Echizen Japanese Restaurant

Second time we've been here. Dinner before was amazing with lots of choices (the tongue is yummy). This time we came for lunch and their lunch special was soo good. Had to wait a little bit coz there was a waiting list but it was worth the wait.The servers were nice and friendly and the food was delicious. We will definitely be back again. Will have to keep an eye on their Instagram for their daily specials. Got lucky today they had my unagi.

Not sure what happened to this place, but it has definitely changed. It took the chefs 90 minutes to bring out only 4/6 of our items. Not to mention one of our orders was wrong.. We were able to cancel the remaining items and get out of there.Never have I been to a restaurant and needed to get food afterwards because I was still hungry. Such a waste of time. The only good thing I will say is - The food is tasty but at what cost..

The service is good and helpful dont get me wrong. Really chill staff.But i feel like the menu was a little bit confusing and the food was mediocre. Perhaps it is my lack of taste or culture but the miso soup was over salted and the tempura seasoning was not quitw right. Man. I really wanted to love it but I cant lie. Mediocre at best.Maybe u try and lmk?

I think the last time we ate from here was over the pandemic, so it wasn't a dining experience. My daughter was craving Japanese and she suggested we go to Echizen. So off we go. Bottom line: they are good. Not fancy, or trend setting. Just solid Japanese food that I expect when wanting to eat Japanese food. The style of dining is Izakaya, smaller plates (a la carte) unless you order a bento (combo). The service was good. A bit on the slow side, but not horrible. There was only 2 people working the dining room, and they were hustling a full dining room. Tea and water cups were full and we were checked on twice during our meal. The food had all the flavors that you would expect and the portions were right for this style of dining. The sashimi was fresh and delicious. Tempura and cutlet was crispy and not oily. The Miso butterfish collar was of good size and delicious. The only ding I have is that the sauce and miso soup are on the salty side. Other than that, I was content with what I received. Value wise, it is what you expect post pandemic. 3 adult dinners added up to just under $100 before tip. It's our new dining reality. I'll be back when that late night Japanese craving sets in - they are open till 10 Fri-Sat.

Very authentic, will repeat!Polite service (warned us since there was a huge ~20 person party that service might be slow - and it wasn't bad at all!), and the food is super good!Beef Teriyaki and Tempura - tempura was SUPER light and crispy, ideal!!! Love it. Beef had no sauce and might be considered a bit plain, but it was done at a very nice medium rare which I was NOT expecting! Good value.Not pictured is a creamy crab croquette which is extremely creamy. Tasted very good, the katsu sauce is very fitting with it since it's a sharper contrast with the creamy version of croquette.The seared bluefin tuna was presented well and was solid!Wings were disappointing but that's ok. Not as much flavor as I hoped given the description on the recommended page of the menu.But the tempura, croquette, and everything tasted better than I recall in my last visit so I will be back!Drinks - the peach is sweeter 4% and tastes better than the 6% grapefruit. It's nice they give you (not pictured) cups with ice to pour the can in! You get more of the drink this way actually.

Quick update: I've dined here for years and recently learned about the new ownership/head chef. I'm glad the same staff and cooks are still here. The food and service are always top-notch, and it reminds me of dining in small restaurants in Japan. On that note, I had to return for one of their lunch specials for $14, usually posted on their Instagram daily. @echizencypressAlthough their lunch menu is limited, there are still many good options, especially if you prefer a lighter lunch. On my recent visit, the lunch special was Chicken Teriyaki with miso soup and a couple of sides. Everything was prepared well and delicious. I don't think they ever repeat a lunch special, and it always sounds appetizing.The dinner menu is extensive, izakaya-style, with plenty of small plates, grilled fish, sashimi, and entrées. Echizen also offers Japanese Spirits (sake, shochu), beer, wine, and soft drinks to complement your meal. Seating is limited inside, and sometimes there can be a wait. Please be courteous and enjoy your meals quickly when people are waiting. With the new ownership, we can only hope that Echizen will continue to uphold its legacy of amazing service, affordable prices, and authentic food that we've come to appreciate. I'll continue to support this gem of a restaurant.

So glad Echizen was opened for Christmas Eve, hit the stop for that authentic Japanese comfort food. Love their lunch menu, it's a perfect portion of delicious food that has great variety. Wish I had an Echizen close to my work, I'd love to eat here daily.

Echizen delivers solid, decent food that gives well-developed flavors; it's nothing amazing nor are the flavors bad at all. So why the two stars?Expedition and execution; for a party of three, and for being the first customers to arrive but having to ask our last main dish to be ready after 1.5 hours upon being seated is not acceptable at all. On top of that, we asked to cancel at the 1.5 hour mark for that dish but we were responded with "Sorry we already started cooking it" without trying to make it up to our party is highly unacceptable. First table in, not even first be be checked upon and receiving a main course so late leaves a very undesirable impression.Flavors though? They're solid. Miso soup was well balanced with balance of umami and sweetness, and wasn't over salted like most instant miso soups at most restaurants are. Clams with sake and butter? Not briny at all with a lot of natural clam sweetness that followed with the richness of salted butter without overpowering the clam flavor. Everything is seasoned well, but not a flavor bomb.Execution however could be worked on. Tonkatsu dinner had the salad with dressing, which you could tell it was slightly rushed as there was a pool of dressing/water from the salad that seeped into the breading on the tonkatsu. The tonkatsu itself was pounded so thin such that it was very tender, but the ratio of meat to breading was slightly too breaded such that most of the tonkatsu was breading (although nicely crispy on the top, but soggy on bottom). They did refill our waters without us asking, but it's extremely awkward when there's that one person who hasn't received their dinner and the rest of the party has already finished their meal.It's also pretty cramped too such that if there's a lul in conversation, you could hear the conversation of the people sitting next to you because there's only a paper divider separating the tables even though they're squished together. That said, first impressions are not good at all and I can't recommend this place even though it's japanese-run.

Just an update for lunch specials! It's such a deal. For $14, you will definitely walk out feeling satisfied. This day, the lunch special included:zaru soba - cold buckwheat noodles veggie tempurasmall beef bowl - loaded with grilled onions, ginger, norisimmered kelp - so healthy for you! Rich in iron and other minerals!tsukemono - picklesService is super nice and pretty quick. Lunchtime, usually, is crowded and requires a wait. But you never know!If you can, don't take your time. Be courteous so the next party can enjoy the meal too and for the restaurant is able to accommodate more and serve more customers.We love supporting our neighborhood businesses! We need them as much as they need us.Itadakimasu!

Excellent Japanese Home cooking. Always Fresh and delicious . This is my go to spot for lunch and a great place for dinner too