Omakase Sashimi NOT FRESHHH OMAKASE $50 smallest pieces ever. Almost all fish on omakase was fishy and slimy. Only abalone was okay. I let the server know but she just took the plate away. No actions were taken. Scallop with garlic was okay. Not much flavor but swimming pool of oil. Garlic was burnt burnt. Eggplant pieces in the dish was tasty. Recommend ordering eggplant dish instead. Slow service. Server never come to your table. read more

Echizen Japanese Restaurant - Omakase $50 not fresh Amberjack, salmon, Toro, halibut, abalone - Japanese Near Me - Cypress, California

See all

Went there with my friends who were visiting from the SF Bay Area. We all enjoyed the delightful Japanese dishes like the black cod, octopus, chawan mushi, sashimi plate, and lotus root. Went back for lunch and enjoyed the specials too. The staff were very friendly and accomodating. Far for us to travel but will definitely go again. read more

Despite its humble and simplistic furnishings, this establishment offers an expansive variety of mouthwatering authentic Japanese izakaya dishes. Everything is freshly prepared and aromatic. Tempura is crunchy and crispy, and grilled items are hot and well-seared. There are so many items that I want to try but haven't got a chance yet. It is definitely worth multiple visits! read more

Echizen Japanese Restaurant - Chicken Teriyaki and Tempura Dinner Combination - Japanese Near Me - Cypress, California

When the old man was running it, food was exceptional, but felt like he didn't like me. He would say good bye and thank you to other patrons, but when I left just a cold stare. I go to this place a lot, so I know I'm not tripping. I don't know what I did? Wait staff though makes up for it. New owner is very nice. Says good bye and thank you , even to me. Food is almost there as before, but with time he will find his own. Looking forward to the new direction. read more

I am posting this review as a warning. I have been to a hundred different Japanese restaurants over the course of my life, including in Japan. For me, it was safe to say that Echizen was one of the worst. Much of the food we ordered was burnt and inedible. See the attached photos. That should be fried chicken and an onigiri. What we received as a blackened smoky mess. I was embarrassed for the chef and the servers for providing such food. It was honestly shameful. Our other none fried food was average at best. The salmon we ordered was decent but the sushi/sashimi was obviously low quality. Foodwise the place is a stay away. The ambiance was lackluster with the place looking rather dirty and unclean by typical Japanese restaurant standards. A small tv over the entrance door, small special signs adorned the walls, bobble heads with Japanese baseball players along the sushi bar and chairs and tables that looked well worn. It had the look and feel of a struggling restaurant. The food tasted and presented like a failed one. The front of house was largely good if inattentive. They deserved part of the blame for serving the food but I think it may have been more of the prerogative of the chef, who seemed to be making mistakes all night. They served seemed upset yet afraid to show it. TLDR: this is a stay away. Lots of potential with poor execution and an otherwise interesting concept, cheap izakaya, not worth visiting. read more

Echizen Japanese Restaurant - Kaarage - Japanese Near Me - Cypress, California

See all

Love the daily weekend lunch specials. The food is delicious, the staff is kind and efficient. It is a small intimate sized. Hope to come by dinner one evening. read more

I love the clay pot udon, the most delicious udon I ever eat. Other small plates such as yaki onigiri, my family love spicy fish roe filling. read more

it will be good if we can do online reservations. Otherwise excellent food.........................................

Well as far as Japanese food goes it's Great!!! I always order combination dinner. Sometimes I get some sashimi on the side. Very tasty teri beef and very tender too, it's quality dining at a reasonable price. It's one of the best places I have eaten at and the food is consistently great every time I go there. The staff is always friendly. Most times it's quite but sometimes it gets a little noise, depends on the customers that are there. read more

This as authentic as you can get for Japanese food in this area. One of the few left. Consistently excellent in food quality and authenticity. Food is brought to table as it is made. If you want REAL JAPANESE FOOD come here, for the best. If you want the fake stuff, go almost anywhere else. Please don't ever close your doors because of the closure of Geko Tei, Sango, Curry House, and Harima, there's slim picking. read more

This is one of the few authentic Japanese restaurants in Orange County. The soup is hot like I like it. Not lukewarm. The miso soup taste just like my mom used to make it. The specials are also amazing. We had the sashimi bowl and the tuna was so tender it melts in your mouth as well as the salmon. Turns out the tuna served was blue fin tuna and the salmon was a special portion. Overall I give this place a ten! read more

Please update your hours,we went at 9:10 on Friday and you said you were closed!!! You have signs on the door & Yelp with conflicting times. read more

It's a fail-proof restaurant that always serves delicious authentic Japanese food. All the staff are friendly, and everyone is satisfied every time we visit. read more

Super authentic Japanese food. The portion was good even though I wanted more pickles. I like that it taste like home cooked food without too much MSG, salt, sugar. Staff was friendly. Small but quaint restaurant. I will be coming back :) read more

Echizen Japanese Restaurant - Udon Combo Lunch special pork belly stir fry - Japanese Near Me - Cypress, California

Echizen is a hole-in-the-wall that is easily missed, but keep an eye out for it if you want delicious Japanese food. The food is nothing fancy, but the simplicity akin to a home-cooked meal is what makes it stand out. The menu does have plenty of options on there though from all the izakaya dishes to rice and noodle dishes. I have had the grilled mackerel, pork katsu, and bento boxes. The mackerel was so delicious. The katsu was on point. The bento boxes were filled with food. The food is hot and fresh, and the portion sizes are decent. The prices are reasonable, and the lunch specials and bento boxes are pretty good deals. Echizen is my favorite local spot for a tasty Japanese meal. The restaurant has a small dine-in area. With the pandemic and dine-in restrictions, there is now an outdoor dining area. Take-out is always an option. Check out their Instagram page to see what the daily specials are. read more

Echizen Japanese Restaurant - Dinner bento - Japanese Near Me - Cypress, California

See all

This place is a gem! I'm so happy my friend took me here. The chef is the same precovid time and per her, quality has not change. Price is reasonable. Food is bomb. The quality of the food is superb as well as the taste. It's a mom and pop shop with authentic flavors. I'm so impressed and was debating about sharing this awesome place to everyone because I don't want long lines. If you're looking for home cook kind of food and good food, you should check it out. read more

See all

The foods here are great! I came for lunch and it was so good that I came again for dinner same day! I got the cold soba and my wife got the butterfish. The price was good for not much, but portion size is't that big either. It is good for light lunch or dinner, if you are a heavy eater, you should order 2 dishes. For lunch menu, tax is included in the price so it was noice to know how much I was being charged. On side note, for noodles, getting rice, mac salad, and pickles are extra $1 which is sooo worth it. read more

Echizen Japanese Restaurant - Tempura cold soba and butter fish - Japanese Near Me - Cypress, California

Been coming here for years now... they do some things better than others. I like the udons here and broiled fish. The beef tongue here is way too chewy and karaage is too crunchy. I'd say the seafood here is generally good while the land creatures are not as tasty. I love the simple meals here and appreciate the hard-working Japanese cook who has been here for years! And I know it's legit because there are always people speaking Japanese here. read more

Short summary: Inconsistent food quality and an egocentric chef that will yell in front of customers can be found here. Suggest checking out other 1 star reviews, they pretty much say the same thing. If you enjoy gambling, this place may be it! (I guess I am a gambler! but chance of winning is too slim, so I'm done!) Sometimes you get pretty good quality food and sometimes you get the worst quality food. (You will lose most of the time!) Complained about fishy sashimi, all I got back was chef yelling to the waitress "charge them" in Japanese in front of customers. Long story: I love Japanese food and I was in search of some authentic Japanese restuarnats in Cypress area. Despite the fact Yamaha headquarter is around here, did not really find whole lot. But I found this place. Although the food quality was not that good, they were actually serving traditional japanese dishes that you will find in Izakaya in Japan. Lack of authentic japanese restaurants kept me going to this place despite the fact the food was mediocre. And I found couple dishes that I actully enjoyed after trying a lot of the items on the menu. Inconsistency.. So I actually stopped going to this place for a year after getting some shitty food. Asoorted sashimi is pretty much garbage and oysters are just not kept fresh. But one evening, I decided to give this place another try. So I decided to get little more expensive fish like Shima-aji and Red snapper. And they were actually pretty good. Not great but good. About the same quality as the fish you will find in Tokyo Central or Mitsuwa. But are they always good as the japanese market? No. Jesus christ almighty, I am just happy I am not on the stool writing this review. So I told the the waitress, that the sashimi taste too fishy and I also explained that I get this sashimi here all the time. *All new waitress, I am guessing everyone quit because the chef is such a douche. When I told her about the fishy fish, her face was like "oh shit" as if she knew what was coming. So the lady talked to the chef who was just about 6ft away from where my wife and I were sitting. And the chef just started yelling in Japanese. No I do not speak much Japanese but some curse words from friends and some phrases I learned from traveling and watching anime. Anyways, I still heard him yelling "charge them!!" in somewhat of a rage. So they ended up charging me for the dish that was barely even touched. But it really wasn't the waitress's fault, so I decided to leave some tip. Kinda funny. Kinda pissed. Kinda sad at the same time. Especially, as a person who worked in the food indsutry for a decade.. Not always, but usually, the douche bag chefs from Michelin star restaurants at least cared about the food they were serving with passion. But this poor old man seems to have lost his passion for food and respect for the people around him. Hope he tastes his food before serving. Just because you got the fish a day ago or the same day doesn't gurantee whatever you're serving is going to be good. read more

I came for a quick lunch break but the portion, quality, and price did not disappoint. It brought me back memories of my Japan trip ~ read more

Echizen Japanese Restaurant - Salmon Bowl - Japanese Near Me - Cypress, California

I have to say the lady that welcomes you in is not very welcoming. I brought my mom and her friend to have lunch together and the lady made these two 87 and 90 year old ladies wait outside in the heat. She is kind of rude and abrupt with her manners. I told her I would be paying their bill and she asked me for my card info ahead of time. Really?? Where are these two ladies going to run to? If you wondered why I wasn't eating here is because they use MSG or Ajinomoto for food flavoring. Not good stuff! I won't ever return or eat here ever. Now, I find out from my mom and her friend that the old Japanese chef was rude to them also. Telling them to switch seats because there was only 2 of them. Embarrassed to be Japanese right now. read more

Came for a 12:30 pm lunch on a Wednesday. The small restaurant was full but only had to wait 5 minutes for a table. All three guests ordered udon @ $14. The tempura udon came with 2 light and airy battered shrimp. Meals are a good value. There were 3 lunch specials @ $14 each. TIP: everyone in your party needs to be present for you to be seated. Plan accordingly Service was very good. read more

Very cozy Japanese Restaurant - Glad we got here early as soon as they opened since there were already reservations as soon as we arrived and there's not much space - but we got seated right away - the server was very attentive, friendly & quick (which I appreciated very much) and everything was deliciously fresh. For appetizers we ordered the raw Kumamoto Oysters (small as it says on the menu but very fresh & tasty!) and the Kakifry fried Oysters (DELICIOUS). Then for Entrees we got the 1) Kitsune Soba with Inari wrap (warm yummy soup perfectly hits the spot), 2) Tempura Entrée (very good quality) 3) Salmon Teriyaki (perfectly grilled) - very satisfied here! Can't wait to try all the other items on their menu when we come back! read more

See all

Came here Jan26, because of good reviews. For beef tongues they gave me these hard outer surfaces of beef tongues which mostly shoulda been trimmed out. Won't be coming back here again waste of money and time. read more

Echizen Japanese Restaurant - Beef tongue like hard rubber - Japanese Near Me - Cypress, California

Old school Japanese restaurant. As I sat a large group of Japanese business men entered. Felt very authentic! The menu is rather simple and not detailed. There is a written menu and a picture menu. I asked a few questions but I wasn't sure what I ordered sometimes. It's pricey but quality is there. The inside is old and could use a facelift but I am happy to support a old mom and pop shop! All the dishes though were delicious. The butter fish was tender and seasoned well. I could have had 10 more pieces. It's a normal amount of meat vs like big American sizes. I ordered the three item skewer Katsu. I thought it was all pork but it had chicken, pork, shrimp, eggplant, and onion. So crispy and delicious! Seared bluefin appetizer was also wonderfully fresh and tasty. read more

See all

Restaurant may be "authentic" but be aware they won't accommodate any issues with your order if its already made (i.e allergies, too much wasabi). They will still charge you for the dish even if you can't eat it and didn't even tough it. So make sure to confirm the ingredients of your dishes when ordering if you're sensitive to any ingredients. As for the food, they use low quality meat. Don't order the beef tongue or the beef tataki. Stick to the simple dishes like udon so you're not disappointed. read more

3.5 stars rounded up. Came here for lunch and reminded me of those small mom and pop diner shops that serve all types of Japanese food in Japan. We were the first ones seated and the lunch menu is set. For lunch it is pretty run of the mill and you can't order off the dinner menu. The food is not too bad and it comes out in a relatively quicker pace. The restaurant is small so you pretty much are given the cue to eat quick and leave. Not a place to chit chat. Service is ok and they are just moving all over the place. Oh I like the iced tea they give you. Nice. read more

Echizen Japanese Restaurant - Zarusoba combo - Japanese Near Me - Cypress, California

See all

Echizen is a small hole-in-the-wall restaurant that shouldn't be overlooked! Personally, it's one of my favorite places for Japanese food. There is a cozy and warm atmosphere and there are a variety of dishes to sample with a small group of friends. Sashimi plater (4.5/5): really liked the assortment and quality of fish. The tuna is probably one of my favorites! Yellow tail cheek (4/5): yum! Has so much flavor and contrast in texture from the softness of the fish to the crunchiness of the exterior. It's paired best with a few drops of tangy lemon juice. Nabeyaki Udon (3.5/5): the udon is what you would expect. It is tasty, but not that different from udon that you could get elsewhere. Service: very good Parking: there's a parking lot right in front of the store that is busy but not too difficult to find a spot read more

Echizen Japanese Restaurant - Sashimi platter (5/5) - Japanese Near Me - Cypress, California

See all

Daily lunch specials ranging from $14 to $20, tax included in the price. Food is not phenomenal but his the spot and is consistent. All the locals come here for good, honest Japanese homey food. Been coming here for nearly 20 years and will continue to be a patron. read more

Been going to Echizen since 2010. It's been really good for me. Naya-San (owner and chef) produced many delicious dishes throughout the years. He recently retired (after 40years) and a new chef took over and retained Rogelio and Rece, along with the food servers. Went a few times under the new ownership and I have to tell you all that the food is just as good.... Probably better (no offense to Naya-San). The sashimi was better, and the slices of fish were on par! Tonkatsu was better along with all the other dishes we ordered. We did get a chance to try the smoked mackerel. I don't like mackerel, however, it was one of the best tasting things I ate. Ask for it, try it. You won't be disappointed. Make reservations since it does tend to get crowded. I hope the new owner keeps it up. read more

We haven't been to an Izakaya for a long time so we thought we would try this one not too far from us. The hubby was ecstatic and says we have found our new go-to spot! The atmosphere is pretty relaxed inside and not too loud and all the food was luscious. read more

See all

Seriously, food here is incredible! Did a 2nd run and ordered stuff I've never ordered before. Grilled Butterfish was smoky and succulent. Tried out a soup + rice + spicy roe. Very soothing. Our go-tos, uni and ankimo. So good! Topped off the dinner with sashimi appetizer: toro, octopus, hamachi, etc. Fresh and delectable. Hojicha roasted green tea to wash everting down A great find, and a definite place to visit. Drop by, support local businesses, and give this place some love. read more

See all

Simple not complicated menu. Looks good too, for a first timer and with family and one being here before. read more

See all

We picked Echizen to meet our friend from out of town  for dinner. The restaurant was cozy, and on a week day, it wasn't too crowded. Since it was an izakaya, there were tons of food on the menu. We decided to go with beef tataki, fried chicken, steam eggs, fried oysters, yellowtail cheek, chicken skewer with soy sauce, and chicken skewer with salt. Our favorite was yellowtail cheek. Least favorite was beef tataki. Overall experience was just ok. I found the food to be pretty average. For local daily eats, this is good. To impress your friend, probably not so much. Until next time. read more

See all

New ownership is forcing to put 10% service charge on your to go order. I understand this is small restaurant but we were told that the food is ready in 30 mins and they took one hour. Not sure we would come back again with this service read more

This cute little Japanese restaurant at the cross street of crescent and valley view. I would recommend to go for the non sushi items. I thought the sushi was okay and not too fresh. The other cooked items were not too bad - I really liked their chawanmushi, which is a steamed egg appetizer! read more

Echizen Japanese Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Cypress, California

See all

My family and I dined here today and we were surprised by the service and quality of food. Took at least 30 minutes for the food to come out and the quality was not up to our standards. This place has been one of our favorite weekend spots for the past few years. While we understand that the restaurant is under new ownership, we'd like to see improvement so we can continue dining here in the future. read more

Echizen Japanese Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Cypress, California

This was one of the izakayas that I frequented occasionally before the pandemic. Everything from beef tataki to seared butterfish were all good picks while I was dining in. However, I'll just be covering the takeout experience in this review until it's safe to dine in again. Check out their instagram: @echizencypress to see what their daily lunch specials and weekly specials are. I ended up getting a dinner bento for $15 where you have a couple different choices as well. I chose the salmon. *Dinner Bento* You get a good amount of variety in here. The salmon's skin is crispy and flakes nicely. Definitely use the lemon that they provide to give the fish a little more acidity. The chunk of chashu with a squirt of mustard on top was a very welcome surprise to the meal. It's as tender as you come to expect from a properly braised piece of meat. You also have some assorted pickles, steamed spinach, macaroni salad, and of course rice with a pickled plum. It's all delicious and cooked to order. The food is simple, delicious, and reasonably priced. I'm definitely looking forward to checking out some of the lunch specials in the weeks to come! read more

Echizen Japanese Restaurant - Dinner bento (salmon) - Japanese Near Me - Cypress, California

Ex owner owned this place quite a bit of time and we enjoyed his restaurant so much. Thanks papa. We hope you'll enjoy your second life well. おやっさん、長い間お疲れ様でした〜 第二の人生を心置き無く満喫してください read more

Hands. Down. One of the best Japanese food experiences I've had! 1.) Service: Wataru was one of the best servers I've had in a long time. He's patient, kind, and knows when to come explain how to eat certain foods & what they are for those who are new to the cuisine. A huge thank you to him for his attentiveness and service with recommendations! 2.) Ambiance: The ambiance of Echizen is intimate and cozy - a very classic feel. This restaurant has a calm yet positively bustling feel where I still felt I was able to enjoy the food. 3.) Food: There was not a single thing we had this night that wasn't 10/10. We had a sashimi platter in which every single piece of fish was incredibly fresh and flavorful, natto which came with cubes of raw fish and fresh raw egg, blue fin tuna carpaccio which was rich but balanced with acidity, a steak marinated and grilled to a perfect medium rare, among many other notable dishes. All delicious, fresh, and left us happily satisfied with what we chose. I genuinely feel like there's nothing on the menu I wouldn't be happy with here. Would definitely recommend! read more