BCD Tofu House — Restaurant in Irvine

Blah! If you were stuck in Riverside and needed an Asian food fix this place may work for you, but if you have options go else where. There are plenty of tofu places popping up in Irvine. My favorite is still KOBA Tofu on Culver.

This is one of the first places I tried in the Jamboree Plaza. First thought... WOW! I no longer have to go to Rowland Heights because we have our own Asian Mall in Irvine. Tofu open 24/7 crazy! That's open about 24 hours more than everything that closes early in Irvine. In the beginning, everything looked and felt like a BCD Tofu house. I thought there's no way that I give this place less than 4 stars. I never minus stars for service, because it's all about the food. This BCD had maybe one server for about 20 or 30 tables, either that or no one felt like working. The server look like she hated her life.

My first bite of the tofu. It tasted like boiled tofu with a lot of powder. I like it spicy, but at least trick me in to thinking this is a soup and not some powder crap. It was spicy, very spicy, but not tasty at all. It lacked flavor. I thought it would taste like seafood, because that's what I ordered. The Baehn Chun, side dishes, (I'm not korean so don't laugh at my spelling please) looked the same way food looks that was you left it in the back of the fridge one too many days. I was so disgusted and wished I could walk out and get a refund. I just sat there forcing the food down and watching an annoying little kid whine and play with his toy for entertainment.

PASS on this place. Maybe I had a bad experience, but I have little faith it will be better a second...

I had high expectations and it didn't deliver. I got the spicy pork bulgogi combo and for take out, it took 45 min to get the food. The spicy pork, steamed rice, and kimchi were absolutely delicious but, thats really where that ends. They give you a 5 inch whole deep fried mackerel wrapped in tin foil. Eye ball and all, with mouth wide open, I didnt mind the presentation but, others might. Be super careful though. The bones are obviously still there; they are small and very sharp being inedible. With more work to eat it than it's worth. Dont be fooled by the bubbling soup they show and bring out as a side. I was excited about this but, it disappointed greatly. Its barely, I mean barely seasoned. It has meat and tofu in it and that's it. It was eating a spoonful of oil and unseasoned meat or large chunks of tofu depending on the bite. The heavy oil made me start to have a gag reflex so, I had to stop trying to eat it. The dumplings weren't the best either. Very basic and not worth the money. Teriyaki chicken is better at flame broiler and half the price. I was a dollar short of spending $40 here for sub-par food. I will easily choose another restaurant in the future. The only things this place has going for it are: they give a lot of food, that it's open late, there are dine in tables (outside seating), the staff was nice, and the restrooms are open to customers only. These are the only reasons I gave them 2 stars and not 1. If you're determined to go, you can find things that are decent, however, they might not be...

Not as good of an experience here compared to the others. This restaurant is always busy, so be prepared to wait. Join the Yelp waitlist prior to coming if you can. If not, there's a tablet when you arrive.

They were very prompt taking your order, but the food came out one at a time. It took a long time for each dish to come out, too. As for service, they never came to check on us. We only spoke to a server when we ordered, and when we were able to wave someone down for the bill.

The food quality was good. My favorite was the well seasoned galbi. The least favorite was bulgogi. It was too sweet for my liking, and the meat was too small, choppy, broken up, and reminded me of meat from a Philly cheesesteak. The soups were nice and spicy, even with the mild option. The banchans are refillable, where someone rolling a cart by would stop and refill them without you asking.

The restroom was absolutely disgusting! Toilet paper and paper towels everywhere from the counters to the floor. Not only was it overflowed from the trash bins, but the toilets, too.

I'm hoping it was just a hiccup because it was a late night. However, from the experience I had there today, it was enough for me not to return. I'll have to stick to the...