This izakaya is located in an unassuming strip mall but its food is anything but. I had been fiending for some yakitori since our last visit to Tokyo and this spot did not disappoint. If I had been able to eat crunchier / harder stuff (I had dental work done prior), I would have been more adventurous with the menu. They had so many delicious looking options! That being said, the skewers were AMAZING. Their chicken skewers, the scallop, and the veggies were cooked to perfection. I felt like I had just walked back into a legit izakaya in Tokyo. The vibes were amazing, the staff was so friendly. I will absolutely be back. 10000000/10 read more

The food is decent, but the experience needs work. The room was hot and uncomfortable, almost like eating inside a humid gym. I understand yakitori is cooked over a grill and the smell is part of the experience, but sweating through dinner in a small shop is not charming. Turn up the AC or improve the ventilation. Service also felt cold. There was no warmth, no hospitality, no sense that anyone was glad people were there. The grill master mostly stared through the room, which made the whole place feel more awkward than welcoming. As for the food, some skewers were good, but others were noticeably over salted. For something as simple and focused as yakitori, the execution has to be tighter than that. There are plenty of yakitori spots around. If the food were exceptional, maybe the uncomfortable room and flat service would be easier to forgive. But right now, the flavors aren't strong enough to make the experience worth repeating. read more

Made reservations for a Saturday night for a date and was instantly impressed by the gorgeous traditional Japanese interior and its ambiance. The smell of the yakitori hits you as you open the door, and it's a fantastic indicator for the high quality food they're serving up. We ordered the Kushiyaki Set Meal 2 along with a couple other sides and it fed both of us to satisfaction. They were also kind enough to let us sub out the seafood we couldn't have for anything else on the menu, and the chefs were very attentive and presented every skewer as they handed them off. As much as I would love to give them 5 stars, the service was a bit rocky, as we didn't receive several parts of our order and had to ask where they were an hour into our meal. The atmosphere was very nice, so we didn't mind waiting, but I think there was a bit of a language gap, as we ordered the Salmon Yaki Ochazuke and received the Yaki onigiri instead. I think the staff were waiting on a certain part of the dish and forgot as the night went on. Eventually we got the correct order, and were very satisfied with the meal itself. Would absolutely come back!! read more

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The food here was great! We went in at 5pm when they opened and had a reservation, but it filled up extremely quickly! Would recommend a reservation or coming right at 5pm Service rushed us a bit throughout the meal. Noting that you should place your full order at the beginning of your meal because it takes 30-40 mins just to grill the meat! Inside is small but the interior design feels like you're in Japan! The food itself was great and each skewer had a different flavor. My favorite was the corn and meatball skewers. We ended our meal with a flan pudding that came with a frozen grape! I overall would recommend coming here, but be prepared to wait for your food! read more

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What a FIND! That we happened here in the first place was a miracle; we were just looking for a quick bite before heading out for some nightlife and happened upon KOSHIJI on an Apple Maps search. Then, when you pull into this pretty large strip mall, you're lucky if you see their front door - not a lot of hoopla to get your attention. But, when you step in, man, get ready for a treat. This place rocks so hard! Yakatori - whatever in the world that means - is amazing. They fire grill everything from pork to shrimp to asparagus to green beans to mushrooms and more - and adorn these with incredible marinades and sauces like none of our party of 4 had ever experienced before. It was incredible! The Yakatori is all presented on skewers and all grilled up to perfection. The price point is even more astounding - figure $4 per skewer on average. Each of the 4 of us had 5 skewers. It was more than enough food. That's $20 a person...come ON! What a bargain. The staff were all really hard-workin', concerned and caring - making sure our orders were right. They were all smiling and lovely. It had family/humble vibes all over it. Here are some of the SKEWER highlights from our evening: STUFFED PORK BELLY (5 stars) ASPARAGUS WITH MAYO (4.5 stars) CHICKEN MEATBALLS (6 stars - if possible!) PORK & ASPARAGUS (5 stars) PORK & GREEN BEANS (4.5 stars) EGGPLANT (5 stars) CHICKEN WITH PLUM SAUCE (4 stars) read more

Koshiji - the ambiance - Japanese Near Me - Torrance, California

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This is a cute izakaya place with a cozy ambiance. It seems like they have regulars and so it was quite packed when I came on a weekend for dinner. I loved how this place had other options other than yakitori. I ordered the Tori Karaage (Japanese Style Deep Fried Chicken), Hot Udon (Thick Noodles) and Hot Inani Wa Udon (Fine Noodles). I really liked the crunch and juiciness of the Tori Karaage. The seasoning was a bit on the saltier end, but the special sauce that came with it made it better. I liked the thick noodles more than the thin noodles for the udon (just personal preference) but both were good and had the same broth. For yakitori, I ordered Asparagus w/ Pork, Green Onion w/ Pork, Pork Belly, Enoki Mushroom w/ Pork, Beef, Scallop w/ shiso leaf, Shrimp, Stuffed Mushrooms, and Ginkgo Nuts. My top three were the Enoki Mushroom w/ Pork, Beef, and Stuffed Mushrooms. Because the kitchen runs leanly, I may take some time for the orders to come out, but because they come out piping hot and nicely grilled, it's worth the wait. I'll be back if I'm in the area! read more

Busy little yakitori restaurant, definitely make a reservation. Great izakaya vibes without the smokiness. Pick for some combo meals or order à la carte. Lots of choices but light on beef options. Doesn't have the charbroil flavor you find in authentic izakayas in Japan but it suffices. This is also fun as a happy hour visit. read more

Koshiji - Japanese Near Me - Torrance, California

Delicious all the time. We usually get bit combos and add on extra skewers. My faves are the dark chicken meats, meatball, okra, pork belly, smelt, beef tongue and chicken gizzard. read more

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Sort of accidentally came across this cute little spot that is super intimate and feels like japan. So happy I did!!!! All the skewers we tried were seriously amazing (except for the seafood ones which were eh but that isn't a problem with the place we just don't love grilled seafood in the first place). The beef was sooo juicy and flavorful, and the stuffed mushroom yakitori was such a unique and delicious bite!! It had soft potato inside yum!!!!! The star of the show was the corn, surprisingly. It was seriously out of this world good. I swear it tastes way better and more special than any other yakitori restaurant's corn that I've tried. It's sweeter and chewier and I want 50 of them. One thing I want to point out though is how it took over 20 minutes to get the check. We asked our server for the check and it was clear she forgot because she was doing other stuff for the next like 10 minutes and we couldn't really get her attention again so we asked another server, she said she'd grab it and it took another 10-15 min or so until we finally got it. I'm sure it was an unfortunate coincidence that both of them forgot and it was pretty busy in there so I understand, but it is a bit frustrating in the moment when you're trying to pay and leave. But overall I really enjoyed dining here and I would come back!! read more

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Solid yakitori spot in Torrance that clearly knows what it's doing. This place specializes in yakitori and it's very authentic. The ambiance is a big plus too; you can see the yakitori chef working in the back, which adds to the experience. Only real complaint: the 9 PM closing time. Everything else hits, but it feels like a spot you want to linger at longer, especially once you are a few skewers in. Would absolutely come back, just wish they stayed open later! read more

Solid yakitori spot! The parking lot is a little rough, but it's large and has plenty of free parking available. The space isn't super big, and it was pretty busy, even on a Thursday evening. We didn't need to wait more than a minute to get seated, though. After ordering, we were each given a small cup of fresh veggies (a small chunk of cabbage with a cute stick of daikon radish and carrot) with a miso dipping sauce, which wasn't crazy, but was nice to just munch on while waiting. Ordering was quick, since we just marked how many of each skewer we wanted on the paper menus. There were picture menus that had the skewers pictured and that listed other available dishes. Service is pretty slow, but I think it's because there were a lot of tables for 2 waitresses. Now, for the food: -asparagus w/ pork: simple, tasty. Literally asparagus wrapped in a layer of thin pork belly. Solid! -pork belly w/shiso leaf: my friend thought it was drier, less fatty than he usually likes -chicken and green onion: classic! Our table's favorite! Mine wasn't salted evenly, so the top was light on salt and the bottom was perfect on salt, but I enjoyed it both ways lol -chicken meat ball: seasoned well, juicy, and tender. Definitely eat this last though (to better enjoy the flavors of the others) because it's more seasoned! -scallop: I don't eat scallops, but my friend found it a little fishy. Wouldn't recommend. -beef: my friend thought it was good and liked the sauce on it. -beef tongue: my friend thought it was ok. The texture was a little chewier than she anticipated (maybe because it was a thicker cut?) -homemade pudding: oddly bitter... while the pudding was smooth, it seemed like there was a thick skin on the bottom. Wouldn't recommend this. (Also just noting that it's pretty small.) Overall, this was a solid yakitori spot! I'd definitely be down to come back if in the area. read more

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I've been to koshiji multiple times and absolutely love it! The amount of smokiness is just about right and each piece is still juicy, delicious! They have quiet an expansive menu, all the meats I've tried have been outstanding. My personal favorite yakitori stick is tsukune(chicken ball) and I always judge a yakitori restaurant by the tenderness and juicy-ness of their tsukune, they do it right! It's best to make a reservation ahead of time if you can on for fridays and on weekends. I've been able to do walk-ins on a weekday but early when they open. One of my favorite yakitori places in the southbay, defo try it out! :) read more

Koshiji - Japanese Near Me - Torrance, California

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Service is great. It is recommended for you to make reservations, super easy just give them a call. I love their course meal that includes skewers with salad, soup, and rice. Great quality food for the price. Definitely a hidden spot and worth the time/ money. My favorite skewers are the chicken wings, corn, chicken green onion and juicy pork belly. read more

Small place. You would definitely need to make a reservation. The food was good but service is just ok. Probably one of the rudest Japanese places I've ever been to. read more

We came here for dinner and ordered a bunch of food. To start we got the Tori kaarage which was super tasty and perfectly fried. For the skewers we got; - beef - a little overcooked IMO but very flavorful - beef tongue - this was delicious - pork and shiso - my friend loved this - prior and asparagus - my friend also loved this - chicken meatball - I enjoyed this but my friend thought it was too soft and not enough structure - chicken skin - not crispy enough but very flavorful - scallop - very flavorful - eggplant - a little undercooked IMO - corn - loved the charred flavor - chicken soft bone - didn't have a ton to flavor so I had to add some chili flakes to it - salmon - my friend loved this - duck - my friend loved this - stuffed mushroom - it was stuffed with potato which we were not expecting. A little flavorless for me Overall this place was great with the value and quality. Almost everything was very tasty read more

Koshiji - Tori kaarage - Japanese Near Me - Torrance, California

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As good as it has been since I first visited then decades ago. This family business does the best yakitori in Southbay: they don't overcharge the food and you always get what you ordered well prepared. No, this is not best yakitori in LA, but when you consider food, value & service, you'd be pressed to find some place better. read more

I decided to check this place out because of the many tempting varieties. Was really looking forward to trying everything on their menu but, the first set was just okay. The second set was more of the same. Everything tasted the same! The meats had absolutely no taste! It was just meat on the stick....why?!? This could've been so awesome but, it was just okay. How sad!! Did they run out sauce or what? Since returning from Japan recently and tasting their sticks I know what its supposed to taste like and decided I will just have to make my own from here on! Nishi's in Lomita was a little bit better but more expensive. read more

This is my second time coming here. The grilled skewers are very fresh, though the flavors are a bit mild for my personal taste. Everything feels very authentically Japanese, especially the egg pudding, which really stood out. Ambience: 5/5 Service: 5/5 Food: 4.5/5 read more

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Great neighborhood yakitori spot in Torrance with a relaxed, welcoming vibe. The food is consistently solid across the board, especially the chicken is perfectly grilled, juicy, and well-seasoned. The chicken oysters are a standout: tender, flavorful, and cooked just right. Skewers come out hot and paced nicely, making it easy to enjoy everything without feeling rushed. Service is friendly, attentive, and efficient, with staff happy to make recommendations and check in at the right moments. Overall, a dependable place for quality yakitori, good service, and an easygoing night out. read more

Koshiji - Wings - Japanese Near Me - Torrance, California

A pretty solid yakitori place. Most of the people in my group ordered the yakitori combo. This comes with a rice bowl and a variety of skewers. We were all pleasantly surprised at how filling the combo was. The restaurant decor really gives the vibe of being at a restaurant in Japan as well including tables where you sit on the floor versus in chairs. (They have regular chair seating and counter eating too.) I wouldn't say the food is particularly outstanding, but its solid. We particularly enjoyed the rice bowl with the combo and some of the skewers like the chicken meatball, the squid skewer was also good. Overall a good experience. read more

the food is very tasty... but the portions are small... if ur hungry it will add up service was also great... lots of parking which is nice read more

This place was highly recommended by an American-Japanese colleague, and it exceeded my expectations. This place has great yakitori options, prices are not crazy, service is very swift yet friendly, and, being in a pretty quiet suburb, parking isn't an issue. The only thing I wish this place had is an online reservation system, but oh well, we'll have to live with making a phone call once in a while -- you may be turned away if you do a walk-in, especially when you are not waiting right by the door at opening. read more

Been coming here since a long ass time. Got no pics but trust me this place is lit. Always love the yakitori here

The food here was really good. It was really tender, cook perfectly and flavored perfectly. We ordered the lamb chops, the gizzards, beef tongue, the Yakionigiri, and chicken wing. They did run out of lamb chops and chicken heart by the end of the day so if you like those, you should come early. It is a small mom and pop shop that does get really busy and has the ambiance of Japan. If you love yakitoris, I highly recommend trying this place. There's plenty of parking and the price is pretty fair! read more

You MAY need a reservation because it gets so busy here for the quality food/meats. We were LUCKY to get in close to opening with no reservations or wait time. Food was excellent, we ordered the No.2 kushiyaki course which was flavorful and filling, but we don't get to go out as often so we ordered more yakitori as well. Staff was so attentive and because we sat at the bar, we were served by the family chefs. Personal favorites so far are any of the pork belly skewers and the scallops. 10/10 would come again, I can't believe this place has only a 4.1 rating. read more

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Best quality Exquisite tasting Yakitori place in the South Bay or even Southern California . Everything is cooked with perfection there and the chef is very talented. Love the teriyaki chicken meatballs and the grilled corn, also spicy chicken wings, and marinated chicken karaage w/aioli mayo. Inami wa udon cold skinny flat noodles w/ dipping sauce is a must too. Everything is excellent and cooked with perfection and seasoned to please the pallet. Overall this is my number one Japanese Yakitori place in California, Hawaii. & places i ate in Japan. I'm so addicted to this place that I go every single time I'm in town and I live in Hawaii I'm here every two months. read more

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Whenever I come to Torrance, I know I need to check out the Japanese food cuz they do it right! This was especially true of Koshiji, known for their yakitori skewers. Between three of us, we ordered pretty much every protein skewer that sounded interesting to us, which came out to be about 20 skewers -- we left stuffed! For every 5 skewers, they give you a little vegetable, which I think was raw but crispy cabbage, and some sweet salty sauce to dip it in -- great start to the meal while we waited for our skewers to be done. We honestly thought all the skewers were pretty good, with the exception of chicken breast with shiso leaf which was bit dry. Our favs were: Chicken wings (spicy and non spicy) so good you can taste the smokiness from the grill! Also really liked the fish (2 in an order), squid with shiso looked cool and had a good chew. Scallops also well seasoned and tasty. These were our favs of the night! Service is prompt and friendly. Came on a Sunday night and had to wait about 30 min (we passed the time at the smog bar a few stores down where they've got a great selection of beers and a free Simpsons arcade machine), so definitely make reservations if you can! Free parking in large lot in front. read more

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I've been to Koshiji a few times now. Super friendly. Lots of sticks to choose from. Ambiance is nice, but can get loud. Not only because of the tables being closer but the customers next to us were loud. They have table and bar seating. Food came out pretty fast this last time given the time and how many customers were there. I think it can get pretty busy fri-sat. Tried several sticks, would say gizzard and shrimp was super yummy and the smelt was up there too. All was good! Oh we also got their karage and age Dashi tofu, we would get both again. Good portion size for two people. Like other Izakaya's, it can get expensive super quick. But we would definitely go back. read more

Food comes out slowly. At least +20 min wait.    From their 44 item menu (Rating out of 5) 1. Asparagus with pork: 2.5 2. Okra with pork: 2.5 3. Enoki mushroom with pork: 3 4. Green beans with pork: 3 5. Green onion with pork: 3.25 6. Eggplant with pork: 2.5 7. Tomato with pork: 3.5 8. Chicken and green onion: 3 9. Chicken meat ball: 3 10. Chicken Wings: 3 11. Chicken breast with shiso: 3.75 12. Chicken skin: 3 13. Chicken liver: 2 14. Chicken gizzard: 4 15. Quail eggs: 2 16. Duck: 3 17. Chicken breast with plum: 2.5 18. Spicy chicken wings: 3 (wasn't spicy) 19. Beef: 3 20. Beef tongue: 3 (a bit chewy/tough) 21. Lamb chop: 3.5 22. Pork belly with shiso leaf: 3 23. Shrimp: 3 24. Scallop: 3 (small pieces) 25. Smelt fish: 3 26. Salmon: 3.25 27. Squid with shiso: 3.25 28. Asparagus with mayo: 3.25 29. Shiitake mushroom: 3 30. Japanese green pepper: 3 31. Eggplant: 2.5 32. Okra: 2 (not a fan of okra in general) 33. Zucchini: 3.5 34. Sweet corn: 4.25 35. Japanese green onion: 3.25 36. Gingko nuts: n/a 37. Stuffed mushroom: 3.5 38. Potato butter: 3.75 (takes awhile to make) 39. Chicken soft bone: 3.75 40. Chicken tail: 4 41. Chicken neck: 3 42. Chicken heart: 3 43. Chicken skirt: 3.5 44. Root of heart: 3.5 Cold Dishes: 1. Nama Tako wasabi:3.5 2. Ankimo: 3.75 Hot Dishes: 1. Agedashi tofu: 3.5 2. Chicken karaage: 2. Meat is dry. Think it was cooked too long. 3. Yaki imo (sweet potato): 4 read more

Koshiji - Menu - Japanese Near Me - Torrance, California

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I went here for my birthday in July, excited to try it since I love yakitori and it had such high ratings on Yelp. TL;DR - The food was terrible. I was surprised by this since it has 4 stars. When I visit a new yakitori spot, I always order staples like chicken thighs and skin to gauge the quality. If they can't nail the basics, it's a bad sign. I only ate one chicken skewer and left the rest. I didn't even bother taking them to go because the chicken was bland and dry. We stayed for 30 minutes, mainly because the service was slow. I'm really disappointed and can't understand the high reviews. Fortunately, there are much better yakitori spots in Torrance, like Torimatsu and Torihei, so you can satisfy your cravings elsewhere. On top of that, the prices were higher than other these other locations. I recommend avoiding this place unless you want overpriced, sub-par yakitori. read more

Koshiji - Japanese Near Me - Torrance, California

The food and the service were both very good. Kind of small inside so a large group of 5+ people would have some trouble. It's worth it for a date night for two. read more

Koshiji - Deep Fried Balls With Octopus - Japanese Near Me - Torrance, California

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I would rate Koshiji a 3.5 but I rounded down to a 3 because 1/2 * aren't allowed. There were pluses and minuses about this place. I thought the food was good. We had the Kushiyaki course dinner combination ($38.95/person on 3/29/25). Every skewer was tasty. The restaurant is really small. We had a party of 8 and we were seated in the tatami room. They make you remove your shoes and the table is low to the ground. Your feet dangle in a cutout space below the table but certain people will find it VERY difficult to get seated (long legged, overweight and/or mobility challenged). Most people will have moderate difficulty getting seated. The service wasn't great. On multiple occasions we had to leave the room to flag down wait staff. I don't remember them ever checking on us. Keep in mind how I mentioned the difficulty of getting up from the table and maybe that resonates what a pain flagging down wait staff is. They added an automatic 18% tip on the bill. The 18% was computed after tax and beverages. I mention this because I think I would've tipped 15% on the pre-tax food only total because the service was weak. read more

Koshiji - Kushiyaki skewers 3/29/25 - Japanese Near Me - Torrance, California

Inexpensive with ok bare minimum services. Very by the book. No substitute if one individual has allergy.

A small and cozy izakaya restaurant in Torrance. The menu has good variety of items to choose from, and price was fairly reasonable. The owner/chef makes the izakaya behind the counter so bar-sitters can see everything that is being made, kinda of a asmr situation. The food themselves were pretty good, tasty and and well seasoned. We tried different items and my favorite was the grilled scallop and quail egg! My only suggestion was slightly faster service, I get it takes a while to grill the skewers, but the wait time was abit long. Oversell, a wonderful place to eat izakaya! read more

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Food was great nice paced as mentioned before We got both course meal along with beef tongue for me and hubby Portion was just right Everything was very tasty- oishi! Service was good Everyone was nice and greeted when arrived and when leaving as Japanese restaurants all do Ambiance was nice Small and nice There is bar seating and table seating and along the way in the hallway there were two table where you can seat down old fashioned style (seating on ground- like legs crossed on floor) Would come back again to try more of their food read more

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Our go to place for Yakitori!!! Must try the CORN my favorite. Beef tongue, pork belly with shiso, chicken wing are also highly recommended read more

Koshiji is the perfect neighborhood izakaya/yakitori place. We've been here a few times, and I always leave satisfied and content. I enjoy the atmosphere, the food, and service is nice and attentive. They have a couple of different set menus if you're a newbie or menu decision challenged; and of course you can order a la carte. All the yakitori items are pretty good, and food comes out at a good pace. There are similar yakitori places for sure, but Koshiji feels very cozy and casual, not so loud or crazy, and I like that. It is our go-to place if we want to go out for dinner and just chill. Lately it's been hard to just walk in, so I recommend making reservations ahead of time. read more

One of the best skewers places I've ever had in a while. It's different from other places in that it's very authentic - both in terms of food selection and decor. The customer base are mostly Japanese clientele which validated its authenticity. Furthermore, the experience is enhanced by their well designed menu and dining ware. The food comes quickly, has a nice selection of chicken, beef, and seafood. Some of these you cannot get at other places. Some memorable pieces besides the usual chicken and beef tongue include: - chicken combo which comes with soborro rice and chicken soup (white from cooking long time and letting the marrow permeate the liquid) - very memorable ginkgo nuts (it's a bit charred and smoky) - corn (also smoky and charred) read more

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Great food! Call for reservations at 4:30. Lots of variety and good service. Old school restaurant but good!

Came here 06/12/2022. Expensive, but authentic and delicious. Koshiji is an izakaya that specializes in yakitori (grilled chicken skewers). They have a legit binchotan (charcoal) grill that is manned by an elderly Japanese man. The staff is all native Japanese. I came in a party of 3 on Sunday night around 8:30 PM. There was a very short wait but I was glad to see that it was full of patrons even this late. It's always a bad sign when a restaurant is empty. It was myself and 2 girls, and we completely pigged out. We got multiple orders of chicken and negi, beef, chicken liver, shisito peppers, ankimo (monkfish liver), pork belly, and chicken skin. I kid you not, every single skewer was delicious and cooked perfectly. I legitimately cannot find anything wrong with this restaurant. This is hands down the best yakitori I have had in the states and extremely comparable to Japan. I highly recommend giving the Ankimo (monkfish liver) a try! It's hard to come by outside of sushi restaurants and the quality that Koshiji has is amazing. It's not for everyone but it's delicious. read more

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