Top Asian Restaurant in Irvine
Capital Seafood Restaurant
770 Spectrum Center Dr Suite 770, Irvine, CA 92618, United States
Food is below average fast food Chinese at premium prices. This place benefits from location, and they try to make it a family style Chinese restaurant on the interior but the quality of the food is terrible. Our vegetables werent fresh even after they were fried, so much salt, and the meat portions were small for a 27 dollar dish. Dont go here. Theres better Asian food in spectrum and Irvine if you just drive a few minutes.
Gui BBQ Restaurant & Bar
4860 Irvine Blvd Ste 101, Irvine, CA 92620, United States
They have outdoor seating which is nice but it is more like ordering takeout and eating it outside as all the dishes are served in togo containers. I understand its only a covid precaution so it makes sense!13 spices crawfish (hot):This was pretty good! My first time eating crawfish so I was terrible at getting meat out; crawfish flavor is like a more fishy shrimp in my opinion. The sauce has a nice peppers heat to it. Save it to dip the rest of your food in.Jelly fish salad:Pretty good! The jellyfish itself has no flavor and the texture is like crunchy jello. The actual flavor of the dish is muted and has no spice. Its a refreshing dish.Cucumber salad:Very similar flavor to the jelly fish but Id say its more refreshing and light.Lamb skewers:Really yummy! Nice and soft and is seasoned with that typical spicy cumin powder that works so well with the meat.Beef tongue skewers:Cube cut so its more chewy and it tastes a little more organ-y compared to the thin strips that Ive tried before in kbbq or in soup. Id pass on these.Shiitake bbq:Really yummy! The flavor didnt pop out to me but it was good.Enokitake bbq:Tastes like peppery mala hotpot. Pretty good!Asparagus bbq:By far the best tasting dish even though everything was delicious. Theres something about the seasoning that just makes it so addicting; garlic, pepper, soy, chili are the notes I tasted. Must have!Eggplant bbq:Pretty good! More of a smokey flavor compared to the rest but it has a similar garlic chili seasoning. The skin of the eggplant is more charred so it doesnt work well with the softness of the rest of the eggplant but it wasnt an issue for me.Matcha beer:Tried a sip and it barely has any matcha flavor but it does have a more herbal component that makes it smoother.
TEN Sushi Cocktail Bar
18177 Von Karman Ave, Irvine, CA 92612, United States
Is Ten Sushi Cocktail Bar a 10/10 (or a 5/5 on Yelp)? Close, but no cigar!I found the food to be pretty good and the cocktails OK, but one thing that was a little lacking was the service. From the moment you walk in the door youre in a staring contest with the host, who didnt say anything until I said For 2.. We arrived closer to 4PM on Saturday and there were only 2 parties there.We got seated then our not-so-happy looking server came and awkwardly introduced himself and somewhat explained the menu. He made some suggestions, but we went ahead and order a Crispy Rice Sushi and cocktails (Eastern Medicine & Kyoto Muke) to start. When he came back later, we ordered a Bluefin Jalapano Handroll, Spicy Domo Roll, and a Golden Dragon.The food was good:- Crispy Rice Sushi ($16): This was the best Ive had so far compared to other sushi restaurants. I have to order this wherever I go. The sriracha mayo on top is pretty good and the smushed crispy rice on the bottom is good too. Its oddly satisfying getting the rice stuck in my teeth.- Bluefin Jalapeno Handroll ($11): It was OK, honestly for hand rolls I would stick with the specialty places like ROL.- Spicy Domo Roll ($20): This tasted really good, and was super refreshing. The lightly applied tempura flakes on the outside made it.- Golden Dragon Roll ($21): This roll came out nice and warm. The baked salmon was good, as well as the roll. There are thin slices of lemon between the roll, which gives the taste a little twist, but honestly its better without it.- Eastern Medicine ($16): I normally enjoy my whiskey cocktails but I wasnt a fan of this one. It had a Japanese whiskey, honey, lemon, and ginger.- Kyoto Mule ($14): This was to taste like a traditional mule, but I feel like it was lacking enough ginger beer.Overall, the food was good. The ambiance is nice as the interior has a nice aesthetic touch.Theres plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. There are a few seats at the bar as well with two TVs for your viewing pleasure.Parking is no issue with the multi-level parking structure located nearby.Service could see some improvement as mentioned earlier in this review. It would have been nice to see a few happy faces to make the experience a little bit better. Maybe it was just one of those days, I dont know.Prices are a bit steep and I feel like you can get a better experience elsewhere. They have a happy hour but Im not sure when it is, (I didnt ask and the hours arent listed online) but Id think that would be worth checking out since the food is pretty good.
Krave Asian Fusion Restaurant
2819 Main St, Irvine, CA 92614, United States
Came through for a birthday and was pleasantly surprised by its proximity to work. It was a literal 5 minute drive! Ive had this place bookmarked for quite some time, so I was very excited to try them out for their much acclaimed KFC (Korean fried chicken).They have an amazing lunch special deal and the menu had plenty of variety - a lot more than I had expected. I thought they were just a place for KFC, but they had ramen, bibimbap, burgers, katsu and more. I was a little stumped on what to try as a first timer, but I stuck to my first selection with the 8 wings with fries lunch combo for $9.99.You can get more than one flavor, so I decided to get half black peppercorn and half soy garlic. For your fries, you get a choice of ranch, ketchup or sriracha ranch. When the food arrived, there was a bit of a mix-up - not sure if it was the fault of the server or ours, but a few plates got swapped. Since most of us have never been here, we didnt know what things were supposed to look like.My plate ended up being the soy garlic and mango habanero. My friend across me somehow ended up with mine after switching with another persons plate previously. It was a game of musical plates and we didnt know what things were until everything was half eaten. I was sorely disappointed that I never got to try the black peppercorn, so my experience here could have been better. However, the soy garlic wings were quite tasty and the table favorite.For the lunch deal, it was pretty good and way more filling than I thought it would be. I wished I had more time to explore the menu, but maybe Ill return when Im not crunched for time on a work day.
Pho Saigon Pearl
2750 Alton Pkwy #121, Irvine, CA 92606, United States
Should I give Pho Saigon Pearl 5 stars?According to the latest episode of The Simpsons, if I give a 5 star rating this place will no longer be a secret and I will ruin the experience by causing a flock of people to come here. So sad but true. The Simpsons are never wrong.I have mentioned this restaurant many times to friends and co workers. I have eaten here for dinner and lunch within the same week. Like a drug when offered or suggested by peers I have never turned Pho Saigon Pearl down no matter what. Im like an addict and best friend at the same time because I will always be there for PSP. Is this place the best Pho place in Irvine? Hands down YES! (Given Pholicious is only open for lunch and it is located pretty much in Lake Forest). If you think Pho-Bac is better well PHOOO-KK You!There is a decent portion to price value here. If you are expecting 5 dollar pho, Im sorry to disappoint you. There is a bit of inflation in the Pho Marketplace. Due to its popularity the average price is about 7 to 8 average in ANY CITY but quality and quantity will vary. I have tried pho in so called Asian areas (Irvine will there give it 5 years) even in Little Saigon and LA there are a lot of Meh places. I eat more Pho than you eat burgers at In-N-Out, McDonalds, Carls Jr, and Burger King combined. So Im PHOOO REAL!PROS:-Great taste-Local and fast in Irvine-Super clean, the opposite of standard Pho restaurants. The servers use gloves and the tables are clear immediately after a customer leaves.-I love their spoons. The back of the soup spoon has a lip so it will not fall in your soup with you leave it on the edge. BRILLIANT!! Great attention to detail.-Runs like a smooth and efficient business.-To-Go orders are fast. I am always told 10 minutes for takeout, but I work about 5 minutes away and the food is always ready to go before I arrive. SPEEDDEEEE!-The Pho meat is nicely cut. To-go orders are packed like a master piece. I took a turn too fast and the soup did not explode in my car.CONS:3.5 Stars is fair.I am a fan, but here are a few reason that I cant give Pho Saigon Pearl a perfect rating:1. The Broth- It has a nice flavor and not too watery or too MSG tasting. I only wish the broth could be a little bit stronger. I want a beefier broth with a strong flavor.2. Inconsistency- Since I have eating here many times I noticed a few things. When I first started eating here the portions seemed larger. Dont get me wrong the pho is still very filling. Most of the time you wont notice the difference between a Small and Large. However, I have found that Take Out especially during lunchtime yields more meat than Dinning Inside during dinnertime. This bothers me a bit because we are getting a great experience at a 15% higher cost because of Tip but getting less....3. Rice dishes and Egg rolls- good, but doesnt compare to other pho restaurants. Maybe its just a different taste Im not use too. I expect a little better for Charbroiled Pork Chop.Verdict: Recommended.If you are gonna find reasons to hate this place, save your money. If you are gonna smack talk Irvine for no reason, throw your money at some other garbage place. If you are in a rush for some lunch and want something good try Pho Saigon Pearl. Best time to go is during a cold or rainy day. You will have a smile on your face.
Capital Noodle Bar
3850 Barranca Pkwy Suite E, Irvine, CA 92606, United States
If your looking for a nice lunch or dinner and love Asian food, put Capital Noodle Bar on your list. There’s a lot of restaurants around the area but this was a surprise, great food good service Perfect choice with an Asian twist
Thai Cafe
14715 Jeffrey Rd, Irvine, CA 92618, United States
Service is typical Asian restaurant. You have to flag the waiter down to request or order something. This is thai Chinese restaurant but Im more of a fan of strictly thai dishes and not with Chinese influenced foods.I tried the green curry and chicken basil. Has some flavor with generous portions. Theres not alot of good thai restaurant in Irvine so this may be choice that is decent enough for the area.
Tasty Garden
15315 Culver Dr, Irvine, CA 92604, United States
Came here late one evening after an outing at I-Spa and the best way to think of this place is your local Asian-Style Dennys.Menu is straightforward but the waiter made it confusing. According to the menu, their dishes are individual plates with a side order of rice but the waiter said it can be family style.You do get big portions and food comes out quick and piping hot. Their soup of the day was on the bland side and felt as if they watered it down. There wasnt really any bad dish since they have MSG as their helper. But their curry was one of the better ones I had although I wish it had carrots. Their lotus root was one of the best as it was fresh and crispy. For comfort food, go with the egg and shrimp. The egg whites was a bit too watery.Tea is plentiful and one of the better ones. Theyre one of the few restaurants that will use a tea light to keep it warm.
TOKYO TABLE
2710 Alton Pkwy #101, Irvine, CA 92606, United States
A very nice asian restaurant located in greater Irvine area. Good oriental food including sushi. Nice drinks also available to enjoy.
BCD Tofu House
2700 Alton Pkwy #135, Irvine, CA 92606, United States
I had high expectations and it didnt deliver. I got the spicy pork bulgogi combo and for take out, it took 45 min to get the food.The spicy pork, steamed rice, and kimchi were absolutely delicious but, thats really where that ends.They give you a 5 inch whole deep fried mackerel wrapped in tin foil. Eye ball and all, with mouth wide open, I didnt mind the presentation but, others might. Be super careful though. The bones are obviously still there; they are small and very sharp being inedible. With more work to eat it than its worth.Dont be fooled by the bubbling soup they show and bring out as a side. I was excited about this but, it disappointed greatly. Its barely, I mean barely seasoned. It has meat and tofu in it and thats it. It was eating a spoonful of oil and unseasoned meat or large chunks of tofu depending on the bite. The heavy oil made me start to have a gag reflex so, I had to stop trying to eat it.The dumplings werent the best either. Very basic and not worth the money.Teriyaki chicken is better at flame broiler and half the price.I was a dollar short of spending $40 here for sub-par food. I will easily choose another restaurant in the future.The only things this place has going for it are: they give a lot of food, that its open late, there are dine in tables (outside seating), the staff was nice, and the restrooms are open to customers only. These are the only reasons I gave them 2 stars and not 1.If youre determined to go, you can find things that are decent, however, they might not be worth the price.