Taiko Japanese Restaurant

Taiko has been a Japanese food stable in Irvine for many years. They have updated their menu and prices. Most items are the same. The food is great, I love their sushi. The service is also very nice. The store has a Japanese feel to it. I noticed the air quality hasn't been that great. It's not as bad as a Korean BBQ place, but I usually smell like tempura after eating there. To go is usually fast if ordered ahead. I also like they start using point system to give you some discount. Overall, it's a nice choice if I'm craving for some Japanese food.

If you’re looking for a place where both humans and furry friends can enjoy a meal, Taiko Japanese Restaurant is the spot! This happens to be my uncle’s favorite restaurant (and, let’s be honest, his dog’s too—especially when it comes to their delicious chicken). We were invited to join him, and it was such a treat for all of us! Not only is the food absolutely amazing, but the bonus is that they’re pet-friendly. So yes, we brought the dog, and he definitely enjoyed his fair share of attention—and maybe a little chicken too! 😄 The restaurant has a convenient parking lot right next door, so no need to stress about finding a spot. The atmosphere is super friendly, and the staff made us feel right at home. We tried a variety of dishes, and every single one was mouth-wateringly good! Whether you’re a sushi lover or craving something warm, this place has something for everyone. Can’t wait to go back with my uncle and our furry friend for round two! 🩷

Many reviews are talking about how Americanized the sushi was but I’m half Japanese, half Chinese, and if you know how to order, very Japanese and authentic. I recommend mainly going for the sushi and getting a variety to try each type of fish. Premium Japanese food, everything was so good and the matcha Mont Blanc ice cream dessert was unbelievable. The fish is incredibly fresh, and the a5 Wagyu is so fatty and satisfying to eat. My favorite food was the sweet shrimp boat and it was loaded with crab, shrimp, and the fried head was out of this world, incredible rich and soft. Overall, one of the best sushi restaurants in Irvine and it was reasonably priced. The service was very fast as we were at the sushi bar

It was easy to make a reservation here. We ordered appetizers before our food, but it still came out at the same time as our food did. Honestly, I thought everything was ok. Some our meat was over charred. The chicken was good though

This used to be our go to sushi spot - beautiful sushi rolls, great service and a solid atmosphere. Now? It’s like they’ve completely given up. Quality of the sushi/rolls has become sloppy and not proportioned. Service was a disaster. We ordered 8 rolls, 2 came out then nothing. We waited for 15mins and I finally flagged our server to ask about it. She came back and said that the machine didn’t go through to the sushi bar. We also ran out of water and it was never filled up. It feels like the owners stopped caring or maybe they changed hands, or got lazy. Either way, this once amazing spot has become cheap. Save your money. There are plenty of better sushi spots that still take pride in what they do. This place is officially off my list for good.

Solid portions with good food that looked even better than the menu! It was difficult to get through via phone to make a reservation

We had large group with 1 server. Order was taken by table...tables that were pushed together for our families. Ordering was slow and not smooth. We had three separate orders, and food came out at staggered times. And ordering by table did not facilitate the placement of each dish; they had to ask who ordered what, for every plate. Still worth it! Will be back.

Sweet shrimp is good. I was a bit underwhelmed by the salmon sashimi—it was just okay. handroll i love it

This was my first time here and I was super impressed! Their staff was so nice and did an amazing job handling my family's request. I tried their Toro don and it was super fresh and melts in your mouth. I found out that it's a limited quantity per day, so don't be surprised if they run out. The Seared A5 Wagyu Roll is Smokey, buttery, and goes well with the veggies in the roll. The Taiko Gozen comes with everything though. It's great for sharing and I love the presentation too. For drinks, the Mango Sunrise and the peach lemonade are my favorites I did a full breakdown of the restaurant on IG @ToshiEats

Tried taiko for the first time on a weeknight. The good: quick seating/lots of seating, relatively quick services and serving of food, would be good for families or bigger groups. The not as good: food prices were pretty high for the corresponding quality of the fish. We set our expectations for sushi and don't expect top notch for quick family/neighborhood sit down spots, but this just didn't match up with the price. The sushi kind of fell apart as there wasn't a bottom sealed by rice. The combo plate was lack luster. Overall, if you gotta get in somewhere quick or with a group or maybe want to take advantage of some happy hour deals this could be appropriate, but the price just didn't match the quality here for us.

Dinner at Taiko was pretty good! Our party of 6 enjoyed a smorgasbord of sushi, sashimi, udon and dinner combos. My favorite roll is the volcano roll. Very tasty. The wait on a Friday night was also not bad. If you are within a 10mile radius, you can jump in the queue. Service is good, no complaints. The price is reasonable. We will be back soon!

Although the food is not really authentic or traditional it was very tasty, but most of all, such generous portions, I loved the oyster shooter I started with and the hamachi Kama was probably THE BEST I've EVER had! Even in Japan!

Taiko has been a family favorite for as long as I can remember. Their food is amazing. The service is very prompt and attentive. There is usually a line outside waiting for them to open. Love this place

When I'm in an area that is further away from are area and we have time to get something to eat, I will always check my Collections if there is something bookmarked and close by. It turns out that I had Taiko Japanese restaurant bookmarked and it was fairly close. So we decided to give it a try, since we don't know how long it will be the text time we are back in Irvine. I researched their menu to get an idea of what to order and the average prices. When got there, I realized how pricey the sushi were. An average of $8-11 for two pieces of nigiri and basic rolls and a hand roll were about $9.00. We decided to go with the combination (bento) plates. It was still pricey but I ordered a three item plate and it was a lot of food for the price. This is checked off my collections and I can say that the food is ok and the service is very good.

I have been going to Taiko since I was a kid in the 1980s. I no longer live in Orange County, but when I am back in town, I inevitably always go to Taiko, and it never disappoints. The fish is very fresh-- I particularly like the Yellowtail sushi/sashimi. I also really enjoy the #4 Special, a unique dish-- I think Taiko is the only restaurant that serves this particular recipe. Recently they have added some excellent items on the menu, including a wonderful Wagyu beef topped roll. The restaurant itself is humbly decorated, and really hasn't changed much since the 1980s. A true gem of a place, hidden in an Irvine strip mall. A few days ago, they were able to accommodate a last minute reservation change from 10 people to 17. My family and I really appreciate their fantastic service and willingness to accommodate our large group!

I had been looking forward to trying Taiko because it was so popular. However, I was pretty disappointed by my visit. I ordered the shrimp and vegetable tempura lunch ($14.50). The shrimp tempura had a thick coating of batter and were not hot. Maybe I ordered the wrong thing, but tempura is pretty basic and should have been better. The restaurant was crowded so service was pretty non-existent. When it came time to pay the bill, we had to struggle to find someone to bring the check. I really wanted to like Taiko because I've been looking for an old school Japanese restaurant but unfortunately it was pretty underwhelming.

Always friendly and delicious. The crunch roll is amazing. All the entrees are delicious and the portions are large. Always have leftovers for lunch the next day. Family friendly.

Taiko is a pretty solid spot for when you're craving some Japanese food. The interior has a decent amount of seating: we went around 1pm on a Thursday and while it wasn't as empty as we expected it to be, we were still able to be seated immediately. I really love the vibe of the inside too! If you're able to get a seat along the entrance of the restaurant, it has a more distinct Japan feel. Whereas the main seating area inside has a more modern feel to it. One thing that pleasantly surprised me eating here, was just how big the serving sizes were! We got the udon lunch combos, expecting they would just give us a little bit of the two items, but whereas the udon size was expected, the rice bowls were huge and hefty! My leftovers were a whole meal in of itself. The udon was delicious, pretty classic and hit the spot. I also got the sesame chicken. And while the chicken itself was juicy and flavorful, I didn't really get any sesame flavors. Maybe it was the sauce that was sesame, but then I would have wanted some more sauce.

Great ship spot right here! Service was impeccable from great recommendations to tending to us and making sure everything was up to par. Everything was above par. The food was good tried some things for the first time and really enjoyed them especially the squid ball appetizer(I forgot the real name). Rolls were really good everything tasted really fresh. Sushi bar seating available to watch chefs prepare food and make the rolls. Really liked how the dining area is well separated from the waiting area. Great experience from beginning to end.

Taiko is definitely not what it used to be. It used to be a gem in Irvine with high quality seafood and fresh ingredients, but with the change in ownership, the food tastes somewhat old and stale. The spider handroll had cold soft-shelled crab rather than hot and the tempura was mostly batter. Service was not that friendly. Overall it's a miss for me unfortunately

This was my first time having lunch here. My wife has raved about this place for years and I was excited to finally try it. When you first walk in, you smell immediately fish and good food. The place has ample seating with booths, tables, and a bar area. The servers were all nice and helped answered questions. The build your lunch with 2 or 3 items is a great deal. I got the 3 item lunch bento ($24) that included chicken teriyaki, shrimp and assorted vegetable tempura, and California roll. There was so much food so I was really excited about the portion size. The lunch came with miso soup, rice, and dips too. I liked the cooled green beans with the mayo sauce and the side salad. The chicken teriyaki was tender and flavored well. I really liked the fried tempura, it was crispy and tasted good with the sauce. There was a good size bowl of rice. It definitely exceeded all my expectations and I walked out feeling satisfied with lunch.

This was one of my favorite Japanese places since college and it's still the best. It's been years since I've been able to come back and it brought back a lot of yummy memories. We arrived around 11:45am and were seated right away. The menu has been updated and it was pretty easy to follow. There's plenty of seating at the sushi bar and tables inside the dining area. We got the bento lunch specials, which has a lot of variety. The sesame chicken is still delicious as ever and the crispiness of the tempura was wonderful. I love that the portions are huge and really filling. The miso soup was tasty and went well with the meal. The salad and veggies with the sauce was a great pairing. The staff is so friendly and welcoming. We didn't even need to go boxes because we finished our delicious meal. Highly recommend this gem of a place!

Fabulous food! We had a huge portion of food for the price! My sangria was delicious..filled with fresh fruit! I had sesame chicken, it came with salad, green beans, miso soup, rice, shrimp tempura and vegetable tempura! We also tried a couple of their sushi rolls made fresh to order..at the sushi bar..We all had the same thing...We had a Matcha dessert at the end that was heaven! Service was excellent. Loved the vibe...I will be back!

Growing up, my family would always come to Taiko for Japanese food, specifically their teishoku. Over the years, I've noticed small changes here and there, but this is still a restaurant that my family frequents because of its location and quality of food. Service can be hit or miss, sometimes we are attended to really well, and other times they'll get our orders mixed up or wrong. The staff are always friendly, smiling, and doing their best to help which I appreciate. For their teishoku, I will usually get sesame chicken and chicken teriyaki, but have also had every other option on their menu. Taiko gives a large quantity of food, especially with the sesame chicken and chicken teriyaki. It can easily last another meal. The chicken teriyaki is grilled and topped with a nice teriyaki sauce that isn't too sweet, while the sesame chicken is lightly fried, juicy, and flavorful. I love the dressing they use for the salad and the rice and miso soup are pretty standard. Sushi-wise, Taiko isn't necessarily the highest quality, but if that's what you're craving, it is a suitable option to select. Both the seafood and sukiyaki nabe udon are shareable options that are hearty, with clean broth, a variety of vegetables, and hit that noodle craving if you want that. I have to say that part of coming to Taiko is the nostalgia, the big plates of food topped with whatever combination of items you selected, and knowing that you'll have leftovers the next day for lunch or dinner. Even with the changes over the years, Taiko is still a solid Japanese option in Irvine that may not excel at one area very well, but does a decent job across the board.

Taiko used to be our go-to Japanese food spot. When we moved to Irvine during the pandemic, we'd come often to get chirashi and sushi takeouts. The fish was always fresh, and the food was solid. When things started opening up in the last few years, we saw that folks would actually line up before the lunch hour so to get a spot. We continued to do take-outs for awhile though the food became more of a hit or miss -- sometimes the sashimi pieces were tiny, and other times it didn't taste the best. To be honest, we eventually shifted to another spot in town as our favorite given the price and lack of quality stability at taiko. But I remained on their mailing list for the occasional promotions should we wanted to give them another chance, and I've noticed a change in their menus and even the way they market. A few months ago we saw this promotion that coincided with my birthday, so we decided to go in person to check it out one more time. Let's just say... the food was ok, nothing too spectacular. I got the sashimi which met "minimum expectation" but did not wow me in quality or quantity, particularly given the price. Maybe the management had other things in mind? But really, quality sushi at a reasonable price point is what sushi restaurants should strive for...

Great food, service, and a beautifully decorated space with traditional Japanese style throughout. The eel roll was absolutely delicious! Definitely a spot I'll be coming back to. Highly recommend for a quality sushi experience in a great atmosphere.

I love to sushi here. It's fresh and reasonably priced. I especially love the sashimi salad which comes on a bed of greens. Usually it's a very long wait which I'm not a fan of so we would take out however take out sushi is just not the same. The ambiance is okay, nothing special!

Went here about an hour before they closed for lunch and was pleasantly surprised with the lunch menu. The sizes were bigger than i expected and it was pretty filling. The udon was nothing fancy but delicious to eat nonetheless. The bara chirashi was pretty yummy too. I liked the eel a lot and the rice is good when eaten with the rest of the dish. By itself the vinegar taste (I think it's vinegar) is a little strong. Overall, I think this place is pretty solid and the sushi looks pretty good too.

It was easy to make a reservation here. We ordered appetizers before our food, but it still came out at the same time as our food did. Honestly, I thought everything was ok. Some our meat was over charred. The chicken was good though .

How could I possibly write ANOTER review???? BECAUSE IT'S JUST THAT GOOD HERE... We were here last on 09-07-24 and I am happy to say we got a new waitress, Yuri, who was the most pleasant and friendly waitress, not to mention she was very knowledgeable of the menu. The best part of this restaurant is THEY KNOW HOW TO MAKE TEMPURA. Never fails. The best tempura in town, this town, the next town and all the towns with a 50 mile radius. THIS IS THE BEST TEMPURA!! However, tonight, I ordered the Salmon skin salad and an appetizer side of tempura that I shared with my husbanc. Good, but NOT the best. There was actually TOO MUCH SALMON and NOT ENOUGH skin, if you could believe that? I was looking for that crunch, and because they did not skimp on the salmon, it was different. Good, but different. (bummer, I didn't take a photo) My husband had the unagi and a rainbow roll. The unagi here is spectacular for $15.

My friend and I were craving for some Tempura and since we were shopping next door, we decided to have dinner here...it was pretty busy at 8pm on a Friday night. I haven't been here in years and this place has been here forever...and it shows. This place needs to upgrade their interior because it has a dirty feel to it. Their waitlist system on the iPad was faulty. We put our name on the list and it said the wait was for 50 minutes but we got a text 10 minutes later saying we didn't respond so they removed our name. We approached the host to see what happened and he wasn't sure so he got us a table right away. The service sucked and the food was ok. I ordered the tempura with the sesame chicken and my friend ordered the tempura appetizers. My meal came first, our waitress was nowhere in site. So, I shared my dinner with my friend while we waited for her tempura appetizers. My food didn't seem as hot as I would like it to be...the miso soup warm, the tempura and sesame chicken seemed like it was sitting there getting cold before it was brought to our table. It was about halfway through our meal before our waitress checked on us and then it took several minutes before we finally got our appetizers. The waitress was very apologetic. Just not a very good experience...it's probably the reason I hadn't been back here in years considering I live walking distance to this place. Next time, we'll just go to Tomikawa, which is less than a mile from here.

Tried out this restaurant yesterday for dinner and was super satisfied!! Had a handroll with salmon + salmon roe, red snapper and bluefin tuna nigiri, and then tuna, yellowtail, and salmon sashimi! The serving was perfect and the server I had was also super sweet - she did a great job! The restaurant itself was very spacious yet homey and there was tons of parking!

This is the best authentic Japanese restaurant left on the west side. No fusion or drink bars. Just authentic Japanese food i always get Ikura oroshi udon. My date gets hot udon with wakame and vegetables curry combo. And salmon skin salad. Best value. But they also make things for gringos too.

This is my go to Japanese spot. I also get the tempura and sesame chicken combo. It comes with rice, salad, and miso soup. About a two ago the soup and rice were unlimited. Not anymore. The California rolls are always good in my book too. The service he always decent. Every server is willing to help you. You usually don't have to ask for refills. The restaurant is always clean and inviting. The prices are decent and affordable.

I guess they were famous a long time ago but based on how chewy and tasteless the sesame chicken is, they might be retiring soon.

Every time we come to visit our good friend in Irvine we always pick Taikos for dinner! We always get the combination plate and we can never get over how big the portions are and always leave saying "Boy'! That was so good!" The service is excellent and even though we always come in almost close to closing they never make us feel rushed. Everyone is friendly. Also, for the first time we got a kids meal for my 3 year old and it came with so much food as well- We have never seen him eat so much! We already are looking forward to going back.

Taiko has been around for a long time, I always enjoy the experience, but a lot has changed. Friendly staff and service is wonderful. Menu items are generally the same, but I miss the simplicity of the old menu and the beautiful drawings rather than the photos. Small nuances like pickled cabbage, hot tea service, and miso soup have changed. I appreciate having happy hour, integrating more tech with ordering, but I miss the simplicity. Thank you.

It actually kills me to leave this review because of how much I love TAIKO. A couple weeks ago I got my usual (the combination A) and the tempura chicken was just soggy wet chicken with almost no crunch or tempura batter on it. I threw that meal away, but didn't complain or even hold it against you guys at all because I've been coming for so long and I know that these things happen. Today I ordered the same thing and had the same issue with the chicken... there was almost no tempura and the chicken was basically wet boiled chicken. I gave that meal to a homeless guy and decided to order it ONE more time just to see if maybe I was getting unlucky. Nope. The second batch of chicken I ordered was soggier than the first batch. Anyways, I'm not mad at Taiko and I really appreciate everything they do (shoutout Hiro!) but I just wanted to leave this review in case anyone orders the tempura chicken because something has forsure changed in the quality over the last couple months. I love your food very much, I just wish I didn't have to throw away meals from you on a regular basis.

Last time was better. Now the tempura was hard and too crispy and the chicken was mostly greasy dark meat with skin etc. It was busy and server was nice. Hiro Nori on Irvine Center Drive was excellent.

The food is no longer the way it was. May he ownership has changed? It was disappointing because we used to come here often as the portions were generous and food was good. Sushi was not fresh

we came to eat here on a Saturday night and the service and food was amazing. It was very calm and not loud at all. I do wish that this place was rated higher.

Restaurant is open during Sunday this month and next for a pop up so this is not their regular menu! They said it was a special Pop- up and chef was from Japan. Only 3 choice items on the menu. We ordered the eel bowl and the tempura bowl. The eel bowl was super flavorful and comes with tamago. Small bowl was already a lot of one person. The tempura bowl was not as great as the eel one but was still pretty good. The tempura was crunchy and sauce was superb. It was a bit price but when we got our orders, we understood why it was priced like that. Huge portions. I would like to bring my family to try the eel bowl since we all love eel.

It's Foodie Friday and where did I go after work??? The answer is Taiko! (And yes, there was a Yelp glitch... this my additional review on all the food that I have there) Since I work in the Lake Forest / Irvine area -- Taiko off Jeffery in Irvine is the perfect food haven for me to go when work is rough and traffic was not a part of my after work vibe. As a result -- the sushi bar with some delicious food, happy hour draft Asahi, and sushi chef Antonio is the way to go. I recently got obsessed with their Uni Cream Udon. So good! Especially in this rainy cold weather. But the other day I was in the sushi vibes and really wanted Uni... wasn't able to get it, but still craving it... I had to get some Uni this time. Tonight I got Nigiri Uni, Scallop, and Toro. For a hot dish -- the Baked Scallops with rice. For dessert -- the special! A Matcha Mont Blanc Parfait... ooooooo... that was unique! It is definitely an Asian inspired dessert, but multiple surprises with it. Don't want to spoil it! If you are curious and craving an Asian matcha green tea dessert, then this is for you! Now... what will I get next!?!

My boyfriend took me here as an early Valentine's Day dinner because I can never say no to Asian food of any kind. This place seems to be always crowded and the plaza it resides in doesn't have an abundance of parking. We had to park against the curb. Luckily, we were seated right away for the party of 2. They are so busy here!!! It's nice to dine in, but due to how popular it is you might be better off ordering to go. I ordered sushi rolls and the two item combo. Personally, I would prefer to order to go next time. Two item combo's presentation was okay. The three item combo seemed to offer more and the portions visually looked bigger. It seems like all of the other items you can order had way better presentation and the combo I chose just looked meh The sushi rolls were amazing and the quality was fresh and as expected! There was nothing wrong with any of the dishes as they all tasted great. I think for $17 bucks the combo is average. My rolls were delicious though! Try this place if you were curious about it, but don't go when it's super busy.

We came here for my husband's birthday dinner. The service was great and the food was good. We don't go out for sushi often, but we do enjoy go out.

hello! first time here, parking is wild, go early and goodluck food was great, enjoyed the varieties including the a5 wagyu sushi which is a must try baked green muscles 4/5 uni 4/5 a5 wagyu 5/5 sweet shrimp 5/5 salmon/toro/unagi 4/5 takoyaki 3/5 get a small piece of everything, its worth it! they have lots of sake and a map of where its produced cool and fun little sushi restaurant, I recommend!

Authentic Japanese Bento, Izakaya, Sushi at reasonable prices. I've been coming to Taiko since the 90's, the food quality and service have been consistent. Over the years, the exterior and interior of the restaurant remained largely the same, but the menu offerings have evolved to keep up with the times. In my humble opinion, the price to value a customer gets is beyond amazing, unlike other establishments which tend to practice price gouging during these inflationary times. Don't let the complex menu selections overwhelm you (lots of reading the fine print, colorful pictures too look at and major decisions involved) which is the same in Tokyo. Feel free to ask one of the attentive staff for ヘルプ (help) and recommendations. I like the fact that you have ample choices in one bento (ranging from Tonkatsu, Beef Teriyakis, Tempuras Sashimi to Calamari). Portions are exceptional too. Don't forget to look at the overhead board which list Day's "Specials". Handwriting a little hard to read from far. I also like their wide liquor and Japanese biru selections which is quite educational since they map out the various sakes (hot and cold) from different regions of Japan. Be sure to note, happy hours range from Happy to Happiest with deep discounts in alcoholic drinks. 読んでいただきありがとうございます

Food and service is great. The tonkatsu and sashimi were very good and presented in traditional style plates. Taiko has been here for many years and my experience was just as good as ever. Will be back soon

I haven't been to Taiko in years. We were in the area after our weeknight walk. In reading the recent reviews, there's new ownership/management and a lot has changed. Here's what I have observed: First, there's no long line anymore, lol. Second, the menu is a little more expansive than what I remember. It now has a little bit of everything which reminds me of Honda Ya in Tustin. We ordered a couple of cut rolls Uni & Salmon with asparagus, which were decent taste-wise, as well as the portion.

Adventure Wednesdays hit again and decided to try this place out after seeing it on a Instagram reel! Went here solo around 11:30am. The parking lot in this area is kind of small and keep in mind this plaza does get crowded so if you do come during lunch/dinner rush hour it may be hard to find parking! Luckily wasn't too bad but still had to park in the back. I walked in and was sat immediately by my waitress. I think the first thing you notice is the ambiance of the restaurant is more subtle and quiet. The lighting is kind of dark too. There's no music really playing and you can practically listen to everyone's conversation. If you're people listener (haha) this would be a perfect spot! No pictures of the menu this time but the menu is on their website and they have an assortment of Japanese dishes and sushi! So you can peruse through there before going cause they do have a wide array of food. I opted to get an order of the fried calamari and some sushi which consisted of salmon, tuna, scallop, and one piece of the yellowfin. My food came out fairly quick even to a somewhat busy lunch hour and the first thing I notice was the portions of the food served! Big, hefty portions and even the cuts of fish were enormous! But how did everything taste? It was pretty good! The calamari was flakey and somewhat crispy. Small circular bites of squid that were served on a bed of cucumber. Sadly, I dont think it pairs well with the cucumber slices (my opinion). The sushi pieces itself were good as well! I do have to comment though that the prices for one piece of sushi are pretty expensive. Again though these are big pieces of sushi, so if you didn't come hungry for anything you order here then it would be your loss. My server was awesome she was sweet and always checked up on me and asked "How's everything?" every time. She did leave me the menus though but that is not a big issue haha. Overall for everything I ordered it was around $45 for myself for all the food I ordered. I think it is a pretty expensive meal for one person haha. There are places that serve sushi for a cheaper price and the quality is way better. But overall this place is good. Chill vibes, great service, and good food. Check this place out if you're in the area! But try to avoid the lunch/dinner rushes! It gets super busy here!

My family has been coming here for 17+ years but this was our first time since the pandemic. We arrived noon on Saturday and were seated immediately, which is a super different experience than before where you'd always have to wait a considerable amount of time on weekend. It does seem like the food has changed quite a bit, and the menu is on the pricey side even with the larger portions. I had the sesame chicken and California roll lunch combo--the California rolls were just average quality compared to before. The sesame chicken was still tasty and they give a lot of salad with honey mustard dressing. The miso soup was salty. Service was on the slower side. Parking in the plaza can be hard to find--I usually find a spot behind the building.

First time here and definitely coming back! My husband and I were a late party, arriving just shy of last call but the entire staff was so welcoming and made sure we got our orders in. We were also surprised by how spacious and neat the restaurant was! Shoutout to Yen, our server! She guided us through their happy hour deals, which I must say is the best in Irvine! We ordered a handful of nigiri's, and the portion was so generous! I ordered a scallop handroll, and my God, it did not disappoint!! The experience was phenomenal, definitely coming back with friends soon!

Been coming here for almost 2 decades. Love the food,portions and people here. There's usually a wait but it worth it. We usually get the Crispy Calamari; Spicy Tuna Cut Roll, Salmon Kama (if they have it), Tempura and Teriyaki Plate. And don't worry if you order too much. The leftovers the next day hit the spot.

We have been going to this restaurant for many years. It is a place where we take family when they're in town. We meet my brother and his wife here frequently. It is so good and authentic and fresh. The staff are very helpful. We were just talking today about our next trip to Taiko which should be next week.

Went on a friday, added our names to the waitlist. It was about an hour wait, located in a busy plaza. This spot is very casual and the food was good and reasonably priced! The space does seem a little out dated and could use a little update. Service was nice and fast. We ordered a lot of pieces of nigiri sushi. Very good ratio to fish to rice. Their hand rolls were also great, wish I got more of those. Will definitely return when we're craving a good priced sushi spot.

Rude staff, came in for a pick up order that had to be picked up at 5pm. When I walked up it was closed and when they opened I asked for the order. The male staff that was seating people said "not ready" in a very rude way and no eye contact at all. When I checked in again after 15 minutes of waiting he walked away. Finally got the order after waiting almost 30 minutes for an order that was supposed to be picked up at 5pm. Taiko should not let customers places orders before 5pm for 5pm pick up if they can not comply with the time.

Love taiko!! Been coming here for more than 10 yrs. Through new owners and Covid we keep coming back!! Good quality and good service. Thanks to the cooks and sushi masters for your continued service!!! Gracias!!