All day happy hour and great place to watch dodger game!!…read more Plenty of parking outside:)

Great location, Great Food! Clean, wonderful ambiance and kind staff! Perfect for a mid day mealread more

Love the place, good food and great service from Ben K. I would definitely come here again!read more

Ben gave us one of the best dining experiences we've had at Chubby Cattle. From the moment we sat…read moredown, he was friendly, attentive, and incredibly knowledgeable. He took the time to explain the menu, offered great recommendations, and made sure our broths, meats, and drinks were always taken care of without us ever having to ask.

Food was amazing all the sashimi pieces were melt in your mouth good! The lunch and dinner set is…read moreworth the deal, everything was amazing. It came w a side salad and miso. The service was attentive and kind. The restaurant is a great place to sit and chat.

The Sushi was amazing,the salmon was the best part. Staff was friendly and attentive. Bring your…read morefriends and family for some good sushi. 10/10 would come again

Wow. Lately it's been hard to find a restaurant that genuinely surprises me, but Budonoki proved…read moreit's still possible. This was easily a 5-star experience for both the food and the exceptional service. We came in without a reservation, put our names on the waitlist, and were seated in about 30 minutes. Definitely worth the wait. We started with the tuna handroll, except it's not really served as a traditional handroll. The fresh tuna comes in a bowl surrounded by crispy, crunchy rice, with nori sheets on the side so you build each bite yourself. Super fresh and such a fun way to start. Then came the chicken wings -- to die for. So flavorful and Korean AF in the best possible way. Probably one of my favorite dishes of the night. The salmon rice was good, but honestly nothing too special compared to everything else we tried. The wagyu pasta, though, was incredibly rich and packed with flavor. Then the wagyu empanadas surprised me all over again. Such a unique combination and flavors I really haven't had anywhere else. We ended with the banana ice cream and it was the perfect ending. But I have to give just as much credit to the service. Beyond exceptional. Everything was extremely organized and the entire staff worked like one team. Just because we had a waiter didn't mean only that person took care of us -- everyone was helping, checking on the table, clearing plates and bringing things out. It genuinely felt like we were welcomed and taken care of by the entire team. Budonoki is exactly what I've been missing lately: creative food, unexpected flavors, fresh ingredients and service that actually adds to the experience. It's rare for a restaurant to surprise me this much anymore, but this one did. The ambiance matched the food perfectly. The space is dimly lit, dark and cozy, giving it an intimate feel without trying too hard. It's the kind of atmosphere that makes you want to settle in, order a bunch of dishes to share and stay awhile.

I was a little concerned about the portion sizes since everything is labeled as "snacks" on the…read moremenu, but everything was so good! The SPICY TUNA HAND ROLL comes deconstructed, so you have to assemble it yourself, but it was still delicious. I loved the MAITAKE & ARUGULA, CURRY PAN, and the CHARRED JAPANESE SWEET POTATO. For dessert, we had the TOKYO BANANA soft serve, which was a fun way to end the meal. The restaurant has a dark, intimate bar-like atmosphere that adds to the overall vibe. ENJOY! I was really lucky and found street parking. There isn't any valet, so I'd give yourself enough time to find parking.

I would give Ototo 4.5 stars, but went up because of their great sake selection…read more My friend and I loved this meal. The chicken Katsu sandwich was soooo good. A little messy at the end, but so worth it. 8.5/10 The ode to MOS burger was also great! The bun was soft and pillowy, the burger was perfectly cooked, all of the flavored married well together 8.5/10 Rock Shrimp Okonomiyaki was delicious. HUGE, but delicious. I actually took some home and had this as breakfast the next day. It was soooo yummy. 9/10 Black pepper tofu was also really good. The standout was the Kanpachi Sashimi. Wow was that next level good. 9.5/10 The service was really attentive, really kind. It's a tiny little restaurant but we loved how intimate it was. The same selection is incredible as well. I loved it so much! They had a perfect cloudy sake that I loved. We ubered there, but they do have valet parking for $13, I will say, you'll definitely want to use the valet - parking looked rough!

Established and well adored proper sake/izakaya place on the east side. Ofc sake here is dope…read more Food is delicious and straight forward. Very good quality (from the crisp of the batter to the tenderness). Although as a soft shell crab geek, I didn't enjoy the new addition of this on the menu (sorry) maybe it was the hint of spice that I didn't expect or the thick sauce instead of classic ponzu/kanopy alternative? Service can be a little iffy and I can't quite describe that's a disconnect to the Japanese or East LA culture but Ryan is awesome and saves the day with his chill laid back approachable but quitetly confident taishō swagger. This place deserves recognition despite some of (my perception of) its low key elitist vibes. They're committed to the craft and that's really hard to not admire.

Food 5/5: we enjoyed sushi here more than expected. Fresh quality sushi, served quick, good portion…read morenigiri. What else could you ask for? It was the first time I felt full, happy, and satisfied with affordable price at the end of our meals. Sushi? Full? You would think impossible right? Well? Not here. Service 5/5: it was really enjoyable and we were laughing the whole time with chef and with the man who we thought was Tiger who was not, was very funny and attentive. All well mannered and you just feel welcomed there. It's a goof feeling because diners today don't deliver a good experience anymore, esp in LA. Ambiance 5/5: Very spacious, clean, good for hangouts with friends and family. They have valet parking, or street parking. Highly recommend here!

You order from an Ipad, at the bar. The chef will tell you the freshest shipment of fish that just…read morecame in. You can order Nigiri in one piece. Robert, one of their servers, was super hospitable, and made some solid off the menu recommendations. Tiger, the manager, is also super kind, and always heard me out my requests, like putting quayle eggs on my sea urchin. I am a self-described sushi snob, and have made a point to go to the top spots. I am a regular in Little Tokyo, including Sushi Takeda. But the most important thing I have learned, just like movies and music, is that there is no one single best sushi place. Get off your couch and give Sushi Zanmai a try!

Freshly made udon. Nothing goes better than this…read more My second time here. And this time we tried the duck udon and sea urchins udon. Both are excellent. The sea urchins one is creamy and VERY RICH. The cream sauce bend in really well with the sea urchins. But definitely not something you would order if you are on a weaker stomach. The duck udon is flavorful with plenty of meat. The soup pair perfectly with the udon as well. There was a line outside before it opened. But not too bad. They got a little eating area outside right next to the street and I saw people ate there with their dog as well. I guess that they are "kinda" dog friendly?

7/19/2026 3 1/2…read moreStars Not my first time here, but my first review on Yelp. Been awhile since I was last here. UDON KAKE It was good, but the broth was a bit salty at first. Udon noodles were good, but it was not excellent. It did have light chewy texture. BUT in comparison to Meiji Seimen, it fell short, really short! I was disappointed. BEEF BOWL It was delicious! Beef was tender and moist and loved the caramelized onion too. Rice was delicious too, not dry nor mushy. Served with pickled red ginger. A very satisfying bowl. Sat at the bar, so watched them make udon from scratch, which was nice. WAIT LIST There was a line when I got there, just as it opened. It wasn't long, but everyone wrote their name down on a wait list. There's a sheet of paper placed on the table outside. Please write your name down ASAP, as that will help in making sure that you will grab a seat. Also, the lines are disorganized too, so it's best to write down your name, so no one cuts in front of you. It is a small restaurant. Limited seats. CUSTOMER SERVICE It was okay. Everyone got in the restaurant in the order they came in. Service was quick and there were no delays in taking orders. The server came by quickly and dropped off the check as she saw that I was nearly finished with my meal. PARKING Parked at Joe's Autoparks. It was $15! I did not know until after I paid the ticket. Very difficult to find parking in this area, so not many options unless you want to walk really far, back to your car in 90 degree heat. There was another parking garage next to Joe's, but the price was the same! Would I come back again? Not sure. Given that the udon wasn't what I expected, it may be my last time here. Also, parking sucks.

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.

I did have the most amazing Caesar salad at tsubaki, maybe it's because of the little fish…read moreingredients they are adding to the salad. It's not fishy at all tho, but there's just the flavor from the sea that really elevates the salad. The whole time I'm looking for the fish lol, but in the end I just finished the leaves with great satisfaction. The skewers are pretty tasty but too pricy when I know that at the same price Nan Ban Kan in Sawtelle just does it with 20% better flavor, 30% less wait time and maybe 10% cheaper. Didn't like the fried rice at the end. It'd be better if only they kept the braised beef with the sauce. The fried rice is way too dry to enjoy on its own. Living on the west side, I'm definitely in no time to visit again