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    Taisho

    4.2 (667 reviews)
    InexpensiveJapanese, Sushi Bars
    Closed 11:00 am - 9:00 pm
    Updated over 3 months ago

    Taisho Photos

    Business Info

    TAISHO ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Dogs allowed
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Taisho

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    Japanese chicken curry
    Alexandra S.

    Portions here are very generous, and prices are very reasonable. My avocado roll was very well made with a lot of perfectly ripe avocados. The salmon was perfectly cooked with just the right amount of teriyaki sauce, and the sauce was delicious. The Japanese chicken curry was super yummy, and they gave us more steamed rice for free. They also gave us free ponzu sauce for the sushi. Besides the floor being slightly dirty with trash that needed cleaning up, I had no complaints about this place! The service was very friendly and quick.

    Salmon sushi bowl
    Michelle A.

    I only had to come here once to know I am going to be a regular customer! I got the salmon sushi bowl and the chicken beef combo plate with miso soup. There were so many pieces of salmon and it came with dried seaweed. I basically got to make my own hand rolls. The price is affordable and the portions huge. If you go as a walk in, it is packed and quite busy. I highly recommend ordering ahead, it took about 15 minutes for the food to come out. But there is plenty of indoor and outdoor seating and a fountain soda machine. Unfortunately, the bathroom was out of order so I hurried home.

    Curry
    Stanley K.

    Ordered takeout from Taisho in Monrovia and was really impressed. Everything was packaged well and arrived neatly packed. I had the chicken katsu curry with a California roll. The katsu was crispy, tender, and paired well with the curry. Great food, careful packaging, and a smooth takeout experience. I'll definitely be ordering again!

    Jessica M.

    I love coming to Taisho for lunch! They serve the best chicken teriyaki bowls & sushi salmon bowls in the Monrovia area! Their food is absolutely delicious, the rice is so fluffy & everything is always so fresh! If you order the chicken teriyaki plate you get a 4 pc. California rolls which are so good! There is always a long line sometimes out the door so pro tip: order ahead so you just wait in line to pay & pick up! Will save you a ton of waiting time(; There is seating inside but gets a little crowded so I recommend the outside seating!

    Amanda L.

    An absolute classic spot. I grew up coming here! I always get the chicken teriyaki plate in a size small & the portion size is great. Reliable spot. Amazing value.

    Cucumber roll
    Victoria S.

    Good, affordable food, big portions, quick service, there's limited indoor & outdoor seating, it was a little hot inside so I recommend ordering to-go. My kids love their teriyaki bowls, udon noodles, cucumber rolls and salmon & avocado rolls. My favorite is the salmon sushi bowls with avocado, it comes with seaweed but I usually order extra seaweed. This a great place to eat when you're on a budget!

    Kenny W.

    This place is small, but has more seating outside. I got the combo plate. Witch tasted pretty good. My only complaint was that I had to wait 30 mins, due to them losing my ticket. I came after working out so I was hungry to the extreme! Hopefully, next time I have speedier service.

    Chicken and beef teriyaki combo bowl
    Genevie Y.

    They have affordable combo plates and the food is delicious. Plenty of parking. They make the food when you order so have some patience and they'll call your number when ready. Very friendly and clean.

    Vanna T.

    Kept driving past this place but haven't been inside. Finally stopped by to try their chicken teriyaki bowl combo with California rolls. The chicken teriyaki bowl was pretty good, but the California rolls weren't as good. It lacked flavor with cold rice and hard to eat. Quick and decent service. Limited seatings inside, but there are some benches outside.

    Salmon bowl - not bad!
    Annie T.

    I've been venturing out restaurants in the Monrovia/arcadia area and came across Taisho. I was split between the salmon bowl or the beef rib plate and ultimately went with the salmon bowl. It was good, and what you would expect.

    Chicken teriyaki bowl (small)
    Amber M.

    I've been coming here for well over a decade, and it's so nice to see the quality hasn't ever gone down, and the prices have stayed low somehow haha. I always get the small chicken teriyaki bowl and it's the perfect amount of food and only costs $7! The service is always super welcoming and prompt. The food is always fresh, the meat always tender and juicy, and never cold. There's a public restroom, and plenty of seating inside and out. Wheelchair accessible entrance, dining area, and bathroom (one singular gender neutral). Thanks guys for being so amazing!

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    7 years ago

    Been coming here for a while my wife loves this place I call it in our grub hub. Super friendly employees good quality food

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    4 years ago

    Restored salmon portions and I will be updating this review accordingly. Definitely will return!

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    My son likes their chicken curry and asks for it often. It's perfect to be packed for his school lunch too.

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    9 years ago

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    4 years ago

    Staff always very friendly, fast, and efficient. The food is good and reasonably priced! A go to place for sure !

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    9 years ago

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    6 years ago

    I love this place! Great food with even better prices. It's convenient located across the street from my job.

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    5 years ago

    We have been going here for years and it is always consistently great! Great people and our go to food spot!

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    6 years ago

    The food is so good and also super cheap at the same time! Customer service is friendly as well

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    4 years ago

    #1 combo Teriyaki bowl come with salad & drink. All for $10.20 the chicken was very delicious and salad dressing was tasteful.

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    Page 9 of 17

    Taisho Reviews in Other Languages

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    Do you serve brown rice?

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    Kyuramen x TBaar

    Kyuramen x TBaar

    4.0(845 reviews)
    2.4 mi
    $$

    Amazing food and service. Chris was really nice and the food came out fast. Will come back!read more

    I avoided this place since it opened because the lines were ridiculously long and I wasn't in a…read morerush to wait an hour for ramen. Recently, I noticed the lines disappeared so we came for an early dinner. The interior is pretty cool. It's kit just tables and chairs but the design element is unique. Some seating are inside a honeycomb shaped booth, some are just in the middle of the dining area. We were seated at a table that resembles a birdcage. There's a lot of wood and warm colors, which makes the ambiance stand out over other ramen places. We ordered a ramen, omurice with katsu, some skewers and popcorn chicken. The spicy ramen was delicious, but there was no soft boiled egg as shown on the menu photo. All I saw was a broken egg white at the bottom of the bowl. 4/5. The omurice was nicely done. The egg was perfectly soft and silky with a nice curry sauce in the side. The katsu that came with it was crispy, hot and tasty. 4.5/5. The popcorn chicken was great. Perfect seasoning and crispy. 5/5. The skewers however, were the low point of our dinner. They did not appear they were cooked fresh. The meats were dry and tough. The scallops were OK but tiny. Chicken was average. The whole order did not satisfy. We also got an Amazing Lemonade and Thai iced tea. The lemonade was a very refreshing drink, and the Thai tea is just like all other places. Our server, unfortunately forgot his name, was excellent. Very personable and great at describing flavors. The friendliness extends to the rest of the staff too. It's a nice place to check out. Note their parking lot is fairly small, and shared with Paris Baguette next door. It's a 4.5, rounded up.

    Photos
    Kyuramen x TBaar - Interior

    Interior

    Kyuramen x TBaar - Demi sauce for omurice

    Demi sauce for omurice

    Kyuramen x TBaar - Sapporo beer

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    Sapporo beer

    Sushi Kisen

    Sushi Kisen

    4.2(540 reviews)
    2.2 mi

    Unfortunate to see some bad reviews regarding 2026 DineLA experiences. It has ALWAYS been clear to…read moreus that the dineLA menu was only available for table patrons. We made 3 reservations in the last 2 weeks since dineLA started. Anyway, we've been eating here on and off for about three years. The sushi is always better at the bar. Loved the deal for a whole tray of Hokkaido Uni for $42; you can get this price both at the table and at the bar. The Uni was very sweet and not fishy. Overall, a steal. See you again on Friday!

    This place is wonderful! Truly an authentic Japanese experience without the fluff and clutter of…read morewestern sushi. Service is great and my only disappointment was the sushi bar being only for omakase at dinner time. I wish that was available for regular diners too! I ordered the Edomae Sushi dinner ($51.00) along with a Large Hot Sake ($19.00), and Negitoro Roll ($12.50), Torotaku Roll ($12.50) and an order of Chu-Toro ($21) The edomae dinner started with some appetizers and miso soup, all of which were delicious and uniqe to this restaurant. The sushi plate had some pretty different nigiri options that are definitely not seen across most sushi restaurants in the US! I enjoyed nearly every piece except for one or two - nothing was bad but just my preference. The rolls were amazing and filled nicely too with deliciously minced tuna. The chu-toro wasn't quite as fatty as I hoped (yes I know chu-toro is the medium fatty option) but it was still buttery soft! The house sake was pretty strong and bitter though and I was surprised how hard it was to drink, and I usually love and thoroughly enjoy sake! But overall, I really enjoyed this meal and would definitely return

    Photos
    Sushi Kisen - Interior

    Interior

    Sushi Kisen - Assorted Tempura

    Assorted Tempura

    Sushi Kisen - Blue crab handroll

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    Blue crab handroll

    Izakaya Tonchinkan

    Izakaya Tonchinkan

    4.4(362 reviews)
    2.3 mi
    $$$

    Came here for my mom's birthday and I'm so glad we did! We sat at the counter and the head chef was…read moresuper funny and friendly, which made the experience even better. We ordered a bunch of appetizers that paired really well with our drinks. My favorite was the beef tongue it was so tender and flavorful! The ambiance was also great cozy, lively, and perfect for a night out. Definitely a great spot to grab drinks with friends or family while enjoying some really good food!

    We came to Izakaya Tonchinkan around 9 pm, with last orders at 9:30. The restaurant has its own…read moreparking lot in the plaza, and there was plenty of space that late at night. We ordered the Assorted Sashimi, Beef Tongue, Salmon and Ikura Rice, and Hojicha Panna Cotta. Our total came out to around $158 for three people. The sashimi was fresh, with the Japanese Mackerel and Scallop being my favorites. The Beef Tongue was good, and the Salmon and Ikura Rice was solid and tasted pretty much as expected. The Hojicha Panna Cotta, though, was amazing and easily the most memorable item of the meal. It was also a lot of food for three people, and we probably could have ordered one less dish. The service and atmosphere were the biggest highlights for me. The staff was immediately welcoming and helpful in explaining the menu and popular items. The owner/chef was also very lighthearted and friendly, and the whole restaurant had a communal, neighborhood feel. Even around closing, everyone seemed relaxed and was enjoying their time together. Overall, the food was good, but I did find it expensive for what we ordered. I'd still come back for the atmosphere, service, and Hojicha Panna Cotta, but I'd be more mindful of how much I order next time.

    Photos
    Izakaya Tonchinkan - The master

    The master

    Izakaya Tonchinkan - Sea bass

    Sea bass

    Izakaya Tonchinkan - Amberjack collar

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    Amberjack collar

    Sumibiyakitori Kidori

    Sumibiyakitori Kidori

    4.2(72 reviews)
    2.2 mi

    We've visited twice in the past two weeks, and both times confirmed this is the real deal for…read moreyakitori. First visit: we showed up late and were still greeted warmly. The food was excellent. Second visit was on a packed Friday around 8 pm. No reservation, so the host kindly took my number and asked us to come back around 9:30. We ran a few errands and returned around 9 pm to wait it out. Over the next half hour, three different staff members came out individually to check on me and reassure me a table would open up soon. We were finally seated close to 9:30, and they apologized again with complimentary liver pâté, a cucumber chicken salad, and drinks on the house. That level of hospitality, on a slammed Friday night, says a lot about how this place treats its guests. The food matched the service -- genuinely great. Do yourself a favor and book ahead, but even the wait is worth it.

    The first thing I'll note is, I was treated to this visit by a friend after telling them about my…read moreYakitori meal I enjoyed in Kyoto, and this place delivered skewers of similar quality to that experience in Japan. So they very much deliver on the quality and flavor. Great: -Excellent quality of ingredients and grilling by the craftsman at the grill. -The food has a great binchotan aroma, the house sauce/glaze is perfectly seasoned. -Immaculate cleanliness, the hood vents above the grill and glass in front of it are spotless which suggests cleaning after every service or similar. Not as great: -The oyakudon was TINY, the menu could have communicated the portion size better. I got a bigger bowl in the Japan yakiya, to stress how small it was. -Minimum of $80 USD per guests, either their omakaze which starts at $80 or a la carte ordering you need to get up to $80 worth minimum. -Our server did not seem familiar with the offerings and availability, she stumbled on questions, told a guest their favorite quail was available only to run back from the grilling chef to correct that it was not in stock. -It was not always easy getting the attention of a server. Other: We made an unplanned visit once and learned they do two seatings per evening and by reservation, a fair arrangement considering they need to prep and portion out skewers ahead of time but just know you can't walk up and expect to be seated.

    Photos
    Sumibiyakitori Kidori - The beautiful space

    The beautiful space

    Sumibiyakitori Kidori - Mountain Yam

    Mountain Yam

    Sumibiyakitori Kidori - Chicken gizzard with daikon / daishi chicken and broth

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    Chicken gizzard with daikon / daishi chicken and broth

    Mikomi Sushi Monrovia - Inside their new location - used to be T Phillips Alehouse

    Mikomi Sushi Monrovia

    4.4(2.5k reviews)
    1.1 mi
    $$
    Fine dining
    Locally owned & operated

    Mikomi Sushi is one of my favorite neighborhood sushi spots! The sushi is always fresh, the service…read moreis fast and friendly, and the ambiance is great. They also have a great selection of beer on tap, a full bar, and a weekday happy hour that's definitely worth checking out. The location is super convenient, right off the 210 Freeway with plenty of parking. Whenever family or friends are in town, this is one of my go-to places. I highly recommend giving Mikomi Sushi a try!

    Disappointed in our experience tonight. I have had good experiences here in the past, but tonight…read more(a Tuesday night for dinner) their service was off. They forgot entirely to bring my daughter's drink, did not bring everyone's order out even close to about at the same time (it was a large party of 7) and the server misidentified my meal so I thought they got it wrong. The chicken katsu curry and sushi were ok, but the ramen my daughter got had a strange flavor (we've had a lot of ramen) and my salmon shioyaki was not made the right way. Salmon shioyaki should be salted and grilled or broiled. The cut of salmon was wrong and it didn't taste salted at all, more like a piece of teriyaki salmon with the sauce scraped off. Lesson learned is that it's called Mikomi Sushi, so definitely stick with the sushi if you dine here. The atmosphere is nice with high ceilings and beautiful lighting and everyone working there is nice, I just found the experience disappointing and regretted that I didn't go to another Japanese restaurant.

    Photos
    Mikomi Sushi Monrovia - Inside   @dangit.all

    Inside @dangit.all

    Mikomi Sushi Monrovia - Bar area

    Bar area

    Mikomi Sushi Monrovia

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    Ramen Nagi - thin noodle with original broth and cha siu

    Ramen Nagi

    4.4(1.2k reviews)
    1.9 mi
    $$

    Ok I've been to a lot of ramen places but I gotta say I don't think anything beats Nagi. First of…read moreall, they cater to all types of food eaters by enabling you to have full control of oil, noodle, thickness, salt, etc. Essentially, you are building your own perfect ramen bowl that meets your own standards. The best part of all, I think this might be the first ramen restaurant that is doing this so that's a plus in my book. Some other ramen places, albeit good and rich, may sometimes be too heavy for some people like me. That's where Ramen Nagi differs. They have the ability to cut down that "heavy after eating" feeling. Service was extremely on point and will come to you if you need help with anything without hesitation. It's a family friendly environment and has good lighting for those instagram photos which makes the food even more appealing to eat. I definitely recommend 1000000% if you have never eaten ramen this is like THE PERFECT place to go.

    Visited 8/9/26 - Red…read moreKing 17.50 For context, I went with light salt and oil to be "semi health" conscious. I would definitely do this again, because it tasted like a normal ramen and I wasn't left wanting more. I love spice, but would definitely not add additional to the red king. The pork belly was killer and would recommend getting that over chasu, the flavor had a hint of sweetness and the minced meat was just the perfect combo! - Black King 17.50 My boyfriend always gets this, his only comment was to opt for the thick ramen! The noodle texture here is always on point, their "normal" should be the standard whereas other places you have to request firm to have it done perfectly. The price is the reason why he always returns! - Chicken Karaage 8.25 My favorite chicken karaage hands down and a must order when I go. The sauce is a sweet soy complementing the savory chicken with a touch of creamy mayo! I opt for this over the gyoza for more protein, if you have the people definitely worth while to get both. Once you queue, the hostess will give you a paper menu and marker to line up your order. From there when you are seated they will confirm and the food is ready really quickly. This is where I would go for a quick sit down meal, emphasis on quick since the music is loud and theres always a long queue.

    Photos
    Ramen Nagi - Line at Ramen Nagi in February 2023.

    Line at Ramen Nagi in February 2023.

    Ramen Nagi - Their pork gyoza are a tad smaller than I'm used to - but def homemade and absolutely delicious!

    Their pork gyoza are a tad smaller than I'm used to - but def homemade and absolutely delicious!

    Ramen Nagi - Their pork gyoza are a tad smaller than I'm used to - but def homemade and absolutely delicious!

    See all

    Their pork gyoza are a tad smaller than I'm used to - but def homemade and absolutely delicious!

    Taisho - japanese - Updated September 2026

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