Pepper Lunch - Irvine Spectrum

Fang Phattha

This Pepper Lunch is in Irvine Spectrum. Enter near Entrance 1 or 2 near the AMC is closer to find it. I had their surf & turf plate, which was very delicious. It has steak, tempura shrimp, veggies and rice. The steak came medium rare but if you wait until the plate stops sizzling, it becomes a well-done steak. Sides are just ok, but the sizzling plate was extremely good.

Jim Vosler

First time to this location. Same great food, I had the Hamburg curry with extra corn, kimchi, cucumber and egg. The patio is pleasant on a nice day.

Jess L

The young man that served me was perfect. He was so friendly and offered wonderful customer service. Absolutely great! Service with a smile!

John Kim

Got the curry pepper beef which was on point. Mostly I am posting this for the amazing staff who served with a smile and helped cook the tender need because I stepped away to get coffee next door. Food and Staff were fire 🔥

Abby O

Walking around the Spectrum Center in Irvine can be very exhausting. Today was a hot, sunny day and all I wanted was some good food in the shade. Luckily, I found Pepper Lunch on my arduous quest for food. The environment was perfect: a shaded spot for me to enjoy my sizzling hot plate of rice and protein (beef and salmon). I couldn't have asked for a better place to sit and recharge for the hour. Upon sitting down, my server, Khaya, asked if I wanted a cup of ice cold water. Touched by their attentiveness to my clear exhaustion, I enthusiastically said yes. Khaya continued to check in on me, a gesture I greatly appreciated. Pepper Lunch is the perfect spot to enjoy delicious, sizzling food surrounded by lovely, attentive, and caring people at Irvine Spectrum Center. I hope to return soon for another wonderful experience!

R O (Mangotreeclimber)

Exactly as I had it in Japan! I used to live there back in the day and would eat at Pepper Lunch from time to time. Eating here brought me back. I had the classic beef pepper lunch and the tummy was happy! Food comes in a hot platter and it cooks in front of you. All you do is stir the meat and rice a bit. The service was quick and the vibe chill. I'm glad the beefy sizzling awesomeness made it state-side!

Wilson W

Updated on 2/8 Grand Opening... There was along line for Grand Opening. They have everything in the menu now. I would recommend adding extra portion of meat on Pepper beef rice plate for those who is meat lover, make it so much better. I also added egg; mixing egg yolk to the rice is bomb. 2/6...Soft opening at Irvine Spectrum.... I have been to Pepperlunch on Alton Pkwy. Highly anticipated this one at Irvine Spectrum to open. It keeps the standard of Pepperlunch. The food is good. Pepper beef rice really cannot go wrong. Was disappointed that they don't have Angus steak right now. Hopefully they will have it available on 2/7 Grand opening. $3.20 for a small cup of Miso may be too high for me.... Will come back on Grand opening to see if they have steak available.

leelee Mason

The food was great. It came out quick, fresh and hot! I had questions since it was my first time there and Izzie was awesome! She answered all my questions and provided great service. I’ll definitely be back

Tiffany was great! She helped us with our order since it was our first time visiting the restaurant! Tiffany was very patient with explaining the concept, friendly and very nice! We are glad that Tiffany assisted us! She was very helpful! The food was very tasty! Thanks Tiffany!

Our experience at Pepper Lunch was absolutely amazing thanks to Melissa! From the moment we walked in, she was so welcoming, attentive, and genuinely made sure we had everything we needed. Her energy and kindness stood out right away, and she went above and beyond to make our visit feel special. It’s rare to get service that leaves such a lasting impression, but Melissa truly did that, she made our whole meal even more enjoyable. Big thanks to her for making our experience absolutely outstanding. She’s a star, and Pepper Lunch is incredibly lucky to have her!

Went to eat dinner again, and once again the food was great came out quickly. Izzy was very kind made sure we had everything , and Khaya I think is how you spell his name was very nice , they very attentive to check if we needed anything after bringing our food. Even Mel I believe might have been a manager came to make sure we were satisfied. She was very welcoming and saw that it was our Daughters birthday and greeted her a Happy Birthday. Halfway through dinner I realized , Khaya was one the faces from most of the Instagram reels and I was excited to meet him in person so I had to take a photo with him after Dinner. It was a great night! Thanks Pepper Lunch! We'll be back soon!

Loved the vegetarian tofu dishes; different experience eating off an hot iron plate. Tasty food. Kid loved the salmon and chicken dish. Correct portion size for adults. Staff was very friendly and helpful; described how best to enjoy the food for being a first timer.

I always pass by this place when I used to eat at Silverlake Ramen. After trying it out for the first time, I’ve been only coming here to eat. Amazing food!! I always order the Jumbo Beef pepper lunch! It’s so savory and delicious! The sweet potato fries also delicious! Highly recommend coming!!

You place your order on a kiosk. It was very easy to navigate through the different options. I ordered the steak and shrimp pepper combo. I added on an egg, mushrooms, and cabbage mix. It was very good! Food was delivered quickly and warm.

i came 10 after they opened so i got my food very fast, in about 2 minutes. i got the original steak pepper lunch bowl and it was very peppery but it was still good and filling. i enjoy eating here but it’s usually very busy and about a 5-10 minute wait. i think it’s a bit expensive but a nice place to eat at. staff is always nice and attentive. would recommend coming here if you get the chance

Magnolia Kunawongse

Staff were very helpful and attentive. Super friendly and really care about customer service. We used to go to the location at Jamboree but this location at Irvine Spectrum is much better with food and customer service! 🖤🖤🖤

Khoa Tran

They ordered the Kimchi Chicken Pepper Rice and the Kimchi Beef Pepper Rice and they were delicious! The karaage chicken side was pretty good too. Food was served hot and crispy and stayed that way the entire time.

maria ongpauco

Went to eat dinner again, and once again the food was great came out quickly. Izzy was very kind made sure we had everything , and Khaya I think is how you spell his name was very nice , they very attentive to check if we needed anything after bringing our food. Even Mel I believe might have been a manager came to make sure we were satisfied. She was very welcoming and saw that it was our Daughters birthday and greeted her a Happy Birthday. Halfway through dinner I realized , Khaya was one the faces from most of the Instagram reels and I was excited to meet him in person so I had to take a photo with him after Dinner. It was a great night! Thanks Pepper Lunch! We'll be back soon!

Missy Fit

I always pass by this place when I used to eat at Silverlake Ramen. After trying it out for the first time, I’ve been only coming here to eat. Amazing food!! I always order the Jumbo Beef pepper lunch! It’s so savory and delicious! The sweet potato fries also delicious! Highly recommend coming!!

Mahara Kashanian

Our experience at Pepper Lunch was absolutely amazing thanks to Melissa! From the moment we walked in, she was so welcoming, attentive, and genuinely made sure we had everything we needed. Her energy and kindness stood out right away, and she went above and beyond to make our visit feel special. It’s rare to get service that leaves such a lasting impression, but Melissa truly did that, she made our whole meal even more enjoyable. Big thanks to her for making our experience absolutely outstanding. She’s a star, and Pepper Lunch is incredibly lucky to have her!

We tried Pepper Lunch for the first time with our kids. We arrived around 1:45 p.m. on a Sunday afternoon. A staff member at the entrance asked how many were in our group and said they needed to clean a table for us. After waiting outside about 15 minutes, we were invited in to find our seats. Ordering was done through a self-service kiosk. We had the Beef Pepper Rice, Cream Beef Pasta, Beef Sizzling Curry Rice (upsize rice) and Chicken Karaage. The food was decent, but a few things stood out: • The upsized rice didn’t seem larger, even though we paid an extra $1.99. • The Chicken Karaage was overcooked and lacked the crispiness. • If we want to order more food during the meal, we need to line up at the kiosk again. I personally don’t enjoy waiting in line once seated - this isn’t McDonald’s or a food court, and it takes away from the overall dining experience. Since this is a semi-self-service setup, it would be more convenient if water, utensils, and plates were available at a central station for customers to grab as needed. The staff didn’t really handle those items anyway, so this small change could make things smoother. Will definitely return if we are in Irvine spectrum center again.

Ray Lin

We tried Pepper Lunch for the first time with our kids. We arrived around 1:45 p.m. on a Sunday afternoon. A staff member at the entrance asked how many were in our group and said they needed to clean a table for us. After waiting outside about 15 minutes, we were invited in to find our seats. Ordering was done through a self-service kiosk. We had the Beef Pepper Rice, Cream Beef Pasta, Beef Sizzling Curry Rice (upsize rice) and Chicken Karaage. The food was decent, but a few things stood out: • The upsized rice didn’t seem larger, even though we paid an extra $1.99. • The Chicken Karaage was overcooked and lacked the crispiness. • If we want to order more food during the meal, we need to line up at the kiosk again. I personally don’t enjoy waiting in line once seated - this isn’t McDonald’s or a food court, and it takes away from the overall dining experience. Since this is a semi-self-service setup, it would be more convenient if water, utensils, and plates were available at a central station for customers to grab as needed. The staff didn’t really handle those items anyway, so this small change could make things smoother. Will definitely return if we are in Irvine spectrum center again.

Food is good but their ordering system is weird. You cannot order with a live person and customers are not familiar with the screen so it takes a long time. If you order from DoorDash pickup they charge more than $4 per dish.

The skillet was not hot enough somehow which totally ruined the whole experience. Other location in Irvine makes it all properly. Meet was undercooked for everyone and there was not enough spices (hot pepper). Maybe it's just adjusted to the Spectrum's audience.

We waited about 20 minutes just to place our order through the kiosk, only to find out that the curry was already sold out—during lunch hours. :D Then, the screen suggested a minimum 15% tip, which we had to pay before even experiencing any service. It was a bit confusing, but I went along with it since they were bringing the food to our table. A few moments later, multiple dishes meant for other tables kept arriving at ours. I was a bit puzzled, as we had taken the numbered bell (as instructed at the kiosk), which I assumed was meant to help the servers find the right table. No water was served—maybe it’s self-service? Not sure. Also, they only brought spoons because all the forks were being washed. We asked for chopsticks instead, which worked out in the end. As for the food, it was honestly a bit disappointing. The kimchi beef plate had noticeably less meat than the photos suggested 🥲, though the hamburger steak was decent. That said, the atmosphere was lively, and the seating area was clean, which I appreciated!!!💫

B W

Food is good but their ordering system is weird. You cannot order with a live person and customers are not familiar with the screen so it takes a long time. If you order from DoorDash pickup they charge more than $4 per dish.

Yevgeniya Vinichenko

The skillet was not hot enough somehow which totally ruined the whole experience. Other location in Irvine makes it all properly. Meet was undercooked for everyone and there was not enough spices (hot pepper). Maybe it's just adjusted to the Spectrum's audience.

Jisue Park

We waited about 20 minutes just to place our order through the kiosk, only to find out that the curry was already sold out—during lunch hours. :D Then, the screen suggested a minimum 15% tip, which we had to pay before even experiencing any service. It was a bit confusing, but I went along with it since they were bringing the food to our table. A few moments later, multiple dishes meant for other tables kept arriving at ours. I was a bit puzzled, as we had taken the numbered bell (as instructed at the kiosk), which I assumed was meant to help the servers find the right table. No water was served—maybe it’s self-service? Not sure. Also, they only brought spoons because all the forks were being washed. We asked for chopsticks instead, which worked out in the end. As for the food, it was honestly a bit disappointing. The kimchi beef plate had noticeably less meat than the photos suggested 🥲, though the hamburger steak was decent. That said, the atmosphere was lively, and the seating area was clean, which I appreciated!!!💫

Joshua Smith

Headed here for a quick bite before a movie. Got there 30 minutes before the movie. Didn't get my food until well after the movie started because they forgot my order. Once I finally walked up there to inquire about it after I saw people who walked in much later get their food, my food was sitting on the counter. Had to throw it out since the theater didn't allow food.

cindy tsao

The restaurant may not have enough staff. In addition we encountered bad costumer service as the servers took a long time to clear the tables and to call the customers in to get seated. Also people were cutting the line but staff didn't do anything and responded that it was ok?? Suggest better training and management of the restaurant.