Great food selection, attentive server. What else can you ask for?…read more We went there kinda late so they were not busy at all, so it was quite. but I know this place can be very busy which can lead to long wait.

If you're craving authentic Japanese comfort food wrapped in a vibe that whispers "psst... you…read moredeserve privacy", This is the spot. The private booths alone made me feel like I was signing a secret business deal, except the only thing I was negotiating was how much more food I could fit into my stomach. Every dish came out looking like it had been through a glow‑up montage. So delicious! * Unagi -- Melted in my mouth like it had a personal vendetta against being solid. Sweet, buttery, and dangerously addictive. * Katsu -- Crispy enough to be heard across the booth. If this dish had a crunchy Japanese category, this would be the headliner. * Spicy tuna -- The perfect balance of heat and flavor. Not "call the fire department" spicy, but definitely "I see you trying to impress me" spicy. * Seared tuna, Elegant, silky, and so fresh it probably had plans later. * Uni pasta, Listen... this dish is a commitment. Creamy, ocean‑kissed, and luxurious. It's the kind of pasta that makes you sit back and reevaluate your life choices, in a good way. * Sake - WOW ...My delicious sake was smooth, floral, and paired with everything like it had studied my taste buds in advance. The staff here operate with polite ninja efficiency. They appear, refill, deliver, and disappear before you can even say "arigato." Not rushed, not pushy, just clean, respectful Japanese hospitality that makes you feel taken care of. "Always remember the energy you give....is the energy you get in return!" The private booths are the star of the show. Cozy, warm lighting, and enough privacy to talk chisme without worrying about the table next to you judging your life choices. It's intimate without being cramped, like a little wooden cocoon of comfort. Kagura is one of those Torrance gems that hits every category: authentic food, quiet comfort, top‑tier service, and dishes that make you want to come back before you've even left the parking lot, oh and let me remind you how small that parking lot is, be prepared. If you're into Japanese cuisine that feels both homey and elevated, this is your spot. Living life one bite at a time...go and enjoy yourself! Miguel C.

The place is deceptively small, it has a lot of rooms and seats in the back. We got easily seated…read moreas a party of 7 in a private back room. Service was quick and attentive. I love the variety of options including chirashi bowls, cooked bowls, soba noodles, trays, etc. super fresh fish and great prices. Everything paired well together with some crisp, cool sake.

Stopped by here with the family for lunch on the way back from a weekend trip. Place seems like it…read moregets quite busy but and would recommend booking reservations in advance. Parking was super easy. Huge strip mall with tons of parking. Service was awesome. Everyone was very polite and attentive. We were there for lunch and prices seemed very reasonable. I'm assuming this is why the place is so busy. The food was amazing. Everyone ordered different bowls. All look good but mine was absolutely bonkers. Ordered a bara bowl and it was incredible. Possibly my favorite sushi dish ever. I would of ordered a second but was told it was the last when ordering. I wish I lived closer to Torrance...

This restaurant is such a hidden gem! At first, I didn't even realize it was a restaurant from the…read moreunassuming storefront. It's a small restaurant, and it seemed like reservations are highly recommended, if not required. Luckily, they were able to squeeze us in right before another reservation. The restaurant has an authentic yakitori vibe where the tables are packed pretty tightly and you're dining elbow-to-elbow with other guests. That said, I loved the variety on the menu. They offer a huge selection of grilled, steamed, fried, and cold dishes, so there's something for everyone. The skewers were amazing, and the grilled onigiri was one of my favorites. Everything we tried was really enjoyable and I loved being able to order a little bit of everything! One thing to keep in mind: the rice pot takes about 45 minutes to cook because they start with raw rice. I wish our server had mentioned this when we ordered, because we probably would have skipped it knowing how long it would take. Overall, I'm really glad we stumbled upon this place. Definitely feels like a hidden gem, and I'd love to come back and try more of the menu!

We went here at a Thursday evening for dinner and we were sitting at the bar…read moreMy friend said he has been this restaurant before so he highly recommended it It reminded me so much of the vibe of Japan We ordered so many dishes last night and all the grilled chicken are all good I personally love the grilled ginkgo nuts because it is so delicious and very rarely to see restaurants serving it with shells The service was really good and it is a great place to hang out with friends and families Have a drink paring with the food definitely it the best way to enjoy the food there Somehow, I noticed the little hallway entering the back kitchen and also inside of the lady's room smells bad I am not sure it is the plumbing issue or something but the smell is irritating and unpleasant Other than that, everything is very good Note: the restaurant is located at the plaza with 85 degrees bakery so the parking is plenty and easy to find a space

Packed restaurant but we were seated immediately at the bar. First time going so our server was…read morehappy to help us select. The coke float was HUGE, enough for two maybe three. Sake was smoooth. Even though it was very busy, the food came out quickly. We ordered almost everything and it was delicious. The grill imparts a great char, especially on the shrimp. Flavors are well balanced and portions are decent sized. Servings are larger than I anticipated as they're larger than other yakitori places. Prices are on point so you can order quite a few things and share. It can get a bit loud with all the people but isn't that what a good yakitori is like? Nice to see a vibrant pippin' establishment.

We came here when it got a bit viral with all of the Instagram ads and promotions. We kept seeing…read moreit all the time so we decided to visit all the way from LA. Firstly, the parking was super easy - lots of space there. Second, it was still busy when we came and we came at an off-time (after lunch and before dinner). We were seated immediately though. Third, decor was super clean and sleek. Seating around the bar as well as tables around the walls. Fourth, they have a variety of sake. We bought a bottle and it was great. They helped us with the decision. Lastly, food value. This is where my main pain point was at - for the amount we paid and the distance we traveled, it didn't feel like it was worth it. We ordered a variety of skewers for 3 and it was hard to divide between us. The skewers tasted good but didn't stand out unfortunately. I would come back though to try more though!

Glad we got there early, when we finished dinner the whole restaurant was a packed house, all the…read moretables were taken. Good food, good service, good price tonight was a win win all the way around and the kicker was parking was a breeze considering that parking lot is always full.

to keep it short, they forgot they sat us down. they didn't take our order for over 30 minutes and…read moreafter they did there was a lot forgotten like my takeout order i think had gotten lost after being placed. i should've said something a lot sooner regarding having our order taken especially because i was in a time crunch but i don't like the thought of rushing workers especially when it's a smaller business with less people. my coworker i went with has been many times but said this never happens so this was a first for us. i think the language barrier also played a factor as well, however, the table sitting next to us who spoke fluent japanese also never received their check and was forgotten too. it was not busy. but the owners seemed to prioritize the other side of the restaurant instead. nonetheless, they were apologetic and we still ate and the food was very good, id recommend coming here on a day you are not busy!

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

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

The food truly was very good! We tried both the uni ebi pasta and the uni truffle pasta with added…read moreshrimp. Both uni pastas were amazing! If you like uni, then the uni pastas are definitely worth a try! The shrimp was fresh. There are other pasta dishes that were fine too for the ones that don't fancy uni. Will definitely go back!

Eat this or DIE!!! Die of regret said Erik, JK! Erik at Unico basically said this Tokyo Mentai…read moreSando is crazy good that you will now crave it and I do after 3 days. That salty umami flavor bomb is what I miss and my 2 sons demand to return asap. Remember it's only on the lunch special menu during the week. That simple looking sando was my gateway to the unique fusion of Japanese & Italian pastas and it was incredible. You must love spaghetti noodles and UNICO knows how to handle pasta to sauce ratio. I have eaten at other Japanese Pasta spots and Unico is levels better. Which pasta did we devour? Uni pasta with shrimp top fav, one kid ate the curry bolognese filled with ground beef and veggies, Mentai pasta was a bit tangy and you can't go wrong a chicken Alfredo. If Erik is working that day, you will have the best service. The ambiance is spacious with lots of natural light and seating. Lots of free parking!

Izakaya Hachi has cold beer and perfect food to compliment the beer. Came here on a Friday night…read more Got some hot dishes and cold dishes and they all hit pretty hard. Went with a chef's sampler of skewers and got four delicious yakitori skewers. Got delicious chicken wings and chicken karaage that were addictive and the perfect bar food. After eating these dishes, we got a piece of wagyu sashimi (raw) with uni, which was a great bite and we closed our meal with some yuzu snapper carpaccio. Overall, I'm so glad we came here for an after-work meal. It's not cheap, but I was pleased with the portions and the quality of everything we had. We will definitely come back to get some more meat and beer!

Izakaya Hachi definitely delivers on the lively, bustling energy you expect from a popular local…read morespot, though my first visit came with a mix of standout hits and a few minor misses. The food highlights were easily the gobo chips and the skewers. The gobo chips arrived as an impressive, light-as-air mound dusted with seaweed seasoning... super crisp, savory, and addictively easy to snack on. The pork and wagyu skewers were masterfully executed as well, coming off the grill tender, juicy, and packed with rich, smoky flavor. The toasted eihire (stingray/filefish) was another great traditional touch, perfectly chewy and ideal for dipping in the spiced Japanese mayo my favorite.. On the flip side, a few dishes lacked the depth I was hoping for. The chicken karaage was fried well, but the flavor itself was a bit bland and needed more seasoning or marination and soft. The pressed rice rolls also fell flat, particularly the mentaiko roll.. it felt skimpy on the cod roe, and because the mentaiko seemed cooked through, it missed that fresh, raw texture and punchy brine that makes the dish shine. As for the space, it's quite dark, compact, and packed tightly with tables, which makes it feel a bit cramped when it's busy. However, seeing the dining room constantly full tells me that their best dishes keep people coming back. While there were some inconsistencies in taste, the highlights made it a solid experience, and I'm looking forward to returning to try more of the menu and updating my score!