Izakaya Ku

Great atmosphere great food great price great service 5 stars, salmon teriyaki and mackerel was torched in front of us to perfection. 4 dishes under 30 $ quality California rolls

The Worst Izakaya Ever:
They have very little selection of yakitori. Their dishes are at a level for home-​cooking,
not a level of professional cooking.
It was truly disappointing to have their «sushi» (it’s not really «sushi» since it was made with just cooked rice without any sushi vinegar (very basic!!). It is a shame that they call themselves «Japanese,» and the chefs do not know how to make just normal sushi. It would be better to go to sushi bars in country side in a way.
Pros: nice ambiance.
Cons: bad sushi; bland flavors of dishes; a very short list of yakitori; highly priced.
It would NOT worth your money and time.

After reading a review in the AAA magazine over a year ago, we made it to Izakaya Ku for some friends’ birthday dinners. What a great find! The food was absolutely awesome! We took the waiters suggestion and started with the mackerel: thin sliced, perfectly seared, melt in your mouth. Along with that we got the cucumber salad, and fried chicken pieces which had a great crispy coating. The Yellowtail carpaccio was really fresh – and different since I’m used to carpaccio being red meat. We also got shaved pork, crab cakes and udon noodles – all of which were really good. But the piece de resistance, actually pieces de resistance, were the yam and salmon with onion served pancake style and the bok choy with bacon. At first we thought the yam and salmon was a weird combo, but thankfully, the birthday girl was intrigued so we got it. Best thing I have ever put in my mouth! Kind of fried up and mashed together in an iron skillet. I cannot wait to get it again! And adding bacon to bok choy? What a great concept! I eat bok choy all the time, but this was the best I’ve ever had – including my own, which will now include bacon. And it is super affordable. Our bill was only $ 111 – for 4 people with 2 pitchers of beer, 2 glasses of wine, and tons of food. Two of us picked up the tab for the birthday celebrants – so we got off cheap!
The food is definitely 5 star, but I gave it 4 stars for 2 reasons: it’s cute place but it wasn’t very crowded – like no one else was there, maybe just 2 or 3 other tables, and we were there until 8:30pm. Maybe it gets busier and has more ambience around 10pm, although this is Orange County, so maybe not. Also, they were out of a few things that we had wanted – no big deal, we were more than stuffed. Maybe they only get what is fresh and available each day.
In any case, check it out, and get the yam and salmon – you will thank me.

Good eats. The seafood salad is tasty. Beer during happy hour is 3 bucks a glass、there are good tapas like selections and is a relaxing place for a drink. Good soju cocktails（＾＾）
Will recommend to friends and family

Came on a Thursday night and this place had only two other parties seated. Kinda seemed a bit depressing for somewhere I envisioned being a bit more lively and fun.
The yakitori options are slim so don’t come here expecting the same variety as you’d expect from Kappo Honda down the street.
The chicken thigh skewer came out and while tender, the consistency was a bit too difficult for me to handle– it actually seemed like it was raw (that goes for all the other chicken that came out that night). I don’t know if I was being hypersensitive, but there was no bite to this chicken (and at the same time no blood was to be found). Odd.
From what I remember, I did like the fried cheese (basically tempura battered cream cheese). I also enjoyed the salmon fried rice– greasy but tasty. Soft shell crab and the deep fried oysters were also spot on, can’t really go wrong with deep fried.
The draft beer Sapporo (got a pitcher) didn’t taste right– had a metallic-​like taste to it. That really made the food that much harder to enjoy when what you’re washing it down with doesn’t taste right.
So in the end, I came here wanting to be in a spirited/​celebratory mood but ended up walking out quite average/​meh. I think this place has plenty of potential, they just need to fine tune their menu some more, maybe dim the lights, and make it seem like a much more happening place than it is… and perhaps then, I would give it a second try!

— Locale Destination —
It’s on Brookhurst St and Talbert Ave in Fountain Valley.
It’s in a shopping center, right close to «G Burger».
Inside is very roomy, clean, simple. They have a yakitori station with seating, tables and booth sections. Pretty neat. Friendly staff yet very slow service (the place was empty on Sunday night.). They have a Unilocal check in offer for one appetizer or dessert. Plenty of parking.
They have sushi, combo dinner, hot pots, soba, and appetizers.
— Gluttony Expedition —
Fresh lemon soju: It was alright.
Agedashi tofu: their home made tofu was soft and tasty! I like it.
French fries: good wedges, nice seasonings (parsley etc) — good!
Carpaccio w yellowtail: dressing and yellowtail, seasonings… Nothing special about it.
All the «yakitori»: boring. Chicken was somehow tender yet lacked in punch. Even the teri-​sauce was meh. Very tiny. Put wasabi?! It’s nothing cool about it.
— Conqueror’s Deduction —
I think it’s a bit expensive for izakaya. Items made me think they were targeted for mainly Japanese… Some of the items might be hard for non-​Japanese. Taste was pretty so so… except for their home made tofu. Little disappointing.

This place is very close to my house, so I was secretly hoping it will open for a while. I guess having a izakaya grill so close to Shinsengumi and Kappo Honda was bound to meet its demise.
The original owners were at least Japanese, the grills are all hand made from scratch. I like the food, it offer some Japanese/​American fusion dishes that are quite unique. I knew this place was in trouble when I stopped by about 2 to 3 months ago on a Saturday evening, and the place was not even full.
Last night I stopped by with my brother for a quick bite, the grills is just not the same anymore. Chicken legs and chicken breast was probably done earlier… just reheat again. This is perfectly fine, but just don’t charge my the price of an yakitori. When you reheat something. it is no longer yakitori.
Skip down the street to Shisengumi (they take reservations) or Kappo Honda (they take reservation after 8), Izakaya Ku is now Izakaya Krap.
Sighed…another one bites the dust !!

This little gem is in a plaza that I never go to and I’m glad my friend showed me. Cute little yakitori/​sushi place. Get the salted fish cheese. It’s very good as a «chaser» after a shot of hot sake. Yummmm. The charred fish (forgot the name) is also very good. I didn’t get the sushi but I got some yakitori. I don’t think you can ever mess up yakitori. Everything was really good!
For dessert I got the homemade chocolate. Ladies… This will satisfy you if you’re a chocolate fanatic. It’s beautifully presented and delicious and creamy. I will definitely come back in the near future.

we were looking for dinner after hanging out at huntington beach. could’ve went to kappo honda but we wanted some place new.
glad we decided to try izakaya ku. it is on the side of the plaza with office depot where it is easy to park. the restaurant was about half full on a saturday night around 7pm. they have two longer tables in the middle that are for communal dining but there were only two people at each of those tables. we sat in a booth which is more private since there are little curtains.
aburi saba — nice thin cuts of saba torched at the table served with mustard and ginger
yamaimo tofu — OUR FAVE DISH. the textures and the flavors went together very well. the best way to eat it is to get a little bit of everything in one bite. homemade tofu had amazing texture. when it was paired with sliced okra, thinly sliced seaweed, natto sauce, and mountain yam. the natto was not pungent/​stinky as it usually is.
skewers — chicken meatball, pork belly and green onion. their skewers are not impressive. doesn’t compare to what we are used to eating. (i recommend kappo honda for skewers) the pork belly was waay too salty
kakuni — the meat was a bit tough. not a strong dish.
they make their own mustard; tastes like they put wasabi and mayo together. loved the way the ginger was pickled and sliced. it wasn’t pink like at other restaurants.
we enjoyed the flavors of certain dishes. would like to come back to sample other items. don’t think that skewers and meat are their forte. we’ll probably stick to fish dishes and vegetarian ones. portion size was generous also.
their complimentary hot green tea was strong. =)
beer comes in a tall, cold glass.
service is quite pleasant.
solid 4 stars

Izakaya ku has to be boyfriend and my favorite local izakaya.
Although Kappo Honda used to be our go to spot for japanese small dishes and drinks, we went here on a whim.
Its location is in the same plaza as the Claim Jumper and the Office Depot so there is adequate parking.
It was usually fairly quiet on the Friday nights we went. The menu had pictures for each dish which made it easy to eat with my eyes!
The servers are very helpful and patient in helping you plan your meal.
Must haves:
–shuto cheese (cream cheese & salted fish) with an order of hot sake… eat this after taking a shot of the hot sake and enjoy an amazing umami aftertaste in your mouth. Foodgasm!
–homemade tofu with sides to accommodate
–dashi tofu
–tan tan noodles
–chef’s carpaccio — usually halibut with jalapeño
–yakitori: beef tongue, SPecial Heart!(my fav), Pork belly, and liver.
–salmon sashimi (fatty and buttery)
I’ve also been here on different occasions with large groups of friends and the staff has always been friendly and remembered my boyfriend and me. We come around 10 pm, so even on a weekend there usually are open tables :)
I feel the prices are fair compared to the other izakyas I’ve been to in the area. Drinks and food decently priced, comfortable ambiance, and good service, this is what going out to eat is all about!
UPDATE ¹²⁄₂₀₁₃: I’m really disappointed that the manager of the restaurant made the decision to take a majority of the must haves from my list above off of the menu. They no longer have their shuto cheese, tan tan noodles, yakitori skewers, and now serve soft shell crab with only one crab instead of the original two per order while charging the same price. :(
The main reason to come here for me was the shuto cheese and sake! How sad. Not going to frequent here as much as I used to…

My wife and I also like Izakaya because of the great service and tasty dishes.
This place is pretty low key but very nice. We always order Poke Salad and Motsu Nabe miso. Its the best thing ever.
We also love there shuto tofu cheese. It’s amazing.
We really like this place.

Definitely should have stuck to Kappa Honda or Honda-​Ya for izakaya. Had reservations for Friday night, but ended up coming about an hour early since I was in the area. It was pretty empty — that should have been my first clue. They did have a «reserved» sign at the booth for us, so at least our reservations were good.
I tried the boiled sliced octopus in the special salted wasabi sauce, salmon skin katsu, soft shell crab, 10 piece omakase sashimi, spider roll, smoked quail egg, salmon belly, and beef tongue. The only dish that really stuck out was the smoked quail egg. The spider roll had mushy rice and way too much mayo (or whatever that sauce is that they put). Everything else was mediocre.
What really put me off was the experience. We got in around 5:45pm and didn’t leave until 7pm. It was not even busy, but service was sparse. We got our first dishes at a reasonable pace, but then there was a lull for literally 20min where we didn’t have anything. We weren’t even checked on during that time. Finally, after twiddling our thumbs for a bit, we managed to flag someone down to ask where our last dish was. We got it shortly after (I wonder if it was just sitting out for that 20min?), and the waiter apologized sincerely enough. After that wait, we waited about 5−10min for them to come by and check on us. We were going to order more, but didn’t feel like waiting for a long time, so we decided to just get the check. They were really quick at cleaning the table while we were still eating the oranges and ringing us up — I wonder if that is a reflection on priorities?
Anyway, mediocre food combined with sparse service and not a lot of variety (compared to Honda-​Ya) — I’ve definitely experienced better. I’ll likely not return any time soon.

Went to this place on a Friday evening for dinner and was really surprised that the place wasn’t too crowded.
Service was a bit slow, especially considering how little customers were there. We ordered:
— salmon belly
— sashimi omakase (7 pieces; 3 of tuna, 3 salmon, 2 albacore)
— spider roll
— squid skewer
— octopus braised in wasabi sauce
— soft shell crab
— smoked quail egg
Honestly, my favorite thing on the menu was the sashimi because the fish tasted really fresh. That said, everything else was okay. The sushi had too mushy rice, but the deep fried items were pretty good (soft shell crab). The charred salmon belly was also good, but everything else was okay. One thing that many people raved about was the octopus. I personally thought the pieces were cut too small to enjoy. The octopus did have a good bite to it and heat.
Service was slow, and they forgot one of our items — it wasn’t until an awkward clearing of plates and asking us if we were done that I finally asked about the missing plate — only for them to apologize and finally bring it out.
Decent food, just service took awhile.

My friend and I have been eating yakitori at various izakaya type restaurants almost on a weekly basis. We decided to venture away from our usual spot and try out a new place. We arrived here at about 6pm and it was pretty dead. It was kind of weird walking into a restaurant with practically nobody inside.
Our order:
Grilled mackerel
Soft shell shrimp
Soft shell crab
Kobe beef tataki
Ebiyaki
Yakitori (liver, meatball with guacamole, shishito, quail eggs, beef tongue, special heart, bacon wrapped tomatoes, chicken leg, chicken breast with plum sauce, pork belly asparagus, gizzard)
Food:
Most of what we ordered was decent. They grilled the mackerel at your table with a torch which was a nice novelty, but the traditional way of grilling still tastes better. Both soft shell shrimp and crab was good. My favorite item was the Kobe beef tataki. I would definitely skip the ebiyaki unless you like sweet saucy doughy appetizers. It was very similar to a takoyaki, but not as good. To celebrate their anniversary, all of their yakitori was $.99 per stick. Cheaper does not always mean better. They were decent tasting, but somewhat messy. Some were falling apart.
Service:
We had a rookie waiter. He wasn’t familiar with the menu and even missed a few items on our bill. But he was very attentive to our dining needs, always checking up on us. Our glasses were always filled with water.
Overall:
Not too bad, but definitely not the best izakaya restaurant in the area. I would rate their yakitori behind both Kappo Honda and Shinsengumi. With that said, it will take a lot for us to come back here.

Finally cheated on my long time favorite neighborhood yakitori house, Kappo Honda. My favorite staff members apparently are off on Sundays, and the B crew made me put my name on the list. Huh? Obviously didn’t know who I am. Or more likely, didn’t care. There were even several open spots at the bar where I have sat for over 12 years. The indignity!
So off I drove the half mile to IK. As opposed to KH, this place was dead at 7:30, as in no one else at the yakitori bar/​grill. The 2 young servers were most accommodating and eventually just as friendly. They made some good recommendations, as their menu was a little different that KH’s.
What I ordered;
Shrimps w/​jalapeño sauce: lots of finely diced green peppers of some sort, but definitely not jalapeño as there wasn’t the slightest hint of heat. Shrimps were fresh and tasty though.
Japanese eringy mushrooms: they were out of these and substituted some sort of button mushrooms. Good but bland, just like one would expect. But I love mushrooms anyway. That’s what the soy sauce and red pepper is for.
Chicken leg with guacamole: hey, I see you my Mexican brethren back there. Between the non jalapeño jalapenos, and this very bland guac, you should be ashamed. Chicken was moist and flavorful, so no harm no foul I guess.
Beef intestine: server recommendation, and one of the best items of the meal. He proudly exclaimed that very few of their local competition ever has this. It is pounded thin, but still juicy, chewy, and oh so flavorful. Loved it.
Asparagus with pork: actually liked this better than Kappo Hondas. They load 2 asparagus pieces into the bacon/​pork strips instead of just one. Grilled to perfection.
Pork belly w/​green onion: recommended in Poupee C’s review, and it was a major hit with me. Thanks Poupee!
Chicken liver: not a liver or gizzard or any type of innards fan, but Lois M insisted all should try because of the fantastic marinade. Lois, you are right. A real explosion of juicy flavors. Still not a fan of the texture, but I would definitely order again.
Smoked quail eggs: everyone raves about this. Good subtle flavors, but an off putting weird mushy consistency. Would not order again.
This place seems quite a bit cheaper than Kappo Honda, but I have some special items I always order that are pricier than your basic yakitori choices. Like their uni dumplings, which I crave regularly. My bill for all of the above with a couple of house hot sake’s was $ 27 + tip.
Am I a serial cheater? Yeah probably, so will I be back? Yessiree, especially if my usual Kappo Honda buddies have left me to deal with the B team.

Came here on a whim for a late night sushi fix. Got a big surprise with the delicious fare at this hidden gem.
The servers are super nice and very attentive. Food is excellent. If you are semi-​adventurous then you should try the chef choice grill. You get a mix of skewers that are yummmmy. I also enjoyed the sashimi salad and the salmon fried rice (and I don’t really like rice very much).
Definitely worth a try :)

I gave this place a chance due to the great reviews. What a mistake.
Service was fine to good.
The food was just wrong all across the board. Simply doesn’t measure up to Kappo Honda down the street. But the fried soft shell crab was superb. Doesn’t make up for awful everything else.

My friend and I came here not long after they opened for dinner, so we had the whole restaurant to ourselves! My initial plan was to move to a different table every time we finished a dish, but then I thought that might be a little rude, so I opted against it. I liked the booth we sat in (pssh, ONE booth, lame)…all the booths had veils draped at the end to give a little more of a private feel. However they were transparent, so I’m sure it did little to prevent the horrible sight of me eating.
All the servers were really nice. They asked us if we’d been before and made recommendations, and I was pleased to see that their recommendations didn’t also happen to be the most expensive things on the menu! They kept our waters full… I silently hoped that they had some crazy grand opening promotion where the beer would also be kept full. Alas, this was not to be. I had ONE beer, just like I had ONE booth. Such a lonely number.
We came for the tapas (which I’ve figured out is the secret code word for small plates… I’m on to them…). They also had a few rolls, among other things, but we didn’t try those. We got the chicken curry gratin, sliced avocado with sea urchin sauce, fried potatoes with sweet chili sauce, shuto cheese, tan tan noodles, smoked quail eggs, and a couple other things that I will refer to as a «couple other things» so I don’t appear even fatter than I already do. Everything was good except for the shuto cheese. It was too salty for me. The quail eggs were ok. The curry gratin was my favorite.
I plan on coming back to try some more of their tapas and maybe even see how they fare with a sushi roll or two. The environment is chill, the food is good and reasonably priced, and the service was great. Good job, guys!

This place is BOOOOOMMMMMB!
I came here two days in a row. That says alot because only place I’ve ever repeated within 24hrs was MB post: D So yet again im chillin on Sir williams couch while he handles his business. Time was going by and im like HELLLLOOOOOO a bitch is hella hooooooongray! I need to be fed and the only thing im craving is yakitori! I’ve been wanting to come here since I see Troy H’s check-​ins a bit and I needed to know what this spot was all about. Thank god they stay open til 1am errrrrrrday!
So we walk in and only one other party is there. Thats fine. By this time it was around 11pm. Service was great. We started with the peach orange soju. That shit is CRACK! Man if I wasn’t driving that evening, I would of had three or four of those: D Sir william had the orange soju and it was made with fresh OJ but wasn’t as good as minnnnnnnneeeeee.
Ok so im going to break down all the stuff I had the last three visits:
Soft shell crab: Had it twice and it was very good. Nice crispy semi salty batter. I make my own softshell crab lettuce wraps with that: D
Blow torched salmon: That shit was delish. A lil soy sauce and wasabi made my mouth happy with this dish.
Aburi shime saba: That was BOMB. I could easily eat two of those. I mean thats if I have to share. I think this is the best way to eat my mackerel these days.
Buta Shabu oroshi: This was like shaved pork salad. It was good but the dressing could have been thicker.
Sakusaku: I hated this dish and thats what the mister wanted based on recommendation. I hate sweet potato everything (well not sweet potato cupcakes from the hood: D) I didn’t get this dish at all. Blah
Shuto cheese: I didn’t read the description of this dish til now LOL. Now I know why it had that salty taste. Its salted fish wrapping around cream cheese, which at first place looked like buffalo mozzerella lol It was good but I want more fish wrapped around the cream cheese.
Tuna spring roll: Very fresh and clean tasting. I needed more tuna in that dish!
Salmon skin roll: HATED IT (insert my Damon wayans In living color character voice) Dry as hell. I needed some more skin and even a sauce or adding avocado within it!!!
Hokkaido roll: That was crack. I don’t even like maki rolls, but damn this roll was melt in your mouth! I love it so much. I’d get that everytime I come in!
Carpaccio with jalapeño salsa: Double CRACK. Can they please jar this salsa and let me buy it!!! Its so damn good. You wanna lick the plate that salsa is beyond great!!!
Various yakitori: The chicken skin should be cooked more and less sauced. The steak with guacamole is good but could use a sprinkle of salt. Chicken meatball with gauc also could use a lil salt as well, but very moist. The pork belly is tasty as hell. I can keep ordering that all the time. The shrimp with crack jalapeño salsa was good but slightly overcooked. Overall good stuff but Kappo has more meat choices: D
The yuzu ice cream was to DIE for!!! I want that all day every day. A scoop of that day would make me a happier girl every day!!!
Only gripes I have were the no Agadashi tofu on a Friday!!! How do you run out. Its only 8ish! Just say you didn’t make any at all that day: p Second thing, maybe im blind and I didn’t read the sake menu that well. But they charge by the shot. More like two shots, since they overflow the shot into a small wooden box. Thank god the waiter told us that the first choice we wanted was 22 bucks a shot. WTF! Can I just buy that bottle myself elsewhere and you charge me a bottle few that costs me about two hundy cheaper LOL. Put down the total price of the bottle guys!
I seriously love this place and I feel bad cheatin on Kappo right down the street LOL

Food — 2 stars
Service — 4 stars
I really wanted to like this place. I mean, its a Japanese restaurant located a few minutes from home and open late at night (they close at 1:30am on weekdays).
A fellow Unilocaler and I came by at about quarter to 11pm and there were only a few other tables occupied. From first glance, this looks like a pretty upscale restaurant with great décor, ambiance lighting and spacious seating (tables aren’t like right next to each other).
We were greeted immediately upon entering the restaurant and seated without any wait. The waiter was very gracious and accommodating and was eager to answer any of our questions and provide recommendations. He mentioned that the restaurant was new and replaced a aging Vietnamese restaurant a few months ago.
The menu is extensive — there were literally 60+ entrees to choose from — however none really stood out. I remembered their website mentioned they had Ramen, but since this was nowhere to be found on the menu, inquired about it and the waiter told me it was a «Secret menu» item. I have a weakness for stuff like that — especially when I’m on «discovery» type of mood and opted for that.
Unilocal Friend ordered like three things off the menu — stuff which I don’t even remember the names of but I’ll just describe them — Chicken mashed potato thing, fried tofu in a thick gravy and a beef stick skewer thing with guacamole. I tried a bit of everything but the Chicken mashed potato thing (which I thought was a weird item considering it was a Japanese restaurant) — beef thing was okay — but guacamole? Seriously? Fried tofu thing tasted good — at least the tofu part — the gravy had a weird consistency.
My ramen came out last. It had one slice of chasiu pork, one quail egg and some veggies. The ramen was not al dente — more like soggy/​overcooked. The broth tasted blah. It was like misu soup sitting out in the pot all day. And it was really thick. The waiter compared the ramen to Shin-​sengumi (down the street from this place) — but that’s a bit far-​fetched if you ask me. Good thing the ramen is on the secret menu — very little people will have to deal with it. Maybe if they added a real chicken egg instead of a tiny quail egg or another slice of chasiu — but it really didn’t do it for me.
Overall, for a Japanese restaurant open late at night in the Fountain Valley area — it’s pretty decent. I haven’t tried any of the sushi rolls or any of the other items, I might opt to give them a return visit in the future and see if maybe it was just last night that tasted a bit off.
Parking is ample — its located in the Office Depot plaza off Brookhurst and Talbert (where the Claim Jumper is).
See pictures attached and UFC yo =P