We ordered their signature dish, eventhough I am not a fan of Japanese curry. The cooking and…read morepresentation are very executed and most importantly, tasted great!

guys... my fiancé loves katsu and he says he would truly d word for this place bc he loves it SOOO…read moremuch!! like WOW. and ofc i mean that as the highest compliment!!!! ‍ hako is tucked away in an irvine center that has tons of parking, but it can still be pretty packed so keep that in mind! the restaurant itself isn't too large either, so the wait times can be high if you don't get there outside of peak hours. they do have a yelp waitlist though, so utilize it!! the restaurant is always clean and in order, and service is always so quick, kind, and on top of it. here's what we tend to order: - hamburg beef katsu: my meat of choice will always be beef, and the beef katsu here is SO juicy and flavorful. it's my favorite and i dream about it LOL - hire katsu: my fiancé's choice! a nice pork katsu, it's always cooked to perfection, nice and tender, and just wow.. NO NOTES. on top of the katsu itself, the salad is always delicious (love the dressing!), miso soup is heartwarming, i love the pickled onions/jalapeños and radish, and the DIPPING SAUCE??? i need the recipe!! ok i'm done but pls just know: LOVE THIS PLACE DOWNNNN. will be back soon!!!! :-)

We made a reservation for 5 for lunch on a Saturday. I would recommend to make a res if you're with…read morea larger party, but if you're 2 people, you can probably walk in! They have a lot of staff so service was great and attentive. We got the tamago and gyoza appetizers which were well made. They had no tako dishes (squid) of any form available at around 1:30 pm, saying it was all sold out. I ordered the spicy beef udon since I saw it online a lot, and it was definitely worth it! I got the standard spice and it had a nice kick but nothing too crazy. It was on a self burning pot so it kept it nice and hot throughout the meal. There was a good amount of beef and the soup flavor was unique and worth it! They also include a cheesy rice ball which you add into your soup at the end to make a porridge. Would definitely recommend ordering this one!

Had dinner here with my kiddos and yummmm. I was craving udon and found this on Yelp and had to…read morecome try! The restaurant is pretty small and packs quickly so if you do decide to come make sure to get on the Yelp waiting list! Other than that the restaurant itself is cute. We ordered some appetizers... gyoza and chicken karaage. My son also ordered a California roll. I had the spicy beef udon with rice ball.. the appetizers were good. My spicy beef udon was delicious! It was brought out in a small cauldron like bowl atop a flame! It was boiling hot the whole time I ate! After you finish the udon there's a fried rice ball that you then would put in the pot to eat with the rest of the broth. I didn't go the traditional route.. instead I broke a piece of the rice and was surprised with some melted cheese inside! And took my piece and dipped it in my broth and ate it. It was great! So crunchy and umami! I would come again just for that rice ball lol

As a soba lover, I'm so glad I finally came around to trying out Tanakaya! After walking around Old…read moreTown Tustin, all I could think of was a nice refreshing serving of soba. There was lots of parking available and we were seated fast. The servers were so kind and accommodating too! I got the kitsune soba and my coworker ordered the kaarage combo with soba. The kitsune soba was so tasty! Perfect amount of food too. Filling but not heavy at all. My coworker's kaarage was crispy, flavorful, and paired well with the cold soba. Can't wait to come back soon the next time I'm craving soba!

I can't believe I have not left a review for Tanakaya yet. Shane on me, lol…read more Love this Japanese noodle shop. The mantra of "... Great things come to those who wait..." is very applicable here. It's first come first served, so unless you're at the door when it first opens, expect a wait to be seated. And after sitting down at a table, expect to wait some more before your food arrives. As long as you're ok with waiting, the reward is, IMHO, the best soba noodle soup around. My go to is the different variations of the soba noodle soap. From the broth, to the soba to the tempura and proteins, it's a fantastic symphony of flavors. For those of us who prefer, the cold soba and the curry noodles are also excellent. An exceptional Japanese restaurant, for those who are not in a rush

Habuya Okinawan Dining is one of those rare places that isn't just about the food--it's about…read moreexperiencing Okinawan culture. Mama (Mayumi) has poured so much of herself into this restaurant, from the artwork on the walls to the warm hospitality that makes it feel like you're being welcomed into someone's home. (Oishii Desu "It's Delicious"⁠) If it's your first visit, don't skip the Okinawan specialties. The mountain yam dishes, rafute (braised pork belly), Okinawan soba, and an ice-cold Orion beer served in a frosted glass are all part of what makes Habuya so memorable. It's a place to slow down, share plates, and enjoy the experience. I'm genuinely happy to see Habuya getting so much attention on social media because it's well deserved. My only hope is that as more people discover it, they also help preserve what makes it special. This is a small, family-run restaurant, so please be patient during check-in, be kind to the staff, and remember that many guests have been waiting for the opportunity to enjoy the experience as well. Come to appreciate the food, drinks, and Okinawan culture--not just to snap a few photos and leave. One thing to keep in mind is that if you don't drink alcohol or follow a vegan diet, the menu may feel a bit more limited. But if you're open to experiencing authentic Okinawan cuisine, Habuya is truly one of Orange County's hidden gems.

- Waitlist: Wildly off, but willing to endure it for what I hoped would be great food…read more- Food: Takoyaki and fried squid were good, but the Soki Soba meat was DRY AF. You'll find better spots in OC. - Service: If you get the woman in the cap, expect a mandatory 15% gratuity paired with attitude. But the other servers were fine.

Usuki hits the spot! Usually come for their sushi combo but decided to try the chirashi bowl which…read morewas fantastic! Service is always great and it's never too busy when we go. 10/10

Was truly impressed with their advertisement of the sashimi and chirashi bowl…read more It's an average, small, hole in the wall restaurant. Cut is generous but the quality of the fish is average-similar to the same grade you would get from H-Mart. It's definitely not a genuine/authentic "Japanese" restaurant; don't even think the owner is Japanese nor the chef. The hamachi collar was a big portion for the price. tempura was alright-nothing spectacular. Price is fair. Wait for the food could be awhile when it's busy because there's only two chef.

Beyond devastated Yoshiharu is permanently closed. I've taken so many of my friends and family here…read moreas recommendations, and have not had another ramen that comes remotely close to the flavor and umami level of this place. Literally dozens of other places. I'm so bummed. I don't even know where else to go either. Terrible day for rain..

I am a regular customer coming to this restaurant weekly for more than 3 years…read more I just came here twice for the past 2 1/2 weeks and they were closed during business hours. Are they still in business? Or closed for good? They don't pick up phone calls, by the way.

This place is a fantastic hole in the wall…read more We got lucky and walked up with no line. By the time we left there were at least 15 people waiting so plan accordingly. The food here is excellent and very reasonably priced. The yakitori skewers were as good as anywhere I've been and the sushi rolls were great as well. I especially liked their current special tuna roll and the bacon wrapped shrimp skewer. Service was attentive and friendly. Really felt like the value for portion sizes and quality was on point, especially compared to what you get in LA proper.

Food - I order the oden hot pot, meatball, meatball w/cheese. Not in the picture garlic pork belly,…read morepork belly, beef, prime beef, Japanese beef and beef udon, As you can see in the picture oden hot pot what you see in the menu is what you get. It is 6/10 for me soup was very bland, hard boiled egg yolk had a very strong scent (which maybe boiled it for too long) didn't really get full from this. The skewers are always good and delicious. I think they have changed their menu also? There were some food items I was looking for but it seems to be discounted. The server were nice enough to explain each items in the menu but we weren't assisted that quickly as it was a very busy night. The decorations are very cozy and felt like you were in a authentic Japanese restaurant they also have a place where you can sit on the floor but that takes about 40 - 2 hours. Overall experience was great! Will go back and try other items.

My hubby and I went to Ohshima specifically for the 13-piece omakase, and let me tell you, it was…read moreperfection! One of the best meals I've had in a long time. We paired the sushi with a delicious nigori sake. FYI the sushi restaurant is in an unassuming strip mall, but after you walk into the restaurant, you feel like you're transported to Japan. Great service too! Can't wait to go back for every birthday going forward...

Second visit, and probably the last…read more Our first visit about a year ago was excellent -- good enough that I was happy to return expecting a repeat. This time we left without much desire to come back, and for me it comes down to one thing: how the food tasted. The amuse bouche was an inauspicious start -- small bits of a cooked protein (chicken?) in a standard Japanese onion vinaigrette. The protein was unidentifiable, I didn't finish it, and I'm not sure how it's supposed to set the table for a sushi dinner. Ohshima's strength is supposed to be nigirizushi: small rice, generous fish, with a carefully chosen condiment and/or tare to enhance each piece. That formula worked on the pieces that got tare -- akami and masu were the standouts of the evening. But on the remaining pieces, the itamae misted the fish with what he described as yuzu after construction. Yuzu has a distinct floral-citrus character that's hard to miss; what came through instead was a watery taste that muted the fish's natural flavor. Toro, which should have been a highlight, suffered the most from this. Water is the enemy of flavor, and whatever was in that spray bottle undermined the whole point of the condiment approach. Three of the thirteen pieces were closely related jacks -- hiramase, kampachi, and shima aji -- which bordered on redundant given how similar they are in flavor profile. The gindara was torched aggressively enough to leave a residual propane taste. At $260 for two before tip (including two large Sapporo), I'd also note that the diner's-choice extra piece offered on our first visit wasn't available this time -- a quiet downgrade, though I understand the economics. The technical execution was competent. Nothing was bad in an obvious way. But the watery flavor issue was consistent and consequential enough to make this a shadow of what it was.