read more

Taiko - Seafood Nabe - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

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

It's been long time since we ate Taiko. Usually it's super long line during weekend. Now the queue is much better with Yelp waitlist. You can get waitlist on the way to the restaurant. The wait is not that long on the weekend. About 35minutes. When we arrived, we checked in and seated right away. The restaurant was not full. It's Saturday dinner time. The dine in entrance is on the back now. The front is for to go pick up only. Not sure what happening in the area. Looks like the place is dying down. No long line looking for parking. No long hours queue for dine in. Food still excellent as I can remember. We love the Sukiyaki. Large family style and delicious. Sushi was fresh and come with tiny rice underneath. Salmon Aburi was tasty with Yuzu sauce. The only look sad is spider roll. As you can see from picture. It looks less appetizing. Overall, another tasty and good experiencw at Taiko, with excellent service. Very attentive. read more

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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

I went to Taiko on a Thursday night with a party of 4 and had a short wait for our table. When we were seated, we ordered through our phones by scanning a QR code that was on the table. My partner and I ordered the sukiyaki nabe udon, the yakitori set, and the takoyaki. I enjoyed the sukiyaki, but I think it should come with a little more meat and a little less cabbage. I wasn't a big fan of the takoyaki or the yakitori. The takoyaki was really mushy and the yakitori wasn't anything special. I also tried the unagi kabayaki that my friend ordered, and that was pretty good. Overall, I had a decent experience at Taiko aI think I would come back again to try more of the menu. read more

Taiko - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

This place was PACKED for Sunday dinner but we were seated within 40 minutes and the food came in quick. The sashimi tray was pretty good and the California and spicy tuna rolls were also good. I wouldn't say this is the best sushi ever but for a craving, it definitely hits. The service was excellent and we were able to get happy hour beer and cold sake for $2-3 each which was really nice. read more

Taiko - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

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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