Tofu King

Reviews

• Howard Z.

  star star star star star_border 28 June 2026

  Stepping into this place gave a me wave of nostalgia of the mom n' pop style shops that one finds in China/Taiwan.  Exception being that this is in America, so there is [relatively] plenty of space, and a distinct lack of plastic stools :)
  
  This place meets all the expectations that I had in my mind; ordered lu rou fan and sesame noodles and a side of A-cai.  All were made and satisfactory.  Didn't have to wait in long lines, or deal with the raucus of A&J.
  
  Distinct smell of Tofu, so if you're not used to it, you'll be unhappy.  If you're used to it, it sorta adds to the experience in its own special way.

• Byron C.

  star star star star star 28 June 2026

  Pork chop fried rice is one of the best, the pickled veggies, corn, mincedpork/rice all taste really good too.
  
  When I say the porkchop is one of the best, it's ... semi-glazed / sticky it feels?
  
  Ate here like 3 times in the past month for dinner. Not sure why I gave it a rating that's slightly above semi-ok rating last time haha

• Marc L.

  star star star star star_border 19 June 2026

  It's been years since I've been back to the Rowland Heights location of Tofu King but the Irvine branch remains one of the most dependable places to get a Taiwanese bento-style lunch in Irvine.
  
  When I'm here I usually get either the Fried Chicken Rice or Pork Chop Rice... if memory serves me, they're both about $10 each and is enough food to fill you up for lunch. For a few bucks more you can supplement your meal with some classic green onion pancake; they use lard to make it here, so you get those crispy, fatty layers that everyone loves.
  
  The cash only thing is kind of annoying but when you're craving Taiwanese pork chop rice in South OC, beggars can't be choosers.

• Amy P.

  star star star star_border star_border 14 June 2026

  There aren't too many Taiwanese eateries that I know of in Irvine so we had to stop by Tofu King for dinner when we discovered it.
  
  Restaurant was pretty empty when we arrived at 6pm on a Sunday evening - service was sub par even though it wasn't busy. Realized midway through our meal that we didn't have water and we were never asked about drinks. Dishes weren't cleaned off other tables until about 10-15 minutes after customers left; the waitress was just busy chatting with other employees.
  
  Mushroom dry noodle pork w/ egg ($6.95): Prices are reasonable but the portions were also smaller. Nothing particularly stood out but it wasn't bad either.
  
  Fried Chicken Filet Rice ($9.50): Crispy chicken with rice topped with minced pork, cabbage and corn. Simple dish that hits the spot and satisfies my stomach. Decent portion for the price.

• Nita C.

  star star star star star_border 12 June 2026

  Another authentic mom n' pop shop. Got some real Taiwanese local eats here if you want to experience that unique Taiwanese flavor!
  WARNING: CASH ONLY, SO MAKE SURE YOU GOT THOSE DOLLAH BILLS TO BLOW
  
  Service: I think the trend with Taiwanese mom n' pop shop is that they kind of just leave you to it. If they ignore you and get your food out quick, you're probably at the right place. Usually, unless you speak the speak, they'll just get the order in. However, if you bring the speak, they'll chat with you a little more. But real talk, we're here for the food, so let's get  going.
  
  Food: Alright, if you're not Taiwanese, or if you're not familiar with Taiwanese food, some of these things will sound gross and anatomically disgusting. But these are the food of my people. Give it a shot of try their
  "tamer" options.
  Let's start easy.
  Mushroom pork belly: This is a dish I grew up with. It goes well with plain rice. It's flavorful and rich in umami saltiness. The brown egg is a result from braising the cooked egg with the sauce, and it captures more of the sauce into the egg. That's normal. No, the egg isn't fermented or bad. It's actually really good. The pork belly is fatty, so if you don't like fatty bits, you might not want to order this one. Or... you can just pick them off like I do. I think they did a good job with this one. It's not overseasoned and not too salty. Good portion and yummy sauce. Not too fatty either.
  
  Fried chicken fillet: Oh man, this is what we GET at the night markets. After a long day of studying/work, we get these to go and walk home munching on this. It's salted with salt n' pepper, some five spice powder, and then deep fried lightly. YUM. What more can you ask from a chicken sacrificed for your belly? The fillet is juicy and not too dried out from the frying. The bread crumbs are appropriate without being too thick. Chicken is well cooked, too. And the fillets are cut into shareable portions.
  
  Alright, now we're treading into less safe territories. For the adventurous eater, game on!
  Stinky tofu: Nothing tells you that you're in Taiwan town like the stench of fermented stinky tofu. That's right, this is the infamous stinky tofu. It's made of deep fried tofu that's fermented in special sauce (this is apparently family secrets of those who make this) to create that signature smell. It's chewy on the outside and soft on the inside. Good to pair with some picked cabbage. I think they could have fermented this more to create that dark golden color, but otherwise, you won't find many places in SoCal that make this.
  
  Pork Intestines: They say you are what you eat, so if you eat some guts, you'll get more guts! Pork intestines are a common things to eat in Taiwan. Usually, they stuff small intestines into large intestines, then deep fry and season it. Personally, I don't like this squishy texture, but my friends were SO happy to have this. This isn't commonly found in SoCal either, so if you wanted to try this, this place makes pretty clean and well-done guts. Though my friend he was hoping for more fatty substance in this... I think there are multiple ways to stuff the gut, so I don't know if this is personal preference? I suppose this is akin to the turducken?
  
  One more thing, most Taiwanese dishes are meant to eat family style, so get some friends, order up, and enjoy the sharing time!