Great value, good service. This is an epic establishment (that is, they were around way before I was even born--that SAYS something)--and I love that they don't compromise the quality of their food or try to jack it up with 'fusion style' cuisines. My go-to place whenever I want to take my out-of-town friends out for dinner. I especially love the sashimi + tempura combi, and if you ask nicely, you get seconds for miso soup and rice. Well, speaking of the miso soup, that's my only real gripe about the place--I just prefer fresh cubed tofu over the fried-age kind--it's a little too reminiscent of instant miso soup for me. Oh, and its close vicinity to Yogurtland doesn't hurt either :] read more

There's already a huge line outside at least half an hour before the restaurant opens. I felt like I was waiting to go in Sushi Gen in downtown LA, but those two are obviously NOT comparable at all. I'm not really impressed by the sushi here (didn't go to the bar). I swear I felt some string-like thing flossing my teeth when I was eating Tai. That already cannot be good a good sign and I still had 5 more different sushi to go! The rest of the fishes were just a blur to me and quite unappetizing. It was cold, thick, and sliced like a chunk of meat. Whoever prepared our sushi was most definitely not experienced enough to master the skill of slicing fish. Nonetheless, the service was so amazing that I have to give this restaurant an extra star. The staff was so friendly and attentive & the food was made so quickly that we were done in less than half an hour. They put a whole new meaning on fast food despite the crowded room. Next time I should try the lunch special because it looked good and was quite decently priced. Maybe that would be better than this experience. We'll see... read more

Phenomenal sushi! I usually come here if I'm in the Irvine area...convenient location, amazing sashimi and nigiri. Expect a somewhat long wait time but it's worth the wait. read more

I always sit at the bar when i'm at a sushi resto and taiko has the best seat in the house.. that is if u can wait! they don't take reservations so be prepared to wait at least a half hour if u prefer to be seated at the tables (preferably not) and an hour or so at the bar. very fresh fish.. good size.. and the most authentic japanese chefs u'll ever get! i used to eat here with the big boss for lunch and lemme tell ya, i don't mind waiting an hour (and getting paid to stand in line!) before they open just to get in on the first batch of sushi bar eaters! and one more thing, getting there early means greater chances of getting a decent parking spot... it is located in a little asian center so... u get the idea.. :) read more

By far, this is the best sushi restaurant in the OC. Be prepared to wait for a long time. Try to arrive an hour before they open on Saturdays and sit at the bar. Request to have Ono-san be your sushi chef. He's great! You can easily spend $100+ for 2 people for lunch and still save room for dessert. Don't forget to order the seafood pot soup to compliment your sushi. YUMMY! Parking is not a problem if you arrive early. After lunch, my boyfriend and I go next door to Yogurtland. Yup! We sure can eat! read more

Taiko is kind of one of those overhyped Japanese restaurants that you find dozens of asian families lining up Friday-Sunday. Even though Taiko's food isn't AMAZING, it is good, and it's dependable. Their menu makes it so that you almost always get a combination. Tempura, chicken teriyaki, beef teriyaki, tuna steak, sesame chicken, etc... All combos come with miso soup and a salad. I actually like their miso--it doesn't taste like instant. I always get the sesame chicken... They usually give you big portions of this, and so I always have some to bring home. The chicken kind of makes my throat feel a little scratchy after a while though, because of the amount of oil they use to fry up the dish. Likewise with the tempura. A little on the oily side, but still good, just not in big amounts. I think their sushi selection is fairly limited, but they make what they have pretty good. The fish is fresh, just would appreciate more rolls. Taiko is good, just not somewhere I would go unless a friend asked. read more

Irvine is home to a number of incredibly popular revolving table sushi restaurants, but Taiko, unfortunately, is not a great alternative to people seeking some more variety in Japanese cuisine. Taiko's main customer base is incredibly similar to Tokyo Table in Diamond Jamboree: both restaurants are located in the heart of overpopulated asian districts, but attract mainly Caucasian customers. Taiko's menu offers a large variety of beef, chicken, and seafood items in different kinds of rice and noodle combos. Their sushi selection is mediocre at best. I ordered a boat for 2 that included shrimp and vegetable tempura, beef skewers, fried lobster tempura, and "assorted" sushi. The tempura had way too much batter and all I got was a few pieces of discolored and flavorless tuna sashimi. It was obviously a bad quality piece of fish. For example, the Dynamite roll was listed for 5 dollars on the menu. The waitress simply told us that it has spicy yellowtail in it. We decided to order the crunchy roll instead and we were billed 10 dollars for it. HOLD ON. A roll full of yellowtail is cheaper than a california roll with shrimp tempura?! There were only 4 pieces (albeit large ones) but I just don't think it was worth the pricing. Other sushi bars offer more extravagant special rolls at the same price. For true Japanese cuisine enthusiasts, Taiko is not the ideal place to eat. Maybe you can get a different experience if you sit at the sushi bar, but the table menus were incredibly disappointing. read more

We ordered on takoyaki, sashimi dinner, salmon skin hand rolls and dynamite roll cut.The sashimi is not fresh. The takoyaki is kind of salty due to too much sauce. The salmon skin hand rolls are good. Dynamite roll cut is okay. They have unlimited miso soup; however their soup is salty. read more

The place was very busy, food was just average. Friends told me to try their sushi bar, for me it's just like another average Japanese restaurant, dishes were average, sushi was not fresh as other places, and nothing really stands out. We waited for long time, not sure if it's worth it to wait that long. Good location and reasonable price. read more

Horrible service! They want to charge me for extra bowl of rice even though they advertise unlimited rice! I don't care about the extra charge but the lady was very rude!!! Taiko needs to train this lady ( kazasu) how to treat their customers right! Food was not even good :(. Last time there for me to go there! read more

The food here is mediocre. It's one of those Japanese places that caters to a very American taste and version of Japanese food. It's the type that focuses heavily on the teriyaki/tempura/sashimi combination plates. On top of the mediocre food, parking is a bitch and the wait is typically very long. When you get inside, in my opinion it's not the cleanest, and at the tables sometimes there's that musty smell where the table was wiped down with a wash cloth that isn't fresh. I associate this particular musty smell with Japanese establishments... And frankly it drives me crazy. Don't know if you can identify with it or not. Don't know what it is. Back to the topic at hand... So why is this place so freakin' packed all the time??? In my opinion, it's because they give you pretty big portions. Also, the teriyaki appeals to a wide audience. The pricing is reasonable. And that is how they pull it off. This place can get so packed and the line so long, especially for dinner. As for me, I probably won't ever be back. If you do go here, one thing's for certain: DO NOT order sushi/sashimi. It's pretty bad. Stick with the teriyaki and/or tempura. read more

I know people are going to hate me after this review, but I can live with that. After reading very good reviews and months of debating if I was up to waiting in line, my wife, my 4 year old son and I finally took the plunge and went to Taiko for dinner last Saturday. For a Japanese restaurant that has a crazy line out front, I truly, from the bottom of my heart, expected something out of this world... I didn't find it. The Good: Kids meal (only one option)... HUGE and with a good variety, which gave my son choices. Tempura shrimp and veggies, sesame chicken (a house specialty), a beef skewer and a ton of lettuce (my son doesn't care for salad, so I tasted it and hated the dressing). The Bad: sushi, meh... sashimi, meh. I know, I know... sushi and sashimi are not their specialties, but regardless, I've definitely had better. Fish was fresh, but the cuts were large and lacked finesse. Service: correct, nothing special. Waitresses were nice, but should be able to communicate a little better in English. Price: reasonable... if I liked the food, I'd say it was cheap. Bottom line: Looking for a good traditional Japanese restaurant? Wanna spend time in a line worth waiting in, and then blow your taste bud's l'il mind? Waste no time and rush over to Honda Ya in Tustin, CA (http://www.yelp.com/biz/honda-ya-tustin). Note: I will go back and try other dishes... If it all works out for them (hahaha) and I like it, I'll do my mea culpa... if not, I'll blast'em again. read more

Taiko is my absolute favorite place to dine for Japanese. I am always extremely satisfied with both the taste and quality of the food. The seafood is fresh and portions are huge. You definitely get your moneys worth here. There is always a wait but it is well worth it. read more

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I have been going to Taiko for 28 years now. Same sushi chefs. Same front restaurant staff. Some of the same waitresses, waiters, and busboys. This place is like home for me. And it remains in my opinion, one of the best sushi restaurants in Orange County! It is definitely my favorite place to go get my sushi fix. The fish is always fresh, portions are generous, and the sushi/sashimi always expertly prepared. The cooked food is always great. I love their sesame chicken, miso salmon, and teriyaki beef. I usually go in for the sushi and sashimi, but occasionally, I will crave the sesame chicken - it is that good! Price is extremely reasonable for the quality and portion. The only downside to this restaurant is that they do not take reservations. And the line to get a seat at the sushi bar or at a table can be loooooooooong. But if you are lucky enough to get in, you won't be disappointed. I highly recommend this restaurant. read more

When I walked in during lunch, there was a 15 min wait. They were also zagat rated, so I thought it couldn't be bad at all. My coworker and I sat down and ordered our food. I asked for a blue crab handroll and the lady had no clue what I was talking about. I tried to annunciate "blue crab handroll", but I had no luck. I told her not to worry and went on with our order. We both ordered the sesame chicken and sushi combo. Our food came out and I was appalled by the quality of the sushi. The tuna rolls were either old or just chewy. I took a bite out of one and tried to chew, but had to spit it out. My coworker tried to chew his snapper and ended up spitting it out also. The piece of salmon I had looked like it had a chunk taken out of the middle of it. WTF was this? My coworker ordered some water to try to wash down this horrible sushi we had....Our waitress (old lady with curly hair) even served water to other patrons. We sat quietly to see if/when she would remember... my coworker then kept staring at her and I heard her say "oh the water!" we didn't get our water until AFTER we finished our meal! Then on to the sesame chicken. The stuff at Panda Express is better than this. They obviously spent more time trying to attract your typical American clientele with large portions, but unfortunately heavily skimp on quality. At the end... my coworker and I split the bill. He was paying by card, and I had a $20 bill. The bill came out to $23 before tip. I asked the lady to put in $12 cash and the rest on his card. The first round, she gave me back $8 and put $15 on the card. There is a "$12 cash" written down on our bill... but it doesn't add up. I walked up to the lady at the register and explained and she apologizes and agreed to correct it. She walks back and there is now $11 on the card, but only $6 cash back????! I then go back to her and tell her that I'm missing $2. She apologizes again and finally we get our bill correct. One of my worst lunch experiences. No tip and we are never going back.. hope everyone else has a better experience there. read more

There's usually a wait at this authentic Japanese restaurant. It's authenticity can be authenticated by the large percentage of Japanese patrons. The waiting area is a little cramped, and I think a bar section would do really well for this place. There's a sushi bar, and a separate waiting area for that. Sashimi here is great, really fresh. 4 of us stopped by for lunch. Ordered two sashimi combination plates, a tempura/sesame chicken/beef combination plate, and a tuna/sesame chicken plate. All were really delicious! Wait staff is very friendly and patient. Very casual atmosphere. YogurtLand next door is also a plus. Parking around busy lunch/dinner hours is really bad... read more

My first review :) A friend told me about this restaurant, and a different friend took me there who don't know each other, so it was already a good sign. I had the sushi and tempura combo. It was lot of food for a reasonable price. I'm not an expert on good sushi but I thought it tasted pretty good. And the service was good, so all around, pretty good, I'd go again. read more

I used to go here quite a bit when I lived and worked in Irvine. I went to UCI in the late 90s and worked throughout the early part of 2000. This is one of those "classics" to those in the area. This is an old school traditional place that still gets very packed. The last thing I remember are their great combo plates. I don't recall their sushi. read more

I recently started going to Taiko and I have never been disappointed with their food or service! They have great fresh sushi and large portions that are very satisfying. Also, their services at the bar is always super friendly. When we sit the at table in the dining room it's usually busier but they the servers always have a great attitude that distracts from the wait. Definitely recommend for a tasteful authentic sushi! read more

(This review is for the dining room, not the sushi bar.) Ate here in spring. To my surprise, the food was not hot. It usually is... whut???? Oh well, everyone has an off day. Whateva. A couple a weeks ago, I came back. Been a few months since the last time, so I had completely forgotten. Guess what? Tempura, salmon, sesame chicken are not hot again. To my disappointment, warm / room temperature again. The tempura has to be hot to be enjoyed. With every passing moment, it gets closer and closer to mush. For the calories involved, I want to enjoy it at its peak. Remember Tokyo Lobby in its heyday? Used to serve food fast and piping how. Nowadays, not so much. Well, it looks like maybe the same thing might be repeating here. I hope not. I don't think I'll be coming back for awhile. I almost gave it a one star, but for old time's sake... a two. Been eating here for more than 10 years. :( read more

Terrible. The food can be envisioned as prepackaged fish for sashimi and sushi and sub-par teriyaki items. The service was also equally terrible. We (husband and I) attempted to grab our waitress' attention for more than 20 minutes to order, while the restaurant was half empty. We had to ask the hosts for water because our waitress would not come near us. We flag down a different waitress and ask if we could please order, she barks, "hold on," then disappears. Our waitress finally shows up to attend to our neighboring table, we ask after she is done talking to them if she would take our order, we are once more told to "hold on." Then the other waitress comes back and says our waitress is too busy and asks what we want. We order and when our food is brought out they forget our side orders. What is going on with this place? read more

Love this place. Lots of friends recommended. Doesn't disappoint.

I have been here for lunch 3 times in the last 2 weeks. Eating low carb for diabetic reasons and their combo B is delicious and filling. Miso soup, salad, sashimi, fried chicken (not like reg fried chicken) and beef skewer with no rice and mayo dipping sauce. It may have a little more carbs than I should eat but not bad and my blood sugar stays in check. I always have food left over for later. I will continue to be back! read more

This place is so amazing and the atmosphere is so incredible, it is well worth the wait here. If you are really heated about having to wait, here is what I can suggest.... - go early, put your name and # in your party down, and then leave for an hour-- where? if you live close, go back home. If not, go to your car and smoke a bowl. If you don't have a car or a bowl, go to any of the adorable japanese stores in the shopping center and try not to waste your money on cheap clothing accessories or small figurines of animals with pigtails and clothing on. It is the best place to eat in Irvine, hands down, so if you know what you are waiting for. Just simple, delicious Japanese food and amazing sushi/sashimi. Also, if you're a sweetheart, be sure to drink with the sushi chef!-- he deserves it ; ) read more

They'll start you off with the pickled cabbage and their miso soup. I LOVE their pickled cabbage. Try it with a little bit of soy sauce. So good... I usually get the appetizer Special #4 (or is it #2), but it consists of baked crab, salmon, japanese mayo, etc... I get a side a rice and extra larger portion of the pickled cabbage all for about $10.00 MAX. I'm usually very full after that. I know... This is a sushi place. Their sushi here is very fresh and the portions are larger than other sushi joints. The wait can be long sometimes of up to about an hour and good luck trying to get a seat at the bar. For the 7 years I've been there, I've never sat at the sushi bar. Everyone I've brought here loves the place. I can't go to another sushi restaurant in fear that I'm going to get ripped off. read more

So last weekend I decide to take my girlfriend out to a new restaurant she hasn't been to before. You see for the past few weeks I have been raving about how good their food is and about all the good times I've had there with friends and family. This combined with her insatiable appetite for trying out new food joints, resulted in a pretty pleasant Friday night. Not to mention I've been reading up on some negative reviews about this place, and I'm intent on setting the record straight. Arriving in Irvine at 8:30, we still had to wait about half an hour for a table for two. This place can get dangerously packed at peak hours for both lunch and dinner. Since they don't take reservations, this would normally make for a long wait filled with awkward silences and cheap small talk. Fortunately this place is inside a fairly large plaza with a strong Asian community. The second you sit down they place a hot teapot full of delicious green tea and a small plate with pickled cabbage right in front of you. As a sort of free appetizer, it tells you all about the food you're about to eat right off the bat. I have always enjoyed Japanese food above other Asian cuisines for three reasons: it's clean, it's simple, and it's well executed. The pickled cabbage was full of flavor, it wasn't sopping wet with preservatives, and was as simple a dish as could ever be. The tea was nice and hot and went down smooth, albeit a bit too smooth. Personally I like my tea with bite, I'm talking tea-leaves-floating in-your-cup-and-hitting-you-in-the-back-of-your-throat bite. After wards they handed us both a nice hot bowl of miso soup. Mmmmm, miso soup, one of God's gifts to the culinary world. I got three words for this: Fan-F***ing-Tastic. The miso paste was on point, unlike the usual watered down versions you get at other places. Lovely little bits of green onion and bean curd swimming in a sea of a food orgasm....which I'm pretty sure is what miso stands for. If you're feeling really cheap, just come to this place for a bowl of rice and miso soup and keep them coming. For the entree we decided on ordering a rainbow roll, yellow tail tuna sashimi, and the combo meal consisting of: sesame chicken, grilled beef, rice, lettuce, green beans, and a nice slice of orange. Now I know already know what you're going to say, "Why are you ordering the damn teriyaki chicken? You can get that stuff at Yoshinoya for $5!" So gather 'round children and heed my words before you form a lynch mob. As a proprietor and/or chef, why would I spend the extra cash and effort into producing a higher quality meal that I know not many people will eat? So they just cook up some rice, cook up random bits of chicken until its slightly dry, drench in teriyaki sauce, and serve it with perhaps a macaroni salad or something. This is the common formula for all lesser Japanese restaurants. It's the places that TRULY care about their food, that bother with putting out a higher quality product that will satisfy customers. And if their less-ordered menu items are absolutely delicious, you know the rest of the menu is good. And they did not disappoint. First off let me tell you, this place is huge. The plate, and I'm not joking here, almost encompassed my side of the table to the point where I had to reach around the plate just to get to my chopsticks. It's a lot of bang for your buck, and for those with light appetites, you'll definitely be having leftovers for lunch. My only problem was that the beef was cooked medium well, and NO cuts of meat should ever be cooked medium well. Every cut of meat, be it chicken or pork or duck, should always be somewhere smack dab in the middle of rare to medium rare. If you want it to be on the burner longer, then you don't deserve to eat meat. In the end it was a good meal. On average you'll probably end up spending $20 per person on the meal if you plan on eating their delicious sushi and sashimi. Add a bit more of you want their sake or detract if you're sticking to my "rice 'n miso" idea. But the best surprise of this meal is this....their service. It was great! The little Japanese lady speaking in broken English was very courteous and attentive to our table, although towards closing time she tended to disappear a bit more frequently. But come on...good customer service, with an ASIAN waitress? These phrases don't belong in the same sentence! Overall it was a pleasant experience. In a county filled with great Japanese cuisine at every corner we found a great standout place. What makes it stand out isn't its ostentatious presentation, but its return to simplicity. It's not afraid to show you that its culinary roots lies not in four star Michelin institutes churning out fine dining, but rather a basic need to bring out great flavors in the simplest of ingredients and recipes. In the end we both had a great meal, and she left the restaurant perfectly satisfied and dreaming of the next time she'd be eating fresh seafood. read more

Been coming here since early 90's and it continues to be my favorite restaurant of all time. Not necessarily because it's the best sushi or best bento boxes - there are better. However, to get better, you'd have to pay double the prices at half the portions. This place is about very good quality sushi, above average portions, reasonable price and consistent quality. The bento boxes are solid also - big portions, average quality, great value. I no longer live in OC, but everytime I visit, I almost always visit Taiko and it continues to deliver. The lines are crazy, even after 20 years. I try for sushi bar, but sometimes don't want to wait. Sushi chefs are really good. Get there early or get there late. Its crazy. How many restaurants nowadays still have lines after 20 years? Very, very few. Seafood salad is a great deal. #4 special - yum. Actually, this place is terrible. Don't come here. Just kidding. I don't want the lines to get longer than they already are. read more

Had a great meal to celebrate wifey's new job! I'm also trying to watch my carb intake so they had a lot of choices that filled me up while limiting the carbs. Ordered: 1. Hamachi Collar - amazing! 2. Sushi Samshimi Combo w/ Chicken - great fish. chicken is seasoned well. 3. Rainbow roll w/ little rice 4. Seafood Salad (sashimi salad) 5. miso soup 6. hot tea Service was very attentive and nice. Get there early, the wait can be 30min - 1Hr read more

This used to be my second favorite sushi place in OC and now might have taken it over. If you're looking for fancy rolls and fake sushi (california rolls, tempura rolls) this might not be the place for you. Ive been going here for years and they have consistently been quality sushi. Their cuts of sushi are fresh and melt like butter. The toro is on another level and they give you a good chunk, not some puny silver. The yellowtail was pure butter and I love the warm food as well. Also, they have the BEST BEST BEST Spicy tuna roll. Im not sure what they mix it with but I do taste some spicy mayo, hint of ecstasy and dash of heaven ... whatever it is, i recommend it Cons: Minimum 1 hour wait and no reservations, but worth it read more

I always order the same thing: sushi, tempura, sesame chicken combo. The fish is fresh and generous. The food isn't anything earth shattering but it's reliable and consistent. A real Old Faithful. read more

Very fresh fish. Great service. $13 for chirashi at lunch is not bad! Be warned; there can be quite a wait. I ordered their spicy tuna roll too, which was pretty much standard. Go for the raw fish and take advantage of that freshness. They don't need to hide behind a bunch of sauces/tempura. :) read more

I dined here last week and loved everything I had! I usually get intimidated by thick cuts of sushi, but every piece was so fresh and had a melt-in-your-mouth texture. They yellowtail sushi, negi toro roll, & sweet shrimp stole the show for me. Also, the waitress was very kind & sat me down even though I'm a jerk and came like 40 mins before closing. Will definitely be back! read more

Great sushi/sashimi options. Portions are great. Highly recommend this place. Taiko is really popular. Go early if you don't want to wait too long. Our family's go to place when craving Japanese food. read more

This place's high popularity with actual Japanese people was enough to convince me of this restaurant's appeal. Taiko is a good value and great for hearty eaters. I just went there a few weeks ago and almost forgot how large their combination plates were (the plates alone are over a foot in diameter). For all you romantics, they even have boats of food you can share with loved ones! But seriously, I enjoy their food. The sushi's good, the teriyaki's good, the tempura's good, and the service is...okay (thought I was gonna say 'good,' huh?). Since it's an Asian restaurant that serves mostly Asian customers (from my experiences), you have to assume a drop in the level of customer service. This isn't because the wait staff is rude or anything like that, it's just that this place is usually so busy that the waitresses have a hard time accomodating everyone! If you're looking for good Japanese food, try Taiko. If you want quantity over quality, try Maki Yaki. If you're looking strictly for sushi, look elsewhere. Their sushi bar is super busy and, if you're a sushi connoisseur, you might want to look elsewhere. Also, be prepared for loud conversation in this place. I guess people like to talk when they eat, or something... read more

Years ago, when Irvine was developing into the pillar of suburbia it is today, this was THE place to go for a good lunch. If you take a look around opening time (I think it used to be 11:00 am for lunch- not sure now), the lines stretch down the sidewalk, just like they did almost ten years ago. Prices have fluctuated a great deal since then, but the lunch discount is still a STEAL... Otherwise, Taiko would probably be seen as another pricey Japanese restaurant in South County. Either way, it's still delicious! From junior high until now, whenever I've gone to Taiko, I've always ordered the lunch combo. Sometimes I pick teriyaki chicken and tempura, sometimes I pick teriyaki beef and tempura, and sometimes I order all teriyaki... you get the point. What's great about Taiko is 1. The portions are BIG (if you get your lunch, you're REALLY getting your money's worth) 2. The salad dressing is delicious (some people think it's a throwaway side, but salads really complete a good Japanese combo for me) 3. The orange wedge on the side of the dish (great palate cleanser) If you can beat the lines, or stand the wait, go to Taiko for the lunch special. If not, Taiko's still worth a nice outing with that special someone- you can even get Yogurtland or Lollicup afterwards! read more

I must admit, I'm a sucker for big portions, which is why Taiko is one of my favorite restaurants when I get together with friends. Taiko always have a long line outside its door, and it's well deserved. They have very good plates, and their sushi is also very fresh. If you go for lunch, which is when I usually go, expect to spend about $8 to 10 for food. The combination lunch usually consist of miso soup, salad, a plate full of 2 meat items (teriyaki chicken, beef, tempura... basically mix and match). The price is very reasonable for a japanese restaurant, and did I mention their combination lunch portions are huge? read more

45 to an hour wait on a Saturday night, i guess this place must be good. As we were lead to our table i see mountains of food on everyones table, the prices are pretty reasonable for the amount of food you get. The sushi was pretty fresh, green tea was good, as was the miso soup. I ordered the chicken sukiyaki, the chicken was over cooked and i had to watch everyone eat for about 15 mins before it came out. tips: dont order the sukiyaki if you're hungry, because it takes forever to come out. parking is hellish read more

The very first time I went to Taiko was about 7 years ago when I didn't eat sushi. And it was so long ago I don't remember much about the food, all I remember was the extremely long lines. Now fast forward to 2011, I moved back to OC where I work part-time at an upscale Japanese restaurant somewhere in OC, and I've grown to eat and enjoy raw fish. When my co worker first suggested we have dinner at Taiko saying their sushi is the best, and all I could think about was the long lines. On a slow night one day we both got to leave early due to lack of customers and so we went to Taiko to indulge in sushi. We sat at the sushi bar with Ono-san. OMG the fish was super fresh, the presentation is nice and they don't skimp you on the portion. To finish off my dinner I had the ninja handroll (deep fried soft shell crab, rice, avo, cucumber, gobo, masago). Comparing Taiko's sushi with my restaurant's sushi, I'd have to say that the portions are better, price is better, and the presentation is better, I love how Ono-san puts onions and garnishes with ponzu on my sushi. And, the ninja handroll is the best here. I've had it at other japanese restaurants, and Ono-san makes it the best. To avoid the long wait, my coworkers and I only go occassionally when we both get off early due to a slow night. And because of that we usually get there at around 8:50, when the sushi bar starts to empty out on a Sunday night. It's usually the two of us first then the third coworker shows up around 10 mins after us, and they keep saying that all of us has to be present of they wont seat us. I mean, I understand if its peak hours and its superbusy, but they close in 40 mins and the bar is emptying with no other people waiting. read more

I enjoy coming to this place when I can. And I still love the sukiyaki, but... I'm not sure if it's worth the wait. I drive by Taiko pretty often and there is ALWAYS a long line. I see people with foldable chairs waiting outside before this place is even open like hardcore Star Wars fans at a midnight opening. I don't know if this place is THAT good. Most of the combi's have good pricing and portions but the quality is not amazing. I honestly don't understand the hype that has developed around Taiko. I think you could easily go somewhere else for better quality. read more

Yellowtail is amazing!! Plus, this place always has a line before they even open the doors, you know that's a GREAT indicator of quality and service. read more

Taiko - Line 30mins before opening! - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California