I've been to The Izaka-ya by Katsu-ya in Manhattan Beach and I seriously love their sushi…read more Everything tastes super fresh, and the flavors are always on point. The vibe is relaxed but still has good energy, and the staff has always been friendly and attentive whenever I've gone. It's the kind of spot where you can enjoy great sushi without feeling rushed. This has definitely become one of my go-to sushi places, and I always look forward to coming back. Staff is very friendly with locals.

This place is by far South Bay's best sushi spot! I…read moredefinitely won't go anywhere else. The whole stop is super friendly they have high quality sushi sake and more. Everybody here is on a first name basis and most of the staff knows all of the repeat customers by name. Get the Omakase sushi and you won't be disappointed.

This is such a small, charming restaurant that feels incredibly authentic--just like stepping into…read morea little Japanese restaurant Everyone here is so kind, welcoming, and attentive. The food is absolutely delicious, full of flavor, and the prices are really reasonable. The tofu dish is amazing, and all of the skewers are fantastic! Everything tastes fresh, authentic, and beautifully prepared. I will definitely be coming back to this place over and over again, and I highly recommend it to everyone. Such a hidden gem!

This is the kind of place where you sit at the bar, watch the grill masters do their thing over…read moreJapanese charcoal, and suddenly realize you've been smiling like a hungry fool for 45 minutes straight. This place offers Chill Vibes, Great Service, and Skewers Worth Writing Home About Slide into that front bar seat, and you're basically signing up for dinner and a live cooking show. The chefs work the grill with the calm confidence of people who know they're about to make your day. The service up front is quick, friendly, and laid‑back, matching the whole casual, chill atmosphere, the kind of vibe where you can unwind, sip something cold, and watch the charcoal glow like it's performing a tiny, delicious magic trick. And the skewers? Oh man. Each one hits the grill freshly made by hand every few minutes as the orders get placed, using locally sourced, quality meats that somehow tastes like it grew up doing yoga and drinking alkaline water. "lol." The texture is firm, springy, and ridiculously juicy, a perfect testament to the chefs' skill. You can literally savor each skewer as it grills over Japanese charcoal, picking up that smoky, mouth‑watering flavor that makes you rethink every other skewer you've ever had before. By the time you get to the last bite, you're already plotting your return, or wondering if it's socially acceptable to ask the chef to adopt you. In my opinion, there's something humbling about watching your skewer get grilled to perfection while your stomach is whispering, "Sir... please... I'm right here." But you wait, because greatness takes time, and Shin‑Sen‑Gumi is absolutely serving greatness. Come check it out for yourself. I just love good quality food and service! Miguel C.

Wow! My first visit this past weekend; this place is a little hidden gem!!…read moreFirst, Mary Kate was amazing at the front. She had great suggestions and was so very nice!!! Our server, Yui K, was also fantastic!! She recommended a lovely sake (Shinryu Nishiki) and desserts for my friend and me and was so efficient and sweet! (Mary Kate had already given us a number of suggestions for the appetizers and skewers.) Zoku Q: yummy!! Spicy Karaage: Oh my goodness! Eyes rolling back delicious! Giant Ebi Mayo: shrimp (huge!) cooked perfectly and also so delicious! Elote Corn Ribs: excellent flavor, but there are only four very small pieces so not worth the price (to us). Skewers were all good: Momo Teri, Mune Ume, Wagyu Beef, Unagi, Tsukune. We would definitely order the wagyu beef, Tsukune and Momo Teri again. (The others were good but not as good as these three.) For dessert we ordered the Panna Cotta and the Custard Pudding. Completely different textures but would order either again! I will enjoy returning!

The staff who greet you at the entrance, as well as the servers, are all wonderfully attentive! The…read moreatmosphere is great, and every staff member creates a very welcoming vibe whenever a customer walks in! Since this was my second visit, I ordered things I hadn't tried the last time. As always, every dish looked so appealing -- the plating is absolutely stunning. The overall balance, colors, and presentation... everything made me want to take photos. Compared to other yakitori restaurants, the selection might be a bit limited, and die-hard yakitori fans may find it a little lacking, but it is definitely worth visiting at least once! My personal favorite here is the Chicken with Honey Mustard! The Karaage sauce is also incredible!! And finally, the desserts -- always something to look forward to! Every single one tastes like it came straight from a fine pastry shop, and I'm always blown away. I'm already looking forward to my next visit! Next time, I'd love to come for lunch and try the Yuzu Shio Ramen.

Mango bango still one of my fav desserts. Tried the new chicken skin chips. Wish some pieces were…read moremore crispy. I think frying them another time would've been perfect. Great service and chicken karaage this time was the juiciest and most moist we've had here. Think changed sauce it comes with as it's yuzu aioli now which I prefer but I could be wrong

Not around the area, but in town for vacation. First time visiting this place and it was great!…read more The service was fast and the staff were friendly. Our waitress was always there when we needed her and would check up on us consistently! The place is very spacious, music was lively, and overall great atmosphere. Bathrooms were clean and it had a mouth wash dispenser including the cup As for food and drinks, everything was so delicious! Yuzu Lemonade was very refreshing and was a nice mix of the flavors. The yuzu and lemonade didn't overpower each other, and a nice touch of the mint leaf! Kei Coconut Ube had a nice taste to it. The sweetness was nice, super purple in color, and worth trying at least once. Drink definitely does not look or taste like a beer so think of it as a sparkling Ube drink when you try it. Beef Tongue appetizer was very tasty and the appearance was pretty. The sauce was very delicious with a hint of citrus. Beef Bowl Udon was delicious as well. The udon noodles are in the middle of the thickness level. Broth was nice and refreshing, and the beef belly was super soft and tasted amazing. Seafood Tom Kha Ramen was really good. Seafood in it were shrimps, scallops, and squid/calamari. Not too spicy, but had a nice kick to it. Veggies were nice and mixed well with the seafood ramen! Unfortunately, the eggs do not come with the udon or ramen, but they do have free unlimited ramen noodles!!! They let you get it for the udon broths as well! Would definitely come back to this place when I'm back in this part of town!

I have written two past reviews for this place, each one glowing brigther than the sun's heat in…read moreAugust. Thus this place does not need more of my praise. It is eastablished and celebrated by eaters far more articulate and with wider reach than I. But I recently went, and enjoyed myself quite a bit. Not only because the food was incredible but because the staff made me feel like a special patron. My main server was Julian. He was young, attentive and continued the chain of grand service. But there are two other female servers that make the experience pop with above the line service, I wish I knew their name. The first passed me and my companion Conrad and asked how is your mother? All I could say was she was still alive. I took my mom to mother's day there two years ago and she remembered. That kind of service cannot be reproduce because it was held in heart and intention. I was a welcomed guest. I may not go often but when I do I am remembered. That kind attentiivesness is more than appreciated, it is remembered too! The second server when I leave the place meets my eyes, has a grand wide smile, and said something in Japanese that makes me feel seen in Kyoto. I am engaged in a jovial way by the staff here that is why it is a sincere pleasure to buy the kitchen staff a picther so we can Kanpai!. There sweet way with me is something I cannot undervalue because in doing so I would ignore the kind of hospitatlty that moves mountains closer to the sun. And the food is amazing, like so good, it cannot be ignored espeically when the menu went through changes. The reason why that face immediately hit me in the face was because I used to go for these corn tempura things that were like this amazing crunch in corn. But still what we had was wonderul. Like I would hurt back or strain my inner thigh trying to complain about the food in this place. This time around Conrad and I had their Shabu Shabu. I have had Shabu Shabu before (not here) a few times, not many but this was the first time that Conrad had it. And that face in itself is special, I think. So moving on from that, eating Shabu Shabu was engaging cause you basically create a broth that you are using to cook veggies and meat so images of witches and camping come to the mind, easily. I also took a video of Conrad grinding some sesame seeds, like he was an apothecary or doctor of old times. And I do not care who you are, you are going to enjoy working a bit, especially in a fun way, for your meal. Like who would not like to peel a few cloves of garlic for their herbed chicken? The broth came with pork shoulder and pork belly. We also had some meat and onions on stick--- I think we had pork belly and chicken. We also had a rice ball. We also had thier Gobo Chips. This is something that survived the menu transition that hit every crispy bite. It hit every crispy bite. By this point I know that the food will be fantastic, and the type of food that warms the heart and soul- comfort food. However, this, comfort food is not mine to claim by familiarity because I have not known it since childhood. But I have known it enough to know it as comfortable. I guess, I can claim it as familiar because it became such in the span of years, not decades. Like when can someone claim a carne asado taco to be familiar comfort food when they did not grow up eating it? That is the question that I am left to ponder. This place is a spot I know to be good and trust to deliver on service and quality.

3.5/5 Went here for…read morethe first time and ordered the Signature Party Course (Minimum 4 people) for $78 per person. Came with the below. Honestly it was only ok, not worth the price. Noting stood out, no amazing flavors, and some was fishy. Gobo Chips - good Uni & US Wagyu Sashimi - only ok Five Kinds of Sashimi - very thick cut. Decent but nothing special Octopus & Radish Salad - was ok Sweet & Savory Chicken Wings - nice and crispy Thick-Cut Beef Tongue - pretty good Fried Oysters - good Ribeye Ponzu Steak - fatty Pressed Saba Mackerel, Pressed Eel Sushi, Pressed Salmon Sushi - can't even pick it up without falling apart. Some fishes were fishy. Pumpkin Zenzai - fine

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.

This is a great place to eat once, the umami flavor hits great. But after a bit it's gets old…read more Service is fast and setting is calming.

- easy to make reservations on yelp - very nice ambiance and…read morelayout, restrooms clean - great for date night, girls night, they do also have more private rooms too - bar seating available - great service, everything came out quick and staff was friendly and helpful 1. Osen Roll 4/5 - perfect combo of 3 fish cuts - avocado and the white sauce added nice creaminess, sauce was super rich yet citrus 2. Skewers - Chicken gizzard 5/5 - Prime beef 5/5, my favorite skewer so gooood and tender - Beef tongue 4/5 3. Spicy tuna hand roll 3/5 4. Soft shell crab 5/5 - so delicious with their sweet sauce 5. Toro sashimi 5/5 - no notes, perfectly buttery melts in your mouth 6. Toro Uni 5/5 - also perfectly buttery melts in your mouth 7. Pork Short Rib 2/5 - tender meat but very very sweet, not my preference for short rib as I usually have it more savory 8. Chili mango drink 2/5 - very strong, not much mango flavor to it either 9. Halibut 5/5 - star of the night, soooooo good with the char 10. Matcha ice cream 5/5 + mochi cake 3/5

Ichiban! Food is excellent. For weekends only! This is the…read moreplace to have lunch . They just started this bento lunch Special. We tried the steak and chicken bento. Both were Excellent . There is a side menu for yakitori if you want extras. This bentos come with with a green salad, pickled veggie and miso soup. At the end is a free dessert of vanilla, Macha , or lichee ice cream. Yum that Lichee ice cream is so refreshing with real lichee in it. A must have. Service could be better but there was only one server. The atmosphere was nice and quiet . I would definitely go back there for lunch. Dinner is another different menu. Also looks good.

I'm genuinely confused by the 4.4/5 rating because my experience was nowhere near that level…read more The one bright star is for the lone server, who did an impressive job managing the entire floor by herself and staying helpful throughout the meal. Unfortunately, the food told a very different story. We ordered a wide variety of yakitori since the glowing reviews repeatedly highlighted it as the restaurant's specialty. Instead, what arrived was surprisingly inconsistent. Nearly every skewer had a heavily charred exterior that crossed the line from smoky to bitter. Good yakitori should showcase careful grilling that enhances the ingredients, not mask them with burnt flavors. The proteins themselves didn't taste particularly fresh, and the seasoning was all over the place. Some skewers were so lightly seasoned they tasted unfinished, while others were aggressively salty. Consistency is one of the fundamentals of good yakitori and it was noticeably lacking here. Having visited plenty of izakayas and eaten more than my fair share of yakitori, I'm not claiming Michelin-level expectations. I simply know the difference between properly grilled, well-balanced skewers and ones that miss the mark. Based on this visit, the food was below average and failed to live up to the hype. With the volume of positive reviews, I expected a memorable yakitori experience. Instead, I left wondering if I had visited the same restaurant everyone else was raving about.