salmon sashimi was huge, takoyaki was amazing, tempura was crispy, california roll was refreshing, its such a small hole-in-the-wall restaurant that you have to actively search for it to find its location, but once you do you'll never forget it. read more

I went there a few weeks back and it was pretty good. I definitely enjoyed the Salmon Roll and it had a good ambience for what I was going for. read more

Since the management changed here, things have gone downhill. Prices have gone up, food quantity/quality has worsened and the once incredible service has been replaced. The worst experience by far was when we ordered the bento boxes at lunch. These come with a few slices of sashimi in addition to other items. The tuna was clearly spoiled and tasted like a used towel. We called over our waitress to tell her what was going on. Her response after inspecting the food: "Don't eat it next time so we can replace it." Yes, next time we eat sushi or sashimi we should definitely smell the fish first or do a pH test. We definitely won't eat at Taiko next time and are actively looking for a Japanese restaurant to replace it. read more

Consistently Best Sushi in Irvine, CA? You bet. Most consistently wonderful sushi in Irvine? Yep. Most notable, the quality of the salmon used in the salmon sashimi (marbling) and the non-MSG infused miso soup. read more

I only go to Taiko once every few years and its great every time. The only thing I don't like is the wait. There was a half hour wait only ten minutes after they opened! It's that popular. I usually start with the calimari appetizer. I've had calimari at other places, but the one at Taiko is my absolute favorite. There's a lot of squid, a lot of lime, and a lot of crunch! It's huge too :) This time I got the Sushi Lunch. It was huge! 10 pieces of nigiri and 6 pieces of a maki tuna roll. The albacore, shrimp, and tuna were probably best quality and the only one I thought wasn't very good was the yellowtail. I really liked the tamago sushi too, it was great with soy sauce! Came with pickled cabbage and miso soup. The miso soup was great! The service makes this place even better. The waitresses are all very hospitable and on top of it! After being seated I didn't wait long for anything. Large and delicious portions, cheap price, and great service? 5 stars. read more

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First time to Taiko's for dinner and right when I walk in, all I smell was edamame. It wasnt a good or bad thing, but I do prefer to smell that then a horrible stench. Anyways, the interior makes you feel like you are in another place. I came in probably an hour before they close so there wasnt a long wait at the tables. The sushi bar still looked full. I ordered the combination 5. I didnt know they serve in big portions or maybe they made it look huge by the amount of salad they put underneath. I was not disappointed by the taste of the shrimp tempura, sesame chicken, & sashimi. They probably have the best sesame chicken I've tasted so far. The waitress was diligent. The food came out quick and was satisfied with a food coma kicking in afterwards. Brought most of the food back home because I couldnt finish it! Happy eating! read more

Taiko - Combination 5. - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

The best of the best. I am so picky wit sushi places but everything at taiko is definitely worth the money. I can't complain about much. From the sushi to the customer service. This is probably one of the places I crave every week and always make myself hungry just thinking about it. If u haven't been here , and is a sushi lover make sure to try there toro and uni. They are too die for. Toro melts in my mouth like butter. Can I say my mouth is already watering even though I just had this for dinner last night? Uni always taste fresh and never has that sea clammy taste like other places. And customer service is up to par! They always accommodate and check up on us! Love you taiko! I am a loyal customer! read more

Taiko - Oyster with salmon eggs and uni on top - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

Ordered to-go and they have very generous portions. Sushi and sashimi is fresh and tasty.

There's a reason why they always have a lot of people. This place has great sushi rolls, awesome specials, and tasty combination plates.

Food is still good as before pandemic, my favorites are their dinner combos. Too bad take out orders don't come free with miso soup and the cabbage. Online order is easy to use and earn reward points. read more

Taiko is on another level when it comes to Sushi. Easily the best Japanese restaurant you are going find anywhere the area. There is often a wait, but it is worth it. If it is still available when you are there, make sure and get the Negitoro read more

We've been going her for over 16 years and use to come almost every week. We loved sitting at the sushi bar where the chefs were great and the sushi was awesome . Then they got bought out and so many things have changed. We came this week and they had changed the menu . They totally increase their price and lowered their quality of the sushi. The calamari use to be so good but this time it was terrible. All battered and very little calamari . I was so grossed out that I barely even ate it and refused to take it to go. The baby tuna use to come in 2 pieces and now it's just 1 piece per order . The teas and miso use to be free but now they charge . We understand that theres a lot of inflation going on right now but at least keep the quality of the food the same. Don't get all stingy with what you're serving to us because we know! It's so sad to see this place go down hill . They will be losing a lot of their customers . We will no longer be coming back here. The chefs have changed and so have the staff . It's no longer the Taiko that we once knew. Sadly we will need to look for a new Sushi place. read more

Haven't been here in years food is still good. Got a combination dinner and a few rolls to go. Easy to order from their website.

Came here from a recommendation and am super pleased at the entire experience here. Greeted politely and sat very quickly. It was a Monday and we're lucky to not have that weekend rush. Our waitress Ann was very nice and fun. Recommend some dishes for us and we enjoyed all of our food. Can't say an unhappy moment while eating here. Beginning to end we had a great time. We highly recommend and will be back read more

I don't know what happened to the quality of the meats here. The chicken teriyaki was full of gristle, fat and inedible. I'm surprised this meal passed quality control. Maybe they use lower grade food when you order to-go versus indoor dining, but it was disappointing to see how things have changed over the years. read more

First time back in over a year. My family has been dining here for 20 years. This was always our go to place for Sushi. We would take turns waiting in line to put our name in. My husband said he heard they had new owners, but I still wanted to go. The good is the sushi still tastes fresh. Now the bad. I ordered a seafood salad add spicy tuna and avocado. She looked at me like I was crazy. I've been ordering that for years when Suzuki and Ono were around. The sushi was cut in huge strips not at all like a professional Sushi Chef. I had to cut some of the pieces, they were so huge and barely any sauce. The yellow tail collar cooked tasted good but presented horribly. No ponzu sauce. I had to ask. No beautifully cut cucumber. Some sweet egg thrown on the plate. I couldn't believe it. Again, no true Sushi Chef would serve like that. Shrimp hand roll full of mayonnaise. Yuk! My last order is always a cooked salmon hand roll. They always made it with crunchy onions and it was divine. Not this one. It was rice and cooked fish, period. No seasonings. I tried to look at the Sushi Chefs and hard to tell with masks on, but I'm almost positive they were not Japanese or any asian. I will never go back unless I hear they hire true Sushi Chefs back. read more

Sunday night 25 mins wait Pleasant environment and staff Good price for the value, quality food Parking difficult read more

Fantastic as always! Atsuko-San, call these takes care of us and really is the heart of the place was fantastic as always. We placed our order by phone, because we had so special requests. And she was so kind, although she was so busy, to take care of everything that we needed. And the food, cannot be matched! In addition to the rice, which is really the heart of any good sushi, the generous servings of the fish over the rice in the nigiri are just extraordinary. If you don't know about Taiko, another oldest Japanese and sushi restaurants in town, you haven't had one of the best prepared sushi in Orange County! read more

Change of management=Disappointing results Like many of the recent yelpers on here, the recent changes are very displeasing. My family and I have been frequently coming to this restaurant for over 20 years now. This used to be our favorite Japanese restaurant. Now, not so much. Prices have gone up significantly, and the the portions and quality have gone down. Service is also slow at times. It took me 30 minutes to get the waitress to bring me the bill on my last visit. She kept forgetting and getting distracted. I had to ask her 3 times before I finally got it. I hope they make some improvements soon. The is still a pretty decent Japanese restaurant but the food and service is just not as great as before. read more

A wafting smell of ponzu lingers as you enter the traditionally decorated space w/its lantern-inspired lights. Fresh sashimi is cut large and giant rolls are packed full. Even the staple supporting actor in most rolls, the crab, tastes better here. Reasonably-priced teishoku meals (combo sets) are filling on their own but when you order one w/tempura, it comes with a nifty tempura noodle fan as its garnished treat. I'm not a fan of sesame chicken b/c it's usually dry but it's served w/many combos here. No reservations so it can be a bit difficult to get a seat at the sushi bar but dinner in the main dining area isn't bad either after your wait. Birthdays are celebrated awkwardly when everyone doesn't agree on what to call the birthday person during the song but it comes w/candle-lit scoop of ice cream. Taiko has been a mainstay on the family roster of frequently visited restaurants for over 20 years and its consistency, much like its place on the list, is a testament to how great Taiko is as a neighborhood restaurant. read more

Always love coming here (2 years now). Masa is the best!!!! Fish is always fresh to me, and surprisingly, the chicken kaarage. I normally get the negitoro gunkan, negihama cut roll, unagi, and natto yamakake maguro. Of course few ithers but those itself I have mentioned are always great! read more

Super friendly and food is great. We love supporting a family business and the portions are pretty large.

Great food, great quality and friendly staff. It's our favorite sushi place. Like no other. read more

I've been here several times for lunch & a time or 2 for dinner & my go to dish is the sashimi platter. It's a decent quality of fish & the slices are on the thick side. All that for a good price. Makes me happy. The 4 stars is for the service. Had a waitress with an attitude problem. read more

Fast service, the staffs are nice and attentive. The food taste great as always! Highly recommended

I love sushi and have taken time during covid to sample all the places that are still open and delivering. These cats are a tad on the pricey side, but the high level of quality has been very reliable regarding their food and it's deliciousness. They're so good, sometimes we get them two days in a row! read more

Awesome place with fresh and yummy sushi. I recommend you sit at the bar but it could be a long wait at rush hours

It was like coming to a Funeral for dinner. Such a sad situation. Taiko where we have been coming for 30 years.l, our server Rachel got our order wrong. The pen on the table for writing your own order spill ink all over my friend's hand. The fried shrimp head was cold & our rolls didn't come until we are all done with dinner. The $20 combo shrunk to half of its original size. The beef in the sukiyaki were old & stale. The stamp card is record per visit not how much you spent. The previous owner had no problem having a line outside waiting for restaurant to open but now no waiting at 8pm on Sat. The new owner didn't make the restaurant better but driving it down to the ground. We probably will never come back. read more

Good food. Sushi was good but too big and very hard to eat. It was falling all over the place.

My all time favorite Japanese food in Irvine. Portion is huge and they definitely deserve 5 star for quality

The food was ok but they took so long i waited 40 mins for my food like it said on the app then when i went to pick it up i had to make a line to pick up my food that was supposedly already ready which took me another 40 mins until i could even speak with someone. i left with with my food hungry and upset just to get home and realize that there was items missing in my order. This was the first time i buy food here but most likely the last. read more

Good miso soup, good rice...that's all folks Food is okay for the price. But don't expect the best sushi in town (really big pieces that you can barely eat) Good service however read more

Food was ok, but I definitely not worth a 2 hour wait. Service was not that good, our server seemed rushed and she never came to check on us or even ask if we needed anything else. Probably wouldn't come back. read more

Sorry ,just never come back ,awful sushi,don't know why always long line,not worth to wait,if you want good sushi,stay away from this place. read more

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Good value. Great California rolls. Only problem is ordering is a nightmare. Can't order same day on website. Only one person answering phone. Bad setup. Got hung up after waiting 20 minutes to order. read more

My usual spot for my sushi roll fix. I usually order for delivery through a 3rd party app and I'll always end up with the fried, soft-shelled crab and a caterpillar roll. Nephew loves the eel here. read more

My boyfriend and his housemate come here every Monday. We have become pretty acquainted with the sushi chefs at the bar. Akio San and Masa San always take good care of us. The yellowtail sashimi from Taiko is the best we've had. It melts in your mouth and the pieces are generous. We always get the sweet shrimp as well, with heads in the miso soup and shells deep fried with ponzu sauce. We put our tummies in the hands of the chefs when we don't know what we want and they never disappoint with their creativity. read more

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Food was okay. Bad rating is mostly for the service and lack of professionalism during this covid pandemic. On a side note, looks like if you can speak Japanese they are willing to let you eat inside the restaurant.. everyone else, wait your 45 minutes for your order. Ordered on yelp, yelp said it was ready but when I got there, had to wait another 15 min.. with a mask on. Old Japanese lady in the front doesnt really care or apologize, just shrugs and says its not her fault. *shrug* not my fault they got two out of five stars. read more

When I walked into Taiko, a sushi restaurant, it shocked some people about as much as when Kanye entered Trump Tower this morning. Going to sushi would never be my 1st or even 45th pick, so it's clear how I ended up there (no, not because some hot chick pressured me to go with her): it was a business meal. As I stared at my calendar entry that listed "Taito" for lunch, I hoped that the Russians had hacked my Outlook, but IT ruled that conspiracy out so I had no choice but to go. What made the experience tolerable wasn't the parking (it looks chaotic up front, but there are usually plenty of spaces further back in the Arbor Village Center), it was the service and combination lunch specials. Yes, I said service. They were rather accommodating of our somewhat large and diverse group, which included people that presumably even knew less about sushi than I did. They ordered a shitload of sushi, which all came out quickly (which I guess makes sense since it's raw). For me, the main choices from the combination lunch section were Beef Teriyaki w/ Shrimp Tempura, Chicken Teriyaki w/ Shrimp Tempura, or Shrimp Tempura w/ Sesame Chicken. So basically they want you to get Shrimp Tempura no matter what, like they're overstocked or something. At least the last option wasn't Shrimp Tempura w/ Shrimp Tempura. read more

This place is okay at the very best. If you are someone that goes for quantity over quality this is the perfect spot. They give you massive portions, but the flavor is not quite there. For starters I got vegetable and shrimp tempura, it was the worst tempura I've ever had. The nigiri pieces were cut way too thick, not aesthetically pleasing. One thing I liked was the spicy yellowtail roll. Nothing I'd crave read more