🥞 Is This Irvine Brunch Spot Really Worth the Hype?

The wildly popular NEP Cafe in Irvine – we finally tried it! 💥 Weekends are packed – we waited over 30 minutes, but the plaza has Japanese supermarkets to browse while you wait. 📍 NEP Cafe - Irvine 14346 Culver Dr, Irvine, CA 92604 We were a bit sad that the salted egg yolk pasta was unavailable this season 😢, but other dishes still delivered: Garlic Noodles Beef Tongue Noodles & Rice Fried Chicken Beef Tongue Fried Rice Spicy Wontons Crispy Rice Everything was tasty and worth trying, but maybe due to sky-high expectations, nothing truly blew us away. 🍜 Beef Tongue Noodles & Rice – Generous portions, but the tongue was chunkier, not as tender as we hoped. 🍗 Fried Chicken – Sweet, crispy, almost like Korean fried chicken – a win for sweet-tooth folks! 🥟 Spicy Wontons – Small portion, shrimp-filled, mildly spicy – satisfying for shrimp lovers. 🍚 Crispy Rice – Fried rice cakes topped with lap cheong, soft-boiled egg, pork floss, and crunchies – layers of texture! 🍝 Garlic Noodles – Topped with what seemed like crab meat – generous but average after a few bites. ☕ Egg Coffee & Coconut Matcha – Both highly recommended! The egg coffee uses egg instead of milk, topped with rich cocoa – complex and delicious. Verdict: A solid brunch spot with creative Vietnamese fusion, but temper your expectations if you’re imagining life-changing flavors. #OCEats #BrunchGoals #CafeVibes #IrvineFood #IrvineBrunch #RestaurantRecs #CafeFood