Soba Izakaya MINAMI

Awesome place to eat!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Great place, i was so happy with my hot soba. I literally felt like i was back in japan. Definitely recommend it. The staff was so polite and friendly. Great for a family dinner, date night or a group of friends. The food is much better when you eat at the restaurant.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

​I absolutely loved this soba restaurant! It felt like stepping into a little piece of Japan. The ambiance was incredible, and the servers wearing kimonos added to the authentic feel. The food quality was outstanding—everything was delicious, from the soba and udon to the tempura and appetizers. I particularly enjoyed how flavorful each dish was. I'd come back here 200% and would say this is the most authentic and delicious soba spot in OC.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

After discovering this gem on Google Maps, I had been meaning to visit for several weeks and I’m truly delighted that I finally did. The experience exceeded all expectations. The food is nothing short of exceptional delicious, beautifully prepared, and remarkably authentic, rivaling dishes I’ve had in Japan.

The atmosphere strikes a perfect balance between casual and inviting, and the staff are genuinely kind and attentive. Their menu is impressively extensive almost overwhelming at first but given the outstanding quality of the dishes I tried, I look forward to exploring it fully.

The soba noodles paired with shrimp tempura rice were outstanding transporting me straight to Tokyo with each bite. The yuzu chicken, in particular, was unforgettable; tender, flavorful, and enhanced by the bright, addictive umami of yuzu. It’s easily the best chicken dish I’ve had in quite some time. The spicy tuna roll was equally impressive fresh, balanced, and deeply satisfying.

This restaurant is a rare find, and I can’t wait to return and continue discovering more of what they have to offer.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 4

Great lunch spot if you're looking for your soba and udon craving. Great size portion, too. Besides, soba and udon they have plenty of different rice dishes to choose from.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 5

I was really underwhelmed

Disappointed and Surprised – Won’t Be Returning

This was my first time dining at this restaurant, and I came in with high hopes after reading all the great reviews on Google. I was warmly welcomed, and everything started off well. I ordered the shrimp tempura curry—being a pescatarian, I specifically chose that dish to avoid meat.

However, after just two bites of the rice and curry and one shrimp (out of three), I noticed chunks of meat in the curry. I asked the server to confirm, and she told me the curry did contain pork. I was shocked and immediately stopped eating.

What disappointed me most was the lack of response. No offer to take the dish back, no replacement, no gesture of goodwill—just a simple “sorry.” I even would’ve been fine paying for part of the meal, but instead, I was charged the full amount for a dish I couldn’t eat due to dietary restrictions.

I was genuinely excited to try this place and hoped it would become a regular spot for me. Unfortunately, the lack of care and poor handling of the situation left a really bad impression. I won’t be coming back.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

I had such a lovely lunch with my niece! Our server was super friendly and made us feel right at home—if only I could remember her name! She was so accommodating. I enjoyed a delicious chicken curry with udon soup, and for appetizers, we shared some crispy fried tofu and tasty takoyaki. Plus, the restaurant has lots of parking and is tucked away in a nice, quiet neighborhood. Perfect outing!

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 5

At 2025 - the food is average, and the price is steep....

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 3

Service: 4

It's ok the quality is good it's not the type of food I like to eat I wanted to try Japanese so I did and it's not for me but if you like Japanese food I would recommend this place you can tell it quality

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 5

Last night, my friend and I went out for dinner. I ordered grilled eel with rice, while my friend chose udon noodles. Honestly, when I saw the eel, I felt disappointed because it wasn't fresh, but it cost $26, so I tried to eat it anyway. Unfortunately, after eating dinner and went home, my friend have diarrhea, I have both gastric reflux, stomach pain and diarrhea all night. Early this morning, I had to meet a pharmacist, to prescribe some medication so I could go to work. However, I still have diarrhea, making for a truly terrible experience.

Well... I don't think the chef tastes the soup base... very salty... there is no other option about it, even though you told the server.
I poured cold water inside it... well... still... maybe I expected too much...🫠😒

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 2

We didn't expect much of this restaurant as it's tucked away in an obscure shopping plaza. There was only one other table when we came in.

We order soba from their menu. The food is decent, but it's nothing to brag about. Their tempura is actually pretty good. They are crispy and the batter is light and spikey. The portion is a bit on the skimpy side. There's only two pieces of shrimp tempura and a bowl of soba noodles for $16.45.

Now here comes the complaint.
For a bowl of noodle soup, I could have a bowl of beef pho, or spicy beef noodle soup for about the same price, with a bit more portion. At this restaurant they also charge for the tea, at $3.45. then without telling me, they also charge me a surcharge without any explanation.

They first show me a bill with the total without the surcharge. I paid on the tablet, and entered the tip. When they handed me the printed receipt, the surcharge showed up.

So if you add the surcharge, and the tea, and the taxes on these, it adds about 20% to the published price on the menu, not counting tip.

It's like they are worried that they will drive away customers if they raise the price too high. So they sneak in all these little charges here and there to up the price on the menu.

This is what's bothering me about this place. It's not very upfront about the prices they charge you for the items you order.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 3

Service: 1

I always order udon.
It's chewy and very delicious! !
Customer service is also very good! !

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Chill Japanese eatery that specializes in soba and udon. The staff was friendly and the food was good.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Beef Dipping Soba