Long overdue review for one of my family's regular katsu spots in the area. We've been coming here for quite a while, and the experience has always been consistently good. The staff is always attentive, friendly, and quick with service, which makes dining with kids much easier. The katsu is crispy and cooked well every time, and it's one of my kids' favorite places to eat. Portions are solid, the food comes out fast, and the overall atmosphere is casual and family friendly. Definitely recommend for families with kids looking for a reliable and satisfying meal. read more

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TLDR - Food is good, service is good, parking is plentiful, would recommend. Small little restaurant in Buena Park that serves tonkatsu. The interior is small and very homey while the food is even better. The Tonkatsu is crispy yet light and the soba is nothing to make fun of either. I love the sides that this place gives as it REALLY cuts the greasiness of all the fried food read more

Yoko - Tonaktsu combo with soba - Japanese Near Me - Buena Park, California

Amazingly great katsu!!! Super super crunchy, high quality, the dark dipping sauce w ground sesame seeds for Katsu is really good. My wife and I got back here. Nothing changed. Only prices are up. I chose pork cheese katsu for the first time. My wife had the same one, pork katsu w udon. Wow.... So tasty! Fresh, flavorful! My wife likes jalapeño pickles, udon broth w katsu. Same taste, same owner, same interior w casual vibes. Parking is already filled on Sat. Safe area to park. Located to the entrance of golf couse. Lots of take out orders always. Busy busy.... I like eat here to eat hot deep fried katsu than soggy. Today my wife and I were so full and left happy w leftover too. I recommended here as best Japanese Katsu restaurant in OC. read more

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Been coming to here for well over a decade, and the food has always been consistently good!! The portions are generous, and it's still one of my go-to spots for katsu. We get to grind the sesame seeds ourselves before the katsu sauce is added. The sides help balance out the fried protein. Service is always quick, friendly, and accommodating. There can be a wait during peak lunch/dinner hours, but it usually moves fast. Def worth a visit if you haven't tried it yet! read more

Yoko - Don Katsu (Pork) & Curry Katsu - Japanese Near Me - Buena Park, California

We are back today. I craved Yoko Katsu and Udon combo for a while. I planned to go there early for lunch at 11 and I got there around 11:15 without waiting. Nothing was changed. Just the price was raised up. Here lots of take out orders all the time. Busy busy to prepare take out orders, pick up by customers when I eat here. Our first test order, my hubby chose the pork cheese katsu. Mine was Udon, pork katsu combo. The qualities, flavors, service, and prices are all 5 stars. I recommended this spot for 100 best restaurants in OC on Yelp in the past but they didn't choose it unfortunately. But I love Yoko katsu restaurant. Katsu itself is super crunchy, fresh deep fried, the dipping sauce is so rich, dark, real Japanese style sauce, and side cabbage salad is so fresh. I like their jalapeno pickles a lot. The combo menu, udon is the best w pork katsu or chicken. The broth is so flavorful, the noodles are so chewy, real udon texture, garnish kamaboko, fried Tofu, and mugwort herbs are really tasty, well balanced. It made me relaxed, gave me homey feeling cooked by my mom at home. My hubby liked the test order for cheese pork katsu. He said let's come here again...haha. Vibes are here very casual, space is not too tiny but limited. The parking is enough but sometimes filled quickly on weekend. I can't wait to taste more katsu w cold Soba noodles next time. It is getting hot that is why. Thanks for complementary cabbage salad w side pickles, radish kimchi, and salad dressing. read more

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Visited this place on a Sunday around 1pm. We waited about 10-15minutes as there was a line. The plaza has enough free parking spaces. The owner was very welcoming. We were initially seated on a small table but he offered to move us to a bigger table as soon as it opened up. I got chicken katsu with soba combo and my husband got a pork katsu with soba combo. It came with friend shrimp and potato ball. The cabbage salad dressing was very yummy. Katsus were well fried. I would say the portion is pretty big as I brought some leftover katsu home. Overall, the foods were good but what I was most impressed was the owner's service. Even though it was a very busy environment the owner was very attentive. read more

Yoko - Japanese Near Me - Buena Park, California

Literally dream about this food! Hands down the best chicken katsu plate I have ever had in my life. The katsu is perfectly crispy, and even the side dishes are absolutely incredible. I honestly dream about this meal. If you haven't been here yet, you are seriously missing out! read more

Yoko - Chicken Katsu - Japanese Near Me - Buena Park, California

Personally, I love the way the katsu is done here. The pork was thin, flavorful, and had a great crunchy texture. I don't love cabbage, and they were able to substitute it with some extra rice which was very accommodating of them. This restaurant can get a little busy, but it is worth the wait! read more

Yoko - Don Katsu (Pork) - Japanese Near Me - Buena Park, California

PARKING (4/5): This lot gets really busy because it shares with a K SPA. I had to circle the lot 3 times before a spot opened up on a weekday at lunchtime. FOOD (4/5): It's perfectly crispy and made fresh! I usually just get their DONKATSU, but today wanted to try the KIMCHEE CHEESE KATSU. It says (Pork) next to it, but I honestly couldn't see any meat, mostly just cheese & kimchee. All KATSU'S come with sesame seeds that you grind yourself and they will add katsu sauce to it to dip your katsu. Grind as much or as little as you like! I like to make mine almost a powder because I can smell and taste the sesame seeds so much more. $25 KIMCHEE CHEESE KATSU: it's VERY cheesy and fun to try once, but I'd prefer the regular meat ones with more protein! OVERALL (4/5): Still love this place and will always come back! Their to go boxes look so pretty, but I always like eating at the restaurant when the food is the freshest! I will eventually try a to go box. read more

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The soba is so delicious. I usually order the regular donkatsu combo with soba and share w/ wifey. We love the sesame seed grinding and sauce! We ordered tempura udon and it got little soggy. The tempura could be served to the side read more

Yoko - Donkatsu - Japanese Near Me - Buena Park, California

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Yoko is the home of the donkatsu as they specialize in their fried cutlets accompanied by delicious pickled jalapeños, radish, and miso soup. They have udon, soba, and sushi rolls if you're not feeling the cutlets! My order was the Cheesy Pork Donkatsu. Upon cutting into it, both ends were a little pink as those were the bigger pieces that needed a little more fry time. Did not eat that part for obvious reasons. I did think the cheese donkatsu was delicious, but lots of the cheese fell out of the cutlet, and fell through the cooking rack after being sliced. Not a huge problem, but it made the pork look very hollow and not the nicest presentation. I didn't care too much for the side cabbage salad, but the pickled jalapeños and kimchi were amazing with the fried cutlet! The service was very fast paced and expect you to know your order by heart, which I didn't, so I just picked whatever felt like was unique. My overall experience for the food quality and service would be around 3.5 stars! read more

The pork cutlet was amazing. I would definitely try this again. The service was top-notch. The place was nice and clean. I'll be back. read more

Yoko - Japanese Near Me - Buena Park, California

Pretty cool place that lets you grind your own sauce add ons The katsu itself wasn't very memorable, I found the cheese katsu to have the artificial American cheese flavor that was a bit off putting. The cheese also does not stay in the katsu and mainly dripped out of the pork. Would definitely go to Hako instead for their cheese katsu. read more

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We were in the area to visit our family in Fullerton and we were both craving donkatsu so we stopped by Yoko. The restaurant itself is a bit cozy so expect a bit of a wait to be seated but service is efficient and the food came out relatively quickly. While waiting, they bring out a small bowl of sesame seeds for your grind out to fix with their sauce so it was a fun way to kill time. I ordered the pork katsu combo with soba noodles (it was hot that day), which came with cabbage, pickled jalapenos, and radish kimchi. The katsu was spot on. It was crispy on the outside, tender and moist on the inside. The rice was cooked perfectly (none of that dry cardboard stuff), and the sauce paired really well with the pork. All the sides were delicious and the portions were huge for the price. My wife ordered the Pizzakatsu with rice and enjoyed every bite as well. Plenty of parking since it's in a big lot and if you're looking for a caffeine pick-me-up afterward, Stereoscope is within walking distance so that's a huge plus. Overall, this place has generous portions, quick service, and delicious food. We'll be back! read more

Yoko - Pork katsu combo + pizzakatsu - Japanese Near Me - Buena Park, California

I can't believe I've never posted a review for this place. This place is classic. It's been around for almost twenty years(?). Their food is always top and consistent quality. Love their katsu, the sesame seed based sauce, udon, and soba! Everything is so good and service is quick and efficient. Katsu is crispy, freshly fried with clean oil. I also love their side dishes! read more

Got greedy since everyone always pushes me to get the combo, when I know all I can eat is the regular donkatsu. Tried the donkatsu + spicy tuna roll. Spicy tuna roll was tasty and stuffed generously, but it was a bit too spicy for me, leading to wiping head sweat afterward, lol. Pls note the combos do not get the bowl of white rice that comes with regular donkatsu (probably gets wasted since too much food with combo). For me, just an order of donkatsu is the perfect amount. Combo always leaves me uncomfortable from gorging too much food. Just love the sauces here, they know how to make great sauces for everything. - katsu sauce = excellent - salad dressing = excellent - soba = excellent We also had the fish katsu, and I can add - tartar sauce = excellent!!! Wonder if I can get the recipe for the tartar sauce, since anything I buy from walmart, trader joes, etc. none ever taste like the restaurants, and Yoko has a fantastic tartar sauce in my book. Since they are frying katsu anyway, might as well make some fries too. Then can add a Fish n Chips platter to the menu for those who may be looking for that kind of a meal? The tartar sauce here will top most fish n chip joints I say. read more

I was in the area with my mom and haven't been here in a while. It does look like it's closed with the dark windows but it's busy inside. They have the menu centered around donkkaesu (Korean version of donkatsu). We both got a combo of pork katsu ($14.95) with a small bowl of udon soup ($7) added to the meal. It came with a bowl of rice and a side of shredded cabbage with radish kimchi and pickled jalapeno. There's also a piece of fried shrimp and a fried potato ball. The wait time was not long and the food came quickly. The lady came by and gave a small bowl of sesame seeds in a bowl so people can grind it to their preferences. The katsu was crispy and a good size. It was not dried and the breading was not too thick. The staff is nice, restroom was a bit messy. read more

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We came to Yoko Donkatsu with a party of 4 and had high hopes, but the experience was a bit mixed. First off, the restaurant looked closed from the outside -- all the blinds were down, which made us second guess if we were at the right place. Once we got inside, there was a 20-minute wait to be seated. Not a huge deal, but it was uncomfortably hot inside, which made the wait feel longer. We each ordered different dishes and I asked my friends to rate theirs: * Pork Katsu - 8/10, crispy and flavorful. * Beef Katsu - 8/10, tender and tasty. * Cheese + Pork Katsu - 7/10, solid but not a standout. * Chicken Katsu - 8/10, juicy and well-fried. So food-wise, it was overall pretty good! The service, however, left a lot to be desired. I had to ask multiple times for water, and didn't get it until I flagged down a server mid-conversation with another table. It was hard to get anyone's attention, and no one checked in on how we were doing or how the food was -- even though we noticed other tables were being checked on regularly. If you're here just for the food, it's worth a try. But be prepared for a bit of a wait and inconsistent service. read more

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I was craving tonkatsu and this place satisfied my craving. The restaurant is quite small so there was a wait to be seated. Service is quick though so our food came out within minutes of ordering. As you wait for your order to be brought to you, they bring you a small bowl of sesame seeds to grind that goes with their katsu sauce. Pretty cool and unique experience. I ordered the pork katsu which is served with rice, miso soup, and cabbage, along with a side of pickled jalapeños and radish kimchi. The pork wasn't as crispy as I liked. The rice was cooked well and wasn't mushy. The katsu sauce is sweet and pairs perfectly with the katsu. All of the sides were so tasty. The miso soup was so hot that it burned the roof of my mouth. The dressing on the cabbage was good; it might be thousand island dressing lol. The portion was huge and prices are reasonable. I would come back! read more

Yoko - Japanese Near Me - Buena Park, California

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Tonkatsu is always best at Yoko. It's a large portion when paired with soba, but both are so delicious. Surprisingly, there weren't many people during dinner yesterday, so we were seated right away without any wait. This place isn't about fancy interiors or service -- it's all about the taste. read more

Yoko - Japanese Near Me - Buena Park, California

I've been craving katsu for a while and when I found this place I couldn't resist. I got the curry katsu; it came with a side of radish, jalapeños, cabbage, and miso soup. This was the perfect set for a meal and it was more than enough to satisfy my craving. All this for around $20. The menu is very straight forward: katsu and udon and a small selection of sushi. The katsu breading was nicely coated very crunchy with every bite with a bed of rice that wasn't too filling. I'd definitely come back to try the soba! The service was friendly. read more

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One of the best Katsu places to eat at. I always get their Chicken Katsu. Sometimes I get their Chicken Katsu Combo + Soba and it always tastes fresh and consistently delicious. I would say their soba is one of the best I've had compared to other places. Without the combo, it comes with a bowl of rice, miso soup, and salad cabbage which is also fresh! I've gone here since I was a kid with my family and their food and service has always been consistent! Their service is excellent. I've seen people and kids make messes every now and then and their facial expressions never showed any discomfort. I'd say their interior ambiance is pretty spot on; they have different art pieces on their walls depending on the season and it's clean. Parking is also spacious. read more

Yoko - Chicken Katsu - Japanese Near Me - Buena Park, California

We came here on a Sunday for lunch and were seated immediately! we love no wait. The menu was very simple and well priced. We got pork katsu because its what they are known for. The set comes with miso soup, rice and pickled vegetables which compliment everything very well. They only thing was thats there were flys flying around which got a little annoying but other than that great price and food! read more

Yoko - grinding sesame - Japanese Near Me - Buena Park, California

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I guess a bad economy affects one of my favorite place as well as a lot of other restaurants specially Korean restaurants. Don katsu meat is a lot thinner than before. Don katsu sauce is very salty also other noodle sauce is salty as well. But service is still good and fast. read more

We went here for my dad's birthday, and it was SO YUMMY! The blinds were closed when we arrived on a monday evening, so I wasn't very sure it was open. But it was and I am glad! There was a short 5 min wait. I ordered the udon-katsu combo, and the katsu is delightful! The katsu was crispy and crunchy on the outside, but soft and juicy on the inside. It's the best katsu I've ever had! The udon had nothing special but it wasn't bad. The service was very fast and the ambiance was a retro mix of posters of The Beatles, Jaws, and etc. I will be coming again for sure, no question. read more

Yoko - The katsu and udon - Japanese Near Me - Buena Park, California

Yummy yummy katsu! We ordered the chicken and shrimp katsu. It was super delicious! Both katsu dishes were perfectly crisp and tasty. The sauces definitely added some zest and complementary flavors. Definitely filling and sure to satisfy! read more

Yoko - Chicken Katsu - Japanese Near Me - Buena Park, California

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A+ on the sauce. It was very special, we had to grind our own sesame and they poured their house special sauce on it. The sauce was so delicious! Even the salad sauce was good I cannot taste the original flavor of the cabbage. Without the salad sauce, I would never eat the cabbage! Note: if you order combo, it doesn't come with white rice. I didnt know that and I ordered a crunch roll. To be honest, the one star off was because of the crunch roll. I would not recommend it. It was $18 for my kimichi cheese katsu entree but +$7 for combo (which came with my crunch roll (4 pc) but they removed my white rice). A bit unsatisfied on this end... i don't think that $7 was worth the sushi roll either. Never order the sushi! You're probably better off ordering soba or udon! read more

Yoko - Kimchi Cheese Katsu + Crunch Roll - Japanese Near Me - Buena Park, California

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This place is one of my favorite spots for pork cutlet. The food is always delicious, and the portions are very generous. You don't even need a long explanation--it's simply tasty. If you order the combo menu, you'll definitely leave with a full stomach. The ingredients are fresh, and the presentation of the dishes is neat and appealing. Highly recommend! read more

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Good Tonkatsu and has Udon or Soba as well. Korean style Japanese food, but the Katsu is done well. Tasty food, simple ambiance, you'll leave with a happy belly read more

I really like this restaurant. They simple menu, with great food and service. If you're really hungry, get the combo. My favorite is curry katsu with spicy tuna. read more

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Been eating here for YEARS and it still hits every single time. It's definitely a solid katsu place. Portions are great, they do not skimp on the meat and breading is perfect. You crush sesame seeds that go perfectly with their katsu sauce before your food is brought out. The curry is decent here as well if you prefer. Love how their menu can come with a combo of your choice of noodles of sushi, such a great deal. Delicious food for a decent price and great service, never really had a bad experience here. HIGHLY recommend this place as to be honest, pretty sure this place is a lot of people's go-to katsu spot. read more

Yoko - seasame seeds for sauce - Japanese Near Me - Buena Park, California

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First time trying this place, and it did not disappoint! It was crowded when I went so there was a wait. Parking isn't bad at all. Food came out in a decent amount of time. They were attentive to my group since we had a baby and were nice! read more

Yoko - Kimchi Cheese Katsu Spicy Tuna Roll Soba Don Katsu (Pork) Chicken Katsu - Japanese Near Me - Buena Park, California

Been here twice now since it's close by to my friends' house. They raved about the fish katsu for months during the pandemic since they often ran out of supplies. Since then, I've tried both their Fish Katsu and their Cheesekatsu (Pork). The Fish Katsu did not live up to the hype, it tasted like what you would expect of battered fish - maybe I was expecting to unlock a whole new palette taste. I LOVE the Cheesekatsu! Rich and wide range of flavor and cheesy goodness, especially if you dip it in the katsu sauce. I would say the cheese and sauce might mask the taste of pork since they are both really strong flavors but the whole combination of the meal was to my delight. read more

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Excellent food. Nice atmosphere. The staff is very accommodating. Try the chicken Katsu, it's the best! read more

This is the second time I've been to Yoko and it was delicious as usual! Most people come here to try the katsu, which in my opinion, is better than other places because of the crispiness of the katsu without the extra grease! The space isn't too big so if you do want to try Yoko, highly recommend getting there earlier than later. The staff is kind. The day we went, their rice machine broke down earlier in the day but they were super apologetic and efficient with getting a batch out to us as soon as they could. The only sad part is they used to give a potato croquette with the meal and that's no longer a thing. read more

Yoko - Donkatsu - Japanese Near Me - Buena Park, California

This is one of the staples in Orange County and a lot of people drive here for this hole in the wall spot. I've been coming here for many years and every single time it's such a treat and consistently delicious. I usually get the combo with a pork donkatsu with some sort of noodle. It's also convenient spot to do to go orders as well. If you have a dog, they have dog treats, but you can only pay with cash $11. read more

Yoko - Katsu combo - Japanese Near Me - Buena Park, California

Yoko not go wrong with this spot! The outside and inside of this restaurant honestly don't seem that exciting. The menu is small, and there's not a ton of options. BUT, Yoko has made me like katsu way more than ever I did. Honestly, I wasn't a fan of katsu since most katsu I've had tend to be dry and hard, but Yoko makes really juicy and tender katsu with breading that doesn't rip up the roof of my mouth or tire out my jaw. The few times I've been, there is a wait outside the restaurant to go in. Max time I've waited was about 20 min. Note: it is a very small restaurant, probably seating 25 people max. However, once you go in, it's pretty fast! Servers seat, hand you menus and take your order shortly thereafter. Again, the menu is short but mighty. I don't think you can go wrong with any menu item though. The fun part about Yoko is crushing the sesame seeds for the katsu sauce while you wait for your food. They hand you a mortar and pestle to crush up seeds, and then they pour the katsu sauce over that when you finish crushing them. And as you can see, you get a TON of food for the price! Love the salad and miso soup that their katsu comes with. So with all that said, I recommend you "curry" on over to Yoko! You won't regret it! read more

Yoko - Curry Katsu - Japanese Near Me - Buena Park, California

The food at this place is super tasty! There are so many options, we ordered the cheese katsu, and the chicken katsu combo, it comes with a side you can choose, we chose udon. The udon broth is flavorful. The combo comes with rice and cabbage salad. The service is excellent and fast! We came around 824pm, which is very close to their 830pm closing time. They still accommodated us. The place is very clean. read more

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I came here with friends for the first time! It was top tier delicious! It was during dinner time, so the atmosphere was pretty busy; however, service was amazing! You do grind your own sesame seeds, which I find pretty amusing while you wait for your food! Their side dishes were delicious as well! I'm not always a huge fan of kimchi radish but YUM! I could not stop eating the radish. 10/10 would recommend! read more

Yoko - Don Katsu (Pork) , Cheese Katsu - Japanese Near Me - Buena Park, California

Crispy katsu. The sauce was good because they mixed it with the grounded sesame. Tried the combo but didn't care too much for the udon. It came with a fried croquette / potato ball and katsu shrimp. Ordered rice on the side with the katsu. Quick service. The restaurant was small so it took a while to get seated. Once we ordered, it didn't take long for the food to come out. An order is good to share between two people. Pretty solid spot for katsu in the Buena Park area ! read more

Yoko - Chicken Katsu combo - Japanese Near Me - Buena Park, California