Our to-go dinner order included Volcano cut roll, Ninja cut roll, Rainbow cut roll, & 3 pieces of salmon nigiri. They all tasted typical, nothing special or bad, however, the appearance of the sushi was very underwhelming given this restaurant has been around for a long time. The fish on top was cut unevenly, the sushi was rolled very loosely in odd shapes, and there was too much creamy baked scallop on top of Volcano roll. read more

Taiko - Volcano (baked scallop topping on the side), Ninja, Rainbow, Salmon Nigiri - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

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This place has an array of food selection, I'd argue maybe too much. If you're an experienced sushi go-er, I recommend looking elsewhere if you're willing to wait. But I will say that their customer service is quite great. read more

The food was so good and it's very big portion ! The staff was super nice and so gentle, I loved the decoration and the mood there. I recommend 100% read more

Taiko - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

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If you dine in, it's at the back of the restaurant. The front entrance is for pick up. If you're dining in, you would need to add yourself to the waitlist via the iPad if there's a line. Inside the restaurant does have a couple of seats, not too small, but not really big either. I got the Rainbow Special Roll, which was really good! I'd definitely come back for more. The employees were also really nice and welcoming and made sure we had everything we needed. Recommendation(s): - Rainbow Special Roll Service: 5/5 Tip(s): - Dine-in is at back, pick-up is at front - Waitlist via Yelp read more

Top notch sushi spot. We went for the "gorge fest" - that's where you order everything in sight and then regret it as you are so stuffed and they are still bring you plates of sushi. The yellow tail collar or cheek (I forgot which) was great among all the good things we ate! Nevertheless, I persevere and grind on. Love their Bento boxes as well. All the servers are very nice and efficient - no nonsense! Support your local! read more

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THE MOST AUTHENTIC JAPANESE RESTAURANT IN OC! Okay, let me be honest, I have not been to any other Japanese restaurant in OC. However, this place was absolutely amazing. They do have a Yelp waitlist but lucky for my group at the time, they were able to squeeze us in since our entire party was already there instead of making us wait through the waitlist. First of all wow, what a cute place. The restaurant itself is not that big. but they make space with what they have. They have combo meals and let me tell you, SHARE !! The combo plates can feed two people and especially when you want to try their rolls. I would recommend getting a roll or two and then one combo plate. You will be set with all that. They also give our complimentary miso soup which is a total plus. Everything tastes so delicious and it just seemed like a home-cook meal in my honest opinion. They have a lot of different platters that you can share with the table as well. Also, the entrance is technically behind the establishment because they are operating their to-go through the front. They have signs to let you know but as of 3/27/22 that is their current state. read more

Taiko - Eel California Cut Roll - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

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20 years ago, I used to come here weekly. Every Friday night. Then I moved away from Irvine and kinda forgot about it. Last weekend, we were looking for a place for dinner before a concert in Irvine and we decided to come back. It was better than I remembered it to be. The portions are huge. The fish to rice ratio is out of control. The cuts of the fish is literally double when compared to other places, it's so filling. But trust me, I know size doesn't matter cuz I'm not a "Size Queen," the fish was also fresh and full of flavor. Taiko is very traditional sushi that focuses on fresh fish and no frills. It's not a scene. If you want legit sushi, go here. If you want to party and meet people, this ain't the place for you. After 20 years, Taiko, you still own my heart and belly. read more

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This place is always popping! I definitely recommend using the Yelp Waitlist feature to help cut your wait time. Although they may be pricier than other Japanese restaurants, it is worth it for the quality and quantity! They are known for their plate combinations and large portions. They also serve unlimited rice and miso soup! PARKING: Free in the plaza although it's crowded! SERVICE: The service is awesome and I felt well attended to the whole evening. Food and requests were served very timely! GREEN TEA: This was free and not on the menu. You can see the tea bag in the tea pot lol but it was okay and does the job when you want something soothing in cold weather. Just a heads up, the tea pours out decently quick. CABBAGE: It's the first thing they place on your table for free. It's slightly pickled and salty? Not a fan. MISO SOUP: Unlimited! It was good. Maybe a tad salty for my preference but still good. SUSHI COMBINATION: -SUSHI: Came with the chef's assortment which varies depending on the day. Your server can show you a picture on the iPad of what the assortment looks like which is cool. The nigiri slices are decently big which I appreciated. -SASHIMI: Comes with two pieces of tuna and two of yellowtail. This was good! -SESAME CHICKEN: Deep fried chicken, however it's not too fried and I liked it more than I expected! -TERIYAKI CHICKEN: Have always enjoyed their teriyaki chicken! They don't go too crazy and drown the chicken in the sauce which I appreciate. -SALAD: I think it's worth mentioning that i enjoy their salad dressing. It's a sesame mayo dressing? I don't even like mayo but I enjoyed this a lot! Look forward to coming here whenever in the area! read more

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Consistently delicious food with large portions. The staff is very friendly and efficient. Lots of seating with many comfortable booths. We are regulars customers for all the above reasons. Thank you Taiko! read more

Great sushi, sashimi, hand rolls, miso soup, it's delicious. Prices are fair, service is great and the drinks are outstanding. Online Yelp waitlist is great too as you know what to expect and how to plan your arrival time. I love that. Nothing worse that arriving at a restaurant and then having to wait 60-90 mins for your table. Why not reserve online? Just makes the most sense to me . Anyway highly recommended read more

Real deal Japanese came across our way back from Newport to Anaheim. Legit Japanese service and food. Sushi huge neta. Rice not the premium best but cooked the best. Good portion of uni on the gunkan. Money all day! read more

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Another sushi spot suffering from shrinkflation. High prices for low quality. Our server was... nice, but hella weird.

I started coming back here - frankly because the system at Tomikawa is just gotten ridiculous and Taiko seems to always have seating. Adding a star because it seems the staff has changed entirely. There used to be a rude lady upfront and an old guy who just don't care enough, they're gone I think. Maybe the place changed owners cause the menu was recently changed too. I liked the new wait staff, and new menu has better visuals. Would add 2 stars but the price increase on nigiri is ridiculous. Basically price of 2 pieces for 1 piece. They also pile on the rice with combos. Any dinner with sushi or sashimi will run at least $50 after tax and tip and you'll probably have snacks later. They are also often out of negitoro. Overall it's an improved environment and they don't rush you anymore. However, gone are the huge pieces at reasonable prices... read more

Mediocre food - I dunno what's so special About it. Only thing special was the good service given. Otherwise, meh. read more

Taikos is going downhill fast. It's barely recognizable as the place we've enjoyed eating at for decades. No more complimentary miso soup. No more complimentary green tea. Smaller portion sizes. Plastic cups. Sub-par iced tea. Removed items from the menu (i.e., seafood salad), because our server flat out told us "they could not make a profit off it." It's heartbreaking to see the tradition, culture and legacy of this restaurant diminished. It's literally decades of heritage destroyed. Very sad. read more

Taiko is an Irvine staple for good affordable food. There's no where else in Irvine that would give you this much food for under $15. I usually order their cut rolls such as their spicy tuna or dynamite roll and its quality and quantity by far surpasses any sushi joint in the area. This time I opted for their lunch combo with sesame chicken,tempura, and a beef skewer. It was a very filling meal, especially with the unlimited complimentary miso on the side. I highly suggest you join their waitlist on yelp or arrive early to the restaurant on weekends as the wait can exceed an hour at times. read more

Taiko - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

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Been eating here for over 30 years (I can't believe I'm that old). The quality is still consistently tops and this is why there's always a line here: big portions of delicious sushi that is reasonably priced. "Reasonable" compared to other OC and LA restaurants that give you small cuts of fish and charge much more. Clutch: I've never gotten sick eating here. Last I ate here was May 11, 2022 and they still haven't opened the sushi bar back from the pandemic shut down. Go to's: salmon belly, hamachi belly, cucumber special & best cooked items: teriyaki steak and sesame chicken (best in OC). read more

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As a regular at Taiko for over 25 years, it's heartbreaking to see where Taiko has gone. I visited this last weekend on a Saturday, right when they opened. The first thing I noticed was the new menu. It's an attractive new menu in terms of the outlook but, all prices have gone up. The combos I was used to have been altered and while they still offer combos, it's just not the same. I came in wanting to order my usual sesame chicken with tempura and beef kushiyaki. They no longer had a combo that included beef kushiyaki so I settled for just sesame chicken. I knew looking at the pictures that the once giant portions for affordable prices would be reduced to a fraction of what they used to be, for a higher price... and I was right. While I'll admit, the taste was still there, the portion sizes were greatly reduced. My food arrived on this giant (and completely unnecessary) plastic tray that took up way too much room on the table. I also ordered what I think is a new creation, the sweet shrimp hand roll. It was appealing to the eye and the sweet shrimp was yummy but the crab meat had an odd flavor that I didn't care for. I wouldn't order it again. I was very sad to hear that the once endless miso soup is no longer endless. Also, only certain menu items would get an included bowl of miso soup. If you want more it's $1. They also charge for the hot tea now which (I might be wrong) but, I don't remember them doing that before either. I ended up sharing my little bowl of miso soup with the person I was eating with so we wouldn't have to pay extra. The person I was eating with ordered a Taiko bento. It seems they've updated the menu to include more customization options for people who want them but, the person I was with said that they've also downsized some things in the bento. For example: they used to give two green muscles and now it's just 1. Things like that. This person said the food still tasted good so at least there's that. The waitress we had was nice. She kept admitting it was her first day working with the new menu and kept apologizing. I honestly wouldn't have noticed if she didn't keep admitting it. I gently voiced my opinions regarding the new menu and how I'm sad that they've changed things. Throughout my meal, I noticed some things regarding the other customers and other workers. There were several tables that definitely seemed unhappy with the changes. I heard them discussing the changes with their waitresses and the table next door went as far as to even talk to the manager about it peacefully. It seems I'm not the only one very disappointed with these changes. I also noticed some of the waitresses looked really disorganized. They seemed lost and didn't know which table had ordered what. This one waitress seemed to be struggling to understand what her customers wanted. While these points aren't necessarily going to affect my review, I do think it created a rather unprofessional and unpleasant air in the restaurant and it honestly did take away from the overall experience (which really wasn't going well to begin with). I kept hearing what I thought was the manager repeatedly telling customers "you'll get used to it" when told that they didn't like or were surprised by the new menu. Really? That's what you tell your customers? Throughout the meal, I noticed this really unpleasant chemical smell that would come and go. It was revolting and I had no idea if it was some chemical they were using to clean or somebody's cheap perfume. Whatever it was, it made me want to leave as soon as possible. I was very saddened to walk in and find out the Taiko I knew for my entire life was no longer there. It was actually very sad to me as I've made many memories here. While I'll probably still drop by from time to time, I don't think I'll be coming nearly as often as I was before. read more

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Great food. We tried different sushi, salads and udon noodles. All were really tasty and perfect. Service was really good, our food came really fast and our waiter was really good. Will be back for sure. read more

Sushi and rolls for late lunch today were good rice needs to be better but the fish was fresh and good cuts for the sushi Service was very good and the prices are reasonable read more

Fresh special is always a good choice. Try the bluefin sushi or seared nigiri, seaweed salad the rainbow sushi cut roll is a good sample plate read more

Taiko - Welcome cat for Oct - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

Hidden Gem is No More. Food quality and quantity are going downward with this price hikes!!!! I haven't been back here for a year but it was a horrible experience when I did pay a visit few weeks ago on Sat noon time with 5 minutes waiting. Taiko was my go to place when I used to live near by. Unfortunately, the new ownership and Covid-19 have negative impacted them which including service, quality, variety and quantity when I compared the previous Japanese ownership before Covid started. I came here often even it has the worse parking condition in Irvine when ppl park illegally in the fire truck zones but I don't believe I will ever and never come to visit it again if it's parking is widely available. Bento and hot items getting substantially worsen because I didn't what I were eating a sukiyaki or hotpot item. Quantity is less than it used to be. Food in the bento is lower quality and mostly is salad green and canned beans at the bottom. Sized of the California roll is substantially reduced from 8 to 6 slim pieces. I bet the new owner values the business than the customers and I don't really see any human touch and love under his management. If the food and quality are not your priority why you need to take over this hidden gem restaurant and ruins its reputation built by the previous owners and let go all of the lovely Japanese sushi chefs. Dragon Special Roll - Used to be 8 big piece when I fill me up easily. Currently, price is around USD 15.00 but it only has 5 tiny thin pieces but I can tell the quality is way below the sushi from Tokyo Central and Mitsuwa when they only charge half of its price. Compared to past, the size has is 50% reduction. I have nothing say for those ppl giving out 5 stars and willing to pay for a restaurant price for below Tokyo central quality but I m definitely laughing at yours face. I hope they can shine again but the chance is slim when it is under a Chinese ownership. Recommendation: zero star because ........ Eel was not fresh and not in a completed piece, a thin slide of fish slabbed on top a piece lose rice is called good craftsmanship. Also, it looks like an internship sushi chef making a sushi by using a machinery at the Chinese own Buffet chain but in premium price. 1 good thing, hot green tea is free all you can drink and unlimited sauna experiencing when enter the back door entrance. It was a 60 - 70 F Sat afternoon and the room was barely full but the only AC they had was by opening the back door for the air circulation. I bet their intent to make sure patrons leave as soon as you done with your meals. You really did a good job because I will never come back again for this cheapskate practice. read more

Taiko - Crunchy Cut Roll - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

I come to this old Irvine standby when I get a hankering for what I consider the best sesame chicken in the area and off-menu excellent seafood soup served in cast iron teapot. Taiko could probably use a remodeling overhaul but they'd have to shut the place down and what would all those people who camp out waiting for a sushi bar seat the half hour before the restaurant opens do? They added an appetizer/specials mini menu since the last time I came here. We ordered the Tako Q, which is octopus, cucumber, and seaweed in Sichuan peppercorn sauce to start. The sauce was much more gooey than I expected. (I expected zero level of goo.) The taste was an interesting surprise since there was no description, only a picture to tell you what you were getting. The cucumbers tasted like they had been cooked and served cooled down. Not an altogether preferable texture over fresh, crisp raw cukes. The octopus was nicely tender and not at all chewy. That was the best part of an otherwise disappointing dish. The rest of the dishes we ordered are our usuals for when we come to Taiko: baked scallops (aka scallops dynamite), ninja roll, sesame chicken and tuna combo, seafood dobin. The scallops dynamite is scallops and mushrooms baked in a mayo masago sauce. It's delicious over rice. I don't eat much white rice these days but I make a special exception for this dish. You can make this dish at home and use better seafood than the tiny bay scallops they use here but they do a beautiful job of getting a browned top that I'm too impatient to wait to form on my home version. I'm a sucker for soft shell crabs (all the deliciousness of eat crabs and none of the tedious shell picking!) so we always order ninja rolls when we see them on a sushi menu. The crabs were big and meaty here and accompanied by asparagus, avocado, sprouts, cucumbers, sesame seeds and masago for a big textural, tasty bite. If I had my druthers I would cut down on the rice about 40% but it's pretty good as is. The sesame chicken here is so bomb. Big pieces of dark meat chicken marinated until fragrant means they stay juicy when fried. I'm a sesame chicken/karaage fiend so I order that whenever I see it on a Japanese menu but I always come back to Taiko's version. The tuna is seared with grill marks and they always do a good job of not cooking all the juiciness out of it. The combo comes rounded out with boiled green beans served with mayo and iceberg salad with a sweet Russian type dressing. The tuna is great dipped into the mayo. Finally, seafood dobin, a fragrant soup redolent of bonito dashi served in a cast iron teapot with a tiny cup so you can take piping hot sips. This dish is not found on the menu so you must ask for it by name. It's excellent! Inside you'll find a crab claw, some bay scallops, pieces of white fish, shrimp, gingko nuts, mizuna, kamaboko fish cake. You only get a few pieces of each item but what you're here for is the soup. The service is polite and no-nonsense. We tend to order too much food and after giving our order, we asked the waitress if that was enough food and she very frankly said, "that's a lot of food." Haha I know what I'm about. Another tip: ask for the more flavorful sushi bar green powdered matcha tea instead of the usual green tea teabags they serve in the dining room. read more

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3.5 stars but rounded up because it was a good value for what I ate. My friends and I came here around 5:30pm on a Saturday for dinner. When we arrived, it was already pretty crowded and the wait was unclear. There was a separate waitlist for people who wanted to specifically sit at the sushi bar. We opted to wait for a table. The wait was roughly around an hour. You can check into the waitlist on Yelp early, so I highly suggest that. Food: Miso Cod - This was cooked well, but I wish it had a little bit more flavor. It was priced like an appetizer though which made it worth it. Sushi Dinner - This came with a variety of different nigiri and tekka maki. It was good and filling. For only $19, it was also a good value. Edamame - I wish it was salted more. Service: The service was slow to start, but it was fine once our server caught up with everything they had to do. Our waters were filled occasionally, and our food came out pretty quickly. Our edamame should have came at the beginning of our dinner, but it didn't come into midway through our entrees. TL;DR - Decent sushi for a good price. Sitting at the sushi bar seems to be the main attraction here though read more

Taiko - Miso Cod - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

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This is my go-to sushi spot in Orange County! I have been coming to this place for nearly ten years and there's no better sushi spot in OC! The service there is great, the entire staff is amazing! The price here is really good. You get a LOT of fish for your buck if you're into sushi. I personally come here for the sushi, the rainbow roll has to be my favorite. The prices are pretty standard, about $10-14 a roll but these rolls are big! You will definitely get your money's worth and leave full. One of my favorite dishes is the seafood salad. It is a bowl with dressed cucumber and radish with a bunch of sashimi on top! So yummy! If you aren't a fan of sushi/raw fish items, their lunch menu has A TON of options! Their tempura is super crispy and includes shrimp, bell pepper, sweet potato, squash and I think string beans. The sesame chicken and terriyakis are also very good and like their sushi, are big portions! I love getting one lunch combination (I usually go for the tempura and sesame chicken) and the seafood salad to share with someone else! This place is DEFINITELY somewhere where you want to get on that yelp waitlist before arriving, because it is always busy!! Watch out for the hours too, they close at 2PM then reopen for dinner! This is a must try! read more

Taiko - Seafood salad - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

Taiko was my top choice Japanese restaurant in-person for the past 10 years, but I'm worried based on my latest delivery. I began ordering a frequent amount of delivery nigiri from them in 2021 with an occasional dine-in, and the quality seemed to justify the expensive rates. After an extended absence, I ordered delivery and was confused that the nigiri portions were cut in half? $5.75 for one salmon nigiri, $10 for one bluefin nigiri, and $11.30 for toro. Suddenly receiving one piece for an order of nigiri feels deceptive (and apparently, this would be unusual to see in Japan as well). If fish prices are high, then adjust your prices higher (and do your best to prepare customers/publicize for the change) - customers will decide when looking at the delivery menu. But to change the quality without notice or change proportions is disappointing. Additionally, the beef Udon was underwhelming (which had been my feeling in the past as well). The beef quality didn't seem too great, I enjoyed the broth however. I'll stay away for a few months, and perhaps return later to understand how Taiko progresses. read more

Taiko is the go-to OG Japanese spot in Irvine. Typically people get the large combo plates with the sesame chicken which is bomb. Some izakaya type foods on menu as well. Sushi is decent with typical selection of fish/shellfish. Service is good. In recent years following COVID, I believe they are short staffed so they are not as speedy as before, but we give them grace for these trying times. Ambiance is typical for Japanese restaurant. Wait can be long on weekends. Their happy hour times is extensive. Recommend! read more

Terrible service Food came out at random times. My wife ended up finishing her whole meal before I was even served. Drinks were forgotten food was mediocre read more

I've been here a couple times but the last time I went here I got food poising from the oysters!!! So beware of the quality of the food!

We had forgotten we had been here before but ended up going by accident! We got different things than last time that were better than before. service was amazing our server was super attentive and got us everything we asked for. We were sat immediately and everything around us was clean. We got a couple rolls handrolls and nigiri, and a baked scallop. Its just an average sushi place but is very overpriced for what it is. I felt like the salmon texture isnt how i normally have it. The handrolls are not normal they are pretty big and overfilled making it harder to eat. The rolls were average as well, i did like the softshell crab in the spider but it was inconsistent throughout the roll. The baked scallop was definitely a hit for us, the sauce was super good and i dipped some of my rolls in it! Overall its a decent sushi place and clean but i just felt like it was overpriced for the quality. read more

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Taiko was our go to Sushi in Orange County for 12 years. Some time around 2019, new owners took over - they gradually raised the prices, and started saving costs by sacrificing the quality of the food. Several of the sushi chefs that had worked there for many many years are now gone. I would no longer recommend eating there. There are better places to eat. Here is a good expanded review I found about the same subject: https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g32530-d341590-r744159919-Taiko-Irvine_California.html read more

My friend had warned me that this place used to be good but isn't good anymore. I didn't listen. I thought, but there's always a line. Some of our food was average and the rest wasn't good at all. The beef Kushiyaki (beef skewers) was tough, dry, and tasteless. Our crunchy roll was so big that no human being could eat without taking a few bites which defeats the whole idea of a roll. The shrimp tempura had too much batter and wasn't light the way tempura is supposed to be. Our eel sushi tasted stale. And the rest of our sushi was grocery store quality sushi. And even though it wasn't good, the prices were high. I will never go back and I won't recommend this place to anyone. read more

Visited Taiko in June 2021! The service was very quick and efficient; all the staff were very diligent and happy to be serving the customers, making the whole experience feel just as incredible as it was pre-pandemic. The quality of the sushi and sashimi were just as astounding as I remembered and the portions were so generous, my friend and I were feeling as full as we could be! Taiko is and has been an icon in Irvine's Japanese food repertoire and I highly recommend all who are sushi enthusiasts to enjoy all that Taiko has to offer! read more

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What?! I can't believe I don't have a review for Taiko! this used to be our go to for Japanese dining in Irvine. I remember coming here in the early '80s! If you haven't been lately, it's changed quite a bit to accommodate more take out in this Covid / post-Covid / Covid again era. The back door by the pond is now the main dine in entry and the front door is now for takeout! We got takeout and the food is still good. We will go back for dine in again soon. read more

Food was average. Nothing spectacular. Udon noodles came soggy, and broth tasted a bit soapy. Rolls were heavy on rice and sometimes fell apart, indicating it wasnt well rolled. But not bad. Seems like it's now korean owned so be mindful of that. read more

My favorite restaurant. I grew up eating here so I'm a bit biased. High quality sushi! the staff is always warm & welcoming.

They don't take reservations unless it's a party of 8, and they are firm on that. We tried to make reservation for Mother's Day for 7 and was refused. Also don't bother to use Yelp wait list, they don't honor that either. You have to put your name on the actual list at the restaurant. After 40 minutes of waiting, they asked if we were ok with 2 tables back to back, that means that we don't sit together. By then everyone was so hungry that we took up the offer. We ordered several bentos, sushi, Mother's Day special $27, several other ones that I can't remember them all. Our waitress, Jenny was good, friendly and sharp. Staff is friendly. Overall service was good. Food came out pretty fast. The fried chicken was really tasty, but sushi was average, not memorable. We come here several times over the years since the 90s, and my brother insisted on taking our Mom here for Mother's days this time. But the dude really has to get with the times. There are so many new, good sushi places nowadays that Taiko has stiff competition. read more

Taiko - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

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I do t understand why this place has less than 4 stars on YELP. We were craving Japanese food so though so we went for the first time on Sunday night. The place was warm and welcoming! It was full of families. The food portions were huge! I had to bring half my food home that I am now enjoying for lunch! The flavors were traditional Japanese restaurant like. The tempura was crispy and hot and light. The California rolls were fresh and yummy. All the sushi that went by our table looked fresh, appealing and appetizing. The service was quick and the server was super nice and sweet! I'm glad we went and we are certainly planning on going back! read more

Taiko - Delicious tempura appetizer - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

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Great small Mama and Papa sushi store. Friendly service and atmosphere. Great for all ages. read more

Taiko - Udon & Sushi + Iced Green Tea - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

Food was excellent. We had salmon teriyaki, beef teriyaki and shrimp and vegetable tempura.