NEP Cafe - Irvine — Restaurant in Irvine

Great dining experience with friends - highly recommend a reservation. The servers were on point, didn’t miss a beat with refills. Our visit wasn’t without issue, however, as we realized (after paying and leaving) we were overcharged $28 for a cocktail we didn’t order and an appetizer (Dao) that was supposed to be free with the promo text we showed our server. We also did not receive an item (Vietnamese chicken salad) we canceled as the timing was off and we were being served dessert. While everything else was otherwise impeccable, 3-stars for service as this was a miss. **update 3/1: Customer service read my review and reached out. Credit issued for the mishap. Total score - 5 stars!

Ube coconut ale - I didn’t personally try but this was popular at our table. Very pretty in color, served in a glass beer can.

The Dao w extra toast - this potato egg mousse was delicious with a subtle truffle flavor. Well balanced and not overpowering. An order comes with four pieces of toast, you will definitely need to order more which will cost you $1 extra. Highly recommend as this is a great way to wake up your taste buds before the meal.

Salt & Pepper Calamari - nothing exciting about this one. Was it good? I guess? Was it something I’ll spend more than 50 additional characters explaining? No. Comes with a spicy dipping sauce, take it or leave it.

Brussel sprouts - holy cow this was the star of the show. Crispy brussels sprouts with sausage and sautéed onions. Extremely flavorful, crunchy, and 100% satisfying. In fact, I’m already preparing for my next visit where I will order these, an order of wings and a glass of wine for dinner. Not to be missed, give these a try!

Chicken wings - salty, sticky, sweet. These wings hit every taste bud, it’s a culinary explosion in your mouth. There are around six wings per serving, and you can definitely taste fish sauce. I know some people are opposed to that, so putting a disclaimer in this review for those who want to avoid it.

Shrimp garlic noodles - probably our least favorite dish of the evening, although everything was quite good. The shrimp were just plain, they had a charred grilled taste of them but were overcooked and dry. The noodles were just OK. Yep, they tasted like garlic sauce but didn’t really add any memorable talking points to our experience.

Shaking beef - tender beef served in a flavorful broth/gravy with onions. The greens accompanying this dish were also quite good. Served with a side of rice topped with chili garlic. Not overly spicy but definitely adds a nice flavor profile to the dish. One of our favorite dishes of the evening, this is highly recommended.

Whole branzino - herbs and seasonings were quite good on this mild fish, but beware of the bones. I wasn’t expecting that, maybe it’s a Branzino thing (I’ve never had it before) but the sharp bones definitely found their way to the roof of my mouth, ouch! This comes with a plate of lettuce and noodles to bundle the fish in, accompanied by a very flavorful fish sauce. This was good, and the fish was tender and flaky, the bones were just too offputting for me and I don’t think I would order this again.

Calamansi paloma was ordered at our table, I personally didn’t drink it so can’t comment on anything other than it had a very pretty presentation.

Yuzu white peach mocktail - I did not personally drink this but our dining companion said this was absolutely delicious and would order it again. It looked quite refreshing and I will likely give it a try on my next visit.

Mango sticky rice was a disappointment. I was most excited about this dessert which is a mango sorbet served on some sort of jelly like substance which was quite good. The mango itself, however, was just all right. It’s a nice cleanser to your pallet after a meal but not at all what we were expecting. the price was fair and reasonable, so if you love Mango it’s worth trying.

Banana bread pudding was the best dessert of the evening. Served with a small scoop of ice cream, this was sweet, sticky, and had a hint of...

As a longtime fan of Kei Concept, I have visited all of your establishments and always had great experiences. However, my recent visit to the Irvine location on March 6th at around 12:30 PM was quite disappointing, which is why I wanted to share my feedback.

That day, my friend and I ordered the Banh Mi Chao and Fried Rice. The Banh Mi Chao was served first, and we began eating, but the Fried Rice did not arrive even after a long wait. When we asked our server about it, they assured us that it would be ready "within two minutes." However, the dish was not served until approximately 30 minutes later.

During this time, I noticed a staff member, who appeared to be a manager wearing a dark navy shirt, bringing food to a nearby table. I politely inquired about our order, as it had been significantly delayed. However, the response I received was disappointing and unprofessional. The conversation went as follows:

Me: "We have been waiting for about 30 minutes since receiving our Banh Mi Chao, but our Fried Rice still hasn’t arrived. Could you check on it?" Manager: "It hasn’t been 30 minutes, only 20 minutes." Me: "Other tables that ordered after us have already received their food. Is this a normal situation?" Manager: "Many people ordered Fried Rice, so it’s taking longer." Me: "So, is this kind of delay standard?" Manager: "Then I’ll just cancel the Fried Rice, okay?" (Immediately walks away.) I was quite shocked by this response, as it felt dismissive and lacking in basic customer service. While I completely understand that delays can happen during busy hours, I believe that communication with customers should always be handled with professionalism and care.

Later, our server mentioned that this person’s name might be "Henry," but I cannot confirm if that is accurate.

I have always held Kei Concept in high regard for its excellent operations and customer experience. However, this incident has unfortunately changed my perception, which I find disappointing. I hope this feedback can serve as constructive input to help improve future service...

I’ve had like 3 different people tell me I’d like this place, and they were right! Nep Cafe has a great brunch selection, and provides a good variety of food and drinks (both boozy and not) for a memorable meal with friends and family.

I came with my parents, and while this cafe has more of a trendier vibe for younger people, they enjoyed their meal there. Do keep in mind that the general ambiance is noisier, so if you’re going with people that are sensitive towards noisy places, this might not be the place for you.

So, the drinks. My mom got the coffeetini, which is their version of an espresso martini, and it was solid. I got the ube horchata, which was nice and creamy, and tasted kind of like a ube pina coloada combo. The star of the show was the egg coffee that my dad ordered (the hot version), which was surprisingly good. The foam was on the thicker end, and not too sweet, and the cocoa powder was a nice touch too! I can definitely see why people rave about it.

For food, we all ordered a crab toast to share, and it was a good thing it came with 3 slices of toast, because we would’ve fought over it. The crab, sauce, and roe came together super well with the crunchy toast! My dad is usually pretty picky, but he really enjoyed the toast. He also got the filet mignon, which he liked as well! The peppercorn sauce was not too salty, and the eggs were just cooked enough to not be overly runny.

My mom got the bo kho, aka the beef stew, and it was similar to the filet mignon but with a more tomato based sauce that suited the beef tongue well. The bread that came with both these dishes were baked just crispy enough too.

I got the szechuan spicy noodles with dumplings, and it was also really tasty! I will say, the spice does build up over time, so be careful. The dumplings were also cooked just right, where the dough was nice and chewy and not too soggy.

I will definitely be coming back! It’s a trendy and popular place for a reason, and I’ll have to try their dinner menu...