This is a nice trendy new spot in Gardena that had a lot of hype on Instagram. I stopped by for a quick early dinner and ordered 6 hand rolls ... they had a nice early special on salmon ikura so that was good. Overall, I thought service was good and they had a huge variety in menu. But I have to say the hand rolls are somewhat pricey and small in size. If you want anything that is not super basic it will add up. I really enjoyed the salmon onion crunchy chili oil one for a basic roll. A 30 minute stop was about $65. I would come back but more for a special occasion then an every day dinner spot. read more

Oh Banzai - Japanese Near Me - Gardena, California

A gem in the South Bay, Temaki Style Handroll & Bar is LEGIT! AMBIENCE 4/5 Clean ambience throughout the entire restaurant. LOVE how they open late! FOOD 5/5 Oden and their dashimaki tamago is AMAZING! Additional favs are: - Wagyu + garlic salt - Salmon + onichili PARKING 4/5 Easy shopping plaza parking SERVICE 4/5 Fantastic service from all staff members, no issues at all read more

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Loved this handroll spot. I love that you can pick your own 3 or 5 rolls and there's no set menu. The salmon chili crunch oil was my favorite. The set also comes with a side of seaweed salad and miso soup. I will definitely be back. read more

Oh Banzai - 5 handrolls, miso and seaweed salad - Japanese Near Me - Gardena, California

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It is that time of the year for DineLA. This time, I checked out Oh Banzai because it is on the list. For $65, I got the following menu Uni Shooter 4/5. (Uni, Ikura, Grated Yam, Ponzu Jelly) I rather have uni to savor bit by bit. By its name as shooter, I basically took a shot but regretted and wanted to savor it more. Learn from my mistake. Hand Rolls (Salmon + Onion Crunchy Chili Oil, Toro-Taku, Scallop + Ikura, Eel + Egg, Crab + Spicy Mayo). 5/5 All the hand rolls were outstanding. I thought the crunchy chili oil added a nice texture to an otherwise common hand roll. Anything with ikura is automatically awesomely popping. Toro and taku is sweet and fatty. Eel and egg is a nice savory and sweet, drizzled in eel sauce. The crab with spicy mayo, yes real crab not imitation crab brings upon seafood flavor. I cannot pick a favorite so best to try all 5. Daily small seasonal side dish. 5/5 basic seaweed side dish and nothing to complain. It goes well to clean palate. Mazesoba (Noodles, Onion, Cucumber, Seaweed, Bamboo Shoots, Chashu, Green Onion, Garlic Chili Sauce, Sesame Seeds). 5/5. The sauce with chili oil goes well with rice (if you saved some rice from those hand rolls). The chasiu is thick and tender. Cucumber adds freshness to the dish. Warabimochi (Warabimochi, Kinako, Brown Sugar Syrup, Vanilla Ice Cream). 5/5 it comes in a cute bowl. What a nice way to finish my seafood-filled tongue. Overall service wa great. I booked online because that was the only time it has. However, I wanted to do earlier so I showed up 45 min earlier, and the restaurant was pretty empty. I was seated immediately Plenty of parking in the lot Of course because it's Gardena. read more

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I have driven by the strip mall a hundred times. At night there is a pop-up taco stand with an al pastor trompo that has always drawn my attention. I had never paid attention to the shops until a work pal suggested we go here for lunch. I am so glad she did. This place specializes in hand rolls. You can get 3 or 5 and mix and match. I had tuna with wasabi, yellowtail with ponzu and scallop with crunchy onion. I liked the scallop the best. You can add an extra roll for $5. The space is clean and bright. My friend says it can be very crowded at lunch, but we got there just before the rush. It is not cheap, but the price is in line for super fresh fish in a nice setting. read more

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What a great food and service experience. St Patty's day with a special Iced Barley Sprouts Tea from Golden Aojiru from Kyushu. I had the 5 roll lunch, and each roll was superb. Friendly staff and very gracious service. 5 Stars! read more

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New place where canzo used to be at, then changed to muso style then became Oh! Banzai. I love this creative name. The food was good. All the ingredients were so fresh and seaweed being able to chew without inside falling out. The Koso drink was very good actually. Service was a bit slow. We didn't get menu for the first 10 min when there were 2 servers in this small restaurant. Also they didn't give wet wipes for the table. It's just a bit careless over all. read more

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A new temaki spot opened in Gardena, and I was very interested in giving it a try. Showed up as soon as it opened; as the place is small, it's a good idea either to reserve or arrive early, since it fills up quickly. Very cozy and intimate atmosphere, and I sat at the bar to see the chefs in action. Oh! Banzai was offering a dineLA lunch special, so I ordered 5 handrolls, including paying extra for the A5 wagyu with garlic salt. For some reason, it came with 6 handrolls, but I'm not mad about it! The A5 wagyu was the star of the show, melt-in-your-mouth tender. I also enjoyed the creative iterations with tuna, salmon, and yellowtail temaki. The dineLA menu also came with a side dish of pickled root vegetables, mazesoba, and warabimochi, all of which were solid. Overall, a yummy experience. Although it's a bit expensive ($55 total for dineLA menu, as I added $10 for the premium A5 wagyu temaki, but comes with many sides), the quality is there, and Oh! Banzai is a lovely addition to the neighborhood. read more

Oh Banzai - dineLA lunch menu ($45, plus $10 for premium handroll). Assortment of tuna, salmon, and yellowtail temaki, as well as A5 wagyu. - Japanese Near Me - Gardena, California

We ordered some hand rolls and some appetizers/sides. All the food was delicious! The hand rolls came at one time, so you had to eat fast so the seaweed doesn't get too soggy. The fish was nice. All hand rolls came with some kind of sauce like mayo, teriyaki, ponzu or chili oil. I wish there were options to have no sauce so you can truly taste the fish itself. The average hand rolls range from $5.80-$9. There were wagyu ones that ranged $14-$22, depending on the toppings like uni. For the non-luxury ones, I would say they are pretty expensive for about 2-3 bites. They are also not that filling so you have to order a lot. We loved the food, and the server was super nice and took time to explain all the craft sake. My only gripe is the price! read more

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They only serve hand rolls and small plate appetizers. After 10pm they serve ramen. They are open late until midnight everyday and until 1am on Fridays. Everything we ordered was super fresh and flavorful. My favorites were the carpaccio, yellowtail onion chili oil, shrimp tempura daikon ponzu and the wagyu garlic salt. Serve was top notch friendly, prompt and just overall very attentive. We also ordered Homare sake and loved the presentation. It was in a shot glass which was filled to the rim inside another bowl like container with even more sake. read more

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My husband and I love coming to Oh Banzai! A modern cozy restaurant with flavorful hand rolls, small plates, and super kind staff. Between the two of us, we usually order 5-7 hand rolls each and 1-2 small plates to share, and we leave comfortable. The Koso drink with sparkling water is also great if you're looking for something refreshing and not too sweet. It's a small restaurant, so not suitable for large groups, but you can make a reservation online! I'll definitely be back! read more

Oh Banzai - Japanese Near Me - Gardena, California

Wow! I went here for lunch with some friends and was greeted by staff warmly. Everyone was super welcoming. We each ordered the 5 handrolls for $26. What a great deal! The handroll set also comes with some miso and seaweed salad. I got the Negi toro, salmon with onion crunchy chili oil, yellow tail with daikon grated ponzu, scallops with jalapeño ponzu, and snow crab with grated daikon grated ponzu. It was delicious. The staff was very accommodating when we were intrigued about a dinner only item, which they made for us! Thank you so much for the amazing food and atmosphere. read more

Oh Banzai - Negi toro, salmon, yellow tail, scallop, and snow crab. - Japanese Near Me - Gardena, California

There have been a rare number of times where I've cried tears of joy and happiness. I can list three of those times: 1. When I was born. I was so excited to come into this world I couldn't stop crying for a little while 2. When I saw my bride walking down the aisle, towards me, on our wedding day 3. When I bit into the glorious A5 Wagyu Sirloin Shabu that Oh! Bonzai recently added to their menu. It was just so damn yummy in my tummy. I told the staff I felt like a little happy Japanese wagyu cow myself because that bite brought me such joy and happiness and complete zen. It just melts in your mouth like butter, just how authentic Kagoshima Wagyu is meant to do read more

Oh Banzai - Japanese A5 Wagyu Sirloin Shabu - Japanese Near Me - Gardena, California

A welcome addition to the area but I feel like it could be better and the price is a little high for what you get. Nothing about it was bad but also nothing made me really want to come back either. Service was pleasant but not the most attentive. Food came out quick which is important for lunch time. One of the things I found interesting is that they don't use the plastic seaweed protectors so your nori can get mushy if you don't eat quickly. I think Temaki society does a better job in LA with more interesting filling offerings. read more

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I love this place! The unique hand roll flavors are what make this place standout vs Kazunori or other hand roll bars. The food came out quick and my favorite flavors were the salmon spicy mayo and eel shichimi. Their koso drink is a must try as well. It's not too sweet, very refreshing and apparently great for your health too. I ordered the lemon flavor but I also heard that the pineapple and strawberry are very popular. Parking is easy, they have a large private lot. We arrived on a Saturday at 11:30 right when they open and there was no line. read more

Overall a nice place if you like handrolls. The fish was very fresh and having the various flavor options was a good mix for the different pairings. Also ordered a sunomono salad with eel, cucumbers which was nice and refreshing. Along with a tamago dish which was fluffy and sweet. Miso soup and lotus root comes with each set. Service was generally friendly and offered to answer questions as needed. They will let you know which hand rolls are which pairing when they bring your food to the table. The parking lot is on the little smaller but I didn't have issues to finding parking on the weekend. read more

Oh Banzai - Tuna + Kizami wasabi, Salmon + Spicy Mayo, Yellowtail + Jalapeño Ponzu, Shrimp + Onion crunchy chili oil, Scallop + Daikon - Japanese Near Me - Gardena, California

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Great first visit and lunch here! Staff was super nice and helpful. I got the five piece and it was plenty plenty of food. So delicious that I ate every single bite. It came with a small seaweed salad and miso soup. For drinks, I ordered the sake flight. Honestly, all three sakes on my flight were phenomenal! I like that they leave a description of each sake under neath the flight for you. We had to try the matcha Mont Blanc- looks so cool and tastes amazing. We sat at the bar and it was perfect amount of space. Would definitely come back! read more

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Food - hand rolls was visually stunting. Food porn at its best. I personally had 8 hand rolls and all of them went down without a fight. The natural flavors of the seafood stood out and the sauce dressing put it over the top. Very simple yet complex without being too much. The carpaccio was more of the same great taste that went well with the omakase sake flight. The sake flight was very delicate and refined. Each one paired so well with the hand rolls. Miso soup was balanced and helped cleared the palette for the next roll. Ambiance- simple, but felt like I was in a small restaurant in Tokyo or Osaka. Service - friendly, kind and knowledgeable. Explanation of the food made me even more hungry. Cleanliness- as expected, top notch. Bathroom was super clean. Parking - plentiful Additional notes- make reservations and have some sake if you enjoy that kind of thing. read more

Oh Banzai - Sake flight - we'll worth the flight - Japanese Near Me - Gardena, California

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Great hand roll spot in the South Bay area. Conveniently right off the 405. My husband and I came mid lunch hours on a weekend and were seated right away. There is a lunch special that also applies on weekends, with 3 or 5 hand rolls (then $5 each additional), miso soup, and a side of seaweed salad for $18 or $26, respectively. I had the tuna, salmon, snow crab, scallop, and yellowtail - each with a different seasoning. I mainly opted for the onion crunchy chili oil and ponzu ones. Fish was fresh, and instead of having the fish cubed or mashed up like at other spots, they gave full thicker slices so it was like a large sushi. The Koso drink was very refreshing too, similar to kombucha. The tamago was delicious too! Will definitely be back when I crave hand rolls. read more

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Amazing food and great service. I tried their Koso drinks, 5-sushi platter, and dessert. I'm definitely coming back again. I approve read more

Oh Banzai - Sushi - Japanese Near Me - Gardena, California

Amazing! Everything was superb. Definitely 10 out of 10 Very welcoming You have a choice of seating at table or bar. read more

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Delicious! Saw this place on IG and wanted to try it out. It didn't disappoint!! The hand rolls were delish and the fish was so fresh. I ordered pretty much one of each from the menu / special menu and they were all so so good. My favorite was the toro ikura! Each set comes with miso soup (which is the best I've had!). I also tried their koso drink in the apple and pineapple flavor. DELICIOUS! The service was great as well. Everyone was so friendly and helpful. Great place! 11/10! read more

Oh Banzai - Japanese Near Me - Gardena, California

My friend took me to this awesome late-night spot and I was seriously impressed. One thing that really stood out is that the hand rolls use whole cuts of fish, not chopped or mashed like a lot of other places -- it makes such a difference in texture and flavor. My favorite bite of the night was the jalapeño scallop -- absolutely perfect. I also loved that they offer crunchy chili oil as a flavor option; it added a really special depth and heat. Don't skip the Koso. I tried the pineapple, strawberry, and apple flavors and was genuinely impressed. I didn't know much about this traditional fermented drink beforehand, but it was incredibly refreshing and noticeably soothing on the stomach. We tried almost everything on the menu, including the crab with caviar and the Wagyu, and every bite delivered. On top of the food, the ambiance is beautiful -- stylish, warm, and the perfect vibe for a late-night meal. Already planning to come back. read more

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Found a new favorite spot. Variety of preparations of each protein in the handrolls, and all of them are good. Really quickly received our orders. LOVE the freshness of the ingredients, especially the nori which was easy to bite through. read more

Oh Banzai has an unexpectedly amazing lunch menu, and this has turned into my regular sushi lunch spot! Note, they stop serving lunch at 2:30pm, and I recommend arriving between 11:30am-2pm. The restaurant is not visible from the main streets, and is tucked further back into the shopping center. They have plenty of free parking in the lot, and there are two entrances to the parking lot. The staff is always extremely friendly & efficient (the hand rolls typically come within just a few minutes of ordering) and the fish quality is consistently fresh and delicious. They also had the high-quality pre-separated chopsticks. The aesthetic is very modern, and all seating is indoors, and you can either sit at the sushi bar or at tables. The Hand Roll Lunch Plate comes with a rotating side dish (the past few times it's been root-based) and miso soup, and is broken into 2 pricing tiers, 3 pieces for $18 or 5 pieces for $26, and you can add an additional hand roll for $5 each. They have a large variety included in this special, including: tuna, salmon, yellowtail, scallop, shrimp, eel, snow crab, and vegetables. On my first visit, I went with the 3 pieces lunch set for $18, and I chose: Tuna + Kizami Wasabi (my favorite) Negi-Toro Scallop + Jalapeño Ponzo (the raw jalapeño is a little spicy) Everything was so good, I added 2 more hand rolls: Tuna + Kizami Wasabi (reorder) Salmon + Onion Crunchy Chili Oil (another favorite) On my second visit, I went with the 5 piece lunch set for $26 and it was a much better choice. I went with: Tuna + Kizami Wasabi Spicy Tuna with Scallions (loved, another favorite) Yellowtail + Grated Daikon Ponzo (my first time trying grated daikon!) Scallop + Spicy Mayonnaise Aburi (delicious, but mayo overpowers taste of scallop)Snow Crab + Spicy Mayonnaise Aburi (also delicious) I now plan to go for sushi-lunch at least once a week, and I hope you enjoy as much as I have! read more

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Solid Lunch Spot with Great Handroll Deals! This place is a great choice for lunch, especially if you're craving fresh, customizable handrolls. The **5-handroll combo for 26$ Other spots charge 30+ for the same thing. You can mix and match flavors, and they're generous with the fillings. One note: The seaweed on the handrolls was tough and hard to bite through. It would be much better if they lightly toasted it or used a more tender wrap. If they don't fix this, people won't come back lol. Parking is easy (a big plus!), and I love how flexible they are with customizing orders. Overall, a good spot for a quick, satisfying meal--just hoping they tweak the seaweed texture! read more

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Ambiance: it's a small but modern Japanese restaurant, recently opened in south bay area, good for a quick dine-in meal Service: very friendly and attentive, patient with questions and refilled water adequately Food: their menu is specialized in hand rolls, with standard and premium options, the combo served with a small side dish of sweet daikon and miso soup, the seaweed wraps tasted soggier later as all the hand rolls are served at the same time Negi-Toro - ***** minced tuna with green onions, very tender texture, highly recommend Salmon + Teriyaki Sauce (Aburi) - *** flame seared salmon with teriyaki sauce Yellowtail + Grated Daikon Ponzu - **** refreshing taste and balanced acidity, recommend Scallop + Onion Crunchy Chili Oil - **** crunchy, sweet and spicy, interesting combination of flavors, recommend Eel + Shichimi - ** dry and burnt Shrimp + Spicy Mayonnaise (Aburi) - *** creamy texture Price: small portions and decent quality, slightly overpriced, expect about $35+ per person read more

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I love handrolls, so I was really excited to try this place. It's very cute inside and service is good. The menu had good options and everything tasted great. However, I think it's a little pricey for the portion sizes. The Mont Blanc was a fun dessert though! read more

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The food was so yummy!! You can tell they put detail to all the food and decorations! Such a cute place! side note.. if you are going to charge for chili oil please let customer know because I only needed a teaspoon and got charged $2 when it's usually free other places read more

Oh Banzai - Sweet potato brûlée - Japanese Near Me - Gardena, California

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Great service, they have a lot of servers for a small restaurant so everyone is attentive. Got the 5 piece hand rolls and pork chashu. Loved how the meat was tender. Husband got the 5 pieces as well but got the premium hand rolls. Honestly, uni was not fresh. Tasted super fishy. I preferred the regular ones. Comes with miso soup and lotus root. Located in a plaza, there's a totally not a lot of parking but you'll be able to find a spot or two. Interior is very small and intimate, cannot hold large parties. I think it can fit like 20 people max. read more

Oh Banzai - 5 pcs - Japanese Near Me - Gardena, California

Food is fine, but the service is absolutely god awful. Please please please triple check your bill before you leave. They run a terrible system where they are overstaffed but everyone is running around like chickens with their heads cut off with no clear roles. We waited over 45 mins between our two courses and by the time the second course came out, they ran out of otoro. As a result, instead of 12 rolls, we only received 10. Didn't ask us if we wanted anything else, but we didn't want to wait another 45 mins anyway so whatever. The biggest frustration came with the bill. Not only were we charged for the higher priced fish that sold out, I was also charged for another iced green tea, which says refills are COMPLIMENTARY on their menu. I had to bust out the menu to show our waitress since she did not believe me. What ensued was a 10 min bill revision going line-by-line because our waitress insisted we received items we didn't and didn't understand that their restaurant running out of food meant they had to keep tabs themselves on orders that weren't fulfilled. She tried to overcharge us $50+ and was getting frustrated at us for carefully calling out each issue. No apologies of course at the end of it for their own mistakes. Spare yourself the headache and go to Kazunori. read more

Lunch special 5 handroll for $26, includes miso soup and a small side. The side that came with our set was seawed salad. Also ordered their strawberry koso. It a great spot to come catch up with friends. Lots of different handroll options. The handrolls came out all at once so the seaweed wasn't as crispy after the third handroll. They also gave us some seaweed butter to take home. The seaweed butter was amazing! read more

I love the ambiance. The simplicity of the space with the beautiful wood accents, tables, stools & counter. The service is amazing. The ladies there are so helpful, patient and kind. They help with suggestions (like for the Koso, they recommend med having it with sparkling water), with the Carpaccio & Pork Tendons (normally a dinner item, they asked the chef if we could have it at the lunch hours). You must try the Koso. A delicious beverage made by fermenting fruit in sugar. The pineapple with sparkling water was delicious! Sweet, bubbly and you still get the deliciousness of the pineapple. My friend and I both got the 5pc lunch special that comes with boiled peanuts and miso soup. My first time having boiled peanuts so I wasn't sure what to expect, but they still had a subtle crunch and a nice slight saltiness to them which was a pleasant surprise. Miso soup was delicious. For my friend's 5pc Lunch Special, he got: Tuna w/Kizami Ponzu Negi Toro Snow Crab w/Spicy Mayo Scallop w/Jalapeño Ponzu Yellowtail w/Onion Crunchy Chili Oil For my 5pc Lunch special + 2 additional hand rolls, I got the following: Negi Toro Salmon w/Onion Crunchy Chili Oil Yellowtail w/Grated Daikon Ponzu Shrimp w/Grated Daikon Ponzu Scallop w/Jalapeño Daikon Ponzu +2 additional: Eel w/Cucumber Snow Crab w/Grated Daikon Ponzu We also got the Oh! BANZAI Carpaccio and the Grilled Pork Cartilage (both are usually served at dinner only) My friend land I both loved our orders and the Caroaccio. The Salmon, Yellotail and Tuna were flavorful and rich in flavor. I hate saying the sushi was fresh, because if it's a good sushi place it will always be fresh. (For those that don't eat sushi or sashimi if it smells fishy it's not fresh) But yes, the fish was fresh, beautiful color, great mouth feel. The Toro melts in your mouth. The scallop was smooth, with really good texture. The Snow Crab was sweet and flaky. The Eel was toasted perfectly with a light unagi sauce. Not too thick or too sweet, it was the perfect compliment. The pork cartilage had a wonderful grilled char on it, not too heavy, allowing the flavor of the pork cartilage to stand out. It was cooked to perfection, it too melted in your mouth. Overall a wonderfully delicious experience I can't wait to have again! read more

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Food was mediocre. Service was mediocre. As soon as we walked in we waited to be acknowledged and we had workers walking directly in front us not even saying hi or acknowledging we were standing 2ft away from them? Weird. The food was overrated, none of the tuna was good. The salmon was okay. You should really train your workers to show at least a little bit of understanding on how communication works between people. Seemed like everyone was in a rush to close for the afternoon read more

A bit delayed in my review, but this is based on their soft opening. Congrats to Oh Banzai for their grand opening recently! Food: they gave us a piece of oden (fish cake) and a piece of raddish per person as a soft opening perk. It was delicious and a great appetizer to get started. I ordered the apple Koso drink, which was delicious, but I wish I had it with a larger glass. The rolls were delicious, but since all 5 rolls came out all at once, I felt the rush to eat them before the seaweed got soggy. Seaweed was tougher than I liked, but it wasn't a dealbreaker for me. At the end, they gave us a dessert to share, and the chocolate cake was moist and sweet. Service: Even though it was a soft opening phase, Oh Banzai had a consistent stream of customers coming through. One thing to note is that if you don't make reservations ahead of time, then you have to sit at the bar. The servers were so friendly and kind, and we had a great conversation throughout our meal. Will definitely come back for their lunch special! read more

Oh Banzai - Apple Koso drink - Japanese Near Me - Gardena, California

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I came here for lunch on a Saturday. My friend and I came right when it opened so we were able to get a table right away. They don't accept reservations and it is first come first serve. The place is pretty intimate so it can fill up quickly. I got the five piece handroll set for $26 which also came with miso soup and seaweed salad. I chose the following five handrolls: Negitoro, salmon + onion crunch chili oil, yellowtail + jalapeño ponzu, scallop + spicy mayo (aburi), and eel + shichimi. The handrolls were all beautiful in presentation, delicious and tasted fresh. My favorite was the yellowtail and the eel. However, one gripe I had was the seaweed was already soggy even from my first bite. That's the thing with handrolls though. You have to eat it right away after they make it or else the seaweed gets soggy quickly from the moisture and heat from the rice. Overall, I prefer KazuNori handrolls for that reason as they come out one at a time as soon as they're made so the seaweed stays more crisp with their method but that's just my personal preference as I'm a very textural eater. I also got their hot green tea which comes with free refills. Their Koso drinks looked interesting and I would want to try that next time. It's a healthy drink made of fermented fruits and you can choose your fruit flavor and then add either still or sparkling water. If you want ginger on the side, you have to pay $1.50 for a tiny plate of it which was a little surprising as most sushi restaurants offer it for free. Service was really great! Food came out super fast. Our server was also attentive and super friendly. Overall a place worth trying! It's a unique handroll concept and I don't think there's any other place like this in the South Bay! Parking: free in plaza lot. Same plaza as Bonjour bakery and Kanpachi. read more

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This place caught my eye the moment they opened & started posting on Instagram. I decided to give it a try when they were offering the 1.5x bigger handroll deal. I went twice during this promo, but I don't think it's noticeable that the rolls are bigger, it just seems like the size it should normally be, which is what makes me hesitant to frequent the store during regular operations. So I figure they are on the pricier side to restaurants as Japanese sushi/handroll places usually are. Service: was great the second time but sucked the first time, so it will depend on who's working there. It's a smaller shop so even when it's completely full, I would imagine three servers could handle that swiftly w/o much hassle since they're not directly involved in the food preparation process, but the first time was horrible. They never came to check on us & multiple tables were waiting to get attention but couldn't. Felt like it was all of their first days working there. Second time was a different set of workers & they were great & quick w/ it. Ambiance: The store is small & in the strip mall w/ US bank & other stores, so parking might be hard depending on the time of day. The bathroom was also very cute & considerably set up. The tables though are fairly close to each other, so you may unknowingly be listening to other people's conversations and/or uncomfortably making eye contact w/ the people next to you from time to time. Food: I've tried the yellowtail jalapeño ponzu, negi toro, salmon crunchy chili oil, & scallop spicy mayo. I love that they have multiple mix/match options for the flavor & type of protein. All were good; I got the same order the second time. The ponzu is on the saltier side so you won't need soy sauce for that. I suspected the seaweed salad to taste like the ones in poke bowls but was pleasantly surprised. I think they season it on their own as it tastes like the perfect amount of sweet & tangy like when you try sushi rice for the first time. Sadly, after both visits though my stomach couldn't properly digest the food. Drink: I've tried both the pineapple & the strawberry koso; strawberry is much better bc the pineapple had the alcoholic taste to it. If I would sum it up, I would go back for a special event or person. read more

The hand rolls were delicious--super fresh and thoughtfully made. I really liked how you can choose the unique topping or seasoning that complements the rolls perfectly. It's a small place but the vibe is casual, the service is friendly, and everything came out quickly. Definitely a solid spot if you're craving quality sushi. Can't wait to come back! read more

Oh Banzai - Japanese Near Me - Gardena, California

So, if you ever wanted to feel like you're on a sushi tasting adventure where each hand roll is a mini flavor bomb, Oh Banzai is your place. The deal is you pick a set--three pieces for $18 or five for $26, and each extra roll is five bucks a pop. Just a heads-up: everyone at the table needs to order their own little hand roll set. It's like a "no sharing is caring" policy, but honestly, you'll want them all to yourself anyway. Now, imagine each hand roll as a two-bite wonder--or three bites if you're being dainty. You've got a whole array of flavors: tuna, salmon, yellowtail, snow crab--you name it. And the best part is choosing your flavor twist, like spicy mayo on the snow crab (which basically turned it into a creamy little cloud of joy). They also offer wine flights, sake flights, and a few other tasting flights, which is a really fun touch. The pours pair nicely with the rolls, even if the tiny tables mean your flight stand might get whisked away to make room. Still, it's a cool option that adds a little extra to the whole experience. I also went for a couple of their special rolls, like the uni and the chutoro, which were like VIP guests at the sushi party. Honestly, they were good but not $20-a-roll amazing, so I'd stick to the combo deal for the best bang for your buck. Dessert? Oh, they had this pumpkin Mont Blanc creation, which looked like a fancy little nest of creamy pumpkin threads on a tiny cookie-like cake. It was good, not life-changing, but a nice sweet finish. Overall, the place is cozy--like "I-can-hear-my-neighbor-chew" cozy--so maybe not the spot for a super private convo. But the hand rolls are definitely worth rolling in for again. read more

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We happened upon this resto as we were in the plaza running an errand. It took over the space formerly known as Can-zo. Once seated and order placed, the service is rather quick. If it's not busy, it can be a 30 min lunch. Their lunch menu is a set menu of a choice between 3-5 handroll. Each set comes with miso soup and a side. You can probably order more than 5 handrolls, if you prefer. I enjoyed our choice of handrolls and would happily eat them again! My recommendation is to try their koso drink with sparkling water. It's so light and refreshing. Perfect for a warm day! It was a nice lunch and recommend trying this place. We'll try their dinner menu next time. Enjoy! read more

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