It was just ok. Looong wait on Friday night. Waiters were efficient & quick. I prefer thinner, wider, crispier, and light tonkatsu with slightly seasoned batter. Felt heavy overall. The sauce was just ok too. I would do something different with the cabbage. A light sauce... read more

The first time I had Yoko was when my brother brought home what I thought was a beautiful to-go container (I didn't even know to-go containers could be beautiful!) of delicious korean-style donkatsu with thin breading but a great crunch to go with it (even with the long trip back from Buena Park to Santa Ana). I knew then I would have to go to the restaurant itself and try it one day. Fortunately, I was able to go recently with a group of friends and did not realize... wow how small it was. I think it could fit around 34 people total? It could be slightly more or less but it was a small area. The wait was pretty large though when I got there and I could tell it seemed to be worth the wait. For a party of 5 it took around 20-30 minute before we were seated and given the menu. It was a simplistic menu offering mainly different types of donkatus, udons, and rolls. With those, there were special sets you could get with your donkatsu or with your udons as well if you wish! I opted to go for the pizzakatsu and was not disappointed with the sight when it came out! It looked exactly like a pizza except with donktasu instead of bread to support the nice layer of melting mozzerella cheese and a nice sprinkle of mushrooms and various bell peppers. They even gave me some dry hot peppers to sprinkle on like one would do with an actual pizza! Everything about the dish was amazing though! Each bite felt was crunch and the flavor of the deep-fried donkatsu with the cheese was savory in the best way. The side dishes of pickled radish and pickled jalapenos were a great addition in bringing a different depth of flavor. The cabbage was super filling and there was a perfect amount of dressing to coat each bite I took. The price was also decent for a total of $12.95+tax for ALL that food. Overall, it was just a heavenly experience. I'm definitely going to come back to Yoko for my donkatus fix from now on and definitely looking forward to trying possibly the combo in the future or the other types of donkatsus they offer too. read more

Yoko - pizzakatsu goodness - Japanese Near Me - Buena Park, California

Yoko is the first restaurant that I've been to that specializes in katsu. The presentation is great as your food comes out on a tray. They give you a ton of cabbage to counter the deep fried goodness. However, the katsu does not feel greasy at all! It feels rather light with the breadcrumbs/panko is a thin layer surrounding the meat. The cold soba was standard, nothing to rave about but was a great combo to contrast the hot donkatsu. Price is reasonable and they give you a lot of food. I'd recommend this place to those who crave katsu. read more

Yoko - Soba donkotsu combo - Japanese Near Me - Buena Park, California

This is my favorite place to go for chicken katsu. The chicken katsu is always cooked perfectly each time I visit. I also enjoy the dipping sauce that comes with the chicken katsu, and the side dishes. They will give you some pickled radish, pickled jalapeños and some cabbage to eat with the katsu. We also like to get the deluxe set and add udon noodles, it's really delicious. They have one of the best udon noodles, super simple bowl of udon noodle soup but the flavor is delicious. During covid, we often will order to go here and the to go boxes are really cute as well. Whether it's dining in or getting the food to go, I have never been disappointed with this establishment. And best of all, the price is very reasonable here for such tasty food. The total (not including tip) was around $30 for what you see in the photo. read more

Yoko - Chicken Katsu - Japanese Near Me - Buena Park, California

Very impressed with this place! Picked up some katsu for a few friends and I for dinner since they suggested katsu and yoko was the first business under katsu in the area. We got the kimchi cheese and regular pork katsu and the spicy tuna roll. My bf loves kimchi and he really liked the kimchi cheese. I was really impressed with the katsu as it wasn't too crispy and it also wasn't too flimsy. The cabbage salad was also really good. It tasted better than most katsu salads. The spicy tuna was good too! Parking will probably difficult to find as the plaza is always packed. The store itself is also really small so I wouldn't recommend this place for big groups. We were also charge $1 extra for every item (Pretty sure it was because I ordered it to go). But they didn't even warn me about it. read more

Yoko - Kimchi cheese and regular pork katsu - Japanese Near Me - Buena Park, California

See all

Food was amazing and the service was friendly and quick. Ordered two of their donkatsu combos and the serving was more than enough! Definitely check it out read more

Small sit down area which can leas to long waits, but the food here is worth the wait. I usually get the Chicken Katsu combo with a crunch roll and it's more than enough food. Best chicken Katsu I've ever had. Also comes with a fried potato ball and fried shrimp piece. read more

Crispy and moist katsu! The katsu sauce is so good! I love the dressing they use for the cabbage! The last time I got this was during COVID and they only do take out. It's definitely a place to try if you're in the area. read more

If you like katsu, you must try this place, and would recommend dine in for sure, and you will have the best katsu ever (at least I haven't had katsu that's better). The katsu would feel a bit less amazing if you take it togo, but still pretty good~. California roll, crunch roll and spicy tuna roll are all ok, udon and soba are both pretty good. Unless you don't like pork, else I would 100% recommend donkatsu over chicken katsu. read more

Yoko - Donkatsu w/California roll combo togo - Japanese Near Me - Buena Park, California

Stopped by today around lunch time. Place is pretty small with about 10 or 12 tables. There was one server working the entire front by himself and doing togo order so I was extremely impressed. Ordered the Bueno Roll ($8) and the Donkatsu Combo with Udon. Beware the portions here are extremely huge! The Bueno Rolls was just a crunch roll with spicy tuna and masago on top. The roll was good and had the perfect amount of spice you definitely do not need the soy sauce and wasabi. The Donkatsu was a huge disappointment... It was extremely dry and oily. Ate two pieces and threw the rest out. The udon was average. The broth was rich but was lacking a bit of flavors so it did not give it the depth in taste other places had. I was looking forward to trying to try this place out but it did not live up to my expectations. read more

See all

The last time I was here was back in 2012 and I had a bad experience with the "to go" order. This time I decided to give them another try, and dine in. Eating in was a much better experience. Its located in the back of a dilapidated strip mall, between Los Coyotes Drive and Rosecrans, just a few doors down from a Korean Health Spa. There's plenty of parking, but if you want a super close spot, you may have to circle. The menu is not extensive. One page consisting of: -Donkatsu (items covered in panko breadcrumbs and fried) - Udon (rice noodles in a fish broth) - Donkatsu or Udon combos with sushi rolls or soba (cold buckwheat) noodles. - Simple handrolls (California, Crunchy, Spicy Tuna, or Buena? roll) Prices start at $6.95 for noodles to $12.95 for the combo. The cutlet you get takes up 1/2 the plate, and its served with a generous cabbage salad. The combo comes with a fried potato ball and a fried shrimp, but unfortunately no rice. If you get just the Katsu, it comes with rice and a bowl of soup. On this visit, they had one young man who spoke excellent English and Korean, so I didn't have to struggle with the staff who spoke very little English. My friend met me there and got us a table at 5:45 pm on a Wednesday night. She said the place emptied out in waves. When she got there the place was 80% full. By the time I sat down at 6:15, there were only 4 tables occupied. By the time we left at 7:30, the place was packed. The place is tiny, roughly 10 tables, and 3 of the 10 tables are for 2 people only. Its not a place you can bring a large group, although I am sure they can accommodate you if you're patient. My experience dining IN was much better than taking it to go. Four stars for the freshness of the food (piping hot!) and the wait wasn't that long. Plus the prices are very reasonable. read more

See all

Yoko I have been a fan of this place for a really long time and enjoy taking many of my friends to this spot to try out all the tasty food. Located right next to the beach Korean spa and also a Rite Aid, you can find lots of parking spots in this huge parking lot! It's a pretty old building but I don't think that's what matters. It's small,cute with ten tables and really friendly waitresses. I haven't had the pizza style katsu but that one seems pretty popular on Yelp. I have tried the regular one and also the kimchi cheese. That one is really good. My favorite also is the sesame seeds that you have to crunch up. The sauce that they have is so bold and flavorful and everything mixed together taste so delicious!! This place is pretty busy, every time that I have came here almost all the tables had someone sitting in them. I like this spot and I can't wait to come back and try out the pizza one! read more

Yoko - Kimchi cheese - Japanese Near Me - Buena Park, California

See all

Oh man! I am so happy we found this place. We just had dinner here and I must say we were very happy. The place was packed when we got there so we already knew this was a popular spot. They gave us a bowl of sesame seeds which we weren't sure what to do with. The waiter said to crush it to our liking. A few minutes later they put sauce in it to dip our katsu. The combo is the way to go, if you're super hungry. You get the katsu dish and additional side for less than $14. The pizzakatsu was actually good! I would recommend it! Especially, if you like cheese! read more

Yoko - Pizzakatsu! A must try. - Japanese Near Me - Buena Park, California

See all

I've been trying to find a place comparable to Yoko but I just can't... it's too good! Yoko is unique and offers delicious katsu, udon, soba, and sushi! My usual order is a donkatsu and udon noodle combo. The donkatsu is fried but light, not greasy at all. It's served on a bed of shredded cabbage with a side of the sesame seeds you grind yourself in a mortar n pestle (which the waiter pours the sauce into for dipping before you get your meal). Additionally, there are sides of pickled jalapeños, kimchi radish, and a dried seasoning. The simple yet delicious udon noodle soup compliments the fried donkatsu. Big portions for a good price. Fast and excellent service. Wish there are more locations! Highly recommend you check this place out. read more

The food was delicious and service was good. This is one of the best tonkatsu places I've ever been to!

We felt like eating tonkatsu and some sushi. I think the food is priced just right for the quantity and quality. What gives the 5 stars for me is the flavor. Everything tasted really good. My compliments to the restaurant staff who have learned how to make it correctly. read more

One of my favorite spots in the area! They have complimentary barley tea if you want something warm. Their donkatsu combo is amazing! I can never choose between udon or soba because they're both delicious. Everything was perfectly seasoned. It is a small restaurant and they seem to be understaffed so be patient! I recommend going during the weekdays when they open. Weekends can get extremely packed. read more

My spot for when I come to California. Everything was tasty especially after a long day of travel from Vegas. Hours were 11am to 830pm. We barely made it in at around 812pm. I was expecting to be turned away because when u show up quarter to closing to some establishments. They'll tell you. Kitchen is already closed or closing. Mama there still took us in. The waitress there was very welcoming. She even told us since kitchen was about to close. She had the courtesy to ask if we wanted anymore to order before the kitchen finally closed. Thats service with a 100 percent score to boot. The chicken katsu curry dish was crispy outside and tender inside. My son ordered then cheese katsu. That dish was in a class of its own. Definitely a must to try. I will definitely come back for that! read more

Yoko - Like King Arthur says...I Shall Return! Chicken Katsu Curry is on the level! - Japanese Near Me - Buena Park, California

Our go-to donkatsu place! This place has been around for a long time and their food quality has remained the same over the years--great! For the price, this place has the best combos. Recently I tried the kimchi cheese katsu and my goodness was I surprised (it was so good without being too oily). read more

Friend recommended this place for me and no doubt one of the best chicken katsu i've had and mixed it with yakisoba !! best combo :) I highly recommended this place if you are craving for japanese korean fusion. read more

Yoko - Tonkotsu + Yakisoba combo - Japanese Near Me - Buena Park, California

Such a great hole in the wall! My friends and I all ordered the Donkatsu Combo. I loved that there were so many option for sides! I got the Udon, while my friends got the Soba and California Roll. Each set also came with a Shrimp Tempura and Potato Ball as well. However, bear in mind that there is no rice! But you can definitely order a bowl of rice on the side if you need one! I preferred mine with the salad that came with it because it was super refreshing and helped balance the heaviness of the donkatsu. I say "heavy" but it wasn't greasy at all, just super filling! The shrimp tempura was surprisingly delicious and the shrimp as perfectly cooked! The breading is the same as the breading used for the donkatsu, though, so don't expect the typical Japanese tempura. The udon broth was also super flavorful! The udon noodles were slightly undercooked but it didn't really bother me. My friend said the soba was really good if you want a cold noodle option. My other friend, however, didn't really enjoy the California roll because the rice and each piece was super thick. The rice used for the roll also seemed a but mushy, but it was all still edible. Aside from the small mishap, the meal was delicious and I would definitely come back again! read more

Yoko - Donkatsu Combo with Udon - Japanese Near Me - Buena Park, California

This is my family's go-to restaurant. Guests come over from other states ... Yoko. Kids feeling under the weather... Yoko. Take out mood... Yoko. We really go there way too much, but Yoko hits just right spot for everyone in our family. Amazingly they don't have a HUGE variety in the menu, but it works... small menu, fast service, high quality food. read more

Tucked in the back corner of a small plaza in Buena Park lies this gem. It is a small, modern restaurant that used to have their walls adorn with music posters. They have since been taken down after the COVID lockdown. I haven't been back since the opening of restaurants for dine in eating to know if the decor is back up. They have an assortment of different Katsu. While the classic don katsu is available, you also have other fusion options such as pizza Katsu. They also have a small menu of sushi and udon. My personal favorite is their chicken Katsu and their shrimp tempura udon. I can never get them at the same time because of their hefty portion sizes. But 9/10 times, I'll usually always go for the chicken Katsu. I think it's because one of my favorite things to do when I dine in, is being able to grind my own sesame seeds. When you order Katsu, they give you a small bowl of sesame seeds with a pestle. After you've ground the sesame seeds, the server comes and pours their special Katsu sauce over. Then you mix it up and voila! You got some damn delicious Katsu sauce! When I'm craving chicken Katsu, this is the first place I think of vs any Hawaiian restaurant. Definitely the best I've ever had, and I've had A LOT! read more

This place HIT THE SPOT for chicken katsu! Yoko is a Japanese and Korean fusion place. We came on Friday, around 7:30 PM and it was busy. The restaurant is small and the wait was around 20 minutes. The service here was good! Pizza Katsu ($13) - Chicken katsu, topped with melted cheese, mushroom, and small pieces of bell pepper. It comes with shredded cabbage, drizzled with dressing, a bowl of rice and soup, a side of radish and jalapeño, and pepper flakes. I also got a brown sauce on the side to dip the katsu in. This was the BEST katsu I've had. I loved the pizza twist and the melted cheese was delicious on top of the katsu. The chicken katsu itself, was so tender and juicy. The whole combo went really well together! Udon Combo ($12) - Fish cake udon with a crunch roll on the side. This also came with a side of radish and jalapeños. The presentation of the udon and fish cake was very colorful and appealing. The broth of the udon was just right and wasn't salty. I really liked the flavor of this udon bowl and the fish cakes was prefect with it. Sushi is never a bad addition to udon. The crunch roll was good as well. Bueno Roll ($8) - Basically the crunch roll with spicy tuna topped off. It came with soy sauce, but I think it tasted perfectly fine alone. Since this roll was already flavorful, soy sauce was not needed in my opinion. I love the kick of the spicy tuna on top of the crunch roll. I really enjoyed this one! Overall, 4 out of 5 for Yoko! Was really excited to try out this new spot and it definitely was good. Everything about our meal was amazing. I highly recommend giving this place a try! read more

See all

We ordered the cheese katsu and an udon combo with California roll. They were good. What I love about this place is we get to grind our own sesame seeds (before they pour in the sauce when the food is coming). It's fun. Not all katsu place does that. We got the cheese katsu because we were wondering what the heck is a cheese katsu. It was basically giant mozzarella sticks, but better. It was good! They serve it with the cabbage salad. It's so simple, just shredded salad topped with some Mayo, but it's so good. The simplicity elevates the dish. It also cuts the fat from the katsu. Makes you able to eat more, more, and more. They also serve it on a tray with side dishes. There was the pickle radish, jalapeño, and some soy soup(?). The udon combo with California roll was good too. Nothing spectacular, but we always get the crazy and normal item at every place we go to as a "just in case". In this case, both dishes were good. Also - they have generous portion. read more

My boyfriend and I are on a hunt for the perfect pizza katsu. There used to be a korean restaurant near my house in Torrance where they served a pizza katsu with all the gooey delicious cheesy goodness that was inside the katsu along with some marinara sauce. Our favorite pizza katsu location has been closed for some time and we were eagerly looking for a Tonkatsu restaurant that can be deemed as a replacement. We finally found Yoko and were thrilled when we saw pizza katsu on yelp photos. We invited our friends and gave it a try. 3 of us ordered the pizza katsu and another ordered the udon. My girlfriend told me that the udon wasn't the best she has had and it was okay. The pizza katsu was good but not fantastic. The cheesy goodness, toppings, and sauce was on top of the tonkatsu instead of being kept inside. Because the cheese is out in the open, it cools down a lot faster and coagulates a lot quicker--making the tonkatsu less tasty in minutes. But the first few bites are tasty so I'd still give it a solid 3 stars. If anyone knows any tonkatsu restaurant that serves great pizza katsu, please let me know! thanks :) read more

Yoko - Pizza katsu platter - come with rice, miso soup, kimchi, and jalapenos. - Japanese Near Me - Buena Park, California

See all

I've been here many times but my review is based on last week. This place is good. It's good katsu. Good soba and udon. The salad is good. It's not 5 stars oh my god crazy but it's consistently good so if you want katsu there really isn't a better place to go to in the area. Now the service is usually pretty good but this last time it was super slow. The food and everything took twice as long as usual and it wasn't even busy. I'm gonna give them the benefit of the doubt and hope they just had a staffing problem that day. read more

Yoko - The katsu is good but I love the soba here. - Japanese Near Me - Buena Park, California

I arrived here around 5pm and it looked closed down. The windows were all covered and it looked dark inside. However when I opened the door the restaurant was indeed open and busy. I wanted to try this place out because I love Korean style soba. In my opinion it's better than the Japanese kind. The difference is the dipping sauce. It is lighter and sweeter and it makes a world of a difference. I can't find a lot of places with Korean soba so I am really happy to have found this gem. For 16 bucks including tip, I got the combo with donkatsu and soba. The donkatsu was light, crispy and filling. The service was good and I will be coming back for my soba fix! read more

Yoko - Combo - Japanese Near Me - Buena Park, California

I don't know how this place makes any money. The restaurant itself is quite small and for a mere $13, they will give you more food than you know what to do with. This wasn't the best katsu I've ever had, and the food is noticeably korean and not traditional japanese. But they make up for it by giving you gigantic portions that no normal person can finish. And if you CAN finish it by yourself, you have some bigger problems than choosing a good katsu spot. The real value here are the combos, in which you can choose your choice of katsu and a side item like udon or soba. I wasn't very hungry so I got the combo with spicy tuna rolls, and it came with some miso soup. The katsu was breaded and fried nicely, and the meat was moderately juicy. Very similar in quality to Wako. The spicy tuna rolls were not very good at all, and looked like something my mom would make. So I would suggest you don't order any type of roll from a korean owned restaurant. But overall, the food was good. I liked how they included a korokke and fried shrimp with each order, and gave me extra dressing for the giant mound of cabbage salad. The freshly ground sesame seeds for the sauce are also a nice touch. I know I've said this before, but some of these reviewers need to lighten up. You can't pay ten dollars for a lunch and expect the world's best katsu. Honestly, you won't find that here. But what you will find at Yoko, is a good meal and a great value. In a world where paying premium prices for something that looks "hipster" is the norm, it's nice to see a good old fashioned small business like this succeed. Good job guys. read more

I love their Fishkatsu and cabbage slaw!!! It's crispy fried goodness but doesn't taste heavy or oily. Large portions. Cozy setting, if you come during peak hours there's quite a wait. Last visit, we ordered tempura udon for the hubby and of course, my fishkatsu. read more

Yoko - Japanese Near Me - Buena Park, California

See all

Pro: love there cheese katsu!! Sauce is so yummy!!! Love it Cons: dont go there on busy sunday after12 hard to contact on busy sunday! Waiting time was 40mins Waited almost an hour! We learned our lesson and will not go on sunday But this is only place i go to eat katsu!! read more

I love love love yoko. It's my absolute favorite katsu place. It's such a hole-in-the wall location in Buena Park, but it's still poppin, so you should probably get there before you're hungry or you'll be on the waitlist. All their katsu is so good. It's nice, fresh, and crispy. They give you a mortar and pestle with sesame seeds for you to grind while you're waiting. Later they come and fill it with their delicious katsu sauce. It's honestly the best katsu sauce I've had too! The salad is great as well as the sides. The sushi rolls are decent and their cold, soba dipping noodles are great too if you're into that! Staff is always kind and attentive. Now that I moved the bay I miss it so much! read more

Ordered the donkatsu combo with crunch roll and udon. Udon came out with warm soup. Not hot. The combo was a bit expensive considering what was offered. Rice did not come with my katsu dish which was disappointing. Miss suop was also cold Service was terrible. We were seated and instantly asked what we wanted before even looking at the menu. we asked for time and server came back 2 minutes later with waters asking us what we wanted to order again. read more

The food never fails to disappoint me. I love the way Cheesekatsu has corn inside. The batter is crispy, the meat is juicy, and the cheese stretches out well. The cabbage salad, ggagdugi (Korean radish kimchi), and pickled jalapeños go well when the pork cutlet starts to taste a little greasier. Buena Roll is amazing. It consists of fried shrimp, crab meat, cucumbers inside, and spicy tuna and flying fish roe on top of it. The service was amazing despite the fact that it was busy. One waitress stopped by often to fill us water even when we didn't have to ask for it. I give 4 stars because in the end, the other waitress gave us a check, and we asked for separate. She kept insisting that we pay as a whole when we only wanted to pay for the food that each of us ate. When she finally decided to give us separate checks, instead of giving us separate checks, she just wrote the prices separately. I understand that it is easier to only give one check per group but I would still like the servers to understand if customers want to pay for what they ate. read more

Yoko - Buena Roll - Japanese Near Me - Buena Park, California

See all

Yoko is my go to place for donkatsu cravings in the area. The place is hidden away in the corner of a janky plaza. Their bento box packaging is awesome and portions are large for what you pay for. The donkatsu breading to meat ratio is perfect for me. Just enough crunch of the panko with a flavorful bite of their pork. You get a good balance between the two. Dip it into the tonkatsu sauce and you get the awesome combination of flavors. I would recommend to call ahead and place your order since they do get busy at times, even during the pandemic when it's only take out. read more

To start, my first impression of this place during COVID was amazing. Their take-out boxes and branding is ON POINT. And the food is good too. BUT not amazing. It's just kinda what you'd expect from a donkatsu place. It's good donkatsu. For sure. And the combo is quite filling at a solid price point. If you're in the area, it's worth checking out! read more

Yoko - Donkatsu combo (soba not shown) - Japanese Near Me - Buena Park, California

I'm super impressed! I decided to stop by here after my friend's recommendation of this restaurant. We arrived around 8 PM and there was a bit of a wait but it went by super quickly. We were seated and my friend order the donkatsu while I ordered the donkatsu & udon combination. After we placed our orders, we were given two small sauce bowls of sesame seeds for us to grind ourselves. Shortly after we were done, the servers poured the donkatsu sauce over the sesame seeds. My friend's donkatsu came with a bowl of rice, miso soup and cabbage salad while my combination consisted of donkatsu, udon, cabbage salad, shrimp katsu & potato croquette. I was really surprised at how huge the portions were which made me happy because the prices were pretty fair. My friend's donkatsu was about $9 and my combo was about $14. (Super worth it!) The donkatsu itself was really crispy and not dry at all. The udon was average, nothing mind blowing spectacular or anything like that, but if you have a big appetite definitely go for the combo. With attentive service, big portions, fair prices and yummy food, Yoko is definitely worth it. read more

Yoko - Japanese Near Me - Buena Park, California

Finally found the time to check this place out! Came here on a Tuesday evening with some friends, and it was already pretty packed. Just a tip: the list to write your name is inside next to the cash register. After you order, you're given a little bowl of sesame seeds that you can grind up and the waiter put the sauce for the donkatsu in - to be honest, I didn't taste the sesame flavor at all, but still something cool to do while you're waiting for the good stuff. Portion sizes are huge - my friend and I shared the donkatsu combo with soba noodles as our side, and we physically could not finish. The donkatsu itself is pretty good, but it didn't blow my mind. Soba noodles were a little overcooked, but didn't detract from the meal itself. Overall, a good little place to meet up with friends but be ready for a wait! read more

Yoko - super simple menu - makes it easier for those of us that are indecisive :) - Japanese Near Me - Buena Park, California

See all

Always so busy and packed... but worth the wait. Love their food. Wish the restaurant was bigger to accommodate guests with smooth flow

Been coming here several times now and Yoko is always spot on! I normally get the donkatsu combo (comes with miso soup and a choice of side - my go-to is the crunch roll)! Food is PLENTIFUL, and you definitely get your money's worth; normally I have a little leftover for lunch the next day or so. Only complaint here is the place is fairly small so it'll be a hit or miss if you'd have to wait. read more