It is no doubt Seikoen is hole in the wall place, but you go Seikoen for great foods no one cares chair fixed with duct tape, greasy wall. Please go there right after they open, their ventilation system is not working much. Go there earliest possible. read more

Ethnocentric old hag! We arrived 10 minutes early for our reservation and they gave our table away to a party that came 10 minutes late that didn't have everyone in our party there! It's because they're Japanese and "apologized" for being late. Wtf is that?! So my friends and I being there early and being foreign looking isn't going to get us a table? Our money isn't good enough for your establishment? I'll admit that the food is good (having been there previously), but the fact that there's an ethnocentric old waitress gives this place a negative 5 stars if I could actually rate this place a negative 5 stars. Never coming here again or recommending it to anyone I know, no matter how good they are. P.S. I made my reservation and talked to the waitress in Japanese, she decided to discriminate against us when she saw that we don't look japanese. We decided to leave because we weren't getting serviced from the lady who screwed us over for a good 10 minutes after she gave our table away (she couldn't even look at us directly), when we were walking out she saw us off with the most sarcastic "Arigatou gozaimashita" that I've ever heard, as it we were treating her like shit for no good reason. A reservation is a reservation, if you're late, you better wait like everyone else that doesn't have a reservation. read more

This place has very friendly staff. Their beef is also of high quality and delicious. The tongue was my favorite cut. And you must try their yukke!! read more

You come here if you want authentic Japanese barbecue. You are served quality meat and it is important to lay out each meat one by one, unlike Korean bbq where you can stir cook it. All the dishes served out was very good and service is courteous. Be sure to look in to their dessert like the green tea ice cream that is served in massive scoops underneath a giant chunk of strawberry (delish!) read more

Going in I was a bit confused, the outside mentioned that it was Korean BBQ and Japanese BBQ. I went in with mixed expectations. The experience left me pleasantly surprised. Service was great and the food ended up being amazing. The meat was very good quality, much higher than I am used to in most BBQ places. Even though the price may be higher, the quality definitely compensates. For something a bit different from the rest of the menu, I would recommend the Yukke. Even if you are a bit hesitant, the taste of the Yukke is perfect and will leave you wondering why you hesitated in the first place. This is a definite keeper as you cannot go wrong with the meats which are of excellent quality. I highly recommend this BBQ restaurant, although it is helpful to come with a friend who knows what to order. read more

Feels like it's really been awhile for me to give a 5 star review... Rare to get that from me. But I loved this place. Came here from a recommendation of my Japanese friend who eats non-stop, if she highly recommends a place, I'll take it for gold. Place isn't large, and in fact, Now that I recall, all tables were filled. We got lucky to sit down. Grill is tiny, it caught me off guard, didn't know how we would grill anything on that, but totally made sense that this place does juicy cuts that grill fast, and meant to savor each bite. LOVED the quality and taste, was so good. If you're a bit stuck on what to order, ask the servers for help. They'll give their honest opinions. Won't upsell you on anything. Expect about $60/head if you're planning to eat eat. If you're gonna go light, I'd still think you'd run into around $30/head. I HIGHLY approve. -Goodfood.LA read more

my brother was going on and on and on about this place. so when we booked a trip to disneyland to get away from LV for the weekend he made us go to this place. figured it would be like every other japanese bbq restaurant. i was wrong and i apologized... we had a redo but it was during week so probably not necessary. we were one of 2 tables when we got in there. amazing service from 3 ladies who all serve the food, take orders, and top off drinks. they give hot towels once you sit down, small menu but everything is amazing and i love small menus. not good with making choices. we had a few beers, hot tea, and water, and at all times the glasses were full. they would clear plates once we finished them and were always checking on us to ensure we were happy and the food was great. the dish i was most surprised about was liver sashimi which is on my brothers top 10 food items list. i usually don't like this dish but clearly this was the freshest liver you can get in torrance b/c wow i loved this dish!!! raw meat and fresh raw egg is so delicious, always forget the name but always one of my fav dishes, some raw white onions with those flavors wow... too good to be true it feels like. good prices but you do need to get a lot of food since its all small/medium portions. so fun to cook ourselves and be interactive in the restaurant. don't wear your best clothes b/c you will smell like bbq when you leave as any bbq restaurant. amazing friendly service, top 10 food item ever, good prices, amazing food, good japanese cold beer, perfect ending to an amazing dland trip. like i said apologized to my brother... read more

Its been a while since I ate here, food was great tho. Good Japanese grill. Kinda pricey, meats and soup items are single order style, atmosphere is smokey, but expected. read more

gyukaku??? what?? as i said before in previous gyu-kaku reviews...WHY??? WHYYYYY. the price is over the top, and the quality SUCKS. and let me mention their sauce is suger infested. ANYWAY. this place. from the outside...let me be honest here, i wouldnt even THINK about going in. it looks old, and you really cant tell what they would serve until you read their caption that says "tokyo style bbq". now, im a full japanese, born and raised there so let me tell you i know what i am talking about. korean bbqs are nice and all, but im more for japanese bbq where you can cook at your own pace and eat a huge variety of meat rather than one huge portion. my family and i always frequent Tamaen, which is just a little further from this place on PCH. sooo delicious there, too. but we read this Seikoen on a magazine and thought we'd give it a try since the reviewer gushed about this place. (japanese magazine). walked up to the place, kinda hesitated...and told ourselves that this place, rarely ever lets walk ins. like, usually you always have to have a reservation. walked in, and was greeted with friendly staff! super nice women work there, (im assuming family because one of them called the other mother). food review: meat quality was definitely above average, but id stay away from loin, becaue it was kind of tough. but outside skirt, (harami) was really good, including kalbi! get that with a bowl of rice and you're set to go. the cold noodles are ok but if you have a large party they offer to split it into two bowls if you'd like. but overall, id stick to the meat than anything else. OH. if your into hot sake my dad and my mom LOVED it. they dont microwave their sake, they actually warm it up with hot boiling water. itll take longer, yes, but still. man. (if your NOT into sake though, i wouldnt suggest "trying" it until you're read later XP its so nasty IMO haha) 5-star yakiniku! but i still suggest you all try Tamaen, too :) read more

Really good meats. So tender & flavorful. Love the squid appetizer they give the table. The green salad had apples in it which was very good. This is Japanese version of Korean bbq. Definitely coming back. read more

I have known of this place for over 20 years. The place could be empty and they will not seat you. They will make an excuse like you have no reservation or no meats today. Make sure you are Japanese or speak fluent Japanese if you want to try. Good luck. read more

Awesome place. The best quality meat and service you will find. Must try the tongue and kalbi.

A hole in the wall type of restaurant but it is the best authentic Japanese style Korean BBQ you can get in Los Angeles. The restaurant is small so reservation is a must. And if you can, try to go there with someone who speaks Japanese as wait staff probably only speaks Japanese and little English. read more

I have very mixed feelings about this place and am surprised that it's rated so highly. So, we were going to come here last week but when I called to make a reservation she said they we're full and couldn't seat us for an hour. I was hungry, decided to go elsewhere. So today, we decided to try it out, called made a reservation and here I am reviewing. Here's my pros: Meat was fresh and tasty. Bean sprouts & kim chee were awesome and huge portions! Salad with sesame oil - can't go wrong, it was good. Here's my cons: We got like 6 tiny pieces of meat in one order.... like the size of a thin, fun size candy (think a little Hershey's rectangle). Had to order three plates of meat. Service was below average, lady was not rude but not friendly either. TOLD us no more meat (which was fine since we got full on bean sprouts and kim chee - such huge portions of that). Smoke from the food was EVERYWHERE, my boyfriend had to duck and cover a few times. To sum up: I think the proportions need to be thought out a little better. Granted, we're used to getting a big plate of meat and small sides at Korean BBQ places... but this isn't Korean BBQ so maybe that's where our disconnect is? Anyway, we won't be coming back. $50 for what we got wasn't worth getting full off of veggies (even though we loved the kim chee, bean sprouts, and salad!). read more

Great Japanese barbecue place! I know it says Korean BBQ on the sign outside but its not. The meats are fresh and reasonably priced (less then $10 for most non-"prime" cuts), better than Gyukaku for sure, and their prime cuts (Kobe) are almost worth the money (sorry too use to getting my cuts at Mitsuwa haha). Guess the only ding on this place is that it is VERY smoky and your clothes will definitely smell like BBQ afterwards. read more

Great family owned no frills yakiniku restaurant. Decent prices, excellent cuts of meat, and friendly service.

This place is a hole in the wall, country side looking (inakamono) BBQ restaurant hangout for the Japanese locals that live in the south bay. You know when you see the natives eating here, that it's a legitimate authentic Japanese bbq restaurant. Don't be fooled by the poor interior ambience, as it is quite dreadful looking. But hole in the wall = yummy and hidden gem restaurant, right? Or at least I hope. I went here after watching an Angels vs Mariners game and noticed other gamewatchers at this same joint. Rumor has it that Ichiro dines here when he's in LA. Not sure if this is true tho... From the kalbi to beef tongue and rare beef slices, the quality is top of the line, and most definitely worth dining at for the true Japanese BBQ experience. Even the kimchi and the other side pickled dishes were worth going home to write about. I almost walked out of the restaurant, feeling like I left a locally popular countryside BBQ place in Japan...to realize by all the parked cars that I'm still in Los Angeles. It's a MUST GOOOO!!! read more

Japanese yakiniku (Korean BBQ !) a twist to the Korean BBQ places! More like the lighter "Hawaii style" flavors I was used to growing up with. A different style than Koreatown for sure.... no banchan, no garlic, no little buttons!! The kimchee is much lighter in strength of flavor, but still with good taste. The place is kinda a dive with smoke filling the entire dining area. Don't even think you will not have to wash your clothes immediately after dinner here !! The beef is very good with exceptional marbling(it will cook fast so watch it !! ) the skirt steak, the sirloin and the tongue were all very good. My personal favorite was the "super prime" a scrumptious marbled slice of beef. The service was quick , but English may be a bit challenging at times, as well as the way they run the restaurant. I have to say that this place had some of the best meat yakiniku style I have ever tasted. Anyway.... I found it a good value for the tasty meat and I will come back! read more

Sei-Ko-En Restaurant - great marbling - Japanese Near Me - Torrance, California

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Got sent away apparently it's reservation only. Maybe there should be a sign letting people know this?

So legit. "super prime prime rib." enuf said. Ruined my tongue for life. Don't let the 80 some reviews fool ya, this place looks like has been around for ages, as the ventilation, decor, and grills make apparent. Seems to be frequented mainly by native japs, which could explain the low count. And they obviously know wassap. Super prime tongue and the pork cheek also amazing. Reasonably priced too, with very nice servers even though I don't speak a lick of Japanese. Bottom line: a must go for meat lovers who don't mind being drenched in the aroma of bbq. read more

Want to try some real-deal? This is the place. Don't tell me you weren't warned though, put on some old T-shirts you can find in your drawer other wise you'll be crying on the way back home. This is a smoky, greasy, yakiniku place but you'll get sssoooo full under $50 for 2 people (including a beer or two) . Nothing fancy about this place but every time I come here I feel like I'm back in Japan. Maybe this place reminds me of one of traditional family owned yakiniku restaurants back in Nakameguro? Two thumbs up!!! read more

Smokey, old, and not very clean. Just the way they used to do it in the 50', 60's and 70's. Strictly catered to Japanese locals. If you're asian, you might like it. Definitely not an introductory place if you've never had yakiniku before. read more

the only good meat items they serve are their prime beef ribs, beef tongue, etc... but those are very expensive. and their regular item is not as good as u may expect (for its price range). You probably can find better quality bbq place around torrance or K-Town. BTW.. its super smokey inside... read more

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Long overdue review of our favorite yakiniku restaurant. If you can get past the terribly smoky environment, this is the best tasting place around for Japanese BBQ. But, the main item that's so mouth watering is the red miso paste and lettuce to eat with your meats. I don't know what they put in it, but it is so good and addicting! read more

By far one of the best tasting, highest quality yakiniku places we've been to! Ventilation & decor don't quite share the same standard, but definitely not something that will get in the way of an amazingly delicious meal. Portion sizes were great - highly recommend the short rib, beef tongue, and yukke. Make sure to leave room for some beansprouts too :) read more

Dinner for three tonight! We ordered the jyo-kalbi, jyo-harami, gyu-tan, jyo-rosu, and liver-Sashi. All were exceptionally good, except for the jyo-rosu. Shouldn't have ordered it. We decided that it wasnt needed. We will come back again, but next time will order two orders of kalbi instead. To finish it off green tea ice cream. Yummy! read more

This Japanese BBQ Spot was SOOOOoOOoO good if you like eating meat. Their beef was so thinly sliced and cook so fast and quick. They also have a unique bi bim bap version and it was great too. Their little salad of lettuce, cucumber, carrot sticks come with this awesome miso paste that was delicious (wish they sold it to go!) Only thing is it gets smokey in there, ventilation isn't the very best. Also you must make a reservation, luckily we had one so we didn't have to wait but there were a ton of people just coming in trying to get a table who didn't have a reservation. read more

The restaurant makes me feel nostalgia and is like 40 years-ago restaurant in Japan, but taste is excellent!

I've been coming to Seikoen for years and it's freaking amazing! Hole in the wall, grungy, but the food is always fresh and the best Japanese-Korean BBQ for the price you'll get anywhere. You need a reservation because it's crowded! and I don't even eat meat! So for even non-beef eaters, it's great with the beansprouts (kongnamul), other bbq items like the shrimp or even veggi grill, to their soups including seaweed soup...etc...EVERYTHING is good. My bro, who is a huge meat eater always gets the tongue and the prime rib. Go!! You won't regret it. read more

I love this place! It's small, dingey, smokey,old, family-run, cheap and deelicious. The only reason that it doesn't get five stars is that they close super early and I feel bad/silly going in there to eat by myself. But that's not really their fault, I know. The yukke and tongue are great. And when I'm lucky and it's empty I get one of the fab soups if I'm alone. That way they don't have to fire up my table's grill and I don't feel so guilty. read more

When I walked in, it smelt a bit funny. The wall looks dirty and sticky. We ordered raw beef, raw liver, miso tongue, and prime rib. The raw beef was good, and the rest were above average (but I won't say the meat were bomb...) I saw people compared it with tsuruhashi. Seriously, I think tsuruhashi is way better on both environment and quality of meat. read more

We took our son here for his 29th birthday. It is a nice restaurant with a very friendly staff. It is a Korean BBQ where customers grill meats and veggies at the table. We ordered shrimp, steak, and prime rib for the grill along with a salad to share. The shrimp, steak, and shrimp were all high quality and prepared well for the grill. We also ordered vegetables to grill. The quantity of food compared to the cost of the meal was poor in my opinion. We also had to ask for bowls of rice for our meal. Do not get the impression that we are large eaters and expect huge portions because this is not the case. I think an improvement would be to offer a selection of Banchan along with the meal to provide a nice set of favors along with the grilled meats. Service was very friendly and attentive. read more

The food here was great and the service was good but the smoke was a little overwhelming for me. The star of the meal is definitely the homemade fermented soybean paste and the homemade Napa cabbage kimchee read more

Super good. Korean BBQ with a Japanese flair. This place is a must.

Overall good. More like a 3.5 Wish I could give it a four. Reference points: Tsuruhashi and Anjin. -Yukke - That should be 4-5 stars. Super flavorful and tasty. - Salad with sesame oil - Also good, 4 stars - Had two beef dishes and one was really good (4-5 stars) the other was ok (3-4). That was not helpful, I know. It was Prime Rib and Prime Sirloin I think? The one with the marinade was good. - Ox tongue was ok (3-4) - Smokey inside, attentive service (but there were only 4-5 tables filled) - Price is ok Would I return? Possibly. Maybe I need to try the kalbi or other things? read more

Try the beef tongue and short rib!! Yummmm

The best Japanese BBQ restaurants in LA you ask? Sawtelle's Manpuku and Torrance's Seikoen. Forget the overpriced mediocre meat at Gyukaku. I guess that's what happens when it is a franchise. Seikoen knows what good meat is. Although their interior is quite ashy and the sample plate displays at front window defeats the purpose of samples since its been there too long that it is all pitch black (LOL), their harami and yukke are the best around here. And the price is not bad at all. read more

Best Japanese BBQ around South Bay. Just as good as Anjin in Costa Mesa.

You wouldn't think that a place tucked away in a small plaza on the corner of Sepulveda and Western would have the most tender prime rib you might ever taste. The prices are decent but the foods are delicious. If you ever find yourself in Torrance, give this place a try. Their prime ribs are good, but their pork and beef tongue is also a must (of course I'm not a fan of beef tongue myself but my relatives say is super yummy). read more

I wanted to give them 4.5 stars. Here is the one of my best 3 Japanese BBQ place in LA. All items are good quality even appetizers. The prices are a little high but it's normal for BBQ. If someone likes BBQ, I take them to here. read more