This used to be my go to place for oyakodon, which is chicken and egg rice. You can pair it with noodles cold or hot. The udon is pretty tasty but I think the overall quality is going downhill. The food is what you may call Japanese fast food but I think my expectations need to change. The service is great and they give you a Japanese tea with your meal. The place is small but they have many tables the if there's a wait it's still pretty quick. It's ok but used to be good. read more

I have been coming here for 15 years since I was child. The food has always been consistent as well as the service. Every time I come back it brings back so many memories and it was so nice to see the busboy become the manager! I think it's funny that the bad reviews talk about the smell of this place, however, oddly enough, this smell brings me a sense of nostalgia, as it has always smelled like this. It's kind of like an inside joke with me and my family at this point and we love it every time we walk in. The only complain that I have is that they no longer let me order the kids meal anymore. I have also seen bad reviews about the jello, but it has always been like this as well. The jello was always my favorite part of the meal and the adorable dog faced bowl. read more

Matsui - ~15 years ago - Japanese Near Me - Torrance, California

Really love their lunch special, so much delicious food for such a great price (around $16). We've been here a few times, and there's always a line, even 30-40 minutes before their afternoon break (2-5:30 pm). It's getting harder to find good, affordable places like this, so hopefully they keep their prices like that for a while! read more

This is one of my favorite japanese spots in the south bay. it's affordable with great lunch deals and is authentic and tasty. i love getting their bento style meals which are around $20 or less. i ordered the bento that came with both sushi and soba (you can pick between soba and udon) and it was so good! read more

One of my new favorite places! The food was good and you get a good portion for the price so it feels like a pretty nice deal! The service has always been very kind and they give you free iced barley tea. The interior isn't too fancy so it's a very casual and comfortable spot for a night out. read more

Matsui - udon and tempura combo - Japanese Near Me - Torrance, California

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I WOULD DIE FOR THIS PLACE IF I HAVE TO. It is your tride and true authentic japanese restaurant with a 5 page menu, that never goes wrong. When i have friends visiting, I bring them here. Restaurant isn't super big but the wait for a table is never long. Service is great, ppl tend to check in during thr meal. The food is yummy and i rly enjoyed it whether I get their soba, curry, tempura, katsudon, combos, etc. read more

The good: I like how everyone is served hot rice tea here without an extra charge. It was a warm welcome from the windy weather outside. The space felt very authentically Japanese and had a small but cute interior. I tried the ten don combo with udon. I preferred my husband's hot soba noodles in his combo special. It was tender and easy to eat. I liked all of the variations they had on combos. The tempura was nicely and lightly fried. The food came out in a timely manner. They had interesting high chairs I've never seen at other restaurants before. The service was prompt. The bad: My dish came with a random plate with three half green beans that were a little less cooked than I preferred. My daughter liked them but I thought it was a bit random. The tempura was slightly saltier than the average tempura. There's no outdoor dining option. The interesting: This restaurant is located in a plaza full of other Japanese cuisines. There were lots of baseball souvenirs around as decor. read more

Matsui - Udon and tempura - Japanese Near Me - Torrance, California

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Matsui is one of my favorite Japanese restaurants in the area! I recently went back and was so happy with everything I got. There is a good amount of tables inside and it was pretty crowded for a Friday night! Luckily we didn't have to wait for a table. We got the agedashi tofu, takoyaki, manager's special, and cold soba. Everything was super yummy! The manager's special is a great deal since you get a choice of noodle, tempura, nigiri sushi, and salad. Definitely recommend Matsui! read more

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Super homey feeling Japanese restaurant. Feels really authentic. The food is super affordable and portions are super hefty. I ordered the grilled black cod and it was super tender and flavorful. Came with a large side of veggies, rice, and miso soup. Service was a little slow which was totally understandable but I would definitely come back and try something else! read more

Matsui - Grilled Black Cod - Japanese Near Me - Torrance, California

2 stars for oyakodon (chicken egg rice). Not good at all, no flavor, wrong texture. My friend's $17 lunch special combo was much better. Do not get oyakodon here. read more

Matsui - Oyakodon chicken egg rice. Not good! - Japanese Near Me - Torrance, California

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Got the Manager Special. Great price and great good. Went on a Friday at 5:30 pm and plenty of tables were available. By 6:30 pm, they were close to full house. Service was friendly. read more

Matsui - Manager Special - Japanese Near Me - Torrance, California

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I've go to Matsui every so often since it's a really affordable option in a pinch. There's never a wait here which hasn't changed throughout the years. There's a wide menu that has udon, soba, and dons. The best things to get in my opinion are their combination specials, they're decently filling. This time I had the Ten Toji combination with hot soba. The soba has a very generous portion with a lot of noodles. The tempura in the don was really soggy though, it was missing the crunch that I'd expect from shrimp tempura. It still tasted ok though. Overall Matsui is a decent option, the best thing is how affordable it is on top of the wide menu. The menu isn't the most exciting considering there's some other amazing options in this plaza, especially when it comes to Japanese food. read more

Matsui - Japanese Near Me - Torrance, California

Their lunch menu is the best in the southbay or in the california! So fresh and price is soooo good! I didn't want to post a good review but left good review since they're so good. read more

My office is not far from Matsui and I am bummed I did not find out about this amazing restaurant sooner! Thanks to my coworker who knows all the right places, I will definitely be an habitual from now on. Albeit small, this restaurant has very good and professional service. We were seated promptly and offered some refreshing green tea. We opted for the lunch special which for 14.75$ included a choice of udon or soba, great tempura, a delicious salad, and a sushi combo. Everything was delicious and I truly enjoyed but the meal and the authentic Japanese ambiance. read more

Food taste good. Price reasonable. Good Tempura quality. Soba and Udon both taste good. read more

This place was really good. I got the special that comes with sushi, udon, tempura, and salad and surprisingly I got full. I eat a lot and I didn't think it would suffice but it's definitely worth getting if you love nigiri. I also got a scallop hand roll and that was also really delicious. Will be coming back! read more

Matsui - Japanese Near Me - Torrance, California

Got the special with soup, salad, tempura and sushi. Sure seemed like a deal until you actual ate it and the sushi was old looking and had freezer burn and frozen flavor. Not sure. What happened as they used to have great sushi. Nice Oaxacan servers but I won't be back. The three stars are for my friends giving great service. read more

i got the managers special. it was good. it was a quick service. busy place. i didn't take a picture of my food.

Exceptional udon and the lunch special is a nice mix of food. Atmosphere is casual and comfortable with fast and courteous service. Unfortunately the restroom smelled like vomit and ruined the experience. It was the kind of smell that sticks with you. It was rough. read more

Matsui - Udon - Japanese Near Me - Torrance, California

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We came on a Saturday around 2:00 pm and waited roughly 30 minutes. I ordered the Katsu Don Combo which came with Udon for $15. This meal could have easily costed double the price for the amount of food given. The Katsu Don was okay, nothing special, but the Udon was the star. I would definitely come back here for the value alone. read more

Matsui - Katsu Don Combo - Japanese Near Me - Torrance, California

Great food, awesome service. No wait time. Everyone was great, friendly. The best part is super affordable. Highly recommended!!!!!!

Unfortunately need to significantly lower my rating. I still enjoy the food but the bathroom sewage smell has become intolerable. Search these reviews for the word bathroom and you'll see that people have complained about the bathroom smell for at least 8 years. I think the problem has gotten a lot worse. I walked in yesterday and the whole place smelled like sewage. I couldn't bear it and had to leave. The restaurant was essentially empty at 7:00 on a Saturday while the rest of the plaza was bustling. Please get a plumber to change the p-trap or something so I can continue coming back. read more

Tried this place for the first time and was very satisfied. The food is really good and service is amazing. Usually packed so come early!

Delicious Japanese food! Highly recommend coming here if in the Torrance area. Food comes out super fast and tastes fresh. Great attentive servers who constantly come by asking if we need anything. read more

Decent food and service :) I liked how the food was not too salty. Also there was not too long of a wait on a Sunday for lunch time but it would have been more helpful if there were a hostess at the front to tell us how long the estimated wait was. read more

Matsui - Eel and soba plate & tempura and soba plate - Japanese Near Me - Torrance, California

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I recommend eating here if you want to try a little bit of everything. Perfect for someone like me who likes a variety of flavors! There are many combination sets, so you are bound to find something that will satisfy your cravings. The food tastes delicious. They should hire more servers. There were only two when I went during a weekend dinner time, so it was busy. The wait goes by fast, though. This restaurant is in the same plaza as Daiso, so you could walk around there to kill time. Plenty of parking available. read more

Matsui - Japanese Near Me - Torrance, California

Been coming here for years and the food + service has remained the same --- good. You can never go wrong with a Matsui Bowl because you definitely get your money's worth :) read more

We've come here numerous times with my parents. They have a diverse Japanese menu, but most importantly they have lunch and dinner specials that are out of this world! This particular location is in a large shopping plaza off of Western Ave. & Carson St. in Torrance, with plenty of parking available in the shared lot. They have indoor and outdoor seating available. Whenever I come here, I always get their lunch or dinner special because it's just too good to pass up! The lunch special consists of Shrimp & Vegetable Tempura Combo, Salad, Sushi Combo and Udon or Soba for just $13.45. For the amount and quality of food that you get, this is a steal! They also offer that same special for dinner at a slightly higher price of just $16.95. I've also had their Nabeyaki Udon, which comes in a huge bowl with 2 shrimp tempura on the side, and I always add one mochi. This is one of the best Nabeyaki Udon's in the South Bay! Service is efficient and friendly. It's always crowded so it's best to arrive when they first open. All of their food is super fresh and flavorful. Don't sleep on this! read more

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Very delicious food especially the tempura and rolls, service is excellent and the ambience is great!

Located in a plaza with lots of other Asian food restaurants, this place is pretty well hidden. Came in on a Saturday and it was packed ! It's a pretty small restaurant so you may need to wait if you go doing peak hours, but we didn't have to wait too long. Lots of regulars, you can tell by how fast they order. Service can get slow because of how busy they get, but besides that they are very efficient. They have amazing specials and the food is very affordable. Got the warm udon and it was delicious. Noodles were great and the broth was perfect. Takoyaki had the perfect ratio of dough and octopus. Miso soup had lots of seaweed which was super nice. The onigiri was a little bit of a letdown as it doesn't have filling, and I found the seasoning too salty so I couldn't finish them. Overall great experience, will be back ! read more

Matsui is a local joint in Torrance, one of many Japanese restaurants in the area. It focuses on comfort/fast food, similar to ones you can get in Japan when looking for a quick bite. Prices were very affordable, with combos ranging from $15-$20 but you will definitely feel stuffed after your meal. Service was quick, as I received my food about 5-10 minutes after ordering. We ordered the following items: Manager's Special: included shrimp and veggie tempura, which was fried perfectly. It was lightly battered, giving a nice crunch with each bite. The hot udon was also served in a light, clear broth to balance the fried food. The quality of the 7 pc nigiri sushi was average, what I would have expected considering the price. For $17.95, I'd say this was a pretty good deal. Tonkatsu curry rice: pork was over fried and thinly sliced, making it dry and chewy. Curry flavor was very good though. The biggest concern about Matsui was their restroom. It smelled awful, like a sewage leak. So bad that I had to hold my breath and use the bathroom as quickly as possible. Overall, if you're looking for an affordable, quick bite and craving Japanese food, Matsui is the place to be. However, be sure you go somewhere else to use the restroom. Otherwise, you've been warned. read more

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10/10! Wow, I'm so happy I found this place - the prices are right and the food was delicious! We ordered the Manager's Special, okonomiyaki ($7.50!), and Chirashi rice. It was a LOT of food. On the manager's special, I really liked the sushi (good variety and was cut well) and thought the tempura was super crispy. The okonomiyaki was tasty too, and I loved how it came cut in little slices - perfect for sharing! The flavoring here was standard and the sauces/pickled ginger provided a great crunch and contrast to the soft, warm okonomiyaki (egg/veggie fried pancake). I really liked the Chirashi rice - it was sushi rice topped with ginger, mushrooms, cucumber, egg and roe. It was such a simple dish but complimented the okonomiyaki perfectly. This dish was done extremely well - so comforting and delicious. The service was wonderful, we had the kindest servers and our food came out quickly. It's a small place, but definitely gets pretty packed! Check it out if you're in the area! read more

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It was a great spot for a reunion amongst industry counterparts who've been around for almost 40 years together Picked the right site, right food choices and accommodated by the restaurant with sincere service and hospitality. read more

Our party of five got seated immediately on a Friday night! The manager's special was a bargain and delicious! The tempura was delicate, crispy, and delicious! I enjoyed the mugichi, as well. read more

Matsui - Shrimp Tempura. Excellent! - Japanese Near Me - Torrance, California

matsui is one of my favorite places to dine at. hands down. i come to matsui AT LEAST once a week. the prices are good, the service is nice, and the food always tastes and makes me feel so good. food is always solid and consistent; their specials are a must for me! the sushi is decent, the udon is warm, the salad is yummy, and their tempura is just the way i like them. overall, the ambiance is a cozy, homey feel and i love bringing friends out of town to this place - my friends always love it! try their manager/daily special! it can never go wrong :D the nabeyaki udon is delicious and their matsui bowl is their signature too! if you want more, their takoyaki and okonomiyaki are great additions! the manager (arturo) and the staff are always welcoming and so hardworking - i suggest you try matsui for yourself ! read more

Matsui - manager's special - Japanese Near Me - Torrance, California

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I'm glad we returned to Matsui. The food was great. We had their special lunch and it was delicious. We plan to come back. Service was excellent. read more

This has become one of my favorite restaurants. We ordered the Manager's special which included: Hot or Cold Soba OR Hot Udon Assorted Tempura Assorted Nigiri Salad The soba was so delicious and refreshing. The sauce was the perfect mix of savory and refreshing. The udon was also very homely and delicious. The tempura was the star of the show because it was not too greasy but had the amazing crunch and flakeyness. The nigiri was also amazing. I am so glad that it was a variety of nigiri because I was able to try so many different types of fish. The price was around $17/18 which I think was well worth given the portion size and variety. The wait can get a little long but the service is good. The wait for the food can take a little bit of time as everything is made when you order. Definitely give it a try! read more

Matsui - Manager's Special (soba or udon, tempura, salad, assorted nigiri) - Japanese Near Me - Torrance, California

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Came here for the tempura and it did not disappoint! For $14 the Tempura Lunch Set is definitely a steal, came with 7 perfectly cooked juicy pieces of shrimp tempura, a few vegetable tempura pieces on top of a bowl of perfectly cooked fluffy japanese rice and miso soup. We also tried the the katsudon which was just as good. Everything on the menu looks well-priced and we will definitely be back to try their other items next time. Parking is abundant as it is in a huge strip mall with other restaurants beside it make sure to watch out for the Matsui sign. Service was friendly and efficient. read more

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Best place for upon I usually get cash teriyaki and upon combo Reasonable price and friendly service read more

Tasty clay pot of nabeyaki udon. Steaming hot, it came with lots of veggies and chicken meat in the pot and 2 shrimp tempura. It was delicious! read more

Matsui - Nabeyaki udon - Japanese Near Me - Torrance, California

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