Asian Tapas

This place earns a bonus star due to their accommodations to my wife’s food allergies and the fact that our little one loves to come here and they go out of their way for her. I still wish they would bring back the spicy cucumbers

Ordered walnut shrimp, veggie chow mein, the shrimp was like rubbery and had a black short hair in it, and tasted like mayo. The noodles where bland. First time eating here and probably won’t come back. Sorry.

This place is a solid 4 stars. I don’t agree with some of the negative reviews, but it was my first time so I’d have to come back again to see if the experience is the same.
My boyfriend and I ordered 4 items (he eats a lot) and our total was $ 34 before tip. Portions are average. And they charge $ 1 for rice (brown rice is also an option).
1. Per the recommendation of so many, we ordered the salt and pepper chicken wings. They were really good. Came out piping hot and crispy. The chopped garlic and jalapeño pieces were so delicious, I wish there was more of it. 8 pieces for $ 8.99 isn’t bad.
2. I really like bean curd so I had to get the shredded pork with bean curd and bamboo. The bean curd and bamboo would’ve been great on its own and you can order it vegetarian style without the pork for $ 2 less. It was a bit under seasoned but I still liked it.
3. Chinese pancakes stuffed with beef and onions. It’s about half the size of 101 Noodle express, but also half the price. I actually like this one more because the pancake is slightly thicker and remained crispy on the outside longer. I also thought the onion and sauce ratios are better here.
4. Shanghai rice cakes were probably my least favorite. The rice cakes were comes well but the flavor was lacking. I like the ones at Tasty Noodle better.
Service was quick and polite. They charged us for an extra bowl of rice but corrected it. I’d definitely come back here!

Great food, friendly staff and great prices. Nice place to grab a bite and work outside during the week.

Lunch specials are decently priced. Plates look small, but my friend and I were both surprised how long we stayed full. And we could each eat a Chipotle burrito and a half. Maybe it’s all that rice expanding in your stomach. Food is decent, probably would be better if they went lighter on the sauces. Cashew chicken was too salty and sweet and sour chicken was drenched in too viscous a sauce. Setup is odd too; we ordered at the counter, but then went outside to sit.

They put tons of MSG in the food… if you ask your food without MSG, you might upset them…

I would highly recommend not coming here. The food is awful. We ordered the kung pao chicken and sesame chicken. Both tasted like the sauce was mainly made of ketchup, the chicken was rubbery and terrible quality. The service was abrupt. Overall, would say DON’T COME HERE. We won’t be back.

Ate here about four hours ago. Now I’m throwing up. This food was terrible. The chicken was of disgusting quality and the sauce on the kung pao chicken and sesame chicken tasted like ketchup. Don’t go here unless you want terrible food and to possibly get sick later. Just awful. The service was subpar. Waiter tried to take our order when my boyfriend was in the restroom washing his hands… and then gave us the bill before we had even finished.

I don’t know why other Unilocalers gave this restaurant lower than it deserves. The food are fantastic!!! Almost all their dishes are very tasty! I tried many things and none so far has disappointed me.
The place is rather small but super clean and you can eat outside. Their food is better than most Chinese restaurants in Irvine and they should be getting more customers! The price is reasonable especially their lunch special. Come and try it yourself!

Not bad. Got the salt n pepper chicken wings and hot and sour soup. It was enough for my husband and me. The wings only came with 8 wings. The wings weren’t the same as in San Diego. The batter in SD is much crispier and lighter. Also, the big thing is I think they should fry the green onions and garlic before putting it on top of the wings. No need for fresh peppers. Chili flakes would do the job. If they just changed the topping, it would be closer to perfection. The batter was close enough for me to say it was good. It’s just I know how much better it could be and how to do it. Service was friendly enough. We may come back next time we’re feening for the wings.

Fair prices, good authentic food, this is probably my favorite spot when I’m feeling some quick home style Chinese food.
Usual order for me includes Kung Pao chicken, basil eggplant, shrimp scramble eggs, and shredded pork with bean curd.
Staffs are friendly and helpful, and service is usually really fast. Defiantly is my regular spot!

definitely worth a try.
awesome service and food.
and really affordable prices!
Shanghai sweet and sour pork chops
Beef noodle soup
Salt and pepper wings
total for everything was $ 25!
definitely a win win if you ask me
enjoy my fellow Unilocalers!

Great for lunch which ends at 5pm! They have lunch specials here that are pretty cheap that comes with soup, salad, and tea. My favorite is the salt and pepper fish which comes fried with bits of garlic and their hot and sour soup. Also for dinner they don’t charge for tea unlike some other Asian restaurants which is nice.

Surprisingly decent Chinese food tucked away in an Irvine strip mall. No, this isn’t dim sum. It’s a complete meal served with soup, rice, hot tea, and entrée. The fried pork chop is pretty good. I live really close by, and I’ve been here several times. Good food!

Food. Lunch plates are about 7 used. I am here all the time because fast and cheap. Good are Shanghai ribs, salt and pepper fish. Free salad and soup which are low quality. Walnut shrimp average. Moo shu pork above average. Chow mein and fried rice below average.
Service. Fast Chinese. Not super friendly but gets job done.
Ambiance. Strip mall next to la fitness and subway. Good outdoor dining option though. Not a date place obviously. Wouldn’t drive 30 minutes to eat here but if 10 to 15 definitely.
5 if it was for food to price. All in all gave it a 4. I will continue to eat here every couple weeks.

Ok. I’ve known about this place for over a year and did not have any urge to visit this establishment due to the reviews of qualified Unilocalers. When reading a review, btw, I take people’s review who have credentials over those who jots short uninformative sentences. Nonetheless, I’ve also heard rumors about these dishes being decent. Best way to settle this in my book is by trying it first hand.
I’ve order the salt and pepper shrimp and the beef mushroom with a side of rice. Let start with the shrimp… its terrible. Shrimp size barely makes the cut for average first off. Granted that they are not prawns but lets just say I’ll give them this. The batter on this however really lacks. When frying with the skin on, you really have to be sure that the batter and the skin crisp completely to make the dish enjoyable. I’ve been to other asian establishments where they completely crisp out the shell and head that is comparable to bitting into a Lay’s potato chip. The shrimp itself is hearty in size and the salt & pepper was fused into the batter and was also added during the frying process. What I had was just sad. It was edible but sad.
Beef Mushroom clearly saved my dinner. Even so, it barely held together on its own. While the sauce was decent and the veggies are existent, the hero which was the beef, was chewy. A little is ok but to the point of having me work the same piece of meat for an extensive amount of time before I throw it back is more work than anything. Vegetables usually will reduce in size if you cook it. If cooked too long then you are reducing it to where they can’t even complement the dish as a whole. While this dish is the savior of my dinner, I will not order this dish again either.
The reason why I didn’t give this establishment a 1 star is because the staff is friendly and the place looks decent. Also, one of my trusted food critic clamor about their fried chicken wing and rice being good. I’m willing to give the benefit of the doubt that this establishment can be a little better and that these dishes I ordered are one offs. Simply put, they have hits and miss. I will be back to try their other dishes that is supposedly good and revised this review then.
Best of luck to this establishment because as of now, my vote of confidence in terms of food quality borderlines skepticism with never again.

We went to this place to try something new. Not bad but not the best I’ve tasted. They have your traditional Chinese dishes that are prepared in decent portions. We had the orange chicken, walnut shrimp and the beef and broccoli. I would definitely give it 5 stars for the service. Our waiter was very attentive and wanted to make sure we were taken care of. I would come back mostly because it near our home if I’m craving Chinese.

Wowzers! Amazing service great tasting food and awesome location. I recently moved to Irvine and I was looking for a good quick Asian food spot and this was seriously the spot to go for that!
One of my favorite things to get is the salt and peppered pork chop. So much flavor and the consistency of the same taste every single time i order it is a win win for me!

Proximity is a beautiful thing. If you live in Woodbury or Stonegate, this is a solid spot for Taiwanese/​Chinese food. Note that I would prefer going to 101 Noodle Express, A&Js, I-​Tea, etc, but sometimes convenience trumps all.
Good prices, decent quality, and a variety of a ton of items on the menu. Also, if you get food to go they can usually get your order ready in 10 minutes.
Here’s what i recommend:
–sizzling rice soup– This is great! Chicken, shrimp, bamboo shoots, and other veggies with sizzling rice. Was surprised to see sizzling rice soup on the menu, and love it.
–hot and sour soup– Nothing out of the ordinary, but just a good soup
–pork chop rice– Classic taiwanese dish with salt and pepper fried pork chop, rice, egg, minced meat on top of rice, and veggies. You can also order just the pork chops a la carte.
–salt & =pepper chicken wings — Possibly my favorite dish here. Delicious chicken wings!
What’s decent:
–Beancurd with Pork– This looks like Szechuan pork, but isn’t spicy at all. It wasn’t what I expected, or what it looks like, but still was good.
–Beef roll– Not as good as other places around like 101 Noodle, but still okay
–Beef with Brocolli — My go-​to dish at any chinese restaurant if i don’t know what to order! Safe dish to get
What I wouldn’t get:
Chow mein — meh
Pork potstickers — I didn’t really like these. The wrapper was too thick, the wrapper/​meat ratio was way off
Pork dumplings — These were steamed dumplings. Not terrible, but not recommended
I tend to go here once a week or so. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend if you live out of the area, but this is a great bet for those in close proximity.

This place is the definition of MEH. I’ve tried it multiple times and it has never impressed me. I would only come here if I was desperate for Asian food.
Their lunch specials are only $ 5.99 (comes with salad, soup, and rice)! However, the food isn’t very good. Maybe I’ve been ordering the wrong thing? I’ve tried about 5 different things here though. Here are the last 3 things I ordered.
–Honey walnut shrimp: I’ve had better. They charge a lot for a small amount.
–Orange peel chicken: this doesn’t even taste like orange chicken! I didn’t even finish half. Plus the chicken pieces are really weird pieces of the chicken. Strange shapes.*shiver*
–Kung Pao shrimp: not bad but doesn’t taste like Kung Pao shrimp
Service is pretty good for a Chinese restaurant. Everything comes out fast and the ppl are nice and friendly!