Most bussin Japanese restaurant I've been to for raw oysters. I got the special set, which had good variety but nothing that wow'd me. Oyster shooter was amazing as well. Would come back to try some other items read more

Taiko - Oyster shooter - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

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My boyfriend took me here as an early Valentine's Day dinner because I can never say no to Asian food of any kind. This place seems to be always crowded and the plaza it resides in doesn't have an abundance of parking. We had to park against the curb. Luckily, we were seated right away for the party of 2. They are so busy here!!! It's nice to dine in, but due to how popular it is you might be better off ordering to go. I ordered sushi rolls and the two item combo. Personally, I would prefer to order to go next time. Two item combo's presentation was okay. The three item combo seemed to offer more and the portions visually looked bigger. It seems like all of the other items you can order had way better presentation and the combo I chose just looked meh The sushi rolls were amazing and the quality was fresh and as expected! There was nothing wrong with any of the dishes as they all tasted great. I think for $17 bucks the combo is average. My rolls were delicious though! Try this place if you were curious about it, but don't go when it's super busy. read more

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My friend and I were craving for some Tempura and since we were shopping next door, we decided to have dinner here...it was pretty busy at 8pm on a Friday night. I haven't been here in years and this place has been here forever...and it shows. This place needs to upgrade their interior because it has a dirty feel to it. Their waitlist system on the iPad was faulty. We put our name on the list and it said the wait was for 50 minutes but we got a text 10 minutes later saying we didn't respond so they removed our name. We approached the host to see what happened and he wasn't sure so he got us a table right away. The service sucked and the food was ok. I ordered the tempura with the sesame chicken and my friend ordered the tempura appetizers. My meal came first, our waitress was nowhere in site. So, I shared my dinner with my friend while we waited for her tempura appetizers. My food didn't seem as hot as I would like it to be...the miso soup warm, the tempura and sesame chicken seemed like it was sitting there getting cold before it was brought to our table. It was about halfway through our meal before our waitress checked on us and then it took several minutes before we finally got our appetizers. The waitress was very apologetic. Just not a very good experience...it's probably the reason I hadn't been back here in years considering I live walking distance to this place. Next time, we'll just go to Tomikawa, which is less than a mile from here. read more

Restaurant is open during Sunday this month and next for a pop up so this is not their regular menu! They said it was a special Pop- up and chef was from Japan. Only 3 choice items on the menu. We ordered the eel bowl and the tempura bowl. The eel bowl was super flavorful and comes with tamago. Small bowl was already a lot of one person. The tempura bowl was not as great as the eel one but was still pretty good. The tempura was crunchy and sauce was superb. It was a bit price but when we got our orders, we understood why it was priced like that. Huge portions. I would like to bring my family to try the eel bowl since we all love eel. read more

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Food was yummy. I love the big print receipt. Senior friendly. The food that comes on the tray had a generous amount. You might want to share with someone else. I had lots of left overs. The matcha cheesecake ice cream with dessert was delicious. read more

It's Foodie Friday and where did I go after work??? The answer is Taiko! (And yes, there was a Yelp glitch... this my additional review on all the food that I have there) Since I work in the Lake Forest / Irvine area -- Taiko off Jeffery in Irvine is the perfect food haven for me to go when work is rough and traffic was not a part of my after work vibe. As a result -- the sushi bar with some delicious food, happy hour draft Asahi, and sushi chef Antonio is the way to go. I recently got obsessed with their Uni Cream Udon. So good! Especially in this rainy cold weather. But the other day I was in the sushi vibes and really wanted Uni... wasn't able to get it, but still craving it... I had to get some Uni this time. Tonight I got Nigiri Uni, Scallop, and Toro. For a hot dish -- the Baked Scallops with rice. For dessert -- the special! A Matcha Mont Blanc Parfait... ooooooo... that was unique! It is definitely an Asian inspired dessert, but multiple surprises with it. Don't want to spoil it! If you are curious and craving an Asian matcha green tea dessert, then this is for you! Now... what will I get next!?! read more

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The freshest ingredients, service is quick and easy, the staff is excellent. Ambiance is warm. It's our 20 years old favorite Japanese restaurant. read more

Adventure Wednesdays hit again and decided to try this place out after seeing it on a Instagram reel! Went here solo around 11:30am. The parking lot in this area is kind of small and keep in mind this plaza does get crowded so if you do come during lunch/dinner rush hour it may be hard to find parking! Luckily wasn't too bad but still had to park in the back. I walked in and was sat immediately by my waitress. I think the first thing you notice is the ambiance of the restaurant is more subtle and quiet. The lighting is kind of dark too. There's no music really playing and you can practically listen to everyone's conversation. If you're people listener (haha) this would be a perfect spot! No pictures of the menu this time but the menu is on their website and they have an assortment of Japanese dishes and sushi! So you can peruse through there before going cause they do have a wide array of food. I opted to get an order of the fried calamari and some sushi which consisted of salmon, tuna, scallop, and one piece of the yellowfin. My food came out fairly quick even to a somewhat busy lunch hour and the first thing I notice was the portions of the food served! Big, hefty portions and even the cuts of fish were enormous! But how did everything taste? It was pretty good! The calamari was flakey and somewhat crispy. Small circular bites of squid that were served on a bed of cucumber. Sadly, I dont think it pairs well with the cucumber slices (my opinion). The sushi pieces itself were good as well! I do have to comment though that the prices for one piece of sushi are pretty expensive. Again though these are big pieces of sushi, so if you didn't come hungry for anything you order here then it would be your loss. My server was awesome she was sweet and always checked up on me and asked "How's everything?" every time. She did leave me the menus though but that is not a big issue haha. Overall for everything I ordered it was around $45 for myself for all the food I ordered. I think it is a pretty expensive meal for one person haha. There are places that serve sushi for a cheaper price and the quality is way better. But overall this place is good. Chill vibes, great service, and good food. Check this place out if you're in the area! But try to avoid the lunch/dinner rushes! It gets super busy here! read more

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Great food and service..............................................mmm....................................

Taiko has been a family favorite for as long as I can remember. Their food is amazing. The service is very prompt and attentive. There is usually a line outside waiting for them to open. Love this place read more

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Lunch in Irvine, California... Our LA foodie friends wanted to treat Niki S. and me to lunch... Really? Wow!!! Thank you so much from two island gals in one of our favorite states on the mainland USA: California! It turns out that our friends visit Taiko Restaurant so much that their Loyalty Points covered the cost of our lunch extravaganza! Yippee!!! We had early reservations because this OG place gets really crowded and busy! The prices are reasonable; the environment is clean and appropriately decorated; and the food is beautiful and delicious! Our friends started us off with a yummy Chicken Karaage... generous portion! I had a healthy, fresh Bara Chirashi. I like it better than a regular Chirashi Bowl because the fish is cut up smaller... the pieces are bite-sized and more convenient to eat! The bowl was so fresh and colorful! Cony, Brown, and I were so happy! We had a wonderful feast with efficient, friendly service! We look forward to returning!!! read more

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I haven't been to Taiko in years. We were in the area after our weeknight walk. In reading the recent reviews, there's new ownership/management and a lot has changed. Here's what I have observed: First, there's no long line anymore, lol. Second, the menu is a little more expansive than what I remember. It now has a little bit of everything which reminds me of Honda Ya in Tustin. We ordered a couple of cut rolls Uni & Salmon with asparagus, which were decent taste-wise, as well as the portion. read more

Taiko - Salmon with asparagus - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

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My family has been coming here for 17+ years but this was our first time since the pandemic. We arrived noon on Saturday and were seated immediately, which is a super different experience than before where you'd always have to wait a considerable amount of time on weekend. It does seem like the food has changed quite a bit, and the menu is on the pricey side even with the larger portions. I had the sesame chicken and California roll lunch combo--the California rolls were just average quality compared to before. The sesame chicken was still tasty and they give a lot of salad with honey mustard dressing. The miso soup was salty. Service was on the slower side. Parking in the plaza can be hard to find--I usually find a spot behind the building. read more

Taiko - Sesame Chicken & California Roll - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

Great assorted Japanese dishes. Decent sushi, great curry, noodle dishes, cooked fish, appetizers, beer/ sake. Servers were quick, friendly and attentive. I have gone back multiple times to try different dishes. I recommend giving Taiko a go. read more

Went on a friday, added our names to the waitlist. It was about an hour wait, located in a busy plaza. This spot is very casual and the food was good and reasonably priced! The space does seem a little out dated and could use a little update. Service was nice and fast. We ordered a lot of pieces of nigiri sushi. Very good ratio to fish to rice. Their hand rolls were also great, wish I got more of those. Will definitely return when we're craving a good priced sushi spot. read more

Taiko - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

I love to sushi here. It's fresh and reasonably priced. I especially love the sashimi salad which comes on a bed of greens. Usually it's a very long wait which I'm not a fan of so we would take out however take out sushi is just not the same. The ambiance is okay, nothing special! read more

Taiko has been part of my family's story since the 1980s, so writing this is honestly bittersweet. We've been coming here since I was a kid -- long before Irvine had the food scene it does now. One of the original sushi chefs even branched off and opened a spot in Anaheim Hills that my family went to religiously for decades until it closed. We eventually came back to Taiko and have been regulars again for the past 20-plus years. So this place isn't just a restaurant to us -- it's tied to memories, milestones, and generations of meals. That's why it's hard not to notice how much things have changed. Pre- and post-change of ownership, there is definitely a difference. The menu has shifted, prices have gone up (which is understandable), but unfortunately the food quality has also declined over the past couple of years. The new rewards system, rotating specials, and promos are honestly kind of distracting -- it feels less focused on the food and more on upselling. To be fair, the service is still very good. Food comes out quickly, the staff is always friendly, and the waitlist system is efficient. It still feels welcoming and well-run from a front-of-house perspective. Where it really falls short now is consistency and execution -- especially with anything that isn't fish. Any meat dish (chicken, beef, etc.) is almost always overcooked. They used to have a genuinely great beef teriyaki, but every time I've ordered it in recent years it's been so dry I've had to send it back -- I've just stopped ordering it altogether. The sashimi that comes with the combo plates is also clearly frozen, which wasn't always the case, and I don't bother with it anymore. Even the calamari, which used to be one of my favorite items here, has gone downhill. Just a year ago it was flavorful and satisfying; the last few times it's been bland and forgettable, which is honestly disappointing because it used to be such a solid menu item. I still come here -- but mostly for nostalgia. Taiko is a fixture in Orange County and will always have a place in my heart. I just wish the food quality and care had kept up with its legacy. It's sad to watch a place with so much history slowly drift away from what once made it special. read more

Great authentic Japanese :) had the Taiko bento. Great value and good quality dishes. Would absolutely go back

Feeling sushi while we are in town. We went to this place as it was close to where we were staying at and recommended by my aunt. When we got there, they seated us right away at 12:30 which is not bad considering we are coming right at lunch time. Everyone here was super friendly and polite. They took our drinks right away. We took a bit of time to look through the menu, but the food came out super fast! We ordered: - Takoyaki - very good. Crispy on the outside, gooey inside. Just wish they had more tako in there as some felt a little parse - Seaweed Salad - very tasty and comes in a large bowl - Crunchy Cut Roll - Crispy Shrimp tempura, Asparagus, Avocado, Cucumber, Tobiko - pretty good - Dynamite Cut Roll - Spicy Chopped Yellowtail - tastes a bit like spicy tuna, but nothing special about this one - Volcano Cut Roll - Baked Scallop over California Roll - this one is our favorite! They layered on the scallops. We loved this one so much we ordered another one. - Salmon Carpaccio Roll - tuna, onion, kaiware sprouts, gren onions,fried onion chips,wasabi mayo dressing - the description and picture sounded and looked good, but it was just ok. Our least favorite of the dishes. Overall good experience. Good service. We will definitely be back again. read more

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Great food, service, and a beautifully decorated space with traditional Japanese style throughout. The eel roll was absolutely delicious! Definitely a spot I'll be coming back to. Highly recommend for a quality sushi experience in a great atmosphere. read more

Taiko - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

Haiku: Taiko Family favorite Lunch specials are a great deal Hefty size portions. --- I've been coming to Taiko ever since I was a kid. Portions are large and service is sweet. The sushi and sashimi quality is mid, but the lunch specials are where it's at. The teishoku lunch specials come with salad, miso soup, and rice. I recommend ordering the sesame chicken (crispy and juicy), salmon teriyaki (flavorful and healthy), shrimp and vegetable tempura (crispy and giant-size). And if you have kiddos, the kid's meal is a well-balanced meal. There's a large parking lot, but it's a nightmare on the weekends. read more

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We came back for lunch, and the lunch menu changed, with different options for specials. Seems like the menu did become a lot more extensive. The restaurant is very spacious, lots of seating. The service was good overall. We had high expectations because of our great experience last time. Previously, we enjoyed the sushi lunch and sashimi lunch options, because of the great quality and value.Unfortunately, the food seemed a bit lower quality and smaller portions. - BYO Teishoku, spicy tuna roll and sashimi (3.5/5): The fish was fresh, and the tuna roll was okay, pretty basic. The food tasted good, but portion was small. Basically 8 pieces of spicy tuna roll and 4 pieces of sashimi. - Chirashi bowl (3.5/5): The chirashi bowl was more filling and the portions of fish seemed larger than the BYO, but still smaller than expected. read more

Taiko - BYO Teishoku, spicy tuna roll and sashimi - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

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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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For the price, the quality and portions of the food is excellent. The environment is great for family outings and service is good. It's locally owned and operated by Japanese Americans, which is a plus and enhances its authenticity compared to some of the newer Japanese restaurants in Irvine. read more

hello! first time here, parking is wild, go early and goodluck food was great, enjoyed the varieties including the a5 wagyu sushi which is a must try baked green muscles 4/5 uni 4/5 a5 wagyu 5/5 sweet shrimp 5/5 salmon/toro/unagi 4/5 takoyaki 3/5 get a small piece of everything, its worth it! they have lots of sake and a map of where its produced cool and fun little sushi restaurant, I recommend! read more

Taiko - Baked Green Mussels - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

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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

Best sushi around, great service and phenomenal sushi chefs. They have a great rewards service also.

Authentic Japanese Bento, Izakaya, Sushi at reasonable prices. I've been coming to Taiko since the 90's, the food quality and service have been consistent. Over the years, the exterior and interior of the restaurant remained largely the same, but the menu offerings have evolved to keep up with the times. In my humble opinion, the price to value a customer gets is beyond amazing, unlike other establishments which tend to practice price gouging during these inflationary times. Don't let the complex menu selections overwhelm you (lots of reading the fine print, colorful pictures too look at and major decisions involved) which is the same in Tokyo. Feel free to ask one of the attentive staff for ヘルプ (help) and recommendations. I like the fact that you have ample choices in one bento (ranging from Tonkatsu, Beef Teriyakis, Tempuras Sashimi to Calamari). Portions are exceptional too. Don't forget to look at the overhead board which list Day's "Specials". Handwriting a little hard to read from far. I also like their wide liquor and Japanese biru selections which is quite educational since they map out the various sakes (hot and cold) from different regions of Japan. Be sure to note, happy hours range from Happy to Happiest with deep discounts in alcoholic drinks. 読んでいただきありがとうございます read more

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The largest portion size of any sushi restaurant . We each get our own serving of the salmon sashimi - the best

I've been enjoying this restaurant for over 30 years when I started dating my husband. Great food! Good portions! Always tastes fresh!

I had the lunch set with tempura rice bowl and udon noodles. The price was cheap and the portion size was good. However, it would have been better if they had provided tempura dipping sauce or salt. read more

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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Every time we come to visit our good friend in Irvine we always pick Taikos for dinner! We always get the combination plate and we can never get over how big the portions are and always leave saying "Boy'! That was so good!" The service is excellent and even though we always come in almost close to closing they never make us feel rushed. Everyone is friendly. Also, for the first time we got a kids meal for my 3 year old and it came with so much food as well- We have never seen him eat so much! We already are looking forward to going back. read more

Taiko - (E) Salmon Teriyaki, Tempura & Sesame Chicken - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

We came here for my husband's birthday dinner. The service was great and the food was good. We don't go out for sushi often, but we do enjoy go out. read more

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Lunch food is good. Line is ok. Believe that they are coming back to their old time glory. read more

Taiko - Chef special. - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

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Taiko has the best Sushi and Japanese food I have had in Orange County. Very fresh fish that melts in your mouth, Food comes out fast and excellent service. Reasonable prices. 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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The food is no longer the way it was. May he ownership has changed? It was disappointing because we used to come here often as the portions were generous and food was good. Sushi was not fresh 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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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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