Irvine Improv — Restaurant in Irvine

This review is for the outstanding service and hospitality we received from one of their managers, Leslie White. Irvine Improv, you are lucky to have her. We had never been to the Irvine Improv. We purchased tickets for Comedian Tumua on Saturday, April 6th. When we purchased our tickets, we purchased the VIP tickets. We did not know how the seating arrangements were based on this or the general admission tickets. We knew we would be seated first at the front of the stage. Because of this, we thought we would be able to get a booth for 4 when we arrived since we were able to get sat first because of the VIP ticket. Because we were meeting friends who we have not seen for a long time, I emailed Irvine Improv on Tuesday, April 2 asking about seating and requesting a booth for 4, along with other questions about seating, what time to get there, time to get there etc. I tried calling all week but it went to a VM giving your options but no live customer service.

On Wednesday, April 3, I received an email from Leslie. In her email, she answered all my questions and informed me that the 2nd Tier booths were already reserved with VIP tickets with food pre purchased. However (this is where her great service comes in by caring for the needs of her guests) she provided 2 options for us. A smaller table for 6 up front on the side or a booth for 4 on the 3rd Tier in the back. She said if we were interested in one of these, she would reserve it for us. I replied and thanked her and asked her to reserved the booth in the back for us. She replied back the same day informing us that we were all set and to let the door person know Leslie reserved the table for us. (Again Great Service and Follow up with her Guest)

We arrived at the Improv a little after 5:30pm. We went to the dedicated VIP line which we did not wait. I informed the door person that Leslie reserved a booth for us. Once he confirmed, he sat us at our table. The booth was in the 3rd tier but it was a great table in the middle of the room (not on the side where you cannot see the stage) as you can still clearly see the stage. Before the show, Leslie came by our table, introduced herself wanted to be sure we were happy with our table. We thanked her again and for coming by our table. She said if we needed anything, to ask for her.

Leslie's caring service and hospitality was outstanding through this process. If she didn't do everything for us mentioned above, we would have shown up and probably been sat at one of the long picnic tables with other guests, cramped, and not have had a good time with our friends. If this would have happened, we would not return. The Improv is a busy place. I'm sure as a manager, she has a million things to do. We just wanted to recognize Leslie and thank her for making our 1st experience at the Irvine Improv a great one. Because of this, we will be back in the future for more comedy shows with our friends, co-workers and family. We will also be letting everyone know about...

If you're looking for a night of laughter, the Irvine Improv is the place to be! I recently went to see the hilarious Brad Williams, and boy, did I have an adventure. Let me break it down for you. Seriously, you could sit in the back row and still have a fantastic view of the stage. It's like they have comedy fairies sprinkling magic dust on every seat. However, fair warning, if you're vertically challenged like me, avoid sitting behind a basketball team. You might need binoculars to catch the punchlines!

Now, let's talk about the most important thing: the food and drinks. The food was alright, nothing to write home about. However, the beers? Cold and delicious! They were like little golden angels sent from the heavens to make us forget all our troubles. Plus, the servers were speedy and awesome. I swear, they must have ninja training to dash around so quickly without spilling a drop. Ah, the food mishap. My girlfriend ordered the Asian chicken salad and ended up with guacamole instead of avocado. Apparently, the kitchen was suffering from an avocado shortage crisis. But get this: our friend ordered a burger and had a perfectly sliced avocado on top! Talk about a kitchen not thinking straight. Maybe they were trying to channel their inner Picasso with some abstract culinary art.

Parking can be a headache in some places, but not at the Irvine Improv. We parked in a nearby parking garage across the street, and valet parking was only $10. It's a small price to pay for a night of laughter and joy. Just remember, if you accidentally park in the wrong spot, don't blame the comedians for your parking ticket. They can't be held responsible for your poor decision-making skills. The sound system was top-notch. Every punchline hit with perfect clarity, making our bellies ache from laughter. And can we take a moment to appreciate the seats? Oh, sweet comfort! They cradled our posteriors with an embrace of pure relaxation. It's like sitting on a cloud made of marshmallow fluff. Just remember, double-check your avocado requirements before ordering!

Disclaimer: No avocados were harmed in the making of...

Great place to see comedy. The Irvine Improv is a fantastic venue in the Irvine Spectrum Center. The shows do get sold out.

We saw JR De Guzman, who was very funny. It was a great show.

We arrived early to have time to eat before the show started. Once seated we ordered through the app using the QR code on the table.

We ordered a drink, 3 appetizers (sliders, buffalo cauliflower and fried pickles) and a meatball sandwich. We closed out the tab and gave a good tip on the app before we even got any of our food and drink. We probably should have waited to pay. It took awhile for the food to get to our table.

The table next to us (the tables are so close to each other) returned all 4 of their dishes because they were cold and didn’t receive any silverware. When our food finally arrived, they were warm, not hot. The sliders however were COLD!! The server didn’t want to believe me and said he’d go talk with the manager (without grabbing the plate of sliders).

After almost 20 minutes, he returned to say that the bun warmer wasn’t working and that they are redoing the order. He gave me and my neighbor a pass for another show. It was a nice gesture but when looking online, it is only valid for a couple shows/comedians at the 2 Improvs near me.

In the meantime, I requested water a few times but never got any the whole time I was there. 5 minutes had not even passed since he told us about the bun warmer when another server came rushing to our table with sliders. It looked like the same EXACT plate, except they took the sauces off. It still wasn’t hot but barely warm. For all of our food, we didn’t finish it. I noticed that our table neighbors didn’t finish their food either.

I would highly recommend to eat lunch/dinner before coming to the show. There are so many great food options at the Irvine Spectrum Center. Just order drinks, since it’s required that you purchase 2 items.

We spent almost $200 from the tickets, tip, food and drink (since we paid on the app when we ordered) Really disappointed!!

Park in the parking structure near the movie theater. Give yourself extra time...