Chai Lan

We had some colleagues visiting from Korea for work, and they had tried this place last week and wanted to come back for the third time since then, so it must be pretty good. If you're craving Korean-Chinese food like jjajangmyun or jjamppong, this place hits the mark. Today, I tried something new--mapo tofu with fried rice--and while it was a bit bland and not overly greasy, that's exactly what I wanted from the tofu dish.There were a lot of older Korean patrons, which always signals a traditional spot. Everything we've tried so far has been great, and I know I'll be back the next time I'm craving jjajangmyun or jjamppong!

The amount of quality Korean restaurants popping up in Irvine in recent years is astounding! This is easily in my Top 3 for Jajangmyeon and Tangsuyuk. I am sooo disappointed I haven't found this place sooner. First off, their portions are HUGE. The double portion of Jajangmyeon could have fed a minimum of 3 people and it was under $20! It wasn't the best but very close to being the best I've had. You can tell they use quality ingredients because the pork they used in the Jajangmyeon was so tender and not to mention generous!I opted for their take on sweet and sour pork which came as a salad with generous green onion and lettuce. The pork was tender, fried to perfection and the batter was just the way I liked it - crunchy yet chewy!Service was exceptional, they constantly filled our kimchi sides and we didn't have to wait too long after ordering.I'll definitely be back!

After my son finished his sports event in Irvine, we were near NorthPark Plaza. We saw a Chinese-Korean restaurant called Chai Lan Chinese Cuisine and decided to give it a try.They offer a simplified menu with six noodle options. We ordered the following:#1 Spicy seafood noodle soup with assorted vegetables ($16.99)#2 Spicy seafood noodle soup with vegetables pork broth ($16.99)#3 Black bean sauce noodles with pork ($13.99)My kids like the Jajangmyeon (#3), but I personally enjoy a bowl of half Jajangmyeon and half Jjambbong, although this option is not available.Advice to the Owner: Since the menu only offers six noodle options, customers may get bored of it. Please consider adding more creative choices like a bowl of half Jajangmyeon and half Jjambbong. Additionally, you can introduce a "Chinese-Korean Thali," similar to the traditional Indian thali, which includes a variety of dishes on a single plate. This will be an innovative way to offer diverse choices and attract more customers.

This place's food offers AMAZING VALUE. I came on a late Thursday night. There was no lines and it wasn't busy. It's located in the Northpark Plaza, so there's ample parking outside.The food portions were huge, filling, flavorful, and affordable. The food came out FAST! This is what we ate:1) Jajangmyeon $13.99 - the black bean sauce was sweet and savory. The noodles were thick and chewy. The pork was so tender and nicely cooked that I thought it was beef 2) Side Soup $4 - a small but good size bowl of spicy seafood soup with veggies. It is decently spicy for those who can't tolerate it3) Side Rice $2 - it was a big bowl of white rice that paired extremely well with the side soup and left over black bean sauce4) Kimchi and yellow radish sides - they were free and added a great crunchy element to the meal The total before tip was $21.54, which is very impressive.The interior has nice, traditional looking decor. There's a hollow mini car that greets the front door with fortune cookies.

I prefer chai lan over the spot inside Hmart probably because there full service not a take out window and they also give you kimchi.They have bouncy noodles and the jjampong has a fire taste to it. It's delicious.I do feel like the prices are a little high but maybe you pay for what you get.Their tangsukyuk comes with the sauce on the side which is perfect for you dippers out there.Their roll bread is warm and soft and complements your meal as well.

Very good Korean restaurant! Recommend Black bean sauce noodles with pork, Spicy seafood noodle soup with assorted vegetables and Deep fried pork salad with sweet and soursauce, They are so delicious! Will come back for sure!

We were recommended to Chai Lan by our neighbor. Below the name in small print says: Koreanized Chinese restaurant. Never been to one so we were excited to try. 2 dishes our neighbor highly recommended were: #16 Deep Fried Pork was amazing but I recommend to finish it while it is still warm. #1 Spicy Seafood Noodle Soup was flavorful but will go with the not spicy version next time. Delicious food and service was superior. Special mention to Sue. Almost every table had the Black Bean Sauce Noodles so will definitely try that next time and some Fried Pork again.

the food is so flavorful and delicious, one of the best bowls of jjajangmyeon (black bean noodles) i've had. it is a generous portion and is full of onion and pork. the tangsuyuk - sweet & sour pork - was really good too, i liked that the sauce is on the side.the servers were friendly and attentive. they didn't have aprons, but they gave me extra napkins to protect my shirt from the noodles! the food came out pretty fast, and there wasn't a wait on a friday night. there are plenty of tables inside, and it was a clean environment to eat. overall, this is my new go-to for jjajangmyeon in OC.

Black Bean Sauce Noodles - $10.99* noodles were cooked to perfect chewiness* sauce clung well to the noodles but lacked flavors/was on the blander side* tender pork piecesSweet and Sour Pork - $17.99* large meat chunks * batter was unseasoned and looked like it was fried with clean oil* generous portion sizes * pickled daikon and kimchi radish served as side dishes* friendly and attentive service * items ordered did not particularly stand out in taste6.5/10

Service was good. Portion size was generous. Our favorite dish was the shrimp. The sweet and sour fried pork was kind of bland even with the sauce. The black bean noodle sauce turned watery the more you ate, which was strange.