Authentic yakiniku in the OC. Prices have gone up significantly over the year. One order of the marbled prime boneless short rib is now $22.95 and one order of the beef tongue costs $21.95 as of April 2025. While the prices may be a little steep, I think the quality of the meat is worth every buck. Everything in this restaurant screams Japan to me. The grill, the Japanese servers, the service, and the fact that it opens late. If only we have something similar in the Bay Area, I would definitely be a regular. One can only dream! read more

Anjin - Salted tongue - Japanese Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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delicious & amazing quality meats!! came at 10pm on a sunday & we still waited about 30 minutes before getting seated. service was lacking unfortunately, had to flag down a server to order & she didn't answer any questions or give any recommendations when we asked for an opinion nor ever checked on us throughout our meal, had to always flag down someone different the homemade kimchi is so delicious & all the meats tasted great, everything here is on the pricier side, but you can taste the quality i also really enjoyed the beef carpaccio, some items do sell out before the end of the night, so if you want to try everything, come earlier in the day! read more

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Finally tried after having this on my bucket list for years. Arrived around 5:30 on Monday night (memorial day) to put my name down for 2 people and got seated around 6:30! Walked to second street in the meantime and they just called me when my table was ready. Food: Salted beef tongue!!!! I could just order this and be satisfied LOL. They had such a good chew to them. The pork cheek and short rib were good but nothing too special. After seeing so many rave reviews over the kimchi, I felt like I had to try it. It was very underwhelming for me. Don't get me wrong, it was good and definitely helped cut the meats but I've had better. I would probably go for one of the salads instead next time. Service: There's a 90 minute limit and the waiters made sure that we didn't forget LOL! The second we sat down, our server asked us if we were ready to order yet. After asking for a few more minutes, she continued to swing by every other minute and asked maybe ~4 more times before we were ready. I understand that they're trying to get us in and out but it felt a little too much at one point. Ambiance: A small restaurant with not too many tables. It was pretty clean though considering that it's an older spot. They served us hot tea and candy at the end of the meal which was really nice! read more

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The restaurant looked really nice and cozy. The service was great, and the meat was extremely delicious! Recommend getting the 3, 4 and 8 meat selections. Will always go back everytime I am in the area! read more

Anjin - Japanese Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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Still simply amazing. Everything (foods, services) was just fantastic, except the bills...but worth it! read more

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A very cool, limited seating spot that my wife and I were thrilled to stumble upon. The food was phenomenal and very well thought out - so much so that they even had various types of wasabi, which I've seen in only one other place up in San Francisco. I'm shocked this little gem isn't more popular - cool vibes, wonderful service, chef's and food - definitely will be returning. read more

Anjin has been my go-to spot for Japanese BBQ in Orange County for years. The quality has always been consistently good and it's one of the few places that stays open late, until 2 AM, which I really appreciate. Some of the must-order dishes for me are the marinated short rib (number 1), salted beef tongue, pork cheek, and the house salad (number 33). The salad is on the pricey side at $14, but the portion is large and it's honestly one of the most refreshing salads I've had. You can choose between ice water or hot tea to go with your meal, which is a nice touch. That said, I've noticed that the prices have steadily gone up over the years. The portions, especially for the meat, feel a bit smaller compared to the price you're paying now. It's definitely a place that will make you splurge, but if you're coming for quality and flavor, Anjin still delivers. read more

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I have been here many times. I love everything I've ordered, especially the bacon wrapped asparagus. Service has always been great. Very popular restaurant. Ambiance is ok & they have a large parking lot. read more

Always a great spot for quality meats! It's a pretty popular spot so essentially you need to show up like 15-30mins before to put your name down on the list to get in on the first seating. Yes, the portions are not the healthiest but it's the quality you're coming to Anjin for. For me I'm okay going ayce instead for a comparative price but my wife LOVES this place and of course it's not as big of an eater. Parking can get tough later but they do have that communal valet option. read more

Anjin - #4 x2, 5, 8, vege tray, kimchi - Japanese Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

One of our favorite spot when we are down in Costa Mesa area. The place can get busy but it's worth waiting. Service is great. Food is always good. One of our date night favorite read more

Anjin - Japanese Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Amazing! We waited 2 1/2 hours to be seated but it was worth it. Everything we tried was real good. First time trying beef carpaccio and it just melts in your mouth. The marbled boneless short rib was very tender and such good flavor. Their skirt steak was my favorite. And Best kimchi I've ever tried and want more! Definitely going back read more

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The food is delicious, the service is fantastic, the prices are great and I love that they are open late. if there is a line, it seems to go quickly. The restaurant atmosphere is excellent. read more

super good Japanese bbq. You order à la carte. They are pretty quick with getting the items out but we ordered the marbled short rib and it took the longest to come out. Staff is tentative to fill your water but you do have to ask for grill changes. If you order the clay pot rice, they offer to split it into multiple bowls if you are sharing but I wouldn't recommend it. Unfortunately, the waiter didn't make it clear she was doing that and took it and split it so we didn't get to see how it looked on its own before she mixed everything together in the kitchen. It seems like the place gets crowded but if you come right at 5 pm opening there is no issue getting seated. read more

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Many of my friends had recommended this place to me and because it's a bit of a drive, I was always hesitant to try it out. And I'm glad I did for my birthday this year. Learning from my friends that the line can be as long as 3 hours, we (party of 2) came and arrived at 4:30pm on a Wednesday. Around 4:45pm, I went into the store to put my name down and realized that there were already 4 tables ahead of me. Not an issue, because we were one of the first wave to get seated. We ordered the pork belly, short rib, Kobe beef, dry cold noodles, miso paste salad and later added pork cheek. Everything was very very good. Of all of the meat, I think I liked the Kobe the most, and it was the most expensive meat ($53 per order). The meat just melt in your month! I've read that the wagyu also melt in your month, but it was hard to justify $80+ dollar for an order. Maybe next time too. The pork belly was nothing surprised. I would say I can go elsewhere and have similar quality, but it was only $9 an order, so you can't complain about that. My next favorite was the the pork cheek! Amazing and very cheap compared to the other meat. Surprisingly the dry cold noodles was also amazing. We were never big on cold noodles. I always thought noodles should be eaten in a soup and hot. But this cold noodles surprised me. It was super chewy (in a good way) and flavorful. Next time we come back, will definitely order that again. read more

Food was good, not great but it was good. I was expecting a bit more from a pricier bbq spot so i was left a lil disappointed. Got an order of beef tongue, prime short ribs, diced beef tongue, and their beef carpaccio. Everything tasted fine, but felt like I could have gotten the same quality at a highly rated ayce kbbq spot like gangnam station or mr.bbq. Good food, but portions are small and pricing does not match up. Not sure if i would come back. read more

Anjin - Japanese Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

It's five stars, I'm sorry I gave you anything less, pls forgive me bby :P Apparently I can't post this unless it has 85 characters so I might as well say that I wanted to change my previous review to give 5 stars bc it's very good quality meats and the service is always spot on. and I can't think of a better place than them. read more

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Omg this place is amazing. Cozy little place with super friendly service, and great quality food! Love that it's open late. I almost don't want to right the review, because I don't want to share this gem, but alas. They deserve it! read more

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It took me so long to finally dine here since I've always heard about the long wait times. Finally made it here on a weekday 15 minutes before opening. Even though we were the first ones there, I didn't realize there was a sign up sheet as parties were getting seated before we did when they opened at 5pm. So lesson learned, make sure you sign in when you arrive. Once seated, they took orders and brought food out very quickly. The two of us ordered the #2 Ribeye ($17.95), #4 Marbled Prime Boneless Shortrib ($19.95), Pork Belly ($9.50), #30 Beef Carpaccio ($9.95), and #43 Seasoned Mix Vegetable and Ground Chicken on Rice in Hot Stone Pot with Soup ($12.00). To start off, the carpaccio is a must. It was so thinly-cut and easy to eat with the dressing on top that gave it some good flavor. The rice was delicious too where they split it into two portions for us before serving. Now onto the meats which were all delicious in their own ways. The ribeye was super buttery but the marinade in the shortrib made it so good that you didn't need any sauce --both great in its own ways, wish they could be combined. The pork belly wasn't anything special though, not bad nor good. I'd say stick to the beef options here. The food is delicious, but definitely on the pricey end. It's a nice spot for Japanese BBQ for a special occasion though. Definitely come early to avoid the wait times. read more

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I recently visited Anjin and had a fantastic experience. The service was exceptional from the moment we walked in--friendly, attentive staff made sure we felt welcomed and well-cared for throughout our meal. The quality of the food was outstanding; each dish was expertly prepared, with fresh ingredients and bold, balanced flavors. I highly recommend coming here but try to book your reservation in advance. My group of 5 was about a 2.5 hour wait so plan accordingly!! read more

Anjin - Japanese Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Came in on a Saturday evening, and only waited 10 minutes for a table. We LOVED the sausage and short rib. We reordered both of them. We also had rib eye and marbled short rib. I'd come back for the sausage and short rib alone! They were fantastic. Service was nice and friendly and we were given complimentary green tea at the end of our meal. We'll definitely be back. read more

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I came here on a Friday evening and was looking forward to a great experience enjoying Japanese BBQ. However, I left feeling stressed and disappointed. One major area for improvement is their waiting list system. They don't have a proper way to notify customers 10 minutes before their table is ready. Instead, I received multiple calls, even after answering the first one, which made me feel rushed and anxious. When I arrived at the plaza, there was no parking available. While dealing with that and being called again, I became increasingly frustrated which definitely impacted my experience. I'm not sure if this is typical, but the waitstaff kept slamming plates of meat and soup down on the table, which felt very aggressive. I also felt that they weren't very mindful of the 90-minute dining limit. For example, we wanted to enjoy the meat at our own pace, but at one point there was one piece of salted tongue left on the plate, and without asking, the waitress took it and put it on the grill. Honestly, it felt like we were being herded through the meal like animals on a farm. Maybe they were just having a bad day, but for the price, I expected much better customer service. read more

This place is quite popular! It's pretty hard to get seating since there's always a 1-2 hour wait. They also do not take reservations in advance. You can only get reservations on the same day by putting your name down on the waitlist at the restaurant and put a desired time. They are super busy!! But I can see why. The meat quality was great and delicious. The prices were pretty fair compared to other Japanese yakiniku restaurants. The staff were so kind and attentive. This is a smaller restaurant so I wouldn't recommend having bigger than a party of 6. read more

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Anjin - Japanese BBQ Gem in OC If you're craving late-night Japanese BBQ, Anjin is easily a top 5 spot in Orange County. Open until 1:00 AM, it's perfect for satisfying those late-night wagyu cravings. The quality of meat here is next level--Japanese beef cuts are incredibly marbled and rich, and the flavors speak for themselves. Must-order items include: * The Kobe-style ribeye (tender, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth) * The prime short rib (perfectly marbled and juicy) * The sausage, which always surprises with flavor * The intestines--a sleeper hit with a perfect balance of fat and that satisfying, textured chew * And the homemade kimchi--arguably the best I've had in the U.S., with a bold fermented flavor and just the right touch of sweetness The staff is friendly and quick, even when the place is slammed--which it often is. Expect long wait times unless you go right when they open, but it's worth it. Anjin nails the trifecta: late hours, high-end meat, and consistent service. Just make sure to show up hungry. read more

I've been meaning to leave a review for this place for a while. It is FANTASTIC. Meat is perfectly season and of great quality. The space is comfortable read more

I have been to this BBQ place 15 years ago. Coming back here brought all the good memories that I had. The place now does not have reservation due to high demand. The food quality was great and the service was excellent. However, I am spoiled by all the great Korean BBQ in Fort Lee, NJ area. read more

Haven't been here in 10 years, just went back last night and nothing has changed! Food is still as amazing as I remember and I enjoyed everything we ordered. Ordered a few items to share; - Short Rib Soup - great flavor and nice big chunks of meat - Stone Plate Fried Rice - ORDER EXTRA CRISPY! Must try if you've never had it - Salted Beef Tongue - Very good quality and love the fresh lemon juice given on the side with it - Marinated Short Rib - Very tender and my favorite cut of meat they offer - Mixed Kimchi - Fresh and a nice variety of pickled veggies Service is on point here and it is a small place, expect a wait if you're visiting after the initial rush when they open! read more

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The wait here is crazy for this tiny place! Great parking in lot in front of restaurant. Arrive and sign-in right away. The wait can be as little as 1/2 hour to 2-3 hours. The meat is so tender, tasty, cooked right at our table. We always start with the Kimchee and sometimes the salad. We continue with crispy rice and lead into The Ribeye #5 which is I probably the most popular meat. Bottom Line, all the meats are good. All the staff are helpful and attentive filling up my Hot green tea and water. Been coming here for years with my Doctor friend. Always a solid choice for Japanese bbq style. Come and check it out just down the street from South Coast Plaza. Do some shopping and come on down for a snack. read more

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The restaurant is cozy and warm . Service is also usually pretty fast moving as they're trying to keep up with their neverending wait-list. One of things about this restaurant I don't understand they're open at 5pm but when I come over a lot of people in front of me already on the waitlist?i don't know how people can make it? With dinner service starting at 5pm, you can always count on there being a wait after the restaurant opens. The later into the evening you go, the longer the wait, until peak hours settle down (past 8:30/9pm). The good news is that they're open late for folks that don't mind a late dinner or are hungry for a late night meal. If you're more about volume over quality, you'll want to go elsewhere. With that said, Anjin a good option to switch things up for a date night or hangout with friends. read more

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If you want to catch a spot here before 9PM, come before opening at like 4PM to put your name down in their lil waitlist. The meat was exquisite - their cuts of beef were solid. Some better than others for sure. My personal favorites are number 1. Prime Boneless Short Rib and 3. Salted tongue. Cook number 1 to medium rare so that its still soft and not too chewy - try not to get it charred unless u like rubber. For number 3, I like to make this crispier actually because the slices are thinner. The other cuts were marinated well, but I personally don't like their texture or flavor as much. Service was quick and the servers were friendly. The meats came out within 3 minutes of ordering them and servers would come and swap grills after you finish grilling 2-3 meat dishes. Water was refilled regularly. Tried the pineapple sherbet and it was a great way to end the night! The sherbet was super soft and easy to scoop. The pineapple flavor wasn't super tart but was a subtle sweetness and I loved it. read more

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The quality of meat is not bad. My girl friend and I order 3 plates of meat and a cold noodle and a stone rice, and we are still starving. So we ordered another plate of meat... so we left with half stomach full with $150 bill. I guess the quality of the food does not match our expectations. read more

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I've been wanting to try anjin for a long time because I heard good things but I was very disappointed with the food. The beef tongue did not have the normal beef tongue flavor. I basically tasted nothing from the beef besides the sauce that was on it. I thought I was going crazy the first bite but I kept on eating and I still didn't get any of the meaty flavor. Did we just get a bad batch? Idk... The beef tataki tasted odd and was probably the worst dish we ordered. The meat tasted like it was slightly going bad and the pieces were so small compared to the picture. We definitely did not enjoy this. The prime short rib was the only good thing we had. Prices are very high, wait is super long and the food was quite bad. I wouldn't come back here. Idk if I got unlucky with bad quality meat but I'm confused why anjin is so popular. Sad that we didn't have a great meal after waiting almost 2 hours. read more

Came here after being picked up from the airport. I've heard great things about this place as many ofc my friends said this was the best Japanese bbq place in OC. For Japanese bbq, I find the prices very reasonable as places are very pricy. Also don't expect the portions to be huge. #1 Prime Boneless Beef rib and # 8 Prime Outskirt Steak (5/5): Super fatty, chewy, and flavorful. I could definitely taste the quality of this. Seafood Mix (5/5): This mix came with four pieces of the following: squid, scallop, and shrimp. I thought it was great for a seafood lover like me. Beware that there isn't any or little seasoning on it. Beef Carpaccio (5/5): I love this raw beef delicacy as the sweet creamy sauce just drench the flavor of the. Beef so well. Beef tataki (4/5): This dish are slices of medium rare beef in bite size. It was great and came with a dipping sauce, but I don't think this was worth to get as there were probably better options. I hope to come back again one day! read more

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Was here for a friends bday last night during pretty heavy downpour. A group came a bit earlier as we were told that the wait would be notoriously long, so we anticipated to stop by a local coffee shop to pass the time. To our surprise, within 5-10 mins from the restaurant we were told our seats were ready, and off to the races we went. Boasting A5 Wagyu and lots of other marbled/assorted meats, we started off our order with the beef carpaccio which was sliced incredibly thin and had a great hint of sweetness from the mayo. We proceeded to also order the sliced short rib, beef tongue, beef tartare, pork belly and some veggies which were great wrapped with all the meats and grilled. I especially enjoyed the two selections of dipping sauce, one being a light/sweet soy sauce and the other, a miso based garlic soy sauce that was my go-to of the night. Although I couldn't get a photo in time, the A5 was incredible that we ordered it multiple times.. totally worth it for a night like this! The night ended with a surprise happy birthday celebration for my friend's 30th and even the nice almond tofu and red bean vanilla ice cream desserts that we shared were pleasant and not terribly too sweet. Shout out to the wait staff who were the stars of the night. Not once did I have to ask for a refill of my hot tea since it was being filled up every time another meat plate was dropped off. This was 100% worth the hype and I look forward to bringing my wife next time! read more

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It's perfect Japanese restaurant Great food nice place and good staffs Delicious food smell back Japanese Real Tokyo Best service and welcoming quick and fast delivery read more

Overall: 3.9/5 (dine in) We came around 11:30 PM, and there was still a wait. We didn't get seated until ~12:10 AM. Service was a bit slow too so we had to flag people down. Our table was set with 2 types of sauces. The left side was like a thicker sesame forward flavor which I didn't use too much while the right side was a bit lighter and paired well with the meats. I wished they gave us a piece of fat to coat our grill grates. The meat was sticking to the grill a bit and was burning quicker. The veggie choice was also very interesting. The boneless short rib came with one huge slice of green bell pepper (1/4 of a whole). I would have like it if came in smaller slices. The beef rib eye came with 2 slices of squash and half a corn cob. #4 Marbled Prime Boneless Short Rib ($19.95): This was okay. We don't understand the hype over this. Can get much better short rib elsewhere. Special Premium Beef - Kobe Style Beef Rib Eye ($45): Big thick slices that were so juicy and delicious! Pineapple Sherbet ($8): The sherbet seems to be made out of fresh pineapple but our's wasn't very sweet. Green Tea: They offer complimentary green tea to end your meal. It's of good quality and tasty as well. read more

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Insanely overpriced and definitely not worth your money. I paid about 23 dollars for 6 slices of thin beef tongue, that's almost 4 dollar per THIN slice. Our server was no where to be seen. Service was terrible. Nobody came to check up on us. We weren't explained the meats, introduced, or spoken to after ordering our meats. Our grill was only changed once throughout our entire dining experience. On top of it all, this place doesn't allow CUSTOM TIP. After the terrible service and severely overpriced meats which lacked quality, I did not want to tip but the lowest mandated tip was 18% so we had no choice. The meat was mediocre and you could definitely get the same quality and unlimited at any AYCE barbecue. I would not recommend this place at all! read more

First time dining here and it didn't disappoint! Customer service was amazing!! All staff were super sweet, attentive, and patient, giving amazing recommendations :) Cute little restaurant and we didn't have to wait. I'm so happy they're open late for those late night bbq cravings. Meat quality was pretty good, all pretty soft. The rib eye was a bit tougher to eat, but it's fine still delicious! I would recommend paying with cash as they have a higher charge for card users. read more

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Loved the outside skirt, marbled short rib, beef tongue, and salted chicken leg. Meat is not heavily marinated; you don't even really need sauce for a lot of them because the natural flavor of the meats really comes out on its own after bbq'ing them. That being said, i still liked their sauce options. beef tongue comes with lemon juice. The service is fast and there's no nonsense about it. the ambiance is busy. one thing they need to fix is that the tip is calculated with tax included on their checkout machine so beware. read more

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Can finally say i know what and how to order Always a good meal here Be prepared to wait Korean bbq is out the window read more

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Get the beef tongue and one of the crispy rice hot stone choices! The cuts of meat were perfect and the service was great! Will be coming back again read more

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