Food is great Service excellent…read moreAmbiance very nice I enjoyed our meal at Honda-ya with my husband and grand-daughter.

Honda-Ya has officially become one of my favorite places to explore Japanese izakaya-style dining…read more The night started with the Mushroom Trio Butter, and we added truffle sauce. I didn't know it at the time, but this would end up being the best dish of the night. The mushrooms were perfectly sautéed and the truffle took everything to another level. An incredible way to kick off dinner. Next came the potato salad, which was a refreshing, chilled dish that balanced everything else we ordered. Then the beef tataki arrived. Thin slices of tender, perfectly seared beef served cold. It was simple, clean, and absolutely delicious. Our first round of skewers came alongside the Gindara (sweet miso black cod). I started with the miso pork belly skewer, and the flavor was unlike anything I've had before. Rich, savory, and incredibly satisfying. Now, I'm still on my journey of learning to enjoy seafood. My girlfriend has made it her mission to expand my palate, so she insisted we order the Gindara. She told me it was non-negotiable. I gave it an honest shot and managed a few bites, but the fishy flavor is still something I'm working on. She absolutely loved it though, so I know it was a great recommendation for seafood fans. After that I moved on to the Japanese beef skewers, which were incredibly tender and practically slid right off the stick. Just when we thought we were done, I made one last audible and ordered two more skewers: the chicken breast with yuzu pepper and the pork cheek. Best decision of the night. The chicken surprised me with an awesome kick from the yuzu pepper. Juicy, flavorful, and much spicier than I expected. In the best way possible. Then came the pork cheek. That single skewer became my favorite bite of the entire evening. The crispy edges, the savory saltiness, and the tenderness instantly reminded me of the pork chops my dad used to make when I was a kid. Food doesn't often bring back memories that vividly, but this one did. That nostalgic feeling made it the perfect ending to an already fantastic meal. If you're looking for a place where you can order a variety of small plates and experience new flavors, Honda-Ya is absolutely worth a visit. I'll definitely be back. Especially for those mushrooms and that pork cheek.

My go-to non ayce shabu spot!! The food here always hits. They have alot of delicious and flavorful…read morebroths to choose from as well as alot of protein options from beef, lamb, and fish. They also have a garden plate for vegetarians so just about anyone will be able to eat here. Don't sleep on their drink menu either- the cocktails here are both pretty and delicious. Service here is always amazing; all of the staff is friendly and has great energy :) Parking here can be rough being in DTSA but there is a paid structure nearby. The inside seems a little dark and is only bar seating. There are tables outside for larger groups. The owner of Kaizen also owns Sonder next door so check that place out if you like the food here!

This review pains me to write but I'll keep it as simple as I can: yes, inflation is up. Yes, we…read moreare collectively boned as a society. I can understand how business owners, managers, servers, and customers are all caught within the vicious fluctuations of markets and so on. However, what I was recently served at Kaizen Shabu last week was, to my mind, an egregious example of a restaurant offering well below the bare minimum of what should be expected for the prices listed (and my photos will show this, I believe). At the outset, I want to say I have no grievances with the servers. Our server was kind, attentive, and was elegantly multitasking. Bravo. Now, the food: we ordered the salmon "sashimi" plate, and what we were handed was a platter of the thinnest, grainiest, obviously-thawed and poorly sliced salmon I've ever eaten in my life. I was a bit shocked. At Cal Shabu Shabu (and other shabu places I tend to frequent more often), sashimi is... sashimi. It *looks* like sashimi because it IS sashimi: a piece of salmon purchased by the restaurant and knife-cut into appropriate portions depending on what portion size the customer has ordered. It is sashimi that gleans in the light, where the striations of fat and tissue are visible to the naked eye on the fish itself. As you can see from my photos, we were served paper-thin salmon that I could barely peel off of the plate with my chopsticks without ripping the fish into smaller, grainier pieces. It was all but inedible, in my opinion. This is not sashimi, and to serve such a thing for the price listed is beyond atrocious: it is an outright deception. Now, onto the side of veggies and noodles that come with every order of meat or fish. Perhaps the cooks could not be bothered, but what I received was broken tendrils of 2-inch udon haphazardly thrown into a bowl. I'm not sure if this is an issue with the chefs, with a dwindling supply of food nearer the end of the night, or if this restaurant truly does not care about the quality of what they are serving customers. Again, I think my pictures speak for themselves. I used to love coming here as the atmosphere was chic, and the servers are so kind. After my last dining experience, however, I cannot justify the price of my bill in the face of the quality of the food I am being served. I won't be returning, sadly. I hope the manager has an opportunity to look at these photos and perhaps reassess what can be done to improve what they are serving their customers.

We were craving Japanese udon and/or soba, so this spot was perfect for us. They offer plenty of…read morehouse-made udon and soba dishes as well as ramen, rice bowls, sushi rolls, and more. I ordered the Inaka soba, which was very savory and flavorful. The bowl included tororo, mushrooms, bonito flakes, shredded nori, green onions, and an egg. I enjoyed the nutty buckwheat flavor from the soba noodles and the clean taste from the light dashi broth. My husband had the curry udon with beef. The curry was aromatic and came as a silky, soup-like consistency that coated each udon noodle nicely. It had a deep umami flavor. The udon was the ideal texture - thick and chewy. As for the beef, it was very tender. We shared a crunchy roll on the side. It was cut into 8 pieces. Every piece was super crispy and delicious. The main flavor came from the eel sauce, so it tasted very sweet and savory.

Came in on a Friday night, seated in about 25 minutes by our server who I didn't even realize was…read moreour server. No introduction, didn't show us the menus, just had us sit. It wasn't fully packed by the time we sat down. While he was busy chatting with another table, we were waiting for 15 minutes before the guy who seated us came to take our order. We ordered and noticed people who were seated much later than us got their food already. Another server who brought food to the table next to us noticed us and asked if we got our food yet. He double checked for us and main server hadn't sent our order to the kitchen. We had already waited 25 minutes in addition after placing our order. Our order came out very quickly after the realization. Unfortunately the lemon salmon sushi roll that came out seemed incredibly rushed. The roll wasn't tucked in so each piece we grabbed broke apart. The fried squid legs were good. The udon texture was good, but by the time our food came out, we weren't in the best mood. All the waiting and lack of service ruined our appetite. The 2nd server gave us a bag of salted noodle toppings to-go as a solace for the bad service? Though this location is bigger than the original, I'll be going to the Costa Mesa restaurant for better service.

I planned to come here after my long hike and the yakitori and Asahi beer hit the spot. The staff…read morewas very polite and attentive. I also enjoyed the vibe of the izakaya. It was nice to sit at the bar table and enjoy the good food and beer. I cant wait to come back. ごちそうさまでした

Husband & I came here for dinner on a Sunday night couple of weekends go. It was our first time…read morehere & I sure wasn't disappointed. Ambiance was nice & decent size. We sat at the bar & service was quick & efficient. Everything we ordered from sushi to sashimi & yakitori were delicious! The quality of fish was fresh & the portion of the rice to fish ratio was perfect. Yakitori was cooked very tender & seasoned well. We enjoyed every bite of it. The options on the menu were plentiful & the prices were affordable. As for the yakitori, my favorites were the chicken skin, lamb chops, & Wagyu tongue. I don't have a favorite for the sushi bc they were all equally good. I will definitely be back to try other items on the menu. I will mention however that I was surprised & disappointed that they didn't serve hot sake which is always our "go to" whenever we dine out for Japanese food but that's just my opinion. I ended up ordering a cocktail which wasn't bad at all.

The food is incredibly fresh and offers excellent value for money; the owner and staff are great.read more

Usuki hits the spot! Usually come for their sushi combo but decided to try the chirashi bowl which…read morewas fantastic! Service is always great and it's never too busy when we go. 10/10

I'm glad to see that Tori has switched over to an AYCE menu! I always thought that their half-roll…read moreordering would be a great venue for trying out multiple rolls and sides. The food still tastes just as good as before. They've changed the menu slightly but my go-to rolls are still there. The waitress was very helpful in introducing us to the new ordering system, and we worked out the kinks pretty quickly. We came in at around 2pm on a Friday, so ordering was quick and the food came out just as fast. I saw some people coming in wanting to order a la carte, but the waitress said they weren't able to do that at the moment. I know this might be a rough transition to a new system so I hope people will give them a chance to figure it out. Overall, the food is still great and I'm happy I can try some of their sides I've been wanting to try, but now it comes with all the rolls that I can double and triple order! I'm sure their new ordering system will be streamlined over time and I hope their AYCE transition will be a successful one.

Recently came here for an early dinner after seeing it on social media & we were plesantly…read moresurprised. for one, they now have AYCE sushi on the menu, regular price menu comes with sashimi & shabu hot pot - which was neat. tons of rolls to choose from & i love that it comes mostly in 4, meaning you can try plenty of different ones. They also have a good amount of fried items too! service was nice and wait time was very good. tons of seating & parking

Came by Wednesday afternoon to have lunch with a friend…read more Interior was minimal and calming. Service was great and helped with suggestions if ever stuck in between menu items. I got to try the special combo. Hot Soba Tanuki and Ten Toji Don. Unless you are set on trying a specific item or trying other dishes with a group, this is maybe the best bang for your buck. The food tasted delicious and looked authentic as if I was having a bowl of soba noodles from Kyoto. They also have a noodle sample that comes in 6 different types. Can't wait to try the different menu items next time I come in.

As a soba lover, I'm so glad I finally came around to trying out Tanakaya! After walking around Old…read moreTown Tustin, all I could think of was a nice refreshing serving of soba. There was lots of parking available and we were seated fast. The servers were so kind and accommodating too! I got the kitsune soba and my coworker ordered the kaarage combo with soba. The kitsune soba was so tasty! Perfect amount of food too. Filling but not heavy at all. My coworker's kaarage was crispy, flavorful, and paired well with the cold soba. Can't wait to come back soon the next time I'm craving soba!

If you love creamy tonkatsu ramen this is the very best. I've been to hiro nori for years and the…read moretonkatsu never misses. We came close to closing time but the staff was nice enough to seat us. There are a few michellin rated locations (not sure this one is rated) but it is delish! I've been to the Irvine, san diego, and monterey park location and the quality has been 10/10 each time. My favorite go to ramen spot!

This is one of the best ramen spots I've been to! The broth was rich, flavorful, and perfectly…read morebalanced, while the noodles had the ideal texture. The toppings were fresh, generous, and complemented the ramen beautifully. The restaurant was clean, the atmosphere was cozy, and the staff was welcoming and attentive. Service was quick, and everything arrived hot and fresh. The only minor downside is that the restaurant can be a bit challenging to find since it's located inside a business building. If you're visiting after 6:00 PM, you'll need to use the side entrance. If you're craving authentic, comforting ramen, this place is definitely worth a visit. I'll definitely be back to try more items on the menu!