This place is known for steamed buns, which I did not try. I was after the dumplings and this a review for that item only. I love dumplings and gyoza and with the ratings pretty high for this place, I wanted to try it. Location: This is located inside the Tokyo Central & Main store (formerly Murakai) and is one of the first stalls you come across when entering the market. Parking is easily obtained with the huge lot outside in which it shares with other shops and 2 large restaurants Food: I ordered the 8 Pork Tanaka and vegetable dumplings that are buns that have been pan fried. This, I expected although, I was a tad disappointed that I couldn't order th gyozas too. They only have gyozas on the weekends. Damn... The wrappings on the outside for the dumplings were just chewy enough to keep all the filling inside without coming apart. The filling, however, was mushier than I expected and the texture with each bite was too soft. Even the small cup of soy sauce with ginger slices in it didn't help it much. Not too salty (which I'm thankful for ). For my first experience here, this was okay. Not the best dumplings, but just alright. If they add some crunch to the filling, that would induce me to give it another star. I guess if you don't want to go the frozen route, this would be an option. Service: I came in during a quiet time, so no one was in line before me and I ordered right away. I waited 8 minutes ( I was told this after I paid) for my food, so no complaints with the service. Ambience is casual. I imagine people come here during their lunch break to get a snack as well. Summary: Would I come back? Maybe, if I'm in the area and try their gyoza, but I wouldn't make a special trip for it. I've had better dumplings elewhere, but maybe try the steamed buns next time. Although, if the filling is anything to go by, maybe not. read more

Nikuman-Ya - Japanese Near Me - Gardena, California

See all

A need for a quick meal before a movie and a desire for Happy Lemon led us here. This restaurant is located in the Tokyo Central and Main market. Happy Lemon is in the same plaza and this place had good ratings so why not try it out? Also, there is a 35cent charge for credit card or debit card purchases less than $20. Bring some cash! I ordered the mabo tofu with rice ($6.50) which has 14oz of mabo tofu. For the price, it's pretty filling and tastes pretty good. It's not as spicy as other mabo tofu I've had and it's a little more peppery but still good. Just be careful that it's hot because I burned my tongue a couple times. You can order 22oz of mabo tofu for $7.50 which doesn't contain rice. It seems like that would be for those who want to make/eat rice at home. read more

Nikuman-Ya - Mabo tofu with rice ($6.50) - Japanese Near Me - Gardena, California

They offer the best Shumai and Bao in LA or perphaps US. I drive from Ventura to Nikuman-ya at least once a week. I also like the Yakisoba, the noodles are perfect "al dente" not soggy. Don't forget to order the chicken wings. I like it with teriyaki sauce. Also, for non-meat eater I recommend the vegetarian Gyoza, and shrimp fried rice. it is sooo good, too bad Gyoza is only available on weekend. Take home his house-made Umani sauce for other dishes too. I will continue to drive to Gardena for this treat. I know, they have the best shumai, cause I'm from Yokohama, Japan. (the original Shumai, and my father owned restaurants in Tokyo and Yokoham, and I'm a foodie.) read more

Every time I come to Torrance area, I have to stop by to get Pork Bao. The Bao here is huge and full with pork stuffing. The taste is good too..not salty. The pork is juicy! The dough texture is perfect,...soft not fluffy. It's a different style than Chinese cha Shu Bao so don't expect it as fluffy as that. Their Shu Mai is full with pork and crab! Also very juicy! If you want to take it home and eat it another day, you can get it refrigerated to heat up later or freeze for even later. Just want to remind you, this is a Japanese style Bao and Shu Mai. The seasoning is different than the Chinese one. If you come to Japanese Shop/ restaurant with Japanese chef/cook and you expected to get Chinese taste, you are in the wrong place.. read more

YELP 100 CHALLENGE 2018 - PART 2: 75/100 Starved all day since I had to get a blood test from a medical facility not too far from here. I decided to come to Tokyo Central and Main to have a late-late lunch-early-early dinner post lab appointment for grub since it's been some time since my last visit here. This one won out. (I really didn't feel like a crepe from across the way.) No line, plenty of tables to open on a mid-week mid-afternoon grub. I put in an order for their bun special (seafood filling) and their house special an-kake pan fried noodle. I was told it'd be about 5 minutes. So, I took off for a bit and got some cream puffs a few feet away as well as a drink from the grocery store. I came back and sat down and waited. I noticed a couple of minutes later that there was a tray with food behind the counter. It looked mightily like my order. Staff were all behind the counter kneading some dough. I asked if that was mine and was told, "Yes." I told them I'd been sitting at the table for a couple of minute waiting, but she said she called my order out three times but no response. Uhhh... COMMON SENSE! Your customers might be roaming around the store or checking out other stores, so it would only make sense to do a follow up call after a minute or so. It's a good thing I asked, my food would have sat there for some time. The noodle dish tasted far better than it appeared, so don't let that disappointment you. It was the exact flavor profile I was looking for. The veggies were cooked to just the right freshness and crisp. The sauce was seasoned well and they were generous with the toppings. I do admit, I was extremely hungry, but it absolutely hit the spot. Did I mention it's cooked to order? The steamed bun was nothing special. The dough was okay, the filling... meh. It's forgettable, I've definitely had better. Hardly worth the $3.75 tab. FOOD: 4 stars. SERVICE: 2 stars. VALUE: 2.5-3 stars. PARKING: Plenty, even if it is shared with tons of other businesses. OVERALL: 3. I'm curious about the wings as well as dumplings, so I may just return for those someday. read more

See all

Tried this bun at the 626 Night Market. The was a very nice bun. The thing about this bun is that it's the size of a small hamburger. The bun is juicy with moist meat at the center. The bun's exterior is not too bready and is fluffy too. One other thing about the bun is that it's steamed well. Also served here is a bun that's fried on some cheese? That bun looked interesting, interesting enough to try if there's a next time and I hope there is. While this solo bun fetched a price of $6 - undoubtedly the priciest casual bun I've ever seen, it really was a terrific bun. The prices at the 626 Night Market must be inflated, but this was one of the spots where the buck felt worth the bang ... you get the most bun for your buck. Son of a bun, this is a tasty bun. Would seek this place out to have another bun. read more

See all

Have to try this place. Japanese friends recommended. Of course they know I have fond memories of buying Nikuman in Kobe in the winter to warm my hands and belly... Niku is "meat" and man comes from Chinese meaning steamed bun....you've seen them in the freezer of any Asian market and specialty markets like Bristol Farms. Be sure to have an Asahi Super-Dry or an ITO EN Oi Ocha ready to drink green tea while you r at it. read more

i like the flavor of the buns, they are very similar to what we had in Japan. My complain is the wrap is wayyyyyy too thick. For 4 dollar, I would assume you could put a little more meat and veggie in? read more

Nikuman-Ya - Too much bread... - Japanese Near Me - Gardena, California

See all

It was so good!!! I ordered on GrubHub based on the Yelp Reviews. The Melty Cheese spork Bao was in.cred.ible. The bun is the perfect level of fluffy and the fillings complement each other perfectly. So much flavor and so filling. I feel like you could eat that with a side of veggies and be full. I didn't know that, so I also ordered the House Special An-Kake Pan Fried Noodle. You can see in the picture what people mean about the noodle to sauce ratio. But actually, it turns out fine. Probably because sauce is thick, not brothy. To the restaurant: The only downside is that I have no idea what was in the Noodles. I couldn't find the info on website, Yelp, or Grubhub. There was some type of egg, shrimp, and different types of meaty stuff but *shrugs* it didn't kill me. Maybe I overlooked it but I suggest adding to an easy to find place. read more

Nikuman-Ya - House Special An-Kake Pan Fried Noodle and Melty Cheese Pork Bao - Japanese Near Me - Gardena, California

See all

Small food court near the entrance of Tokyo central, the signature steamed pork bun is a must try here, giant piece and less than $5 each, so juicy and flavorful. read more

See all

I really enjoyed the baoger and cheesy pork bao buns. I wasn't expecting such big cheeseburger lol but it was good! To me, this is how I imagine the krabby patty to taste lol...The pork bao buns were sooo cheesy delicious. Will definitely stop by more often whenever I go to Tokyo Central read more

Nikuman-Ya - Baoger - Japanese Near Me - Gardena, California

See all

You NEED to check out the vegan bao buns and the vegan baoger. Simply incredible. They make everything fresh on the spot but it still comes out super fast! Whenever I walk into the market and see that they're closed, my heart breaks a little. read more

Nikuman-Ya - Vegan Black Cheese Baoger - Japanese Near Me - Gardena, California

Love this spot ! They have vegan options !! Vegan boas and vegan dumplings on the weekend ! Also soy milk as a dairy free option ! Everyone is so nice here as well :) read more

I like big buns and I cannot lie! Steamed pork buns are all handmade and made fresh daily. They are so GOOD! The buns are fluffy and the filling is juicy and tasty. If you like cheese, then order the melty cheese pork buns. It's basically a steamed pork bun cut in half and pan fried with cheese. It's quite delicious. Eat it while it's hot but be careful! It comes with two dipping sauces (spicy and soy). Dip it in both. Pork steamed buns: 3/$10.50 Melty cheese pork bun: $4.25 each Located at Tokyo Central, formerly Marukai Pacific Market. Once you enter, it's on the left. You can't miss it! Open 7 days a week, 10:30am-7pm. What are you waiting for? Go get your Buns! read more

See all

I recently checked out another place at Tokyo Central's food court and it was no other than Nikuman-Ya. Nikyman-Ya is famous for their pork buns but for my trip here I actually chose to order something different. I ordered their House Special An-Kake pan fried noodles and their chicken wings. The chicken wings start at four pieces for $6 and you can choose your flavor. The flavors to choose from are Umamix sauce, teriyaki buffalo, sansho and sea salt, crazy hot, nagoyan and home made ranch. I wanted something non-spicy and was going to choose the ranch but they were sold out of that. I ended up getting the Nagoyan wings. This version basically had Nagoya style pepper sprinkled and a bit of sweet sauce. I ended up really liking these wings. They were fairly large in size with crispy coating outside and hot, well cooked chicken on the inside. As for the pan fried noodles, the house special came with chicken, squid, egg, mushrooms, snow peas and carrots. This dish was $8.50 and I did expect the portion size to be a bit bigger than what was served. Nevertheless not a bad noodle dish. It had lots of sauce and was pretty savory. I though the addition of eggs which looked like quail eggs was unique and different. The noodles they used also were similar to what you see for yakisoba and so I thought this was interesting as well. Overall an ok meal here and I want to try their signature buns next time. read more

Nikuman-Ya - Nagoyan wings - Japanese Near Me - Gardena, California

See all

If you enjoy this food, good on you for being able to eat anything. Pork Bao. Big? Yes. Good? Not really, and not worth $4... Fried chicken Baowhich: I mean l'll pay the $9 for a fried chicken sandwich for sure, but this was just dripping with grease. Ingredients were uninspired, and the treasure pit of a mound of oregano or whatever that seasoning is was most unwelcome. Literally a teaspoon of it slab in the middle, gross. And finally, the Taiwanese ramen, friggin GROSS. How much oil is sitting at the top of this thing? You could run a car with how much freakin oil is in one bowl of this ramen. All I taste is oil, garlic and heat. Everything tastes like grease here. The cherry on top is the employees not wearing gloves, preparing everything with their bare hands. What is this place bro? read more

Okay no intro, I ordered the chicken baowitch, cheesy pork bao and seafood bao. First I hit that seafood one cuz you know, seafood is bomb. No disappointment. Matter fact I wish I had ordered two. So I'm thinkin like " Damn ok they pretty serious with this food...Lemme see how consistent they are..." and when I bit that mfn sandwich it hit me like BAO. Almost knocked me tf out cuz it was so fiyah. No lie. And it aint no little baby piece of chicken like almost everywhere else. They bring that good good, trust trust. After I finished the sandwich, I was thinkin to myself "Wow there's no way the cheesy pork buns can be as good" Then BAO. Knocked me right in my jaw. Thats back2back2back boi. Overall food is fuego. I ordered delivery the next day cuz I didn't want them to see me there 2 days in a row ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Idk about these people using words like "underwhelming" and "ok" but if you have any doubts HMU and I'll buy one for you so you try it already. Hurry up. Stop reading reviews just be about it. read more

Nikuman- Pork bao was so disappointed. How can they charge $4 for this.. Taiwanese ramen was horrible! I couldn't eat at all. Just greasy and spicy! No flavor at all! read more

Best cheesy bao buns I've ever had. I love this place so much!! Everytime i come to Carson for work I make a point to dine here.

Ran into this stall inside the tokyo central and main market; we were hungry so we decided to check it out. We ordered the steamed pork bun and the red bean and sweet potato buns. The steamed pork bun was juicy and very flavorful. The red bean and sweet potato buns had just the right amount of sweetness and a bit of a creamy texture. We enjoyed both of our orders very much I would recommend this place if you're in the mood for buns in the Gardena area. read more

Nikuman-Ya - Japanese Near Me - Gardena, California

This place rocks. Scrumptious food, good prices, ample portions... Go for the cheesy pork bao or the dim sum. And thank the chef personally read more

So good!! Always crave the cheesy melted pork bao ! 10/10 recommend ! Ordered through yelp and got my order so quickly!

Highly recommend this place. The tasting pork bao in the area. And to top it off, they have a pork bao that is melted in cheese and it is amazing! Very tasty! read more

Cheesy dumplings were unheard of to me, and I must admit that I was a little apprehensive about trying them. I am so glad I decided to try them. They are so delicious and filling. The two dumplings are a meal in and of itself. The only thing that makes them better is the dipping sauce that comes with them...the chicken wings are good too. read more

See all

These Melty Cheese Bao are a taste of Paradise -After-the-Pandemic (if all goes well). I can't stop myself coming here three times a week for my After Work snack providing just enough calories to make the drive home.... OMGosh I'm glad they're still here- Go and Support the Gods of Bao! read more

My first time eating the bao... The melty cheese pork bun was "oh wow, yummy" good. Cut in half, pan grilled cheese, the bun had a lot of juicy shredded pork. The whole bun must have been hugh. I could only eat half. The bun was soft but had a more substantial texture than most baos. I saw a worker diligently kneading the dough, so maybe that's why it was good. A little pricey $7, with 2 lattes, it was $19., but I wouldn't want them to cut anything to reduce $. This location inside the Tokyo Central market, may look a little cluttered. Ignore this, the bao is good! read more

Stumbled into the Tokyo Central market after having dinner with in the same plaza. The first thing that caught my eye was "vegan buns." You don't usually see a lot of asian places that serve vegan buns! Even though we had just eaten dinner, I had to buy some. They are 2 for $4.50. We ate one on the spot when it was super hot and fresh. Wow..it was amazing! The filling is veggies and tofu and I have to say it's better than buns with pork inside!! I don't miss pork buns at all! I also bought 2 sweet potato and red bean buns which were really good too. Would def come back if in the area! read more

See all

Steamed buns Yes it's the best around because there's no one else who does this, but their TAIWANESE RAMEN? F'n GREAT!!! Although because it's in a food court, it's in a Togo style bowl and thin plastic spoon (shaped correctly) but the flavor? BEST RAMEN EVER in California probably in all of California! There's 2 level of spicyness. But I get the spicy stuff on the side and top it in myself. It's crazy that one of the best ramen is in a food court that doesn't even focus on ramen but the owner nailed it with this bowl! Try it because I'm just afraid that this guy might take it off the menu and I'll have to go back to my old spots again. Hey owner... thank you!!! That's some good ramen! Ps I've been reading some of the hateful comments from some of u _____ heads ... ok so why not suggest where is a better bun shop? Because u don't know any! Asses -_- read more

I cannot walk into Tokyo Central without stopping for a cheesy bun from Nikuman-Ya. Everything about this little bun shop is amazing, from their gyoza to their steamed buns. I am so sad that I am moving away from this place but I will certainly be back. read more

I really wanted to love this place cause I've had it bookmarked to try for a while now and I've seen them at the night market. I'm not saying anything was bad but it was underwhelming. It's in the food court of a Japanese market. The place was clean but kinda had a bleachy or cleaning product smell if that makes any sense so it was a bit off-putting for eating. Very plain not very inviting place to eat. I ordered the Steamed pork Bao and the seafood Bao. It didn't take long to get my order and it looked good. I'm not sure if they use like a whole wheat or different flour but the bun color was not as white as the other Bao I've had, it might be just the difference between the Japanese and Chinese Bao and I'm just not familiar. It looked nice, fluffy and they were huge. There was a good amount of filling to dough ratio. When I ate it, the bun kind of deflated and didn't really stay fluffy like other steamed buns I've had. The dough seemed slightly undercooked to me and that's why it was underwhelming, I was expecting a bit of a bounce back a bit and it just smooshed. The filling was good in the pork but the seafood was more pork than seafood, there was one shrimp in it not like their picture. I was hungry and it was kind of just ok and felt like it didn't meet my expectations. I love Bao and would give it another chance to make sure it wasn't like I caught them on a off day or something. They had other items that I'd like to try too. I'm not sure if I'd make a special trip for it but if I happened to be the area or needed Japanese groceries I'd give them another go. read more

Good food! And they have DRIVE-THROUGH. Sometimes you just don't want to leave the car, and this is good Thai food.

The original pork was ok. Not too great. I prefered their cheese bao, which has more flavor. Also, one of their worker who takes order is so hostile... if you can make a customer's mood drop down in less than 5 min... thats in its way a 'talent'... A place time to time I would go back to try different items in menu, but that worker makes me not want to go back, If she's the front face of your store :( read more

Nikuman-Ya - Japanese Near Me - Gardena, California

See all

Wow this was so amazingly good. My kid got the teriyaki chicken bun which was spicy and very delicious and the portion was big. Try it and you'll live it too read more

I was craving for some steamed pork buns when I was in Torrance area and found this place on Yelp. The pictures looked really appetizing and I decided to try the pork buns. Nikumanya is located inside Tokyo&Main's food court on Redondo Beach Blvd. Lots and lots of parking spaces are available in the plaza. I ordered the steamed pork bun and cheese pork buns. The buns came out steaming hot and ready to be eaten. I would suggest eating the buns right away because we took some home and they became hard. Honestly the pork buns were good, but not too special. I've had better pork buns somewhere else. The cheese pork buns were too much for me, I didn't like the addition of melted cheese inside. I would not drive all the way here again for the pork buns since there are some good ones in SGV area closer to home read more

See all

Owner told to costumer " Hi " Irashai mase " just small voice ... maybe he checked my review . So I put 4stars ! It's important! The server is OK but she looks sleepy today lol. I ordered Mabo rice and Yakisoba this is good ! I changed from 2 stars to 4 stars ! Service is very important !!!! They are getting better than before ! I want to recommend their pork bum it's juicy and home made ! It's different other pork bum ! Please try it ! read more

See all

Yaasss! I don't know what took me so long to eat at Nikuman-ya. Maybe the fact that I don't live in the South Bay, but still. It's SO good and under-rated! Their buns will make your buns lift for joy with each bite. Make sure to get their ginger/garlic/soy sauce to compliment the juicy flavors in your mouth. I ordered the pork buns and the pork and takana dumplings for lunch and I've never had dumplings that were so soft and similar to mini-buns yet slightly grilled to remind you of baked gyoza's (my mouth is watering as I think about the experience). I will definitely put Nikuman-ya as one of my "to go" places when in the South Bay. You should too! I made sure to take some buns to go for dinner tonight and breakfast tomorrow. So yummy! read more

Nikuman-Ya - I'm so excited! - Japanese Near Me - Gardena, California

See all

Did some shopping first inside the store and was hungry by the time I finished getting so many Japanese goodies. Literally ordered one bun and had to get a second one right away. I ordered the cheesy bun and it was the size of my fist upon first glance. It smelled amazing and had the bounce and fluffiness to it you usually look for in a bun and tasted freaking amazing. The whole time im nodding my head and saying mhmhhhh over and over I kid you not lol. The buns where that good. Thank you to the chill staff that provided me with great buns hahah read more

I tried their bao burger and the melted cheese pork buns. Both were great!

I originally went to the larger Tokyo Central looking for the new place that has various musubis (rice balls) but didn't see it in the food court. I guess I should've went into the store. So I came to the smaller Tokyo Central thinking it might be here but was wrong. I decided to give this place a try for I like steamed pork buns. I ordered a couple to go and went to my car to eat them. They were really hot to the touch. I put some soy sauce on it after the first bite and have to say it was very tasty. The outer bun was fluffy and had a slight sweet taste which went well with the soy sauce. The pork filling was very tasty as well. The buns are pretty big so I wasn't sure if I could eat both of them but since they were so good, they made it into the stomach quickly. read more

The vegan gyoza and vegan bao are both yummy and filling vegan options! They make them fresh so you have to wait a few minutes but it's worth, it comes out hot! Everyone that works there is really nice too. It's become one of my regular lunch spots and I recommend it to friends all the time. read more