The food here was delicious. I really liked the unajya, which is an unagi bowl. It was a generous…read moreportion. The seared tuna and sea urchin pasta were also tasty. However, my favorite was the pickled cabbage and cucumber. The only thing I didn't like was the service. Maybe it because we arrived an hour before closing but as closing time neared I felt we were rushed.

Why Kagura? - Affordable and quality…read more- Grab it after visiting Tokyo Central Food 4/5 = Solid choice not to mention always busy - Katsu sando $12 - Loin Demi tonkatsu set $16.50 Not dry perfectly cook and no issues for a simple quick bite. Tonkatsu Marushichi is still #1 though pricing but AMAZING! Service 4/5 - Quick ordering and moves pretty fast Parking 3.5/5 - Free parking but can get really busy during peak hours due to ppl shopping. - Parking lot is the entire perimeter of complex Try Go Go Curry next to Kagura is you're open to trying curry!

The restaurant is located adjacent to Abalone Ave, different from the location that was shown on…read moreApple/Google Maps. While you were at the corner, you would see its noticeable sign. It felt causal and cozy inside, simple and clean. We arrived late at around 1:30 pm on a Saturday afternoon but the waitress was patient and friendly, guiding us to seats and let us know to order before their kitchen was closed. It had a lunch special menu which showed several special items at a very affordable price. We picked the Negitoro Bowl from this special menu (at half of the regular price). The tuna had a balanced fat and was minced in a manner that I felt it melt in my mouth. It's a good match with rice. The Kaisen Bowl had a variety of seafoods and all of them tasted very fresh! The salty fish roe made the rice more flavorful. The Kaisen Bowl came with a miso soup and a salad. We also ordered a soba which was well cooked. We definitely will go back to try more dishes!

The food was delicious and the quality felt really good for what I paid. The staff were also very…read morefriendly, and overall it was a nice experience. This was always one of the restaurants I wanted to try, so I was happy I finally got to visit haha. One thing is that the prices are high and the portion felt little small. If you are really hungry, I probably would not recommend ordering only the premium dishes. It might be better to try some of the more affordable menu options too. Still, the food quality was great and I would love to come back again to try different dishes next time.

This place is so cute and the service was amazing! Our server was very attentive and kind and was…read morevery fun to talk to. The food here was exceptional. We ordered another round of the beef tongue cause it was just. that. good. The chicken thighs with the green onions were also good. I probably wouldn't order the meatballs again, not because they were bad but the other things were just soo much better.

Had a reservation for Wednesday 6pm, it's already pretty crowded. The popularity of this izakaya is…read morereal. Staffs are very welcoming, but they are very busy so be sure to be patient. Inside it's very Japanese izakaya, you see bottles of unfinished liquor and they are proud of it. Tables are a little too close. I liked their food, sashimis are great, skewers aren't bad, but I definitely recommend their apple shot, very special. Most of their skewers are soy cause/teriyaki flavor which isn't really my thing, I appreciate more varieties. But I do recommend their special chicken hearts. Beef tongue isn't great though. All in all, I definitely would come back!

Came here for dinner on a Sunday and was surprised by how easy the experience was from start to…read morefinish. We were seated immediately with no wait during dinner time, and there's a large free parking lot, so getting in and out was hassle-free. The skewers were good overall, but one thing to note is that they don't have that smoky, charcoal-grilled flavor. If you're expecting a traditional yakitori experience, just keep that in mind. What we ordered: - Momo Kizokuyaki - 7/10 A classic choice. The chicken was juicy and cooked well, but it leaned a little under-seasoned, so it didn't leave much of a lasting impression. - Teba - 6/10 Chicken was kinda dry but seasoning was good. - Harami Beef - 7/10 The beef was tender and cooked nicely, but it also lacked a bit of seasoning. Good texture, just missing that extra punch of flavor that would've made it memorable. - Karaage - 8/10 My favorite dish of the meal. The portion size was just right, and the chicken was crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, and well-seasoned throughout. - Soboro Don - 8/10 This reminded me of an elevated Yoshinoya beef bowl--in the best way. It had richer flavors, better-quality ingredients, and the fresh ginger added a bright, flavorful contrast that tied everything together. Beyond the food, the service really stood out. Every staff member we interacted with was warm, respectful, and attentive without being overbearing. The restaurant was also spotless, which made the dining experience even more enjoyable. Overall, I'd definitely come back. While a couple of the skewers could use a little more seasoning and that signature smoky flavor, the friendly service, clean atmosphere, easy parking, and solid food make this a spot that's worth checking out.

Service is fantastic at this hole in the wall. There's a center kitchen surrounded by the bar and…read moreit's fun watching them cook your orders. The prices are very reasonable and if you're passing by Torrance, this is a great place to walk in on the weekdays. Place was pretty full house even on a Thursday night. I was super hungry and was relieved to find that there was only a 10 minute latency period between placing the order and getting my first item at the table. I'm a big fan of chicharrón and the fried chicken skin was very well done, but I'm personally more of a chicharrón person than a fried chicken skin person. The chicken okra, edamame salad was cool and refreshing. The chicken skewers were dry, but the agedashi broth was so good I just dunked them in it. The skirt steak skewers were the highlight of the night, along with the hojicha pudding which I vacuumed down without a pause. Shoutout to the wonderful staff who made the night and the awesome server who gave fantastic rec!

Back again. I remembered they have a great BENTO BOX, so that's what I ordered again and…read morerecommended the same for my friend. We had a great time here on a Saturday afternoon. The food was as great as I remember and although the restaurant had plenty of people, we didn't feel rushed. Everything was delicious from the sashimi, tempura, fish, nishime and chicken karaage. The bento box also comes with potato salad, udon and gohan. When I'm in Gardena, this is my choice for Bento Box... You literally get a little of everything!

Food: good solid Japanese fair with emphasis on udon. The broth was clear and delicious. Edamame…read morewas bland. No salt. The udon noodles had a nice chew but not too much. The tempura was good , not excellent. The shrimp was the best. Ambiance: old school but charming Service: it was a small mom and pop place. The one waitress was very pleasant. I liked it a lot. It's a casual place to get solid Japanese food. Nothing fancy. But solid. Prices are reasonable. 2 for dinner. With edamame and tempura sides plus 20% tip was $74 . So please try them. Bon appetit

Atmosphere - Clean, lots of indoor seating. No wait on Thursday evening…read more Taste - We ordered the Manager's Special, Matsui Bowl and Hand Roll Combination. Udon and Soba sauce was flavorful and authentic tasting. Shrimp tempura was crispy. Customer Service - Excellent. Staff were attentive and friendly. Price - Average

I was just starting to eat my meal when the sat a large group breaking them in to tables on both…read moresides of me. So people needed to squeeze by and then one guy asked if he could sit for a moment at my table. I said okay. But then I think he planned to stay at my table until finally my waiter moved him! There was a seat at one their tables the whole time. Then their waitress wedge herself with her back toward me in between the tables and I had to stop eating. Very disruptive and rude. Taking a while for the six people to order so I nudged her and I asked her to move and she seemed upset that I did that but didn't say anything no apology so it was very uncomfortable and I was rushing through my food so I burnt my tongue on the hot soup again even though I knew it was hot because I just wanted to get out of there. And then when I was done, I had to wait a while for the check and then they couldn't process the Apple Pay at the table so then I had to go to the front and wait for somebody to attend to me there overall this experience was not fun and stressful and I had got there right when they opened. I sure wish I had selected a different seat!! I wouldn't get the Nabeyaki soup again. It was really big and had a lot of end pieces of tough napa cabbage. There were two pieced of shitake mushroom and the standard thin fish cake slice. There was and egg in the soup and a three small chicken pieces. On the side were three small pieces of green bean and two tempura shrimp.

At first, you'd be confused since you're not sure what type of food they have to offer. I ordered…read moremyself the Yasai Bolognese and my lady got herself the Unicorn Bolognese. They were both made with Wagyu beef, which has lots of flavor in the sauce. The pasta as very well prepared!! The service is great, very respectful and responsive, although we arrived at 2:30p on a Friday which was a holiday (not so busy). Loved what they did with the space. They have multiple tables indoor and a cute little outdoor seating area with heaters if need be. They have a few parking spots, but they're in the back of the building. They only have one restroom which was very well maintained as well. Overall highly recommend this place. Ivan was very helpful!!

This was our first experience dining here. We had a reserved table for 6:45 on a Friday evening…read more Parking was available in their parking lot next to the restaurant. When we walked in the first words out of the hostess's lips were "Do you have a reservation?" Hardly welcoming. Fortunately, our waiter, Dennis, was very gracious and attentive. I honestly didn't get a Japanese vibe, maybe because I rarely go to dine on pasta. I ordered the Unico Bolognese which was very flavorful and a good size portion. Our waiter asked if we'd like some garlic bread and we got two pieces for $6 which we felt should have been complimentary. But the garlic bread had a nice flavor and went well with the meal. My guest had the Uni Truffle and loved it. He said he'd love to dine here again and I feel the same way. The menu was large so we need to explore other items next time. All in all they're doing a very good job managing the establishment.

You've probably read all the articles online about this place and all the reviews on here, so I'm…read morejust going to confirm that this place is indeed very good as they say. Definitely go for the nabe, and if you're here with several friends and family, the family course/set meal (which is what we got for 4 adults) is perfectly enough food for everyone. We added on the tongue as an a la carte because it wasn't part of the set and wanted to try it. Very good as well. Good service and very izakaya interior.

Loved my time at Izakaya Hachi. Went here with a couple amazing friends and my daughter for an…read moreearly dinner. A friend and I shared a pitcher of beer and a couple hot sakes. The drinks and food as well as the setting of the restaurant gives ultra chill vibes - one of the better izakayas I've been to re drinks and food variety and quality. They have some premium wines here too, including Opus One and Kenzo. What would have made this a top notch experience would be once of those semi-private booths with the lower seating that some places have, but this felt like some places we've been to in Japan as well. The only thing I didn't love was that I spent around $400 here (LOL), but we all had a great time so that was fine. Food-wise, we tried the following - Gobo Chips - a friend recommended these to us. He said eating these when drinking will prevent hangovers, headaches, any negative effects, etc. I thought it was cap, but all that beer and sake, I felt great the rest of the evening and morning despite just a few hours of sleep. Large serving of these chips, nicely seasoned, thin sliced, great texture. Even my daughter enjoyed these. Uni & US Wagyu Beef Sashimi - how decadent! Very flavorful. A bit too much sauce for me, but otherwise good. Salmon Truffle Carpaccio - this was one of my fave small plates. Fresh sashimi with ikura. YUM!! Chicken & Green Onion Skewers - Pretty good chicken. My daughter even ate the onions without realizing. Amazing. Chicken Karaage - the daughter's favorite! Goes very well with the beer too. Assorted Tempura - nice assortment of shrimp and veggies, with the tempura dipping sauce. Ribeye Ponzu Steak - beautifully cooked and flavorful. We started with the above, and the food came at various times, but the waits weren't long so we appreciated that. We were still hungry, so we ordered some more stuff - Premium Sashimi - min of 2 orders so we did that. It was good, but I expected a lot more for premium sashimi. It looked more of a single portion, but beautifully presented. Chazuke - we got some for us all - both salmon and mentaiko. Best dish to end a meal at an izakaya. Warm dashi with the riceball in there, seaweed, topped with either the salmon or mentaiko. Subtle flavors, but really delicious. We then looked at a dessert menu and decided to go elsewhere for some sweets. Would def come back to try their pressed sushi, and if we weren't all picky eaters, we'd try their set meal as well.