I grew up on Japanese home cooking and spent many days at my grandmother's Japanese restaurant when I was young. Daichan reminds me of those days. Everything on the menu here is authentic and delicious. Some interesting variations on the menu, too. It was the first time I had tempura okra. Loved it. Looking forward to returning to try more of their signature sushi and poke dishes. If they decide to serve Japanese stewed hamburg steak I would bet it would be amazing. read more

Mixed poki bowl! Sooooo good. I can't get enough of my favorite restaurant, my home away from home......Daichan! Thank you Daichan for feeding me such delicious food for the last 15 years and also being such a warm and welcoming family. どうもありがとうございます read more

Daichan - Mixed Poki Bowl with seaweed rice! Yummmm! - Japanese Near Me - Studio City, California

Daichan bills itself as "Japanese Soul Food"! I would most definitely agree with their take on themselves. The term "Soul Food" became popular in the 1960's referring to African food brought to America by the (then) slaves and made its way into black culture reminding them of food from their homeland. I can see similarities here at Daichan as their food is quite representative of Japanese homeland food. I felt like I was eating street food in the Asakusa district of Tokyo. Now that's representing! I was transported from Studio City to Tokyo in a matter of minutes and it was a fun trip. Udon bowls, rice bowls, protein bowls, sushi, sashimi, salads, we had them all at our lunch which turned out to be a feast. Everything was really really good and our bill for this carnage was shockingly inexpensive. 2 miles away from the amazing Asenebo Japanese restaurant, Daichon couldn't be more different and can still be called the same ethnic cuisine. I loved that about this place. It showed its homey, street, no frills cooking side like everyday Japanese people eat. Wonderful and "vive la différence". The staff is super friendly and the chotskies adorning this place are very cool. I will come back here in a Tokyo second and once again immerse myself into the soul food of Japan. read more

Our favorite Japanese restaurant in the valley! Simple, no fuss, homestyle Japanese food - what's not to love!

Daichan Japanese restaurant Our party of four visited this restaurant this past Friday. They don't take reservations and you have to put your name on a list. It was about 30 minutes until my name got called. The first sign of trouble was when I saw the counter in the back covered with takeout packages. The restaurant does a lot of takeout. Because the takeout apps closely track delivery times, the kitchen has to prioritze the takeout orders. The people that actually visit the restaurant have to wait. It took them a while to come take our order. Then, I had to flag down the waitress to get our drinks (water, tea and beer). It took 30 minutes to get our food. Seated at 7:30, food didn't arrive until 8:00. This would all be excusable if the food was any good. It was terrible. *All* of it. We ordered cold tofu, vegetable tempura, chicken with serrano peppers, salmon skin salad, eel roll and gyoza. Then for dessert, we had the 'steamed cheesecake'. Cold tofu: this tasted exactly like the 99 cent tofu you buy in the supermarket. Vegetable tempura: 6 pieces of weakly fried tempura. Probs the most disappointing. Not even hot, just warm. The vegetables were gummy. Chicken with serrano peppers: from the frozen 5 gallon bucket. Little flavor, little taste. Salmon skin salad: bits of salmon skin mixed in with cheap iceberg lettuce Gyoza: if the 99 cent store had a clearance sale on gyoza, this would be it Eel roll: meh Just when it couldn't get worse, we had the 'steamed cheesecake'. A twinkie would taste way better. There is nothing about this that says cheesecake. It's a very cheap cake-like confection that they sell for a ridiculous amount. It was gluey and horrid. And to top it off, on the way out, the $5 valet took like 15 minutes to get our car while we waited in the rain. Thanks a lot. Bad service, bad food. Avoid at all costs. read more

I formerly lived in Studio City and frequented Dai Chan. We moved away 22 years ago and was in the area so happily went to Dai Chan. The owner remembered me as if I had never moved away. The food was as wonderful as I remembered. Authentic Japanese food, flavors and with same cozy atmosphere and attentive service. A must place to dine if you love Japanese cuisine. read more

Stopped by for early dinner, loved my experience -- food, staff, ambiance. I will definitely be back.

This restaurant should seriously get all their five complete stars. * Fantastic, helpful, kind and friendly staff. * Mouthwatering fresh seafood. * Sashimi plates .... Oh Maaaa Gaaaa freshness. * Most visually pleasing restaurants. * All dishes on menu well crafted and unique taste. * Interesting tasty choices of Sake on menu. * Sensory overload. * Long wait but worth every bite. * Parking is terrible but again once you put one bite sashimi in your mouth you forget about the parking. read more

We got pork katsu and it was delicious. Portions were big and filling. And the service was excellent! I was there 5 minutes after closing and let the woman on the phone know ahead of time. She was so easy about it. Didn't make me feel guilty but was happy to wait. We'll be back to try other dishes. Thank you! read more

Simple, delicious, Japanese "soul food". My go to here is the Daimyu Chirashi, but I also love the tempura, miso eggplant, katsu curry, and pretty much everything else I've tried here. Daichan also has some really wonderful teas, that you order by the mini pot, all of which go well with the whatever you decide to order. The people who run Daichan are what really make this place special though; there's an attentiveness to detail, friendly warmth, and overall cozy feeling that keeps us coming back. Highly recommended. Pre pandemic, there was almost always a wait, so expect that it may take some time to get a table, but it will certainly be worth the wait. read more

Checks all the boxes. Food was delicious and the price makes me feel like we can come here on a spontaneous date night without feeling guilty. The service was relatively fast considering how busy they are even on a Wednesday night. Looking forward to many more Katsu plates here. read more

The decor and ambience is very unique. The service was quick as well. The sushi is decent here. It's not the best I've had in the area. read more

Daichan - Octopus - Japanese Near Me - Studio City, California

Another of our favorite places to eat. The staff is wonderful. The food is consistently fantastic. The vibe is fun. Parking isn't that fun so it's another of those places we try to go to when it's not the busy time of night. Love this place. Try the hot ginger drink and the stuffed lotus root for sure! read more

This has become one of my favorite restaurants in the city, and only sad I didn't discover it sooner! It has such a warm, family-run vibe, cute decor, and most importantly incredible food. My personal go-to is the miso black cod with rice plate, which reminds me of a tiny family-run restaurant I used to do take-out from during the summer I lived in Tokyo (and have been nostalgic for ever since). The sushi and chirashi options are wonderful, but this place really excels at some of the other options in Japanese cuisine that not every restaurant in LA does. Love Daichan, and only wish I lived closer! read more

First time and last time I will be coming to this place. If you want sad and overpriced food this is the place to come. The service was very slow, and the quality of the food was definitely below average. I ordered the Chirashi bowl, HORRIBLE and DO NOT recommend. read more

love the food! service is always great. i always try to come when I'm in the area. It helps to call beforehand to see if there's a table available. parking can be a pain though but not terrible. read more

Delicious Japanese comfort food. We enjoy all the time. Best in the area. Their house udon is my favorite

Amazing attentive service, impeccable and fresh quality of fish. A true authentic home cooked Japanese experience

Every time I crave for Japanese cuisine, this place always pops up on Yelp. I've always been discouraged because of all the complaints about the crappy parking. Well today I found out they were absolutely correct! They have a small lot that fits about 15 cars, they do offer Valet though. Now due to this situation I parked in the 15 minute area. (now the cars parked here were parked for more than 15 minutes so don't expect for someone to leave within the time frame.) I decided to do a pick up order. Pork Katsu Don: Pork Katsu over white rice. Very simple yet very tasty. Must try if you're not into the raw fish and noodles. This is your safe bet. Seafood Poke Bowl: Very delicious. Fresh! It is mixed with seaweed and rice. Simple and Satisfying. Do not let the picture fool you because this looked small but it will fill you up. Unagi Cut Roll (sushi): Exactly what you would expect in those very expensive Japanese restaurants. Although a little small, but still very good. Do not let the parking situation discourage you from trying this place out. read more

As my friends and I were enjoying our meal, we took another good look at the interior of the restaurant and agreed this is how our restaurant would look if we ever opened one. Trinkets, nick knacks, toys and celebrity signed still shots adorn the wall and in the corner is a stand full of candy and cookies... man this place is homey. And what made it feel even more homey is the Japanese "soul food" that feels like its served by your very own bachan, well if you were Japanese and had a bachan. The menu ranges from tempura and similar fried items, to poki bowls, to udon and bento boxes, an A to Z list of many popular Japanese dishes. All of which taste great and is freshly prepared and very reasonably priced. The food here won't blow you away but it sure does comfort and satisfy. Who knew tucked away in a tiny strip mall you'd find a little piece of grandma and home? read more

I'm gonna be honest with you. When I look at the menu, I get uber-excited because it's japanese homestyle cookin'. They've got a bunch of my favorites including natto, sanma, hambaga, spam... Lots of stuff for people who want a taste of the countryside. But for me, everytime I eat here, I leave disappointed. It's not very good. I'm not trying to be a hater but I guess having authentic dishes ISN'T enough. Those flavors need to match what you're expecting. I give it 3 stars because of the service, menu quality, and the atmosphere, but if I based it on food alone, it would have bounced down to 2. Parking here is a PAIN too! I guess if you don't know what to expect when it comes to Japanese homestyle food, you can test it out... You'll probably like it. But if you have expectations, like I do (and that's never a good thing really), then you might be disappointed.... read more

What a well rounded Japanese restaurant located in Studio City! I made it out here for lunch one time as a friend recommended it, and I fell in love with the interior! There were so many cultural items that are used as decor in the restaurant, and it really reminded me of a little Japan. The menu extremely expansive, ranging from sashimi and poke to curry, ramen, and katsu don. There's so much to try!! I've tried the mix poke bowl, spam masubi, and the pork katsu don with vegetable and egg so far. The poke bowl consists of salmon, tuna, and red snapper, and theres an option of white rice, brown rice, and their special rice with soy sauce mixed with brown sugar which I got. The rice was really yummy, and the poke was more traditional as it was mixed with seaweed. The poke bowl was delicious! Totally different from Hawaiian poke, but it was a nice change from all the poke spots out there. The fish was fresh, and I heard the sashimi was even better. Must get that next time! The pork is cooked with the egg, and paired with the vegetables and rice, the katsu don really reminds me of Japan. What I love about the bowl is that it comes super hot, and it really reminds me of comfort food at home, but better. It hit the spot!! I love how there's such a huge variety of Japanese food here, I plan on coming back almost every day and eventually trying everything on the menu! The quality of food is great and the servers are very friendly and attentive. Their service is similar to the type of service I received in Japan, which only added more to my nostalgia of my time in Japan. Maybe the sukiyaki or curry next... the options are endless! :) read more

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The last thing you expect to find in the Valley is delicious Japanese Comfort/Soul Food! Personally, I thought the service was outstanding. Nothing but smiles! Cute waitress! Kept getting refills before I knew I needed them. Our food came out fairly fast. I got pan-fried chicken gyoza, garlic baby squid, and a yellowtail poki bowl. The gyoza were great! The garlic baby squid was crazy good! And my yellowtail bowl had really fresh fish. However, I do wish I got a bit more fish and a bit less rice. Guess I expected a bit more for $13. Loved the feel of the place. It was really chill. Was like having a friend make you an amazing, home-cooked Japanese lunch. Will definitely return! read more

Daichan - garlic baby squid - $5.50 - Japanese Near Me - Studio City, California

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HAI. I'm trying to be cynical and find something wrong with this place, but I can't. I had to give an extra star since my original posting because nothing seems to fail me at Daichan. For some reason, the Japanese soul food just hits my food g-spot on cold, dreary days so I've been here two days in a row for lunch over the past week. Honestly, if I can't control my leg from involuntarily shaking when I'm eating their delicious food--the place deserves 5 stars. Either that, or something is wrong with my body and somehow my taste buds are connected to my...well, you know. This week, I had the tempura rice bowl, chicken poki bowl (the rice bowls are much cheaper than the sashimi or poki bowls--recession people), steamed gyoza (you can get them fried), and vanilla tempura ice cream. My co-worker had the house udon bowl and the tempura udon bowl. We loved EVERYTHING--even the damn green tea!! Service is excellent - HAI - comfy environment is excellent - HAI - if you come around 11:30-11:40 for lunch, there is no trouble getting a table, but the place starts to fill up around noon for the lunch crowd, but not too full, not Katsu-ya full - HAI. HAI. You'll understand this when you eat here. HAI. read more

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The most unique Japanese food I have ever experienced! Very clean environment, very friendly staff, very very very delicious and authentic cuisine. Wish they were open on Sunday! read more

If you want authentic Japanese cuisine, you should come to Daichan. I had the mix poki, which was delicious. The only thing that could've been improved on was the size of the diced fish. read more

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The best Japanese restaurant. A true Japanese SOUL food!!! LOVE IT THERE!!! Recommended: Appetizer: Sesame Spinach, Seaweed fried Tofu, Stuffed Lotus roots. Main Dish: SPICY CHICKEN (if you like garlic), Daichan Sashimi Bowl, Protein bowl with brown rice, Daichan House udon (if you feel run down, eat this - it's a Japanese chicken soup) and Katsu Curry rice! Don't forget "FRIED ICE CREAM TEMPURA" yum yum yum!!! According to the sign, they are applying for a liquor license. read more

When most people think about Japanese food, they instinctively think of Sushi. But Japan has many other great food options to offer. This is where Daichan fits into the equation. I was craving Japanese curry one night, and didn't know of any place that sold it. So I looked on yelp, and sure enough, Daichan popped up at the top of the list. Now, when you walk in, the first thing that springs to mind is that this is a Japanese version of Applebee's, because they have a bunch of random Japanese culture items plastered all over the wall. But once you look past that, you'll notice some information about their menu placed on the wall (they will give you a normal menu as well). My first time there, I was intrigued by some of the items I read on their walls, that I completely skipped ordering curry and went for the Salmon Tsukune. Which is would recommend and is my go to item when they sell out of curry (which has happened to me before. what sucked was that I waited for a while and was really craving curry too lol). The curry is amazing as well. The curry with the chicken katsu is a great pairing too. What's nice is that they do have some dessert as well. I opt for the tempura ice cream, but they do offer mochi as well. Now, this place is small. I mean, it can only seat around 36 people at most. So, the wait can be a little long. Another thing is the parking. The plaza shares it's space with Sugarfish. You can opt to do Valet or find street parking at the meters. Don't try and park in the neighborhood behind, because you won't find anything there. But don't let those two things prevent you from trying out this hidden little gem. read more

This little Japanese Soul Food restaurant is A-MAZ-ING! First, when you walk in, you'll feel like you're in a Japanese Museum because every inch of the walls in that restaurant is filled with artwork, and Japanese cultured items. Came here on a saturday afternoon and they werent open yet. They open at 12 noon. So we walked around for a bit before coming in. We came here mainly because I was craving a Chirashi bowl and this place looked good, based on the reviews. Ordered two teas: -The brown rice tea: had a slight toasted taste to it, very yummy. -Dokudami tea: it had a familiar taste to it, but I can quite remember what it tasted like. Also very yummy, good for digestion as well! Food: Boyfriend ordered the chicken cutlet. It was fried in a light batter and served with a sweet/tangy sauce on the side. It comes with your choice of White rice, or Brown rice ($1 extra). It tasted pretty good. BUT i liked my food waaaaaaay more. :) Salmon Poki Bowl, came with your choice of white or brown rice, topped with seaweed, sashimi, mixed with a light sesame & soy sauce dressing, around it was Romain lettuce. They used fatty salmon, it was so soft and melted in your mouth. BEST DISH EVER. Trust this, when people say they come here for the POKI. It was the most delicious Chirashi/poki i have ever had. Worth every penny! I'm craving it as I write this review!! Service was excellent. Very attentive, and they came over to check on on us a couple of times. Coming back again for sure! read more

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This place never disappoints. Food and service is always great! I love the Japanese home-y vibe with their decorations as well. Only downside is the parking but it still doesn't bother me. Been giving business to them for years and will continue. read more

This place always feel so cozy. From the personalized drawings of all their dishes on the walls to all the little trinkets throughout the entire restaurant and even in the restroom. It is definitely a unique place. Everyone who works there is always very friendly and attentive, while constantly saying "Dozo" which means "please" in Japanese. The entire place is not too small or big and probably serves max. up to 40 persons inside. Most of the tables are 2 and 4 seater with some dim lighting depending on where you're sitting. My favorite dishes are: Daichan Bowl, Albacore Tataki, Salmon Roe Rice Soup and definitely the Tempura Ice cream. read more

Daichan - Daichan Bowl - Japanese Near Me - Studio City, California

I LOVE this place. It is the best hole in the wall Japanese in Studio City. My favorite dish here is the toro poki bowl. It is INSANELY delicious. I love their garlic squid dish as well, I order that as an appetizer and pour the sauce all over my rice after I finish eating all the squid. The sauce is SO garlic-y so do NOT plan on kissing or talking to someone closely all day. They do not serve alcohol here, so at night, my fiance and I love to bring our own bottle of wine (they have no corkage fee) to enjoy our meal. This is a MUST TRY if you like Japanese soul food. read more

Daichan - Japanese Near Me - Studio City, California

Ugh. Just wrote a really long review only to lose it when I tried to post. So because I don't feel like typing it all up again, here's the gist of it: Good: - Ahi Poke - Chilean Sea Bass - Calpis Chewy Fruit and Botan Rice candies - Persimmon Tea - Service Bad: - Parking - Sashimi - Small Cuts and not nearly enough Ahi - Too much rice - Long wait for food Overall: - Satisfied my craving - Loved the rack of asian candies - Will be Back!! read more

I think I could probably just sit at a table and look at all the little knick knack in this restaurant. They cover the entirety of the restaurant. From wall to wall, floor to ceiling, there isn't a spot that isn't decorated with a sketch, doll, or poster. It's almost as if the perfect tschotske collector met with the perfect interior desginer. Enough about the decoration and environment. Let's talk about food. They advertise it as Japanese soul food. I'm not sure what Japanese soul food is but my bento is what I call comfort food. Teriyaki and tempura. Everything tasted delicious. The service is really nice and the waitresses all were very responsive. Parking is a little tough as it's valet only with the lot shared by Sugarfish. But there is street parking and I only had to park about a block away. Super cute restaurant that would probably be good for a casual date! read more

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Daichan is the best for home cooked style Japanese. Owners are good people. House Special Udon for the win. Whenever I was sick I would get that and his honey lemon ginger drink. Fantastic. read more

Every time we come we wish we could stay all night! The nicest staff and delicious food. Feels like you're having authentic food in an authentic home. You can't go wrong with anything on the menu and everything is fresh. Wonderful and casual. read more

Daichan is a little quaint restaurant with nice and friendly staff. I liked the decor and people working there. I am giving 3 stars only based on their nabeyaki udon (and curry udon) just because I am a (especially) nabeyaki udon fanatic. The broth merely tasted like hondashi, and tempura shrimp was nothing but batter. It barely had any vegetables/fish cake/chicken. I've had WAY better nabeyaki udon in Kyoto, which was only slightly more expensive than $11. I know I should not review a restaurant solely based on one item, so I'll have to go back and try something else. read more

Daichan - Nabeyaki Udon ($11) - Japanese Near Me - Studio City, California

I can't believe we just discovered Daichan. Terrific Japanese restaurant, not just a sushi place. Any place that serves natto is definitely on my radar. Sugarfish was next door but relocated so parking was easy. Great service, great food, and well decorated casual atmosphere. We'll be regulars. read more

Daichan - Crunchy Spicy Tuna - Japanese Near Me - Studio City, California

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Daichan is one of those pleasant surprises when you step inside. My urban hiking group originally meant to have a late lunch at Lal Mirch, but we missed their lunch hour by 7 minutes. So as we trekked back up Ventura Blvd., looking for an alternate restaurant, we decided on Daichan. Daichan bills itself as 'Japanese Soul Food'. Its really better described as comfort food, since the dishes aren't as loaded with calories and cholesterol as real soul food. Its almost amusing that this place is a neighbor to Sushi Nozawa. While Sushi Nozawa is more strict and rigid in terms of ambiance and ordering food, Daichan is a lot more laid back. You even get that sense from the outside where they have a partially walled patio covered in ivy in front of their entrance. When you step inside, its almost visual overload. You see several traditional Japanese slippers placed at the front, enhancing the feel that you have been invited to a Japanese home for lunch or dinner. And the walls - they are completely covered with artwork. I took pics and posted them so that you can see this for yourself. Even the restroom is decorated in a cute, comforting and amusing way - too bad I forgot to take a pic of it. To start things off, my group ordered green tea and persimmon tea. The green tea was really good, but the persimmon tea had an almost soapy taste to it. We then ordered several items including: shrimp and vegetable tempura, garlic baby squid, their signature tuna poki bowl, sukiyaki, stuffed pumpkin, tempura udon noodle soup, eggplant, fried seaweed tofu with sweet ginger sauce. I took pics of some portions of the menu and posted them as a reference. For myself, I ordered their miso soup. It was much better compared to most of the miso soups I have ordered at many other Japanese restaurants I have visited. The shrimp and veg tempura was okay. I thought the batter was a bit too thick, almost Americanized. The garlic baby squid was tender and tasted good. The stuffed pumpkin really was a Japanese squash, but it was good. The eggplant dish was okay. I'm not a major fan of tofu, but the seaweed tofu was actually decent. I also don't like raw fish, but the tuna poki bowl was actually good. The two dishes that really impressed me were the sukiyaki and the udon soup. The sukiyaki was served over a bowl of rice - something I have never seen before. I thought it would be dry, but it wasn't. Its a really hearty meal in itself. If I ordered it myself, I could probably only eat half of it before getting full. The tempura udon noodle soup is very rich in flavor and the texture of the noodles is perfect. We finished things off with dessert which was deep fried green tea ice cream. The thick batter was slightly sweet, and it really complimented the green tea ice cream. The total cost for all the items was around $77 (not including tip), which was pretty good for a group of 6 hungry people. The service is very friendly, patient and attentive. Daichan is definitely a place to go and hang out with friends. They have some parking available in the strip mall its located in. read more

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This place is unbelievable. The service and the food is at the top. I walked in and I felt I was in Japan all over again. The walls are covered with great artwork but the food is the real deal. I got the daichan bowl that was consisted with rice and fish pieces. The quality of the fish was so fresh and perfect. I definitely recommend getting the garlic squid and tempura ice-cream! I use to work at a sushi restaurant and I feel like this place blew my mind away. I will definitely recommend to all sushi-lovers and will come back! read more

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