Check this place out for incredible tempura. Been here twice in the last week. Ordered the Shrimp…read moreTempura Plate both times. The Shrimp Tempura Plate comes with a variety of tempura-battered items including four shrimp, kabocha (squash), fish, seaweed, and a shishito pepper. On the side, you get a bowl of rice, tempura-battered soft-boiled egg, and dipping sauce that comes with a generous scoop of grated daikon radish. Everything is spot on. The tempura batter is perfectly coated on each item and crispy. I'm usually not a fan of kabocha since it tends to come out mushy. However, here, it's crunchy and delicious. If I had to choose my favorite parts of the meal, they would be the tempura-battered soft-boiled egg and seaweed. If you break the yolk over the rice, it's very satisfying to eat. And the seaweed is crispy like a potato chip. Maybe I haven't been to enough tempura shops, but I think these two items are particularly special. If tempura is not your thing, they do serve other stuff. The sashimi here is nothing to scoff at. I had some sashimi here including the bluefin tuna, salmon, and fatty tuna. The quality of the sashimi is up there with some of the better sushi restaurants in the South Bay. If it's not obvious from my glowing review, I really like this place. Maybe a little addicted. Not sure when I'm going to be back, but it's probably going to be sooner rather than later.

A mix of seafood plus tempura to satisfy a Japanese cuisine craving. The fatty tuna melts in your…read moremouth. It comes with ~4 large pieces of tuna sashimi on a bed of rice. The tempura had a good crunch and the shrimp was large. Pretty filling but a bit on the pricey side. They get busy pretty early during weekend lunch time

The restaurant is very nice inside. Looks like a very traditional Japanese restaurant. It is a very…read morepopular restaurant as well. The service was okay. There were only two waitresses for the restaurant which seems like it's not enough. A bit of a wait for even water and drinks. The food was fine. The tonkatsu was fried well enough, very crispy on the outside. I feel the meat was a bit bland and could have used more seasoning. Overall food was decent.

Genuinely one of the worst restaurant experiences I've ever had…read more Despite the restaurant being far from full, the service was exceptionally slow. Our drinks took 20 minutes to arrive, and we waited an entire hour for our food after ordering. The seating was incredibly uncomfortable, and the awkward layout of the restaurant made the overall dining experience even worse. Unfortunately, the food was just as disappointing as the service. The loin katsu was incredibly tough, dry, and lacked flavor. The tuna tataki was equally bland and didn't taste fresh. The filet katsu was slightly better, but it arrived cold. Between the painfully slow service, uncomfortable seating, and extremely underwhelming food, I genuinely cannot think of a single redeeming quality about this experience, besides the nice ambiance. I've never been so disappointed by a restaurant, and I'm honestly shocked that an establishment of this quality is operating in Torrance. I would absolutely not recommend it.

Some restaurants are remembered for their food, others for how they make you feel. Waraku Izakaya's…read morewarm atmosphere and beautifully presented dishes brought the charm of a cozy Japanese neighborhood restaurant. The Katsu Combo featured crispy pork cutlet, silky chawanmushi, miso soup, and perfectly cooked Koshihikari rice. The Bara Chirashi Bowl was generously topped with sashimi, while the Bluefin Tuna & Ikura Bowl delivered rich umami and delightful pops of salmon roe. The Unagi Tamago Don paired smoky grilled eel with fluffy egg, and the Norwegian grilled mackerel was crispy outside and tender inside. With private dining rooms and group accommodations, it's ideal for family gatherings, celebrations, and business dinners. You can even purchase the premium Koshihikari rice served at the restaurant! Great ingredients and genuine care turn a meal into a memory. Waraku Izakaya is worth remembering for Japanese comfort food made with heart.

Came here for a simple and fresh dinner and left with a very happy stomach. Between the buttery,…read moremelt in your mouth sashimi, the perfectly seasoned sushi rice, and the generous portions, we were very satisfied with our meal. The restaurant looks small from the outside but inside has a spacious dining room with private booths and open tables, as well as bar seating. The restaurant itself is located at the end of a strip mall with a large parking lot. Service was attentive and efficient. I made a reservation just in case, but didn't end up needing it for a weeknight dinner.

food was super authentic, definitely recommend. service was amazing, staff friendly and the…read morerestaurant was clean. parking easy to find in the plaza. yuzu drink not too sweet, prices reasonable for the meat cuts and quality. must order: meatballs, cheesecake can skip: pork belly(chewier than expected)

Went to Torihei Yakitori Robata last week for an event, and man, what a hidden gem. From the…read moreoutside it looks totally unassuming--you'd honestly walk right past it without a second glance. But the second you step inside, it hits you with this incredible, nostalgic vibe that feels like you just teleported straight into an izakaya in Japan. ​Even though it was crazy busy in there, the service was shockingly fast. We got greeted, seated, and served right away. We ordered a bunch of different things, but the flavors were honestly unreal. ​The standouts for us were: ​The meatballs ​The miso and beef soups (both incredible) ​Chicken Kara-age Fried squid ​Chicken thighs ​Cabbage salad I'd pass on the chicken breast ...way too dry! ​Those amazing apple shots at the end.... ​I'd definitely go back in a heartbeat!

The quality of the food to the service was great. We ordered: beef skirt, chicken wings, chicken…read moreheart, tsukune, yuzu shio ramen, yakionigiri, and chicken karage. Every single item we ordered was delicious. It was cooked perfectly: not dry at all and it was seasoned well: not salty or overly sweet. I really enjoyed my meal. I will say the yuzu shio ramen was one of my favorites, and I'd definitely come back just for this. The servers were all very nice. The food didn't take too long. And they even had kid plates and utensils - a huge plus!!! There's plenty of parking, and it's located right by all the shopping centers/mall so you can head here for a quick bite between shopping.

The good: I got the beef donburi bowl set b ($25 for lunch)…read morewith pickled onion, edamame and corn and with karage fried chicken (2 small pieces with a lemon wedge and tomato) side dish and side salad. I also got the large lunch plate of skewered meats that came with beef, chicken, tomato, meatball, mushroom and more. The inside wasn't Smokey despite all of the meats being grilled there in the center. It was well ventilated. They had a couple of dessert options. They gave my kid plastic bento plate, utensils and cup. The meat had a nice char grill flavor and there was a special fork to help remove meat off of the stick. The bad: I thought the meat sticks were supposed to come with a side of rice but we didn't get one. The don buri beef bowl was too salty with too much sauce. The interesting: The interior is modern with lanterns, natural wood colors and lots of alcohol bottles aligning the top shelves.

Consistenly delicious Japanese food, worthy of 5 stars…read more Feels like a mom and pop Japanese restaurant with tasty food. It's a small eating area with a nice rustic wooden ambience--somewhat darkened with Japanese decor. It's in the Tozai Plaza immediately east of Western Ave. There are a bunch of mostly Asian restaurants in this plaza, but you can't see them easily from the nearby streets. I have eaten the Mini Katsudon Set twice, which is a pork cutlet on rice with a sweet and savory egg included. It includes Udon as well, which is also great. I've tasted the Kalbi, macaroni salad, and house salad, and all of the food is of high quality. The help are also nice, and that's where I got the Mom and Pop vibe from. They gave me a complementary macaroni salad when I picked up my takeout order.

*** Credit cards accepted ***…read more Kotohira Restaurant is one of several old school Japanese restaurants in Gardena and the restaurant specializes in Okinawan food (Okinawa soba) and Sanuki udon. The restaurant is located in a fairly busy strip mall with other popular restaurants and drink shops located within the same mall. Renowned food critic Jonathan Gold from the Los Angeles Times wrote an article about this restaurant back in 1992 ( https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-07-09-fo-2127-story.html ). [Parking]: The strip mall has a big enough lot and our party had no issue finding an available spot during weekday dinner hours. [Interior]: Old school Japanese mom-and-pop dining vibe. [Menu]: The restaurant offers various combo sets with tempura, bento, udon, and seafood (unagi, salmon, grilled mackerel, etc). Their specialty dishes are Shoyu Udon and Tanuki Udon. *** Tendon Combo (assortment of fried tempura with a semi sweet sauce poured on top of rice $15.95): The fried tempura pieces were not as good as the tempura from Tendon Tempura Carlos Jr. as the combo lacked variety. The miso that came with this combo was really good. *** Overall a mediocre experience with the tempura combo that I ordered, but I sampled the udon and liked it a lot better than the tempura so I would definitely recommend getting their specialty like udon for a better experience.

Fairly small place but has a good amount of seating. Large parties though would be more difficult…read more We went on a hot summer day and enjoyed the cold udon set. The tempura was good but I prefer other spots more like Tendon Tempura Carlos Jr. The sets though are great value so would still come if in the area!

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

Eat this or DIE!!! Die of regret said Erik, JK! Erik at Unico basically said this Tokyo Mentai…read moreSando is crazy good that you will now crave it and I do after 3 days. That salty umami flavor bomb is what I miss and my 2 sons demand to return asap. Remember it's only on the lunch special menu during the week. That simple looking sando was my gateway to the unique fusion of Japanese & Italian pastas and it was incredible. You must love spaghetti noodles and UNICO knows how to handle pasta to sauce ratio. I have eaten at other Japanese Pasta spots and Unico is levels better. Which pasta did we devour? Uni pasta with shrimp top fav, one kid ate the curry bolognese filled with ground beef and veggies, Mentai pasta was a bit tangy and you can't go wrong a chicken Alfredo. If Erik is working that day, you will have the best service. The ambiance is spacious with lots of natural light and seating. Lots of free parking!

Service was awesome, super cool I'm still not sure what I…read morewas expecting or looking for going there. Felt the menu was a bit limited if you did not want uni. I had the chef special, different, interesting all in all very good

I have written two past reviews for this place, each one glowing brigther than the sun's heat in…read moreAugust. Thus this place does not need more of my praise. It is eastablished and celebrated by eaters far more articulate and with wider reach than I. But I recently went, and enjoyed myself quite a bit. Not only because the food was incredible but because the staff made me feel like a special patron. My main server was Julian. He was young, attentive and continued the chain of grand service. But there are two other female servers that make the experience pop with above the line service, I wish I knew their name. The first passed me and my companion Conrad and asked how is your mother? All I could say was she was still alive. I took my mom to mother's day there two years ago and she remembered. That kind of service cannot be reproduce because it was held in heart and intention. I was a welcomed guest. I may not go often but when I do I am remembered. That kind attentiivesness is more than appreciated, it is remembered too! The second server when I leave the place meets my eyes, has a grand wide smile, and said something in Japanese that makes me feel seen in Kyoto. I am engaged in a jovial way by the staff here that is why it is a sincere pleasure to buy the kitchen staff a picther so we can Kanpai!. There sweet way with me is something I cannot undervalue because in doing so I would ignore the kind of hospitatlty that moves mountains closer to the sun. And the food is amazing, like so good, it cannot be ignored espeically when the menu went through changes. The reason why that face immediately hit me in the face was because I used to go for these corn tempura things that were like this amazing crunch in corn. But still what we had was wonderul. Like I would hurt back or strain my inner thigh trying to complain about the food in this place. This time around Conrad and I had their Shabu Shabu. I have had Shabu Shabu before (not here) a few times, not many but this was the first time that Conrad had it. And that face in itself is special, I think. So moving on from that, eating Shabu Shabu was engaging cause you basically create a broth that you are using to cook veggies and meat so images of witches and camping come to the mind, easily. I also took a video of Conrad grinding some sesame seeds, like he was an apothecary or doctor of old times. And I do not care who you are, you are going to enjoy working a bit, especially in a fun way, for your meal. Like who would not like to peel a few cloves of garlic for their herbed chicken? The broth came with pork shoulder and pork belly. We also had some meat and onions on stick--- I think we had pork belly and chicken. We also had a rice ball. We also had thier Gobo Chips. This is something that survived the menu transition that hit every crispy bite. It hit every crispy bite. By this point I know that the food will be fantastic, and the type of food that warms the heart and soul- comfort food. However, this, comfort food is not mine to claim by familiarity because I have not known it since childhood. But I have known it enough to know it as comfortable. I guess, I can claim it as familiar because it became such in the span of years, not decades. Like when can someone claim a carne asado taco to be familiar comfort food when they did not grow up eating it? That is the question that I am left to ponder. This place is a spot I know to be good and trust to deliver on service and quality.

3.5/5 Went here for…read morethe first time and ordered the Signature Party Course (Minimum 4 people) for $78 per person. Came with the below. Honestly it was only ok, not worth the price. Noting stood out, no amazing flavors, and some was fishy. Gobo Chips - good Uni & US Wagyu Sashimi - only ok Five Kinds of Sashimi - very thick cut. Decent but nothing special Octopus & Radish Salad - was ok Sweet & Savory Chicken Wings - nice and crispy Thick-Cut Beef Tongue - pretty good Fried Oysters - good Ribeye Ponzu Steak - fatty Pressed Saba Mackerel, Pressed Eel Sushi, Pressed Salmon Sushi - can't even pick it up without falling apart. Some fishes were fishy. Pumpkin Zenzai - fine

This highly touted restaurant lives up to its promise! Went here for the first time to celebrate a…read morebirthday! Gosh it was amazing! Probably the best teshoku I've had in years! We all got the Ise Shima seasonal lunch special. The meal came with about 12 different smaller dishes. Everything was absolutely delicious and meticulously prepared and presented. From sashimi to tempura, from Somen to Tsukemono, from corn rice to soup to Saba. Etc. it was all delicious. Made with quality ingredients. Service was impeccable. Our server was backed by three managers and a busboy. Everyone was very attentive and polite. What a great experience. The restaurant is modern and well lit. Stylish and clean. I'll certainly come back!

I came to this restaurant on August 8, 2026, and what an unbelievable hidden gem! The restaurant is…read morelocated inside a hotel, and the atmosphere is warm, welcoming, and beautifully inviting. I honestly couldn't believe they offered such high-quality food. Our waitress was incredibly attentive, kind, and knowledgeable about the menu and the different types of fish. The food was excellent, and every fish we tried was incredibly fresh and naturally sweet. The flavors actually reminded me of the wonderful seafood I had while traveling in Japan. The set menu was absolutely epic, from the appetizers all the way to the light dessert. Everything was thoughtfully prepared and delicious. And the chirashi was very, very good--definitely one of the highlights of the meal! I'll definitely be coming back, and I'm looking forward to trying their breakfast next time. Highly recommended!