Go Squared Takoyaki & Taiyaki

Nope nope nope
Came here for to try takoyaki for my first time and Im sure whatever they put in my to-​go order wasnt it. Mushy, burnt, oddly flavored, octopus like rubber…
Furthermore when I came home not only did the food give a bad stink to my car but the octopus in the takoyaki made me and my dad get nausea. It did not taste fresh at all.
If I’m in the area I’m going to Misasa thats on the other side of the food court. This was very dissapointing.

I am a lover of takoyaki, and I would never order the takoyaki here agian. I was so disappointed. I like my takoyaki to be crispy on the outside. This place seriously undercooks their takoyaki… It’s really mushy.

Okay WHAT HAPPENED HERE?!
I used to come here for the amazing takoyaki. They were perfectly crispy and golden on the outside. It was a generous 8-​piece serving and topped with great sauces.
Last weekend, I visited again. What I got was NOTHING like what I had before. The takoyaki were mushy and not crisped at ALL on the outside. It was a sad, soft, shapeless dump topped with way too much scallions (perhaps to mask the unsightliness of it all). In fact, the color of the exterior was still a sad shade of white, which means it’s not crisped at all.
I went back to the counter and talked to the cashier and cook, one of whom had the galls to look me in the eye and tell me that takoyaki is SUPPOSED to be this mushy. He even said that the ones I had before were probably burnt. Wow okay you do you but let’s not drag takoyaki into this. Rude.
Anyways, I refused to touch any of the takoyaki and in the end I got a refund. Terribly sad that this place is no longer a go-​to for me.

This is, I think, literally the only thing you can get in the marketplace that’s a vegetarian meal. That being said…
Vegetarian review:
— Yakisoba: really, really average. They can make a vegetarian version, but won’t substitute an egg as a protein. It’s still extra. Nothing much to say about it. At least it came out on time. And there’s enough to fill you up.
Seating might be difficult depending on what time you get there. Split up your party to snag a table. A plus– the guy working there to clear dishes is really quick.

Dude just stands there and plays with his phone while we just stood there and waited for him to make our food.

I guess don’t come here if you’re picky or in a rush.
Yes, the takoyaki is mushy on the inside. I suppose they can either cook it longer for people to complain about the wait more, or they can let it be mushier. Personally, I’m content with it and it leaves my octopus ball craving satisfied.
I really like the okonomiyaki. It’s really filling and I think it’s good.
Haven’t tried other things from the menu, but I’ll always return for the takoyaki and okonomiyaki. I’ve noticed their ‘help wanted’ sign every time, so I would understand why orders would take awhile even after how they make it fresh.

5 star For serving real Takoyaki and not the instant crispy fried Takoyaki that AYCE sushi people like. With that said, put in some of the cabbage from okonomiyaki to hold the balls together. It’s suppose to be mushy, but there’s definitely a need to put more filling inside other than a tiny piece of octopus. Great concept of store but bad execution.

So I’ve skimmed a few reviews and decided that the ratings are so varied depending on what you get here.
No, I did not get a ramen burger. Why in the world would you ever get that, anyway? Sounds nasty.
I did get the okonomiyaki and was pleased. If you don’t know what that is, it’s a dish originating in Osaka– basically a Japanese savory pancake. Very much like takoyaki (octopus ball) but presented in a different shape, and cooked longer.
We also got the takoyaki too, and yes it was maybe a bit mushy than I would’ve liked. But nothing too serious, I feel really bad this place only has aggregate 2.5 stars. It’s really not that bad if you just get the okonomiyaki.

Never even thought about going to this place because I always go to Santouka. Also didn’t think that this place was popular because I never saw a line. Someone recommended this place for a certain dish. I’m not sure what it’s called, but it looks like the Teppanaki stuff from Benihana’s. The steak & mushrooms came out sizzling on a black stone/​clay dish & smelled sooooo amazing!!! My ramen paled in comparison. :/​On a separate plate, there were grilled onions & zucchini. Just like Benihana. There was also a garlic/​onion dipping sauce. A side of rice, salad, & miso soup also came with the meal. You could make it a low carb meal by cutting the rice. So surprised that this place got such poor reviews. Maybe the the other stuff wasn’t so good, but this meal was! Need to come back & get my own!

Located inside the food court of the Irvine Mitsuwa, this place usually has no line, so one doesn’t have to wait.
I come here mostly to show tourists the ethnic cuisine that they always see in animé – hardly ever on my own accord. If it differs in any capacity from the street food in Japan, I’m not aware of it, but it does seem to be slightly lower-​quality than the Japanese street food stalls that randomly appear at the Marukai in Costa Mesa and the H Mart. However, due to their random nature, at least one can come here to consistently get the food. Tourists won’t notice the difference. The tourists I have shown it to seem to appreciate it, and I am fine with the food even if it is slightly lower-​quality since the okonomiyaki I ordered was overflowing with sauce.
The price for each item here is comparable to a single item in other establishments in the food court, so in other words, expensive. Either way, at least it’s a permanent part of the food court, so one doesn’t have to drive to Costa Mesa during Mitsuwa’s special events to get better takoyaki. If the tourists I show it to have no complaints, then I won’t complain about it either except for the price.

Ever since I found out that Ramen Burgers were a thing, I needed one in my mouth like a hermit crab needs a shell on its back. Unfortunately, OC is slacking in the ramen burger game. When I found out that Mitsuwa had one in their food court, I was happier than a hermit crab eating a ramen burger.
I’ve only had the burger here, so I can only review that. I’m sure their takoyaki is good, I wouldn’t know. I never eat that stuff anyways. But you usually can’t go wrong with the Mitsuwa food court.
However when it comes to their ramen burger, which is pretty much a gimmick item on their otherwise Japanese menu (like legit Japanese menu– it’s written in a different language), I would have been better off dunking a cheeseburger from Wendy’s into a bowl of hot ramen soup. Cheaper too.
The Ramen Bun — HOT! Maybe that’s a good thing? But for me, when it comes to food that you eat with your hands, there is such a thing as too hot too handle. Right away, I lost my enthusiasm and my fingerprints.
Edamame — While I waited for my burger to cool down, I decided to eat some of the soothing edamame they give you in lieu of fries. Can’t really say anything about this. A bean is a bean is a bean.
Patty — As far as burger patties go, this one was actually pretty good. Thick and cooked well.
Egg — I like the idea of putting a fried egg in a burger. Normally they either scramble it or leave it sunny side up. This egg was like just fried. No runny yolk, maybe they accidentally split it? Either way, an overcooked egg is just tasteless rubber at that point.
I came here because I wanted to taste the mythical Ramen Burger that everyone keeps snapchatting about. I am still in search of that burger…

This place is bad. I’ve read couple of the reviews here but I just had to try the Takoyaki because the visual looked so appealing. However that is the only good thing there is to about this place.
I’ve came twice before however the place was closed down. (They have a lunch break from 2PM-​4PM) so this was my 3^rd time coming and I was hoping it was well-​worth the effort, I would soon be thoroughly disappointed.
The wait took around 10~15 minutes for 8 pieces of takoyaki (probably a bit long) the workers there weren’t friendly at all (especially the middle-​aged man making the food). But hey, as long as the food is good no big deal.
As I got my takoyaki, the visual as the pictures showed looked great but when I took my first bite I knew I shouldn’t have ordered it. Now, I never tried takoyaki so I don’t have anything to base the taste on but the inside was completely mushy. Had the same texture as a barely cooked pancake but worse. The inside was really tasteless and really watery from the flour that was not yet cooked.
I finished two for the sake of eating however I had to throw the rest away.
I wouldn’t go to this place again, the pictures look great but it isn’t worth eating.

Ramen Burger curiosity got the best of me.
I have not had one and when I saw the picture of it on their counter. I wanted one please. And guess what, I liked it.
Sandwiched between those two ramen buns was a juicy burger patty, a runny fried egg, cheese, teriyaki sauce and mayo. Okay aside from the teriyaki sauce, I would order each of those ingredients. So it was not surprising that I liked my first ramen burger.
Now the ramen bun, it was okay. Would I order it again? Maybe. The next time I get back here, I’ll try the one with a regular bun.
Our Japanese friend ordered the squid okonomiyaki. I got to try her dish and that was very good. It’s like a pancake with a squid filling. She liked it, in fact she always orders the same dish when she comes here. She said it was the same as it would be prepared in Japan.
We had a pork yakisoba to go. That was good too. A bit on the oily side, but still good specially with the red ginger (and some Sriracha lol)
I know I bucked the trend from my YFs. It was my first ramen burger, and honestly, I really liked it.

Takoyaki sounded like delicious at the moment, but had I researched it beforehand I would have known that I should have gone elsewhere. Presentation-​wise it knock it out of the park and it was as if I was transported back to Asia. Unfortunately, the balls were undercooked, mushy and flavorless. Such a disappointment.
The omelet yakisoba ($ 7.50), on the other hand, was fairly good though it could not save this review. Additionally, I also generally do not comment on service in asian businesses, but this one is definitely one of the worst. Rude, inattentive, and rash.
Spend the money to fly to Asia, you won’t be satisfied here. :(

I was initially attracted to this place because they serve the infamous Ramen Burger. However, the first time I came here, they were closed.
Despite some of the other Unilocaler’s warning, I wanted to see what the Ramen Burger was all about. Now this is not the «original» made by the amazing creator Keizo Shimamoto in NYC. This is just a knock off, so my expectations were set low.
BREAKDOWN
Ramen «Bun» — tasteless, starchy, like cooked ramen noodles before the added seasonings possibly egg/​starch for binding. Although its grilled, there was no crisp or flavoring.
Patty — plain beef patty. No flavoring at all. I wouldn’t even say pure beef since there was no beef flavor either.
Lettuce — none of that fresh, crisp In n Out lettuce. This is just sad
Fried egg — Although it looks like a McMuffin egg, it was actually runny so theres a little credit
Sauce — Didn’t do much since it was used so sparingly
side of Edamame, but who can make bad edamame?
CONCLUSION:
This place would make Keizo Shimamoto cry. At $ 9 a burger, what a joke! Save your money and go elsewhere. Anywhere would do. One star for presentation and edible edamame.

Never coming back here.
They missed our order, and when we pointed out this was not we ordered they did not apologize but just said «that will be dollar extra.»
The Mexican chef and the Asian owner looking elder guy is not friendly and they do not look happy.
Also on top of all this the food coming out is very slow. We waited atleast 15min for one takoyaki when the food court is empty…
Ramen burger not worth it too it’s oily and soggy. I would eat it at Jidaiya in Torrance.
Bad service and bad attitude not worth eating here!!!

Two Ramen burgers in 3 days. I guess that would make me an expert in Orange County ramen burgers. Just say no to Go Squared Takoyaki & Taiyaki’s ramen burger.
The ramen burger here comes with an egg, a piece of lettuce, cheese, and a hamburger patty. They do put some kind of teriyaki sauce on the burger to give it some taste. The hamburger patty is no better than a hamburger patty you get at a hamburger stand. It does come with a side of edamame.
The ramen bun was cooked on the grill in front of me. Fried ramen does not make for a good bun. Not even Sriracha could save the ramen bun. Before these OC restaurants try making a ramen burger, they should eat it for themselves first. The ramen belongs in soup. A plain ramen bun is bland and just doesn’t work.
If you want a good ramen burger, go to Toro Burger in Santa Ana and get theirs, but, make sure you ask them to substitute their ramen bun for a regular bun made with bread. You can thank me later.

Been wanting to try the Ramen Burger since its inception in NY.
Learned that someone was making them in Irvine.
Finally went the other day.
The cashier (and also owner?) was NOT friendly and genuinely did not seem like he wanted to be there (or didn’t want me there).
Ordered the burger with a drink for $ 9.
Asked him how the burger is cooked. He said medium. I asked if I can get it medium-​rare. He said sure.
Also ordered the Taiyaki for my wife. He barked that you have to buy two minimum. So I bought two, even though his attitude made me not want to buy any. But I couldn’t go back to my wife with nothing; I’ll take an angry owner over an angry wife.
Burger came out.
Too much ramen («bun»). And very bland.
Can barely taste the egg.
Patty is WELL-​DONE with no seasoning.
Cheese and Hoisin-​like sauce are all you can taste. No joke.
Never again.
And I am not inviting that guy to my Super Bowl party.

This review is for the Takoyaki alone… HORRIBLE! I definitely should have read the reviews before ordering this… now, I’m not sure how this was supposed to taste… but to me it was gross. This is coming from 2 people that shared the 8 pieces. We each had a 1.5 pieces before dumping it out. It was not even OK. When you look at it you think you are going to have some crispy goodness but the second you take a bite it is super mushy, hard to slush around in your mouth and even more difficult to swallow (I know that sounded gross, lol). The texture was gross and the taste was just as bad. FAIL.

Was walking around Mitsuwa and saw this place so my BF and I decided to try it! The food court isn’t as big as the Mitsuwa in Costa Mesa, but it was still pretty packed. This place also has okonomiyaki, taiyaki, yakisoba and other stuff. We wanted something small so we ended up just trying the takoyaki.
What we got:
Mentai & Mayo Takoyaki ($ 7): It came with 8 pieces and topped off with mentai (spicy roe), mayo and bonito flakes. I thought it was just okay. I tried 2 pieces before my BF accidentally dropped them all… but I wasn’t too upset since it didn’t taste all that great anyway. The takoyaki comes out super hot so don’t just pop them into your mouth! It could have used more octopus though… and more sauce.
Service:
Order at the counter and wait for your number to be called. They have a seating area right in front so you can watch them make it right in front of you so I thought that was pretty cool. But other than that… I might give this place a second chance to try the okonomiyaki and yakisoba if I’m ever in the area again though.