I'm not gonna lie; the best Tokyo Central is still the Gardena store (L.A.'s South Bay is the best place for all things Japanese outside of Japan, period.) Having said that, the new Irvine store is respectable and well-stocked, if a bit confusing in its layout, as if they were trying to pack too many items in too-small a space. I don't recommend coming here on weekends if you want a relaxed shopping (and parking) experience. Unlike the Gardena flagship store, there's no food court but instead they have hot deli stations and bentos galore. The hot deli items don't look all that appetizing, to be honest. I visit OC once a month and, for 20 years, have noticed OC's dining, shopping and entertainment options lagging far behind LA. The opening of the new Tokyo Central in Irvine provides a small pragmatic solution -- if you can't find a good place in OC for shabu shabu, yakiniku or sukiyaki, go buy the ingredients and cook it yourself at home. read more

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New Tokyo Central store, so of course I had to try! Amazing . This store is so huge and has everything. I love the hot food bar. It had everything from okonomiyaki (Japanese pancakes), fried rice, wings, noodles, egg rolls to soup for $1. Everything else is weighted $10.99/lb. That's a great price and you have like 100 items to choose from. There's something for everyone in the family. Including the picky eater. The good was The variety of items and prices were great! Next time I'm in the area I'll be stopping by. read more

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I came here on the second week of their grand opening. Not sure what the hype was all about but the parking lot was totally full in all areas, from both, the far left and the far right, and all the way pass Mitsuwa to CVS parking lot. The store itself was super cramped with very narrow isles and overstocked of Japanese prepackaged foods and groceries. It reminded me if those little Japanese grocery stores in the Asia. They appear to be doing well on their first few weeks. Many empty shelves. I didn't see any hot foods as some people mentioned? Picked up a few snacks and some candies but the lines were so long, I gave up and left. Not worth it, ended up walking to Boiling Point to have dinner instead. ;) read more

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Got lucky with parking, but I can see how it gets super busy during peak hours. I strongly dislike any store that designs its layout where you have to walk through the entire store, aka one way in and one way out. Because of this, it feels cramped and when there is a lot of people you will feel claustrophobic. Hey, it can be a marketing ploy because that's how you start to panic buy things. On top of that, there is a LARGE food selection. So much it's almost overwhelming. Not complaining, there is just so many choices and I wish I could try everything. And BECAUSE there is so much food, there is a lot of hits and misses too. There is a hot food bar where you can pay by the pound, we got some sliders, meatballs, and karaage. I enjoyed the meatballs and karaage. We also got some sushi. Got bluefin roll type, otoro, shrimp handroll, and a warm onigiri. Unfortunately, the bluefin tuna roll was a bit TOO fishy for me. Would come back for the spicy tuna warm onigiri. I got some groceries on the way too. To reiterate, the market was a bit overwhelming and it just seemed like most of the people were there to get the food. Maybe when the hype cools down a bit it will be better. For now, I don't think the current infrastructure supports the amount of people inside the market. read more

Tokyo Central - Tuna Futomaki - International Grocery Near Me - Irvine, California

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I LOVE this Tokyo Central location. Before I moved to Irvine, I went to the Yorba Linda location. The Irvine location is huge! It has fresh food, lots and lots of options, and a lot of things I didn't see at other locations. They also had great prices! I loooooove the &honey shampoo, but could never find it in the states for under $25 each. At this location, I got it for $12 which isn't too much more than buying it in Japan. I was so excited and stocked up. The fresh onigiri is soooooo good. I work down the street and come here all the time to grab some lunch. Everyone working there is so nice and they have security at the door, which made me feel safe. The store is big, organized, and clean. Parking can get tough during peak time, but there's still lots of parking around. It's also located right off the 5 freeway exit, so it's easy to get to. Thank you for putting in this location! I'm excited to try the sushi restaurant next door read more

Wow nice seeing a Tokyo central open in south OC area. Even though I live nearby I didn't even know this was coming here and now they are fully open and functional. The best part of Tokyo Central to me is their bento and take out food. Some of the better sushi's and Japanese dishes are served here for a decent price in to-go boxes. Besides all that they have a lot of products from Japan from snacks, sweets, and gifts. It's always fun walking around and finding something. Their produce is always top notch too. Parking here can be chaotic since it's a busy plaza so I alway try to avoid peak hours. read more

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It's probably too early to review this place mainly because it's a small plaza and it is already attracting large crowds at all times of the day. It's obvious that they are getting a groove for their operations and it's a combination of staff on the floor trying to stock up the shelves mixed with shoppers that make this place seem so packed in such a short amount of time. However, the food selection and snacks look great, as they carry an assortment of items that you would definitely not find in a regular market. The pricing seems decent as well since I did not see any particular mark ups (probably gives Mitsuwa a run for their money). It's neat that they have a Japanese hot food section as well as some wagyu meat and really is a neat assortment of items. I would probably not want to return until things get calmer, but overall it seems like a cool place. read more

Tokyo Central - Whole section dedicated to chocolate, cookies, and crackers. - International Grocery Near Me - Irvine, California

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We visited this brand new store on grand opening day, but waited until lines died down and they did, so we got to walk in without waiting long. There were a lot of of specialty items (of course, mainly Japanese) and products I've not seen in other nearby Asian supermarkets and all of the prices seemed relatively cheaper than nearby Mitsuwa, we picked up a number of items as many of them were even cheaper than the local 99 Ranch as well. It remains to be seen whether most of the products will be a better value than 99 or even H-Mart or Zion, but for now the values on things like snacks, produce, and drinks was quite good, and I would expect it will take away significant business from Mitsuwa next door. Unlike most other supermarkets, the amount of ready-cooked meals is plentiful, sushi, bento boxes and a fully stocked hot and cold food bar that was looked better than anything you could find at a Whole Foods. The cooked food looked fresh and there was a huge amount of variety. There was very nice outdoor seating to eat as well. The staff were mostly young, but helpful and trained well. It was fun to see that they even have the mini shopping carts for toddlers that you normally find at Trader Joes. Even though some aisles got a little tight, it never felt too cramped even with the opening day crowds. They even had a couple sampling stations where you could try new products for free, today one of the products was pink Pineapple. The checkout lines were efficient, moving super quick and we didn't have to wait hardly at all. Overall, very impressed. While we don't really have a need for Japanese specialty items all the time, so it won't yet replace our trips to Trader Joes/Ralphs/99 Ranch, we would likely return for the hot foods, which seemed comparable to what you would find at a 99 Ranch, but better quality and much better value than H-Mart and Zion. read more

Tokyo Central - outside - International Grocery Near Me - Irvine, California

Grand opening today 10 AM, and it's now exactly that time ! To begin with, there are a lot of cultural festivities right now: There's a wonderful Japanese band playing, some martial arts demonstrations, and a long line that stretches all the way to the back of the building of people waiting to get in. There are door prizes, discounts, for those first entering. Tokyo Central offers a great selection of Japanese food, products, and food to go as you may know. In addition, there are lots of Irvine representatives from the city here, and media too. l Everybody seems really happy to be here as well. And I'm very eager to post this review as the 1st one when "officially opened to the public!" read more

Tokyo Central - 10 o'clock today grand opening! - International Grocery Near Me - Irvine, California

The packaged food here is so good and they work with Go Go Curry in Torrance! As well as Mammoth Bakery for a lot of their Japanese bakery items. The store is well organized and mimics a lot of grocery stores in Japan! Having just gone, I was elated to see a lot of familiar products and snacks that weren't overpriced and inauthentic. I was especially excited to see Go Go Curry as we visited the chain about 5 times during our trip in Tokyo. The workers were very helpful towards using the microwave for my plate and packaging my items. The fried shrimp onigiri was generously filled and discounted because it was after 7pm! I also got some custard buns and they were deliciously eggy. 10/10 food selection and quality. Insta: @socalyumiez read more

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The Sushi is very good. I buy their Salmon and Yellowtail take out at least once a week. However, their beef steaks are horrible. I purchased their so called "Rib Eye Steaks" three times and each tine the meat was very tough and almost inedible. The beef price was lower than most stores; but not worth buying it. read more

Y'all need to fire whoever's making the spicy mayo salmon poke. Did they at least try it before putting it on the shelves? read more

Tokyo Central - Spicy mayo salmon poke - International Grocery Near Me - Irvine, California

Tokyo Central is an easy five stars for me. Tokyo Central is a terrific Japanese grocery store I patronize at least once a week. I go primarily for the numerous prepared food options that have yet to disappoint me, but I shop, also, for various Japanese imported items. Speaking of prepared food options, in addition to other prepared food options, it has an awesome buffet. One can select quite a variety of hot choices. When you get it home, use of the microwave is in order, but that's not a biggie. I usually get an unsweetened green tea to wash my meal down. The store is sizable, and the selection cannot be beat. It's a comfortable store. The staff are friendly and helpful without exception. It's located near the back of a busy shopping center on Culver, but I've never had trouble parking. Bottom line, it's a great place. p.s. My pics are better if you click on them. read more

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This location is very long and narrow inside. If you forget to pick something from the front area, you must walk back to the front all the way from the back. It's a quite a long walk especially during the weekend when store is crowded with customers. I wish store made two cashing area, front and back. they wanted to have us walk through all the way to the back thinking we will buy addt'l items but when customer wants just couple thing and in hurry, we don't even look anything else but rush to cashier. That's the reason why I stop coming here but continue going to CM store that I am very familiar. If the store will have two cashers at front and back, I may come here. read more

A newer location, clean, and has all the essentials. Not as large as their Costa Mesa location, but this location is well stocked with the popular brands and items. They have a prepared food section with a variety of items. There are self checkout stations. read more

This was definitely a long anticipated opening, and though it sounds counterintuitive to have two Japanese grocery stores in the same plaza, Tokyo Central really just offers a different experience that is absolutely worth noting. Once some of the initial hype died out, this has become one of my regular spots. I normally come here for quick meals or snacks, and they've always been the best on that front, with plenty of great sushi, bento boxes, and a hot bar, so you'll never get sick of all of the options for a quick lunch. Pair that with their plenty of offerings of great Japanese snacks and drinks, and it's a solid relatively guilt-free meal. I've always liked the meat here so I will plan to come here more often when I am less lazy about cooking. The layout of the store can be sort of odd, and it's not all that intuitive, but you can appreciate that they adapted to the local infrastructure and made it work. TIP: Seating is only outside, so it can be unpleasant at times and refreshing otherwise. read more

Love that Tokyo Central finally opened. It's such a fun grocery store with an incredible selection. The hot food bar is always being refilled, making it easy to grab something fresh on the go. Huge sashimi selection at all price points, plus tons of options for quick, repeatable meals. The rice and drink aisles are massive, and the snack section is even bigger. They even have self-checkout for under 10 items, which makes quick trips easy. It was a bit chaotic the first few weekends after opening, but it's calmed down a lot and has become my go-to place for sashimi cravings. Walking through here honestly feels like being transported straight to Japan read more

Wonderful place that my family and I enjoyed!! We had lunch then decided to go stop by and check it out. Moments later we found a bunch of goodies!! Definitely recommending this location and for sureeeeeeee will be back! Good job staff!!! read more

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Newest addition to Irvine with a huge variety of goodies that will likely please everyone. Came by during grand opening and the line to get in wrapped around the building. The wait was unpleasant but once inside, it was all worth it. Fresh produce, meats and buffet style hot food to grab. There were many packaged ready to eat foods at very reasonable prices (under $10). There were snacks that I haven't seen since visiting Japan years ago. The variety is impressive to say the least. Only downside during this visit was the crowd. There are several self checkout lines but staff is available if help is needed. The interior is clean (as expected) and staff is helpful and friendly. Parking can be a real challenge so when it gets busy, be prepared to park farther away, possibly even near CVS in that same plaza. Definitely will return! read more

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Finally made it back here with my brother to try some of their food at the hot bar. We came around 11:30 so the selections were plentiful. They offer a cup of soup for $1 which is a good deal. They had egg drop soup, hot and sour soup and miso soup. I love hot and sour soup so I had to try it, the takoyaki (octopus balls), shrimp tempura and a vegetable croquette. I also bought a freshly made teriyaki unagi onigiri. We ended up bringing the hot food home after running one other errand before making it home. Note to self, the food is best eaten right away because it is not the best at room temperature and microwaving the fried food just makes it soggy and oily. The hot and sour soup was disappointing as it was not vinegary enough. The soup had enough crushed chili peppers in it to make it hot but it needed more vinegar to give it the desired "sour" taste. Overall the food was just okay today but I haven't given up hope and I will be back to try other things. My overall rating for today's visit is a 3.5 read more

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I'm a huge fan of Tokyo central stores and have regularly gone to ones in San Diego and Costa Mesa. This location recently opened and maybe it's working out some things still. For starters the service is not nice or helpful. Came here and the people at the checkout there all seem over it like gawd do I have to talk to you??? Not a good feeling. The deli food and snacks are why I come here. The vibes are way off at this location also the others patrons seemed also not nice and I kept getting hit by baskets in every aisle even though there was space to go around me. I don't think I will be back to this location. Overall not great experience, parking is a hassle, and no indoor seating. read more

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On a Saturday morning in early August, my family and I drove early from SGV to New Irvine location. We arrived at 8:30am and parked close by. It's located in the same shopping center with Boiling point and Baekjeong. Once inside, the size of store looks small with clean aisles. The food to go was closed off until the workers were stocking the bowls and plates. No karaage yet. Lots of fun and cute items to buy and look. They had self checkout and one cashier. No food court inside. We left after purchasing some items and came back after 30mins to look at Karaage. Still none at 9:30am so we left. Oh well. If you go shopping in the afternoon or evening, it maybe hard to find parking. In the lot. read more

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Definitely not as great as I was hoping for. I've been to a bunch of other Tokyo Centrals and this one is the most underwhelming. On opening weekend they ran out of everything and after having tried the hot food bar I'm just not super impressed with the food quality. Lines are really long sometimes and it just feels like a small place. read more

Tokyo Central - International Grocery Near Me - Irvine, California

I still prefer the Costa Mesa location due to size and variety but this location is convenient. Prices are definitely higher here but that probably takes in consideration higher rent. You enter from the left and go through produce, deli section, meats, frozen food and come out after the dessert section. Funky layout. We'll see how things go with Mitsuwa in the neighboring plot of land. It's nice to see more Japanese super markets in the area. read more

The store has a good variety of things, however parking was probably the most stressful. The hot food area was 10.99 per pound which isn't too bad. We wanted to try everything so we definitely hit the 1 pound mark for each person in our party. We enjoyed most of the items. We didn't care for the meatball, string beans and there was a lotus dish. The others were good. We also added cabbage salad and sushi and those were pretty yummy. I think they're still working out the kinks since the checkout line was a mess. We didn't know where to go for check out and it merged with the self check out line. So that was a bit weird. Overall good store, has a lot for the size of the store. read more

Tokyo Central - International Grocery Near Me - Irvine, California

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So excited to finally have a Tokyo Central in Irvine. Got in on the soft opening today to check it out and beat the inevitable crowds before tomorrow's grand opening. The entrance is a bit small and cramped, it's a bottleneck. But it opens up to a very large store, packed full of goodies. I was very happy to see the hot buffet bar, which looks to be expanded from the other stores. Most stores have the bar along the wall, but here it's right in the middle of the main aisle, with 2 sections. The whole store is a forced path, which is really not ideal. No matter what you want to buy, you are forced to walk through the entire store just to get to the checkout. And even the checkout is a forced path. The layout is just strange overall. But overall, it was stocked just like any other Tokyo Central with the same prices and selection. The fresh foods weren't fully out yet, so we'll have to see how that all looks in the next few weeks. read more

Tokyo Central - Soft opening on 7/25/25 - International Grocery Near Me - Irvine, California

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I'm happy to report the hype has died down and it is manageable to get in and out without too much trouble. They are pretty reasonable and cheaper in comparison to the neighboring Mitsuwa. The yakiniku and meat selection is great with USDA Prime and A5 meat from Japan (which we haven't tried yet) which in quality is the same as Mitsuwa but we have to give it to Mitsuwa for the sakura kuro pork belly no. 1 the best (look for the pink flower symbol). With the help of an associate, we found kanpyo here when Mitsuwa only had large bag fulls that have already been seasoned. They have a large selection of pre-made bentos, rice balls (onigiri), cafeteria food, sake, snacks, candy, frozen food, and a bit of sushi and sashimi. Its similar to the Don Quiote in Honolulu. Also has cute Sanrio bags and Japanese whiskey near check out. read more

Hot/cold foods review: Great selection to choose from. Very easy to grab and go. They restock quite frequently with nothing ever running out. Very tasty. Affordable prices. By the self-checkout (which you can use for this), they offer a microwave, utensils, napkins, and some condiments. Good amount of covered seating outside for a quick bite. Parking: Can be challenging so I highly recommend a weekday morning or early afternoon before the kbbq place next door gets busy. read more

Went for grand opening since my parents wanted to check it out. Prices are expensive for produce but when they have items for sale they are reasonably priced. There is a TON of ready made food and packaged snacks and desserts etc. and the food was pretty good for the price. The pricing for the ready made food is actually very reasonable for what you get. I'll be back to try out some more of their prepared food! read more

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I love coming to Tokyo central for sushi and to look at their fun snacks! They have endless aisles of delicious food to look through. I love that they have discount sushi after a certain time of the day and it's really yummy sushi too! I got a banana cream soda last time for a fun drink and I fell in love with it. The customer service has always been great here. I think I still like how the Costa Mesa location is spaced more than the Irvine location though; the Irvine location seems more cramped. I will be coming back to Tokyo central time and time again! :) read more

Tokyo Central - International Grocery Near Me - Irvine, California

Awesome Japanese grocery!!! I wish the one in San Diego is at least as big as this place! Of course the one in Gardenia I think is the biggest one in southern CA. We need to bring a huge cooler and buy dry ice so I can buy some bentos and sushi plates! I think due to the holiday tomorrow it's still not as busy as it would have been on a regular Sunday. We got a parking right away but they're all very narrow. Will be back for sure with my cooler!!! read more

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Tokyo central is really about the prepared foods. They have aisles of other stuff, but stock is inconsistent, and selection is limited. The two food islands featuring hot items, mostly, were about 75% filled at 9:30 am on a Saturday. Ten might be a better time for that. The other cases, lots, and lots of them, feature other prepared items, including sushi and sashimi, with many combinations of that and other foods. It seems impossible that they could sell all of this, but I am told they do, regularly. I tried a pound of their hot stuff. The yakatori and teriyaki were both very tender. My favorite though, was the tempura shrimp on a stick. The food was okay, but perhaps not great for breakfast. The shopping carts are small. Be sure to wear full shoes pushing those carts, as the narrow wheel base can be a pinky toe destroyer. Be warned. Produce and meat prices are high, like Whole Foods high. Just an okay store that I likely will not revisit with so many other options at better prices. read more

Made my way over here and wow! I can't believe how large this location was. Every spot I turned there was something new and exciting to check out. What impressed me the most was the hot food bar. The chicken teriyaki yakitori was so good, I cannot wait to try it again. I also tried a spicy tuna roll which was really good especially for being pre made. There were all kinds of various fresh musubi's made to order as well which I can't wait to go back and try! read more

Tokyo Central - Hot food bar - International Grocery Near Me - Irvine, California

Organized, stocked, helpful staff, fast checkout! This had just about everything we were looking for plus! Huge selection of pre-made fresh foods and everything grocery you could want with regard to food. It was crowded but it had a good buzz of excitement being recently opened. Very clean and organized. Huge produce and meat selection. read more

Tokyo Central - Recently Opened - International Grocery Near Me - Irvine, California

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food, 10/10 service, fast and 10/10 market vibes, pretty good lots of ppl and can get crowded but there's tables to eat outside or you just take it home! they have hot food sections and everything u can imagine, it reminded me of a mini don quixote, closest u can get to japan read more

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So happy to finally have a Tokyo Central in Irvine, even though getting into the plaza from Culver and finding parking can be hectic at times. And not to mention the influx of customers waiting around the hot food islands, so waiting alongside them or navigating around them without being in the way of others can be an additional stressor haha. But the treasures found within this magical market soon override the stresses. And staff are quick to replenish items, so wait times are fortunately not that bad. After grabbing some savory, crispy, juicy, fresh, piping hot chicken karaage, I like to take a look through the frozen aisles and drinks sections. For a smaller store, they have a nice selection of goodies, like frozen Hokkaido cream puffs that somehow don't need to thaw before eating, different types of gyozas from different brands, individually portioned beef gyudon packets, a huge variety of mochi-based desserts, and bottled coffees that remind you of konbinis. There's something for everyone, for any time of the day. The ceiling is high, so it doesn't feel cramped or stuffy. The shopping experience sort of follows a flow in one direction, so you naturally end up at the cashiers after seeing everything, but you can always walk back if you're not ready to check out. Seems like the cashiers operate at maximum efficiency, which is appreciated during peak hours. read more

It was nearly a perfect visit until a wildebeest of a human being began coughing their brains out (not a normal cough either with very bronchitis type sounds coming out) relentlessly in the produce section while wearing no mask and kind of sort of covering at times. We are in the cold and flu season people. If you know you are sick as a dog, stay home, double up on masks or leave the store. It is really uncool to expose others to your filth. But in the tech age with time thieves everywhere it is all about anti-social (speak to as few people as possible) and selfish behavior. Just look at the roadways. People do whatever they want, whenever they want. Okay, I am off my soapbox. The REVIEW: The store is very full of items and pretty well laid out. Some will find it overstocked but I would rather have more goods than too little goods. Parking is tough as this plaza is super popular and loaded with grocery, restaurants, tea shops etc. I picked up some sake salmon fresh lightly salted and I cooked it medium-rare and it tasted awesome. I wish it were wild vs. farmed but I will see what other options they have next time. The Maeda-en BLACK SESAME ICE CREAM is very good. It does not have an artificial taste. It is a lighter color but moderate or better with black sesame taste. I also got the Maeda-en YUZU SORBET but have not tried it yet. I picked up a papaya but am letting it ripen a touch on the kitchen counter. The wife and I will explore more next time but it was a crowded Sunday afternoon so maybe I will drop in after work one day. It was clean and there were a lot of tempting items. read more

Follow the yelp , visited this market today ( just know they are new opening) Fresh egetables, fresh meats and the food bar so delicious( no oily) looks healthy food many of choose by pound and enjoy later . read more

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I Called Twice & Received A Voicemail Both Times. I Left One Message. Very Disappointed That No One Picked Up The Phone!!! The Phone System Needs A Selection Menu So That Calls Can Be Transferred To Certain Departments. read more

Went to the grand opening event the past Sunday and was impressed by the variety of produce, snacks, and pre made food. The staff handled the line well, we came 15 minutes before opening and got inside within 20 min. There is a sushi restaurant inside and table seating outside. The layout is a bit weird having the hot food bar in the center but overall way better selection than TC Costa Mesa. Since it just opened it could be good to wait 2 weeks or go at on off hour time. read more