Parking: Easy metered street parking or Santa Monica public parking garages have reasonable rates…read more Reservation: Easy to make online using Tock but walk-ins also doable Service: Really on top of it - menus provided right away, no long waits for food, friendly servers and hostess, my water was always refilled, and plates were taken away as soon as they were done Ambiance: The front is a nondescript black door right next to the Chevron along Wilshire and inside is a nice atmosphere with a Samurai in a display case, bar seating along the side, and dark minimalistic interior. Food: Really appreciate that there are plenty of non alcoholic and mocktail options since very few places have such a variety. The poppin' lychee with mint was delicious. Mentaiko udon - very light, subtle flavor; wish it had a stronger mentaiko presence though not too creamy which I liked Toro sushi taco - good amount of quality toro though wasabi is mixed inside which wasn't my preference Sunomono cucumber salad with wakame seaweed - not bad though even with the HH price, the portion was small and not worth it in my opinion Aburi shime saba - seared cured mackerel that was torched tableside was fun and the searing to order gave a freshly smoky flavor while the fish itself was cold so it had good contrast Sashimi mori - thick portioned cuts of good quality fish served on ice to keep cool and they're able to accommodate the amount to the number of people sharing; fish changes depending on availability but salmon, scallop, and yellowtail were good, wasn't crazy about the sweet soy sauce for the chutoro, sea bream not bad, bonito was smoky Kakuni pork belly taco - not overly heavy and really good flavors Corn ribs with shoyu butter - such a delicious glaze and crisp texture outside, super unique in flavor Hojicha creme brulee - really love hojicha and they infused it so well into the creme brulee with solid tea flavor that balanced really well so it wasn't too sweet Wagyu meatballs with onion soy reduction - personally love caramelized onions and they did such a good job getting the rich, sweet flavor out; it wasn't overwhelming since I broke down the meatball to soak up the sauce Edamame - sea salt and lime gave it good seasoning and portion was worth it for HH Honmaguro salmon - sashimi was good but pricey for the small portion Honmaguro bluefin tuna - sashimi was good but also pricey for the portion, though the cuts were thicker than the salmon so slightly preferable Poke taco - good amount of poke on a seaweed "tortilla" which was really worth it for HH Bluefin tuna nigiri set - good flavor and quality though toro chewier Premium nigiri set - absolute favorite from here though sadly was only a seasonal special; toro with caviar was amazing, sweet shrimp melted in my mouth with how tender it was and ikura was great, and the seared scallop was smoky with uni on top Negitoro with garlic bread - solid though prefer without cream and wasabi personally Karaage - super juicy and flavorful with dark meat used so it didn't need sauce Garlic shrimp - good with garlic chili crisp on top and great size Wagyu curry - good curry with a spicy kick that's not overpowering though the wagyu is ground beef so hard to distinguish the quality Dan dan noodles - prominent peanut flavor Omakase - Caesar's salad was great without cheese or heavy ranch and crisps on top for texture, seared cured mackerel always good, sashimi was thick cuts of sea bream, bonito, and bluefin tuna which were good, mussels and clams had great flavor from sauce, corn rib in shoyu butter and tempura battered shrimp with chili mayo was one of my favorite courses since the shoyu butter flavor and texture on the corn is so delicious and the shrimp was well cooked, the black cod was subtle in flavor and I was pleasantly surprised that it came with a sweet potato puree and roasted tomato as well as crispy skin and had that smokiness, wagyu meatball was great as usual, wagyu curry was super filling, miso soup great palate cleanser, and mango sticky rice sorbet was a bit too hard in texture for me personally and not enough mango Skip: mentaiko udon, sunomono cucumber salad with wakame seaweed, honmaguro salmon and bluefin tuna, dan dan noodles Would order again: HH edamame, HH poke taco, HH kakuni pork belly taco Must orders: hojicha creme brulee, aburi shime saba (seared cured mackerel), corn ribs, wagyu meatball (if you love caramelized onions), karaage I've been here four times now and have to say the $70 happy hour omakase (typically $80) was my favorite experience here so far although my favorite bites were from their seasonal special when the $20 nigiri premium set was offered. They have all day happy hour on Sundays and Mondays which is really nice to not worry about a cutoff and late night on Fridays and Saturdays from 9-10:30pm in addition to Tuesdays - Fridays 5-6:30pm and Saturdays 4-6pm. The omakase does end 30 min before happy hour does though!!

Stumbled on this amazing place when we were in the mood for Japanese. It had a small sign out front…read moreafter parking and we hopped inside. It's a cozy place with great service and unique options. If you're looking got rolls here, don't bother because it's a traditional place and they don't mess with rolls. Everything was delicious and they had a lot of vegan options. The vegan curry was amazing. They have a regular and late night happy hour as well with all day on Mondays and Sundays. Everything is made fresh and the kitchen is right in front of you over the counter. Highly recommended place for everything. Food; traditional, fresh, lots of variety Prices: $6-$30 Parking: lots of meters on Wilshire and side streets Dietary: plenty of vegan and vegetarian options Atmosphere: cozy for dates, but also tables for groups, and a bar area. Service: very helpful and fast

Great spot right in the heart of Santa Monica. The space is bright, open, and welcoming, and we…read morewere seated quickly. I'd definitely come back. The vegetables were excellent--the bok choy and green beans were my favorites. The dumplings with the chili oil sauce were the standout dish, so definitely order those. The noodles were also really good. Overall, great food, great vibes, and friendly service. A solid spot if you're in the area.

Pretty much everything was way too salty, especially the three cup chicken and mapo tofu, which…read morealso had this odd starchy texture. Rice was undercooked, and the pork crab soup dumpling had a nice thin skin but the meat inside was tough. The oxtail beef noodle soup was at least edible and probably the best of the main dishes.... Surprisingly the fried vegetable dumplings were the best thing we ordered. Service was attentive and spacious.

The food was absolutely amazing. I didn't have much, just the ramen but it's one of the best I've…read morehad. The servers were really nice and service was quick. The food came out quicker than expected. The whole vibe of the place is so cool. I really like the pink flowers and the Japanese drawings by the booth I was sitting in. 10/10 absolutely recommend coming here

Pretty good food and service in the Santa Monica area. The price range is totally reasonable. In…read morefact, it's even lower than my usual SGV neighborhood. Portion is big , sushi is fresh. Maybe not the freshest sushi that we ate. But with this price tag, it's totally acceptable. We tried the 12 piece sushi combo, chicken bento, ramen and chicken karage. All tastes pretty decent. They have outdoor patio and indoor seating. Spacious seating. We came on a weekday lunch hour, so the restaurant is not too busy. Public parking at their back, $1 for the first 90 minutes. Very reasonable in the neighborhood.

Incredible baked rolls and excellent cocktails. I ordered the baked lotus roll and it was packed…read morewith crawfish

Great food and a nice space, Nate was super kind and helpful with all of our questions.read more

The malatang here is actually really good. I like that you're charged by weight, so you can…read morecustomize your bowl with exactly what you want instead of paying for ingredients you don't care about. I'd skip the noodles, though--they're surprisingly filling. I usually have enough soup left over to take home and turn it into another meal. Totally coming back. ENJOY!

The malatang is pretty good, but the cleanliness really needs improvement. I found a short black…read morehair in my food, and the sauce bar looked messy and poorly maintained. The chili and garlic sauces were very watery, and I even noticed a fruit fly in the chili container. It didn't seem like the staff were keeping the condiment area clean throughout the day. The tray return area was also dirty, with soup splattered all over the wall. It was hard to enjoy my meal knowing the restaurant wasn't being kept clean. The food has potential, but the overall lack of cleanliness made for a disappointing experience.

My expectations for Chinese food out in the West LA area are not super high but Dong Ting was…read moresurprisingly decent! It is located right between Coco Ichibanya and 10 speed so I would opt to try to find street parking in the neighborhoods just behind the restaurants or metered parking on the main road -- this can get tricky during peak hours though. You have the option of ordering from a tablet right at the front if you're just planning to do take out! It was relatively empty when we got there so we were seated right away and placed our orders with a QR code. Our server was there by herself around 5:30 but the food was prompt with coming out. Portions were HUGE to be honest for the price relative to what you usually expect these days in the LA. - Popcorn chicken: came out piping hot and freshly fried, nice aroma from the fried basil. Solid spot if you're craving Chinese popcorn chicken - Woodear: surprisingly had a nice spicy kick from the chilies, no complaints! - Beef noodle soup with spicy: only a very subtle mala flavor but broth was beefy, noodles had great texture. Only lacking thing were pieces of beef were kind of small but otherwise I was very satisfied - If you spend over $50 you get a free dish (pork dumpling, xialong bao/soup dumpling, or spicy (saliva) chicken. Opted for the xiaolong bao which was okay... meat was on the leaner side and didn't taste fresh but the skin wasn't super overly thick and a decent amount of soup inside Overall, for the value and standard of Chinese food in the west LA area I would come back if I ever wanted something decent local to me! :)

This is a pretty good place to eat in the Japanese centric area of Sawtelle…read more The chicken (fried chicken) is excellent and a good portion. I also tried the noodle soup, which was good. Parking can be easy on the weekdays if you park in the adjacent neighborhood residential streets (watch for parking restriction signs to avoid getting any tickets). The downside to this place in my opinion is the automated "APP" ordering system using a QR reader menu and online ordering. I'd say it would be more personal to have a human being take orders and engage with customers who may have questions and create a friendly vibe. The staff were helpful and friendly, so that wasn't the problem, it's the lack of opportunity for engagement that I think would make this place a bit more warm and fuzzy feeling in atmosphere.

Uovo pasta truffle is still the goat. So rich scrumptious and delicious…read more Dine LA set of truffle pasta full size, ravioli and tiramisu for 45$. Truffle pasta is so so good. I'm not a huge fan of the ravioli. The tomato sauce tastes too sour and ravioli with ricotta is too much cream.

The food was top notch all around but wanted to give a shout out to the host and waitress - they…read morewere very warm and friendly, which is a nice luxury in today's world. I appreciate their human energy, beyond just being polite. We had an office lunch and did the tasting menu and were glad that we did. It was a bonus to be able to try a plethora of dishes, and this kind of quality restaurant is the place you want to do this. I loved the various flavors and I'm no master chef but the dishes were high level.

Came for a weekday lunch and there wasn't a wait, but the restaurant did start filling up around…read more12:10-12:15. I had the Tokyo mazemen, which was super flavor and I really enjoy the thickness and texture of the noodles. They give you a small bit of rice at the end so you can enjoy the bit of sauce of the dish with it. There are a couple metered street parking spots right in front or the side streets have parking too - just make sure to read the signs as some of the streets are permit parking only.

Was in town and looked up some top restaurants and this was the most highly rated so I figured…read morelet's go try it out plus I've been wanting to try mazemen aka dry ramen for a while so I was very excited. We parked around the corner walked in. It was a one man show and he was very attentive and nice. We ordered the saitama mazemen and umami bowl. I wanted to try the deluxe but my spice level isn't that high unfortunately so I figured this one wouldn't be that bad since it said so. I won't lie my partner and I found it a tad too spicy for us but for seasoned spice eaters it's prob perfect. I think I had different expectations of what the dish should taste like but mine was overwhelmingly seaweed flavor which I'm not the biggest fan of. I'd like to give mazemen another try but flavor wise it was a bit disappointing. The chicken karaage was delightfully light and crunchy and I really liked the dressing on top and the kale underneath. Small shop walking distance of all the restaurants in Sawtelle, it's quaint and makes authentic cuisine, just not my preference!

Ambiance was great with abundant seating. The flavors of the appetizer, drinks and ramen were…read moreflavorful and a great balance of sweet, fresh, and spicy. Dessert was my favorite! It was a perfect blend of matcha and a soft spongy tiramasu

The food was absolutely amazing, and everything was so fresh and flavorful! The service was…read moreexcellent, friendly, and attentive. We had such a great experience and would definitely come back again. Highly recommend!

Best pick up service ever Nice friend woman on the front…read more Love this place Always ready or max 5 min waiting time Thank you !

I go to alot of asian restaurants and this one is average but on the upscale Montana Ave in Santa…read moreMonica north of Wilshire. The seating area is small and very awkward. I also got there around 9 and was rushed out as they were closing soon. The food was average and the portion size below avg for the $$ equaling poor value. I will not repeat visit. It was not awful but not worth another visit imo.