I'd consider this an upscale Vietnamese restaurant. This is the perfect place to have brunch with friends and catch up. They have great drinks; both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. I ate the 5 spice roasted chicken and I'd say the tenderness of the meat definitely stood out. Our server was super friendly as well, and she did a great job checking in on us. read more

NEP Cafe - Irvine - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Irvine, California

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Great first time experience! Was told about this place before, so I was glad when friends suggested meeting here. Very spacious and open, staff here were friendly and helpful. They also seemed really organized, even clearing the table efficiently & professionally! Very tasty dishes - everything had a rich flavor with each bite, without overpowering your taste buds. You could taste the various ingredients distinctly too, which made me feel like everything was very fresh. Unique brunch menu, I didn't expect the creativity in each dish we ordered! I loved the curry crab omelet, lots of flavor, and the seafood ceviche, very refreshing with a light coconut lime dressing. Will definitely be back again when I'm in the Irvine area...looking forward to trying out more items! Another plus for me was how careful they were about not cross-contaminating foods, as I have food allergies. Thanks for that! :) read more

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I went here recently for my friend's bday dinner on a Saturday w/ 8 people total. It's next to a huge parking lot so parking is easy to find. We had a reservation & waited 10-12 min. to be seated after checking in. Once we sat down, we were greeted & handed menus but then got ignored for 20 min. until a guy server came to our table but he only attended to the couple in the corner of our big table which rest of us girls assumed he'd take all of our orders going around the table but nope.. after the couple ordered & received their drinks which was another 15-20 min. so almost an hour w/o water. I raised my hand looking around to see our server w/ another server standing chatting like they're on break until one of the guys from our table called the server over finally! As a former server, I always give grace but it wasn't super busy. All of our food took around 25-35 min. to come out which wasn't bad. I got garlic shrimp noodles & parts of all my shrimps were burnt so only half my shrimps were edible but garlic noodles were delicious. We were able to cut our cake here no charge & pay separately on their portable tab thing the server told us to make it easier to split. Our table wasn't checked on during dinner until I flagged a server to get water refill when we were almost done w/ our food & bday girl asked to bring her cake out. Overall, food was pretty decent not amazing. This location was unprofessional & needs to work on their customer service. The other location's service is way better! read more

Seated after a 5 min wait for lunch on the weekend! Great service and a bright sunny ambiance. For food, everything was good and well presented but a little pricey for what it was. - Crab toast: very mild and creamy flavor, loved the toasted sourdough. - Xoi man: highly recommended by our server. Sticky rice with assorted toppings, lots of Chinese flavors on this. - Seafood tom kha pasta: my personal favorite out of everything we ordered. Strong flavors and interesting take with the pasta noodles. I've heard great things about the disassembled banh mi, will have to try that next time. read more

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Delicious fusion food and fair portion sizes! The pasta wasn't bad, but I think their Ini location does them better. Overall very appropriate for brunch/lunch. We left feeling full. Drinks are all a treat as well, as they tend on the sweeter side and can be a bit pricey for what they are. There is also a limited Happy Hour menu. Staff was kind and checked in on us frequently. Casual modern interior with some outdoor patio seating as well. Good for small and large groups alike. Plenty of parking out front. read more

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Went here on a business lunch so luckily was able to try many of the dishes served during their brunch hours. - seafood ceviche - Vietnamese shrimp salad - squid and mango salad - crab toast - crispy calamari - chicken wings - banh mi chao with beef belly and fillet mignon - seafood tom kha pasta - garlic noodles - xoi man - beef tongue fried rice - calamansi white peach drink - mango sticky rice matcha Very busy even during a weekday lunch. Luckily, our server was very attentive and we received everything very quickly. Modern interior with an elevated feeling but it does get quite loud especially with the walls kinda echoing everyone's voices. All of the dishes were very delicious. If I were to recommend my top options I would say the fillet mignon banh mi chao, chicken wings, Vietnamese shrimp salad, and xoi man were my favorites. The drinks were also all very yummy. Would highly recommend! read more

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Mother's Day landed us at Nep Cafe. Even though the place was buzzing, a table opened up right around 1:00 p.m. like it had been waiting just for us. We settled into the lively chaos...espresso machines hissing, gorgeous plates flying past, everyone around us looking happy. The kids demolished the Garlic Noodles (always a safe bet right?), while my hubby happily worked through the Xôi Mặn with sticky rice, with the Chinese sausage, quail egg, and all the savory goodness packed into one bowl. Then my Beef Belly Rice Bowl arrived and I actually forgot there were three other people sitting at the table. The lemongrass beef belly was smoky and tender, the fried egg melted into the rice, and the nuoc chấm tied everything together with that perfect sweet-salty-tangy magic. Then came dessert...and this is where things got dangerous. The Mango Sticky Rice with pandan sticky rice and salted black sesame was PHENOMENAL. Creamy, fragrant, tropical--like a vacation wrapped in coconut sauce. But then the Sweet Custard Sticky Rice showed up with even more pandan coconut sauce and completely stole the spotlight. I looked at Jordan after the first bite with the kind of expression that says, "We're canceling our afternoon plans because I need a moment." My only complaint? My stomach surrendered long before my curiosity did. There were at least five more dishes I wanted to order, which means one thing: we'll just have to come back!!! read more

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This review is for NEP Cafe's happy hour. From Monday through Friday, 2 PM to 5 PM, you can experience some of their popular appetizers at a discounted price. I'm not sure if it's the regular size or if it's smaller, but it is a decent amount for each dish. The offerings from the happy hour menu is limited with just a few items. We ordered the spicy wontons with the sauce on the side, chicken wings, shrimp and garlic noodles. The wings were full of flavor and oh so delicious! The shrimp and garlic noodles were cooked to perfection and packed with so much flavor. Shrimps were succulent and noodles were bouncy and chewy. So helpful that there's complimentary mouthwash in the bathroom. Since we felt like having some vegetables, we also ordered the broccolini and the cabbage shrimp salad from the regular lunch menu. My favorite entree during this outing was the shredded cabbage shrimp salad. It was a good amount which filled us up. It's so light and refreshing and we didn't feel guilty eating it. If you like salad, don't sleep on this dish! Our server was friendly but she wasn't as attentive so we had to ask for help from other servers passing by. We arrived near the end of the happy hour, but came just in time to put in one round of drinks, which was lychee martini cocktail and wine. Most of the tables in the bar area were full, but plenty of spaces available at the bar. Will return for another round with some other friends in the future! read more

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10/10 customer service! We came here to celebrate my friend's birthday and loved how attentive they were with the birthday card and dessert at the end! Food-wise, I absolutely loved their tom kha pasta and highly recommend trying this dish! The garlic noodles were just standard garlic noodles so no notes there. I wanted to try their mango sticky rice matcha which was a lot prettier than it tasted and the ube coffee was alright but definitely a nice strong Vietnamese brew! read more

NEP Cafe - Irvine - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Irvine, California

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Since I came here the last time with my father, the place has gotten really good at making things better! I think it's because they provide excellent ingredients and large amounts of mixed fresh meat and vegetables. I was blown away by the deep series of savory flavors filled ingredients after ingredients starting with shredded beef belly meat with cold Bón Bò Sao and amazing Broken Rice Bowl with five separate complimentary vegetables and meats with separate sweet and sour Saigon sauce make it nearly perfect. The best part was their desert. The frozen yogurt Parfait with passion fruit orange with feuilletine mochi with condensed milk was by far my favorite. read more

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My family and I were in the area after visiting Great Wolf Lodge, and decided to grab some dinner before we made the drive back down to San Diego. In short, we LOVED this place. From the food, to the service and the atmosphere. They even have mouthwash in their bathrooms which was a small but "surprise and delight" feature that added to our overall experience. For food we ordered the Vietnamese shrimp salad which was delicious. We also ordered the Shaking Beef dish, ALSO delicious. We also got the tiramisu cold brew and mango sticky rice for dessert. The kids got the box meal which was cool since it comes in a cute box/package which made the kids excited to eat it. Everything we had, I'd honestly order again. Would come back when we're back up here! read more

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Pork belly rice was a good portion that includes, an egg, crispy shallots, pickled veggies, etc. I expected it to be cubes but it was belly slices. The coconut ube coffee was strong and thick, with more of a bitter taste. I didn't taste the coconut but it was still pretty good! read more

NEP Cafe - Irvine - Pork Beef Belly Rice Bowl , Coconut Ube Coffee - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Irvine, California

Really love this place! Tried the mango sticky rice matcha and omg it really tasted just like mango sticky rice but in liquid form! No idea how they do that. And the fried tofu is so flavorful, I love that sauce! When it was time to pay my server Johnny B. noticed it was my birthday because I had a $5 off birthday reward coupon and he asked if it was ok to bring me out a complimentary birthday dessert--so sweet of him! That is great service! read more

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Came back for brunch and the food was delicious. Our server was great but there was an instance of another server serving the hot plate directly over the head of my toddler. Slightly concerning since kids are rather unpredictable but luckily nothing happened. Was seated underneath the skylight right next to the kitchen, they provided a coloring booklet and crayons for my kid. Something to keep him busy. Would definitely recommend for brunch/lunch. read more

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I came back and visited NEP cafe hoping for a better experience and it was much better. I came here when they just opened a few years ago and from then to now the service was way better and so are the dishes. I got their crab toast which seemed simple but the flavors do go well together. Their glazed chicken wings were good but I felt it was too much coated in fish sauce. Overpowered the taste of chicken. Their Banh Mi Chao pork belly contained some pate and the flavors were interesting. I'd say this place is still very Vietnamese cushioned in style. Indoor ambiance was very modern and sleek. The bar area was nice. read more

Cousins night out! I love almost everything Kei Concept touches. We've heard the hype about their brunch, but we wanted to try their dinner experience. Parking: Free parking lot. They're located in a high foot traffic plaza. Parking will be difficult to find. Ambiance/Environment: We visited on a Saturday evening around 19:30, and it was extremely busy. Luckily we were seated within 15 min. I love the vibes here. It's a bit loud, but you can still have a conversation. They have a large indoor area and a nice bar. Everything is kept clean. Service: Thank you Mia for taking care of us! She's very attentive, and throughput was surprisingly quick & efficient despite how busy it was. She also checked on us multiple times and refilled our waters. Food & drinks: We absolutely enjoyed everything! Safe to say the hype is real. 1) Curry Crab Omelette - This is my favorite dish. This was presented on a small skillet with rice in a separate bowl. The omelette was drenched in curry. The curry was seasoned well, semi thick consistency, with a hint of spice. 2) Vietnamese Shaken Beef (one w/ garlic noodles & one w/ rice) - I personally prefer the shaken beef at Vox. For whatever reason, the beef seemed to be overcooked bc it was very chewy. The vegetables tasted as expected, and the red rice was really delicious. The garlic noodles were good. 3) Lemongrass Tofu - The tofu was cooked well and seasoned deliciously. 4) 5-Spice Roasted Chicken - Exactly what the description says. The roasted chicken was huge. We weren't sure exactly what it was seasoned with, but we all devoured it. Yum! 5) Lychee Milk Punch - It's not dinner without alcohol. I thought it was pretty strong with the rum & whiskey. It's more on the sweeter end from the lychee & pineapple. The foam wasn't too thick, and it paired well with the drink. Pricing: These are elevated prices. We'll definitely be back for dinner, and we can't wait to try their brunch. Highly recommend joining the Kei Rewards! read more

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One of my faves in Irvine! The service is exceptional, vibes check always passes, and the food and drinks are amazing. There are interesting coffee options, cocktails, and even great mocktails! I've tried: - avocado coffee - 10/10 - calamansi white peach soda - 12/10 - crab toast - 20/10 must try! - chicken wings - 15/10! - they're crispy, juicy and have the most perfect balance of spicy, salty, and sweet - garlic noodles - great with salmon or shrimp! this recipe seems to have changed from a while back, but still delicious! - lemongrass tofu - tried this once and can't order anything else now ... so good! tip: when it's busy, you can sit at the bar - full menu is available there! You truly can't go wrong here. read more

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I've been to Nep Cafe a few times whenever I'm in Orange County, and it's always one of my go-to spots. The food is always good, but this time my sister and I stopped by just for some matcha drinks and dessert. We ordered the Coconut Matcha and the new Mango Sticky Rice Matcha, and both were so good. The Mango Sticky Rice Matcha was especially unique and definitely worth trying if you're a matcha fan. For dessert, we got the bread pudding and honestly, it was the star of the visit. I loved the crunchy bits mixed in with the soft bread pudding. The sweet and salty flavors were perfectly balanced, making it dangerously addictive. We couldn't stop eating it. We didn't have a reservation, so we sat at the bar and got lucky finding seats. If you're planning to come, definitely make a reservation ahead of time because there's usually a pretty long wait. The service was great as always. Even when they're busy, the food and drinks come out pretty quickly. I also love the atmosphere here. The space is huge, the vibe is fun and trendy, and it's just a great spot to hang out with friends or family. Can't wait to come back and try more of their drinks and desserts. read more

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The Irvine location is much larger than the original Fountain Valley location. The brunch menus are the same, I've never tried their dinner menu as the FV location turned into Gem Dining at the time. I always bring friends from out of town to dine here because the restaurant is beautiful and to try Vietnamese breakfast. Their egg Vietnamese coffees are very popular! Reservations are definitely recommended if you have a large party or if you're planning to eat during prime brunch hours on the weekend. The dao - 10/5, I love the truffle oil, potato purée, and poached egg combo. Very elite appetizer here! Banh Mi Chao - 5/5, A staple Vietnamese breakfast, I always add on the Laughing Cow cheese. Beef belly and Filet Mignon are both good protein choices. This can easily be shared with 2 as the portion is large. read more

NEP Cafe - Irvine - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Irvine, California

Shrimp with the garlic noodles are huge. Crispy calamari is perfect breading. Chicken from com ga roti was a little dry. Wish there was a bigger beef potion for the shaking beef. Interior is beautiful, lots of seating. Service was friendly and attentive. Drinks were phenomenal. read more

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Went to NEP Cafe to celebrate Mother's Day. I made dinner reservations and expected business to be slow, but the restaurant was packed! We ordered a couple of fried rice dishes and the tom kha seafood pasta. I LOVE the green aji sauce that comes with the fried rice. The pasta was another winner. Service was very attentive and friendly. It's a little noisy inside, so if you want somewhere quiet, this is not the place. Plenty of parking in the lot. I do wish their website was better as they do not post a brunch /lunch menu and a dinner menu separately. If you click on "menu," it takes you to the Toast online ordering, which will reflect whatever menu is currently available - so if it's before 5pm, you'll see the lunch menu, instead of the dinner menu. If you love Kei Concept restaurants like Vox Kitchen, you'll love NEP Cafe! read more

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Absolutely the best modern Vietnamese restaurant. My husband and I make it a point to come here every time we visit family, and we're so happy there's now a closer location. The new Irvine spot is spacious, modern, and beautifully designed, with plenty of seating and a bar area for self-seating. We ended up coming twice during one weekend, once for brunch and once for dinner. They offer separate brunch, happy hour, and dinner menus. For brunch, I ordered the filet mignon bánh mì chảo, and my husband had the chicken congee. For dinner, we shared the beef carpaccio and ceviche. I ordered the shaken beef, and my husband chose the five-spice chicken. Everything was absolutely delicious. They also have a rewards program where you can earn discounts on future visits, which is a great bonus. read more

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I've been here a couple different times and the food is always amazing! We typically just get the garlic noodles, chicken wings, and calamari but I recently came with a larger party so we got the pork tomahawk that was amazing. The highlight of the night was definitely the pork and I love their matcha latte. The servers are also super friendly and pretty fast. They also have outdoor seating that I believe is dog-friendly. Overall a great spot to check out for brunch or dinner! read more

I think the food was great. There was a good variety of different items to choose from. Although I wouldn't say this is authentic. But the service was good. They did a great job at helping us decide what we should get and suggesting. The environment was nicely decorated and calm. The bathrooms were very clean. We got a lot of different foods but my favoritthings we got were the garlic noodles with salmon and the carpaccio. Overall a good experience and atmosphere to enjoy. read more

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NEP Cafe Irvine, CA 4/19/26 Irvine after Tax Day feels like summer has quietly filed for incorporation. Culver Drive is all manicured hedge-jungle, sandstone barriers, curated palms, and the faint aura of wealth trying not to sweat. Everything in this part of Orange County looks half remembered, half franchised, half copied from the plaza next door. Yes, that is three halves. That is what Irvine does to the brain. My niece, a woman of exacting princess standards, was too high-maintenance to physically attend yet somehow still phoned in a request for the strawberry matcha yogurt drink. That alone told me this place has pull. A restaurant does not inspire absentee longing unless it has some hold over the local imagination, or at least over elegantly hydrated Gen Z royalty. The surrounding plaza is a whole anthropological exhibit: ramen, wings, noodles, Super Mex, Wendy's, Daiso, Wells Fargo, parking lot purgatory, and clusters of Sunday food pilgrims pretending their group hang is a summit of emotional importance. Jacaranda petals droop softly over the asphalt like nature trying to add lyricism to retail exhaustion. And there sits NEP. NEP has that dim, sexy, modern look that immediately makes you suspicious. Either the food is excellent or the lighting designer deserves criminal levels of praise. It feels like the kind of place where young urban professionals gather to flirt, network, and accidentally fall in love over small plates and good bone structure. Gorgeous bar. Expensive-looking interior. A room calibrated for pheromones, soft vanity, and excellent phone cameras. We waited about 24 minutes outside in the smug parking lot, which only deepened the mystery: what exactly does NEP stand for? Not Eating Pork? Never Ever Pho? North Eastern Pakistan? Apparently it may be a play on nếp, as in sticky rice, which is a much more graceful answer than anything my baby carafe of junmai was producing. Inside: loud, lively, but not unbearable. Friendly staff. Personable service. The menu is basically point-and-shoot, which I respect. No need to read it like an 18th-century Russian novel. We ordered beef carpaccio, fried calamari, house junmai cold sake, shaken beef, seafood tom kha pasta, and dry bun bo hue. The beef carpaccio was excellent. Bright, fresh, and carrying a Vietnamese twist with basil, mint, and that sweet-fish-sauce undercurrent that makes your brain sit up straight and pay rent. This dish had grace and flavor. 5/5. The fried calamari with jalapeños and lime mayo was better than I expected. I feared this place might be all cheekbones and no soul. Thankfully, I was wrong. I am not even a huge calamari person and still found this lively and enjoyable. 4/5. The shaken beef with broken rice and salad was good, but for me a little too mild. I am a flavor degenerate. I like dishes that kick in the door and overturn a chair. This was more restrained, more civilized, more "I went to business school." Still solid. 3.5/5. The seafood tom kha pasta had good ideas and real herbal notes, but it leaned too sweet. Reduce the sweetness by maybe 25% and increase the Vietnamese herbal personality by 25%, and this thing starts writing poetry in the margins. As served, good but not fully realized. The dry bun bo hue was also decent, though I wished they had gone further and added pork blood cubes. Some of us enjoy a little culinary menace. Still good. 4/5. I also appreciated that the portions were not absurdly tiny. I had feared fashionable starvation. Instead, each dish felt like a proper entrée: not foo-foo, not grotesquely oversized, just enough to justify being alive in Irvine on a Sunday. And bless the cheaper house junmai cold sake. Smooth, easy, and a good match for the food. So yes, NEP is stylish, a little performative, somewhat seductive, very Orange County, and thankfully not empty. The food mostly backs up the aesthetics, the service is amiable, and the room hums with youthful fancy without collapsing into pure nonsense. I would come back. read more

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Came for brunch and had the crab toast, bun bo hue dry noodles, banh mi chao and tom kha pasta. I LOVE tom kha, so this pasta was right up my alley, but all the food is solid. No complaints here. Definitely recommend the coconut matcha as well, so refreshing! Service was exceptional. Shoutout to our server, Paul who was amazing and so attentive!! He made sure we had everything we needed. A++ for service. Will definitely be returning read more

Amazing Vietnamese brunch place. Everything is amazing here, can get a bit loud but ambiance is great. Our server was very knowledgeable on the menu & gave great some great recommendations. We tried a variety of dishes, my favorite was definitely the wildberry matcha latte (MUST TRY!!) & tom yum pasta (sour & sweet, umami heaven). Banh mi chao & crab toast were also really good. We also got Vietnamese salad on the side, which was super refreshing. read more

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Spacious and open interior, great for larger parties. The service was great, you're limited by party size if you try to reserve a table online, but I was able to get a reservation for 14 by calling in during business hours. They were very helpful and accommodating, especially since we had children and babies in our party. I think the food was hit or miss. I appreciated the vision they had for each dish and the plating was nice. The Vietnamese shaking beef was solid, safe choice but not standout. The tom kha pasta was the unanimous winner of the night of our table though! I wasn't able to get a drink this time but I think I'd definitely come back to try the cocktails. They all looked very interesting and definitely piqued my interest as a cocktail hobbyist. read more

NEP Cafe - Irvine - Vietnamese Shaking Beef - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Irvine, California

I love the happy hour here. They have some of the best food at an amazingly discounted price and the bartender is always so nice. Only downfall is happy hour is only until 5pm so it's not every day I can get away fast enough from work. Love the spacious circular bar where I can finish work too! read more

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Right after landing into California, I knew where I wanted to take my parents to dinner that night immediately! If you follow any of my other reviews, Asian fusion food IS MY THING. Kei Concept restaurants does such a great job at it, and Nep in Irvine is no exception. My parents, who are quite picky eaters when it comes to restaurants, enjoyed every bite, as did I. Though the food was spectacular, I want to give a full on shout out to our waitress - Janelle. She went above and beyond to make this experience for us truly memorable. What a phenomenal night. Okay, back to the food! I was trying to get my veggies in so I ordered the broccolini & squid/mango salad. I love a good goi! The sauce the broccolini was in was sooo yummy; I kept dipping everything in that sauce. I'm not much of a sauce girl myself, but the sauce that comes with the calamari is sooo freaking delicious. PERFECT definition of Asian fusion. It has a heavy taste of lemongrass, which I love. My parents really enjoyed the seafood tom kha pasta; they didn't skimp on the seafood portion! This location is bigger than their FV counterpart. Lots of space and very open location. Clean and sleek. I'll definitely be returning, and will request Janelle as my server because she rocks! read more

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Stumbled upon Nep Cafe and loved this Vietnamese fusion gem. Fresh, trendy vibe with light wood panel decor and live plants. The staffs were super friendly and knowledgeable. The seafood ceviche was a standout--perfectly balanced with coconut, mango, and Thai chili. Paired it with the squid mango salad--bright, herby, and had a delightful crunch of peanuts. We also shared the shaken beef and chicken wings (both great, but I favored the wings). Drinks impressed too--the Calamansi Fizz was refreshing, and the Pandan Old Fashioned was strong but well done (bonus points for the large ice cubes). Best detail? Complimentary mouthwash in the restroom--such a thoughtful touch after all those bold flavors. FYI- Our order came to about $116. Appetizers runs about $15-20. We shared the rice dish which run just under $30. The drinks were $16 each. Ironically we got married 01/16. It's our lucky number! I'd absolutely love to return and try their Crème Brulee Coffee! It's only an hour and a half drive from San Diego. I guess our next date is a road trip to indulge in some coffee! read more

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This place is so so good! We got the bun Bo hue dry noodles, the fried tofu and the filet mignon banh mi hot plate. Everything was really tasty and so creative! The service was exceptional. I just wished this place was closer to me! read more

NEP Cafe - Irvine - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Irvine, California

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We decided to celebrate our nieces birthday her at Nep during the lunch hour on a Sunday. My wife made reservations and once we arrived we were seated quickly. Paul our host was great and brought us some waters and I ordered a cocktail which was the Pandan old fashioned (best old fashioned I've had in a long time, the Pandan flavor at the end of every sip was great) we ordered some appetizers the dao and the wings both were good and my wife and niece ordered some of their special iced coffee. I ordered the Bun Bo dry noodle dish which was so delicious I have never had anything like that before the beef belly was soooo good the sauce and other meats were great. My wife had the tom kha seafood pasta and it was soooo good too, our niece ordered the bahn mi plate and that was great as well. At the end our meal we were greatly satisfied. The restaurant was very well presented, clean and had a great ambiance. Will come again for sure!!! read more

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I had a good experience at NEP Cafe and I would return. The restaurant itself looks great and the food was good. The brunch and dinner menus have different items so make sure you are familiar with the menus if you are going there to try something specific. FOOD Seafood Tom Kha Pasta Vietnamese salad Vietnamese beef I thought all 3 of these were good and worth ordering. SERVICE Friendly, good service. PARKING Large, shared parking lot (free) read more

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I recently tried Nepo. The restaurant felt clean, modern, and relaxed without trying too hard. It's one of those places that works whether you're grabbing a quick lunch or sitting down for a casual dinner. My family absolutely loved the food. They described themselves as being in a food coma after they were done. The pho had a rich, flavorful broth that you can tell was simmered for hours, and the meats were tender without being overcooked. I just took nibbles off of certain things on people's plates like the vegetables and rice, because I'm a vegan and unfortunately they do not have many vegan choices at all. I did try the lemongrass tofu and it was absolutely delicious. Service was friendly and efficient. Overall, Nepo is a solid spot if you're in Irvine and craving Vietnamese food that feels a step above the usual casual places. However, due to the lack of Vegan choices I won't be back soon but if you're a carnivore, this is a solid place to try. read more

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The restaurant dining experience service was amazing and a welcoming atmosphere. The menu showcases fresh, flavorful dishes. 10/10 read more

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Waited about 20-30 minutes on a Sunday afternoon. Got seated outside which was nice considering the breeze. Met with a gf and their family for a party of 7. We had an enjoyable lunch! The calamari, wings, crab toast, fries were delicious appetizers while the garlic noodles were perfect! My son enjoyed the beef belly rice bowl-- I thought the presentation of each dish was aesthetically pleasing and the ambiance was comfortable and nice. The drinks were unique. Joined the Kei concepts rewards. Looking forward to coming back. read more

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NEP Cafe is such a cute modern Vietnamese spot with a bright, trendy vibe. We got the beef tongue fried rice, shaking beef, sugarcane kumquat, and mango sticky rice matcha. Everything was super flavorful. The beef tongue was tender, the shaking beef was juicy, and the matcha drink was a standout (unique and not too sweet). Service was quick and friendly, but it does get busy. Definitely a spot I'd come back to! read more

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Dined at Fountain Valley location before and was blown away by the food, so while visiting Irvine to go strawberry picking we had the opportunity to dine at their Irvine location. This one is definitely more spacious and grander than FV. Very large covered patio, great to host a private party. Food was just as good, the highlights were definitely the shaking beef (able to swap the rice for garlic noodles!) and the whole branzino (so fresh and perfect for the summer). But what was better than FV, was the service. Table staff were super attentive and our waiter, Nathan C., really was interested in knowing our thoughts on their new dish. He relayed our suggestions to the cook and even brought us out another one to try. Wow! read more

NEP Cafe - Irvine - Whole Branzino - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Irvine, California

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We still love it here. We had reservations for 5pm and it was not too packed. We asked for a booth but were initially sat at a table. They corrected it but put us right next to the kitchen. We didn't mind tho! The waitress was nice and informative. The food was tasty. Portions are not overly huge. I had to give my compliments afterwards. We'll be back. read more

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