Food was great. Service was terrible. Just venting: Stood at the cash register for 5 minutes, starving. Only when i was about to leave did the cashier rush over. All of a sudden "Oh no! A customer!" Yes, a customer. I was standing there 5 minutes and you suck. Other lady also wouldn't throw away my receipt as i stood there looking like a dumbasss holding my receipt out thinking they might need it. If you are going to say you don't need the receipt, you can say that "I appreciate you thinking ahead, but we don't need it. *throws away*" Both times service sucked. Thanks. read more

I always get the seafood mix don and it's always fast and fresh! Perfect portion size for one. The spicy tuna don is tasty but not enough tuna and too much lettuce as filler. read more

Don Don Tei - Seafood mix don - so pretty! - Japanese Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

I've been to Mitsuwa Market (MM) and making the rounds at every restaurant in the food court and Don Don Tei (DDT) was the last of the two I needed to try and it was their turn. Just like any other spots in MM they are cash only and the only ATM they have on site is near the main entrance. DDT mainly serves rice bowls with varying toppings such as tempura, seafood, pork and some cold noodle dishes. Checking out the prices and they range from $6-$9 so pretty much the norm for anything at the MM food court. I ended up getting the Seafood mix don bowl and since if I'm gonna spend $8.40 I might as well get some fish. This came with tuna, ground tuna, and salmon over rice. I enjoyed the tuna and salmon but I didn't like was the ground tuna, not a fan of that texture. I'm giving this place 5 stars because the service here is amazing. Before it was my turn to order there was a deaf couple who was trying to order but the cashier was very patient with them and handled it well. For that I say they deserve 5 stars. read more

Don Don Tei - #11 Seafood Mix-Don (Salmon, Tune, ground tuna) $8.40 and canned Coke $1.30 - Japanese Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

I gave Don Don Tei a try during my last Santouka visit, and we ordered the salmon bowl. For about $8, you get a bowl of rice with a pretty bed of raw salmon slices on top. You get what you pay for with the quality of the salmon. It was not buttery or seemed very fresh. The very HOT rice actually made the salmon turn fishy within 5 minutes. We kept biting on scales also. Slices of raw fish + tongue burning hot rice = nono. I might have actually liked it if the rice were not hot. I'll try their katsu don next time. read more

I went on the opening day, it wasn't corwded during dinner time. Our group had the mixed seafood, spicy tuna, and tempura don. They were all very good. Their rice bowl ranges from $6-9 dollars (after aax), the portions aren't very big, but I guess it's not a bad thing, since I have no self control and eat whatever is in front of me. This place is probably a healthier alternative to Santouka if you order a sashimi bowl. Just like everything else in this food court, it is cash only. read more

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It takes much skill to perfect cooked runny eggs, and it was executed perfectly here. Soft, sloppy, but runny egg yolk and white covering my fried pork cutlet and all over a bed of rice. Mmm... But seriously Don Don Tei did a fantastic job in preparing my Katsu-don. The eggs were cooked long enough so that it wasn't raw, but not too long in creating a tough and chewy exterior. *drools* It was extremely tasty. I ordered the Super Katsudon, which is a later portion from the regular and only $1.50 more. It served me well, as I was able to take the leftovers to work for lunch! Yes! read more

Horrible attitude! This MJ lady kept herself busy with some dishes and napkins pretended not seeing people waiting in line. When I asked her do I order here she answered YES BUT YOU NEED TO WAIT! Yes I am the first in-line have been waiting and really don't need her yell like this! read more

First time eating here. The food is very soggy and i think thats not my style. Food is average. The service is ok. read more

Don Don Tei - Japanese Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

I went to Don Don Tei for a weekend lunch and it was delicious! It's located in a food court with Mitsuwa. There's tons of restaurants inside but their lunch sets really called out to me. I ordered the katsudon set ($9) which came with katsudon and soba noodles (choice of hot or cold). The soba noodles were al dente and the dipping sauce was authentic. The katsudon was fresh and I loved the onions and egg. It came with tons of rice on the bottom. I also tried some of the tempura bowl and that was also hot and fresh. Overall, big portions and tasty food for cheap. The only problem is trying to find a table. I suggest finding one before ordering. read more

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Was here for lunch time. Of course like other people, I always order from Santouka everytime I went to Mitsuwa. This time I force myself not to and tried to check out other food. I ordered the spicy tuna don because I like spicy stuffs. It came out really fast, and I enjoyed it a lot. It's quite spicy, and it's also refreshing because the spicy tuna 'salad' on top was cold while the rice was warm. Portion wise, it's a good size, not too big, but not too small either. I took out one star because they didn't really give a lot of tuna, most of the tuna was minced (I only got 2 big ones), but maybe it also made the sauce and the tuna blend really well in the rice. After I finished, I checked the review here, I think a lot of people tried the katsu don and didn't like it, but their seafood don seems to be ok so I think I'm lucky ;) read more

Don Don Tei - Spicy tuna don - Japanese Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

The katsudon is a hit or miss and is so-so. The pork tends to be dry. The salmon bowl comes with a generous portion and is quite fresh. My favorite is the special ten don. Shrimp is crispy and fresh. The squid pieces are a nice addition and the vegetables are huge! It's got sweet potato, yam, eggplant, and bell pepper. If you come here go for the tempura stuff as it's pretty cheap but filling, they do need to give more sauce though. read more

The New Chicken Katsu was good. Everything as expected from Japanese Menu was good. The Tofu with ginger (contraindicates with many medications), was good but I would use wasabi (Japanese Style). The reason I give 4 Stars because the Soup was served in styrofoam dish ( yeak) and plastic utensils. I realized this is fast food but still no class. Thanks for accepting Credit Cards. Price I guess is acceptable $9.85 for the set. The ordering person was polite. Clean, We will eat again here. read more

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Definitely my favorite resturant. Their pork cutlet bowls are delicious. I get it everytime. Not foodgasm fantastic, but still is good enough to be my favorite out of all resturants Ive ever been to. read more

I ordered the oyako-don (chicken & eggs over rice) for dinner last night and it was okay. Nothing special, but for only $5.50, it was well worth it to satisfy my appetite. My friend had the special katsu don and he liked it alot as it there was chucky piece of meat and it was hot and I believe it was only about $7.00. An affordable place with decent food. read more

Details.. .. Weekday lunch. .. A salmon sashimi bowl. Advice.. .. This "restaurant" is located inside a Japanese supermarket (Mitsuwa). prOs.. .. This is a great location to grab a quick 'authentic' lunch. .. The salmon sashimi I had was fresh & delicious. cOns.. .. Parking is horrendous & the entire parking lot consists of confusing one way lanes. read more

Located inside the food court at Mitsuwa in Costa Mesa! I rarely venture out to anywhere but Santouka for ramen and Miyabi-Tei for combos, but ever since Miyabi-Tei got rid of their iced green tea (and iced green tea w/ milk), I've been stopping by Don Don Tei for my iced green tea fix. Theirs is similar, but cheaper (about $1.99 for a cup). Also, they have a great promotion going on right now, where you can get a refill for $0.99 as long as you get the refill on the same day and show proof or your original receipt. Pretty cool, huh? :) The only downside is their green tea is much sweeter than Miyabi-Tei's, which is disappointing for me since I don't like things too sweet. I saw some orders whizzing by while I was here and the food actually looked surprisingly good. Most of their rice bowls are around $6 and come with a bowl of miso soup. Although I love miso soup, I was a bit grossed out by the fact that they use "instant" miso soup here, considering they have a machine that just spits some out. Otherwise, the price is right for their meals and the food looks similar to the beef-egg or katsu-egg bowls at Miyabi-Tei - just bigger portion sizes! Hm, will hafta try next time I'm at Mitsuwa, if I'm ever adventurous enough to branch out beyond my usual top two food court choices! read more

Special katsu-don bowl is legit! I love egg topping (it was very nostalgic of my katsu don food runs when I was in Japan). read more

Don Don Tei - Japanese Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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Bleh. This is what I get for trying something new. I wanted something a little lighter and healthier for lunch than the usual Santouka, so I got myself the spicy tuna don. Big mistake. The quality of the tuna was pretty bad and it was minced in a very unappetizing way. It was thrown together with some lettuce and onions and marinated in a sauce that was way too salty. All I could taste was soy sauce. I would have been much better off just getting a couple of spicy tuna hand rolls from the refrigerated section in the market. The only reason I'm giving this place 3 stars is because I saw some of the other rice bowls that contained beef and katsu, and they looked much better. So I would stick with those and skip the fish from here. Although if you really want a good meal, you might just want to skip this place entirely. read more

This place is pretty good for food court food. Its located inside of Mitsuwa market. You get a big portion for the price. The $7 katsu don bowl filled me up good. I gave it 3 stars because I've definitely had better. The food is decent and definitely does the job when you are craving a katsu bowl. Fast and friendly service. I will be back to try their other bowls read more

Don Don Tei - Seafood Mix Don - Japanese Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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For a fast to-go place within the Mitsuwa food court, it offers really good "don" which are rice bowls with sashimi or other toppings e.g., tonkatsu, beef. Tried the salmon sashimi don which was pretty great quality. read more

Don Don Tei - Salmon sashimi don - Japanese Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Donburi of any sort is my go to when Santouka has a line of 15 heads deep, which is more often that not. I don't hate it, I don't love it. It's not That cheap for the portion you are getting and certainly not the best option in Mitsuwa. But, it's quick and satisfying. Gyudon, Katsudon, Spicy Tuna don is what I'll typically get. Katsudon is probably my favorite. Perfect ratio of pork cutlet, egg and rice. Spicy Tuna Don is full of flavor. I wish I could say this is my favorite. Is it super spicy? No, definitely not. Has a kick to it and a good one. On top a bed of rice sits some tuna pieces and some lettuce. The sauce is killer! It's good just paired with rice because that and lettuce is all you really get. It's kind of disappointing. I think you'd be better off just getting a poke bowl. Don Don Tei. An okay stop of for a quick and simple lunch. read more

Don Don Tei - Spicy tuna don - Japanese Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

I wasn't expecting amazing food but the food I got was okay. I was able to finish everything so the food wasn't that bad. I got the soba noodles with a side of salmon over rice. The soba was bland so you just have to dip it in the sauce and the texture of the soba was very firm. It had the oddest snap when you bite it, almost like when you break a really old rubber band. The salmon tasted all right with the rice. No major complains really. The soba noodles and the salmon could have been fresher but if I want that kind of quality I would go to an actual restaurant. read more

Don Don Tei - Soba with salmon over rice - Japanese Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

What can I say, this is the best restaurant in Mitsuwa and the best sashimi bowls you can get in the highway triangle in Costa Mesa. If you cant park in the main lot take a left and park anywhere in their larger lot. Its worth it no matter how far you park lol read more

This place serves rice bowls. It is inside the Mitsuwa food court, so seating and parking were problems. All I had to do here was say which number I wanted and then I paid. They announced the number over a speakerphone when it was done. The rice bowl with salmon was good. Compared to a poke bowl it tasted significantly different and the fish quality was better. The price was about the same if one does not use a coupon for a poke place. There was no line and they had a water cooler. read more

Starting 3/20/14, Don Don Tei is serving a chicken katsu don. It is chicken cutlet with egg sprinkled with green onions over rice and grilled onions. Yummy! The price is the same for chicken or pork regular size bowl for $6.37. A great deal. I have tried the pork cutlet and chicken and I definitely prefer the chicken. Whether having the pork or chicken, beware of cartilage. read more

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The cashier was efficient, and the food came out in a reasonable time. Water is conveniently self-serve. Service was good overall. When I asked for extra I had the regular katsu don for just over $7, and it tasted as cheap as it was. It was pork, egg, and sautéed onions over rice with a sprinkle of green onions on top. The rice was fine, just like the rice everyone makes at home. The pork and egg had a bit of a lackluster taste, and the katsu wasn't crispy because the egg softened it up. It was all edible, but it was one of those meals I ate just so I could survive another day to eat better tomorrow. Would I go back? Nah, not with all the other yummy restaurants in the same food court. read more

Glad to say I gave them another chance, huge improvement on quality and consistency. Welcome back to the rotation. read more

Whenever I go to Mitsuwa Food court I always go to Santouka. Because come on, it's the best ramen. However this time around, I took my Mom here and she insisted on having the #11 Seafood Mix bowl. It's a chirashi I believe... although they don't call it that. Truth be told, it's pretty damn good and satisfying, and the price is right. Really pleased with Don Don Tei. read more

With hot competition such as senior restaurants Santouka and Miyabi Tei just yards away, there was a good reason why I overlooked this place for so many years. The ramen and curry here in Mitsuwa is just too hard to resist! But today rice was on my mind and a don would do just well to satisfy this craving. So what better place could make a don than a restaurant called "Don Don Tei"? Drawn to the jiggly poached egg in the center of the rice bowl, my sister and I got a chicken karaage don for $7.50 (including tax) to split amongst ourselves. It did take a while for the food to come out, but when it did the fiirst thing we did was pop the eggy so all the gooey contents could be mixed with the rice. There were 4 huge chicken pieces (all dark meat) deep fried. with kewpie mayo drizzled on top. The chicken was softly fried so the outside wasn't crunchy which was a little disappointing and it was also slightly gamey. There as a lot of rice under so with the chicken, the whole bowl filled our stomachs. The don was a large portion, so I would come back for its value. But for some memorable food, the other Mitsuwa restaurants present better options. Note: like all other restaurants within the food court (with the exception of Matcha Love), they accept CASH ONLY. read more

Best salmon don I've eaten. It tastes so good and so fresh. Their rice is just amazing. It's so cheap, which makes a perfect Lunch or dinner. You can add miso and salad for only a dollar more. They have ginger pastes, fresh green onions chopped up on the side so you can customize how much of these spice and condiment in your bowl. The only suggestion I have is to use wild salmon rather farm raised salmon, which has much b less nutrients bc they are raised in a large number within a very small area, making them lack mineral n nutrients read more

The sashimi combo bowl (salmon, tuna, spicy tuna over rice) was pretty bad. I'd say that it's probably the most disgusting fish I've ever eaten without getting sick afterward. Like, not QUITE disgusting enough to spit out, but definitely disgusting enough to stop after one bite. Luckily, it was only one of two dishes I was sharing with Dan, and he didn't taste the problem, so I got to slurp down on my Hokkaido-festival-special miso ramen to drown the taste. I'm not sure how you manage to have bad fish when you're run out of Mitsuwa Marketplace, but there you go. read more

I thought I'd try something different than the regular Santouka and decided on Don Don Tie. Only one person was working both the cash and order fullfillment and it was incredibly slow. Waited about 15 minutes to order and there were only 3 people in front of me. Ordered the spicy tuna don. Very spicy and quite tasty but I wouldn't rave about it. Overall the experience was mediocre. I'll stick with Santouka next time. read more

This is a mediocre place for salmon don. This fish itself tastes somewhat fresh, but I was only given handful of slices. The bowl itself was filled with plain rice. It feels like a small portion for $8. It didn't come with any sides or greens. Boring... Try somewhere else! read more

Don Don Tei - Salmon don - Japanese Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

I rarely venture away from Santouka Ramen when I come to Mitsuwa, but it was hot outside and I really wasn't in the mood for a hot bowl of ramen. I decided to give Don Don Tei a chance, and they serve up a variety of bowls at a reasonable price. I got the Oyako-Don ($5.50), which is chicken and egg on a bed of white rice. I loved that they didn't overcook the egg and left some of it runny. It came out soo piping hot and the portion was really big too. It was saltier than I would've liked, but overall a delicious meal. I am glad I didn't get any of the raw sushi bowls because I saw someone else's order, and the fish looked minimal and the slices were really thin. I'd definitely come back here for some Oyako-don though... it makes a great alternative to my usual Shio Ramen. read more

I was originally going to eat at Santouka but Don Don Tei caught my eye. The sashimi pictures looked so appetizing. *drools* (Plus I'd been craving fish all day!) I wanted to order the poki tei (#15) and the guy behind the counter said the salmon and tuna pieces were going to be marinated, but he was mistaken. The fish wasn't marinated, so he suggested the seafood mix tei instead because it came with tuna slices, ground tuna and also salmon slices. He said it was the most popular and had the most variety. He was really helpful. Went with the seafood mix. The best part? The SALMON. Fresh and melts in your mouth quality. If I ever go back, I'd want to get just that. The tuna wasn't great. A bit bland and the quality was lacking. Came with 3 slices of tuna, 3 slices of salmon and a decent portion of ground tuna. Came with a side of soy sauce and lots of white rice. $8 for most of the rice bowls on the menu. Also had some appetizing katsu dishes and soba items on the menu. I'd come back for the salmon and maybe a few of the other items. Sashimi craving satisfied! =P read more

3.5 stars Another great food option in Mitsuwa. This place is reasonably priced and has a good selection of rice bowls to choose from. I've tried the ten don ($5.90), which just has vegetable tempura, the katsu don ($5.90), which has pork cutlet with egg, as well as the mixed poki don ($7.95), which has tuna and salmon sashimi. FYI, the special ten don includes shrimp tempura and the special katsu don just has more meat (both $1-2 more). Out of the 3 I've tried, I think the katsu don is the best. Good flavor, generous portions. The sauce with the rice is just delicious. I could easily eat the whole bowl. The poki don was alright, but I've definitely had better elsewhere. You get about 4 slices (weird because I'm used to poke being in cubes) of tuna and 4 slices of salmon on a bed of salad with rice at the bottom, but there was way too much sauce. It was good at first but the sauce became too overwhelming. It might be better to ask for it on the side. It's in a food court so there's plenty of seating, but it gets packed during peak lunch hours. It's not impossible to find a table, but you're gonna have to act quickly as soon as people get up to leave! Plenty of parking on the ground level or in the underground garage although it can get packed! read more

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Friendly service, but mediocre seafood mix bowl. The bowl is about $8.50 and came with a few pieces each of tuna and salmon as well as ground tuna. As other reviewers have said, the sashimi doesn't taste fresh, but it's not bad or anything. It's just a little bit limp looking. The bowl also comes with green onion, a shiso leaf, ginger, and some sprouts. I like it better when bowls have some more seaweed and sesame seeds, so it resembles the taste of a sushi roll more. Sushi rice was good though. All of the items offered here are rice bowls- katsu, poke, salmon, seafood mix. Inside the Mitsuwa food court. There are better options than this place. Cash only. read more

3 stars for the food. Mediocre, nothing special. 0 stars for the service. This review is for the "service" I was subjected to. I ordered the Spicy Tuna and requested no cucumbers. When the male employee called my number, it was clear something had happened. Disdain was written all over his face. In a tone you would use when you scold your little sibling or your child, he told me that the dish came with cucumbers pre-mixed, and next time I want the dish, that I "should just deal with it." He repeated several times that this was just a one-time deal, like he had done me a great favor. I understand that if they don't do modifications. Just tell me when I order, and I will order something else or go elsewhere. It is the employee's responsibility to know what the restaurant's policies are and to inform me, the customer, of them. And even if he had gotten yelled at by someone, as I suspect happened, just let me know next time I can't order with modifications. I hadn't even uttered a word before he took that condescending tone with me basically asked me to never come back again and spend my money there. No problem. Santouka must have punished me for cheating on them. read more

Big guy cashier with glasses.... total customer service fail. He didn't want to make a half salmon, half spicy tuna bowl for me. He was extremely rude and brushed me off. I'm pretty sure he's not the owner, but he walks around like he is. Never again. You just lost a customer. read more

The spicy tuna don looked delicious in the picture and also the display, but lacked the flavors i was expecting. The base sauce was Korean soy bean paste or gochujang, and it was more sweet than spicy. There was about five pieces of tuna sashimi which was fresh, and some pieces of romaine lettuce and onions. The saying less is more comes to mind, as there was way too much sauce mixed with the fish. If you are hungering for some spicy tuna, id suggest just buying a tuna roll at the market, or eating a katsu don, which looked yummy. At 7.95 the price wasn't too bad. read more