I've been here multiple times and have always liked the food and service but on my most recent visit, another customer became confrontational while I was using the waitlist tablet at the check-in counter. He repeatedly pressured me to move out of the way, even after I told him I'd only be a second. I eventually stepped aside because he would not stop. After that, he followed me outside and continued confronting and insulting me. The host was present while this was happening at the counter, and I would have appreciated them addressing his behavior before it escalated. read more

Tomikawa Japanese Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

I always saw a big crows waiting for Tomikawa and I finally bit the bullet with some friends on a Friday evening. There's a waitlist tablet at the front so you can track the wait. It's a solid AYCE sushi spot, the salmon and yellowtail nigiri were the highlights for me. There's also a large of rolls available to choose from. I do have to say that the rice is packed really tightly, so the ratio of fish to rice felt off for me. read more

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Unfortunately, I had a very disappointing experience. The staff seemed poorly trained and lacked basic customer service skills. I understand that employees can make mistakes, but proper training makes a big difference in how customers are treated and how the business is represented. I really hope the management takes this feedback seriously and provides better training for the staff. Hopefully, my next visit will be a much better experience. read more

We ordered to go for a sushi themed small get together. Last minute decision to order from here given we had time constrainsts. Epic fail on my part to not take a picture of the food, but everyone demolished the rainbow, Big Bang and Salmon Roll. Good quality, fair price, we ordered online and it was available for pick up sooner than what we were initially told. I would totally order from here again for larger get togethers since it was so convenient. Easy parking. Please come and create your own adventure. read more

Tomikawa Japanese Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

We went later on a Saturday afternoon and after a 15 minute wait on the waitlist we were seated. We were sort of just told to sit in a booth and it took a number of minutes before our server came to ask us what we wanted. She was pretty dismissive and walking away as I spoke to her. We went with AYCE and she gave us the paper menu to check off what we wanted. After that, we didn't see her again for 20 minutes. I eventually flagged another server down and she gave our paper to the Host at the front. I could tell he was too busy to put the order in. Eventually they put it in, but by the time we got our first item it was 30 minutes into our 90 minute AYCE... Overall, the food was great as it always is. I enjoyed the salmon handrolls and the rolls. I'm always a fan of their hot food. The service just really put a damper on the whole meal. I've been going to tomikawa for years, and now I'm not sure I'll be coming back anytime soon until they figure out their service. read more

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Honestly very solid all you can eat. I really like their carpaccio and hot food selection, and it tastes better than all the other ayce sushi places in oc. My favorite were their yellowtail, salmon, house salad, cheese pork cutlet, alaskan roll, mussel, garlic chili edamame, and tempura. Just kinda wished their ayce menu included dessert. read more

Tomikawa Japanese Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

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Solid AYCE sushi place in Irvine. Had a great time with my friends and we ordered a lot of nigiri and rolls for the table. The fish quality was good and there were a lot of options on the menu. My favorites were the salmon and yellowtail specifically. My biggest complaint is that they pack the rice so tightly that each nigiri feels like swallowing a large pill (and it definitely fills you up fast) The restaurant does get pretty crowded, especially on the weekends so be prepared to wait. We came on a Friday evening and waited about 1.5 hrs to be seated read more

Tomikawa Japanese Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

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Always a perfect place to get ayce! The quality has remained the same since my first visit here! I always show tomikawa to my family when they ask where is the best ayce sushi! read more

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I've been going to this place for over a decade now (wild to think about!). Seen it go through different ownership and a renovation. It is definitely much busier now because of the AYCE menu. Definitely get on the waitlist when you arrive. Past few times we have been it gets busy during the lunch hours, and thus service is a bit slower. Nice seating inside with booths. Menu QR code will show you some pictures of what you want to order. We have been going down here for a while, so we have our favorites. The appetizers here are surprisingly very good! Garlic edamame and sesame chicken are our favs. I even have a soft spot for the house salad because the dressing is just yum. I rarely order salmon nigri, but for some reason this place is pretty good! The pieces I receive are always nicely portioned and soft. We never bother with the other rolls anymore because we know our favorite is the VEGAS ROLL! It's been my favorite roll since I started coming here. Literally no other sushi or Japanese restaurant has this combination of ingredients. Crunch from unagi, spicy tuna on a CA roll with eel sauce and spicy sauce. *chefs kiss* Lots of textures, flavors, sweet, salty, spicy. Just come in with a purpose. We noticed that other tables tend to a bit longer because they were never ready when the server came by. read more

Tomikawa Japanese Restaurant - Vegas Roll & House Salad - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

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Solid sushi place in Irvine - happy hour prices are good and the fish quality is decent! I always get the Albacore Lover roll whenever I visit, there's a great balance of spicy tuna to albacore. The spicy tuna on crispy rice is also tasty and unique compared to others I've tried. I think the rice is wrapped in some sort of nori. Staff is also nice and friendly here. :) read more

Tomikawa Japanese Restaurant - Albacore Lover, Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice, Salmon Crunch - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

I've been coming to Tomikawa for a while, but I'd have to say that the quality and the service has gone down a little. The rice to fish ratio is uneven, causing me to get fuller faster than usual. The server was over our shoulder constantly and we felt like we were being watched while eating, making it uncomfortable. The carpaccio is still amazing, but we felt like the rest of the food lacked in comparison to what it was before. It was quite loud in the restaurant, but that didn't affect the review. I would love to try again sometime, but it was a bit disappointing. read more

Tomikawa Japanese Restaurant - Salmon Carpaccio - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

I love it here I've been a regular for years now. And they're as busy as Din Tai Fung. Wait is at least 45 minutes to two hours on weekends. But they serve quality sushi, miso, and sashimi. My regular sushi order is: Eel, octopus, albacore, yellowtail, shrimp, squid, mussels, edamame, sashimi, and miso They decorate for Christmas, and have warm wooden Japanese accents year-round. read more

Tomikawa Japanese Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

Our family and friends suggested we try this sushi restaurant since we loved sushi and a good date spot. We came right at opening on a Thursday, and the restaurant filled up pretty quickly. Despite being one of the first tables that placed an order, it took them about 40 minutes to serve our first round of sushi. We tried to give them the benefit of the doubt that maybe we ordered too much. However, upon looking around, we were disappointed to see other tables with multiple plates of sushi despite arriving later than us. We're not sure the logistics of it, but I think 40 minutes is just too long. We ordered 18 pieces of nigiri + 1 order of salmon carpaccio for the first round. For our second round, 6 pieces of salmon nigiri took 28 minutes for it to come out (Yes, we timed it). At that point, our appetite was replaced with frustration. In terms of food quality, it was good. However, the experience is what brought it down. There are other sushi places around the area with better sushi and wait times. The service from the waiters was fine-- they refilled our waters, asked how we were doing, and took away our dirty plates. Again, it was just the extremely long wait times that disappointed us. Keep in mind, their time limit is supposed to be 1 hour and 15 minutes for AYCE menu, so we couldn't help but speculate it was a strategic move by the restaurant to have us eat less. Nevertheless, we were relieved we spent less for the weekday menu. read more

Tomikawa Japanese Restaurant - 4 orders of salmon 1 order of seared garlic tuna 1 order of yuzu tuna 1 order of tamago 2 orders of fresh eel - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

Great sushi and value, long wait times. This is a put your name down an hour ahead of time type of place so arrive with proper expectations. The sashimi style ponzu dishes come out quickly as do the salads, it expect a bit of a wait for the sushi, especially on a busy weekend. The sushi here is worth the wait. Each piece was fresh and perfectly presented. read more

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This is my brother's favorite sushi place of all time and I can confirm his favorite is fuego! Come one come all this place hasn't had a slow night probably since never! Usually a high wait time almost every time we have come but trust me it's worth the wait every time! Hands down melt in your mouth sushi ugh warms my belly writing this! My brother always comes here for his birthday and now I love the tradition because this place never lets down. Sushi I coming out quick and fresh as ever, they don't fill you up on rice! Just be sure to eat all your order unless you're al a cart. Big enough for most party sizes and small enough tables for two! Always vibing with the music here drinks are always being served fast and tons of wait staff to accommodate your needs. Sushi from the long rolls to the nigiri to the hand rolls! Even the baked muscles are som of the best I've ever had! Sushi cuts are of high quality you can tell the difference in the color and how it literally will melt in your mouth! I enjoy this restaurant every time my brother suggests it we always agree it's well worth the wait. read more

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Our go to for AYCE sushi. The only thing is that there's always a wait since it's so busy so sign up on the waitlist on their ipad and wait till you get a text that the table is ready. The food is always pretty solid and the sushi is pretty fresh. Not too much rice which is perfect. And service is pretty quick with servers checking in often if we need to order more. read more

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Second time coming with a large group. I always end up satisfied and extremely full at this ayce spot. Round one came out fairly quick, but round 2 took probably 30 mins for everything to come out. I think they try to bring everything out at the same time so it takes longer. Nonetheless, service was great and they always made sure our waters and sodas were filled. We ordered a bunch of rolls and sushi, carpaccio was yummy too. Their fries tasted like McDonald's, I think we ordered 4 plates of fries lol. My favorite was their spicy garlic edamame, I ended up ordering more of that after I was done with all the sushi. This location is better than the Pasadena one! read more

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If you have a craving for sushi--and quite a lot of it--Tomikawa is a very easy place to recommend. We have eaten here several times and, so far, have never ventured into the à la carte menu. We always choose the all-you-can-eat option, which gives you three rounds of ordering and, in our experience, presents a considerably greater risk of leaving with the top button of your trousers undone than of leaving hungry. Tomikawa is popular, and deservedly so. The downside is that waits of 30-45 minutes for a table are not unusual. Once you make it through the door, however, the experience is pleasantly efficient. The welcome has always been warm, friendly and genuine, and once seated, service moves at a remarkably brisk pace. The waitstaff may not always have the polish of career restaurant professionals, but I almost hesitate to mention that because what they occasionally lack in refinement, they more than make up for in attitude. They are friendly, attentive and genuinely seem interested in making sure you have a good experience. Special requests--gluten-free soy sauce, seemingly inexhaustible quantities of ginger, and the like--have always been accommodated quickly and without fuss. The sushi itself is consistently good, particularly considering the volume this restaurant produces. An all-you-can-eat operation has to balance quality, speed and quantity, and Tomikawa manages that equation quite well. The restaurant is clean and well maintained, and either relatively new or cared for well enough to give that impression. It is not, however, a quiet or particularly intimate dining experience. When the restaurant is busy--and it frequently is--the noise level can be fairly high. I would happily recommend Tomikawa to anyone who enjoys sushi in generous quantities, appreciates quick and friendly service, and doesn't mind waiting a little for a table or having some lively background noise once seated. Come hungry. Very hungry. read more

Their happy hour is so worth it and delicious, would definitely go again! Their salmon sushi was 10/10! read more

Tomikawa Japanese Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

My family and I visited on a Wednesday evening at around 7PM after visiting Downtown Disney. We added our name to the waitlist and waited ~35 minutes for a party of 3. The Yelp waitlist was pretty accurate as estimating our wait time. There is a nice waiting area outside the restaurant. It was $37.95/person for AYCE. Sodas are $3.25. The sushi was good and the fish was fresh. However, it definitely seemed like we received orders that we did not order. We still ate it though as the items we didn't seem to order were served on the same plate of items we did order. Our server was nowhere to found. There is plenty of parking as it's located in a retail strip. Service is friendly, but not attentive. Not an issue for me, but it may be for some. read more

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Tomikawa is always a great option for AYCE sushi. I will admit, the first couple times I had been here, I was not that impressed, however, my most recent visit solidified this amazing review. Nigiri: The salmon and spicy albacore are my favorites. The salmon is always is super buttery and so delicious, and the spicy albacore has an amazing taste Mussels: you HAVE to get the baked mussels, they are always fresh and taste so good, i couldn't recommend this more. I have no complaints about the service here. They are always quick to attend to you and when you are one of the first ones there for lunch, the food comes out really quickly. read more

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I've been to Tomikawa multiple times now and overall I would say I've had good experiences (aside from over-ordering LOL). My friends and I love the lunch special and the unlimited carpaccio. The service has been pretty standard for the most part. Even with the restaurant always being busy, they keep everything very clean and nice. A solid option for AYCE sushi in Orange County. read more

Tomikawa Japanese Restaurant - An assortment of the carpaccio options available - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

I loved: Mackerel Spider roll Unagi sushi Salmon I really liked: Takoyaki Smelt egg I liked: Salmon egg Albacore Seared garlic tuna Spicy albacore Tomikawa in Irvine is easily one of my favorite AYCE sushi spots in OC. Everything tastes clean, fresh, and the rice ratio on the sushi is spot on. The salmon is great and I love that they present some items like a carpaccio. The mackerel is excellent with a balanced flavor that is not too fishy. The unagi sushi is so clean with perfect flavor and texture. The spider roll is fantastic, with refreshing greens and a soft shelled crab that is not too hard, making it an awesome bite. The takoyaki is hot, crispy on the outside, and super satisfying to eat. The smelt egg and salmon egg are both tasty with nice pops of flavor. The albacore is fine, though it does taste a bit like it was recently defrosted. The seared garlic tuna has strong garlic flavor but does not overpower. The spicy albacore is a bit too overpowering for me, though I am not the biggest fan of spicy fish in general. The tuna here is very clean. All the sushi is great. Very clean, very good rice ratio, and the rice itself is tasty. The soft textures combined with fresh fish make it super enjoyable to eat. #goodeats Great place to eat, especially for the lunch AYCE menu. Probably my favorite AYCE spot in OC. The restaurant is clean, service is quick, and I always leave super stuffed. read more

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Terry was our waiter and he was the best! So attentive, patient, and gave us 10/10 service! Food was great and vibes were high. read more

Tomikawa Japanese Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

Came here to celebrate my hubbys birthday and was so excited to have some Ayce sushi. The sushi was pretty great! There were so many options, nigiri, sashimi, and sushi rolls. They even had hand rolls! We ordered a few of each and was most impressed by the sashimi / carpaccio. They was delicious. Especially albacore. The rolls were ok this time around. The tempura roll, and the snow roll were pretty good. The handrolls were tasty as well! I will say that the most disappointing part was that they wouldn't do anything for birthdays unless it's the exact day of the birthday. So not a day before or a day before unfortunately. Bummer and a total buzz kill after the meal. So it may not be the best birthday meal if you're expecting a lil bday dessert. read more

The best AYCE sushi in Irvine! I love this place, salmon collars are my weakness! So fatty, so delicious, so tasty! The service here is super attentive, the sushi kept on flowing! The vibes are casual, everyone's having a great time filling their bellies! read more

Tomikawa Japanese Restaurant - Salmon collar - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

This is one of my family's go-to restaurants, and I usually really enjoy my visits. However, my most recent experience fell short. We were told right away that we had 1 hour and 30 minutes to enjoy AYCE, but the wait time between rounds was unusually long. The restaurant is typically busy and full, but that wasn't the case this time, so the delays felt unnecessary. We also had to flag down our server multiple times, and a few sushi rolls were missing between rounds. I understand service can vary, but this felt out of the norm compared to our previous visits. Also, an automatic 18% gratuity was added because we had a party of 7. I don't mind tipping at all, but the service that day didn't really match the added charge. read more

Loooove it here. Classic all-you-can-eat sushi spot. I've been here a handful of times & the fish always tastes fresh. I would say this is a good spot to go with a friend group rather than a date night. It is always very loud & lively inside. Expect a 40 minute wait after putting your name down. read more

Tomikawa Japanese Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

Tomikawa might be a value when you eat AYCE sushi but for à la carte feels unreasonable. We ordered a Caterpillar Roll, Unagi sushi, and Ikura (Salmon Roe) sushi. Total with tip $31.63 Main issue is when they take the order nobody knows what Ikura (Salmon Roe) is and there's always new staff being trained and inconsistent service. This causes delays when they bring the wrong item and then have to put a new order in again. This is inconvenient as it's a busy place and crowded in the front causing a bottleneck. Sushi is a fine Japanese cuisine with a special reverence for timing, aesthetics, fish quality and temperature. Unfortunately, Tomikawa has not checked off all our boxes this time. read more

their all you can eat is the best deal around, great quality and service. Their sushi is authentic and the atmosphere is clean and friendly read more

Tomikawa Japanese Restaurant - All you can eat - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

TOMIKAWA @ IRVINE Parking is available and free right out front, it's shared with other stores so it can be packed. My friend worked here for a bit, and after quitting, she STILL comes back to eat and decided to bring me this time. Says a lot especially in the food industry. AYCE Sushi. What better way to spent a set amount of money at a spot. I was super stoked to try this and we got there right on time and had to wait for about 15 minutes - says a lot since people were ready when the door opened on a normal weekend. Our server was delightful, kind, and gave us lots of time to choose. The sushi, sashimi, and everything was fresh and unlimited. I really enjoyed their crispy tuna rice, that was amazing and full of flavor. One thing that is amazing about this spot is how little the rice portion they give you, they truly want you to eat all the fresh fish! The ambiance is nice, bright, and very spacious. Definitely will come back here. read more

Tomikawa Japanese Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

This place has one of the best fish quality for sushi that I've tried in OC. Salmon, yellowtail, and eel were are favorites! The AYCE deal is definitely worth it! read more

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Tomikawa is always a go to restaurant for me and my family. We typically come on a Saturday night around 6:30 and the wait is around an hour to an hour and a half. I've also come during lunch before and the wait is a lot shorter! The restaurant is always filled with lively tables and the service is always great as well. We always order a bunch of nigiri's with the salmon, tuna, and eel being our favorites! For an all you can eat place, the quality of the fish is still pretty good! You can tell that it is fresh given the buttery texture and lack of fishy flavor. Although we do enjoy the specialty rolls as well, the nigiri's and the salmon collar are always must haves! read more

Tomikawa Japanese Restaurant - Nigiri - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

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Incredibly fresh fish that melts in your mouth! The AYCE is worth it if you're able to eat mostly nigiri. Their rolls are really good as well. There was about an hour wait to get in for a family of 7 at 6pm so be sure to get there early. The restaurant was bustling and can get pretty loud, but it makes for a lively atmosphere. read more

Tomikawa Japanese Restaurant - Salmon nigiri - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

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good price for ayce sushi it's like 30 bucks for lunch deal. for the price you're paying it's actually great quality i just spam salmon. the tuna is pretty fishy though i wouldn't get it but i also don't really like tuna that much. the crispy rice is yummy. baked mussels are kinda mid at this place usually i like it but they were like not cleaned well there was like sand in them i wouldn't get them again here. read more

This is one of the local favorites. We went on a Monday at 11:45. It filled up quickly snd the long waitlist started shortly after. The sushi quality is solid. I'm a purist, so I love their nigiri (authentic traditional sushi), and their garlic tuna carpaccio is excellent as well. They served miso soup with plastic spoons, odd for a high-end sushi restaurant. That detail definitely fell short of a great experience. My family was visiting the U.S. from abroad, and I wanted them to try the tempura ice cream listed on the menu--but they didn't have it. In fact, they didn't have mochi ice cream either. It was disappointing and made me wonder if it was due to fast table turnover priorities. I also wish they would take reservations, as they always have a long wait time. read more

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High quality food, enjoyed every bite. Service was quick and friendly. Extremely busy location, but worth the wait.

Terry was absolutely amazing. Will be back just for him his service, attention to detail, attention to food, attention in general. Amazing. Terry needs a raise. He told me and my friend about the all you can eat and I came back to try it because of him. Will be back again. Restaurant was clean, put together, and everything amazing. Sushi so fresh. Thank you terry read more

Amazing quality fish and service. Loveeee the salmon nigiri, salmon eggs, basically everything on the menu lol

AYCE Sushi... food is pretty good. But today ordering off the happy hour menu for an early Sunday dinner. This is a nice neighborhood restaurant with a contemporary aesthetic. Side music plays in the background. Started with the Salmon Collar, Shrimp Tempura, and Mussels as our appetizers. The mussels were very tasty. Tempura had a nice light and crispy batter. The salmon collar was a bit over done but still fatty. Then followed up with a rainbow roll and Tomikawa Special Plate. Rainbow roll was not disappointing at all. The Tomikawa special plate was very good with a nice mix of nigiri sushi, hand roll, sashimi, seaweed salad and a uni & caviar rice bowl. Service was excellent and they gave us free refills on our teas which never went empty Four out of Five stars! read more

Tomikawa Japanese Restaurant - Happy Hour Drinks - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

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