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Otafuku Restaurant

4.2 (786 reviews)
Open • 11:30 am - 2:00 pm, 5:30 PM - 9:00 PM
Updated over 3 months ago

Otafuku Restaurant Photos

OTAFUKU RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Classy
Moderate noise
Good for groups

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Recommended Reviews - Otafuku Restaurant

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Lance N.

I would start that I'm not a great judge at Japanese traditional dishes. I learn of new dishes all the time and will say that I had a wonderful time trying to dishes at Otafuku. The staff were wonderful and friendly. The ambiance was comfortable and although not overly quiet, it was comfortable to have our own conversation. Hahaha As for the dish I originally went for was the soba, but I changed my mind. I had the Eel Tempura bowl, and it was very tender and tasty. I can't wait to go back and try their other offerings. Enjoy...

Siero soba
Doreen T.

Otafuku is well known for its variety of soba and yakitori dishes, though the entire menu looked tempting. I ordered the hot seiro soba with Japanese mountain potato. Note that all of the soba toppings are priced separately, which can make the dish a bit expensive. That said, we added shrimp and scallop tempura, and it was absolutely delicious. For yakitori, we tried the chicken wings and the chicken meatball. The meatball was amusingly served as one giant chicken-sicle! The wings had great flavor, though the skin was a bit too fatty. My husband also ordered a pork cutlet bowl, and we shared a sashimi plate with scallop, cod, salmon, and two types of tuna. Everything was incredibly fresh and delicious. We also shared the jidori egg and seaweed salad. Out of everything we ordered, my favorites were definitely the sashimi, the shrimp and scallop tempura, and the jidori egg. They do take reservations, but when we visited on a Sunday night, we were lucky enough to be seated right away. Dining here really felt like being back in Japan, and we'll definitely return.

Steven T.

I'd give Otafuku a solid 4 stars. The standout dish for me was definitely the Berkshire pork , probably my favorite thing we ordered. It was flavorful, tender, and something I'd order again next time. The rest of the food was good overall, and I liked the variety on the menu. Service was friendly and everything came out at a good pace. The ambiance is simple and casual, which fits the restaurant well. It's a nice spot in Gardena when you're craving Japanese food without anything too fancy. Definitely worth checking out, especially for the Berkshire pork!

Seiro soba w/ shrimp & veggie tempura
Arthur E.

Easy eats soba noodles in a low key space. Went for a Friday evening dinner - would recommend RSVP'ing but was able to walk in. There is a parking lot in the back but would recommend street parking as it gets pretty cramped in the lot. Vibe feels like an old school mom n pop Japanese restaurant - relaxed and welcoming. Was sat immediately - ended up ordering the hot Seiro soba, some shrimp and veggie tempura, and a beer. Everything was light, but filling and tasty. Noodles disappeared pretty quickly - definitely enjoyed it, as well as the broth. Tempura was also very well cooked. The shrimp tempura wasn't sad shrimp, they were sizable. Two meals were about $65 ish all together - not bad. Would come back!

Seiro soba (regular) with vegetable tempura
Melanie G.

On a weekday night around 6:45, we were able to be seated right away, but by the time we left, I think it was a full house! They do take reservations. Our waitresses were very kind and helpful; great service! They have 3 different kinds of soba. I got their signature seiro soba which is 80% buckwheat and a white noodle. This alone is $18 which I think is steep for the amount of soba and dipping sauce. It was tasty though and I enjoyed it because it felt lighter than other soba dishes I've had. Then you can add some other items on to make a combo, so I got the vegetable tempura. This is more worth its price at $14. It came with a variety of 8-9 pieces of tempura in a light and crispy batter! It was a good combination, just wouldn't necessarily pay $30+ for it again. But I would come back to try other items! At the end of the meal, they bring hot water to pour into the rest of the soba dipping sauce and become a broth. It was warm, savory and according to our waitress, "good for you!"

Red bean soup
Eugene W.

Seiro soba (8.5/10): delicious. I preferred cold over hot, as the cold noodles have an amazing chew. We got the shrimp and veggie tempura with it. Not sure why it costs $14 (nearly doubles the price of the soba), but I do concede that the tempura was perfectly fried. Jidori Egg Omelet (9/10): this was an experience. Never had anything like this before. Really elevated egg to a new level. This is a must-order Chilled Supreme Tofu (8/10): very soft and custard tofu. Great starter for the meal Karaage (8/10): nicely fried and tender within. Salt levels were perfect. Jidori Egg Custard (9/10): omg this dessert is so good!!! Save room for this at the end. So creamy. Red bean Soup (8/10): also a great dessert. Less unique than the egg custard, though Service was fantastic. Restaurant space is very nice as well.

Shrimp Tempura. Organic Mixed Greens salad w/ Homemade Yuzu Dressing and Dried Baby Sardines.
Page R.

Otafuku is gass. Everything I had was insanely delicious. There were 5 of us and the appetizers all had 5 pieces which was perfect. The first thing I tried was the Sizzling Mushroom Gravy over Crispy Rice; The dish was to die for and my personal favorite thing I tried. I don't even know how to describe how flavorful and well put together the gravy was with mushroom pieces that were perfectly soft and easy to eat. Next was the salad which was so fresh, citrusy, and tasty; It was salty and all the flavors complemented each other so well forming a perfect citrusy salad. After that was the shrimp tempura. It was not too fried/flaky. It was kind of like a taquito. The shrimps flavor was very fresh with a complementary umami flavor. The Sardine Sashimi was super high quality. It was super soft and fatty and ended with a heavy pleasant fishy flavor. The miso grilled cod was great. Not much to say about it was almost creamy and the miso was good. I ate the skin too and it tasted great. The main part of this place is the soba. The kikouchi soba are thicker 100% buckwheat noodles that were very well cooked and pleasant to eat. The Plum "Ume" broth was so refreshing and nice. I ate it cold; I probably would have preferred it hot but the is just a personal preference. The Ginger Pork was great. The pork itself was super gingery without being too pungent. The shredded cabbage was super easy to pick up and eat and the side of noodle salad and miso soup were great complements to the meal. I can tell no corners were cut anywhere and that Otafuku puts a little of effort into every meal they prepare. There is great care for all of the preparations and it was a very special meal. I felt like I was in Japan for a second as the feel of the restaurant is very "homey" and the ambiance is a nice cheerful atmosphere.

Rickey M.

Delicious in house made Seiro Soba. If you're a fan of soba or havent had Seiro Soba coming to Otafuku should be on your list of things to try. Came by for lunch with a friend on a sunday at open and was able to snag a seat easily, but the crowd followed shortly after. Very homely vibe in here with families and friends of all types to try the food here. I got the Cold Seiro Soba with the Tempura, and Ive gotta say the Seiro soba is so nice and bouncey, and soaks up the Tsuyu really well to get a full flavored bite with each dip. I prefer cold soba because i like my soba chewy the whole meal, so if you do so i reccomend getting the cold soba. The tempura that came w the order was so nicely and lightly battered that even after eating i didnt feel any sort of heaviness. The Shirmp tempura were surprisingly big, but the shrimp they choose here is also really nicely sweet! Definitely reccoment getting the tempura set with your soba while you're here. Glad ive finally had a chance to get down there any try their soba after years of not getting around to it. Definitely a place worth checking out, and especially to try their Seiro soba!

Pork ginger
Mimi S.

This was second time I had a lunch here. Foods are amazing and very authentic! I had sea eel tempura and pork ginger plate. Both are very big portions. Highly recommend for people looking for traditional Japanese foods. It was very busy Saturday, it took half hour to food came in.

Seiro soba, mackerel bowl, tempuras
Heather H.

Service is super kind and they don't rush you out of the restaurant. Space is a little tight but very reminiscent of traditional Japanese restaurants which I love. Got the cold seiro soba- yum! Mackerel rice bowl - omg I lovedddd this. Definitely my fave Eel and vegetable tempura - good! Shrimp and vegetable tempura- also yum! The tempura was all fried perfectly very crispy Such a great homey Japanese spot. excited to come back and try other things!

Rice dishes
Courtney O.

For me, there's nothing better than Japanese comfort food. I love looking over a menu full of familiar favorites that my mom or grandma used to make. When we walked in after parking in their back parking lot, we were greeted with friendly smiles. We called ahead on a Friday night, but they still had a few open tables. What makes Otafuku extra special is their homemade soba noodles. You can order them hot or cold and can choose from side dishes to make it a combination. I went with hot brown soba noodles with mixed tempura. While the noodles are popular, my husband tried the tonkatsu donburi, which was also very good. It was a large portion and he was only able to eat about half, but he enjoyed it a lot. We also ordered a side of potato salad. Japanese potato salad is something special and I enjoyed it a lot here. The food was warm, comforting and absolutely delicious!

Hot soba and tempura
Ginna S.

We came around lunch time on a weekend and it was packed. Despite the business, they were able to accommodate us at the bar. It has a very homey and family owned feel. The service was fairly quick. The parking lot in the back was a tad tight so we ended up street parking in the neighborhood. We ordered the seiro soba (one hot and one cold with diakon radish/green onion), a combination of shrimp+veggie tempura, and a small salad with yuzu dressing. The food was delicious! Well balanced and delicious!

Siero Soba hot, Shrimp and veggie tempura
Dana W.

After hearing great things about this spot, I decided to try it out on a Sunday for dinner. I arrived right when they opened at 5p and was sat at the bar top. By 5:30p the crowd rolled in. It is a quaint, hole in the wall style Japanese restaurant, no frills. Service is efficient and kind. I ordered the edamame, hot seiro soba, shrimp and veggie tempura and the marinated miso black cod. Overall, it was an 8/10. It was my first time trying soba, so I wasn't sure what to expect. It had a light, sweet flavor and the noodles were cooked well. The tempura was cooked perfectly and the cod was beyond delicious. Edamame was a bit firm but not bad. I did feel it was overpriced. I paid $71 total for those 4 items. I may try the skewers or rice dish next time.

Seiba soba and petit mackerel bowl

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Ask the Community - Otafuku Restaurant

What is kind of broth is available with the soba noodle? Is it made out of fish or vegetable or chicken?

Fish (bonito) broth.

Is outdoor seating available?

Yes.. there are a couple seats outside in the parking lot.. no tent or covering

How can I make reservations?

Call 310-532-9348 or DM on Instagram @otafuku_restaurant Thank you!

Do you allow dogs in your outdoor dining space?

If service dogs, yes.

Are they open? I've called like 5 times but it keeps ringing and no answer...

Yes, I went a couple days ago

Anyone know if this place is open this week?I've been calling since Saturday and no one picks up. I called at different times. We live near Pasadena so we want to make sure they're open before driving an hr or so.

They are open today 12/31. Closed 1/1 and 1/2.

Been coming here for years. Is it impossible to get in now?

Highly recommend making reservations. I had to wait an hour on a friday night.

Do they offer gift cards or gift certificates?

Yes.

Do they still have a B health score?

A, when I visited today 10/18/18

View All 13 Questions

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