Echizen Japanese Restaurant

This place is a hidden gem! Food is quite good! This is an AUTHENTIC Japanese restaurant so don’t get confused by those sushi restaurants. If you want rolls go to those typical sushi restaurants but if you want something unique and authentic this is the place.

So since January 2016, they raised daily lunch from $ 10 to $ 11. $ 1 up.
Still, Oyaji (master) cooks amazing Japanese Foods. His Oden (which he rarely cooks only some winter night) was soothing, flavorful and simply authentic.
The BEST JAPANESE RESTAURANT in northern Orange County (says Japanese person… Me!).

So good.
The cook (probably owner) was making food alone, but all the customers were satisfied!
That was amazing!
Food?
Speechless.
Real authentic Japanese dishes.
Service was wonderful, too

Hidden little izakaya spot next to Frostbites that has very fresh sashimi!
We copped some fresh, fatty Big Eye Tuna here and fresh Uni. I love how they serve the uni (sea urchin) with creamy grated yam, they just go together like oreos and double stuff. The Butterfish is also a must get along with the Yellow Tail Cheek (hamachi). The Beef Tataki comes with a generous amount of sliced beef. The Deep Fried Crab Dumplings are large, meaty with thin crisp won ton skin. Fried Eggplant with Stuffed Shrimp was interesting… I thought they would be crisp on the outside but they served them wet in a bowl with a sauce over it.
A few of the dishes we had were hit or miss. The Fried Sesame Chicken felt and tasted oily. The Cold Soba was about right. The Fried Gobo was tough.
The prices here are about right and you can get some dishes that Honda Ya and Shin Sen Gumi don’t have on their Izakaya menus. The fish quality stands out, so you can’t go wrong ordering any of that here, cooked or uncooked. It’s a small restaurant and it packs up quickly, so get here early for dinner. If I lived closer, I’d definitely be a regular here!

So I used to grab dinner with my girlfriend once a week, and this restaurant is located fairly close to her house, so this tends to always become our «go-​to» restaurant. The food is never disappointing, though to me, it’s never anything exciting either. I am not Japanese, but my girlfriend is, and to her standards, this place is good. Which means, it must be close to what authentic Japanese food really is?
I rarely change my menu and usually stick to the nabeyaki udon (pretty good). Besides the noodles, I feel like the portions are on the small size (as most Japanese foods come in small portion sizes). We always get sides and appetizers a long with our entrees. The price is affordable, so its easy to choose few different sides together. The service is always so wonderful here. The servers as well as the owner (the man behind the counter who is ALWAYS there), are very friendly. Never had bad service here. The only downside is that the restaurant is very small, with maybe about 7 tables and the sushi bar seating, so you can expect quite a wait on the weekends.

Very authentic Japanese cuisine!!! Try the depot fried lotus root and shrimp, steamed scallops and mushrooms, shabu shabu salad and nabeyaki udon! Two people shares all that was perfect!

Tempura shrimp perfectly clean oil. You don’t realize the importance of this until you taste dirty oil. ordered nabeyaki udon. Loved the egg that’s spilled fresh warm yolk in my soup upon breaking. I actually enjoyed the fact that my receipt wasn’t in english. Will be back. Great customer service, welcoming environment.

Authentic japanese food. With hot saki, everything was amazing! If you’re in town and craving for traditional japanese food, it’s a must stop by!
Jackie out~

I have only been here for lunch so I’m not sure how their menu is for dinner. This is a Japanese restaurant but don’t expect to find sushi here (again, this applies for lunch).
The lunch menu ranges from udon to bento boxes and I am a big fan of their Pork Tonkatsu lunch combo. Be sure to check out their daily lunch specials! I remember they once had potato croquette as a side.
No tax, set price of about $ 9-​$ 13 a dish. Small dining area and it gets a little crowded during lunch.

Good Japanese restaurant in Cypress. It’s an Izakaya type restaurant. The combination plates are ok. My husband enjoyed his teriyaki steak combination plate. I had the sashimi plate but it wasn’t the best. The octopus was too chewy for me. Service was excellent. Those servers worked very hard.

Echizen is an Izakaya restaurant (read: small plates) so that is their specialty. It seems like the sashimi is an afterthought as portions are minuscule and that combo plates are on the menu to appease patrons who don’t understand the Izakaya concept.
Best menu items were the steamed egg (minimum 2 orders), but everything else we ate was forgettable. Agedashi tofu had a hard crust and butterfish had a medicine aftertaste (too much miso marinade?).
Our table of 4 was the only dinner diners on a Tuesday evening. A guy came in saying he was watching the game next door and asked the waitress what time they closed. She said that they might close early since it was so slow. As our party was leaving they got a party if 5. So if you want to check this place out, I’d recommend calling first to see if they’re open.

Came here on a quiet Tuesday night with the lady. No wait, promptly seated– they have a picture menu in addition to the normal menu which helps give an idea of what you are ordering. We ordered the Chilean sea bass, eggplant miso, tofu steak and stir fried udon. Total bill came to around $ 25 which was great for a dinner for two. On to the food.
Chilean sea bass was spot on, though it is hard to mess up as well.
Eggplant in miso was a pleasant surprise, tender yet still had some crunch. Wonderful.
Stir fry udon was good, but also not that special. It was mixed with a few pieces of pork.
The tofu steak was good, tender with good flavor, unfortunately we were unable to finish it as my companion discovered metal brush hair inside one of the pieces. Accidents happen, and they were quick to apologize and offered to take it off or replace it, so I felt their reaction was appropriate.
All in all I would come back if in the area, authentic Japanese dishes at affordable prices.
Parking is abundant, in a large shopping center.

(Lunch review only)
Lunch is usually a set meal here with about twelve to choose from and a daily lunch special.
Price wise, it was very reasonable
I went with the Broiled Butterfish. Two pieces of perfectly broiled butterfish. The meal came with miso soup, a pickled vegetable and some grated daikon. The portions were on the small side, but the taste was very good.
Tempura Udon — The broth was very good and it had a strong bonito flavor. The tempura was a bit sad though. You only get two small tempura shrimp. It would have been better if it was more crunchy.
Service was so so. We got seated at the end and it seems like they forgot about us. No refills on drinks and we only saw the waitress again when she dropped off the bill.
This is a good place for a light lunch. With prices arround the $ 10 mark, it’s affordable as well.
I look forward to trying their dinner fare next time. So right now, they’re A Ok 3 Stars.
Try them out for yourself and decide
2015 Review #107

I was driving back from Rancho Bernardo and stuck in bad traffic, getting hungrier by the moment. I decided to make better use of my time with an early dinner. After a search on Unilocal for nearby restaurants, I found Echizen.
Between the menu and the specials on the board, there were so many dishes I wanted to try! I finally settled on a SASHIMI SALAD and the TEMPURA SOBA. The sashimi was disappointing; the texture was kind of rubbery that day. Also, the greens were mostly lettuce. The soba was better. The tempura (on the side) consisted of two shrimp and a piece of nori. Not the best I’ve had by any means, but I feel like I didn’t order the right items. The cooked food might just be the better route here. I’ll stick with that next time and get my sashimi elsewhere.

This place has inexpensive, delicious Japanese meals. Their lunch specials are usually priced under $ 10 and come with a variety — rice, miso soup, pickles, and the main dish. Their menu is simple and easy to read.
I usually get the cold tempura soba — hits the spot.
Place is a bit small as it only seats less than 20 or so, and it can get quite crowded during lunch. But the service is fast and efficient. If you don’t mind having a table close to you, but want a delicious meal and be in and out within 30 minutes, this is a great option.

Everyone loves a local joint that serves up authentic Japanese food. This little gem is one of my favorites for lunch or dinner.
You feel the authenticity because the food is good and the setting is intimate.
With the small size of the restaurant and only having one main cook and line cook, every order is handled with care. All the ingredients used are picked with care.
You have to try the signature beef tataki, which is delicious. The blue fin tuna was also top notch.

After getting back from Tokyo it was hard to find new good Japanese eats where I lived so going to SoCal to see family fit the bill. After some various great noodle shops, we had a late dinner here. It’s a small Izakaya literally run by like 5 people. 3 Male cooks and 2 Female servers.
–Tofu and mushrooms
–Chawanmushi
–Crab soufflé croquettes
–Shio Kara
–Gyutan shio
–Hotate garlic
–Ankimo
–Umeboshi yaki onigiri
All solid stuff. I think when the owner realized I was ordering things without some of the menu and knowing the food she got very cheerful. As I say when you eat a cultures food you’re automatically accepted by said culture. Everyone around was Japanese except us. Real bonus points for being open late too. 4.3 stars

Echizen Japanese Restaurant is boldly Japanese. It does not cater to the average gaijin; it does not cower from its traditional roots. And that’s just fine with me. I like a restaurant with some balls (as long as the balls don’t end up on my plate).
The cooked dishes were so on target the target probably shattered. The Simmered Octopus was a robbery at $ 7.75, boiled down to a springy texture, with a tentacle girth so wide it would make some fine-​dining restaurants blush.
From the counter seat, I watched my Sea Bass slide into the flaming broiler, then come out some time later perfectly scorched. It was simple but skillfully on point.
It’s the raw plates that didn’t impress. My Oysters were fully-​shucked but not masterfully pried. It had some bits of pesty shell when I went to slurp. The ponzu didn’t quite drown out the fish tasty either.
The Sashimi Salad came with just tuna on primarily iceberg lettuce. I would have liked more variety of fish and nicer greens but no big complaints. It was plain but not flawed.
The Tuna Sashimi was also ordinary but does the job. It’s similar to a block you could buy from Mitsuwa and cut up yourself.
It’s an izakaya so remember to wash your food down with beer. Beer enhances the dishes you like and chases down the ones you don’t.
As for the service, contact with the servers were minimal. Either they were busy or the language barrier was an issue (or maybe both). We could have used some suggestions for the lengthy menu; we were struggling for an awkward amount of time.
Though we sat at the counter, the chef never greeted us. He looked at us straight in the eyes then averted his gaze indifferently. He was friendly with the regulars though and even had a drink with one table.
Maybe we need to become regulars, maybe we need to speak Japanese, maybe we just need to forget that we didn’t feel that welcomed. Or maybe they just don’t want or need our patronage. After all, they’re boldly authentic, and they’ve got a pair to back it up.

— Locale Destination —
It’s on Valley View St and Lincoln Ave in Cypress.
It’s in a shopping center nearby not so yummy Italian ice place. Décor is very «traditional/​old» Japanese izakaya style. Simple with lots of classy decorations. Nothing fancy. There’s a counter seating where you can see the kitchen actions by the chefs. It’s not so big place, so I highly recommend to come here earlier time with a reservation to be on the safe side. It gets packed quickly. Service was rather «friendly» side. Though it could be slow, the chef/​owner seemed to care about the customer service. Main clientele was Japanese. Plenty of parking.
Menu: Their menu is big and VERY Japanese. It does help to bring your Japanese friends. Or you wouldn’t be able to understand the menu well. I shouldn’t have picked items from recommendations. (Regular) Menu seems more interesting than that. Good izakaya menu.
— Gluttony Expedition —
Deep fried crab dumplings: It was very soft inside and crispy outside. Subtle, yet flavorful dumpling. Good.
Beef tongue w/​miso: You have several options for seasonings on beef tongues. Beef tongue was way overcooked, though it got a good flavor. Meh. It wasn’t as good as the one you get at «Yuzu» in Torrance.
Grilled Sanma: Yum! It can’t go wrong. Be careful because this is very boney fish.
Sesame chicken karaage: Very japanese. It’s marinated and deep fried. Crispy outside and decent flavors inside. Little dry but not bad.
Kanpachi sashimi: Good!
Beef tataki: Beef was tender, plenty of portion, with «momiji oroshi» (grated daikon radish with chili) and green onions. I prefer «chu-​toro tataki» to this. Not bad.
Chu toro tataki: Great! I’m not that fan of toro in general, but this was light and good. It comes with «momiji oroshi» and ponzu.
— Conqueror’s Deduction —
No wonder the main clientele was Japanese.
It’s not as great as «Izakaya» in Torrance, but it’s good.
Homey yet good Japanese food. I’ll come back here to try more.

I used to work at a Japanese company nearby and I always saw executive managers eating here during lunch, so I knew this place was pretty legit. I came here several years ago with my coworkers and tried the butterfish which was pretty good. It seemed like a pretty popular lunch item as I saw few other people ordering it as well.
It’s been quite a while so I came back recently with my wife to try few more dishes. This time we came during dinner time. The dinner menu is a lot more extensive than the lunch menu. It’s somewhat overwhelming. I think that’s why they listed several recommended items on the first page of the menu to help you narrow down to few choices. There were 12 recommended items on the list — deep fried crab dumpling, tori karage (sesame chicken), yellowtail cheek, steamed clam with butter, spinach garlic, beef tataki, deep fried tofu, steamed egg custard, egg roll, seared bluefin tuna, udon in clay pot, and porridge with crab. We tried four items from the recommended list.
Tori karage had a really nice crispy texture but didn’t have too much flavor. It just came with a side of lemon wedge and had a rather bitter taste. It tasted like it could’ve used some salt and pepper in the batter. I prefer the karage at Geko Tei in Cerritos. The texture here is better but Geko Tei has better flavor.
Lot of people mentioned beef tataki in reviews but I thought it was just ok. It’s seared beef in ponzu type of sauce, very similar to seared ahi you get at sushi places.
Seared bluefin tuna came out right afterward and we had a tough time figuring out which was which because they looked almost identical. They had the exact same sauce and seasoning as well but the seared blue fin tuna tasted very fishy. I had to ask for more lemon wedges to mask the fishy taste but it didn’t help much. I would definitely skip this in the future.
Udon in clay pot was quite good. The broth didn’t have a strong flavor but was very soothing. The noodles were cooked just enough to keep them firm, which is how I prefer my noodles.
We also ordered soba noodles with grated radish which wasn’t one of the items on recommended list. This was probably my favorite dish of the night. It’s so simple. It’s soba noodles in cold broth, similar to sauce used in agedashi tofu, withs some grated radish and green onions. It’s a great refreshing dish, especially in the summer.
Even though our dishes were mixed, I’m still giving this place 4 stars because the menu is quite extensive, and I’m pretty sure there are other great items on the menu we haven’t discovered yet.
Place is pretty tiny so it fills up quickly. I rarely see people waiting for a table at dinner time but it’s still a hit or miss when it comes to wait time. We came back over the weekend on a Saturday night, and there was only one party ahead of us, but they still said it would take about an hour for us to get a table.
It’s located in the same shopping center as Frostbites, 7 Leaves Café, and KFC.