Taiko is always my favorite sushi place in Irvine. Food always amazing especially seafood salad, cucumber special w/ crab, salmon boat and more. The price reasonable for the quality.

Our server she always amazing friendly, fast, helpful, constantly come and check on us.

The dining area is so well clean. Strongly recommend Taiko

-Ann

Taiko brings great prominence in the Japanese Sushi bar and restaurant.  Akio is an excellent chef as well as all the others.  The fish is very fresh and not chewy.  Amazing teriyaki and salmon plates.  Soups are another whole spectrum!  Taiko won’t disappoint!

-Andre

Came here in a Saturday around 1pm with a party of 5 and we got seated right away. Our server was quick to take our orders and the food came out within the next 5-10 mins. I ordered the combination A and everything tasted excellent! The tempura was cooked to perfection ! The chicken was the winner of the dish! How do they fry it and keep it moist, juicy, and tender?! The beef skewer tastes amazing. I loved the salad and their dressing! The bean with some kind of mayo was also delicious! The serving of this plate was ginormous that I took the rest In a to go box and it looked like a full order. The order also comes with unlimited rice and miso soup but no need since this dish fills you up. I recommend sharing if you don’t eat that much.

If you take a survey (use the QR reader app) that is advertised on the table, you get 10% off the next time you dine in with them. They also have stamp cards as well so I’m sure I will be coming back again. Service was excellent as well

-Diana

LOVE FOOD HERE.

servings are HUGE and the tempura is the absolute bomb diggity bond! I always go here whenever time permits for lunch. Their lunch specials are definitely worth it for the price and for the serving size. I would definitely recommend the shrimp tempura here. if you dont get that, you will definitely regret it!

-Tiffany

My new favorite sushi joint in Irvine. Heck, in OC!

Akio was our sushi chef and he was great. Loved the generous slices of fresh fish and happy vibes! All of the sushi chefs and workers looked truly happy doing what they do, and that energy rubbed off on me as the customer receiving the food 🙂

Quality was great; albeit not one of the best I’ve had.

Everyone around us seemed like regulars! The sushi bar chefs knew many by name. That’s always a good sign to me and makes me want to be a regular here too.

Great first experience, amazing sushi fix with my friend.

-Juliann

Taiko always has and always will own my mouth, heart, and wallet. My family’s been coming here since I was a kid, and the nostalgic glow has never faded. Sometimes, food from your childhood loses its luster when you’ve got one of those grown-up, sophisticated palates, but year after year, Taiko delivers.

Be warned–at any time of day, the wait may be as much as an hour to an hour and a half long. It’s well worth it.

More recently, Taiko has adopted a more commercial approach for their operation, adding such conveniences as a stamp card and a larger staff. It’s different, to be sure, and I think it reflects in the quality of service, but there’s really not much to complain about, especially given the stellar quality of the food.

Taiko serves all manner of traditional Japanese dishes from udon to tempura to bento-style proteins to sushi and sashimi. You’ll find that everything is exceptionally fresh and well-prepared, and that helpings are in generous quantity. All meals come with complimentary miso soup (good!) and pickled cabbage (great!) and you can feel free to ask for a bit more if it knocks your socks off.

Whenever I’ve come, I’ve made sure to order the seafood salad, once a bargain on top of being deliciously savory. It’s a sashimi medley served with shredded daikon, cucumber, and a tangy ponzu sauce. Over the years, the prices have risen significantly (call it supply and demand), but everything is nonetheless a great value.

I also cannot recommend enough the No. 4 Special!! This was my favorite growing up, and now coming back years later, it continues to set off fireworks in my mouth. Composed of baked salmon, avocado, a creamy mayo sauce, and masago, this cosmically tremendous dish is served on a bed of lettuce with rice on the side. I *promise* you’ll be amazed by it.

Honorable mentions include the salmon collar, sesame chicken, calamari, and rainbow roll–things not particularly special to Taiko but still well-made and satisfying. They also make a mean sukiyaki. If you’re looking for variety, order a combination plate, which comes served with a greens-and-beans salad with kewpie and sweet dressing.

Pro tip: order the sushi bar tea and a cup of ice and have an adventure with your taste buds.

As many thumbs up as I can muster for this top-notch establishment!

-Brian

I haven been coming to Taiko for the past 15 years and it never disappoints. Unlike the majority, I think Taiko has gotten even better since there change in management. Larger portions, cheaper prices, and unlimited miso soup/rice! Although you should always expect there to be a wait, service is always prompt and friendly!

For me Taiko marks all the boxes for a five star. Great tasting food with large portions, excellent customer service with servers who are very welcoming, as well as competitive prices. Whenever I leave Taiko, I always feel like I have gotten my moneys worth!

Taiko will always be my go to restaurant. Taiko, PLEASE never change!!!!

-Michael

Best sushi we’ve had since we got back from Japan. This place is legit and worth the wait. I’ve heard so many good things about this place from my friend but finally got a chance to go with them recently. Oh man…everything was sooooooo good and fresh. Service was great and we ate plenty of sushi.

My fav from that day is uni and ebi. Both were outstanding and super fresh. Rice to fish ratio is also perfect. Also you can be as creative as you want, they will make your creation come to life!

We will be back soon!

-Patrina

Family-style Japanese food! No frills with special rolls or gimmicks, I’ve read this place has been wildly popular and hasn’t changed much in the past 20 years. I would suggest ordering to share; the combo plates are large and sushi is tasty you’ll want to try more than just one roll! Portions are pretty generous, you will leave full!

Also, be prepared to wait about 45 minutes for a table! This place is packed.

-Olivia

No matter how many sushi joints I’ve gone too, I will always come back to Taiko. If you’re looking for fresh quality sashimi & sushi without burning a hole through your pocket, then this is the perfect place. I usually prefer to sit at the sushi bar, mainly because it is more fun and you get to interact with the chefs (they’re funny, friendly, and entertaining)… I have been coming here for the past 3 years and counting. If you dine at the bar you’ll also find that many other regular diners and have been loyal to this place up to over 30+ years!

I’ll be listing out many of my favorite things to order whenever I eat here:

Giant Clam (sashimi) crunch texture & I usually pair it with yuzu paste (if you enjoy citrusy flavor then I’d highly recommend this) ** 5/5

Yellow Tail Belly (sashimi)- fresh, not too fatty yet it melts in your mouth  ** 5/5

Salmon Special – Salmon wrapped around assorted veggies, showered with ponzu sauce, I like it, however it is quite a big dish for me & I usually order half portion. Taste wise ** 5/5

Seared Toro (topped off with yuzu paste, sea salt, and Japanese mint leaves) This is my ALL TIME FAVORITE! Oo Toro being seared to perfection (medium rare) if you’re more of a fatty fish lover, it is a must try. P.s I get judged for not eating Toro raw from time to time but… HAVE THEY EVEN TRIED THIS? I don’t think so. ** 10/5

Monkfish liver- these fishes are ugly, but their insides are amazingly tasty! Tastes like the pate of the sea ** 5/5

Cucumber Special roll – I save this for days that I’m extremely hungry, on a budget, and in need of refreshing taste. BIG PORTION alert  ** 5/5

Japanese Snapper (topped off with yuzu paste, sea salt, and Japanese mint leaves) citrusy and refreshing ** 5/5

Spicy yellowtail Handroll: I usually get this EXTRA spicy since I love spice. Mmmmmmmmmm it is gooood ** 5/5

Soft shell crab hand roll: if you’re craving crunch and creamy but not too heavy then this roll is for you! ** 5/5

Shrimp tempura hand roll: tasty  ** 5/5

Salmon skin hand roll: I like hand roll a lot ** 5/5

Dynamite: heavenly creamy goodness, baked scallop, onion, imitation crab and mushroom ** 5/5

Seafood tea: seafood soup served in a teapot! Keep your tummy feeling warm and fuzzy in the cold weather ** 5/5

Oyster Honeymoon Special: fresh oyster topped with masago, ikura, and uni and drizzled with ponzu sauce. Holy goodness  ** 5/5

Customized Oyster: fresh oyster with grated Japanese potato & masago on top! The grated potato are slimy, so if you’re a fan of that texture then order this and slurp up! ** 5/5

Amaebi (sweet shrimp): I usually topped this off with yuzu paste. Have the head in miso soup to enhance the sweetness of the soup + I like the body fried! 1 shrimp, 3 different dish! Doesn’t get any better than this. ** 5/5

Uni (Sea Urchin) it is incredible! When in season, it is sweet and golden. Ice cream of the sea it is! ** 5/5

House made Tamago: this is my end game of every meal at Taiko. I love the sweetness and the texture of the egg ** 5/5

Pineapple Sorbet: not too sweet, it’s a nice palate cleanse , ooh! And the sorbet is placed inside of a pineapple shell  ** 5/5

I might’ve missed a couple of things but that is all I could think of for now.

Service is exceptional ** 10/5

-Ngoc