Taiko

Ok. Didn’t care for it. Staff was ok they didn’t help much with suggesting what’s best to order for the first time be there. I wouldn’t go back.

Taiko, how I’d love to give you 5 stars. But, alas, it’s not possible. In the 20-​some years I’ve been your customer, I’ve rarely had your cooked dishes, so this review only covers your sushi and rolls.
The spicy tuna roll here is unique and a favorite of mine and many others. Some other reviewer had negative things to say about it, but I disagree. It’s whats been bringing me back all these years. If you are expecting a classic spicy tuna roll, and want very light fare, maybe I can see how you’d be a bit surprised and possibly disappointed. But for spicy tuna aficionados — seriously, you gotta try it.
I find it interesting that some reviewers say the restaurant is americanized. Maybe that applies the cooked/​hot food, but, other than the spicy tuna roll mentioned above, the sushi here is pretty traditional. You won’t find many crazy roll combinations.
I give Taiko 3 stars because, well, I guess the fish just ain’t what it used to be. I left about a piece and a half of sushi nigiri behind on the table because it just didn’t taste right to me. Out of respect for Taiko, I won’t elaborate further other than just saying it was not good.
And, the competition is much tougher around these parts than it was 20 years ago. With so many awesome sushi places around, you’ve got to stay at the top of your game to keep my business. I’ll keep coming, but with about 5 other great sushi restaurants on my way to you, it’ll be hard to justify the trip if I have to leave behind some nigiri again.

If you want an authentic Japanese atmosphere, go here. Their food is super fresh and good… especially their Dobin Seafood Soup… if you haven’t tried it, you gotta!

This place cuts the fish just like they do in Japan… especially Tokyo style… Large thick cuts of very high quality fish. if it wasn’t so far, I would eat here daily. expect long waits but you have to expect that when you get such high quality cuts at very affordable prices.

Idk what’s wrong w/​2016?! Unfortunately, its Heibon Getsuyōbi (Mediocre Mon) again!!! (6 in a row to start the year — palm to forehead).
I haven’t been here in a long time, but back in the day I remember Taiko was worth arriving @ 11 am or earlier. This way you almost always assured yourself a seat at the sushi bar when it opened @ 11:30. However, now the place is also ran. Taiko is located on Jeffrey & Walnut, in the same mall as A & J and Bambu.
We just missed sitting at the sushi bar, despite me arriving @ 11 am, so we ordered entrees. I had the B Combo ($ 12.95 | Sashimi, beef yakitori & sesame chicken — inc rice, miso soup & tea). My pal Wild had salmon teriyaki & tempura (forgot the price, but both entrees were $ 26.95 w/​tax).
My entrée was very mediocre. The sashimi wasn’t that fresh, the beef was bland, and the sesame chicken while moist, didn’t have any sesame flavor. In addition, the color of the chicken indicated the oil needed to be changed. Likewise, Wild’s plate wasn’t any better. The salmon was small & bland, and the batter of the tempura was too thick. The chef needs lessons on how to use colder water when making the batter, and to drag the items in fresh oil to minimize the thickness of the batter when frying: All items 3 Stars.
Regarding the ambiance, there is a small sushi bar to your right and the main dining room to your left. The dated restrooms are in front: 3 Stars. On the other hand, the service was friendly and efficient. The only downside was the staff started staring at us after 45 min. It seems like they wanted to turn the tables 3X at lunch: 4 Stars.
Taiko is all about the portions now, because the food is mediocre. Its a good neighborhood place, but pales in comparison to places w/​really good sushi in OC like Angotei, Ikko, Ohshima, San Shi Go, and Shunka.

After a long day at work, Japanese food seems to always hit the spot.
Food:
I ordered the combination with teriyaki chicken and sashimi.
I thought the sashimi was ok, but the highlight was the teriyaki chicken, which was grilled and seasoned to perfection.
Side Notes
Ambiance:
There’s quite a bit of seating, but it was actually pretty crowded, especially for a Monday night.
Service:
Our waitress was nice enough to split the bill for each individual at the table.
Overall:
It’s a solid restaurant, but I’m not sure if I would go out of my way to eat here.

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

After reading how fellow Unilocalers absolutely loved Taiko, I was super excited to come here.
We came before their doors opened for dinner hours and there was already a line outside. We were seated promptly and the place filled up FAST! We ordered the Sushi Dinner and two spicy tuna rolls and one tuna roll (picture below). Sushi dinner was a beautiful platter and fish was fresh. Spicy tuna is my absolute favorite but I was disappointed with their rendition. They seemed to have mixed some mayo and green onion into the spicy tuna, making it a lot heavier than normal. The taste was fine, even interesting in a good way, but the heaviness ultimately made me tap out early.
Prices are on the steeper side for sushi. I probably came in with high expectations, but unfortunately, they were not met.

This place is overrated. The food was ok, it wasn’t bad, but it’s definitely not worth the wait. My biggest disappointment came when asked for soda refill the waitress said «we don’t give refills, it would be another soda» what?! Not even McDonalds’ charges for refill.
–1 point for not giving soda refill
–1 wait time (waited almost an hour)

I come here for the sushi only. That is all I have ever had there … my goodness it is the best I have had in the USA.
BUT … get in line a couple hours early to get a seat at the sushi bar!

I’ve forgotten how good this place was! Taiko has literally been here for forever (I remember coming as a kid before they even offered takeout!). Food is fresh, yummy, and price tag isn’t so bad! This I recommend:
— California Handroll: GET THIS. Taiko’s specialty is using REAL crabmeat in their California rolls so none of that imitation stuff going on. The handroll gives you a HUGE portion of crabmeat and I promise it’s worth the $ 5.
— Salmon Kama: I’ve always liked their Kama because it’s not too burnt and still tender and flavorful. The salad it comes with is yummy too!
— Sesame Chicken: I didn’t get a picture of this but I’ve had it in the past and its fried to perfection leaving the chicken very juicy.

I’ve lived in Irvine for 7 years, and I FINALLY got to come here. I normally avoid this place since it is soooooo crowded, but now I’ve gotten to experience the hype.
The combo plates are superrrrrrrrr big, and they feel so cheap for the amount and quality of food that you receive. Honestly our party tried everything and we loved it. So anything that sounds good to you, don’t hesitate to order.
I haven’t had the pleasure to order sushi here yet, but as far as I hear it is high quality and fresh.

I hv been to this place for many years. Its a great family restaurant with afforable price menu. There is a sushi bar or u can sit and dine if u prefer. However, if u want to sit at the sushi bar, u might hv to arrive earlier to reserve ur seat. It usually gets crowded fast.
The portion is large. Food is no too salty. Their sushis are not fusion… its authenic, no mayo included, healthier, and simple. However, if u like more flavorful sushis including cheese, mango, etc… this place might not be for you.
Friendly staff.

Taiko is the place that I go if I’m craving about sushi or Japanese cuisine. I’m maybe not a connoisseur of Japanese cuisine but surely can taste fresh ingredients this establishment has to offer. I learned that in restaurant business you need to have 3 big rules :
1. Customer service .
2. Huge portions .
3. Cheap prices .
Taiko’s got all of the above while keeping it’s original Japanese presentation .
No matter if it is huge wait «as always «I’m ready to wait to enjoy the best tasting Japanese food to satisfy my appetite day or night .
Great selection of dishes pre-​post workout or if you’re bulking even if you’re cutting if you know what I mean .
The only negative side of Taiko I can point is they are not open all day like many restaurants in Orange County CA but I just get used to it and it is even making me be more disciplined.

Taiko is an Irvine living legend.
This review is far overdue. Irvine isn’t exactly a city steeped in traditions, hell it is not even 50 years old at this point, but one constant as far back as I can recall is that Taiko has been churning out thoughtful and delicious Sushi a their large bar in central Irvine. The interior is somewhat dated yet somehow that doesn’t matter; it seems to transport you Japan for the duration of your meal. Their menu is simple and offers just about all you would ask for in a great Sushi restaurant. The service is commendable and my waitress seemed full of smiles.
I chose to go with the «Sushi Lunch» option that weighed in at a very reasonable $ 12.00. The meal starts with a bold and savory hot bowl of Miso Soup that could be Irvine’s best in class. The addition of small bread slices sop up the delicious soup and really add to the mouthfeel. The Sushi itself was rockstar status: 15 pieces of ocean fresh morels of greatness handmade into small works of art. The Tuna, Salmon and Yellowtail all shined but I did not find a single piece of Sushi I did not adore entirely. How can this only be $ 12.00?!
The only fault I can think of about Taiko is the lines, which I assume is a great problem to have if you are lucky enough to be the owner of the business. You can easily spend an hour waiting for a seat on the weekends. However, if you show up when they open at 11:30am on a weekend you can excepted to be seated at once which is my recommendation.
Taiko is the Sushi realness, you should try it yourself.

2.5−3 stars.
The food was average at best and not worth the long wait.
FYI, there’s two waiting list– one for the bar and one for dining area. The dining area seating lets you order combos as well as sushi/​sashimi, and the bar area is sushi/​sashimi order only. You can put your name down on both list and see which one’s faster. We were not informed of this and overheard when a later patron asked.
FOOD:
Seafood salad ($ 11) was disappointing. It came with 3 different types of fish sashimi in strips on top of cucumbers and shredded daikon soaked in soy sauce. The sashimi was semi– fresh, but I didn’t like that they were in thin stripes. Also, I wouldn’t consider this a salad at all since there were only cucumbers and shredded daikon which would come with any sashimi order anyways.
Baked Scallop Dynamite ($ 8) was watery! There’s a pool of water once you dig in to the cream and scallop/​mushroom. The flavor and creaminess was diluted and watered down.
Dinner combo ($ 18) with calamari steak, sashimi and sesame chicken was unimpressive. The highlight in this combo was probably the sesame chicken. Everything else was flavorless and subpar. Sesame chicken was crispy with moist meat and seasoned well. The calamari was not seasoned and was meant to be dipped into the teriyaki sauce. The sashimi compared to the ones in the seafood salad tasted like it’s been sitting too long in the fridge. A bed of lightly dressed salad lettuce was underneath everything.
Maybe we just got all the wrong things. it would be a while until we give it another try though.

Taiko has always been my go to Japanese restaurant in Orange County. Always fresh and reasonably priced. We often request to sit at the sushi bar in front of Suzuki San. He is funny and can always make you something special.
Must order: amaebi with head in miso soup, hamachi, toro, hamachi kama, seafood salad.
If the wait is too long and we have to seat at the table– scallop tempura! One order is big enough to feed two. Oh and they use real crabmeat in California roll!

I have heard nothing but good things about Taiko and have been wanting to try it for a while now. I have been holding off on trying it because the wait is usually really long. One night, I decided to deal with it and endure the wait. During the 50+ minutes we waited, I keep reassuring my bf that the wait was going to be worth it and was really hoping that was true.
Let me tell you, the wait was worth it. Oh my goodness, it was so worth it.
The restaurant is old and the bathrooms definitely show it. The women’s bathroom has floral wallpaper that I couldn’t help but laugh at. Even though the place is old, it is pretty well kept and in good condition.
The menus are plain and only a few pages. There are no pictures and I had to rely on Unilocal photos to see what I was ordering. I ordered the sushi dinner, which is a mix of different sushi. My bf ordered a spicy tuna roll and California roll topped with unagi. The California roll with unagi sounds basic, but it was far from that. I think it was slightly baked because all the flavored just melted into your mouth.
The sushi was very good quality. Fresh and decently sized. Now that I know the quality of this place, I am definitely ordering the sashimi dinner next time.
I am so glad that I finally gave in and tried Taiko. I now understand why there is always a long wait.

Great portion and prices! Only downside is their wait, which is usually an hour or more. Put your name down & just walk around in the plaza. On the bright side, food comes out within 10 minutes!
Lunch:
— calamari steak & sesame chicken combo ($ 10.50)
The calamari was softer than I expected, almost like fish cakes. Pretty great dipped in their teriyaki sauce! Sesame chicken is bomb & not too oily either.
— sushi, beef teriyaki combo ($ 12.50)
Sushi comes with a 6 small pieces of tuna roll and 4 – 5 nigiri. The teriyaki beef wasn’t dry like most Japanese places. It was rather juicy!
— both combos come with salad with an amazing sauce, veggie with mayo, and miso soup on the side
Only downside is their sashimi combos. They will only give you tuna and white fish, even though I tried asking to substitute for salmon. Nope, can’t do. What?!

This place seemed way too confusing for first time goers. We came in and got seated at the bar. The chefs greeted us but left us sitting there for a good 5 – 10 minutes before they asked us if we were ready to order… They didn’t even bother giving us a menu during that time so we sat there staring around at people not knowing what to do.
When I asked the chef for a menu he gave us a white piece of paper with names of items, no description no picture. So again, really confusing. We picked a California roll first since we knew what that was exactly and was iffy on other items on the list. I’m sad I didn’t take a photo to show the condition of the roll. I don’t understand how you mess up a California roll. It was all broken up and uneven and cut weirdly.
Anyways we asked a waitress for a menu and she gave us a lunch menu, and again I still found the menu to be confusing. Nothing had descriptions. It mostly just had the names of the dish. I can’t memorize every kind of dish sushi rolls have, it would be nice to see what’s inside of what I’m ordering.
We ended up getting a seafood salad based of help pictures. It was pretty good but my appetite was gone after watching someone’s video of a worm on their sushi at this place. I kept checking each piece of fish to make sure it was ok to consume. That right there made me not enjoy my meal cause I was afraid of getting food poisoning or parasites.
Anyways the chefs were nice so I gave it two stars but based on my whole experience I would have given it just one star.
I wouldn’t come back here again cause I’d be scared for my health.