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    NEP Cafe - Irvine

    4.5 (2.2k reviews)
    Closed 9:00 am - 9:00 pm
    Updated 3 weeks ago

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    Calamari
    Krys N.

    It's been awhile since we came here. I had friends visiting in town. Nep was able to seat our party of 8 without reservations on a Thursday evening. The menu changed a bit it seems. I like how they constantly reinvent their menu. Everything is always really good, the flavors are unique but familiar. The garlic noodles re always great. We got the crab and shrimp. Both outstanding. The shrimp was a little spicier than the crab. They have these new pork belly wraps which were interesting. The pork belly was very crispy! The crab omelet is always really good. Super for not dried eggs topped with loads of crab meat. Also got the beef tongue fried rice. I thought the rice was a little too mushy this time. Shaken beef was a crowd favorite but I personally thought the rice they used didn't pair very well. The beef was very soft and tender. The kids at the table couldn't get enough of it! Our waitress was lovely and provided excellent service. I always have a good time at almost every Kei concept restaurant.

    Small bathroom problem
    Valerie C.

    Made a reservation for party of 9 on a Sat. We were seated promptly before our entire party arrived. Our server (sorry I didn't remember his name) was amazing. He was so attentive and very patient. Our group was chatty and spent a lot of time catching up before ordering, and he was very understanding and didn't rush us at all. We ordered so many dishes and all of them were delicious. The appetizers we got (Chicken wings, Spicy Wontons, and Fried Calamari) tasted great but small in portion considering the price. For entrees, I was super impressed with the Pork Tomahawk. It was very tender and flavorful. The Seafood Tom Kha pasta was unique and delicious. Steaks were prepared perfectly as well. We had a great time. For drinks, my friends liked the coconut ube brew. I had the sugarcane kumquat, it was too sweet for me.

    Elaine H.

    I was seated after ~10 minutes despite not having a reservation on a Friday evening! I appreciated the quick seating! I previously tried the kumquat sugar cane when my bestie got it on another occasion and it has lived rent free in my mind since. Not too sweet, just perfect balance! The steak frites came with huge portions, however I probably wouldn't get it again for $55. The meat was chewy and perfected medium rare however the flavor was not my favorite steak. Perhaps I just enjoyed the filet mignon from my previous visit more. The star of the show was crab garlic noodles!! So worth it to get crab instead of shrimp and not having to take off any shells!!! It was soo yum and worth every penny!! Highly recommend you try. Parking was easy and the lot was huge! Service was excited despite being very busy and I enjoyed the quick seating.

    Vietnamese shaking beef
    Gordon W.

    Establishment is busy, clean and spacious. Staff was professional and courteous. We ordered: 1. Crispy calamari: crispy and fresh 2. Vietnamese shaking beef: fragrant, rich 3. Coconut matcha: amazingly amazing Food is consistently excellent. Only praise, no complaints. TLDR: Excellent service, excellent food, excellent establishment, great value. Would recommend!

    Shrimp Garlic Noodle
    Midah S.

    Large restaurant that gets very busy during dinner hours, but pro tip: their happy hour is well worth checking out! It's relatively easy to secure a spot if you come toward the end of happy hour, take advantage of the deals, and stay on for dinner. The highlights of our meal were the garlic noodles and branzino. The garlic noodles came with grilled shrimp and whole pieces of garlic, which added plenty of flavor. The real standout, though, was the branzino. It was stuffed with delicious herbs and served with a generous plate of fresh herbs and lettuce to enjoy alongside the fish. Everything came together really well. Definitely enjoyed our meal and will be returning!

    Xoi Man
    Anh T.

    Luckily I only needed to wait a short amount of time with a friend when coming here on a weekend afternoon. I ordered their Xoi Man and it came out within 15 minutes. The combination of pork floss, quail eggs, pate, Chinese sausage, and ham strips went well together as a part of the traditional Vietnamese dish, and I wished that the portion of this ingredients was a bit more than their rice. Still it was a filling dish without feeling overly heavy, and NEP Cafe in general is a great choice if you're craving a comfort-food meal!

    Shwe L.

    Kei Concepts does it again-- truly appreciate all the Kei Concepts restaurants. This is a great place for date night, girls night or night out. It has a restaurant side and bar area. We got so many different items to try and honestly it did not disappoint. Appetizers: - Crab Toast & Shrimp Ceviche: YES. Really good start. So much flavor. So Delicious. Have ordered this multiple times we came. Entree: - Tom Kha Seafood Pasta- honestly my favorite item that we tried here, so much flavor, dimension and ample amount of protein) - Bun Bo Hue Dried Noodle- this flavor was good, the concept was interesting but not my absolute favorite out of the the different items we got. Would pass next time. Dessert: - Banana Bread Pudding: I still think about this dessert. Highly recommend! It looks really sweet, but it was very well balanced. Overall: Food, service, ambiance was amazing. Definitely a frequent flyer of this restaurant and other kei concepts.

    Sheldon R.

    Came from Loma Linda just for this. Food was amazing and did not disappoint. I loved the flavor combinations of everything I ordered. The Calamansi drink was super good. Definitely recommend this place. I made reservations but this place was not too busy for a Sunday afternoon around 3:15pm. The ambiance is clean and aesthetic inside. The Sea Salt Coffee was not for me. I just wanted to try something new. Also, I would not order the mango sticky rice again. It was too "healthy" for me haha. The mango was hardly ripe. They're going for a different style of the dessert. I prefer the original sweet style with ripe mangoes. Fried Rice Tofu: 4.5/5 Lemongrass Tofu: 4.5/5 Garlic Noodle: 4.5/5 Sea Salt Vietnamese Coffee: 3.5/5 Calamansi White Peach: 5/5 Mango Sticky Rice: 3/5

    Anna N.

    Great ambiance! Went for dinner and there wasn't a wait on a Monday night Got the rib eye steak came with items to make lettuce and radish wraps! The steak was perfectly cooked and a really good size! The herbs made it very fun to eat 4.5/5 Seafood ceviche great coconut Thai sauce and a good mix of seafood! Comes with shrimp crackers! Loved! 4.5/5 5 spice chicken: crispy skin and comes with rice and a salad good but nothing too special 3.5/5 Calamari: could have been more crispy and seasoned with the whole meal being very fusioned which there was a interesting twist to this dish 3/5 Overall good meal and would come back! Def check out their brunch menu as well!

    Boneless Ribeye
    Sydney M.

    One of the best dinners I've ever had!! We came here as a team for a work dinner and getting to sample many different dishes was the way to go! The Shrimp Salad was outstanding and fresh. The Shaking Beef and Garlic Noodles were delicious and we ordered another round. And the Tomahawk steak was just perfect. The final crown jewel was dessert with the Frozen Yogurt Parfait's that are fruity, sweet, and delicious - we had multiple! The dining room inside can be a little noisy, but the service was wonderful. Would absolutely recommend.

    Shrimp ceviche
    Calli Y.

    I like that we can make reservations which is always a plus. We did come early hoping we could get in a tad earlier but no such luck. We waited for our original time. I feel like the menu tends to change because each time we come, the menu seems to be slightly different. It's kinda fun so you can try new items. My favorite is still the papaya salad. They do have bigger tables which is nice if you have big parties. Most items we try are very good.

    Banh Mi Chao - Beef Belly
    Emma L.

    The egg coffee was pretty good. Probably the best part. The shrimp ceviche was actually good though. Perfect balance of savory, sour and tad sweet. The beef banh mi is very fatty, definitely good for the younger kids. A little too fatty for older people though.

    Crispy Pork Bowl
    Zenaida H.

    The food was amazing! It was our first time dining here at this restaurant. Tristan at the bar served us and was most helpful. We had the garlic noodles with salmon and the crispy pork bowl. We will definitely be back!

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    1 month ago

    Happy hour here is amazing ! I really enjoyed the chicken wings and lychee martini. Prices are great .

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    NEP Cafe - Irvine Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - NEP Cafe - Irvine

    Do you do gift cards!?

    We sell gift cards in store! Please give us a visit

    What days and times do they have happy hour deals? I saw 2-5pm weekdays but is anything available on weekends?

    Hi Tiffany. I think their happy hour is only on weekdays which is common with most restaurants. Hope you're doing well!! Have a wonderful day!

    Joe much is the corkage fee?

    Hello! Depending on bottle size, we typically charge $25 for the first bottle of wine. No hard alcohol.

    Do they have any gluten free options?

    Is the lemongrass tofu vegan? Are any of the desserts vegan?

    I had the lemongrass tofu last time I ate there and it was delicious! According to toasttab, here are the ingredients: fried tofu, lemongrass soy, crispy shallots, thai basil, red chiles, and rice.

    Will you bring back the salted egg yolk pudding?

    We will definitely take this into consideration. Thank you for reaching out!

    For the new item beef carpaccio, do we eat raw?

    Yes. That's the way it's served.

    Are dogs allowed on the patio?

    Yes

    Is dinner and lunch menu available all hours? I just looked at the pic that someone took and the dinner menu seems limited to 4 main entrees, is there more to the menu for dinner?

    Hello! Our brunch/lunch menu is offered until 5pm and from 5pm till close, we exclusively serve dishes from our dinner menu.… 

    Good for large groups (10+)?

    Yes, there was a large party seated next to us- many tables were large parties. They can definitely accommodate.

    Are walk ins available?

    Yes, we do take walk-ins daily and dedicate a section of our restaurant for walk-in guests. Please give us a visit!

    Does your out door seating area open yet?

    At this time outdoor dining is unavailable, but we are working to have that dining option available very very soon. Please stay updated by following us on Instagram: @nep.cafe

    Does anyone know when online ordering will become available for this location?

    Online ordering is now available as well as delivery via 3rd party apps! Please visit our website for more information!

    Are there vegan/vegetarian options for mains/entrees?

    We do offer select vegan/vegetarian-friendly options. Please do not hesitate to call in or give us a visit as our staff would be more than happy to assist you in your dietary restrictions!

    Is there outdoor dining?

    No outdoor dining

    Do you have an outdoor patio? Are dogs allowed?

    We are working on having our outdoor patio available soon. Please follow @nep.cafe on Instagram to stay informed!

    On the menu it says that the Szechuan Spicy Noodles is $14 with chicken and $16 with the shrimp & pork dumplings, but what if I don't want either proteins and just want the noodles?

    The noodles alone are $10.

    When will takeout available?

    We do not have a definitive timeline at the moment, but please follow us on social media for the latest updates! @nep.cafe

    Do you take Walk in?

    We absolutely do! See you soon!

    View All 28 Questions

    Fluffy Tail Cafe - Smokey

    Fluffy Tail Cafe

    4.7(106 reviews)
    3.1 mi

    BEST PLACE EVER!!!!!!!!! You can come in whenever to get a delicious drink, but to see the cute…read morekitties, book online & make a reservation. Reservations include a free drink! When you get there, order your drink and they will escort you towards the babies. Shoes off and clean your hands. Sooooo many beautiful babies to play with and pet! They only let a certain amount of people in at a time so it's not crowded and not over whelming for the kitties. All the cats look very well taken care of and healthy. You can adopt a baby if you'd like to also!! I love coming here and spending time with all cats. It's very quiet and relaxing. I'm so happy a place like this exists!

    This was my first time to this cat cafe and it was better than the cat cafe in Huntington Beach but…read morenot as nice as the one in Long Beach. Your price of admission gets you either a drink or French macaron. I went with my kids and we tried each others and all were delicious. The cat cafe itself is easy to reserve and pay ahead. It is very organized. When you get there the cat cafe is clean and there are many places to sit and the cats are spread out. The only thing I'd improve on is to give some of the cats the special collars (like they have at other cat cafe's) to let us know if the cats aren't friendly. There were 2 cats in particular that were kind of scary trying to pick fights and scratch both other cats and humans. Also my best tip is to wear disposable socks you are cool with throwing away since you have to take off your shoes and your socks get all cat hair and dirty.

    Photos
    Fluffy Tail Cafe - Cat.

    Cat.

    Fluffy Tail Cafe - Inside

    Inside

    Fluffy Tail Cafe - Cat play area

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    Cat play area

    Raised By Lions Coffee - Iced Tea and Honey Cinnamon Latte

    Raised By Lions Coffee

    4.3(752 reviews)
    2.6 mi
    $$

    It was super busy, but WOW, the coffee was so good! I've tried so many coffee places, and this was…read morehonestly one of the smoothest coffees I've had. I got the shaken espresso with pumpkin cold foam, and they absolutely nailed it! The cold foam tasted so clean and smooth. Starbucks' coffee is honestly trash to me , but their pumpkin cold foam is something I always crave, and this place made one that was just as good, if not better! I really hope it's not a one-hit wonder because I've had that happen at so many coffee shops where the first visit is amazing and the next one just isn't the same. Highly recommend giving this place a try. I'll definitely be back!

    Pretty good! Good food and drinks. A little bit pricey! But still enjoyable. 4/5 stars cuz the…read morefirst time I came the food took a while. The second time I came, they forgot a sandwich. But they were super apologetic about it I've tried a few things from here and they're pretty good! I had a Cocoa Cream Cold Brew. Sweet with a nice, deep chocolate flavor. If you like dark chocolate, this one's for you! For food, I've tried the breakfast burritos with sausage, breakfast sandwich with sausage, deluxe avocado toast, and the Burrata-Plata Grilled Cheese. The grilled cheese was super cheesy and delicious. I especially loved the marinara/tomato sauce that it came with! But warning, it's a lot of cheese. If you are lactose intolerant, you've been warned! The breakfast sandwich and burrito were also good!! Nothing too special, but still yummy The avocado toast was tasty, but some of the ratios were a bit off. A little too much goat cheese and it was loaded with avocado (perhaps a bit too much for the bread it was on), but I did really love the addition of pickled onions and balsamic glaze. Again, I liked it but it didn't wow me. Overall, good!

    Photos
    Raised By Lions Coffee - Matcha tea w strawberry foam

    Matcha tea w strawberry foam

    Raised By Lions Coffee - Vanilla bean oat shaken espresso

    Vanilla bean oat shaken espresso

    Raised By Lions Coffee - Counter area 2

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    Counter area 2

    NEP Cafe - Irvine - breakfast_brunch - Updated September 2026

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