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    WAKABA Reservations

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    Tuna ha drool with scallion
    Courtney C.

    I kept passing through the Miracle Mile area and finally decided to check out Wakaba after noticing a new sushi spot had popped up and seeing all the great reviews online. I made a Yelp reservation, and before our visit the restaurant thoughtfully reached out via text to let us know they were still in the process of securing their liquor license and asked if we wanted to proceed. I really appreciated the transparency, and I'm so glad we kept the reservation. Parking around here isn't the easiest, but there is a small lot right next door where you can pay via QR code, which made things much simpler. The restaurant itself is small, intimate, and moody with a great vibe for a sushi night. It feels cozy and intentional without being cramped. Now the food. So good. I ordered the 7 piece set menu while my friend went the à la carte route. We also started with the skirt steak and tempura, and everything was absolutely delicious. The fish tasted incredibly fresh, the flavors were clean and well balanced, and even the green tea stood out. Overall, Wakaba exceeded expectations. Warm communication, great atmosphere, and genuinely excellent food. I'll definitely be back and highly recommend checking it out if you're in the area.

    Miso Eggplant
    Sheana L.

    It's only going to be a matter of time before this place is poppin'. They're located on La Brea with a ton of metered parking spots and a paid parking lot right next door. Everything we ordered was excellent and the service was impeccable. Our server was so kind and anticipated our every needs. -Wakaba Plus: what a great deal! Fresh fish, perfectly sliced and delicious -Jidori Chicken: the JUICIEST chicken thigh with a really great chimichurri sauce on top -Agedashi Tofu: This is hands down the best agedashi tofu ever. The broth is rich and savory. It comes with mushrooms and eggplant - so hearty and warming. -Miso Eggplant: Eggplant is tender and that sauce is sweet, a little thick and DELICIOUS. -Vegetable Tempura: the lightest, crispiest batter with perfectly cooked vegetables. The tempura dipping sauce is drinkable. Their lunch menu also looks like a great deal. Highly recommend visiting Wakaba!

    Estele K.

    Food 5/5: hidden gem, they had soft openings and everything was super tasty even sautéd mushroom. Fatty seared salmon belly #chefskiss. Service 5/5: my water was never empty once lol great service! Ambiance 5/5: quiet, dimmed, nice date spots. Street parking, wasn't too hard. Highly recommend!

    Cold beer!!!
    Jorge S.

    Came for lunch, this place is a gem, fresh delicious sushi served and very cold beer. Service is excellent, loved their miso soup [is good different]. Definitely will come for dinner. *Marinated wasabi root? Goes amazingly delicious with the fish. Brian is great, well knowledge of sakes.

    Edamame

    Absolutely my favorite sushi spot in LA. The fish quality is incredibly fresh, and you can really tell they care about the details. Even the miso soup comes with soft tofu, and the seaweed salad comes with scored cucumber. But the best part of this place is definitely the fish quality I wish this spot getting more popular!!!!

    Fries, eggplant miso, and takoyaki.
    Claudia G.

    Excellent happy hour! Nice ambience and great service. We had the sunomono, the takoyaki, the eggplant miso, the fries, and sausage, and everything was delicious. Wish we lived closer so we could come back more often!

    Great lunch special (not shown is the miso and edamame that comes with it) all delicious
    Angela P.

    Highly recommend supporting this new small biz. Everything is really high quality, the service was excellent and vibes are so relaxing. Would come regularly if I lived nearby.

    Shrimp Tempura
    Jessica W.

    Came here for an early dinner and was *very* pleasantly surprised! I'm a little bit of a sushi snob coming from working at different sushi restaurants and eating the entirety of LA's choice places. First off, I don't think there was anything I didn't like. Food is fresh and there is a level of finesse and care that you can see and taste! All the sauces are also very good.. the Miso Eggplant.. my god. If you slapped some noodles or rice on that, I would go back for more hands down. Also, I could eat a boat load of the Hamachi Carpaccio. The jalapeño ponzu the chef makes is incredibly fresh!! And I'm suuuper picky with ponzu :') I absolutely love the Izakaya/tapas style of Wakaba, and also enjoy their lovely ambiance too. The interior is rustic and clean. It's a great spot for a quick lunch, or a nice dinner date with your friends and loved ones. Service is kind, friendly, and attentive. It's upscale but without it being in your face if that makes sense? I've been to Nobu, and don't get me wrong, service is great, but sometimes you just want a nice quiet dinner without being interrupted too much, and Wakaba does a great job that. I really appreciate that great level of service. Anyway, I know that was long. I hope this place gains attraction because it's definitely something special! THANKS FOR READING Y'ALL.

    Tuna, yellowtail, seared salmon nigiri
    Yeon S.

    Overall sushi was amazing.... Especially yellowtail sushi with radish ponzu on top was so delish, it melted on my tongue. Chicken was good too with the garlic sauce on the side. And omg the fries...... the best fries I've ever had in my life. Perfectly crisp and the mayo sauce(i think truffle in it) was soooooo yummy

    Hosomakis

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    6 months ago

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    6 months ago

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    7 months ago

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    9 months ago

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    4 months ago

    everything tasted so fresh and amazing!! the yuzu cheesecake was delicious will be returning soon

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    8 months ago

    Food, Service and Ambiance was amazing! I had such a good experience, so excited to go back!

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    Page 2 of 2

    Ask the Community - WAKABA

    Izakaya Osen

    Izakaya Osen

    4.3
    (2.2k reviews)
    4.2 mi
    $$$
    Kid friendly
    Wheelchair accessible

    Izakaya OSEN in Silver Lake brings that intimate, late night Tokyo vibe with a menu that actually…read moredelivers. The space is cozy, dim, and stylish perfect for a slow, flavorful night of yakitori, small plates, and sake. The sushi is clean and high quality, the skewers come out smoky with that perfect char, and the wagyu dishes are the kind that make you pause mid conversation. Their sauces and marinades lean bold, and the plating always feels intentional without being pretentious. Service is warm, pacing is smooth, and the whole experience feels like a neighborhood gem that knows exactly what it's doing. A refined but relaxed izakaya with standout flavors, great energy, and a menu worth exploring bite by bite.

    If you're ordering skewers, the scallop, sea bass, and prime beef kushiyaki are absolute standouts…read more The scallop is incredibly tender, while the sea bass is the must-order. Even if don't like seabass, you must try this one! it's buttery, perfectly charred and melts in your mouth. The prime beef is equally impressive: tender, packed with rich umami flavor, and cooked to perfection. For a larger dish, you can't go wrong with either the sea bass or blue crab hot pot. It's so rich and comforting, the fish is always perfectly cooked, and it's more than enough food for two people. Be sure to order a side of seaweed and make your own hand rolls at the table. The kabocha salad is also unexpectedly delicious and pairs well with the other indulgent items in this order. They recently moved next door and they may be overbooking themselves so expect to wait quite a while- even if you have reservations.

    Photos
    Izakaya Osen
    Izakaya Osen
    Izakaya Osen

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    Taberu

    Taberu

    4.0
    (333 reviews)
    6.4 mi

    Definitely would not recommend coming here, especially if you are in a bigger party. We had 9…read morepeople here for a birthday celebration - food and drinks were really slow and came out staggered. Almost 1.5 hours before all the dishes finally came out. And service was also not great - the server brought out a drink that we didn't order by mistake, told us we could have it on the house, but ended up charging us for it anyway. Had already left when we noticed it. Also told us cake fee was $10, but ended up charging us $20. Food-wise, very hit or miss. The unadon, hamburger steak, and curry udon were all really good, but the yakitori skewers tended to be disappointing. The Tsukune was dry, the Negima was quite bland. The Miso Black Cod was also quite overdone, became quite rubbery when served and also was cold. Overall, I would not come back again, or recommend it. Given the price point, I expected that the food and service left much to be desired.

    Taberu is no longer Taberu…read more With new management, a new kitchen, and a completely new menu, it honestly feels like a totally different restaurant--and I think they should consider changing the name because it's pretty misleading if you're expecting the old experience. The menu now leans much more toward fine dining, and the prices definitely reflect that. As someone who's more of a casual diner and really enjoyed the previous menu, this new direction just wasn't for me. The staff were very kind and took the time to explain all the changes, which I appreciated. However, we ordered about six dishes and were surprised at how small the portions were. On top of that, most of the items were unfortunately pretty bland. Sadly, I won't be returning, and I really miss the old menu.

    Photos
    Tan Tan Ramen in peanut butter miso sesame soup
    Tan Tan Ramen in peanut butter miso sesame soup
    Hōjicha Pudding
    Hōjicha Pudding
    Tiramisu

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    Tiramisu
    Tsubaki

    Tsubaki

    4.1
    (505 reviews)
    5.3 mi
    $$$

    My precious friend Amelia G. treated me to dinner at Tsubaki for my 40th birthday last month. I…read moreloved this place went I went before kids and pandemic, apparently almost a decade ago. It was as good as I remembered, and probably even better. I can't imagine letting another eight and a half years pass without going back. The only negative is that parking is either difficult or $15, which feels bad in a pretty quiet residential area. Better to take a car in any case, so you can enjoy the extensive selection of sakes. We shared a full-sized bottle, I forget which but I think it was a junmai daiginjo, and it was lovely. Tsubaki is such a nice, welcoming little izakaya. Service is great, the atmosphere warm and easy. You just want to sit back and drink at a leisurely pace. The food is excellent, with a robust menu of creative Japanese food. We shared everything, starting with a stellar kanpachi crudo with ume ponzu, shiso, sweet onion and habanero pickles, and furikake. My favorite dish of the night was the tsukune katsu. I love tsukune, the tare-glazed chicken meatballs you'll find in any yakitori place. This was my first time having them in katsu form, panko-fried and served over cabbage with Kewpie mayo and tonkatsu sauce. The chawanmushi was delicious, silky steamed egg custard topped with Dungeness crab, truffle salt, and mitsuba. Likewise the kinoko tempura, an array of maitake, shiitake, and enoki mushrooms fried light and crispy, with yuzu shichimi and tentsuyu for dipping. We got a skewer of bonchiri from the yakitori menu, delightfully chewy bites of charcoal-grilled jidori chicken tail. Finally, a plate of yakisoba, pan-fried noodles with house-cured Peads & Barnetts char siu, pickled green garlic, and cracklin. We got the hojicha parfait, and it was more or less my ideal dessert. Roasted green tea soft serve with sesame black sugar burnt miso and candied walnuts with cornflake dust. Cold, light, sweet. I could eat a whole one by myself pretty much any time. After nine years in business, Tsubaki feels like an Echo Park institution, and the kitchen is as strong as ever. This was a wonderful dinner, one I hope to repeat soon, with more sake, more yakitori, and more hojicha parfait.

    Wow, this is the best izakaya in LA. Though the prices are quite high the food is very high…read morequality! Interior is nice and feels intimate, almost reminds me of restaurants in New York. It's quite small inside and they happen to have a few tables outside. I have mixed feelings about the service though but it is what it is, just feel like we weren't attended properly and service was slower. The menu has tons of options, there is something for everyone. Unfortunately the rice balls I wanted to try were sold out for the night- which how do you run out of something popular at a 7 PM dinner? Anyway, we had the fried tempura, garlic fried rice, short ribs, and chicken oysters. Everything was delicious and I would get these dishes again. But my standouts were the short ribs, they were tender and the marinade was light and fresh. The fried tempura was another standout for me because the sauce paired so well with the lightly friend asparagus. And I'm going to to say the chicken oysters- I think they were grilled to perfection with a tiny bit of wasabi. It's so hard to pick, everything tasted amazing and you can tell everything is thoughtfully prepared and well crafted with a beautiful presentation. I really enjoyed the food here and will be back to try more items.

    Photos
    Tsukune - chicken meatballs
    Tsukune - chicken meatballs
    Fruit tomato kimchi
    Fruit tomato kimchi
    Tsubaki

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    Budonoki

    Budonoki

    4.6
    (345 reviews)
    3.4 mi

    The food, the ambiance, the drinks...all of it so well curated at Budonoki…read more This restaurant offers Japanese style bar foods with an elevated twist. Everything we ate was delicious. My favorite dishes were the zabuton and sweet potato. For dessert you can't skip out on the soft serve.

    spicy tuna handrolls ($15) - im usually not a big tuna lover…read morebecause it's less juicy and fatty than a good old salmon but this was surprisingly REALLY YUMMMY - tuna was well seasoned with spicy mayo and the chili crisp added a fun, crunchy texture - i like the diy hand roll concept - every bite was with a nice amount of flavor, refreshing, chewy from the rice, and crunchy - a must! charred sweet potato ($12) - flavors and texture were not what i expected! - it was nicely mushy, blended with miso butter; abundance of chives on top - sweet and savory - not too heavy and i enjoy it as an appetizer or snack negima 2 skewers ($17) - this was BEYOND my expectations because i always feel like skewers are so expensive for something so short, tiny, burnt, and mid - HOWEVER, this was exactly the opposite; while it is still expensive, everything on the stick was juicy whether it was the jidori chicken or the scallion - skewer itself was already flavorful so i avoided the sauce on the plate as it was a bit too salty for my liking - a must order! It was just so impressively juicy and tender with great flavors scallop crudo ($24) - juicy! Solid appetizer although i feel like the cuts can be thicker and more fresh - i especially liked the slices of citrus pairing; it didnt feel extra but a nice complement to the smokey, strong green sauce on the side - ive had better crudo but this was pretty good still yakisoba ($19) - i love noodles omg although i dont know why the noodles here were cut very short LOL and it is on the softer side - the sauce was really yummy; sweet and savory; i believe it's okonomiyaki sauce or something similar; on the saltier side so itd be nice if they just lessen the amount of sauce - the texture was slightly crunchy with cabbage and veggie which i liked - wagyu was tender - not a must order because you can make this easily at home and for way cheaper! 6 pcs wings ($15) - i got enticed by the soy garlic hot honey flavor but the wings from bbq chicken are lowkey better - still a good, tender, juicy wing, but nothing memorable or impressive than your average wings that you can make at home rating: 4.5/5 - ordered 6 items and everything was solid! Of course there are areas for improvement but they're not anything jarring that would lower my rating for this spot - it is also extremely rare for me to like everything i order at a restaurant so the quality is definitely there - super friendly and genuine service! Server took her time to explain and accommodate us - casual date night tapa vibes; not your typical bright japanese izakaya spots but more so a dark, moody bar vibe, which is cool - would recommend and come back to try other items! IG: @nom.noms.only

    Photos
    Interior
    Interior
    Seafood pancake
    Seafood pancake
    Tso's Octopus

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    Tso's Octopus
    HATCH

    HATCH

    4.3
    (1.1k reviews)
    5.1 mi
    $$

    Without exaggerating, I have to say this is the best culinary experience I've had since visiting…read more"how to cook a Wolf" in Seattle well over a decade ago. The bone marrow was probably the most delicious savory and overall explosive - wow taste buds experience. The squid Inc. fried chicken was the best fried chicken I've ever eaten in my life miso marinated ribs are fall off the bone and absolutely delectable. This was a Thursday night date night with my wife and we also had the pleasure of the consummate host Dez, who made us feel at home. It was an excellent date night and an Elite culinary adventure.

    Hatch has been on my bookmark for a while and we got a chance to try it for my Aunt's birthday…read moredinner. It's located in the heart of Downtown LA. We order 2 sets of their EGGCELLENT DINNER at $55 a set, definitely worth the price. It came with: MISO CORNY SOUP FIRE HAMACHI HANDROLL MISO BEER SPARE RIBS SQUID INK KARAAGE CHICKEN MEATBALL SKEWER PORK BELLY SKEWER MUSHROOM PARTY SKEWER UNAGI YAKI ONIGIRI We also ordered their: Agedashi Tofu Beef Tongue Black Fried Rice Chicken Heart Corn Tempura Tower And Grilled Fuji Apple for dessert. The our favorites were the Squid Ink Karaage, Unagi, Corn Tempura Tower, mushroom party, and the chicken Thigh & Green Onion. Each had a unique flavor that we haven't had at other izakaya places. The black fried rice was good as well but on the sweet side. We also really liked the Grilled Fuji Apple for dessert. The other dishes were okay. The hamachi handroll lacked hamachi flavor and I mostly tasted the sauce. The miso beer spare ribs, chicken meatball, and onigiri were way too sweet for our liking. I wanted to love the beef tongue but there was way too much of the topping and it really should be on the side. The vibe of Hatch was nice. Their service was pretty good. And if we come back again, we would definitely get their Eggcelent Set Menu.

    Photos
    HATCH.  Modern, clean lines.
    HATCH. Modern, clean lines.
    Soft shell crab taco
    Soft shell crab taco
    HATCH.  Tuna Tataki handroll.  Delicious!

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    HATCH. Tuna Tataki handroll. Delicious!
    Izakaya Tora

    Izakaya Tora

    4.4
    (558 reviews)
    2.6 mi
    $$$

    Wow the food is so good!! Recommended by a friend that this place was like Izakaya Osen several…read moreyears ago. Chirashi - the fish is QUALITY. 2 types of each fish, so it's still shareable with a friend. Standouts: their Uni was so creamy and fresh. Also loved the kanpachi pieces - firm and flavorful. Hamachi was also so buttery and fresh. The Miso Chilean Seabass skewers were the best. So tender, soft and grilled and marinated perfectly. What a nice thick satisfying chunk. This is a must order. Pressed sushi - these are hard to find outside of Vancouver so it was a delight to see them! We had the salmon and hamachi version. Loved that the Hamachi had a delicious spicy kick to it! The matcha mochi chocolate cake was so soft, gooey with strong matcha flavor! Great way to end the meal. It's on a poppin street on West Hollywood. We walked to Dayglow for matcha and the Pacific Design Center for inspiration.

    10/10 Experience!…read more We stumbled upon this spot since it was within easy walking distance of our hotel, and we are so glad we did. It has the warm, welcoming feel of a family-owned business. We ordered the Kiss of Fire roll, spicy tuna roll, and a selection of nigiri (I've attached photos of all of them). Everything was delicious and clearly made with very high-quality fish. On top of that, it's incredibly well-priced compared to nearby alternatives. Excellent value for the quality. We will definitely be returning!

    Photos
    Izakaya Tora
    House dessert
    House dessert
    Scoop of Heaven

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    Scoop of Heaven
    kodo

    kodo

    4.3
    (568 reviews)
    6.9 mi

    The inside is low lit & gives an elevated ambiance. Service was fantastic and very attentive. We…read morestarted with the pacific oysters & spicy tuna crispy rice. The pacific oysters are a good size and I really enjoyed the yuzu-kosho ponzu sauce on it. The spicy tuna crispy rice have a good amount of spicy tuna on top & I loved how crispy they made the rice underneath. The Kodo trio comes with uni, toro, & wagyu and the Toro sampler comes with o-toro, chu-toro, akami. All of these handrolls were phenomenal & just left you wanting more. The Wagyu katsu you cook on a hot stone at the table which I liked as an interactive dish. The Wagyu cheeseburger was dripping with juice but still had those crunchy edges. The Uni pasta was beautiful & delicious. The Chimichurri prawns I could eat multiple plates of- the shell comes sliced down the middle so you just have to peel it off. For dessert we ordered the Kodo basque cheesecake & Miso chocolate torte. I love a basque cheesecake & the sesame crumble added great texture. The miso chocolate torte made me wish I ordered my own. Everything from start to finish was amazing, it's hard to pick favorites. Parking- valet $13

    I really enjoy eating here because service is fast and friendly. You get a lovely meal and every…read morestaff member you meet is always so friendly. Food is delicious, drinks are good, and parking isn't hard to find if you're willing to walk a little. The design kinda dark inside, but the patio is always nice. The best part? I can be in and out in less than an hour if I wanted!

    Photos
    Inside Dining Area
    Inside Dining Area
    Toro carpaccio
    Toro carpaccio
    Entrance Seating

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    Entrance Seating

    WAKABA - izakaya - Updated June 2026

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