The place is a mess. Too expensive. Food is not worth it. Ordering takes too late, they are rude. It's a mess.
Horrible! Customer service wasn't good. Always had to wait for every order or something is missing. The place stinks!
Place is super over priced for not that great food. Â Only thing that was good was shaved ice. Â But you can't really mess shaved ice up. Â Plus again it was expensive for what little you get. Â It's a nice place on the top floor in the diamond jamboree plaza. It turns into like a bar scene at night. Â Probably not going to come here again though.
Review Source:- Locale Destination -
It's on Alton Pkwy and Jamboree Rd in Irvine.
This shopping mall is pretty retarded. You can't get into the mall from Jamboree Rd side - you must get into it from Alton Pkwy. How lame is that??? The mall has all sorts of Asian restaurants, cafe and Korean supermarket. Parking is pretty tough.
It's located the 2nd floor of building right by "85C Bakery Cafe". They have outside seating, though they didn't allow me to go there when I couldn't stand the diarrhea odor from "stinky tofu". If you eat only desserts, they would take you to the left side of the restaurant. But in fact, many of them ate foods there.. WTH?? You really can't stand the odor for more than 10 seconds - you should ask them to seat away from "stinky tofu". After I asked to be away from the odor, they took me to dining side which was on the right side - I saw the customers who only eat a shaved ice... I don't know what they tried to do... On the right side corner, they have a bar (with booze). Decor is modern. Lots of TVs for games. No free wi-fi. OK service. Expensive price tags (for Taiwanese shaved ice place).
Happy hour : Everyday 5-7pm, 9pm - close.
Drinks: $2 small sake, $4 large sake, $5 sake bomb, $10 pitcher etc.
Appetizers : I think many items from $3 to 5. $5 for popcorn chicken during happy hour is quite steep compared with other competitors.
- Gluttony Expedition -
Shaved ice: They have like 10 items or so - milk and green tea shaved ice flavors - I didn't see any other flavors like taro or anything else... Unlike "Class 302" in Irvine, you can't make your own well.. Maybe you can, but it doesn't say it on the menu. The additional toppings cost $.75 each (not so many "Taiwanese" toppings like grass jello etc.), and you can pour "BOOZE" on the shaved ice unlike any other shaved ice place - $5/each.
Pudding shaved ice: Â They put only a few bits of custard and milk pudding (it's like a lighter version of flan at Mexican places) on the edge of shaved ice. "Class 302" in Irvine put tons of toppings - jello is a big chunk, not bits of jello. They put condensed milk and caramel sauce on the top of milk shaved ice, which tasted better and denser than the milk shaved ice at "Class 302". The shaved ice by itself tasted good. The toppings were very too little for $8.50. The portion for the shaved ice was a little smaller than "Class 302". It wasn't bad after all but I felt like ripped off. They shouldn't call it pudding shaved ice since they really don't put them at all. It's a big disappointment.
- Conqueror's Deduction -
Go to "Class 302" in Irvine!! I tried many of their competitors, and "Class 302" in Irvine is the best (so far). You can't eat the shaved ice by yourself at "Class 302" - you need a company to share the shaved ice with. Here you'll eat it by yourself and still be unhappy... Â
I think it's way overpriced for the shaved ice - limited choices for shaved ice flavors and toppings, small shaved ice portion, and ridiculously skimpy amount of toppings. It's kinda cool that you can add booze, but who wants that???
Besides, I couldn't stand the smell of "stinky tofu" - it does smell like diarrhea (I'm not kidding). I was brought to "Dessert section" side (since I wanted the shaved ice), but many people ate foods in the area. I had to move to dining area because it was too stinky to bear the smell from the right next table and they didn't allow me to eat my shaved ice at outside seating. Why? I didn't put any booze on my shaved ice. Why couldn't I eat my shaved ice outside to be away from the stinky odor???
Why the hell do their people enjoy the diarrhea smell????? It was terrible.
I won't go back and miss anything.
We were going to just get the shaved snow, but then decided to try out the dinner menu since it was happy hour. Â We got the fried tofu, chicken wings, and black bean chicken. Â The wife loved the fried tofu and I was really happy with the crispy wings (and beer). Â We were pleasantly surprised on how good the food is and will def be back.
And, of course, we got the shaved snow. Â Definitely hit the spot on a hot summer day!
We've been wanting to try this place for a while...today we stopped by and went all out! Â There were so many choices in the menu that we ended up ordering 7 dishes for just the two of us. Â
My personal favorite was the fried tofu with minced mushroom and shrimp. The chicken clay pot and spicy shrimp dishes were really tasty as well. Â The popcorn chicken had great texture, it tasted better than Tea Station's recipe! Â To finalize our great dinner, we ordered a child size snow ice with fresh mango and strawberries. Â It was the perfect size since we had just stuffed our faces with so much food! Â The flavor was evenly distributed and the ice just melts in your mouth. Â We will love to go back and try out more dishes soon!
I can't say with confidence whether I do like this place or not, hence the 3 star rating.
This bar is located above Lollicup and 85 in the Diamond Jamboree plaza, so you already know parking is terrible. We came here Saturday night in a group of 6, and initially, they told us it would be a bit of a wait, so we went down to 85 first. When we returned, they seated us immediately, but all the way in the back room, in the very back corner. The seating was very cramped, and difficult to get in and out of... They also practically boxed us in because they extended a table near the entry-way for a large party, which I suppose wasn't really a big deal for me because I personally just stayed seated and didn't go in and out of the room.
I believe they have happy hour, where they offer items from $3 to I think it was $8, with several variety of options.
We ordered 2 pitchers, some mojitos (Classic and Mango), and their popcorn chicken. The chicken was very delicious! And the drinks were strong, as they should be. I really enjoyed the Mango Mojito :)
I guess a side note to add is that by the end of the night, the bathroom was a mess. I'm a big stickler on public health issues, and having no toilet seat covers as well as having tissues all over the place on the floor and in the sink bothers me.
In the end, I think this place was OK. I would probably give this place another shot, maybe on  another weekend, to fully decide how I feel!
Customer service was pretty decent, but the snow we got wasn't very good. We tried the strawberry snow which was somewhat icy. Texture felt more like ice than snow. Red beans were too damn sweet and was overpowering the flavor of the snow. Decor and ambience was pretty hip and happening though! Would come for the atmosphere but not if you want quality shaved snow.
Review Source:MMMM.
Shaved snow is so good. Â I don't think I can give any place with shaved snow lower than a 4 because it is basically heaven in a bowl.
I also got bacon fried rice as a dish. Â Whhaaaat? Â How can anyone not love bacon!?
I came here at exactly 4:55 today  and it turns out they were closed. They opened up again at exactly 5:00 pm.  My friend and I then proceeded to go to 85 degree bakery to get some treats and then head back.
We returned at 5:02 and were seated immediately. Â The decor inside is pretty nice and modern. Â I ordered the shaved snow with strawberry, mango, condensed milk and a side of mochi as well as the fried rice with bacon.
When the dishes came out, they looked amazing. Â The only reason I took off a star is because I think the portion is a little small for the price considering Class 302 in rowland heights has a bit more bang for your back for the same quality. Â Otherwise, everything was great.
Definitely will want to come back!
Love their Happy Hour & food.
Everyday from 5-7pm
This place would probably be more of 3.5 stars but they have Stinky Tofu and the boyfriend loves that! Â Living in Ktown, no Koreans eat Stinky Tofu so when there's a chance for the bf to get some, he's all over it.
The food was always whatevers to me, but either they've improved or I was drunk cuz the calamari and popcorn chicken were so good!
During HH
$10 Pitchers
$4 Large Sake
$5 Sake Bombs
The service was good but not great. I had to get their attention every time I needed something and they asked every table if they were doing okay except for ours. weird... the food was good. got the beef stir-fried noodles and the 5 flavor chicken (fried), the rice doesn't come with unfortunately, it was $1 per bowl. the shaved snow was delicious though! we got red beans, brûlée milk, mangos and condense milk. (: all around, I'd definitely go again!!!
Review Source:Came with a friend because we saw the happy hour and we were excited. The place is pretty small, and appears even smaller from the outside. The place was well decorated, gave off a nice luxurious feeling to it.
We were seated right away and ordered everything that looked good off of the happy hour menu. We were given regular menus after we had decided on the items off the happy hour menu, so we just ordered the Spicy Bacon Fried Rice. All the items were delicious, and I loved the Asian flavors that this place deals with. The Bacon Fried rice had a nice spice to it, and the popcorn chicken had the perfect consistency.
After stuffing ourselves with everything, I noticed that the Green Tea Shaved Snow was a hit, so we had to try it. The presentation was nice and the toppings were sufficient. The snow was very delicate allowing for a perfect dessert to our heavily fried meal. I definitely will be back to try their other items.
- Great service, Fancy decor
- Awesome happy hour
- Green Tea Shaved Snow
Came with a couple of friends over here after work to enjoy a nice dinner. Our server was pretty quick but seemed like she had to ask for our order multiple times.
I ordered the peppercorn pork chops and we got sides of popcorn chicken and fish cake. Chinese food is usually greasy but this peppercorn chicken took greasy to a whole new extent. I could literally use all of that extra oil and probably cook another 2-3 servings of the same chicken. It was literally slathered in oil and so over flavored that it was almost unbearable.
The popcorn chicken also felt like there was no chicken in it. The chicken was very breaded and although I did enjoy the spices, the point of popcorn chicken is to be able to enjoy the chicken itself. Highly disappointed by the popcorn chicken as well.
The one good thing that came out of this night were the fish cakes. Those were made very well and the chewy inside meshed perfectly with the crisp outside of the fish cakes. Delicious side dish and it's also on the happy hour menu for a couple of bucks.
There are a lot of better options out there especially within the same plaza. Definitely don't go here for the food quality, as you'd come out highly disappointed. This is however, a pretty cool place to grab some drinks and some small side dishes after work.
Ive been here with friends to have a couple of drinks and I really liked their drink menu. They offer a lot of fruity drinks, which I'm sure the ladies are happy about, and instead of mixing everything with vodka, they offer drinks mixed with soju or sake. I just think that soju or sake has a more mellow flavor than vodka so thats why I really enjoyed the drinks. The drinks are very good but I must admit the price is a little on the expensive side. I have also tried the shaved snow and I think its really good. The portion is HUGE but can feed up to 3 people. The snow is really creamy and has the perfect amount of condensed milk poured on top and the perfect amount of fruit.
Review Source:I think I came here enough times to finally give it a pretty accurate score. If I went off of my first experience, this place would get a 1. It was so hard to get a server and the serve I had, her middle name must have been RUDE because she had all that attitude. BUT, that's all gone and in the past. The other servers I had were friendly.
They're pretty busy so sometimes it's hard to flag down the waiters/waitresses but the food is pretty good. Small portions though. Oh yeah, wait time can be pretty ridiculous. I think I was told many times it would be another 15 minutes like 3 times. If I knew it was going to be 45 mins, I probably would've just went to Guppy's.
I usually just make it a habit to only come here for the shaved snow when I'm in a big group that reallyyyyy wants it. Other than that, I probably wouldn't choose to come here.
Not a very big fan of the food here but the drink prices are unbeatable in this plaza! 15 bucks for a pitcher of premium. Bartenders are all nice here although a little less on the social side.
This is a small facility so when it's packed, there's going to be a very long wait time here.
1. Came here with a group of five, only to be given one menu.
2. Food was so/so. One of us ordered some chicken wings that looked like wings butchered from baby chicks.
3. However, manager was super nice after we texted him about our situation and he apologized. Maybe having the manager there with his positive mood would help cheer the place up a bit like how they sometimes have managers walking around to ask how people are doing; the place needs it.
4. Waitresses only started checking on our table after we texted the manager. :/
Went there after ISpa on 5/1 at around 10pm. Great place to get a late night bite and drink. Happy Hour was in full swing. Nice decor and ambience.
Service: took a little long I get service initially. But food and drink came out pretty quick after that.
Food: ordered popcorn chicken, calamari, and green tea shaved ice. Chicken and calamari were both pretty good. Full of flavor. The calamari had a Vietnamese twist to it. Would definitely order both again. I am not a big green tea fan but the shave ice was pretty good.
Value: this is where I give it a thumbs up! Happy Hour menu has lots if good value. Would definitely return for happy hour and might try out regular time.
Tonight I came in with a friend. We were greeted and helped right away.
He ordered the Pork Chops Taiwanese Style (keeps it moist)
We both really enjoyed it, it was very scrumptious.
I ordered the Beef Stew Noodle Soup.
Broth was okay, had a weird taste to it, but I
eventually got used to it and wasn't that bad.
The beef itself sucked, wasnted tender, really tasted weird, so
I believe I'll pass on this one.
Since it was happy hour I ordered the Edamame & Spicy Wings
both we mediocre.
Since I wasn't with my GF, I didn't want to order the shaved ice since every ones raving about it in the reviews. Til next time.
Good thing that there's still this restaurant to count on during late hours
came in here maybe two times a week just cuz this is one of the few restaurants that opens late.
Love:
Taiwanese Satay Beef
Clay Pot with mushroom
SHAVED ICE IS SO GOOD! well one of the better ones in Irvine. Â
servers are friendly although sometimes I feel like the hostess are kinda intimidating
NOTE: this rating is based on a 4 for shaved snow and a 1 for service.
BAD: I came here on a Thursday night at 1 am and I asked for a shaved snow. The immediate reply was, "We have last call at 1 am." I took out my phone and it said 1:01 am. "Ok....so, you just had last call which means I should be able to put my order in as part of last call." "No, I'm sorry, they're already cleaning the machine." "Ummm...the whole meaning of last call is that you're taking last orders" "No, they're already cleaning the machine. Sorry we can't take your order." A second person comes by "Sorry we already did last call, we can't take your order." No one even went to the back to see if there was any cleaning happening. Shrugs, I mean, disregard this post if I'm being unreasonable but I'm pretty sure I know what "last call" means. So, takeaway, IF IT CLOSES AT 2 AM, GET THERE BEFORE 1 AM OR YOU WON'T GET YOUR ORDER IN.
GOOD: I've been here a couple of times for shaved snow and I love shaved snow. Definitely one of the better options for shaved snow but for almost the same price you can get twice as much of this deliciously light flaky ice goodness at Class 302. So there you have it, 2 stars.
I often find myself here with friends after a night out. Its open late and offers some good late night happy hour options.
I love...
-Sweet Potato Fries-They are so good. One of the best in fact. A little sweet and served with a tasty mayo dipping sauce
-Popcorn Chicken-Very good.
-Shaved Ice- I love these. So far everyone I have tried has been awesome. Strawberry being my fav.
I like
-Mozzarella sticks-Basic but good
-Sausage-My bf loves this, it's ok to me haha
-Spicy Wings-These are good, but a little plain to me.
Location-The nightmare parking of DJ =( The restaurant itself is nice though. Larger then it looks with booths and tables, and a small bar area. The front seating area has tv's or you can opt for a table in the back which is quieter and more private.
While service here is always friendly, they are a little slow at times.
Overall I would recommend.
Extremely inattentive service when there were literally only four other groups in the whole restaurant. Â Had to ask for water about three times. They only one one menu for everybody because they said they ran out. How do you run out of menus when there are only a few groups?
They charged us for something we didn't order and the bill was a mess and they only let you use up to two credit cars for whatever reason. It really doesn't take that much effort to swipe a card.
Also, the pineapple chicken is horrid as a heads up. It's like they spilled the condensed milk and fruit from the shaved ice onto some popcorn chicken and decided to call it an "entree" item. Way too sweet, and not what I was expecting. Way too expensive too for just a small plate of chicken.
Food in general was mediocre at best and everything was way overpriced. I guess that's what you get when it's the only place open at this time of night, but personally, next time I'd rather just starve. Even Guppy's is better than this place. Definitely wont' be here again.
For late night drinks, this is the place to go in Irvine. It's one of the few places open past midnight on the weekends.
All of the bartenders there are super, friendly and will pretty much make a drink suited to your taste. Plus the happy hour food is the perfect pairing for a night of drinking
I love the ambiance and decor here, it's very vibrant and rich. The waitresses and hosts are always very friendly. It's basically an Asian bar, but go figure, it's in the Diamond Jamboree plaza, home of all the FOBs and UCI students who don't know anywhere better to go. I'm being half-sarcastic here.
The drinks here are always good, but they're really expensive, even by Happy Hour standards. However, I like to think of it as paying for the atmosphere, so I come here on occasion to really sit back and enjoy my time with someone. However, the food here absolutely sucks, that includes dishes and munchies... they seriously need major improvement. The only thing good here is shaved snow, but you can go to Class 302 for that and get charged less for WAY more.
This place is nice, but I wouldn't make it a point to really come here.
Bacon Fried Rice. That is really all you need to know.
This place has quickly become one of my favorites. They are located in the Diamond Jamboree plaza, on the upper level (easily accessed from the parking garage). They have a late night happy hour which definitely accommodates *my* hours. It's usually pretty busy inside but I've never had to wait long. The staff is awesome and they're attentive and know what they're doing - never had any complaints.
The bacon fried rice is amazing stuff. Definitely will create a craving in you. Mmmm bacon. I'm also a big fan of their Taiwanese roll, they serve it with this sweet sauce and i just love that stuff like crack.
They usually have a good deal on drinks as well - like pitcher deals for beer.
Nom nom nom. Damnit, now I'm hungry for this place.
Balcony is one of those places that you come to late at night, with a group of people to get drinks and finger foods.
Other than that, I'm not sure if I would recommend it.
PARKING - It's diamond jamboree plaza, enough said.
WAIT - There is always a wait! I'm not sure why - I think they only have a certain number of servers and big groups come and take up a lot of their spaces. Â On a Friday or Saturday night it's probably 45 min or an hour wait.
FOOD - I really only get the shaved snow here - the other food are your generic asian snacks like edamame, popcorn chicken etc. Â It's good when you want greasy snack food. Â
The shaved snow is pretty good quality, the only downside is that they don't have as many fruit options and the portions are small compared to class 302 and the price a little more expensive :
ATMOSPHERE - It's a nice atmosphere, kind of dark, lively, with TVs and such. Â Definitely a nice place to come with a group or a date. Â It's a strange lay out though, there's the main area to the right and then the "abyss" I like to call to the left because it seems kind of out of place and I feel like servers never come to that area. Â Then in the back there's more seating and even more in this other corner.
Overall, try it out for their shaved snow or for drinks and snacks with a big group - it would definitely be fun.
Came here for dinner on Valentine's Day, although not FOR Valentine's Day (tricksy, huh?!).
The waitstaff were all very pleasant and helpful. And the food was plated nicely. None of the things we got were overly greasy - a big plus!
We got:
*Popcorn Chicken - not at all what I was expecting. They were big chunks. But there wasn't as much as I though there would be. It was pretty good though. Cha and Guppy's do it better.
*Hawaiian Fried Rice - they used like some indian rice or something, which was interesting. Their bacon pieces were huge. But the flavor wasn't all there, even though it had all the usual ingredients. Definitely not their strongest dish. And doesn't even begin to compare to Guppy's.
*Peppercorn chicken - very good. I loved the spices in the dish. It really popped. The winner of the night for me.
*Tofu & shrimp with mushroom - interesting dish. I liked everything in it except for the tofu.
*Fried noodles - their version of chow mein. It was good, solid noodles.
This place seems fun, and if you are going with a group of people who can't decide which type of Asian food they want, this would be a good place to go.
We came for shaved-snow, which came quickly after we placed the order. We had strawberry and green tea, and both lacked tremendous flavors, especially the green tea. Though I am not a shaved-ice / shaved-snow addict, I had to admit that I had it better at Class 302.
As I was informed by my friend who was a frequent diner here, you got one hour to eat desserts and get the hell out. So, by the time we had our last spoon of the shaved snow, the check had already appeared on the table. It was around 9:30pm on Friday, we looked around and the restaurant was more than half empty, so we still didn't understand the rush of flushing us out. Customer service was overall mediocre.
Reading the first review I wrote about this place makes me laugh a little. I've grown to love and appreciate this place for so much more than their cheap drinks. ;D
There have been so many improvements in service over the past year or so since they've switched ownership. My friends are now regulars of this place so it's so fun to come, and the workers and bartenders are funny and act like friends rather than just food/drink servers. Is the service extra good because my friends come soo much? I don't think so... I've seen plenty of tables with loud customers having fun chatting up their waiters and the bartender. Friendly service! There's also a "manager's #" you can text if you have any comments about the service, which I think is going the extra mile.
If I'm with Van D, we usually make it out here on a Tues/Thurs night to enjoy drinks made by Brian which are extra good! I still love their drinks, but I've also now tried their food which is also pretty tasty. For drunk munchies, my favorite is still the calamari! If you're there late night hours, there's also some combo specials you can enjoy. My boyfriend enjoys the crispy pork chop every time we go. Their fried rices are pretty good and big servings, although guppy's pineapple fried rice is better than balcony's version. My friends love the spicy bacon fried rice though. Their hot pot dishes are delicious and cheaper than usual hot pot places. $13.95 for your own pot with a soup base of your choosing and meat, veggies, and either ramen, udon, or rice. I enjoy the tofu steak with udon... so yums.
But the best part most definitely are the drinks and desserts :) the drinks are nice and strong, and the dessert is one of the best shaved snows I've tasted. It is definitely comparable to Class 302 shaved snow. Van D and I enjoy the almond shaved snow with pudding and caramel and she introduced me to the idea of paying $5 for a shot of frangelico and it makes your shaved snow soo much yummier!!!
Went here because I really wanted some Asian food after being in class from 10:45 am till 9:45pm. Luckily, this place has the BEST LATE NIGHT HAPPY HOUR EVER.
Not only was the price very reasonable, but the SERVICE WAS AMAZING.
Paul the owner was extremely welcoming, and James the bartender was so nice to bring out some hot water and lemon since I was feeling a little sick.
The previous owner of the restaurant really botched this place up, but under new management by Paul, this place is amazing. Give it another shot people, it won't disappoint.
I've heard that The Balcony and Class 302 are owned by the same people. They are definitely similar when it comes to shaved ice. This is the first time I had tried their shaved snow and OMG... I couldn't believe I'd been eating regular shaved ice my whole life. The snow... it's so creamy... so sweet... and melts in your mouth. They are sort of lacking in choices, however. I think Class 302 offers more variety. I was also bummed they didn't have any fruit+red bean options, and they charged me like a dollar more just to have a scoop of canned red beans in a separate bowl. At least mix it in... It's not like I'm going to eat just a bowl of red beans after I'm done.
The rest of the food is just whatever. I was intrigued by their spicy bacon fried rice. Which sounds awesome, right??? But it's not spicy AT ALL. All the food I've gotten here was unmemorable and I always order differently every time because I haven't found anything good enough to reorder. It's a tad overpriced, and the happy hour is alright but unimpressive. They also have serve soyumi drinks here which also have a happy hour (only 0.25 to 0.50 off), but they're pretty gross. I'd only come here for the delicious shaved ice.
This is definitely one of my favorite places for dessert/drinks in Irvine. And it's really convenient because it's so close to where I live. Parking can be a hassle though because it's in Diamond Jamboree... oh well!
So one time, my brother was craving shaved ice and suggested we go to Guppy's... I brought him here instead, insisting that he'd like this one more. And I was right - the Balcony has one of THE BEST shaved snows I've ever tried. By now, I've probably tried all the different flavors, but my favorite will always be the red bean/mochi one - soooo good!
The happy hour here is really good too. They have a bunch of different drinks - sake, draft beer, nigoritinis, mixed drinks, etc.. and a huge selection of food too! I love their drunk munchies! I've never tried any of their dinner items, but I've heard it's really good. I don't know... This place gives me more of a bar/lounge vibe than a sit-down dinner place.
Oh and the service here is AMAZING! All the servers are really attentive and super friendly! They even have a "text the manager" number to let them know how the service is... I've never had the patience to actually text that number soooo manager, if you're reading this, your servers are wonderful! Keep up the good work!
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