Located inside a random strip mall hides a truly amazing & authentic Japanese Soba & Udon restaurant. This restaurant is best described as minimal at its finest. Tanakaya specializes in Soba which is a thin noodle made from buckwheat flour served hot or cold. Tanakaya also specializes in another noodle called Udon which is made with wheat flour and is a lot thicker and more chewy in texture.

Their menu will note that their food may take longer due to all of their Soba’s & Udon being made fresh in which you can view in their peek noodle room. For Lunch & Dinner they offer a Special Combination well worth ordering that can possibly feed two people(not going to lie I definitely don’t share). Personally I order their Cold Kitsune Soba which is in a pool of their special sauce, topped with the cold soba noodles, deep fried tofu, seaweed, sprouts, cucumber, and fried fish cake. If you like a little kick you can add wasabi in which I do. This may all seem weird and overwhelming but trust me once mixed all together, the flavors marry very well.

This set also includes a small rice bowl, I typically go with the Ten Toji Don which is Shrimp tempura mixed caramelized onions, & fish cakes, cooked in their special sauce over rice; Or I will go with their Filet Katsu Don which is a pork cutlet battered into panko and fried, served with shredded cabbage and their special sauce. The quality and the freshness of the food you can’t beat, especially the price tag, all of this for only $15:00 which does include a side salad and some pickled cucumbers, enjoy.

Tanakaya –  654 El Camino Real, Tustin, CA 92780 – Contact – 657.231.6245