Katsu Bar — Restaurant in Irvine

Spent the day in Irvine with my siblings. I’ve seen this spot all over socials, so I was excited to take them here for lunch.

Parking: Free parking lot.

Ambiance/Environment: It’s very clean inside. They have a small indoor space with limited seating. There’s plenty of outdoor seating. There’s two self ordering kiosk. Once you walk in, place your order, take a seat, and a worker will bring out your food to you.

Service: We didn’t catch her name, but she was courteous and attentive. Throughput was under 10 minutes after ordering. She brought out our food and surprisingly knew where we sat.

Foods: We ordered all chicken Katsu!

Caprese Salad Katsu - If you’re going for something simple and light, then this is the dish for you. The sauce with the arugula was delicious. They’re generous with the Katsu, and the tomato and mozzarella were fresh.

Strawberry Sando - Perfect dessert to end off our lunch! It wasn’t too sweet or heavy. The strawberries were fresh, and the cream was light.

Nashville Hot Chicken - The burger is big! My siblings and I looove the sauce! It was sweet then the spice creeps up on you during the aftertaste. The chicken was cooked well and seasoned perfectly. We also enjoyed the fries.

Katsu Plate - Another simple yet delicious dish. It came with a lot of Katsu, a scoop of rice, coleslaw, radish, and mac salad. We absolutely enjoyed this dish too!

Mala Ramen w/ Katsu - Wooo the Mala was spicyyy! Now this is what I call mala haha. The bowl was larger than expected. I appreciated the generous amount of Katsu and noodles given!

Yubu Pockets: buldak, egg salad, spicy tuna, bulgogi - These were over-filled to the top! It had a thin layer of tofu with rice on the bottom and filling on top.

Caprese Katsu Sando - The sandos were cut thin and filled with katsu and vegetables, and served with fries. This tasted like the other dishes but in a Sando.

Pricing: Definitely worth it! My siblings and I loved everything! Presentation and plating...

I ordered a Nashville Hot Chicken sandwich from Katsu Bar and received a regular Katsu sandwich. I did not mind, and simply wanted them to correct the order, so I politely called to ask. The first girl who picked up did not know what to do, so she handed the phone to a man. I told them that my Nashville Sandwich was extremely sweet (not spicy at all) and covered in Katsu sauce, to which he rudely replied “That’s how our Nashville Sandwiches are.” No inquiries on the sandwich, no offers to switch, and no customer service whatsoever. I asked if the sandwich was supposed to be red, like the photo advertised and he continued to gaslight me. I didn’t want to argue, so I accepted it. I linked the photos of my sandwich just to compare the photos online, and it’s upsetting that this store could not meet the bare minimum to apologize. It is okay that they got the order wrong, but they should work on asking about the order and accept the possibility of a mistake instead of...

I didn't know Portobello katsu curry was a thing. Where has it been all my life? If you love portobello mushrooms like I do, I recommend trying the portobello katsu curry with rice. I had originally ordered a portobello katsu sandwich. The cashier misunderstood me and brought out the Portobello katsu curry rice plate instead. Oopsy!!! I'm glad that he did, or I wouldn't know how this new dish that I tried for the first time would be so yummy!! He gave me a free iced green tea for bringing the wrong order. The food was great and awesome service!! As I was sitting out in the patio area to do my devotional, the cashier came out and said, I read your review. Here's a thank you!! He gave me free tiramisu!! I've been craving a tiramisu, too. God always gives you the desire of your heart when you show kindness, especially to restaurant workers or anyone in the customer service industry. A little kindness...