I’m from Taipei and so happy to have this place nearby now. The food is very tasty and the service is friendly. I crave Taiwanese food often so this place has been on repeat visits for me. Highly recommend. The taste is authentically Taiwanese.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
David Chung
Relaxed atmosphere, very home like tables and chairs. Almost too relaxed. Order with the menu instead of the code in the table, the online order Numbers aren't exactly the same. I ordered an 18 expecting to get popcorn chicken and I got white rice because that's 18 on the printed menu.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Fried Pork Chop
Koala Porter
Food tasted bland, non existent service. Go get your own water cup from the cooler.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
SJ L.
The first time I ordered delivery from this place, they canceled my order an hour before my guests arrived. Second time I ordered for pickup, the pork chop tasted fine but it was overcooked, very tough to chew on, the boiled squid was actually dry; stinky tofu was fine with the dipping sauces and the ground pork over rice was good. Overall, I think I'm generous to give it a 3-star.
David L.
Hit and miss. I like half the food I order here. The other half often tastes off. Things that are acceptable: - yang chun noodles (plain noodle soup) - wontons - braised side dishes Things that are weird: - braised beef rice. It was crazy sweet. Never had that type of braised beef in my life. Could not finish. Good place for a local if you know what to get and what to avoid.
Will E.
At the stop light here would have normally ordered something but looking at the recent reviews glad I'm still not gonna waste my money here.
Angela C.
I was really excited when I found this online and ordered through DoorDash. I recall in the 90s I used to frequent a place by the same name in Rowland Heights and it was delicious! I don't know if this is the same owners, or just a coincidence of the same name but I was extremely disappointed. The soup was horrible, I had to throw it all away. The meatballs were cold in the middle, and the soup tasted like old bathwater. It was one of the worst things I've ever ate in my life. As you can see, the pork chop rice had very tiny portion of minced meat and vegetable and abundance of rice. The actual pork chop was very hard in the middle, not in an over cooked way but in a very weird way, like it was frozen and then flash dried, really can't explain how strange it was but I threw it away. The egg was edible. The beef roll tasted OK, but the end pieces were just bread only, the ingredients inside was not evenly balanced, except in the middle part. The reviews seem to be a mix of love or hate so Hopefully this was an off day or the chef was new or something because there's not that many Taiwanese options in this area and I really want to support small businesses.
Daniel Ku
Traditional Taiwanese food. Very authentic. Also pricy.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Chris T.
A Taiwanese restaurant that serves oyster omelette/pancake in Lake Forest of all places?! And it was amazing?! So unexpected. I'm still shocked, but very delighted. Kudos to the chef who came out from the kitchen to answer our questions and help us order. Oyster Omelette If you are adventurous and want to try something unique, get this. I don't even know how to describe it, but if you promise not to judge, here... The oyster, bok choy, and egg are fried and melded in some clear gelatinous starch that crisps on the ends, but is mostly chewy like the texture of mochi. It is topped with a slightly sweet but mild red sauce that brings it all together. It IS weird at first bite, but it just works. Trust me on this. Absolutely d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s, especially at Good Time Cafe. Pork Chow Mein YUMMY! This had that homemade touch, which makes it cravable and hard to stop eating even if you're full. Not to fret, you won't feel heavy after. This dish was light, not oily like other stir-fry noodles, and filled with a generous portion of pork, cabbage, shiitake mushroom, and onion. There was the right balance of softness from the noodles and mushrooms and crunch from the cabbage and onion. I could eat a plate righttttt abouttt NOW. Pork XLB These weren't the best ever, but they hit the spot. Mince Pork Rice This was affordable, so we thought why not give it a try. Truthfully, it was a bit underwhelming. I recommend to skip unless you've never had this dish before. If you have, you'll compare it to other places and wish you saved your stomach space for other items on the menu. I'd rather have tried a noodle soup. There's always next time!
Lenora N.
I ordered beef noodle soup, spicy wonton and beef roll. I don't recommend this place at all. The food is really bad. I just took a bite and can not eat another bite. Total waste of money. Beef noodle soup 3/5 - this was the only dish that is ok for me. The beef was tender and the noodle was cooked Al dente. The soup was mediocre could be better. Spicy wonton 0/5 - this was probably the worse dish I've had. First don't expect it to taste like Seven Grams or A&J. It taste like it was boiled in water, no salt and drizzled w/ chili oil. The pork flavor was very strong and kinda gamey. I can't eat pork that is too porky. Maybe the pork was old? Not sure. All those combined does not do well for me. Beef roll 0/5 - the roll was so skinny you can barely see any beef. Pancake was so thick.. too much breading for me. Dislike. The picture below is how much left over. I left dissatisfied. Will not return.
Very authentic Taiwanese restaurant found in the OC south county!! Must try!!Lots variety available at very reasonable prices.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Simmered Combination, L9 Shrimp w Ham Fried Rice, Fried Pork Chop Rice Noodle w Soup, Squid Potage with Noodle
Megan Hsu
The soup is absolutely disgusting
Patricia C.
I would love to support a small business in any way I can but the food I had was unfortunately so bad, I could say it was one of the worst meals I've ever had in Southern California. I grew up in Taiwan so I'm always excited when I find a Taiwanese restaurant around me, especially if they can deliver those flavors I'm most familiar with (NYC is having a boom, pls open up some here!!). Their menu looks pretty legit so we gave it a try. What a mistake. I got the chitterlings potage with thin noodle (not sure why the English translation is this but it's 大腸麵線) and it was hands down the blandest thing I've ever had. The soup tasted like it was plain water (not an exaggeration). I tried to save it with some stuff I had at home - shallots, soy sauce, black vinegar...and it was unsalvageable. There weren't many intestine pieces and it looked like it was chopped up small to make it look like there was more. They were also white - if you've had it in Taiwan, you'll know they're usually braised for a long time, giving it a brown color. I could have done better making the instant pack version of this intestine vermicelli soup that you could get from 99ranch! Maybe they forgot a few ingredients and all the seasonings?!Stinky tofu was also so subpar. Texture was very rubbery... you either go super crispy or super soft. This was neither and it wasn't because of the fact that it was a delivery order. My husband got the pork rice in gravy and he said the pork was also flavorless and bland :(The only acceptable thing was their boiled vegetable but how hard is it to boil some spinach and drizzle some of their minced pork sauce over it? Sigh. Disappointed is an understatement.
Sandy C.
Great Taiwanese food and very tasty. We will come back again. . The service is friendly and they serve fast without long wait.
Isabelle Fang
New favorite spot. So happy to see this business back in the area. It used to be named Nice Time Deli decades ago in Irvine. Growing up it was a Top choice for Taiwanese food, and glad to report they’re still serving yummy dishes. They have a complete menu, with notably authentic Taiwanese flavors & sauces. Along with offering most of the dishes you’d expect, they have the kindest service you’d find in the sweet land of Taiwan as well.You’re not going to find your Americanized Chinese food, so to the ignorant reviewers—get your confused, exaggerated rudeness out of these comments and away from this amazing establishment. If you’re looking for Cantonese or Szechuan, this is not it. Not sure if other reviewers on here are Taiwanese. But I am Taiwanese, and I recommend this.We tried loved these dishes: Fried pork chop, Oyster pancake, Minced pork over rice, A tsai vegetable, Taiwanese sausage, Thousand year old egg with tofu- Note, my husband is Taiwanese & we visited here together. So his personal recommendations have been stated here, as I whole heartedly agree.Parking: Weekends the small lot is difficult. Weeknights not difficults.
I’m from Taipei and so happy to have this place nearby now. The food is very tasty and the service is friendly. I crave Taiwanese food often so this place has been on repeat visits for me. Highly recommend. The taste is authentically Taiwanese.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Relaxed atmosphere, very home like tables and chairs. Almost too relaxed. Order with the menu instead of the code in the table, the online order Numbers aren't exactly the same. I ordered an 18 expecting to get popcorn chicken and I got white rice because that's 18 on the printed menu.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Fried Pork Chop
Food tasted bland, non existent service. Go get your own water cup from the cooler.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
The first time I ordered delivery from this place, they canceled my order an hour before my guests arrived. Second time I ordered for pickup, the pork chop tasted fine but it was overcooked, very tough to chew on, the boiled squid was actually dry; stinky tofu was fine with the dipping sauces and the ground pork over rice was good. Overall, I think I'm generous to give it a 3-star.
Hit and miss. I like half the food I order here. The other half often tastes off. Things that are acceptable: - yang chun noodles (plain noodle soup) - wontons - braised side dishes Things that are weird: - braised beef rice. It was crazy sweet. Never had that type of braised beef in my life. Could not finish. Good place for a local if you know what to get and what to avoid.
At the stop light here would have normally ordered something but looking at the recent reviews glad I'm still not gonna waste my money here.
I was really excited when I found this online and ordered through DoorDash. I recall in the 90s I used to frequent a place by the same name in Rowland Heights and it was delicious! I don't know if this is the same owners, or just a coincidence of the same name but I was extremely disappointed. The soup was horrible, I had to throw it all away. The meatballs were cold in the middle, and the soup tasted like old bathwater. It was one of the worst things I've ever ate in my life. As you can see, the pork chop rice had very tiny portion of minced meat and vegetable and abundance of rice. The actual pork chop was very hard in the middle, not in an over cooked way but in a very weird way, like it was frozen and then flash dried, really can't explain how strange it was but I threw it away. The egg was edible. The beef roll tasted OK, but the end pieces were just bread only, the ingredients inside was not evenly balanced, except in the middle part. The reviews seem to be a mix of love or hate so Hopefully this was an off day or the chef was new or something because there's not that many Taiwanese options in this area and I really want to support small businesses.
Traditional Taiwanese food. Very authentic. Also pricy.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
A Taiwanese restaurant that serves oyster omelette/pancake in Lake Forest of all places?! And it was amazing?! So unexpected. I'm still shocked, but very delighted. Kudos to the chef who came out from the kitchen to answer our questions and help us order. Oyster Omelette If you are adventurous and want to try something unique, get this. I don't even know how to describe it, but if you promise not to judge, here... The oyster, bok choy, and egg are fried and melded in some clear gelatinous starch that crisps on the ends, but is mostly chewy like the texture of mochi. It is topped with a slightly sweet but mild red sauce that brings it all together. It IS weird at first bite, but it just works. Trust me on this. Absolutely d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s, especially at Good Time Cafe. Pork Chow Mein YUMMY! This had that homemade touch, which makes it cravable and hard to stop eating even if you're full. Not to fret, you won't feel heavy after. This dish was light, not oily like other stir-fry noodles, and filled with a generous portion of pork, cabbage, shiitake mushroom, and onion. There was the right balance of softness from the noodles and mushrooms and crunch from the cabbage and onion. I could eat a plate righttttt abouttt NOW. Pork XLB These weren't the best ever, but they hit the spot. Mince Pork Rice This was affordable, so we thought why not give it a try. Truthfully, it was a bit underwhelming. I recommend to skip unless you've never had this dish before. If you have, you'll compare it to other places and wish you saved your stomach space for other items on the menu. I'd rather have tried a noodle soup. There's always next time!
I ordered beef noodle soup, spicy wonton and beef roll. I don't recommend this place at all. The food is really bad. I just took a bite and can not eat another bite. Total waste of money. Beef noodle soup 3/5 - this was the only dish that is ok for me. The beef was tender and the noodle was cooked Al dente. The soup was mediocre could be better. Spicy wonton 0/5 - this was probably the worse dish I've had. First don't expect it to taste like Seven Grams or A&J. It taste like it was boiled in water, no salt and drizzled w/ chili oil. The pork flavor was very strong and kinda gamey. I can't eat pork that is too porky. Maybe the pork was old? Not sure. All those combined does not do well for me. Beef roll 0/5 - the roll was so skinny you can barely see any beef. Pancake was so thick.. too much breading for me. Dislike. The picture below is how much left over. I left dissatisfied. Will not return.
Restaurantji Recommends
Very authentic Taiwanese restaurant found in the OC south county!! Must try!!Lots variety available at very reasonable prices.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Simmered Combination, L9 Shrimp w Ham Fried Rice, Fried Pork Chop Rice Noodle w Soup, Squid Potage with Noodle
The soup is absolutely disgusting
I would love to support a small business in any way I can but the food I had was unfortunately so bad, I could say it was one of the worst meals I've ever had in Southern California. I grew up in Taiwan so I'm always excited when I find a Taiwanese restaurant around me, especially if they can deliver those flavors I'm most familiar with (NYC is having a boom, pls open up some here!!). Their menu looks pretty legit so we gave it a try. What a mistake. I got the chitterlings potage with thin noodle (not sure why the English translation is this but it's 大腸麵線) and it was hands down the blandest thing I've ever had. The soup tasted like it was plain water (not an exaggeration). I tried to save it with some stuff I had at home - shallots, soy sauce, black vinegar...and it was unsalvageable. There weren't many intestine pieces and it looked like it was chopped up small to make it look like there was more. They were also white - if you've had it in Taiwan, you'll know they're usually braised for a long time, giving it a brown color. I could have done better making the instant pack version of this intestine vermicelli soup that you could get from 99ranch! Maybe they forgot a few ingredients and all the seasonings?!Stinky tofu was also so subpar. Texture was very rubbery... you either go super crispy or super soft. This was neither and it wasn't because of the fact that it was a delivery order. My husband got the pork rice in gravy and he said the pork was also flavorless and bland :(The only acceptable thing was their boiled vegetable but how hard is it to boil some spinach and drizzle some of their minced pork sauce over it? Sigh. Disappointed is an understatement.
Great Taiwanese food and very tasty. We will come back again. . The service is friendly and they serve fast without long wait.
New favorite spot. So happy to see this business back in the area. It used to be named Nice Time Deli decades ago in Irvine. Growing up it was a Top choice for Taiwanese food, and glad to report they’re still serving yummy dishes. They have a complete menu, with notably authentic Taiwanese flavors & sauces. Along with offering most of the dishes you’d expect, they have the kindest service you’d find in the sweet land of Taiwan as well.You’re not going to find your Americanized Chinese food, so to the ignorant reviewers—get your confused, exaggerated rudeness out of these comments and away from this amazing establishment. If you’re looking for Cantonese or Szechuan, this is not it. Not sure if other reviewers on here are Taiwanese. But I am Taiwanese, and I recommend this.We tried loved these dishes: Fried pork chop, Oyster pancake, Minced pork over rice, A tsai vegetable, Taiwanese sausage, Thousand year old egg with tofu- Note, my husband is Taiwanese & we visited here together. So his personal recommendations have been stated here, as I whole heartedly agree.Parking: Weekends the small lot is difficult. Weeknights not difficults.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5