If you're craving authentic Japanese comfort food wrapped in a vibe that whispers "psst... you…read moredeserve privacy", This is the spot. The private booths alone made me feel like I was signing a secret business deal, except the only thing I was negotiating was how much more food I could fit into my stomach. Every dish came out looking like it had been through a glow‑up montage. So delicious! * Unagi -- Melted in my mouth like it had a personal vendetta against being solid. Sweet, buttery, and dangerously addictive. * Katsu -- Crispy enough to be heard across the booth. If this dish had a crunchy Japanese category, this would be the headliner. * Spicy tuna -- The perfect balance of heat and flavor. Not "call the fire department" spicy, but definitely "I see you trying to impress me" spicy. * Seared tuna, Elegant, silky, and so fresh it probably had plans later. * Uni pasta, Listen... this dish is a commitment. Creamy, ocean‑kissed, and luxurious. It's the kind of pasta that makes you sit back and reevaluate your life choices, in a good way. * Sake - WOW ...My delicious sake was smooth, floral, and paired with everything like it had studied my taste buds in advance. The staff here operate with polite ninja efficiency. They appear, refill, deliver, and disappear before you can even say "arigato." Not rushed, not pushy, just clean, respectful Japanese hospitality that makes you feel taken care of. "Always remember the energy you give....is the energy you get in return!" The private booths are the star of the show. Cozy, warm lighting, and enough privacy to talk chisme without worrying about the table next to you judging your life choices. It's intimate without being cramped, like a little wooden cocoon of comfort. Kagura is one of those Torrance gems that hits every category: authentic food, quiet comfort, top‑tier service, and dishes that make you want to come back before you've even left the parking lot, oh and let me remind you how small that parking lot is, be prepared. If you're into Japanese cuisine that feels both homey and elevated, this is your spot. Living life one bite at a time...go and enjoy yourself! Miguel C.

I came here for lunch (no res) right when they opened on a Saturday! I had a great experience and…read moreservice was good. I ordered the pork and fried oyster combo and everything was delicious! I love the additional sides of the soup and veggies to pair with the katsu and oyster. The fried oysters were super juicy and were cooked perfectly! I would come back and try their other katsu dishes!

Came here for a birthday lunch and it was obviously a favorite of locals. The ladies who work here…read moreare fast, efficient and friendly. For my main meal I ordered the chirashi meal. Nice set of sashimi. Friends ordered the tonkatsu and tempura teishoku. Food is well prepared here. Everything was tasty!

The restaurant is located adjacent to Abalone Ave, different from the location that was shown on…read moreApple/Google Maps. While you were at the corner, you would see its noticeable sign. It felt causal and cozy inside, simple and clean. We arrived late at around 1:30 pm on a Saturday afternoon but the waitress was patient and friendly, guiding us to seats and let us know to order before their kitchen was closed. It had a lunch special menu which showed several special items at a very affordable price. We picked the Negitoro Bowl from this special menu (at half of the regular price). The tuna had a balanced fat and was minced in a manner that I felt it melt in my mouth. It's a good match with rice. The Kaisen Bowl had a variety of seafoods and all of them tasted very fresh! The salty fish roe made the rice more flavorful. The Kaisen Bowl came with a miso soup and a salad. We also ordered a soba which was well cooked. We definitely will go back to try more dishes!

One of the best things about Sundays is being able to enjoy yakitori for lunch here. It's a bit of…read morea drive from my home, but it's absolutely worth it. With the recent rise in the cost of living, we don't eat out nearly as often as we used to. And after seeing how reasonably priced restaurants are in Japan, I usually prefer to cook at home since I can recreate many dishes myself. But this place is in a league of its own. The chicken liver is simply outstanding--without a doubt the best I've had in the U.S. The service is also exceptional, warm, and attentive. Yes, it's more expensive than eating yakitori in Japan, but it's worth every penny. Since I only get to visit Japan once a year, Torihei is my one and only choice whenever I'm craving authentic yakitori that I simply can't make at home.

We went here at a Thursday evening for dinner and we were sitting at the bar…read moreMy friend said he has been this restaurant before so he highly recommended it It reminded me so much of the vibe of Japan We ordered so many dishes last night and all the grilled chicken are all good I personally love the grilled ginkgo nuts because it is so delicious and very rarely to see restaurants serving it with shells The service was really good and it is a great place to hang out with friends and families Have a drink paring with the food definitely it the best way to enjoy the food there Somehow, I noticed the little hallway entering the back kitchen and also inside of the lady's room smells bad I am not sure it is the plumbing issue or something but the smell is irritating and unpleasant Other than that, everything is very good Note: the restaurant is located at the plaza with 85 degrees bakery so the parking is plenty and easy to find a space

Packed restaurant but we were seated immediately at the bar. First time going so our server was…read morehappy to help us select. The coke float was HUGE, enough for two maybe three. Sake was smoooth. Even though it was very busy, the food came out quickly. We ordered almost everything and it was delicious. The grill imparts a great char, especially on the shrimp. Flavors are well balanced and portions are decent sized. Servings are larger than I anticipated as they're larger than other yakitori places. Prices are on point so you can order quite a few things and share. It can get a bit loud with all the people but isn't that what a good yakitori is like? Nice to see a vibrant pippin' establishment.

* umami miso ramen * yuzu Shio ramen…read more * beef harami bowl * karrage * takoyaki Great little spot tucked right next to Chili's, we almost drove past it. The Yuzu Shio ramen was incredibly flavorful with a unique citrusy profile that really stood out. The Umami ramen was also packed with rich flavor, though it can be a bit intense, so I'd recommend keeping a glass of water nearby. I ordered the Harami, and while the meat itself was delicious and tender, it came with a bit more sauce than I personally preferred. Next time I'll definitely ask for the sauce on the lighter side. Overall, we had a wonderful experience. The food was delicious, the service was attentive and friendly, and the ambiance was calm and relaxing. We happened to dine about an hour before their lunch service ended, so that may have contributed to the peaceful atmosphere. I'd definitely come back again.

Glad we got there early, when we finished dinner the whole restaurant was a packed house, all the…read moretables were taken. Good food, good service, good price tonight was a win win all the way around and the kicker was parking was a breeze considering that parking lot is always full.

to keep it short, they forgot they sat us down. they didn't take our order for over 30 minutes and…read moreafter they did there was a lot forgotten like my takeout order i think had gotten lost after being placed. i should've said something a lot sooner regarding having our order taken especially because i was in a time crunch but i don't like the thought of rushing workers especially when it's a smaller business with less people. my coworker i went with has been many times but said this never happens so this was a first for us. i think the language barrier also played a factor as well, however, the table sitting next to us who spoke fluent japanese also never received their check and was forgotten too. it was not busy. but the owners seemed to prioritize the other side of the restaurant instead. nonetheless, they were apologetic and we still ate and the food was very good, id recommend coming here on a day you are not busy!

Atmosphere - Clean, lots of indoor seating. No wait on Thursday evening…read more Taste - We ordered the Manager's Special, Matsui Bowl and Hand Roll Combination. Udon and Soba sauce was flavorful and authentic tasting. Shrimp tempura was crispy. Customer Service - Excellent. Staff were attentive and friendly. Price - Average

I was just starting to eat my meal when the sat a large group breaking them in to tables on both…read moresides of me. So people needed to squeeze by and then one guy asked if he could sit for a moment at my table. I said okay. But then I think he planned to stay at my table until finally my waiter moved him! There was a seat at one their tables the whole time. Then their waitress wedge herself with her back toward me in between the tables and I had to stop eating. Very disruptive and rude. Taking a while for the six people to order so I nudged her and I asked her to move and she seemed upset that I did that but didn't say anything no apology so it was very uncomfortable and I was rushing through my food so I burnt my tongue on the hot soup again even though I knew it was hot because I just wanted to get out of there. And then when I was done, I had to wait a while for the check and then they couldn't process the Apple Pay at the table so then I had to go to the front and wait for somebody to attend to me there overall this experience was not fun and stressful and I had got there right when they opened. I sure wish I had selected a different seat!! I wouldn't get the Nabeyaki soup again. It was really big and had a lot of end pieces of tough napa cabbage. There were two pieced of shitake mushroom and the standard thin fish cake slice. There was and egg in the soup and a three small chicken pieces. On the side were three small pieces of green bean and two tempura shrimp.

The food truly was very good! We tried both the uni ebi pasta and the uni truffle pasta with added…read moreshrimp. Both uni pastas were amazing! If you like uni, then the uni pastas are definitely worth a try! The shrimp was fresh. There are other pasta dishes that were fine too for the ones that don't fancy uni. Will definitely go back!

WOW. All I can say is WOW. Ordered the uni truffle pasta and Burrata Caprese…read more this is quite possible the best pasta I've had in my entire life. Mind you, I love Italian, real deal handmade pasta and rich luxurious sauces. This is different. spaghetti is good, al dente. It's the flavor profile that is mind blowing! Not too salty, not too rich. a perfectly indulgent, balanced flavor that isn't Italian or Japanese but rather it's own amazing creation of deliciousness. it had a lingering flavor that i want to stay for a little while longer. will be back for this alone! And the buratta caprese was a notch above too.

Izakaya Hachi has cold beer and perfect food to compliment the beer. Came here on a Friday night…read more Got some hot dishes and cold dishes and they all hit pretty hard. Went with a chef's sampler of skewers and got four delicious yakitori skewers. Got delicious chicken wings and chicken karaage that were addictive and the perfect bar food. After eating these dishes, we got a piece of wagyu sashimi (raw) with uni, which was a great bite and we closed our meal with some yuzu snapper carpaccio. Overall, I'm so glad we came here for an after-work meal. It's not cheap, but I was pleased with the portions and the quality of everything we had. We will definitely come back to get some more meat and beer!

Izakaya Hachi definitely delivers on the lively, bustling energy you expect from a popular local…read morespot, though my first visit came with a mix of standout hits and a few minor misses. The food highlights were easily the gobo chips and the skewers. The gobo chips arrived as an impressive, light-as-air mound dusted with seaweed seasoning... super crisp, savory, and addictively easy to snack on. The pork and wagyu skewers were masterfully executed as well, coming off the grill tender, juicy, and packed with rich, smoky flavor. The toasted eihire (stingray/filefish) was another great traditional touch, perfectly chewy and ideal for dipping in the spiced Japanese mayo my favorite.. On the flip side, a few dishes lacked the depth I was hoping for. The chicken karaage was fried well, but the flavor itself was a bit bland and needed more seasoning or marination and soft. The pressed rice rolls also fell flat, particularly the mentaiko roll.. it felt skimpy on the cod roe, and because the mentaiko seemed cooked through, it missed that fresh, raw texture and punchy brine that makes the dish shine. As for the space, it's quite dark, compact, and packed tightly with tables, which makes it feel a bit cramped when it's busy. However, seeing the dining room constantly full tells me that their best dishes keep people coming back. While there were some inconsistencies in taste, the highlights made it a solid experience, and I'm looking forward to returning to try more of the menu and updating my score!