Food was good, service was ok, ambience was ok. I would' most likely go back. Waiters brought check without being asked it gave the impression that that we were being urged to leave. read more

I woke up on one random Sunday morning and for some bizarre reason, I was SO in the mood for a bento box. And like always, it was Yelp to the rescue! I've had my share of bento boxes - some better than others - but I wanted to try some place new. I also wanted to get a side of mackerel sushi. A few places popped up, but I was drawn to come to this place instead. Located at the Tozai plaza, I already knew parking could be a serious issue. I came 15 minutes too early for opening hour. No big deal. I figure I'd check out menus on places I haven't been to at this plaza yet. 15 minutes flew by and next thing I knew, I was seated at the bar. (And no, I wasn't their first customer either - there were already 2 tables occupied at opening hour.) Menus were good and ready to go. Asked what I wanted to drink, "just water, please." I knew exactly what to get: salmon bento, teriyaki on the side. I asked what kind of sushi was included should I had chosen that as a side, "One salmon, one tuna." I didn't bother asking if I could sub mackerel since I wanted to try their tempura as a side anyway. Food came through quickly. Since I sat at the sushi bar, the mackerel sushi was handed to me in a matter of minutes. I hadn't gotten the chance to take a bite yet and the bento box along with the miso soup came almost immediately after. MACKEREL SUSHI: It had that exact tang and salty fishy taste my taste buds were wanting. It was PERFECT. What made it even better is that they gave me an extra piece. (Yay!) BENTO BOX: Miso soup was a bit on the salty side, but for someone who prefers food on the salty side, it was a non-issue. As requested, teriyaki sauce was on the side. I tackled the mac salad first which I found light with good level of seasoning. The salad was fresh and tossed with the perfect amount of dressing. The tempura came with three pieces: shrimp, sweet potato and cucumber - all cooked to order HOT. They were all battered perfect and tasty. Fish was pan fried delicious, although a little under seasoned. A sprinkle of salt might have made a difference, but yummy, nonetheless. I really enjoyed having little bits and pieces of everything! FOOD: 5. Nothing major of a snag to rate it lower. SERVICE: 4. Very little interaction but available when needed. VALUE: 4.5. PARKING: Shared with a lot of popular places. Schedule accordingly. OVERALL: 4.5 I took my time munching on every part of this plate. It definitely hit the spot! On a side note, you know how some say, "You'll never forget where you were when you heard (fill in the blank.)?" Welp... it was during this lunch grub I learned the loss of LA's great Kobe Bryant. But great experience, otherwise. Definitely keeping them in mind for the next bento craving! read more

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Wish I could give this restaurant 5 stars but we were disappointed at the end. We arrived around 9pm and were seated without any issues. The food was truly delicious and came out pretty quickly. The 2 stars were knocked off because around 945, diners that were already there, seated, and served were being rushed out. In the end we weren't even given water or checked on. We overheard a table next to us being rushed with their check even though they still had their food and drinks. We were finishing up our meal and drinks when one of the servers began stacking the chairs on the tables next to us, which is pretty rude in my opinion. Their sign outside says closing time is 10pm but their Yelp profile says 9:30, which makes it more for confusing. I understand the employees are simply following rules but doesn't make sense to rush customers that were accepted to dine in. read more

Tampopo Restaurant - Sushi Bars Near Me - Gardena, California

Came here for the first time earlier tonight and it was pretty good! I got the unagi don set (comes with a regular size tampopo ramen and a small unagi don with seaweed salad) and my husband got the sashimi combo B. The ramen was really great, had a nice flavor (I got the spicy upgrade), and the unagi wasn't too bad either. I was a bit surprised that the ramen wasn't really broth heavy like most ramen places, and it had the biggest chashu slices I've seen in a bowl of ramen in a long time. The sashimi and rolls tasted super fresh. We ordered the Heart Attack Roll and the Skinny Philadelphia Roll as starters and the Heart Attack Roll was bomb! I'm not super crazy about Philadelphia rolls no matter where I go but I did enjoy this one. All sushi rolls are 50% off right now too so that's a major plus. The biggest downside, in my honest opinion, is parking--anyone who has been to Tozai Plaza more than once knows that it's an absolute nightmare to drive around and try to get parking on nights and weekends. It's a tiny restaurant and it is Japanese style seating inside, so the tables are VERY close together. If being in close proximity to others is a big concern due to COVID I would strongly recommend ordering delivery and skipping dining in. I would definitely eat here again but would probably order delivery or come in during off hours like a Tuesday afternoon, but that's almost exclusively because I hate playing real life Mario Kart trying to find parking at Tozai Plaza. read more

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Zinga roll was really yummy! It has a nice smoky flavor. The Spicy Tempura Shrimp Roll was about a 7/10. read more

Tampopo Restaurant - Zinga Roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Gardena, California

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Stopped off at Tampopo Restaurant in Gardena for the first time. It's a really cool spot, and the service was amazing. They're very quick to greet you and get you seated at a table of your choice, the staff is very friendly and polite. It does get busy and tends to stay busy (good sign) because the food is made fresh and tastes great, and it comes to your table at record time. I mean, this place is fast at getting your food to your table. It's located in a shopping center which I call (restaurant row) because of all the restaurants located in that center. The parking can be challenging because it's so busy at that center. The restaurant is very antique looking, and the atmosphere is super chill and relaxing. The sushi rolls are made to order and come to your table fresh. The bento plates are large and come with plenty of food. The rice plates can feed two people easy. I love this place and will be back soon. The food and decor are very authentic, which I can appreciate. Oh, and of course, the prices are right on target and fair for the quality of food you get. Great place go go hang out. read more

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Service sucks. Ordered chirashi that is easy to make. There was 4 of us and everyone else's order came and mine wasn't ready. I think that the waiter forgot and when I asked about my lunch he told me that the chefs were on lunch break. So I'm supposed to wait another hour????? Everyone else was almost done and my order was not even being prepared??? Terrible service. I told him that I would goto the Sushi place next door if I couldn't get my food. I'm never going back there. It's changed a LOT from years ago. Food was just okay. The place next door is ALOT BETTER. Great service and much better food. read more

Sunday 8:10pm I arrived to buy takeout food. The guy who served me didn't greet me, didn't ask my name or give me a receipt, he just turned around and left. I didn't know if my food was ready or not. I had to ask a waiter about it because it took so long. Really bad customer service. Sorry. (I think the guy serving is called Jhon or I don't know, but he was the oldest waiter.) read more

My boyfriend and I were on the look for a new ramen spot to try...reviews pointed us to Tomizo, but after waiting outside for over 40 minutes to be seated, my boyfriend wanted to leave. So we ended up leaving, and while driving around, we saw Tampopo and we decided to try our luck. Zero regrets . The food and service were great. Very casual restaurant, great for kids and the whole family. It was our first time having warm sake, and we loved it lol...ramen, bbq short ribs, sushi, and sake were just bomb diggity....totally recommend. read more

Tampopo Restaurant - Sushi Bars Near Me - Gardena, California

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Food is super great and very affordable. Service can be a little bit better- it'll definitely depend on who you get but service is okay I guess. Restaurant is cool but very limited read more

Very affordable sushi that is fresh and delicious. I'm not sure how long it'll last but the sushi rolls are 50% off here, so most of them are less than $8/roll. They taste great and are totally worth the money. I'm super basic and ordered the California roll, Golden California roll, and crunch roll. Highly recommend! The Golden California roll was my fave... crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. I also had the mixed tempura (shrimp and veggies) and I loved it. The tempura was perfectly fried and rather than a soggy texture, the tempura is crispy and thin so you get a nice bite of veggie/shrimp. The place offers indoor dining and it's pretty popular so don't be surprised if it's crowded inside. Service is speedy so if you're hangry (like I was) then check this place out. The plaza this restaurant is located in has a bunch of other restaurants so the lot might be packed, but the lot is big so I'm sure you'll find parking after one or two loops around. read more

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The sushi is good, not amazing. The rolls are pretty big and priced at 50% off! I normally come here if I just need a quick sushi fix. The numbering on the menu is a little confusing because the "Basic Rolls" are #1-19 and the "Tempura/Crunch Rolls" are #1-24. Why not just have the numbering continue, and not cause any confusion?? I ordered the Special Deluxe A - which comes with 5 pieces of sushi (Salmon, Tuna, Snapper, Albacore & Shrimp) and any one of the 50% Rolls for $14.99. The employees had great customer service when I've gone the past couple of times. Parking - can be a little difficult as they share a lot with other businesses. read more

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Tampopo is great! It is a delicious spot with ramen sushi and more! This place is perfect for my family. We normally get shrimp tempura and that flys off the table. Most of the time I have to order 2 because everyone love it so much! The sushi is great and they have a variety of rolls which my boys love! They specifically ask for Tampopo for celebrations. The bentos boxes are great for my parents as they are a little old school Mexican and do not eat sushi. They love the teriyaki chicken and ribs. The ramen is delicious I normally get a set because the friend rice is so tasty. But the ramen is really great! Large size, savory broth. The noodles are cooked perfect and delicious. This spot is a family favorite! We love coming here and sometimes we order delivery or takeout and the food still gets home delicious! read more

Supringly good foods for a very old place. Service was sweet & fast. Place is super old and outdated so we were very hesitant to eat here. They stuck my boyfriend's family of 4 in an odd corner where the sushi chef makes all the foods. The bench only fit 1 person, table were sticky but once the foods came out..everything tasted delicious as the reviews have said. May come back lol read more

To go orders only during this pandemic. We placed a pretty big order today. We were told it would take 20 minutes or so. Everything was packaged neatly and everything was so fresh and delicious. Oh yes and all the containers were labeled. We definitely appreciated this! Shout out to chef Paul and staff for always taking care of us. read more

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Always amazing every time I go! Even my dad loves it & he's super picky about restaurants. I always get the spicy ramen & ahh it's so yummy! The broth is rich and so comforting. We also always order at least 5 sushi rolls, trying different ones each time & I have not been disappointed once. Highly recommend coming here! read more

Ambiance: small and packed restaurant, usually there's waiting line for weekend nights Service: very fast and friendly, provided useful suggestion Food: overall good taste, very salty and msg taste though, the combo set menu has the best value Chicken Teriyaki Bento - *** chicken was cold Tempura - *** average taste Gyoza - *** average taste Tampopo Ramen - **** pork bone and chicken bone broth, cha-shu, bean sprouts, green onions, fried onions, wakame seaweed, chewy soup, recommend Fried Rice - **** flavorful, recommend Price: decent portions and reasonable prices, about $15~$20 per person read more

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The foodmis good, the staff is always friendly, prices have gone up some since the pandemic and they no longer have any curry dishes, Tampico set is always a good choice and the sushi is always fresh. Good choice when you are in the area. read more

I feel bad giving this place 2 starts which they're fortunate just because for the food but the service or I mean our Waitress this evening was non existent. I believe her name was Trung but aren't really sure, that's what our receipt stated. Trung REALLY needs by far more customer service and really needs to be more attentive. Next time we will go to the Cerritos location instead or request a different waitress. Very disappointed this evening as we have been coming here for a bit. read more

One of best spicy ramens in Gardena! With the cold weather- ramen is happiness. Did a Yelp pick-up order- organized, and ready quickly. Spicy Ramen is very flavorful, their spicy edamame is a big portion and the Ca roll isn't skimpy either. Will definitely try their other ramens / sushi again! read more

Tampopo Restaurant - Spicy Ramen - Sushi Bars Near Me - Gardena, California

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I've been to the Cerritos location and LOVED it. I heard this was the original location so I had to check it out. Here was our experience on a Thursday evening. AMBIANCE: Parking: It's plaza parking but the two times I went here, parking was competitive. Seating: Seating all inside. Room for about 60 people for about 15-20 groups. There's also sushi bar seating as well. Feels: Torrance is a small town place with scattered plazas. This one is in a semi-busy spot with lots of eateries. The space itself is pretty neat, dimmed, and intimate. There's Top 40 music playing and two tvs on the sports channel. It's decorated with some warm colors, Japanese vintage decor and huge pictures of the food. A pretty steezy date night, food adventure, or family outting type of feel. FOOD: Salmon Skin Hand Roll (Recommend) Though they do have more creative dishes, these are my simple go-tos and it passed the test. The salmon skin was crunchy and not burnt. I enjoyed the mix of flavors with the crab meat. Salmon Sashimi (Recommend) I guess this location doesn't have salmon belly sashimi (le sigh). Other than that, this was delicious. Fresh and reasonable portion. CUSTOMER SERVICE: Pretty good. They were friendly and our orders came quickly. TL; DR OVERALL: 4.5 Stars. The selections were great, food was delicious, and the price was reasonable. In a spot with plenty of sushi and ramen spots, this is a solid spot to go. I personally like the Cerritos vibes better due to the relations I built with them, but the signature brand and all feels are here. TIPS: * If plaza parking is full or too tight, just do street parking. read more

Tampopo Restaurant - Salmon Skin roll and salmon sashimi - Sushi Bars Near Me - Gardena, California

I went here last night with my girlfriend and she claims that it was the best sushi she has ever had! I had the spicy chicken teriyaki meal and it was amazing! I would highly recommend. The servers were great and super kind. The establishment was very clean. The food came out quick after ordering. I would recommend coming here! read more

It was a really good spot for your japanese food fix. They got things from ramen to rice plates to an assortment of sushi. Very chill ambiance and nice little spot to go to get really good food for an affordable price in the South Bay. read more

The deals and specials are great and so is the services. However the quality of food is okay, not bad but not the greatest. Would recommend for their specials. read more

This place has the best ramen and sushi. Don't go anywhere else. The service is great. Food comes out fast and it's delicious every time 10/10 read more

Me and my husband ordered Tempura udon and tampopo ramen, they were delicious!!!! Will come back for sure

Very generous portions for all their food - the unagi don, the fried rice, and the unagi don/ramen sets in particular are massive and shareable! I would say the actual food itself is good, but not particularly great or memorable. I would say this is a solid spot for big portions and big menu selection, but not for spectacular sushi or ramen. read more

Tampopo Restaurant - Unagi (Freshwater Eel) Don - Sushi Bars Near Me - Gardena, California

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Great service from the start!! Got taken care of by Rebecca! High end service. Food wise.. amazing delicious fresh food. The tuna is soo good so fresh! And the rolls are perfectly made with brand quality rice. Udon soup is seasoned to perfection and ramen great texture. Great experience. I'm extremely picky with Japanese food because of my cuisine background. But this place does everything perfectly read more

Tampopo Restaurant - Yellowtail Sashimi - Sushi Bars Near Me - Gardena, California

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A woman is not bad service but another man is not good. The restaurant lack of staff, I understand but they do not have awareness and service mind. They served and walked around my table so many times for collected empty plate, cleaned table, welcome new customer and served their food next to my table but they let me waited for a Bill about 20 mins hence I went to cashier for paying but a man still do not care about us. Food and price is reasonable but i wont bck in the evening anymore. According a pic, i collected plate for them but they try keep eyes to anywhere and do not interested us. By the way, i tip to them even though i do not want to give them any penny. read more

Tampopo Restaurant - Sushi Bars Near Me - Gardena, California

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Doesn't look like much when you drive past this place but I have to say definitely a must! I came here once and now I have been coming back non stop! the sushi is so fresh and the spicy ramen soup is delicious . I love how they have a combo of ramen soup and sushi, since I always used to have a hard time deciding between those two the service is okay and the ambiance is nice and calm. read more

Tampopo Restaurant - Spicy ramen Miso Soup, California Roll and green tea - Sushi Bars Near Me - Gardena, California

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We order for pick up. The rolls are good they have this onion roll I like and a baked roll that is good too. The usuals are the spicy tuna rolls and the California rolls for the family. Everyone is always friendly read more

Had a great time eating here. We were seated quickly, even though it was quite busy. Service was good, food was Amazing. I ordered the Chicken Teriyaki plate and my daughter ordered the crazy Hulk Roll and my husband ordered the spicy Salmon tempura roll. We all loved the food! Delicious. read more

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Excellent food. My parents eat here 2-3 times a month. Since my mother is in a nursing home I have been doing takeout for them. It seems like 50% of the time they forget something. First time as a sushi roll. They caught the mistake and called me. It was too late to go back, so they had it for my dad later. Since then it has been wasabi, utensils, soy sauce. Like I said good food, just check your order. read more

Not gonna eat here anymore, used to come to this place weekly in 2019 but now the food taste very bland and prices are way higher. I under hey have to go up with inflation but the quality has gone down in my opinion. The service was always great in this busy place but the food just not cutting it read more

Hands down this was the best $20 I've spent in a long time. I got the Tampopo set which was everything you see pictured. The ramen was so flavorful and I'm so happy I got the extra eggs.. they were bursting with flavor! I really enjoyed the fried rice as well. The service was quick but I was the only one in the restaurant at the time. I'll definitely come back or order online from time to time. read more

Tampopo Restaurant - Sushi Bars Near Me - Gardena, California

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My last visit I had severe stomach camps and food poisoning. My order was TNT Sushi Roll. You wonder why their sushi rolls are half off. I suggest you eat with caution but for me I will not be coming back. My boyfriend ordered a Chicken Teriyaki set with egg rolls. He spat the egg rolls out since they were half frozen and old. *Service was lacking from the waitress that day even though it was not busy. Our second visit, be careful they don't do drink refills. They charged my boyfriend 3 times when he ordered diet Coke. The waitress was overwhelmed as it was crowded that day. We asked for water, she brought back Coke. We had to flag her down several times to get service. Our first visit was probably the best which helped us determine to come back here. My boyfriend really liked his ramen. For me, I thought the broth was way too oily. We will not be coming back, especially after the food poisoning. And from reading other reviews, others are having the same problems. You have been warned. read more

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Really solid rolls... Ready in 15 minutes... haven't dined in, only done takeout, but the waiters seem pretty nice when I pick up food.

Ramen was not too salty. It was perfect. Had a great flavor to it. The food is reasonably priced. They have good deals during the week. The customer service was awesome. They're really nice people. read more

Good food, friendly service. They have a huge list of rolls that you can get that's 50% off. Mostly spicy ones but I was able to find some good rolls. Filling, decent sized rolls, and good taste. Should have gotten the baked salmon roll vs the tempura salmon The prices for the rolls not on the 50% sale are pretty pricey but probably worth the price. We did not end up getting anything on the regular menu. read more

Tampopo Restaurant - 5% off sushi rolls - Sushi Bars Near Me - Gardena, California

This place is just amazing the food is great and the customer service is impeccable they are all so helpful and kind great place to eat super fair pricing read more