I got their hamburger steak ($12), eggplant ($8) and a side of rice. What I'm constantly impressed each time is simplicity done well. I literally can't cook like this at home. Last time I got their steak with rice, the time before it was their salmon and roe rice bowl. Friendly service. read more

Inaba Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Torrance, California

Nicely old school, gracious service, good acoustics which is hard to find these days. Parts of the meal were very very good. The tempura was very nice - some of the better I have had. The nigiri sushi set was extremely fresh but I could have done without half of it. The mackerel was superb, and multi dimensional, the salmon so fresh... much of the rest was similarly fresh but not to my taste. You are better off customizing your nigiri order IMO. I enjoyed the iced green matcha for its smooth flavor and lightness. Next time I go I will try the lunch bento and/ or will try the agedashi tofu and perhaps some other appetizers. . The fish is the freshest around but all in all- the cost is a bit much unless you know what to order, so go prepared! read more

Came in on a Wednesday at 6pm, fortunately didn't have a wait. Great service. Deluxe Tempura set ($90) - sashimi- chef choice, high quality tasty sashimi - chawanmushi- very nice flavor, fluffy, and still had some texture - tempera- very nice crust on the tempura. the breading is good. - ice cream Chefs choice nigri sushi ($70) - sushi dinner set- nice variety of rolls. - salad- - chawanmushi - miso soup - ice cream read more

Haiku: Inaba Restaurant Nostalgic cooking Tempura light and crispy Get bento lunch box. --- This Japanese restaurant comes highly rated by many of my Japanese-American friends--and for good reason! It's authentic Japanese comfort food and known for its soba and udon noodles, and tempura. After I learned that their one-Michelin-star sister restaurant, Sushi Inaba, is right next door, I knew I needed to try Inaba restaurant's sashimi. It's the proximity of quality fish, and maybe shares similar techniques. I enjoy trying a little bit of this and that, so I opted for the Bento Lunch Box. It's their signature bento box with thick slabs of sashimi, crispy/airy tempura, tender grilled black cod (an add-on option), pickled veggies, and sweetly boiled small bites. Service was friendly and let us stay a while, as my friend and I were catching up. The decor was traditional and comfortable. The bathroom was so clean and well-maintained. I would 100 percent order the Bento Lunch Box again, but at the same time, I'd like to try one of their soba or somen dishes next time I come. Maybe I can order both? read more

See all

Our meal at Inaba was lovely, and the serene interior and attentive staff made the experience that much better. Tucked away in a strip mall, you might miss it but I suggest you don't. They have plenty of sushi and sashimi offerings, and set meals. I had the Tempura Noodle Combo, selecting the tuna bowl with mine. It comes with fresh tuna sashimi atop a bowl of rice, a small plate of tempura and a large bowl of your choice of hot or cold soba (made in-house) or udon. I went with the udon and they were thin noodles, not the larger chewy variety. I enjoyed every aspect of the meal, but particularly the soup. read more

Inaba Restaurant - Tuna Bowl Tempura Noodle Combo - Japanese Near Me - Torrance, California

Wow, a true hole-in-the-wall type of establishment. The outside looks a bit shabby, but once you go inside, it's sleek, minimalist, but welcoming. The chefs look incredibly professional-- they wear ties! And the staff are very attentive to the customers. I ordered the Tsubaki dinner set and my friend got the Chef's choice nigiri sushi set. My tsubaki dinner came with mini chirashi-don, chawanmushi, some duck, mini cold noodles and a bite of a seafood item I could not identify, but it was tasty! My friend's set included miso soup, and both of our sets included salad and ice-cream. Everything was perfect and fresh, the service was great, and the tea was always freshly brewed. I definitely want to come back and try other items on the menu, and I heard the tempura set was coveted too-- so I want to try it for myself! Thank you I-naba, I will be back!! read more

Inaba Restaurant - mini Chirashi - Japanese Near Me - Torrance, California

See all

It's alright. Fresh fish. The cooked salmon in my bowl is a bit dry. The overall flavor is just ok. Very overpriced for that you get read more

Inaba Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Torrance, California

See all

Impeccable service, genuinely caring and friendly servers, quality preparation and presentation is well worth the price. I have been here five times, both counter and table, and still crave to come back again for their a la carte tempura and dinner sets. I am amazed that I didn't notice its discreet frontage for many years but once discovered last Winter, Inaba is my favourite for traditional Japanese cuisine, alongside Chitose. The atmosphere is peaceful with contemporary music. The best time is right when it opens for dinner. 530pm, keeping in mind that folks flock over no matter what day of the week. Making a reservation is advised however you might get lucky as a walk-in for counter seating during the weekday. The servers are great help in choosing cold sake if its your first foray into sake. read more

See all

Probably my favorite restaurant in the area. The food is excellent. It has that quality and restraint that reminds me of living in Japan: simple things done properly, no need to scream for attention, just good ingredients handled with care. The tempura is especially strong and I love the copper tempura setup. It gives the room a little ceremony without making the place feel precious. The ambiance is pretty nice overall, though the building definitely shows its age. The ceiling looks rough in a few spots, but honestly, that kind of comes with the territory. It's not a sterile new build and I don't really need it to be. Service was great on my last visit. The AC was out, so the room was hot and humid, but our server handled it well and was genuinely accommodating. It's expensive, no question. But the food has quality behind it and that makes the price easier to accept. This is one of the few places I keep coming back to because it actually feels worth returning to. read more

we loved this place! i got the tempura dinner for $43 on the menu and it included noodles, 4 pc nigiri and 3 pc sushi, as well as tempura. it was perfectly filling and delicious. their green tea is really good too. their menu is so accessible and easy to read. fast service, good food ($$$), nice ambiance! would come back again! read more

See all

Authentic quality Japanese cuisine served with grace and elegance. Three friends from Rosemead, westchester and west la had lunch yesterday. Service was excellent. Dining area was set up so we were able to converse without hearing other parties conversations. One friend, a Japan ex pat who returns frequently to travel and for the food, told us that this was the best food she's had so far. A true gourmet, she was able to tell us the type of rice used and the quality of the rice. The tempura was professionally made. It was light and airy and melted in your mouth. Thank you for bringing Japan back to me without me having to travel. read more

This is my favorite spot for zaru soba. I couldn't find anything even close to this taste in Japan. The staff is incredibly friendly, and every dish is excellent. I really wanted to try their omakase, but reservations are very difficult to get. Highly recommend! read more

Inaba Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Torrance, California

See all

This place is a hidden gem located in an unassuming strip mall. It's the type of place you wouldn't find unless you were seeking it out. I usually get the teriyaki dinner combo. It's so consistently outstanding. The tempura and sashimi are the main stars here. Love the shrimp tempura. The hamachi sashimi is the best I've ever had. The salad dressing is tangy and delicious. The steak isn't particularly noteworthy, but it's not the reason why you would come here. I tried their nigiri sushi for the first time tonight. No surprise. They were of the highest quality. The toro melts in your mouth. I would recommend getting reservations since seating is limited. read more

See all

Inaba is a solid choice for a meal, as it has an expansive menu and the ambiance of the restaurant is comfortable. I love that there's parking out front and that the service was great. We ordered the veggie tempura, marinated tuna bowl, and salmon and ikura bowl. All were beautifully plated and fresh. I just wish the grilled salmon in the salmon bowl was hotter, and that the tempura held its crunch after it cooled. read more

Inaba Restaurant - Salmon and Ikura Bowl - Japanese Near Me - Torrance, California

Decent food in a small restaurant. It was a rainy day so perfect for some soupy comfort food. My friends ordered the set lunch with hot udon but I got the set lunch without the udon as the ones with the udon was with sushi- which I don't eat. Mine had sashimi so my friends ate them for me as i don't like raw fish. The udon noodles were thinner than the usual round noodles so one of my friends did not like it so much. They said the broth was good. My cod was lightly marinated & good texture. Tempura was typical & did not stand out. The set lunches were $35+ each & the black cod was extra $5. I did not think the food was exceptional to demand that kind of pricing. At least I've tried it so i know what to expect. Unless one of my friends insist on going back, I most likely will not return to this restaurant. read more

See all

My wife and I came by for lunch and we were immediately impressed with the more upscale yet still traditional Japanese decor and expansive menu. While her anago sea eel tempura box was finely executed (fresh ingredients and airy fry job), it was a bit pricy at $30. Much to our surprise, the sushi assortment was decent at best with the sushi rice being a bit clumpy and devoid of seasoning. Considering that sister Michelin-starred Sushi Inaba is housed inside this restaurant, this was a huge letdown. Service thankfully was friendly and attentive. We were glad to have tried the food once, but it's unlikely we'll return. read more

one of the most authentic japanese restaurants in torrance! all the staffs are fluent in japanese and you can the chef frying tempura right behind the counter. every time i come there's always japanese guests, highlighting how authentic the place is. they're known for their soba, udon, and tempura! tempura is lightly fried - just like those in japan. soba and udon are both homemade. a soba is around 18 dollars which is a great deal for such an upscale restaurant. if you're up for it they also offer different combos so you can try all their signature dishes (ex: soba plus sushi). recommend making a reservation ahead of time as they can get crowded during meal times. read more

Inaba Restaurant - Tororo Zaru - Japanese Near Me - Torrance, California

See all

Yes, I do recommend Inaba for good soba & tempura combos. Their dinners have become quite pricey over the years but food quality is still good. read more

This review is for their omakase dinner; Wow, i have to say, I felt really lucky to have a shirako dish at Sushi Inaba at the end of the tail season. Intimate ambience for 6 guests but it felt so fun and well paced. Chef Yasu and Mina were amazing; definitely get a bottle of sake recommended by Mina to enjoy the full experience. They really know their dishes and drinks. The daikon+monkfish liver was the best monkfish liver iteration I've ever had before. Reservations are of course very difficult but I find it worth it. Best of luck and enjoy! read more

See all

I have been meaning to come here for a while.., finally made it! And wow, it did not disappoint! I think I found my new Japanese restaurant that I have been on the hunt for since I moved to the South Bay Area, well at least close to PV side of South Bay. I dined only during lunch time which I think it's the best deal since dinner is only reservation and it's a bit pricy. Lunch is a great deal for the South Bay side. Very Japanese style and not westernized. Reminds me of places in Japan. Which I love. Food: * Undon soup Tempura combo w/ tuna and yam (their Udon is not your typical thick noodles but very tasty and I think I like it better). Did not care for the Yam, texture was slimy so will not be ordering this combo. Their tuna was excellent! Not fish at all, very fresh! $25 *combination plate- steak w/miso soup, rice, sashimi (super fresh and melt in your mouth, grata quality). Steak was on the tough side but still good. $28 Inside decor - was nothing special, very simple and minimalist decor, and clean. Ambiance is very lively since the establishment is very tiny inside and it was packed at 11:55AM. Service was very friendly and the servicer were very busy.., but good, (if you can get hold of their attention enough to get what you need...) I will definitely be back again during lunch time. My new go to place for lunches when I want great quality Japanese food, especially sushi on Torrance side. Tip: in a strip mall near the gas station and car dealerships. Go there early as possibly or go towards the end of lunch rush because if you go right in the middle, doubt you will get in! read more

See all

I-naba is always so good and never disappoints. We went for dinner and everything tasted incredibly fresh. The seafood was top quality and the flavors were spot on across the board. Always a reliable and satisfying experience. Make sure to reserve since it is a small space! read more

See all

Checked out Inaba in Torrance for a weeknight dinner, hoping to get some good Japanese food. From the start, it did not disappoint. You walk into a cozy, relaxing restaurant with comfortable seating while facing a tempura bar to sit in. In terms of menu items, I ordered: 1) Inabas Variety Bento Box ($40) This bento box came with sashimi, tempura, grilled salmon, with simmered vegetable and chicken. The sashimi stood out with its quality and freshness, and tempura was tasty, perfectly battered, crispy and not oily 2) Salmon and Ikura Bowl ($23) A rice bowl with filled Japanese sushi rice and fresh salmon sashimi, salmon roe that were thick cuts scattered throughout the bowl. 3) Marinated Tuna Bowl ($23) A rice bowl with filled Japanese sushi rice and fresh tuna sashimi that were thick cuts on top of the bowl. The tuna sashimi was so tasty and had no fishiness smell at all. 4) Zaru ($14) The soba noodles was handmade and tasted perfect, with good chewiness and a refreshing cold dipping sauce Overall, service was great and very attentive as they constantly poured green tea. Despite their menu being on the pricier end, it is one of the best sushi places in Torrance and should be checked out! read more

See all

Just came here the first time for lunch. I ordered deluxe bento and it was delicious. Everything was freshly prepared, sashimi was fresh, tempura was very crispy, chicken were very tender, black cod was my favorite. Very nicely marinated and cooked. Even the vegetables was perfectly cooked and flavored. This place was fully packed when we walked in but we were able to get our food quickly. Staffs were very friendly too. Highly recommended read more

Inaba Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Torrance, California

See all

Amazing experience and service. I ordered the dinner set that came with hot soba and nigiri + roll. We also ordered the small sashimi set. I really liked the soba noodles and the fish was super fresh. Service was amazing and they were kind and attentive. read more

See all

Didn't think the service was great and the food was just fine. To be fair I ordered the deluxe omakase and it came out looking basically the same as my friends who ordered the regular omakase and that rubbed me the wrong way. I will also say no one told us what was on our plate it just came out as is. Also, FYI it's not free refills on soft drinks. read more

THe absolute best Soba in SoCal, possibly the states. Soba is my favorite thing to eat whenever I visit Japan. It's simple but takes a lot of skill to make it great. Inaba is that place . Made a lunch reservation and was seated right away. The place is small, but it was completely filled with locals. Service was swift just as you'd expect from any restaurant in Japan. But lets get to the goods: Oroshi Cold Soba: The Soba noodles here are top notch. So good. Chewy and the broth was just right. I got extra soba noodles and throughout the whole meal they stayed chewy and never got soggy. The broth was so tasty I killed the whole thing. Get This! Tempura: They have a proper tempura chef here. Everything was thinly battered and perfectly fried. Get this! Teba Tatsura: Had to check out their chicken wings. Lightly battered, really nice crunch, and super juicy. Get this. Asari Sake: The clam soup here is so damn clean and full of flavor. A simple dish with maximum flavor. Get this. Overall an amazing lunch. Will be driving down to torrance whenever the cravings hit. If its a bit out of the way for you too trust me. This is worth the drive ya'll. The best! read more

Inaba Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Torrance, California

See all

I'd first like to say that I am a spoiled Angelino with access to a lot of top tier Japanese food (especially tempura and udon). So if you've never had tempura and udon before (or do not have dozens of places to compare it to), I think you'd probably rate this place 5/5. However, here is my take on Inaba's Tempura Dinner and Hot Broth Tsukimi. Tempura Dinner ($45) The tempura itself was excellent. The batter was crispy and the choice of fish and vegetables they selected were satisfactory. The 3 shrimp pieces I ate tasted like the shrimp had been freshly caught. As for the rice and miso soup, I felt very comforted when consuming these two sides (it's hard to go wrong with white rice and miso soup). I also liked that there was some tofu skin(?) in the miso soup (that's not the usual in other restaurants). I was happy that the Tempura Dinner came with salad even though I was not a huge fan of the white dressing. Hot Broth Tsukimi ($16) I skipped lunch just so my food could taste even better and yet I felt the flavors were lacking in the udon soup. When it came to our table, I could see that there was only the broth, noodles and a raw egg in it, which made me curious as to how tasty the broth would be (I thought to myself: this broth must be packed with flavor). Unfortunately, it was pretty mild even with the chili peppers I added to it. Actually, I ended up adding the leftover curry powder that was included in the tempura dinner to the broth and that improved the flavor profile a lot. Unfortunately, I would not recommend ordering Tsukimi. In terms of service, we were quick to be seated. My interactions with the staff were limited, but all of the employees I came in contact with were friendly. Once we ordered our meal, it came out like 12-15 minutes later. The service was smooth. The restaurant was small with a lot of natural materials used in their interior design. The sushi bar of the restaurant looked like a fancier area to me. However, if you come in casual clothes you should be fine read more

Inaba Restaurant - Tempura Dinner ($45) - Japanese Near Me - Torrance, California

Wonderful service as always!!!! We got super lucky with a last minute reservation. They make the soba and udon in house and it's so delicious! Very pretty inside with a bar you can sit at where they serve you the tempura as they are ready. We got the wonderful Miruyo San today, and another gentleman which I forgot to ask his name. Wonderful service every time! read more

See all

It's mother daughter's day and we took our mom here for lunch. We drive from Orange County sight unseen based strictly off the reviews. Thank you yelpers for recommending this place. First it's well hidden in a bland non descriptive strip mall, down the street from the Del Amo mall, near a Jeep dealership. Inside is small with maybe 10 tables and counter spots. We made reservations but on a Sunday afternoon i don't think it was necessary. We splurged and got the Kaiseki lunch for $75. It was a lot of food! I'm not saying you're going to need fat pants but you won't leave starving. I was able to eat everything but my mom and sister were full. There's more food than the description lets on. I left extremely satisfied and would love to try more things. Next time, maybe a smaller lunch. read more

See all

If you're looking for some great tempura. I highly recommend Inaba. Make sure you make the reservations for the tempura bar. The bar only sits six people. Their tempura are fantastic, lightly battered, crispy, and not oily at all. They serve you with three different types of salt, matcha, cajun, and regular sea salt, and dipping tempura sauce. Besides tempura, they also offer a bunch of dinner set and a al carte. For starters, we started with an order of the Battera and Mozuku. We also got the beef tongue. It wasn't that great a bit chewy and lacking flavor. As for the tempura, everything that we ordered was delicious Shrimp - delicious and sweet. Squid - so tender and sweet. Kisu- delicious. Lotus root w/ Minced Shrimp and Shiso w/ Shrimp - both were fantastic. Hokkaido Scallops - so sweet and tender. Both Shrimp and Scallop Kakiage- fantastic. Anago- is a must order. Both Squid and Uni Shiso Tempura Roll- highly recommend. Service was fantastic and enjoyed our meal. Until next time. read more

See all

Excellent sushi restaurant! Very high quality fish and perfect tempura! Service was great.

I can't believe their rating is what it is. This is a good establishment; clean, good food, good service. I get the soba lunch combo with sashimi. It's good, and reasonably priced. For soba/udon, I prefer Otafuku, but for the combo, and the price, this is great read more

I was so pleased with this restaurant. The quality of the food is the best I've had after dining at a number of sushi restaurants. The food was fresh, exquisitely presented and reasonably priced. I'm getting a gift certificate (if available) for my best friend for her birthday! read more

Inaba Restaurant - LUNCH - Japanese Near Me - Torrance, California

This is a PSA for the kaiseki only. Don't come with the expectation of a true kaiseki like I did. It's a good value if you think of it as a tasting menu. But because I expected it to resemble a kaiseki like it was named, I was left feeling disappointed last weekend. Granted the price point was not as much as a true kaiseki but then again, service wasn't either. In fact, service was sorely lacking. I know I came on a weekend, and I'm very happy for them that it was busy. But calling it a kaiseki when neither the food quality nor service matched was a big disappointment for me. It was a big difference compared to our experience of a true kaiseki in Japan and I think if they called it a "tasting menu" then my expectations would have been a lot lower. Service: They just threw dry condiments on our table in the middle of our second dish and walked away without explaining to us what they were or what dish we were supposed to use it for. Food: Good, but did not resemble a kaiseki. Again, it was probably a misconception of what they meant by "kaiseki" but for me it made me expect Japanese fine dining and I was sorely let down. The food was great, I just got misled by what they called it. TLDR: Calling it a kaiseki is extremely misleading and I wouldn't have had such high expectations if it was called what it straight up was: a tasting menu. It's like calling a fish & chips dish that uses fried fish with eggs inside "flying fish caviar". Technically it's not wrong. But it's 1000% misleading. read more

Inaba Restaurant - Marinated Tuna Bowl - Japanese Near Me - Torrance, California

Very clean restaurant. Had the teriyaki steak and the vegetable tempura was the best I've ever had. We were in LA driving back south and decided to try this place out. Great service. read more

This is a cute little restaurant tucked away in the plaza. The minute you enter it feels like you're transported into a different area. The server was very welcoming in explaining their specialties to us. They were very attentive with refilling our tea whenever it was empty. I got the tempura soba sushi set. The soba noodles were delicious! They were perfectly cooked, and the dipping sauce wasn't too salt. The tempura flour was very light but not very crunchy. They were delicious when eaten piping hot, but after a few minutes it got soft. For a location that specialized in temperate this was a disappointment. Overall I would definitely come back from the soba and give the tempura another try! read more

Wow, this unassuming Japanese restaurant tucked into a Torrance strip mall serves absolutely amazing food! I ordered a lunch sushi, cold soba, tempura combo and every detail was on point. The sushi was fresh and delicious, the soba was flavorful, and the tempura was light and crispy. Definitely want to go back! read more

A great, authentic Japanese restaurant. Great service and Japanese ambience. Food is incredible too--probably the best Japanese restaurant in the area. It's a busy place though and it can be hard to get a reservation last minute so plan ahead. read more

A more old-fashioned Japanese restaurant just north of Del Amo. The food here was really good; I was told they specialize in tenkasu which is tempura or fried foods but actually there's a huge selection and tons of sushi options. I was given a counter seat and the servers were pretty friendly. I could tell this place usually is mostly Japanese locals because the other customers were mostly Japanese and the waiters seemed to struggle a bit with English. The main turn off for me is the price. There's so many good Japanese places around and they specialize so if you're spending a lot you expect really high class. I think the atmosphere here is more casual though and it feels overpriced even though what I had was taste-wise very good. read more

Inaba Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Torrance, California

Came here for a quick dinner with my friend since she wanted me to eat healthier and we were in the Torrance area. Been to the Inaba on Oahu and also Ichimiann in Torrance so when I ordered the Soba and Tempura set I was amazed at the small portion difference here compared to the other places. Sure the food and atmosphere is supposed to be higher end but I unfortunately found no value here.... Wanted to grab a burger after here since I was still hungry but kept my mouth shut since shed get mad. 3 stars read more

Inaba Restaurant - Underwhelming Vegetable Tempura and Soba set - Japanese Near Me - Torrance, California