What kind of food do you prefer? Among Chinese restaurants, I always enjoy taking small groups to Meizhou Dongpo (on Culver Street in Irvine), as they have excellent food, a broad menu, and round tables good for conversation.
Not many Chinese options being listed, so I’ll drop some:
Gui BBQ Taichi Cuisine (although the quality has gone down I think) Dun Huang Spicy City Tasty Noodle House MeiZhouDongPo ($$$$) JA Jiaozi (modern take)