Not a place for omakase or sashimi. Best if you eat comfort japanese food: clay pot udon, seared bluefin tuna, miso beef tongue, spicy beef tongue. Gave the omakase a tried, but they were low on varieties of fish. read more

See all

We did takeout and the food was terrible. Will never go back! I'm Japanese and this is an embarrassment!! Do I really need more to express my disappointment? Horrible food!! Never we will Go back. Do I need to say more! read more

Great food and very fast service! Been going here for over 20 years, a true neighborhood gem!

My nephew who's in town invited me to have dinner with him had suggested this spot in Cypress. The place is not that big and the ambiance is very authentic Japanese. It's very rare to find a real Japanese spot that has real Japanese workers with authentic Japanese dishes in the menu. We ordered two different kids of tatake, a kakui dish and beef tongue, all were super delicious. I will definitely come back and bring the family with me next time. read more

Who would have thought that in a strip mall there is an authentic and traditional Japanese restaurant in Cypress? It's hidden behind Albertacos and sits discretely next to Nickel Nickel. Come lunch time, Echizen is buzzing with Japanese people in impeccable suits and skirts eating tasty lunches. The lunch menu is small but precise and every item is perfect. The broiled butterfish is delicious. The sashimi lunch is tasty. The udon is impeccable. The staff are super nice. I cannot do much but rave about Echizen. Five stars! read more

Echizen Japanese Restaurant - Deliciously broiled butterfish for a tasty working lunch -- love it. - Japanese Near Me - Cypress, California

My favorite izakaya in Orange County. However, this place isn't for everyone. If you come here expecting food comparable to Kappo Honda or Honda Ya you might be disappointed. Echizen is not trying to be like them. If you want typical Japanese dinner combos this isn't really the place you go to for that either. Its on the menu probably because too many people ask for it and the really high price for said dinner combo is sort of trying to tell you to not buy it. But hey if you want it its your money. To really get the most out of this restaurant, you unfortunately require two things: An adventurous palate. Someone Japanese who is really familiar with Japanese food. Echizen was my gateway into what Japanese food can be. But like most, I had no idea what was out there besides the Americanized Japanese cuisine. Japanese culture is partly to blame here. For whatever reason they are hesitant to believe that non-Japanese people can understand them easily so they for the most part do not try to instruct unless requested. Even if requested they still might hesitate. That said you can get over that barrier by having a good Japanese friend (who likes to eat) show you what is out there and how to eat it. To be honest if I didn't have a guide I would never have thought to try many of the items I have come to love at Echizen. I would have probably just stuck to foods that had recognizable ingredients in the description (e.g. bacon, beef) if I had no one to guide me. So get someone who can guide you, trust them completely, and dive in. Like izakayas in Japan, you get a free amuse-bouche like dish (called an otooshi [otoh-shi]) if you order a drink. It changes pretty often. Sake list is ok and reasonable. I honestly think a single glass is the best value. Try Hakkaisan. Its the benchmark Niigata sake. Shochu list is better than most places and reasonably priced. Unfortunately they stopped carrying my favorite Rice-Shochu, Torikai. That stuff was awesome on the rocks. Izakaya Ku has a shochu list that is just as good as this place. Not a sushi place but they do serve sashimi. The sashimi is really good. The specials they offer are pretty seasonal. If you are lucky you can try an off-menu item if you ask the right questions. While I do not feel the food here is 'gourmet', it certainly has a lot of heart behind it. Helps that the food is prepared by the same 3 guys for at least 15 years. Its not like other trendy Japanese spots in Orange County or South Bay where the food is prepared by Japanese young people who are just trying to work under the table and see it as just another job. These guys have been doing it for a long time and they still appear to enjoy what they do. So get a guide, have a drink (or three), order a few dishes at a time and see where the night takes you. But yes, Echizen is a definite 5-stars for me. Maybe it will be 5-stars for you too. read more

This place has daily specials. If it's your first time here definitely get the pork katsu. Very juicy and crunchy. I like the butterfish and I see many patrons order salmon and mackerel also. Many Japanese come here at lunch. I love the small dishes that come with every order. The waitresses are hit and miss. Some of them are quite blunt as they get busy and she will rush you from eating and paying for the food so you can leave. Overall we enjoy the food here. read more

The inside of this small restaurant was quite packed when we came to dinner so we sat at a table right outside the entrance. Both combination dinners we ordered ( teriyaki chicken and sashimi & teriyaki beef and tempura) were delicious. Very good quality of meat, generous portion and superbly prepared. The sauce on the side was thick and tasty. The fish pieces were fresh and well-presented. Thumbs up on the tempura too. We will be back to this little gem of a place. read more

See all

I came here for dinner with my bf because I miss izakaya food and I was not disappointed when I left! Echizen serves more of traditional izakaya food, so you won't see fusion plates here like you might somewhere else, but I was still excited to eat here. Between my bf and I, we ordered: - Beef tataki: Delicious! Tender and had that grilled smoke flavor. - Nabeyaki udon: Not bad. Components were good, but the broth wasn't awesome to me. - Sashimi salad: Delicious! Surprisingly came with a lot of sashimi. Dressing was great and the sashimi melted in my mouth. The sashimi had a strong fish taste, so I assume it was fresh and not frozen. - Ikasugata yaki (grilled squid): Delicious! Squid had the grilled flavor and it was pretty fun to eat. Went well with a bit of soy sauce. - Kani cream croquette (crab cream croquette): Not bad. I was hoping for more creaminess in the croquette, so I found it a bit dry. - Sesame chicken: Probably my least favorite of the night. I think they overfried it and I didn't get any sesame from this at all... Overall, a very satisfying meal, craving-wise and tummy-wise. For those 6 items we ordered, we paid around $50 which I think isn't so bad for izakaya food. No complaints about service either. I'd like to come back and try their lunch specials sometime. Verdict: 5 stars for yummy traditional izakaya food! read more

Echizen Japanese Restaurant - Kani cream croquette, beef tataki, ikasugata yaki - Japanese Near Me - Cypress, California

See all

First off, this is not a sushi place. So don't come here craving for sushi. Which I did. Although the Beef Tataki and Yellow Tail Collar were really good. The beef had really good flavor and the yellow tail was perfectly made to a crisp. Things were a little pricey but definitely tasty. a small restaurant but good service. Can't say I'd make a drive down here for it, but might stop by if I crave yellow tail collar. read more

Echizen Japanese Restaurant - yellow tail collar - Japanese Near Me - Cypress, California

After getting back from Tokyo it was hard to find new good Japanese eats where I lived so going to SoCal to see family fit the bill. After some various great noodle shops, we had a late dinner here. It's a small Izakaya literally run by like 5 people. 3 Male cooks and 2 Female servers. -Tofu and mushrooms -Chawanmushi -Crab souffle croquettes -Shio Kara -Gyutan shio -Hotate garlic -Ankimo -Umeboshi yaki onigiri All solid stuff. I think when the owner realized I was ordering things without some of the menu and knowing the food she got very cheerful. As I say when you eat a cultures food you're automatically accepted by said culture. Everyone around was Japanese except us. Real bonus points for being open late too. 4.3 stars read more

See all

Small portions and very expensive for nothing special. Omakaze was $40 and it was just small plate of sashimi. Very disappointed. I'm not sure why people are in line to eat here. Maybe we ordered wrong type of food? Regardless, very very expensive. I don't mind paying expensive price if food was good. read more

I came here randomly for a dinner with my sis since we were running errands in the area and I'm glad that we did! The restaurant was filled Japanese people, which is always a good sign :) service was fast and very friendly! We ordered the yellowtail and uni sashimis, which both came with about five pieces and were very fresh and delicious. We also ordered the butterfish, enoki/asparagus, and the beef tataki. I recommend all three! The portions are pretty small so keep that in mind :) read more

Small quaint authentic. I would definitely go back here. Had the sashimi appetizer and a ramen noodle soup. Both were excellent. Service was also very attentive. read more

Great food and drinks. Authentic Japanese food. Small quaint place, if you have a party over 4, get there early. Good local spot.

I REALLY wanted give this place a chance to look into the problem so I called them instead of Yelping first. Today was my first time trying this place. I ordered butter fish, salmon and veggie tempura. Let me begin by saying that their cashier/ server was friendly. Took the food to the car and immediately strange smell was filling up the car. It was not good smell. When I opened the butter fish at home they were too watery and one of them was brownish black. It looked like boiled fish and not broiled. We should not have even touched it but ended up tasting it...we did not want to waste food and ate part of it but tossed out the rest. Really regret even eating part of it. I hope no one gets sick. We lost appetite . I know things happen and people do make mistakes when handling or cooking food so I wanted to let them know to look into it. When I called they were closed after the lunch and an older gentleman answered. And this review is for that person and the owner. Could be the same person, hope not. I spoke to him calmly, he said he did not understand but manage to let me know that ' everyone is gone' so I said please just let them know the butter fish smelled and it was not good. I said 'please check the fish.... 'and I realized he had hung up on me after saying 'It was not me'. So he did understand that I was talking about the bad fish at least. Having no manner is a separate issue from not being fluent in a language. Once you pick up that phone, you are the face and voice of the business. Please think about the quality of customer service and the food. I had high hopes. read more

1. Always a solid place to go for lunch special 2. Servers are always super attentive 3. Selections switches everyday and is always super delicious 4. My go to spot on the weekend for delicious Japanese food 5. Will definitely return in the future read more

This restaurant doesn't allow you to place 'To Go' orders via phone. You actually have to drive to the restaurant to place your order, and they will only fill a 'To Go' order only if their business is super slow at that time. Very disappointing. read more

It's been awhile since I've eaten here, and I've forgotten how much I've missed it. Best time to come is for lunch! Order the lunch special because it changes everyday and it's always filling. This place is small and provides good Japanese comfort food, never disappointed! This last time I came the special was a pork and veggie soup with a side of rice, pickled veggies, cooked spinach, and fried chicken. Yum! read more

Echizen Japanese Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Cypress, California

I love all the little plates! You can order bigger entrees or order from the grilled section and share a bunch of little dishes. The servers are so sweet and very attentive. Everyone is so courteous. The restaurant is more of the smaller side, which makes the experience more intimate. Parking lot is shared with lots of other establishments. read more

See all

I came here with my husband today for lunch. We got there roughly 20 minutes after the restaurant opened and there was already a bit of a wait but not too bad. I got the broiled butterfish lunch special and my husband got the soba lunch special. We got a lot of food for the price and the flavors were very good! I will come back to try out the tapas they have on the dinner menu because i didn't know the menus were separate. Overall, a very tasty place to try out Japanese cuisine. read more

BAD FOOD, BAD SERVICE, POOR HYGIENE. They served rotten beef tripe miso stew (motsu nikomi). It was "sour". We politely asked "Is this supposed to taste sour?" Waitress said "No" and brought the dish back to the chef to taste. she came back and said "the dish was rotten". Ok, so... She never apologized. Although the chef (he is the owner) was front of us, we did not hear an apology from him. Again, BAD FOOD, BAD SERVICE, POOR HYGIENE. read more

Honestly this is such a great place for Japanese food! My parents have been going here since before I was born and it's been 20 years of me going to this place! Absolutely love the food and the wide variety on their menu. There are open tables, reserved tables (call to make a reservation), and bar tables (can see what the chef is making). Highly recommend this restaurant! read more

＊英語レビューの下記日本語＊ So my boyfriend... my poor boyfriend... who I'm also making financially poor because we always eat out (but that's going off topic and is a separate issue) asked if I wanted to check this place out. I say my poor boyfriend because the poor man has to really try hard to make me want to try new places and I'm sure he's getting tired of always going to the same places everyday. Your girl is a loyal regular to number of places and I don't sway easily. Anyway. I gave in and said okkkkk fine. Let's change scenery blah blah whatever I'll go eat at my usual places tomorrow. Insert eye roll and low expectations because I'm difficult. Thank god I gave in and gave a new place a try. This place is legit! Coming from a Japanese household and being brought up on real legit Japanese food aaaand also living in Japan for half my life... I think I know what authentic Japanese food is like and what is not so authentic. This place is authentic. Now my poor boyfriend has to drive here every other week as I found a new favorite spot when I'm craving some real Japanese cuisine. ＊＊＊＊＊ 私はよくクセがあると言われるので、 基本新しいレストランなど試さない人なんです。 いっっっつも同じところで同じメニューから同じものを注文する人で、、もう気に入ったレストランがあれば、他のレストランに行く興味がない人なんです。あるい、ザ・常連客です。 もう美味しいお店があれば、他のお店に行く必要がないと思っちゃうんです。 日本料理には特に厳しく、よくがっかりされるため、 アメリカにある日本料理の所はほぼ行きません。 お金の無駄、時間の無駄、期待してがっかりされるのが嫌。 でも可哀想な彼は私の真逆でよく新しいレストランを探し、試したい人なんです。 そして、彼は日本料理大好きなんです。だからよく私が好きそうな居酒屋とか探してみて、よく私に提案します。 ある日、「この居酒屋行ってみる？」と聞かれ、 10回中、1回は断らず、彼氏の希望通り行ってみます。 今回はこのエチゼン居酒屋でした。 行ってみて本当に良かったです。 料理がとっても美味しく、本格的な味です！ かなりのオススメできます。 私は15年間東京に住んでいてた上、日本生まれ、育ち両親の家庭から育てられた日系人なので、日本料理はかなりピッキーです。 アメリカで美味しい和食は中々ないので、 行く前に「多分不味くて、がっかりするなぁ〜」と思い心の準備してましたが、良い意味でびっくりしました。 もう4回来店し、毎回ハマる味です。 サービスも良し、味も良し、パーキングも良し、金額も良し、エリアも良し！また和食気分の時、来店します！ ちなみに日本の三大うどんの１つ、稲庭うどんがオススメです。ココの稲庭うどんは本当に美味しいです！出汁が完璧です。 そして、私の大好物、、焼きたらこ(笑) read more

Being born in Japan and with half of my family being Japanese, the cuisine has become a huge part of my life. Now living in Southern California, we have many "Japanese" options.. however 90% of those options are not authentic and you'll notice that there isn't even an owner or employee that are Japanese.. Now those things dont necessarily matter to the average sushi fan.. but for us looking for the REAL DEAL, it is a big deal.. Now when I found Echizen, i lit up like Christmas. The food is not only amazing and prepared very well, but the flavors and menu are soo genuine. Have a seat and enjoy the most authentic Japanese experience in North Orange County. Period. read more

Authentic. Reminds me of eats in Japan. Go early to get a table. Go often for the specials.

Food was good, but service was lousy. Waitress got pissy when we asked to change order before it was sent to the cook.. very unlike Japanese.. Too many other good places to come back for crappy service. Bakayaro read more

This is an authentic Japanese restaurant that is located in a strip mall. It serves a variety of small dishes and this is what I ordered: ~Udon -The broth was light and simple with a side of crispy tempura. ~Asparagus and enoki mushroom- this dish was lightly stir fried and the asparagus was still crunchy. ~Dumplings - was ok, the wrap was a little dry on the edges ~Butterfish - it was little over cooked, I might order this again to give it another try. read more

See all

This place serves bad sushi. I spit it out cause it tasted so bad but my friend ate it got sick from it. I told the server that the sushi was bad and got NO response from her. The rest of the food was not very good either, Thera is absolutely no reason to eat here. I feel bad saying this because small businesses are struggling but go someplace else. read more

This is definitely my best restaurant in Cypress area. I went to Echizen almost every week when I worked in that area. The owner of the restaurant is a super nice owner. One time we forgot to bring wallet. He let us pay next time. I just love this place! read more

I haven't been here in about a year and I was in the neighborhood so me and my friends decided to go there for dinner. First of all, the waitress seemed new at the restaurant so she had a hard time taking our order. She was very slow & repeated our orders 3X to make sure she got our orders right. So frustrating! Four of us ordered about 7 dishes and they started giving us one dish at a time, except we had to wait 5 to 10 minutes in between each dishes. Overall, I am not kidding, all the dishes were all too salty so we asked if we can send it back. They said NO because they will charge us for it anyways. Both waitresses were very non-friendly. They were not deserving of any tips whatsoever. Such a waste of money but we just decided we will pay for our expensive dinner and never come here again. read more

This place is definitely oishii! The wife and I had finished up a day at Disney around 8 pm although we probably should have gone through with our initial plan of going to Pirate of the Caribbean before we left because the next day we found out from new reports that Johnny Depp made a surprise appearance as Jack Sparrow and looking at the time stamps on Instagram videos, he was there when we were thinking about going. No, we decided not to because we were hungry, sick of Disneyland food and since we had the annual pass, we would come back later and check out the recent updates on the Pirates ride. UGH! I'll just move on and forget about it so I won't turn into that line from 'Inception' regarding "an old man, filled with regret, waiting to die alone." After filling up on the fare at Catal in Downtown Disney earlier in the afternoon, my wife and I were looking for a light dinner of good Japanese food on the way back to Hollywood. Since my wife is Japanese, she very particular when selecting Japanese restaurants and prefers to use food websites that are in Japanese, therefore, have reviewers who are Japanese. I asked her why not use Yelp and her answer to me is that she doesn't trust the tastes of non Japanese people when it comes to reviewing Japanese restaurants. Seems a bit prejudiced and nationalistic but since she doesn't have a Yelp account and has no interest in getting one, there's a good chance she won't ever read this review and my remark regarding her decision to shun Yelp when looking for Japanese food. Anyway, this place came highly recommended by the Japanese reviewers on this Japanese food review site so the expectation regarding the food was high and let me say that neither one of us was disappointed. We ordered the soba with shrimp tempura, miso soup, the kushikatsu plate and scallops with shimeji mushrooms. Every dish from our order was delicious. The only knocks were the shrimp was half the size compared to other Japanese restaurants I've been to here in CA and in Japan and the delicious broth for the soba was loaded in MSG. Highly recommended for the food but the only ding on the overall experience is similar to a couple other reviews regarding the customer service. After my wife spoke to the waitress in Japanese, the waitress focused on addressing only her through out the entire meal service even though she greeted the both of us in English when we came in and were seated. Even when I paid with a card and the waitress brought the receipt for me the sign, she didn't even look at me to address me but just thanked my wife. That stuck with me. I'm thinking, I'm paying for this meal, it's my card that you ran, WTF, you're thanking my wife and not the both of us just because I'm not your paisano? read more

Super cute and sweet restaurant. There is a long waiting list, so it's good to put your name on the list and be called back. We sat at the bar, the chef was so kind and sweet and gave us a free plate of tempura, on top of the delicious food that we ate there. read more

DO. NOT. GO. HERE. ESPECIALLY if you are a PERSON OF COLOR they won't even look twice at you. My fiancé and I were waiting for over 15 minutes, which is fine, but this couple who were clearly Japanese were immediately sat down. IMMEDIATELY. We were ahead of them! Our names were clearly written down on the list so my fiancé walked up and told the lady who was seating them that we were waiting before them. She went back into the building (we were waiting outside the door, like normal polite people, and came out saying that she DIDNT EVEN LOOK AT THE LIST! She then told us that we had to wait another 10 minutes AFTER the Asian couple was sat down! I told her we were leaving. I handed her the menu and walked away. Don't waste your time. read more

I seriously love this place. I wish I live nearby​, so I could go literally every single day. If you have ever been to Japan or watched a J-drama where all the people go to an ​izakaya for a ​post-work drink, this looks exactly like the ones in Japan. I ordered clam soups with two onigiris​ and my sister ordered udon, they all were amazingly tasty and super addictive. I will definitely come back with my other friends! read more

Terrible service in a Friday night. Not once did the servers come and say "how is everything?" Etc terrible wasn't even that busy. The food is great but the servers are stuck up and think they are above the customers read more

Horrible. We waited about 15 minutes outside while on the waiting list and then a japanese couple walks up to the front and gets seated right away. She then walks up to us and says "sorry, we didn't check the list" then told us to wait 10 more minutes. We didn't decide to wait. If you're not Japanese, don't come here. read more

Very authentic Japanese food. The bento has various tasty dishes in one bento box. It's healthy and nutritious. They make bento after they receive a order, so it's fresh. read more

Echizen Japanese Restaurant - Yummy Bento Box $15 - Japanese Near Me - Cypress, California

See all

How have I not reviewed my favorite Japanese restaurant in southern California? The broiled and fried dishes are all great. Especially with beer. Sashimi is great. Legit amberjack and uni. Absolutely huge menu. Worth exploring ever corner. read more

Coming from Torrance where Japanese restaurants are aplenty, Echizen was a welcome addition to our list of Japanese restaurants in Cypress. A warm atmosphere, friendly staff and excellent Japanese food. The portion sizes for the price are great, I ordered the Pork Cutlet Dinner and received two large cutlets, with a bowl of rice, the pork cutlet sauce and a miso soup. Talk about a filling meal! We also tried the Agedashi Tofu which was a flavorful appetizer as well as the fried gobo which MAY not be for everyone but that fibrous texture and flavor is definitely one you could get addicted to. Overall just a great place! The major downside would be the parking situation. It shares a small parking plaza with a rather established bar and billiards place and a gym, so parking in the evening can get somewhat difficult. read more