Menya Hanabi - The Original Nagoya Mazesoba

I have to admit, I should have checked Yelp before visiting this trendy new brothless ramen spot. I’m not one to chase after the latest restaurant fads, but I thought I’d give it a shot. Unfortunately, my experience didn’t live up to the hype. I anticipated a one-hour wait, but it ended up being an exasperating 1 hour and 40 minutes—definitely not ideal.
While the food was genuinely good, I can't help but wonder if it was worth that long wait. The outdoor seating was nonexistent, and it was frustrating to watch servers moving at a leisurely pace, seemingly with no sense of urgency. The service itself felt lackluster, which added to my disappointment.
On the plus side, the noodles were absolutely delicious and clearly the highlight of the meal. However, when weighing the wait time, service, and price against the food quality, the overall experience just didn’t come out on top for me.
If you decide to give it a try, be sure to add yourself to the Yelp waitlist beforehand. Hopefully, your experience will be better than mine! If you’re willing to wait it out, you might find gems on their menu, but be prepared for a less-than-stellar dining experience in the meantime.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 3

Recommended dishes: Chicken Karaage, Deluxe Nagoya Mazesoba

What a delightful experience this was. From start to finish, I was impressed and surprised by how incredibly flavorful everything was. The chicken karaage left a bit to be desired in its seasoning, but was so juicy, I could almost overlook that. The brothless ramen we each got was packed with flavor, and was such a substantial meal. Somehow, despite filling me up, I didn't feel gross after eating it! Very very worth the price and time!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Oily, heavy and delicious Mazesoba. Slow wait for food during peak times.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 4

The ramen is good, but the other food items were just ok. Although I read that many people like the karaage, we didn’t like it. The takoyaki was better, but I would just recommend the noodles.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 3

Recommended dishes: Takoyaki, Chicken Kaarage

nice place to have lunch, soba noodles with different flavor taste good.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 4

I think this place is good if you really love pork or heavy food. The chashu noodles were very oily with a strong pork smell. The place was very busy with every table taken for dinner but the servers and host work efficiently to get people in and out quickly. I didn’t like the QR code only style of ordering.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 3

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Takoyaki

Food was phenomenal and staff was super nice!!!!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

After a long line I finally got a chance to try it and it was worth the wait. Ordered the chashu ramen and it was delicious. The sauce is full of flavor and the pork was charred. Definitely coming back

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Chashu

This is not even the grand opening but it's
already like this. I waited for 30 minutes but they didn't say anything to us. What made me more upset is that the lady I talked to told the other coworker that it's only been 25 minutes and she also made a gesture showing she didn't understand why I was complaining. You guys definitely need to hire new people or train them well for better customer service!!!

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

Such an amazing experience! The food was way beyond what I could've imagined. The flavor and the attention to detail was incredible. Not only was the food amazing, but the service was so hospitable. Most places will just drop off your food and do the bare minimum, but at Menya, they went out of their way to explain the whole process and how to go about mixing the Mazesoba. Definitely would recommend Menya to anyone who is looking to try Mazesoba for the first time, as well as, people who want to try something new and flavorful.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Went to Menya Hanabi on a Sunday afternoon and it was packed inside and outside. The wait was longer than I would have liked but given the time and day I went, it was expected so I can't really complain. There's a decent selection of shops in the same plaza so time went by pretty quick while walking around the area.

To start, even with a fully packed restaurant, the food came out in a reasonable amount of time. I ordered the Deluxe Mazesoba with everything in it and it was extremely filling, not to mention the extra rice they give at the end to finish off the remainder of the bowl. The noodles were nice and thick, the veggies were nice and fresh, egg was cooked to perfection and the chashu was crispy on the outside, tender on the inside. I also got the iced matcha latte which I enjoyed thoroughly. No bitterness and no powdery feel.

Service was surprisingly quick with how many tables that needed to be attended to and the waitstaff was attentive to my table's needs. Overall experience was fantastic and I'd recommend going here for anyone who wants a great bowl of noodles.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Chashu, Deluxe Nagoya Mazesoba

First time having dry ramen, and it was amazing.

We got the Takoyaki to share and the Deluxe Nagoya and Mentaiko Cream Mazesobas for our mains. All three dishes were rich and full of flavor. The Deluxe gave you a taste of everything, with a meaty and savory coating on the noodles, while the Mentaiko Cream had a more subtle, cheesy flavor complemented by the fish roe.

I’ll be back soon to eat my way through the menu!

Parking: Parking is pretty bad during prime times especially because there are Tesla chargers here and Irvine is Tesla Town… and we all know how bad Tesla drivers are…

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Deluxe Nagoya Mazesoba

Love it! Great sauce. We will definitely be back. The karage and monster fries are also awesome. Staff is really friendly too!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Deluxe Nagoya Mazesoba

The noodle is very tasty! Wudong noodle is perfect with their sauce. The pork is a little fatty, but that is my personal preference. Their service is very enthusiastic!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Great noodle and great taste!

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Deluxe Nagoya Mazesoba