George helped me navigate through their myriad options. Friendly and personable. This place is clean, the employees are courteous, the selection is wild. And their lunch buffet is a solid 8 out of 10. read more

Went today at 5pm and bought this mochi that has a 10/7 date and it's moldy. Disgusting and disappointing read more

Tokyo Central - International Grocery Near Me - Irvine, California

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Great Japanese food mart!. A Super clean store and has great selection of quality and prices on seafood and meat. Customer Service is wonderful! They are so friendly and helpful. read more

I've been shopping at Tokyo Central since it was Marukai. I was terribly excited to see a new store open that is easier for me to get to than the Costa Mesa location. I went today and was very impressed, I used to shop at the Persian market at the same address, which was very small it looks like that entire building was torn down and a new one built. Incredible selection of Japanese food, I found a few things I hadn't been able to find elsewhere (mini mochi! Also large bottles of Itoen tea for 3.99...) I am thrilled that this store is finally open, and will frequent it! Just a note...when I got in the long line to check out, I wondered how long it would take to get out .To my surprise, the line moved incredibly fast so don't be afraid! read more

Always a fun experience at Tokyo Central, especially for my mom. The hot bar is her favorite. So many selections for hot foods and her favorites are the cooked fish filets. She is no longer able to cook at home so having hot items readily available is super convenient. By 10:30am, the hot foods bar is usually all ready. My mom likes to go earlier and wait for the trays to come out so she can have first pick at everything. Being first to scoop at the trays is a really big deal for her so I make sure all the stars in the universe align to make this happen for her. You may think I'm exaggerating but go around 10am. You will see, we are not the only ones waiting for the trays. There are others. Just like us. Same goal. Boxes in hand... ready to go. Anyways, it has brought excitement to our grocery shopping outings. She's always happy to go home with her stacked boxes of delicious food items. Love this market. read more

Enjoyed Waka Sakura and their sushi and sashimi etc. Service was excellent with very friendly service. Ambiance was pretty busy in spite of us being there a little after busy lunch hour read more

I waited for the madness of Grand Opening to die down before coming here. This market is much closer to the house but is not comparable to the Costa Mesa location I normally go to. I came on a Thu afternoon a little before 1 pm. Parking was full but I managed to get a spot. The produce looked fresh upon entering but no one was really buying produce because pricing is cheaper at HMart nearby. The buffet of prepared foods are weighed at $10.99/lb, a fair price, but there was barely any food. I'd say overall 60% of the hit and cold items were bare with no one in sight to refill the containers. Boxes some empty and some abandoned by customers lay on the edges with no one tidying up. The selection was bare bones. I did manage to get some Takoyaki (good), chicken karaage (good), a piece of sweet n sour pork (too fatty), a shrimp shumai (fine), sautéed green beans (bland), and a honey chicken wing (ok). Oh, and a cup of miso soup or any of the other soups was only $1 (fine). I proceeded to do a quick run through of the rest of the market to acquaint myself with the layout. I actually came to buy some ceremonial matcha but both types had sold out. I ended getting a mid qlty one for the time being. In fact a lot of shelves were lacking products. I guess they're still trying to gauge the volume of sales to get their inventory in order. Overall my experience at this new Tokyo Central was very mid. I think for now I'll still have to make the trek to Costa Mesa until this place gets their act together. Update: this market appears to have gotten their act in check now. The buffets were consistently filled so there were actually decent selections to make. read more

The umami chicken karage aka black pepper seasoned chickened is incredible! Hidden gem of a flavor. Eat with a side of rice is perfect to take home. I believe they only have it at this location. The food court for hot plate buffet ends around 2-3pm so be sure to be there before 2pm. Hawaiian poke rice is so yummy always done well at Japanese markets. Market is big and has it's own self check out and self serve utensils and condiments which is different from two other locations in SoCal I've been to. read more

Wide variety of imported snacks, drinks, and Sandos. Get there early for the in store restaurants, stay there late for discounted bentos and sandos. read more

Tokyo Central has always been my go to spot to pick up sashimi fillets, so I was so excited to see a location open up even closer to home! Unfortunately, it looks like the quality of fish is not yet up to par with other locations. I've picked up a variety of sashimi a few times from this location now hoping as time passes following the grand opening, things would get better. Looks like they might need some more time to get going. The salmon fillet and precut pieces on a few occasions were sinewy, mushy, and falling apart. The precut yellowtail was very hit or miss, with some bits being firm and fresh while others smelled and tasted very, very fishy. The scallop seemed to be the most consistent in freshness. In terms of the variety, I'm hoping they'll start to offer a greater selection like the locations in Costa Mesa and Gardena. Didn't find any fillets of shima aji, kanpachi, engawa, red snapper, yellowtail belly, or alternative salmon options, etc., like we can usually find in Costa Mesa/Gardena. Will continue to check it out and see if things progress, but it looks like Mitsuwa might be the better choice for sashimi fillets right now. fingers crossed it gets better! read more

Tokyo Central - Fish was not very fresh - muscle tissues were falling apart and mushy - International Grocery Near Me - Irvine, California

First time that my daughter and I went to this store on 8/18. She bought this almond chocolate and when she opened the chocolates are bad. Please check what you sell, you can get someone sick. read more

Tokyo Central - Bad chocolates - International Grocery Near Me - Irvine, California

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A new authentic Japanese grocery store just opened in Irvine. The grand opening drew large crowds, leading to parking issues and a very busy store, but I expect things will settle down over time. It's exciting to now be able to buy many of the products I experienced in Japan right here locally. There's already a Mitsuwa Marketplace nearby, so it looks like competition to attract customers is heating up. In fact, Mitsuwa's bento section seems to have improved since the opening of Tokyo Central. As a consumer, this is definitely a welcome development. read more

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Grand opening day was not the day to go. I hear good things about this Japanese market but a disappointment when I waited in line to go in and things were not stocked. Knowing that your store won't close till 10pm, I expected things on the shelves for customers to salivate over, purchase, and spread the good news. I only gathered 5 items to purchase. All on sale things. Then I had to stand in a long line to check out. Nothing but long lines. I will definitely wait till the craziness dies down before I venture into this place again. read more

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I forgot his name, but the gentleman on the cash register was extremely rude to my mother as we were checking out tonight. Please treat others with respect. read more

It's like shopping in Japan. They have everything you could need or want, food, bento, hot food, groceries, cosmetics, candy, a beautiful meat selection and many more interesting things to see and buy. I love this store. read more

it's really beautiful. literally everything you could want or ask for. but the parking. my gosh!!! you literally get a headache before walking in here. once you're inside no problem but i do wish location wise they thought about area because it does come to my mind before i decide to actually come. now they do have everything you can imagine but since it's so so big you have to do a bit of browsing to find what you're looking for. read more

Beautiful store. Easy parking. Since they have self-checkout machines, you don't have to wait in line at the register when paying.

I don't know what I was expecting but it wasn't this. Just an average grocery store. This place isn't for me, luckily I waited for the crowds to calm down before ei decided to check it out. read more

Amazing!!!! I love this place specially the deli section with the hot foods, I will definitely be coming back. Customer service is great read more

**** Always Check the Receipt **** When I returned home, I just found out they chaeged me twice for a $5.99 sandwich. The cashier seemed nice and competent but he still overcharged me! I noticed someone has made similar complaint here. This is awful and disappointing, I won't be coming back here. Given the terrible parking and the overcharge pattern, the Tokyo Central in Costa Mesa may be a much better choice. read more

So glad they opened up a Tokyo Central in Irvine! Here almost every weekend now . Also love that they have ready-made hot/cold food options for 20% off at night. Def recommend checking it out! read more

The soy ramen was so salty that I would recommend adding water before eating. As for the salmon sushi, I found a small hair in it. I wanted to believe it wasn't hair, but after looking again, it really was. read more

Tokyo Central - International Grocery Near Me - Irvine, California

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Awful layout for having too many spatially unaware customers. Very busy and isles just don't flow

I tried the buffet food $10.99/lbs. The food was ok. My favorite was lotus/shiitake/carrot dish. The store is nice, clean and organized.

If you are in a pinch for some Japanese ingredients, foods or products maybe, but you can get basic Japanese ingredients at the any number of Asian grocery stores that are now populated throughout Irvine, with larger parking lots and more diversified options. If you want a specific brand of Japanese ingredient, this would be the place to go. It is the first week of opening, which is always exciting, but given that their Costa Mesa location has larger parking and more products overall, I'd rather drive the extra 5-10 minutes to that location rather than spend the next hour, trying to navigate the parking lot and the checkout. Nearly 1/4 of the store is prepared meals but, probably because it's the first week, whatever is left looks less than appetizing as they look like everyone has picked it up at least once and put it back on the shelf. And because the store is on the smaller side, there's one line each, for assisted checkout and self checkout that funnels out to the cashiers, of which there are 6 stations on assisted and 5-6 on self. On the Monday afternoon I was there, there were 3 cashiers with a line snaking through 2 aisles. That's a long line, crowding out the aisles that you can't comfortably shop because it's filled with customers trying to do assisted check out. There is no food court but there's prepared foods, cold and warm, if there's any left. There's a new Japanese restaurant next door and some tables outside if you'd like to eat what you've purchased from the store. There is a Japanese food court at the neighboring Mitsuwa (walking distance, in the same mall) which is actually a much smaller/crowded looking version of THEIR own chain, also with its' own better stocked, larger branch located in Costa Mesa. Perhaps when the excitement dies down, it will be a more convenient stop. But given the competitiveness of the markets in Irvine already, with two 99 Ranch's & 3 Hmarts, I think they'll have to step up their convenience factor, at the very least. Being Japanese product/foods focused is their strength but it can also be a minus as people often look for a one-stop shop read more

Came here to shop since it's newer. It's not a bad location and I really appreciate the cleanliness and organization of all the products. I do like the hot foods bar and ready made meals at Costa Mesa's though. read more

Great selection and prices. The prepackaged meals are great. Parking lot is very tight with small spaces. Cars cheat and typically encroach into other spaces. read more

At the request of my friend I tried to come here during the grand opening. In order to actually be able to enter the parking lot I had to drive down the street from the freeway to Walnut (my understanding is that the plaza that the Tokyo Central exists in is separate from the one that Ralphs exists in). I tried driving around the back of the Ralphs to park in the back of the building but all of it was designated employee parking. After seeing the extremely long line I decided to come back on a different day since I had no planned purchases at the time until my out of state anime merchandise contacts started asking for stuff. The layout was extremely linear in contrast to the Costa Mesa branch, where there I had the freedom to search for an item that someone requested, pay, and leave. The degree of linearness was similar to a Don Don Donki in Taipei which all were very linear and everyone pretty much took the same route. However, I had to double back a lot to double check for something that was requested so it was congested because my shopping style was different from the way the layout was intended. There were separate lines for the human cashiers and self checkouts, but different merchandise in each line. As a result it was not possible to perform the procedure of walking down the human cashier line to check out the merchandise there and then exiting the line to use the self checkout, and I probably missed out on seeing about 10% of the merchandise up close. I probably should have done it backwards as there was no line for the self checkout, but I'm so tired of having to talk to people, including cashiers. A lot of the on sale merchandise was empty on the shelf, not that I went in specifically planning to buy anything other than a specific snack that someone requested. Both fortunately and unfortunately it was not on sale, but at least it was available so I could check out how the self checkouts worked. I could not have possibly been inside for more than 30 minutes and in that time someone had tossed an advertisement into my car. Very irritating. It was also very irritating to try to get out of the parking lot. My suggestion regarding parking? I'll probably walk all the way over from Paris Baguette next time, that's probably what my friend did! read more

Parking sucks, no food at 12:30 pm, and the chicken my coworker bought was raw. Definitely not the same quality as the other Tokyo central locations I've been to. Very disappointing read more

Tokyo Central - International Grocery Near Me - Irvine, California

Tokyo Central Supermarket Review A Cultural Window In Irvine, visiting a supermarket is more than just shopping--it feels like stepping into another country's cultural window. Mitsuwa represents Japan, H Mart represents Korea, and 99 Ranch represents China. Each supermarket showcases not only its products but also its cultural identity and way of treating customers. With that in mind, I usually expect Japanese supermarkets to feel organized, thoughtful, and service-oriented. Store Environment Tokyo Central gives a bright and clean impression overall, with relatively new shelves. The entrance leads to the produce section, then seafood and prepared foods, which feels reasonably arranged. However, the section signage is not very clear, making it confusing for first-time visitors. Dining & Layout Compared to Mitsuwa, Tokyo Central lacks a major attraction: a food court. There are no ramen shops or Japanese set meal spots, which takes away part of the excitement I usually expect in a Japanese market. The beverage and snack sections also feel a bit cluttered, with a "temporary setup" look. They don't have the tidy, orderly presentation that Mitsuwa has. Service Experience I had higher expectations for service, but my experience was average: * Most staff members were not Japanese, so the "Japanese-style attentive service" wasn't really there. * Near the cashier, there were only two small microwaves with some scattered chopsticks--this setup felt unprofessional. Compared to what you'd see in Mitsuwa or even Japanese supermarkets in Asia, it was underwhelming. Parking Challenge The parking lot at Tokyo Central is extremely crowded. It was very difficult to find a spot, which makes the overall shopping trip less appealing--especially when Mitsuwa next door offers a better experience. Overall Impression Compared with its neighbor Mitsuwa, Tokyo Central doesn't stand out enough: * Overlaps in product selection, without clear differentiation * No food court as a draw * Service and details need improvement * Parking is difficult, which discourages return visits It's fine for picking up some Japanese groceries if you're nearby. But if I'm making a dedicated trip, I'd still prefer Mitsuwa. Overall Rating: (3/5) Clean environment but lacking特色 and polish; needs improvement in service and differentiation. read more

Went on soft opening. I usually go to the one in Costa Mesa. Hot Bar stuff was still good and prices were good. Definitely better value on bento items than Mitsuwa. They also have the fancy Onigiri here. Produce section seemed a bit tight, especially since it's at the entrance. Nappa, carrots, broccoli, were the best looking. Green onions looked kinda wilted. They really packed the produce section densely. Made me worried when pulling out stuff. I hope they can maintain it well since it doesn't have good access to their warehouse. The layout does force you through the whole store before hitting the register so it could be trouble during crowded days, especially if you have people stuck at the food bar. Meat prices were good and with the shabu style cuts I like. I appreciate the pre cut meats like komagare chicken. It's really about good portion sizes and price per pound which is why I prefer Tokyo Central vs Mitsuwa. Snack and drink selection is always impressive and I hope they keep up with viral japanese snacks. Requests: Hot Canned Drinks during cold months Bring back the pork kushi katsu on a stick Find a way to make produce section feel less tight Im glad we now have a Tokyo Central in Irvine. This will help relieve pressure on the costa mesa one. I will go here for lunch and groceries vs costa mesa but after the crowds die down. read more

Absolutely love Tokyo central food so yummy would come back againand love snacks, beauty products. So many yummy food to eat

I've been to other Tokyo Central Markets but the new Irvine location, is hands down the best location I've been to. The selection and quality of everything was great. The store was very clean and organized. The produce was fresh and the shelves were well organized. We also got Sushi and Poki to go, it was fresh and delicious. The lines were long but moved very quickly. An employee helped me (If I recall correctly, his name was Tim) he was very helpful, friendly and attentive. This will now be my store of choice. I work in the area and used to stop at The Costa Mesa location, which is great as well but the new location in Irvine has more of a selection and I found the staff to be more helpful and overall friendly. I highly recommend shopping and eating here. read more

We went to Tokyo Central in Irvine to try some Salmon Teriyaki from the hot food buffet bar but it was empty, as were several other items. We asked an employee when the Salmon Teriyaki would be restocked and she said they "were out." Well, duh, I thought to myself, why do you think we're asking? We asked if she knew when there would be more and she said, "later," and walked away. Not much else to say, but obviously terrible and rude customer service! read more

Food is much more reasonable after 7 pm where they discount most food items due that same day.

Nice inside, good selection of food, and a lot of outdoor seating options. Would definitely come again!

I'm glad to see another Japanese market opening nearby! I exclusively shop at Japanese stores because they're always clean and well-organized. While I've been a regular at the Costa Mesa location and will miss seeing familiar faces like Jeffrey and others, I'm excited about the convenience of this new Central location. My only concern is whether there will be enough parking available. That said, this has quickly become my go-to spot for groceries. read more

I don't have any experience working at or managing a supermarket, and I suppose there might be grand opening teething pains, but if you open at 8:00am, shouldn't things be ready to buy at that time? Showed up at 8:30am and there was literally no food at any of the displays, be it hot food or sushi. By the time they had all the employees come out around 8:45am to stock the food, they put up yellow caution tape around all the food areas to block the only walkway to get through the store. I asked if I could just pick up a couple of the rolls that were already set out and the person working there said no, not until they were done stocking ALL the items in every display! There were at least a dozen other people besides me who had to wait behind the yellow caution tape and watch all the employees unload the food and sushi trays into the displays. Total bad vibes and felt like poor management and customer service to 1. Not have had this done prior to the store opening and 2. Not allowing customers to just buy the food and leave once it was placed out, rather, making everyone wait and watch them work for 20 minutes behind yellow caution tape until literally every single item was set out. I've never had any issues with other Tokyo Central locations, but this first trip to this new location wasn't a good experience at all and from what I overheard the other customers say who were also waiting around, they shared the same sentiment and felt the whole setup this morning was ridiculous; I should have taken some photos. read more

Honestly, not impressed. Hot food is $10.99 per pound with a limited and underwhelming selection. Overall quality and freshness don't compare well to other Asian markets, and the store layout feels a bit disorganized. Could be much better for the price. read more

Love the Harbor Blvd location it is easy to navigate and the sushi here is really good and looks beautifully plated. Irvine is quite busy and a bit chaotic but hopefully it will get into a better groove. read more