Call ahead to make a reservation - they are reservation only. I saw them turn away a few customers…read morewho did not have reservations. You are allotted 90 minutes, they do a last call 30 minutes before your end time. Yakitori Nishi is situated in an unsuspecting plaza with a hole in the wall feel. As you enter and are seated you're transported to a yakitori bar filled with the smells of charcoal and a vivacious ambiance. If you are not a selective eater, I highly recommend trying every skewer they have! My friend and I ordered the pork belly, chicken meatball, quail egg, chicken thigh with green onion, fried tofu, zucchini, fried onigiri (grilled rice ball), and the potato (with butter). There were also specials off menu - we tried the chicken sasami which was incredibly tender. All the skewers were seasoned so well and the charcoal made a huge difference in the experience. We did pair our proteins with the onigiri and potato which filled us up. There were condiments to complement the skewers - Japanese spice powder, yuzu kosho, vinegar, and soy sauce. I pretty much had the yuzu kosho with everything. I'm not sure if there was something wrong with their AC, but it was quite hot in there! After a while you get used to it and adds to the authenticity of enjoying a yakitori on a hot summer evening in Japan.

I was visiting Cycle Gear in the same plaza and saw there's a yakitori place to try! I made…read morereservations to go in this past Saturday with my partner. He LOVES yakitori and we were looking forward to trying this place as there is a lack of authentic yakitori around where we live and have to travel (mostly) to South Bay. It is a small restaurant and reservations are highly recommended. Since we sat by the entrance, every group that walked in I can hear they have a reservation. Two parties arrived where they were turned away or told to come back at 9pm. The first thing we noticed was the grill was nowhere in sight. We are used to having yakitori being cooked in or near the dining room but this one has it located inside the kitchen. The negative with this is that the cook won't be able to visually see where each customer is at with their food and our skewers ended up coming out pretty quickly one after another. In regard to the food, I have never seen grilled pork feet on a menu before so I had to order it. Wow, it was better than I imagined. I'm used to having it boiled or braised so it being grilled was new to me. The skewers that come sauced were lacking flavor; the skewers with salt is definitely better. I also appreciate the cook being able to accommodate our request on how cooked we wanted a couple of the skewers. We agreed it was a pretty good yakitori spot and will come back again. It was unfortunate I was too stuffed to try their rice ball and will have to try it next time. Also to note, if you're sitting at the bar just be careful if you have drinks. The ledge where your serving plate sits on is tilted. I had to leave my drink on the flat surface to keep it from tilting. Another patron unfortunately had his beer spilled on him due to the tilt. I'm not sure if there is some sort of bumper the restaurant can place on that ledge to avoid future accidents.

This place is located in Plaza so there's parking A bunch of…read morestuff here this place wasn't so bad. The prices are for the portions that you get like a lot of the Peruvian infusion type of restaurants, We ordered the tallarin Verde with chicken Katsu Tallarin a la huancaina Ceviche de Pescado Yellowtail sashimi Albacore tataki roll Everything was full of flavor and big portion. Staff was pretty friendly. This is a nice in gym. I would come back again.

definitely didn't disappoint! The Japanese-Peruvian fusion is such a fun combination, and…read moreeverything we ordered was fresh, flavorful, and beautifully presented. The lomo saltado was tender and packed with flavor, the seafood rice was loaded with shrimp, mussels, and seafood in every bite, and the chicken katsu was perfectly crispy. We also shared sushi, and it was just as fresh and delicious as the entrées. The service was friendly and attentive without hovering, and the restaurant was clean with a relaxed atmosphere that made it easy to enjoy a long meal with family. If you're looking for something a little different than your typical sushi spot, this is definitely worth checking out. We'll be back to work our way through more of the menu!

Food: amazing and also very reasonably priced! They have a large variety of carpaccio, which we…read moreunfortunately didn't have time to try, but next time for sure! Our favorite rolls were the salmon lovers roll and yellowtail cilantro. My parents also said the ginger here is really good cause it has an extra kick to it. Service: our server was very kind and attentive, and the owner is super sweet. Great service! Ambiance: Very chill, there was music playing and TVs around the restaurant. Last call is 30 mins before the restaurant closes.

Went here on a whim one Sunday! I would say their food is decent. We ordered a few different rolls,…read morethe mixed tempura entree and miso soup. The miso and the mixed tempura was completely delicious! I have no complaints at all. The mixed tempura was nice and crispy. The miso was flavorful. There was one baked roll that I didn't enjoy and the owner or manager didn't take it well. I decided not to order another roll as I wasn't sure that it would be to my liking. My husband enjoyed his rolls but they weren't the best he's had. The ambiance is casual and welcoming - with inside and patio seating.

This place was amazing. The quality of the food, the clean and intentional presentation of each…read moredish, calm and attentive service, professionalism, and cleanliness of the restaurant and restrooms were all above expectations. Everything was thoughtfully done from start to finish. Thank you for an amazing dinner experience!

Service and food was excellent! Only negative thing is the price as it can be pretty steep and on…read morethe higher end. But you pay for what you get! The meat is soo melt in your mouth and very delicious! The experience was so worth it and very satisfying. They also gave mochi tofu and cold potato soup on the house for the guests to try. Don't really get Japanese bbq often so this was a cool and exciting experience!

Returned for my husband's birthday, and was another successful dinner…read more This time we ordered the No. 4 chef's omakase and it was better than the No. 2 - Chef's Omakase in our opinion. The meats are seriously so filling. On an unexpectedly busy Monday night, the service was great. My husband and I received dessert on the house (Yuzu panacotta) for his birthday which was very kind of them. I've already recommended this place for a few friends and family since we enjoy it so much. Definitely a place to splurge if you have the money, but it seems to be one of our regular spots now for anniversary and birthdays. Expecting another return in the near future.

HIKARI is probably my favorite Japanese bbq spots in LA, the quality here is top tier and the…read moreselection of meats is pretty wide. The portions are small, but the quality makes up for it. Last time we also ordered a beef tendon stew and it was sweet like a sukiyaki and so delicious. This is the perfect JBBQ spot if you typically don't have a huge appetite The space is small and cozy and the service is really good, the servers are friendly and make you feel at home They used to have more sauces for dipping your meats like wasabi and salt but more recently it's been just soy sauce. The soy sauce is good but I hope they bring back the other dipping sauces

My friend wanted to show me a great Japanese spot after we saw the Dodgers win, which was my first…read moreDodgers game as well, by the way. Eboshi is the perfect place for some late-night eats and has some classically great Japanese bar food. We got a variety of dishes, including one of their strawberry/cranberry beers, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Furthermore, we got everything that you would want from a nice day out or a nice night out: pork, alongside a vegetable dish, alongside a great takoyaki dish, and what I'd highly recommend is their fried rice and gyoza. Service was excellent, and they tool care of us every which way :)

I've been coming to Eboshi for decades and never been ignored after being seated like today…read more I was with someone and we were both hungry for that Eboshi Ramen... Others were seated after us and got waters and attention...I always thought if seated at the counter you faster and not zero attention. It's a shame, but something has changed there. Looked them right in the eyes and zero recognition, clearly they decided we were no longer the regulars they wanted.

Parking: Ichimi Ann is located in the Rolling Hills Estate. Parking was not too difficult to find…read morenear Ichimi Ann. Exterior: There is a bench to sit on outside while waiting for a table. I went on a sunny day so there was no shade to hide under. It got pretty warm. Interior: Ichimi Ann is a very small restaurant. It is a bit cramp so there really was no choice but to wait outside. The tables kind of have a sticky feel. Service: We wait for about 30 mins for a table for 6. The menu is slightly different from their other location so it was a bit confusing to order. The waitress took our order and brought us our food. She was polite but did not really interact with us much. Food: I got the deluxe tempura rice bowl combo with zaru udon. The udon was very refreshing especially since the day was pretty warm. If you like Carlos Junior's tempura bowls, you should definitely give Ichimi Ann a try. The portion is pretty big and the tempura was fried perfectly. It did not taste oily at all.

This is one of my favorite restaurants in Southbay. Their soba, udon, broth and sashimi are all so…read moretasty & fresh. I had the yuzu snapper with hot soba recently and everything just melted in my mouth. Place is kind of small so go at non bust times or prepare to wait.

If you're looking for a traditional Japanese izakaya, I would definitely recommend this little…read morehole-in-the-wall spot, Shoya in Lomita. Walking in feels like stepping back into Japan in the '80s or '90s. It's small and cozy, filled with antiques--not the typical decorative kind, but little things that feel like memorable treasures from another time. With Showa-era music playing in the background, there's a genuine sense of history and tradition. They have an excellent sake selection and some unique dishes from the taisho (chef). The food is well flavored and definitely designed to go well with a drink, as a good izakaya should be. But if you don't drink, there are other options too. Just ask--you might uncover something you didn't expect. Mama runs the front, and it feels like the kind of neighborhood place where friends and regulars come in, say hello, have a drink, and shoot the breeze. Price: Low to medium and very reasonable. We all need to get away from something once in a while. This is one of those places where you can just come in, sit down, have something good, and chill for a while. Not fancy. Not trendy. Just a little taste of Japanese history and tradition tucked away in Lomita. Open every day except Tuesday, 6 PM-12 AM.

love love love the vibe here! all the food were great but just keep in mind they all have quite…read moresaltiness which is great to eat along drink, but could be a bit salty as alone dish. I highly recommend the roasted gingko nuts - the best i've ever had. very smoky and perfectly chewy!!

This is a hidden gem in Lomita, located in a small shopping center. The inside is a calming vibe,…read morelooks upscale, very nice! The food was great! It was a nice presentation and full experience. We enjoyed the cotton candy wagyu, prior to having our tasty ribeye with the truffle potatoes. Ending dinner with crème brûlée cheesecake, matcha parfait and some vanilla ice cream. I'd definitely recommend everyone to try the cotton candy wagyu, it was a fun, tasty bite. The ribeye was amazing, flavorful and just the right size. The truffle potatoes were shared, which means it was a generous portion. I could have eaten it all by myself of how tasty they were-lol. The service was great, from host to servers. Very friendly and polite. Plenty of parking is available considering it's in a small shopping center. I'm not much of an alcohol drinker, however notice they had a nice bar, with hooks for the ladies to store their purse while there. Overall, a nice place to enjoy a tasty meal!

The Food Library was an interesting experience, and one that left me a bit conflicted…read more The service was excellent from start to finish. The dining room is relatively small, with roughly 10 to 15 tables, and the two employees working the floor were hustling all evening and did a genuinely nice job taking care of everyone. The food itself was solid. The standout dish of the night was actually the grilled asparagus, which came with a soy-based preparation that was absolutely outstanding, perfectly tender and cooked just right. The wedge salad was also very good, and both the 16oz ribeye@$86, and the 8oz filet mignon @$76 were well prepared and enjoyable. Where things became more complicated for me was the overall value proposition. The prices are undeniably steep, especially for Lomita. Whenever I dine somewhere upscale, I inevitably ask myself whether, for the same money, I would have rather gone somewhere else. In this case, the answer was yes. I was also a bit disappointed to discover that there is no full bar. The restaurant seems to steer guests toward wine and sake, with only a handful of beer options available. Unfortunately, the first two beers I ordered, an IPA and then a Modelo, both on the menu, both out of stock, which certainly didn't help my overall impression. The dining room itself felt somewhat drab, all black walls, and lacked the refinement that I would expect at this price point. Dark walls and a crystal chandelier create an interesting contrast, but small details stood out for the wrong reasons. For example, I noticed exposed holes in the bar where a purse hook or latch had apparently been relocated. It may seem minor, but details like that matter when you're charging premium prices. At the end of the night, my wife and I walked out more than $300 lighter. While the food was undeniably good and the service was attentive, the experience simply didn't feel like a $300 evening to us. Overall, The Food Library delivers quality food and hardworking service, but for the price, I left wishing the atmosphere and overall experience matched the bill a bit more closely.

First, the ambience is very trendy and resembles a Tokyo alleyway. You order your food via screens…read moreon each table. Service is very fast and food is typical Japanese cuisine. The sushi rolls, cucumber salad were great. The regular dinner salad was ok. Ramen and other dishes were good. They have privacy curtains in each booth which adds a nice touch. The overall experience is good but i would have like the wow factor to extend towards the cuisine.

I've been to Tokyo's Yokocho alley and loved it! This place in Torrance did an amazing job…read morereplicating the vibe and decor. I love all the lanterns. We came for lunch and it wasn't crowded. We were seated right away. Our server was friendly and attentive. She walked us through the ordering process which was done on a tablet. Our food was tasty and we definitely ordered more than enough. I really liked the combo meals; such a great deal with so much food. I had the Ginger Pork combo. It came with a bowl of rice, miso soup, salad, cucumbers, and some dried fish (so good) The Tonkotsu Ramen was yummy as well. The Ramen was fresh and not chewy. My favorite was the Salmon bowl. Something so simple but so flavorful and fresh. I will definitely come back when I'm in Torrance again.