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    Uncle Tetsu

    4.6 (49 reviews)
    Open 11:00 am - 8:30 pm

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    GF cheesecake
    Ron L.

    I was heading to Tenkatori on Sawtelle just north of Olympic to get the best fried Japanese Chicken called kaarage that beats anything I've ever eaten in the fried chicken category and it's gluten free. As a result of construction on the second level I had to walk back down to the ground floor and that put me right in front of Uncle Tetsu Japanese Cheesecake. Whether this was an intentional rerouting paid by Uncle Tetsu or not, I had to check this out. I've had Italian Cheesecake, NY cheesecake and 1/100th of the cheesecake's at The Cheesecake Factory, but never Japanese cheesecake. My first question is always whether the food is Gluten Free and the answer was they had 2 whole cheesecakes: regular and mango. Somewhat cray cray at $23 dollars but I rationalized its 4 decent size slices & when will I ever get Japanese cheesecake let alone Uncle or Aunt Tetsu's. There was a pleasant young man who when posed the question which I should choose suggested the regular and so it is. Amen and Awomen. I'll end my drivel by saying the slice was light, yet firm. Creamy and delicious. One quarter was enough and I am dreaming of more Japanese cheesecake. Tuesday is taco Tuesday and I suggest Japanese Wednesday and not Sushi Saturday or Sunday but Kaarage and Cheesecake. Who knew? Dōmo arigatōgozaimasu!

    Sarah C.

    If you like japanese cheesecake, this is the place. The tarts are also great but you definitely need to let it cool down and set. Ive had a fresh one and wouldn't recommend having it that way.

    Original Cheesecake, Ube Cheesecake, Strawberry Tart
    Carlo G.

    I had some treats from here for my aunt's birthday: one original cheesecake, one ube cheesecake, and a strawberry tart that we stacked on top of each other for a layered birthday dessert haha. Both of the cheesecake textures were good, but they lacked in flavor especially the Ube one. Literally could not taste any Ube. They were very plain tasting, but they're weren't bad. They were good as light desserts that weren't too sweet. The strawberry tart was the best for me though. It had a nice strawberry flavor and was not too tart. The tart itself was easy to eat - not too hard nor too soft.

    Mallory C.

    I had always wanted to try Uncle Tetsu's cheesecakes when they went viral years ago, but I didn't get the chance. Now, with this location, I did! I got plain and strawberry mini cheesecakes, which were really delicious and fluffy. They were a great option if you don't want to buy an entire cheesecake. The store is tucked away in a Sawtelle strip mall. It's where Max Karaoke used to be. Parking is tough around Sawtelle, but this strip mall has a small parking lot.

    Shraina C.

    I happened to stumble in this place on a day where they had a buy one get one free promotion. It was my lucky day! I got the oreo cheesecake and the strawberry. They are so soft and fluffy! Not dense like a regular cheesecake! I will say the texture does firm up in the fridge so you have to let it sit for a couple minutes before enjoying! This is a great japanese cheesecake and will be returning if i'm craving!

    Original cheesecake
    Christina N.

    When I found out uncle tetsu opened in Sawtelle, I had to go. It is tucked away in an Asian strip mall, but it was easy to find for me. I could smell the deliciousness from a mile away, and the sign is pretty hard to miss if you know... anyhow, Their cheesecakes are phenomenal... so good that I used to drive over an hour for uncle tetsu. their other locations are a bit of a schlep, but totally worth it. My go to is the original, but today we got one of almost everything. The original cheesecake, the original basque cheesecake, and every single flavour of the cheesecake tarts. The sweet woman behind the counter was so helpful and provided great service. She also gave us some biscotti to try in addition to everything we bought which was so incredibly kind. We will definitely be back :)

    Mini cheesecakes
    S O.

    Ever since I had uncle tetsu's cheesecake in Osaka, I've been a huge fan! It's a great spot to grab some dessert to go. I love the original and ube cheesecakes, as well as the cheese tarts! They also recently seemed to have rolled out mini cheesecakes at $7 each. It's not as good of a deal considering that the full sized cheesecake is $13-14, but it's good for trying out different flavors. My only wish is that they would have matcha cheesecake at this location! Please make this flavor available!

    Original
    Raya M.

    This is coming from someone who had the real deal in Japan, this was not bad but it didn't compare to the ones in Japan. The cheesecakes here are more dense, not as light or fluffy, and they are a little bit more sweeter. They taste more like a fluffier pancake to me. Still good! I can't say this is bad, this is just very different than what I think it should be like. The pandan flavor was really good, I actually preferred it to the original flavor.

    Original cheesecake
    Anna Z.

    The original cheesecake was delicious! We came on Mother's Day and there was a cute Mother's Day stamp on it. The fluffiness of the cake and subtle sweetness tastes more guilt free than traditional American cheesecakes which I appreciate! $13 was a fair price for the small-medium cake. We sampled the sesame flavored cheesecake but it wasn't my favorite. The staff was friendly and shop was easy to find! Parking is harder in the Sawtelle area, so we walked.

    Original Japanese style cheesecake
    Scarlett H.

    My family has been driving to their Torrance store because we love the Japanese style cheese cakes. We are so glad to see this one open on the west side! It's in the super busy plaza with Nijiya market, Bear Papa, and Daiso. Parking can be a challenge on weekends or evening dining hours. But, it's worth it! For $13 (at this writing) you get a 6-inch (approximately) cheese cake that can serve about 4 to 6. For people who like the richer/heavier taste of traditional cheese cakes, their Basque style cheesecakes are also excellent! Store is clean and service is efficient and polite.

    Dee H.

    How lucky are we that Uncle Tetsu is now open on Sawtelle?! It's in the same parking lot as Daiso. Stumbled upon it recently and tried the cheese tart. I'd never had it here so thought it would be worth a shot. The original was our favorite over the ube. Both were rich and creamy filling in the middle. They also have basque cakes which are creamy, rich and quite the indulgence. I'll be back for the original uncle tetsu cheesecake next time! Food 10/10 - fresh Staff - 10/10 super friendly, knowledgeable, quick service Ambiance - 9/10 clean shop and welcoming but no where to enjoy (likely intentional) so you must take to go.

    Brian S.

    Had the cheese tart, which was good. Was about 3 inches in diameter and the top logo is white chocolate. I say it tastes like a runny cheese cake and not as sweet. The place was set up as a bakery, with around 10 various decisions on what there is to order. Place was very clean, No restroom, little to no parking.

    Uncle Tetsu
    Gina C.

    I've been wanting to try these cheesecakes forever and finally went today! We could literally smell how amazing the store smelled from outside. We tried the strawberry cheesecake and the ube cheesecake. The ube was the best thing ever and the strawberry was good! I love that they aren't too sweet and are very fluffy and flavorful. They also have really good looking tarts if you're into that (they look like mini versions of the cheesecakes) and everything is packaged so well!

    Oreo Cake

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    2 years ago

    Got the classic cheesecake! Was really good and light . Would go back again to try other flavors! Good and quick service

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    Page 2 of 2

    Ask the Community - Uncle Tetsu

    Torisoba Sumiya

    Torisoba Sumiya

    4.4
    (239 reviews)
    0.0 mi
    $$
    Kid friendly
    Large group friendly

    Torisoba Sumiya will change the way you think of ramen forever…read more Their signature is the Japanese BBQ chicken ramen. They grill their chicken on a very hot flame, and it comes out with a lovely charred, smoky flavor. This combines with the thick ramen broth for a truly unique and incredible sensation. Each table has a small container of yuzu paste; I would recommend mixing in a good bit to add a slight kick and some citrus notes to the ensemble. Do note that the interior, while intimate and great for small groups, isn't the biggest, so on a busy day you might need to wait. That said, I've never seen Torisoba Sumiya too crowded yet, so it might still be something of a hidden gem. I'll end off by saying this is ALWAYS my go-to for showing visitors ramen in LA. The reactions have been overwhelming. I've had a group enter a flow state eating their meals in complete silence, only to realize after it all just how significant that is. Another group shed legitimate tears over experiencing a new tier of ramen. With this in mind, don't come when you're in a rush, but definitely make sure to try it when you are able.

    Remember when this was Yakitori-ya? A Japanese charcoal-grilled beak to pygostyle chicken shop that…read morewas here for something like 27 years, manned by a lone chef and his wife until a couple years ago when it became Torisoba Sumiya, which is still a charcoal-grilled chicken shop but in the form of chicken-based ramen (torisoba in Japanese). Rumor has it Toshi-san, that lone chef from Yakitori-ya is still helming the charcoal here at Torisoba, having mastered and utilizing the existing grills that was for the yakitori to make the best torisoba in all of Little Osaka. The charcoal-blackened chicken broth is full of flavor. Smoky and luscious but still light and clean. The spicy chicken broth is also very balanced and rich, matching perfectly with thin chewy noodles and tender chicken. We added the small rice bowls to the ramen for only $5 more and devoured it like the beasts we are. I also had a draft of Suntory Premium Malt and it was wonderfully chilled with the perfect head. Server was friendly and asked if we parked in the plaza lot next door because they validate parking for an hour and a half. Spread the word! Free parking in LA and especially on the west side is worth the price of gold, amirite? Thank you, Torisoba, for a most delicious meal. Keep up the good work. I can't wait to come back and try the other flavors. See you then.

    Photos
    Kitchen
    Kitchen
    #3 rich spicy chicken ramen
    #3 rich spicy chicken ramen
    Small Japanese BBQ chicken bowl

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    Small Japanese BBQ chicken bowl
    Chinchikurin - Sawtelle

    Chinchikurin - Sawtelle

    4.2
    (943 reviews)
    0.1 mi
    $$

    If you're looking for a delicious okonomiyaki, this is a great spot to get your fix! Tons of…read moredifferent okonomiyaki options, as well as omurice, takoyaki, and other classic Japanese options. The spicy GOAM with crispy noodles as the base was great, definitely not as much of a spicy flavor as I thought, as it seemed the main source was pickled jalapeños tucked into the layers. I personally am not a fan of a concentrated spicy jalapeño bite so I ended up not getting much spice. However the rest of the pancake was very good! The loaded Kaisen was indeed piled high with seafood, but I thought the flavor was a bit light in the pancake itself. The seafood did seem fresh and tender though! The hamburg omurice was absolutely delicious. Something about their demiglace sauce here was special, I'm usually not a fan but this time I ate every drop! The steak was also tender and juicy, a perfect combination with the dish as a whole. At a late lunch time (2PMish) it wasn't too busy, and service was pretty quick! The interior is casual and you can even see the chefs working. I'd definitely come back to Chinchikurin, I can't wait to try more!

    How does a place like this go from five stars down to three stars? First and Foremost you're under…read morestaff , so one waiter was waiting on approximately 30 people. I have no idea what they were thinking, but this guy was so overwhelmed. The next thing we give our order and we receive our food , my friend and I ordered the exact same thing. Mine has a minuscule amount of meat and his is loaded so the chef messed up. I started eating mine and I realize how little meat is in it and I'm just kind of laughing because my friends are so large. The waiter, so busy that we cannot get his attention to show him. He finally has time we catch his attention because he's so overwhelmed and I told him about that. He says he'll be glad to take care of it. He asked if I like some more. I said that would be nice. He goes to the kitchen and tells them and they said NO, I gave the proper amount! This was the proper portion and the Kitchen actually refused to do what the waiter asked to make things right. Just amazing. I'm sure if the owner knew how poorly this kitchen is being a run they would probably do something about it, and hopefully they read this to find out that your chef is clueless on how to take care of customers! I'm not sure what the future will bring?

    Photos
    Inside
    Inside
    Chinchikurinyaki
    Chinchikurinyaki
    Demiglace Sauce Omu Rice

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    Demiglace Sauce Omu Rice
    Shin-Sen-Gumi Yakitori Izakaya - West L.A.

    Shin-Sen-Gumi Yakitori Izakaya - West L.A.

    4.1
    (1.4k reviews)
    0.7 mi
    $$
    Casual dining
    30 years in business

    So the first time I ever had REAL ramen was in 2009 when my then bf now husband dragged my sleepy…read moreself out of the car to the location in Little Tokyo. LIFE CHANGING, of course. So now when we travel down south or fly out of or back from LAX, we try to hit up any Shin- Sen we can find. We've been to this one on Sawtelle a few times and have dragged the Caucasian fam along before LAX flights, their lives too were changed. As ever, the vibe is hometown feel and the energy is always cheerfully chill :-) Stopped here again a few night ago and it never ceases to make me feel like I'm having a religious experience every time. Never gets old. The ramen is perfection as usual, the service is amazing, warm, friendly and almost makes you feel like family. We usually get too full on our Ramen but the couple next to us looked like they are Olympian Gold Medal orders. Next time we get down here we're gonna have to take several hours and bring our stretchy pants in order to have all the things, cuz I highly doubt they're anything less than mouthwateringly delicious. Until we see you again, we'll be drooling in our dreams!

    The place has great tasting food, fast and responsive staff, and spacious atmosphere…read more I went on a Saturday night. Street parking wasn't too hard to find. I got the shoyu ramen alongside 4 yakitori which were the shittake mushrooms, pork belly, steak, and chicken with green onions. I was more than full from all of it. I'll definitely be coming back. There's so many options to try out here!

    Photos
    Dining area
    Dining area
    Entrance
    Entrance
    Street

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    Street

    Uncle Tetsu - bakeries - Updated July 2026

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