I am not going to lie, Takao was not on my bingo card. But as I was waiting for someone, I decided to grab a bite and while walking down the street, Takao really leaped out to me. So I decided to step in. It really felt like walking into a good ol' family restaurant in Tokyo. The layout with sushi bar isn't so much as a surprise, but the warmth was. It was quiet (also they had just opened for lunch), but it felt slow and calm, which for me is a big plus. I ordered some hot tea which came in a nice ceramic cup and ordered the bento box. Now, let me be the first in saying that ordering bento box at a sushi restaurant is perfectly ok. BUT, this one was special. Normally we're talking about A protein (chicken,beef,etc.), salad, side (roll, gyoza, etc.) and tempura. This one came with sashimi and cucumber and crab sunomono (vinegared). So much for the same price I see a standard lunch bento at others. I had the chicken teriyaki as my protein of choice and each flavor was so good. I highly recommend visiting if you are in the area! read more

Food: Everything was delicious! The quality in each dish was consistent. The flavors were nuanced and delicate. No complaints besides prices are on the upper end. Service: Excellent service! Staff were friendly and were on top of meeting everyone's needs in a timely manner. Ambiance: Lovely, clean, and intimate. The space is smaller; therefore, seating is a bit more limited. Reservations are common at this location. read more

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I used to go with a friend who loves the place. I like sushi, so I go elsewhere. She would get hot food that she loved.

Yellowtail hand roll and spicy scallop hand roll were great, loved the way the close the back to make sure nothing falls out. I thought I'd be full but it's packed pretty light so I got a salmon hand roll (not pictured) for $44 (with tip) it ends up being the same price as sugarfish next door. This is a good spot good quality sushi, nice staff. read more

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Takao what a fantastic experience. Very intimate setting. We ordered the multicourse traditional Japanese meal, which was absolutely fantastic. The chef definitely knows flavors. It was really appetizing and super exciting for the pallet. You have to make reservation reservations this place is jammed do yourself a favor make a reservation and order the multicourse Japanese dinner. Highly recommended. read more

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I was visiting relatives and they brought me here for a quick lunch. Service was quick and very pleasant. Their menu was small, but I can appreciate that. Everything looked good, my assorted sushi was so good and fresh and the portion was perfect. We sat outside so I didn't get to see the inside of the restaurant. Outdoor seating was nice. Would visit again if I'm ever in the area. read more

Takao - 7 piece Assorted Sushi - Sushi Bars Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Reminds me of traditional Japanese restaurants in Little Tokyo. Japanese speaking staff, fresh ingredients, seasoned just the way I grew up eating J-food. We ate a variety of smaller dishes, like sashimi, tempura, hamachi kama, rolls and nigiri and my fav Sapporo beer. Love having a place like this on the westside by my work, to wait out traffic and leisurely enjoy some comfort food from my youth. Servers hustle without being trite or pushy, but one can sense the pressure as the lines to get in continue to grow as the night goes on. Thankful for places like Takao! read more

The omakase was delicious! Pretty presentation and wonderful taste. The staff was very helpful and the chef is excellent. read more

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Always fresh. Gluten free ponzu and great tasting sushi. Service, My work goes so often, that They know my order already when we call. Very friendly read more

Worst Omakase I've ever had. I work really close to head and have always been intimidated to go since I've heard a lot of great things about it. I heard how the owner of N/naka used to work here, etc etc Well one day I decided to go and opted for the Omakase which you can pick $120, $150, and $200 options. I went for the $150. The dishes started out okay, nothing super memorable, I even had a chawanmushi that was laughable, it had one tiny shrimp, what appeared to be maybe a quail egg yolk, and maybe a clam. I had a few decent options too, one piece of toro, one piece of salmon. Then I got this steamed shrimp dish that was very memorable- but not in a good way. I have attached a picture. The shrimp head was deep fried while the shrimp body was steamed and was displayed split with all of its eggs there as well. I'm not a huge fan of cavier, especially when you can see eyes. Also I thought pregnant shellfish was off limits for consumption? Even after all that I tried it anyways, and can now honestly say-not a fan. The shrimp tasted average, not worth the trauma of the presentation. Then we get to a section of the omakase where they asked me if I wanted noodles or sushi? I picked sushi, and got a plate of some rather forgettable sushi, and then they asked me which soup I wanted. I couldn't understand her very well on what the choices were, so I picked the Miso clams one. Well the clams barely had any meat- It wasn't even worth trying to eat them. Now lets talk about service. I was here sitting at the bar for almost TWO HOURS. (my parking ticket stamp was 6:15, and when I got back in my car it was 8:09) Bar service is usually faster? but not here. After a while I flagged the waitress down to tell her I just wanted my check. She said I still had dessert which consisted of ice cream, and visibly annoyed I said it was okay I have to go and I'll just pass. She brought me the check and I figured they'd atleast discount me on the dessert, but nope still charged me $150. Parking is also $10 in the back to park your own car (at least thats what they made me do). Overall I will definitely not be back and I highly do NOT recommend this overhyped place. I overheard a few people who were so excited to be there, one couple for their anniversary, and another table exclaiming it was the best sushi place ever. I'm sorry Brentwood but there's so many better choices just a little further out, I understand the "prestige" of living west of the 405, but just venture out and you'll find MUCH better sushi omakase places. read more

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I was shocked that a bottle of hot house sake cost $44!! without warning. I should have been warned.

My favorite LA restaurant. Family owned, super cozy and great food always! Def get the wagyu sushi

I've always passed by this place and wanted to try it and my date suggested we go here tonight so I was excited to try it. It's kind of a low key place without all the frills, which I totally appreciated! The menu looked extensive but I let my date take the lead in ordering. He got the halibut carpaccio (amazing), salmon toban yaki (delicious), albacore sashimi, and sashimi roll (riceless roll, we got it without crab). Everything was great and I will definitely be back! Good for a date or family night, I wouldn't go here for a girls night out to hit the town. read more

I have been here a few times with friends, once for dinner and more recently for lunch. Both times we sat outside and were seated outside very quickly. Both times I was very impressed by the quality of the sushi. I highly recommend coming by for lunch and checking out their lunch deals, it was a great amount of food for money especially considering the quality of the fish and miso soup! read more

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Consistently yummy sushi. Great staff. Fresh fish. Suggest sitting at the sushi bar.... read more

Takao - Green Sauteed String Beans - Sushi Bars Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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The omakase here is outstanding. Great value for the quality. The star here is undoubtedly the food - while the restaurant is nice enough, this isn't the kind of place you go to for clout or ambiance. In this case, it's preferable that way - very unassuming, delicious food in a lowkey, quiet environment where you get to truly savor it. Opted to do the $150/person omakase which for us was 9 courses. We were all quite full by course 5, and incredibly stuffed by the end of the meal. One thing we were surprised by is that the option of sashimi / udon / soba was served after the meat dish (unagi for me, wagyu for my friends), at which point we were already so full! Would have loved it a little earlier potentially, but still liked it nonetheless. This omakase isn't purely sashimi and nigiri based if that's what you're looking for, but I found it far more delightful than most omakase which can feel uninspired and redundant. This one is truly a journey across different flavors and styles. $150 for us included -Crab appetizer -Hamachi sashimi -Seared Hamachi with Truffle -Toro with Uni -Chawanmushi (not pictured) -Abalone with mushroom and asparagus -Wagyu (or unagi in my case - I don't eat red meat) -Miso Soup -Udon / Soba or Sashimi (selected sashimi in my case) - Dessert (fresh fruit, ice cream, pudding and some other options!) - I didn't expect to like the sesame pudding but it was sooo tasty Would go here again and again if I lived closer! Wonderful spot read more

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Weak Sauce "Omakase", I have been eating here for 15-20 years. Well that's done tonight, I wanted something extra special with my son, so we decided to put ourselves in the hands of the chef for Omakase which means "I'll leave it up to you". On their menu it states you will get their best, sounded great so we signed up for it with our server. What a let-down, multiple courses came warm from the kitchen (neither were creative or something I would order again), not even close to what we were hoping for. The sushi we did receive was very ordinary, the likes of yellow tail, salmon and scallop (really knocked our socks off). At the time I was ready to over-look the whole experience and chalk it up to whatever but then something changed in my immediate purview. A single gentlemen sat down next to us, clearly a regular who was getting special attention. Well, this patron started getting fabulous order after order instead of the uninteresting selections they dropped in front of us. I had spent some time in the F&B business and that just did not sit well with me, I took this occasion to make my feelings known to management in a reasonable fashion away from other customers. The gentleman I spoke to seemed sympathetic to my plight but in the end the chef/owner decided my satisfaction was not worthy and he paid me no regard, not even I'm sorry you were not happy with the choices that were made! I thought back to my days in college as a food server, one night before opening the maître d' hotel share a newspaper article with us. It was called the "The Customer that never comes back". The article has aways resonated with me, it's not just my family that will never come back I will tell everyone I know to not come back or go in the first place! What a disappointment, thanks for the mediocrity & piss poor response! read more

First introduced to this hidden gem for locals exactly a decade ago and loved being back to celebrate good friends. My standing favorites are the blue crab soy paper wrap and the crispy rice spicy tuna. And for dessert, of course the mochi ice cream. read more

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I love Takao. The service is impeccable and the quality is superb. I ordered the dinner entree of sushi, the yellowtail jalepeno sashimi, and spicy tuna crispy rice. I was blown away at the quality of fish. However, the spicy tuna crispy rice could have been better (crisper rice is preferred). Will definitely be back! read more

Takao - 10 piece entree - Sushi Bars Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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We live in the neighborhood and this is our go to sushi spot. Simply the best, with amazing service too. Everyone at this restaurant is so kind and attentive. Every dish is high quality. Lucky to live just a few minutes walk from Takao! read more

Had lunch with a GF the other day. The food was DELICIOUS! Every bite was fresh and so tasty. 4 stars is the highest that I can give this establishment because the service was lacking. I had to keep looking for someone to get a water refill. Then when we were waiting for the check, no one was around. If the service improves by at least 75% then I could give another star. read more

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Solid sushi spot. Very busy on weeknights and reservations are recommended. We ordered: Crispy rice and spicy tuna: Delicious! A must order. White fish sashimi new style: Excellent if you like truffle. Yellowtail sashimi w/ jalapeño: Good but I wouldn't order it again. Toro sashimi: Simple and sublime. Miso cod: Excellent. A bit salty because of the miso. Served with pickled radish. A nice cooked option. Green salad: Basic salad you'd find at any sushi place. Sesame dressing. read more

My girlfriend and I came here for a quick lunch. We didn't make a reservation, but we were able to be seated right away (Presidents Day). The main reason for us to try Takao was to have good authentic sushi at a reasonable price. This goal was achieved! This restaurant is more for the food than for the ambience. It does not look shabby or anything, but the atmosphere does not feel upscale, either. I ordered the assorted sushi special ($18 with a soft shel crab roll). I would not say the sushi was amazing, but it was authentic and solid, great for the price. The fish was fresh, and the sushi was well crafted (see my photo). The sushi chefs were Japanese, which is rather rare these days. I will definitely come back for more sushi. 高級店で食べるようではありませんが、値段も手頃でお寿司の味もなかなかよかったです。雰囲気、サービスとも悪くはなかったですが、特別な日に行くお店というよりは、ちょっと寿司を食べたい時に気のおけない友達と行くのにいいようなお店だと思いました。 Practical Tips: + On nigiri sushi, they add wasabi under the fish (as they do in Japan). If you (or children) do not like wasabi, you would have to ask when you order. + Sushi special comes with a roll (on top of 5 nigiri sushi). If you pay extra, you can get a shrimp tempura roll, a soft shell crab roll, or yellowtail with green onion, but it is IN PLACE OF (not on top of) the spicy tuna roll which is part of the description. ****************************** If you found something useful in my review, please hit "useful" so that I can improve my reviews. If you love food and traveling, follow me, or better yet, let's become friends on Yelp! Thank you and happy Yelping! read more

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The food was more ordinary than expected, given the reputation and the emphasis on special dishes. The chef's special sushi dinner was pretty good if straightforward, it was the chef's special sashimi dinner that was very ordinary looking. And the sashimi appetizer option everyone selected appeared to be poorly cut, at least for a place of this quality. Don't get me wrong, it's good, but with so many sushi restaurants in Los Angeles, Takao is a tough sell. read more

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Such a good no frills kind of spot in the heart of it all. I loved coming here post workout and grabbing some rolls that were really decently priced, super fresh, and the service was great. It isn't going to give you the ambience you would expect of a sushi place of its quality but I love coming here and having a chill and relaxed experience. Fish is excellent, the menu has so many things to choose from and even the hot food was so great and so reasonable for portion size and quality. Snow crab hand rolls were great and at $14 vs $20 for fake crab at Katsuya it was wonderful. Will happily be back and support this local gem ! read more

Y'all!!!!!!!! This place is just ugh....fantastic. My coworkers took me here for an early birthday lunch. I am not sure what I was expecting but I can't wait to come back. For the table we ordered the "New Style Sashimi With Truffle", the sauteed spicy eggplant and the crispy rice and spicy tuna. The sashimi with truffle literally melted in your mouth. The eggplant was so incredibly soft and seasoned well. It wasn't too spicy and we just couldn't stop eating it. It was my first time trying crispy rice and I was pleasantly surprised. It wasn't overpowering and I felt that the soft tuna paired really well with rice. I ordered the lobster tempura as my main dish. If I hadn't been so full already I would have ordered another!!! The tempura batter was light and fluffy. They provided a dipping sauce which wasn't anything like I tasted before. I wish I took pictures but just trust me, It was amazing. read more

Great lunch at Takao today. The sushi was fresh and the cuts are a decent size. The lunch specials we had were an assortment of sushi with a roll (either spicy tuna or avocado depending on the plate). Definitely more than adequate food for lunch. The ambiance is casual and unpretentious. Service was attentive and quick. We were in and out in just a bit over 30 minutes. read more

Food is incredible and authentic and the service somehow tops that. Some of the best restaurant staff in the LA area

A sushi treat - love the owners and their commitment to getting fresh seafood. Really cute spot, great for small groups or dates. I come here often, and have tried the omakase, a la carte and sitting by the bar - never had a bad dinner here! read more

Takao - Sushi Bars Near Me - Los Angeles, California

I am Japanese from Japan. The person I went with was also Japanese from Japan. We both ordered Ten-Don from the lunch menu. (Tendon: assorted tempura on rice with tendon sauce served in a bowl). We clearly ordered the $15 tendon. I pointed at this on the menu as well. Tempura is supposed to be freshly fried, crispy and light. However. The tempura served here were all gooey, soggy, and I held the shrimp by the tail and the layer of soggy skin fell off. Worst tempura we've ever had in our lives. In Japan, people often eat the entire shrimp including the tail shell of the shrimp because it's so crisp like chips. But this place's tempura was so soft and soggy we couldn't. Also, when we got the check, they charged us $28 each bowl, which was the "chef choice special tendon". We clearly didn't say we'd like the chef's special tendon. Honestly, the tempura at Mitsuwa Japanese supermarket food court (Hannosuke) is so so much better than here, which is embarrassing. The lady sitting next to us ordered Yellowtail but got Cod and she had to inform the server of the wrong fish. 1. If the chef didn't know the difference between yellowtail and cod, that's a problem. 2. If they served yellowtail instead of cod thinking customers won't know the difference, that's a problem. Also, the menu in front of the restaurant had lunch assorted tempura which has Scallop listed. But in the menu handed to customers after sitting down, had scallops crossed out. That's also deceiving to invite customers in with scallop on the outside menu and not have that served in the real meal. It was the worst lunch we've had in years, horrible food and wrong charges. If this restaurant is owned by Japanese, I am very disappointed and embarrassed as Japanese. I wonder if they think this kind of horrible food served is ok because American customers won't know any quality (hey, it's Brentwood, you all know the demographic in this area). They need to have pride, it's plain embarrassment. read more

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Fresh quality food and they're very friendly. Traditional Japanese style cuisine, have to try!

Despite living in the area, this was my first time at Takao. Main chef was not in but I ordered the omakase and a few al carte dishes. Takao has good sushi but it isn't the traditional negiri purist type that I am use to. Omakase was a good chance to sample their cooked food menu and some innovative combinations. I really didn't get a great selection of their sushi menu. All of the dishes were good but none of the were ground shaking. with a price tag of $70-120 I would expect something to blow my mind every now and then. I did however like how they managed to work in the request for uni tempura into the omakase. Omakase 1: Salad in vinager base with snowcrab, cucumber, and jellyfish. Omakase 2: Baby yellow tail with japlapenos in ponzu Omakase 3: Sardine roll in a rice paper wrap Omakase 4: white fish in "charcoal sauce" - tasted really meaty and was very pleasant. Omakase 5: salmon in a sizzle hot skillet Omakase 6: tempura - we asked to add uni tempura to our lunch Omakase 7 - miso soup and sushi Dessert - mochi - 2 basic mochi you can probably get at the grocery but still nice to have. Seared wagyu - tender and delicious. Toro on crispy rice with caviar - the crispy rice was well done and it goes well together. I didn't feel the warmth that I would feel sitting at the sushi bar at other places like sushi kimagure or nozawa bar. The chefs hardly talked to us and didn't even serve us directly like other sushi bars (defeating the purpose of sitting at the bar). As a whole, Takao is a pretty solid choice for mixed rolls and new innovative flavors. A comparable restaurant in my opinion would be that of yu-n-mi sushi. Next time, I would likely order their sushi a la carte to get a real feel for their sushi. read more

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Takao is literally the best - our "go to" favorite restaurant in LA. The food is always delicious, exciting & better each time. The service is fantastic - warm & professional. Chef Takao & his wife Sammy are a friendly presence. We've been regulars for 25 years & feel fortunate to be part of the Takao family. They honor traditional Japanese food, vegan dishes & modern takes on every type of dish. Be sure to send a beer to Takao (after 8pm) and you'll likely get something special from him! The ambiance is like you're eating in their home. It's clean, cozy & just right. P.S. The Abby Roll (off the menu) is a must, as is the Halibut Tiradito sashimi. read more

Went here with a friend from Japan. The wait staff definitely was very accommodating. It's probably one of the better places in the neighborhood so if you're looking for some sushi and some Japanese food slightly on the creative side, you might like this place. read more

Absolutely fantastic Omakase! There were three tiers and we did the middle, it was delicious and was filling which isn't always the case with sushi. Super friendly staff and a non-pretentious atmosphere. The sashimi and nigiri were remarkable and the steak was great too- I loved being able to see the dishes prepared right in front of me and described by the chef who prepared it read more

As some others, my friend and I wanted to come here ever since hearing on Chef's Table that Niki Nakayama worked here before opening n/naka. We eventually made it for an omakase one weekend evening. It's not what you'd expect for a typical omakase! If you're expecting a more traditional nigiri omakase, it's more of a mix here. At the beginning, there's a lot more fish-based dishes, raw and cooked, as well as some cooked meats near the end. In the middle is where you get your nigiris, but they make up less than 50% of the dining experience, which came as a bit of a surprise. What's on deck though was fantastic and creative, haven't had fish presented, seasoned and composed like this before. Everything tasted great and nuanced between each other. The toro three ways was a highlight as well as the scallops three ways. If you're looking for an out of the ordinary omakase, Takao is worth checking out! read more

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Went to takao for the first time since covid. I stopped by the restaurant an hour earlier to ask if they could reserve a table for us, as they were quite busy on a Wednesday night around 6pm. The staff was friendly and make space for my friends and I to sit. They have 2 heaters outdoors and made sure to place one by our table as soon as we arrived. The food was great as always, we had yellowtail and salmon rolls and the eggplant miso. Love this neighborhood spot and will definitely be back. read more

Absolutely delicious sushi. I ordered the set menu. It was multiples of fix dishes. Delicious and expensive, but not unique. Once again it maybe that I had a huge expectation, before getting there. In any case as good as it gets and wonderful staff. read more

Fantastic very fresh fish. Just had some basics but all were excellent. Service friendly too- they accommodated me right before closing time. Will return to sample some more things. read more

It wasn't horrible but wasn't good either. We won't be going back for several reasons. We visited on a random weekday and it really wasn't very busy yet they were sooooooo slow. The sushi was not flowing out to the table they were taking forever to prepare each dish. RED FLAG: One of the chefs was literally standing in the food prep area stuffing his face with rice. We didn't see him prepare anything but he was there eating. Like this is sushi! Eat and then wash your hands all in the back! Why are you in the food prep area eating rice? Food: we ordered yellowtail sashimi with jalapeños and tuna rice cakes which were both good and were the only good things. We also ordered a blue crab cut roll, scallop sushi which they put in a roll both were mediocre. Between the hit or miss food, slow service, and employees eating in the prep area, it's a hard "No" for us returning. read more