Simply amazing! These gyoza are perfectly made - crispy on the outside, moist and hot on the…read moreinside. That satisfying crunch really hits the spot! Though gyoza is the main player here, the supporting cast is also wonderful. The set dish includes a vegetable roll with the signature crispy outside, and a rare offering of oshitashi (spinach), carrots and gobo (burdock root), addition to some edamame (soybeans) with a couple of slices of takuan (sun-dried pickled radish) - all traditional Japanese sides. I love gyoza, but these are the tastiest I have ever eaten. Now I fear that I will no longer enjoy those other gyoza because they will not measure up to what I enjoyed immensely here at Kaminari Gyoza Bar!

Came here for lunch and this is my take: 1. deep fried pork…read moregyoza - good but not really my style 2. chicken pan fried gyoza - excellently done 3. Soupy pork gyoza - both gyoza and soup were flavorful 4. Soup - good but served at an extremely hot temperature Interior: interior is clean with the cooking area in the middle where you can see the action. It also has booth and high top seating. Ideal for small parties of 4-6 people. Parking: meter street parking or paid parking lot nearby. Best option is taking the bus. Service: attentive They also have a good deal on bunch special with 6 gyoza and several sides. I would come back here for lunch some more.

Guzzu Bento-ya is a Japanese bento specialty shop in Downtown LA (approximately two blocks away…read morefrom ROW DTLA) and is owned by the same restaurant group as Mo-Mo-Paradise. The goal for the shop is recreating the experience of a Japanese train station bento lunch box. This spot was ranked #26 in Yelp's Top 100 Places to Eat in LA County in 2023 and #9 in 2024. I first discovered Guzzu Bento-ya at the Belly Laughs Comedy and Food Festival in 2025 and recently decided to visit this brick-and-mortar location. [Parking]: Plenty of parking spots available right in front of the shop. [Atmosphere & amenity]: The bento shop is located in the run-down warehouse area of the Arts District and the shop closes at 3 PM. The shop has modern interior decor with coffee shop radio playing in the background. There are plenty of tables inside so customers can eat their bento on-site. The restroom requires an access code and the code is available at the cashier counter. Expect a bit of a wait as my single bento order took about 20 minutes to be ready. [Menu]: The shop offers Tier 1 Bento (aonori furikake-topped rice, pickled purple cabbage, Tokyo diner potato salad, carrot kinpira, and your choice of protein) and Tier 2 Premium Bento (Tier 1 plus miso-cured egg yolk, fukujinzuke, daigaku imo aka sweet potato, tare-glazed lotus root, broccoli namul, braised fried miso tofu, and grilled zucchini shaped like a leaf). Yelp's top two highlighted protein options are Chicken Karaage and Grilled Chicken. The shop also sells salads and sandos. *** Wild Salmon (Grilled Faroe Island Salmon fillet marinated with local honey Saikyo miso - Tier 2. $26): Other than the fried miso tofu tasted a bit salty, overall it was a well-rounded bento box. The salmon was great and I liked the little extra touches on the side dishes like the grilled zucchini shaped like a leaf. *** A solid 4.5-star on the bento and bump up for the modern interior ambiance.

Super worth it for 20 dollars for the 2 tier bento. I love the fresh ingredients they use and their…read morewell packaged lunches. They also have good parking since it's not a busy area hidden in the fashion/arts district. It's more of a pick up spot but there's actually seating inside as well. I also noticed that the prices when ordering online are 2-3 dollars more expensive so I recommend actually going in and ordering it there since it's cheaper. I got their spicy karage 2 tier lunch box and absolutely devoured it. It can definitely be a meal that can be split because there's a ton of rice and I was so full after. A side dish I want to high light is their potato egg salad which I really enjoyed and their miso cured egg yolk that paired well with the rice. All their marinated and picked veggies paired really well with the rice. The purple picked veggies were very spicy though. The karage was spicy and crispy. I will say that it was just a little overdone for my liking since there was a bitter taste but that could have been coming from the seasoning so I think next time I'll just get the soy glaze instead. I definitely recommend this spot for a nice Japanese style lunch.

Funhouse has quickly become an LA staple! Walking in feels like stepping through a punk time portal…read moredirected by Jim Jarmusch, a 1950s diner meets a 70s/80s punk venue, with a Japanese food menu from heaven. Tsubasa and the entire team are incredibly welcoming and make every visit feel so special. The food is consistently fresh and delicious! The menu is creative and thoughtful! (There are plenty of vegan options available too) This place is truly a FUNHOUSE!

It was a small menu but everything on it was stellar. The fish broth was a highlight as well as…read moretheir octopus. Everyone was super friendly and the atmosphere was enjoyable. Will definitely come back!

Food is good but for the money and time spent i think better for casual snacking, did not hit the…read morespot for a meal. Dont even have pics bc the food comes out so few and far btwn

Shin-Sen-Gumi Yakitori Comes to Little Tokyo…read more Great food, cool atmosphere. What's not to like from the awesome Shin-Sen-Gumi brand, which brings with it a certain authentic Japanese vibe: the giant wood booths are perfect, for example, and the service was quick and attentive with the kitchen literally right in front of you (to my left?). Located just a small half block from the central block at the heart of Little Tokyo, this location is a must visit for yakitori lovers in the area already. Love that you are greeted the obligatory unison "irraishimase" from the whole staff in this relatively cozy-sized resto. And they were so kind to get us seated so early before our reservation. So what did we have? Unagi. My personal fave. Meat was juicy and tender marinated well in the sticky sweet eel sauce. Staple and definite recommend. Beef. Tender and well seasoned. Also recommend. Pork Belly. Cooked well and nice and fatty, salty flavor. Always recommend. Chicken thighs with green onion. Down nicely here with the soy marinade. Recommend. Chicken meatballs. Love this. Meat was juicy and soft, covered in the savory sweet sauce. Definite recommend. Duck. Who knew, but this duck is deceptively good. Wasn't sure at first, but upon first bite, you will be amazed. Meat was not gamey but soft and tasted great! Tons of delicious, juicy flavor, salty. Maybe the best dish in terms of quality and value. Totally recommend this dish. Overall, prices were a bit higher than some other yakitori places. However, yakitori in California is generally not cheap. But I think the quality here is worth it if you're in Little Tokyo wanting some skewer action. The brand is a solid choice, and this spot doesn't disappoint. But as always, give it try and let me know what you think. Until next time, Yelpers.

Love love loved our dining experience here. For the price point and what you get, this is an…read moreabsolutely a high quality and value experience. (For reference, I have 30+ Michelin starred restaurants that I've dined at) Food: 5/5 Alternating between innovative flavor combinations and elegantly upleveled classic. My favorite was the mini burger with fatty tuna and shiso. It was a French twist on nigiri and instantly recognizable. Service: representative of fine dining. Attentive and respectful. The chefs explain the courses and finish plating and cooking the dishes live in front of the bar seating style counter. Ambiance: clean, simple and traditional

french-thai-japanese is not a combo i've ever heard or thought of before.. but i think maison…read morekanatha has created something really special! all the dishes had high quality ingredients with expert textures, prepared with beautiful precision and detail - something you expect from an upscale tasting menu. but what was unexpected were the flavors - the sourness and spices of southeast asian food - combined with the high quality preparation. RESERVATIONS i went to restaurant ki with two of my friends, and our host told us that maison kanatha had recently opened in the same location under the same restaurant group. we looked into reservations on the spot and booked one about a month out. it wasn't hard since they are newer. PARKING/GETTING IN the default option the restaurants here give you is parking in the garage, which i heard is $10. but i've been able to find free parking on the street nearby. the restaurant will send instructions on how to get inside. it's on the basement level of the building attached to the garage. SERVICE/AMBIANCE everything feels very calm, clean, and respectful. i felt very taken care of by all the hosts, servers, and chefs. we were seated a bar so we got to watch the chefs prepare everything, and they put in so much care and attention to detail to everything. overall, the hospitality we experienced was a 10/10. FOOD some overall notes: my friends and i liked everything we got, but there were definitely some things that stood out. my menu excluded shrimp items because i am allergic. there were 4 items on the menu that were different due to my allergy, which felt like a lot.. but i still liked my replacements so i'm not complaining. my friend has an aversion to cilantro, and it seemed like a lot of dishes had cilantro. sometimes i wouldn't even really notice the flavor of cilantro but my friend did because she's sensitive to it. if you don't like cilantro i would let them know when making a reservation, and maybe they can accommodate. now for specific dishes: - crispy salmon w/ soy butter sauce: well cooked salmon, i loved the light crunch and the sweet sauce - caviar w/ white sesame mousse: all of us loved this! perfect balance of salty, creamy, nutty, and light - charcoal grilled black cod w/ holy basil sauce: the fish was SO SOFT. softer than miso black cod anywhere. combined with a crackly skin and mushrooms? i don't think you could design a more perfect dish for me. i will say the skin felt a biit burnt to a crisp for me, but i didn't care as i was just obsessed with the texture of the fish itself - cold asparagus soup w/ crystal salmon: DELICIOUS. the salmon was perfect and fatty. my only note was that the crispy bit was super thin and delicate, but i could have done with a more hefty crunch to go with this dish. - crispy tart w/ squid and uni: similar to the soup, i felt that the tart was so delicate and thin, and i would have wanted just a bit more. i enjoyed the fishiness of this, with the textures of the squishy squid and soft uni. but one of my friends felt it was a bit too fishy for them. personal preference! - tomato and flounder w/ mozuku seaweed: there was a tartness and sourness that i really enjoyed. the flounder was the perfect texture (i think it was shrimp for everyone else). - mini burger w/ charcoal seared bluefin tuna: my friend's favorite dish of the night. the seared tuna was a 10/10 for me. i just felt that mine tasted a bit strongly of shiso, and i couldn't really taste the cream cheese. but still good and you get two fat pieces of tuna which felt generous. - green curry in pani puri with hokkaido scallop: this dish was interesting. i loved the flavor of the green curry. the scallop on top tasted and felt more like crab, but it was still good. there was rice at the bottom but i couldn't really notice it unless i specifically looked for it. - chawanmushi w/ french onion soup: unique dish, a combo i've never seen before. i was skeptical of the flavors working together but they really did! perfectly soft egg custard, overall delicious. - sea bream beignet w/ yuzu sake cream sauce: this dish was the only thing on the menu that i kind of had a hard time with. the sake cream sauce was sour in a slightly unpleasant way, like when you want yogurt to be sweet but it's unsweetened greek yogurt. the texture of the sea bream was just ok - wagyu shabu shabu w/ tamarind ponzu sauce: big fan of the ponzu suace. perfect, balanced bites with meat, veggies, and sauce. - somen noodles in tom yum soup: sour, warm, delicious - passion fruits coconut: yummy, though the passionfruit was a bit too strong for me - pudding w/ blackberry sauce: the perfect dessert, tbh. i could eat this every day. finally there was a good amount of crunch if you like thai food and upscale asian food, especially seafood, maison kanatha is the place to go! i don't think i've seen anything like this anywhere else in LA. try it before it gets too popular :)

It's like a miniature Kagura, meaning you can expect a traditional set meal with miso soup and a…read moresolid variety of Japanese dishes--with Katsu seeming to be the main attraction. The interior goes for a traditional Japanese vibe with some fun design choices. I ordered the Tuna Tuna Donburi, and honestly, it wasn't very good. The ingredient quality felt lacking, yet it was more than twice the price of the toro rolls you'd find at a local Japanese market. It also misses out on the better salads and finer drink options you'd get at a full-sized Kagura. That being said, the service is a huge strong point. There was very little waiting, and the staff was highly attentive in typical Japanese fashion. My younger son also really loved the Ebi Tempura and edamame, so there are clearly some winners on the menu!"

The Food is always great Service is excellent, the servers…read moreare extra sweet and friendly There are many options , from Ramen to Bento Boxes and everything between Parking , Street and parking garages in the area, a must stop when you visit Little Tokyo Village Recommend !!

Kombu Sushi has great sushi and wonderful entrees. You want it, they have it. The food is fresh and…read moreso great. We Love all their hand rolls and their blue crab and avocado hand roll is my favorite on the menu. We love the yellowtail rolls. Also try one of their sushi plates. You get a great selection. Parking can be a pain but you will be okay. The prices are fair and the service is just great. The staff takes good care of you and will tell you of any specials they have. They have some Happy Hour specials that are just great. The place is comfortable and ever so clean. It is just really pretty. Their salads are also yummy. I was not fond of the tea ice cream, but maybe that is just me. Make a reservation. It can get crowded, but during off hours we just walk in.

Love coming here for their happy hour that goes until 9pm! I had a blue crab and avocado hand roll,…read moreedamame, and spicy tuna crispy rice (not pictured) Service was great and our server was very attentive while we sat on the cute outdoor patio. Really recommend!

Mitsuru Cafe is always a must go to whenever in Little Tokyo. Their Mitarashi Dango and Imagawayaki…read more(red bean cake) are delicious! Their prices are also reasonable. Make sure to bring cash and patience as sometimes the wait time can take awhile (especially on the weekends). P.S. no pictures were taken before the food was consumed. TOO GOOD.

I've long heard about this place, so I decided to come here for lunch. There was a line, but it…read morewent by fast. We place the order at the door, and they'll hand us our order when it's ready. I got the mitarashi dango, takoyaki, and chicken karaage. One of each was very filling. I liked the chicken karaage the most out of the three. Parking is available at the Japanese Village Plaza Parking Garage.