One of my favorite Japanese spots in Irvine. It's always super poppin and packed here and for a very good reason! Their spicy tuna don and udon combo is to die for. It's so freaking bomb! Their spicy tuna is more creamy and less spicy compare to other places and I think that's what sets this place apart. There's always a wait so make sure to come and sign up early, especially during lunch! The food comes out really fast and the service has always been really nice. read more

This place used to be SO much better!! We loved to come here pre-Covid, atmosphere was cute and food quality was superb. To-go food was still great quality up until last year. I've went back a few times this year reminiscing over good old times but every time is a disappointment. Quality is not the same, inside cleanliness is poor, food is mediocre at best. I will not be returning anymore. read more

Fukada is one of my favorite places for Japanese food in Irvine. We came on a Tuesday at 11:30am when the restaurant opened and were seated immediately. 15 min later, there was a decent wait from what I could tell as people were waiting outside on the tables. The wait can be a little unbearable here if you do not time or right (ex: peak lunch/dinner hours. I usually do either the noodle combo or the seafood salad combo (pictured) with the spicy tuna don. Fukada is a little pricey, so I only go for special occasions. The seafood salad comes with generous portions of fish and the spicy tuna don is tasty as well! read more

Fukada - Seafood salad combination with Spicy Tuna Don - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

One of my favorite restaurants in Irvine. The seafood salad combo with the spicy tuna don is excellent. Also, the seafood nabeyaki, unagi don and crab avocado salad are great. They also have awesome salad dressings for purchase. It's a popular spot so keep trying if someone doesn't pick up when you phone in your order. read more

Fukada - Menu as of May 5, 2020. - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

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It's not the same Fukada anymore. The udon noodles are totally different and it's what set it apart from all other udon places where they use the thicker and chewy kind. It used to be thinner and less firm and I believe it was made there but now it tastes like the frozen noodles from the market. The broth seems the same and they are still generous with the portions. So many places have gone downhill since the pandemic. read more

Good place for the vegetable curry don! Quick service, cheap prices! Gets very busy, take out is the quickest option for sure. Nothing negative to report. read more

I really dug this place. Was in town visiting for Christmas and my BFF wanted to go try someplace new. She had had great things about this place so off we went. I ordered the combo which comes with a choice of hot or cold udon and a rice dish. I ordered the hot udon and the vegetable curry don. I haven't had Japanese curry since I moved out of SoCal and it was so good. Brought back lots of great memories. Service was good and the place was packed with people waiting. Good sign. Would love to go back and try other dishes. read more

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Fukada is one of those places I dream about when I'm homesick 2000 miles away in Chicago... especially when cold weather hits. The beauty of Fukada's food is in its simplicity -- everything tastes clean and nothing about it appears special, but the food is just so good! I get the same thing every time I go (don't even open the menu when I go now) - Hot Sansai udon with spicy tuna don (white rice). For the amount of food you get, prices are very decent. One word of warning for new people -- wait can get LONG. I actually go there before it even opens (there's already a line in front of the restaurant...) so that I can get seated right away. If you come at a bad time, you'll end up waiting 30+ minutes for a seat. Fortunately, food comes out right away once you are seated. read more

Fukada - Hot sansai udon with spicy tuna don white rice. - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

My coworker and I got here at noon and soon realized that we should have tried to come here at opening because all the tables were already full, and there was a good dozen tables waiting ahead of us. Ooops. So much for a quick work lunch. Noted: come here at opening if you dont want to wait an hour to be seated. The lunch special offered is a pretty good deal. You can either choose the udon noodle or the seafood salad as your entree, plus an additional item (roll, tempura, etc). The seafood salad is a good bet if you like fish: it comes with seared albacore and salmon. The tables are really close together, so it isn't the ideal place for intimate conversation. I swear I wasn't trying to eavesdrop, but during a moment of silence as we were stuffing our faces (It was a LONG wait. We were starving) but I could hear the couple next to me debating whether or not they want to travel to Honduras, which so happens to be known as the murder capital of the world. Or Cabo would be their second choice. Yeah...those are two very different places. Good lunch place though. Maybe not a good quick lunch place, but very tasty and affordable. read more

Fukada - Seafood salad. - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

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Whenever I'm craving some Japanese noodles, I always hit up Fukada. There's sometimes a wait when you go around rush hour times, but I actually recently realized that if it's a nice day out, you can actually order your food to go (instead of waiting) and eat outside the restaurant where they have chairs and tables! My usual order includes the udon & katsudon, but I've also tried the spicy tuna. They're both pretty good, but for me, whenever I find something I really like I usually get it everytime after that haha they're fast w/ their orders and brining it out in a timely matter and the best part is that its cheap! Definitely one of the more affordable places in the area. read more

Fukada - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

I think there's a reason why this place has 1600+ reviews and still 4 stars... it's pretty damn good. Hubby and I stopped here before an event for a quick bite. We pulled up about 5:45pm and there was a line. Wtf. This is hella early for dinner. But the place was full and a wait list started. Good thing though it still moved fast. We sat at the bar and both got soba with sansai. Hot for him, cold for me. We also shared a unagi-don with brown rice. This place did not disappoint. Service was nice, fast, and the food was very satisfying. So simple, yet so good. I preferred the cold soba over the hot. Overall, place is clean (restroom too!) and the food tastes delightfully fresh, simple, and yummy. Price is very reasonable and they do accept credit cards. Parking was easy for a Thursday night. If we're ever in the area again, I'd eat here again. There's so many other things I want to try... spicy tuna, udon, chicken wings, agadashi... lol just to name a few. read more

Fukada - Cold soba with sansai - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

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Mmmmmm mmm mmmm. I got the Lunch Combo with their Seafood Salad and Spicy Tuna Don. Extremely good portions for $10.95...count me in! The one thing I didn't like was that the salad was DROWNED in dressing. It was strong to begin with, but even stronger when you got to the bottom of it. I couldn't finish it. I did love the fish on the salad; it came with a lot and the pieces were big. On the other hand, the Spicy Tuna Don was great. They give you a lot of Tuna so they definitely don't skimp out on the portions. I want to try something else, but the Tuna Don was so good that I don't want to stray away from it! They close at 2, so make sure you get there earlier because usually there is a longggg line, but so worth it! read more

Fukada - Lunch Combo: Seafood Salad and Spicy Tuna Don, so delicious and filling! - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

Love love Fukada's lunch special. Really cannot beat $10 lunch combo with udon and a don. My favorite is the sansei udon and spicy tuna don. Their udon tasted like home made- soft and chewy at the same time. The soup- yummy! Spicy tuna ton is not your typical spicy tuna over rice. It's not tuna with sriracha sauce. You have to taste it to understand. I don't usually like spicy tuna but I love love Fukada's spicy tuna ton. Oh and for my healthy friends out there- you can have brown rice instead of white rice. I honestly have not had anything bad here. The fried squid legs was one of the best and also inexpensive. My only complaint is the wait can get long sometime. read more

Fukada - Dinner menu as of 7/8/2015 - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

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Fukada serves a variety of Japanese items from udon to rice bowls. The wait can be quite long, especially during peak hours, but there is a reason people queue for Fukada. Note that the restaurant is quite small. 1. Tips for avoiding a wait? - Arrive a few minutes before opening time or dine here for an early dinner. - Order take-out and eat at the tables on the patio. Of course, you don't have the luxury of customer service, but it sure beats waiting for an hour when you are famished. 2. What should you get here? The lunch/dinner combinations are the way to go. You can either opt for a noodle combination or the seafood salad combination. Each of the combinations come with your choice of 6 rice bowls. Noodles: - Choose hot or cold - Choose udon (flour-based) or soba (buckwheat) - Choose sansai (tempura batter topping) or tanuki (assorted veggies) Seafood salad - Seared albacore and salmon served with pepper onion dressing: This could be a meal in and of itself. There are generous portions of fish. The pepper onion dressing melds well with the greens, albacore, and salmon. I'm usually never drawn to salads, but the seafood salad is the exception to the rule. Rice bowls - Ten-don: shrimp and vegetable tempura - Oyako-don: cooked chicken and egg - Curry-don: curry sauce with vegetables - Tentoji-don: shrimp tempura and egg - Spicy tuna-don: spicy tuna - Unagi-don: barbecued eel Our usual order is the spicy tuna-don, so I can't speak to the other rice bowls. The spicy tuna is a solid choice, and I would highly recommend it. We have previously tried the tentoji-don, which cooks the tempura and egg together, so don't expect the tempura and egg to be served separately. Tip: Fukada2go is the fast food version of this sit-down restaurant. It is located in a residential complex in Irvine off Jamboree and Michelson. If you're craving Japanese food, look no further than Fukada. read more

The wait can be long but the food is sooo worth it! Great options for udon and soba noodles with fresh and flavorful vegetables. Love how you can pick and choose your choice of tempura or you can select from the options they have. Their agedashi tofu is so yummy, the soft custard like texture with the subtle umami and sweet flavor is heavenly. Even though it is so simple, I really enjoy their spicy tuna don. Pricing is really reasonable, especially when their food is fresh and delicious! Definitely a returning customer! read more

Fukada - Spicy Tuna Don and Hot Udon with tempura topping! - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

This is my go-to spot whenever I'm in Irvine. I always get it, and it's always soooo good. My go-to order is the sansai udon with the spicy tuna don, but I've tried the soba, the tanuki udon, the egg and chicken gyudon, and the curry don and it's all delicious. The food is always spectacular and everyone I take always agrees with me. The prices are also so good for what you get. tldr; get the combo!! Choose a noodle dish and a rice dish, whatever you get, it won't disappoint! read more

Not sure if Fukada needs another great review, but I'm just going to write one anyways! Perfect place for lunch. They have lunch sets for great prices. I've tried the sashimi salad + spicy tuna bowl and it was super yummy! The only downside is that it gets really busy so try to come early to grab a table! Never been for dinner, but will consider one day! read more

Cold soba with tempura flakes and a spicy tuna don on a hot summers day was perfect. Dude taking the orders took social distancing MAD seriously and told me to step outside the restaurant when someone else was inside ordering. read more

Fukada - Tub of Spicy Tuna for the spicy tuna Don - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

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I had been wanting to come here forever and living so close there was really no excuse other than I hate waiting for a table. Finally, made it here shortly after 11 (they open at 11.30) signed in on their list and made it to get a table at their first seating. Service is exceptional here, they know exactly how to handle the long lines, as soon as you are seated, you order and your food is ready in minutes, best to read the menu before coming here to be prepared. While I did not enjoy the seafood salad at all, the veggie curry was amazing, I would skip ordering the combo and just stick to the curry next time. The pork katsu was also insanely delicious, would also order that over and over again. Same for the veggie tempura, they really have the best crispiest breading, it is fried so well, very good. The udon noodles were good, but my husband did not care for the broth and said he would also just get the katsu or shrimp don next time and skip the combo. Tables are tiny and most just sit two, way too small if you order too much food as we did. While some of the items I would not come back for (noodles and salad) it was good to get to sample more and know that from now on the katsu and curry is well worth the wait, priced well and always piping hot, works very well to go also. read more

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Yummy food and great service at a great price! The parking is not the best, though, especially during lunch. FOOD I've only ever come here for lunch and I always get their lunch combo. For $11, you get your choice of noodle soup (either soba or udon) with a rice bowl (protein of your choice). I always just eat my noodles and take the rice bowl to-go because it's a lot of carbs and you can definitely split this meal into two. Their chicken, pork and shrimp bowls are on the salty side, but eating it with the rice isn't so bad. The tuna bowl is pretty good, but personally, I'm not a fan of the texture of mushy tuna with soft rice. I heard that they used to serve bento boxes with their lunch combos, but they don't anymore. SERVICE The staff are always nice and friendly, and the food comes out quick. There will almost always be a wait during lunch though, so be prepared. OVERALL I'm a fan! I can always count on Fukada to be consistent with their food which is what keeps me coming back. read more

Fukada - Lunch special - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

Unfortunately, I don't understand the hype about this place. I ordered the udon and roll combo and was super excited to try it. However, the udon is so plain with no toppings and super average. The crunchy roll I got made me sooooo disappointed. I LOVE crunchy rolls and always order them whenever I go to a Japanese restaurant. Sadly, this place has the worst crunchy roll I've ever had. Their crunchy roll only had a piece of tempura shrimp and a piece of asparagus? It was so strange. I've never had asparagus in my crunchy rolls before. read more

This is some great Japanese food. I love how simple everything is, from the ingredients to the presentation. Fukada really allows the simplicity of Japanese food to speak for itself, serving dishes that create a taste of Japan in the OC. I ordered the dinner combo of the tuna don with white rice and the cold soba with tanuki, along with a seared salmon roll. Delicious and filling. While parking is not really an issue, the wait can be. On a Saturday night, two friends and I waited for over an hour, arriving around 6:30 pm. There's seats inside for waiting as well as additional seating outside, so it wasn't too bad. Service is fast and helpful. Haven't been here in a really long time since this past weekend, but I plan to change that! Fukada is worthy of all the praise. read more

Fukada - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

This has become our goto on the weekends. If you arrive around noon, there can be a bit of a wait. While the orders are Togo, there are tables inside and outside where you can enjoy your food. I especially enjoy their lunch specials. It's more than enough food for one person. You can order a noodle dish and don bowl combo. If you're going with children it's perfect to share. We love the sansai udon and tuna don combo. We'll be back! read more

I've never had the chance to dine-in and have only ordered to-go. My favorites to order are the tamatoji udon, crab and avocado salad, spicy tuna roll and eggplant with miso. The crab and avocado salad is one of my favorite salads ever and the creamy tomato dressing is just so good and pairs well with the veggies. We even bought two bottles of the dressing. I wouldn't really recommend the chicken wings because we found them to be a little overly fried, which made them dry but the sauce was good. Prices are also very reasonable for a Japanese restaurant in Irvine. read more

Fukada - Crab Avocado Salad - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

For my vegetarian friends- there are NO options here for us. I talked to a server and there's fish in all the broths and nearly all the sauces. He was kind enough to offer hot water + soy sauce for my broth.... But pls do better fukada, it's 2022 read more

Very happy I was recommended this popular spot, because now it's an absolute must when I frequent the OC area. Everything was great, from the ambiance to the decor and authenticity of the dishes. The true star of the show here is the spicy tunadon bowl. Melts effortlessly in your mouth. I think it's crazy how Japanese food can be made up of a few simple ingredients - literally just brown sushi rice, wasabi, tuna mixed with spicy mayo and then a sprinkle of seaweed on top - yet it's a harmonious combination that tastes amazing and is easily devoured. Wild. read more

Authentic, healthy Japanese udon and soba. I love the lunch combination where you can get udon or soba plus a rice bowl. My favorite combo is the hot tenuki udon with the spicy tuna don. YUM! But beware, there is always a wait here for lunch or dinner. read more

This place has been on my bookmark for a long time now with over 1,000+ reviews I was for sure it would be a winner. Maybe it was the long drive or the hype of expecting the greatest udon ever but my first experience eating here was just okay. We got here around 7 on a Saturday night and I was surprise there wasn't a wait. I was actually thinking to myself did we end up mapping the right location. There was plenty of parking in front of the restaurant and we got seated pretty quickly. I ended up ordering the noodle combo. I got the udon and fried tempura. The udon was good and you can taste how fresh it was. The soup was alright. And lastly, the batter on the tempura was decent but not like other Japanese places I been to in sgv or j-town where I can eat it forever. However, some good thing I like about this place is service was good and they do serve brown rice. read more

Fukada - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

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Looking for a reasonably priced place that you can get in and out for lunch? Well, this is the place. There isn't a lot of Japanese fast food around the area, so Fukada will be your best bet. For around $12.00, you can get a set of noodle bowl + rice bowl. There are other items on the menu, but the food is sort of hit and miss. The soba was great for $6.99, but the portion is hella small. The noodles were overly cooked, but the flavor hit the spot. The worst dish was the spicy shrimp; it was simply frozen fish with some sweet and sour sauce poured over it. The fried tempura were a-ok; definitely not fresh shrimp nor fish nor high quality veggies, but for $8.99, you can't complain. Tip: Lunch is a bit tight here, so either come at 11:30 or wait until 1;00 to show up; otherwise be prepare to wait at least 30 minutes. read more

I came here on a weekend night about 40 minutes before closing. There were about 3 parties ahead of us, but we were seated in about 10 minutes. Service was faster than I expected, and we were able to finish our food and leave before the restaurant's closing time. (We do eat really fast, though, haha.) I ordered the Noodle Combination, which was only $13 for dinner ($10 for lunch). It comes with your choice of soba or udon (hot/cold) and a rice bowl. I got the hot Tanuki Udon and Tentoji Don. The portions were much bigger than I'd anticipated, so this was really worth it. If you get only a rice bowl (not the combo), it comes with a salad and miso soup. TANUKI UDON (HOT): This is a simple udon with tempura flakes and green onions. It was really flavorful and the noodles were the perfect texture. The tempura flakes tasted a little bit like shrimp(?) and I really enjoyed it. TENTOJI DON: This is the tempura shrimp and egg rice bowl. I got it with white rice, because I find that white rice tastes better with sauce, but you have the option of getting brown rice too. There were two shrimp tempuras in the bowl. The egg was cooked perfectly, and the sauce was a little sweet and salty. KATSU DON: Pork loin cutlet and egg rice bowl. This was pretty good, and we've had our fair share of katsu dons in the past. The BF got it with brown rice, but he definitely preferred mine with white rice. Overall, I really enjoyed my experience here. The food is really comforting, and the Noodle Combinations are a really good deal, especially with the big portion sizes. read more

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Tried this place out and thought it was good but pretty average. Not sure if that's just because I ordered something I can probably cook myself. The community seating can be awkward, but I didn't mind. read more

Fukada - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

I have been here a total of three times now! The most recent time last week, I waited for an hour for a party of 3 on a Saturday afternoon... We were all really hungry and craving udon so we waited without complaining too much. The udon and soba are homemade in the restaurant so they're really authentic and have the perfect texture. I love getting the lunch combo because it's so cheap ($10) and has a really large portion of food! I got hot soba with half tanuki (tempura pieces) and half sansai (assorted veggies) along with a katsudon with brown rice! The katsudon has the perfect amount of sauce and I like how they give you the option of white or brown rice. The portions were huge and well worth it. Remember to add the red pepper (don't know what it's actually called) to your soup! Adds a little kick to it read more

Fukada - Hot soba with half tanuki and half sansai, with katsudon! - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

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Yelp failed us this time. This place had 4 stars and you would expect at least one good dish but sadly we couldn't. We ordered so much food, it was either too bland, no flavor or burnt. Nothing special about their food here. Posted a pic of everything we ate. We also ordered their 20 min chicken wings that took more than an hour, so we cancelled it. And to make things worse I got food poisoning. Was throwing up all night. read more

Fukada - Food looks good, but it was either bland, no flavor or burnt! - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

I've been here too many times to count. Their food taste and consistency has typically been excellent over several years now and running, with maybe one hiccup because of what may have been contaminated raw food (this was a few months ago and it was likely either from the spicy tuna or the salmon sashimi). Service is generally pretty good too. It's take out only these days post pandemic, but Fukada still seems pretty busy. They package everything well and with care. Sometimes it can be hard to call through to order when they are very busy. read more

This Japanese restaurant is quite popular so expect to wait during peak hours. We decided to avoid the frenzy and sat down to an early dinner. I ordered a delicious curry don with cold soba, and my wife had an equally delicious katsu don with udon. The service was quick, prices were reasonable, and dinner was both filling and delicious. What more could you ask for? Oh, and the hot tea is complimentary, unlike some places that charge for it. read more

For all the hype and long waits, I'm not sure that this spot fully lives up to the reputation. It might be a little bit easier and less intimidating to select something to eat here if you are more familiar with the cuisine. For me, (a tacos, salads, and pizza girl through and through), I found the menu to be a bit overwhelming and confusing. Moreover, the vibe of the whole place was very members only, so it was a bit embarrassing to ask questions and admit that I had no idea what I was looking at to order for lunch. They did have sushi on the menu ( I could understand that), but there are also a lot of other soups and noodles on the menu that I couldn't quite make heads or tails of. I settled on a soup with Japanese veggies and udon noodles. It was tasty, but I left still hungry and wishing I had ordered more. The location is average - in a crowded strip mall area, so basically no ambience. The food is better than the vibe and location, so taking the food to go would be a solid option. read more

Their udon noodles changed :(. They used to be thinner and softer but seems like they use the typical udon other places use now. It's a little disappointing since that was partly what made their udon unique. The spicy tuna don still tasted the same. Decent service, not unfriendly but not super personable. Could use some work. read more

Love this place! We eat here often. Highly recommend their Katsu don and Spicy Tuna Don. The udon broth is also great and well flavored. They do take out during this time too and everything is well packaged. read more

I've had dinner here a few times so far, and had really lovely experiences. It has a very mellow atmosphere, and we had really attentive service. Standouts for me were the salmon collar and the Japanese eggplant (worth the wait). Excited for my next visit! read more

My 2nd time here. Food is fresh and portions including fish and $5 rolls are a steal. Lunch portions are the same as dinner. I tried the combo seafood and udon soup. They were generous with the salmon. The tuna and crunchy rolls are fresh too, read more