Some basics: Family owned. Manned by 3-4 people max. Super small and cozy (only counter seats)…read more True Authentic Vietnamese. For the amount of demand from DoorDash orders, window side orders, and dine-in orders, the server took care of everyone in the timeliest of fashion with kindness, positivity, and max efficiency. Very impressed. 20/10 in service. Spring rolls super fresh and light. Peanut sauce wasn't too sweet and I liked the thicker consistency. Summer mango salad special...stellar. The combination of mango, calamari, shrimp, basil, and peanuts might be weird at first but it worked beautifully together for a fresh summer bite. Vietnamese ice coffee is rich, dark, and perfectly sweet. One of the best I've had in a while. Will be my go to Vietnamese spot in the westside. Highly recommend to those looking for a quality light and fresh meal.

Having lived with a Vietnamese family in my early life, I was really looking forward to trying this…read moreplace. I ordered a pork belly bahn mi sandwich to go. Super friendly guy took my order and gave me a glass of water. The restaurant was small, but had a very nice, clean vibe. The sandwich was supposed to have come with pickled daikon and carrots, along with cilantro. It came with lots and lots of carrots and a fair amount of jalapenos. There was no daikon that I could see or find, and maybe three sprigs of cilantro. If the carrots were pickled, they must have been pickled in the last ten minutes before I got them as there was no discernible flavor other than carrot. Although I went to eat the sandwich about fifteen minutes after I picked it up. It was very soggy. The meat was very much on the dry side, a bit greasy, but again, overall, pretty flavorless. It also seemed more like roast pork shoulder rather than pork belly. This sandwich is not something I would ever order again as I have had some very good bahn mi elsewhere. If I do come back, I will try one of the soups or salads or maybe a spring roll to see if my experience was just a one-off. Being generous, maybe they watered down the flavor profile to adapt to American tastes, but for me, especially considering the price, this sandwich was a complete failure. Very disappointing.

My wife and I recently visited Sweet Maple and it was nothing short of spectacular. The minute we…read morechecked in with the hostess you could sense the restaurant has an infectious energy. The ambiance is bright, buzzing, and packed with folks clearly in the know. We grabbed a spot after waiting for roughly 15-20 minutes outside (no complaints for a 9:30am on a Saturday). Pro tip: jump on OpenTable and book ahead! The real reason you come here.. the food absolutely delivered! Fresh, vibrant, and delicious across the board. The cappuccino was also genuinely excellent. Service was quick and efficient throughout the restaurant. My wife did need to send back a poached egg that was slightly overdone. Our server handled it without missing a beat though, replacing it promptly with a smile. This is the kind of breakfast spot that makes a Saturday morning feel special. 100% coming back!

This review is for the Sesame Einspanner and Millionaire Bacon only…read more This specialty drink is phenomenal. I knew I liked black sesame but now I know I LOVE SESAME. This drink is creamy, flavorful, and strong and I ordered 3 over a two day period. Be aware - this is not a regular old latte. It is neither hot nor iced. It is perfect creamy sesame delicousness. And yes the bacon is also incredible. It's thick and not too sweet and delicious and two come in an order which, for me, was more than enough.

It's such a lovely, atmospheric spot, especially for an early dinner. Magical courtyard feels like…read morea little escape. We end up coming back since discovering it this summer. Come early - they open at 5 - or reserve ahead, because this place fills up quickly. Initially we'd drop by while going to the beach but recently we've started booking ahead, especially when we bring friends. Everyone we've taken has been delighted to discover this restaurant - a few of our friends had lived in Santa Monica for years before ever venturing inside. Everything we've tried on the menu has been excellent. The first time we came, the kanpachi - their take on ceviche - was recommended to us, and now we order it every time. The lime and coconut dressing is divine. We shared konpachi and green papaya salad and it was a very affordable early dinner. Lately, when we come with friends, we've simply let the chef guide the menu, which has been a wonderful way to experience the restaurant. Definitely leave room for dessert. It's rare to find such light refreshing desserts without diary. And the service is close to perfect: warm and cordial without being sweet, attentive while leaving us to enjoy our food.

TLDR: Beautiful and picturesque brunch spot with attentive service, charming Victorian decor, and…read moreflavorful Asian-inspired dishes. The fried chicken and pork belly bao buns were the clear highlights. -------- This place is such a cute brunch spot. I came here with a group of six people without a reservation right when it opened on Sunday morning. Parking can be a little difficult, as I was only able to find metered street parking nearby. Upon entering, you are greeted by a beautiful garden area. We were then seated inside, where the decor had an old Victorian feel with floral pink wallpaper, Tiffany-style lamps, and eclectic dining details. It is definitely one of those picturesque brunch places where you will probably want to take photos. The food options were also great, with many dishes featuring Asian-inspired flavors. I ordered the following and ranked them: 1. Cobi's Fried Chicken: This was easily my favorite dish. The chicken had a great crispy texture, and the accompanying sauce and glaze added a lot of flavor. It reminded me of Thai-inspired flavors in the best way. 2. Pork Belly Bao Buns: These were also excellent. The pork belly was crunchy and paired really well with the pickled vegetables, which helped balance the saltiness of the pork. 3. Butter Masala Eggs: This dish was decent, but it did not stand out as much as the others. The roti tasted good, though I did not think there was enough of it for the amount of curry. The side vegetables also contrasted a bit too much with the masala flavors and did not feel fully cohesive with the dish. Overall, the staff was attentive, and the restaurant offers a beautiful brunch setting with food that actually backs up the atmosphere. I would definitely come back.

It's kind of hilarious that I've actually mistaken this place for another place. I had to double…read moretake to make sure it was the right one because I remembered it being somewhere else. But I was glad I came to this place. Love the atmosphere. It was energetic, a bit loud, and has a cooled retro night bar with neon signs. The alcohol display behind the bar was a spectacular view/design. It's high, making it looking pretty against the dim backdrop. We ordered four dishes, Dan Dan Mian, sichuan eggplant, chili wonton, and duck bao. The Dan Dan was unique. I didn't expect it to be spicy like all the other ones I've tried. But it was amazing! All of them were! Reservations are strongly recommended since it gets filled up pretty easily. Lastly, I want to give our waiter, Peter, a huge shoutout for being so attentive and engaging. He was on top of it! Great energy and very friendly.

Little Fatty has been on my list and I took my chance when I was recently in the area. The…read morerestaurant does not have a parking lot but metered parking in the front that ends at 8pm during weekdays. The restaurant was pretty empty on that Tuesday night. There must have been 3-4 parties. That night the hostess divided diners and bar patrons between the "two rooms" (the restaurant has a bar in the middle that divided the room.) We let the hostess know that we were a party of two and she seated us between two large groups in the "other" room. It was weird seating to say the least. Our table was at the curve or the booth seating and was too close to another seated party. You needed to squeeze in to get to the booth seat and my +1 volunteered to scoot in a tight pathway. Because we were between the two groups, it was extremely loud. The restaurants aesthetic is really hip. I don't remember the space at the entrance, but the room that we were in had an eye catching mural and the booth area that we were seated in made a face (with the wall being a pair of eyes and the two long booth seats meeting to make a nose.) Unfortunately, lighting was very low and I could barely see the dishes for the second half of the meal. Food was tasty. We ordered the XO fatty noodle (no bean sprouts), orange chicken and Sichuan eggplant. Everything came out hot once they were ready. I had to hold back from eating all of the orange chicken. The XO noodles, not sure if it was because we customized the dish, was too salty though.. Staff were calm to expressionless. Person who came for the bill was wiping our table while we were packing our leftovers. I didn't appreciate how they stayed with us when we were paying on their handheld machine. Overall, I enjoyed the food, but did not have the best dine in experiences.

Loved my experience during a weekday meal at Takuma Izakaya! I ordered their katsu curry lunch…read morecombo, which came with miso soup, kinpira gobo, hijiki, and potato salad. The katsu was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with the rich savory curry making it a delicious comfort meal. I ended up taking some of it to-go as I was getting quite full from their side dishes. The hijiki seaweed and potato salad, which was quite creamy, were my favorite. The lunch combo was well-rounded and came with a good variety of dishes, so I would say this a great spot for lunch!

Tasty food, made with care and quality…read more Got the $45 DineLA menu: - marinaded eggplants (cold): refreshing and nicely marinaded tho i prefer it hot - 1/2 order tuna on crispy rice: generous amounts of tuna on a oh so crunchy rice craccker - 1/2 order blowtorched mackerel: deep fishy flavor but have to eat right away otherwise quick to cool. paired with the horseradish, it was delicious!!! - grilled miso salmon: divine! crispy flavorful skin and fluffy salmon, served right off the grill. large slice too! would def get again - japanese angel hair noodles with shrimp: such a generous serving! loved the bounciness of the shrimp but the noodles were alright, maybe too soft for my taste. this was the only dish that was meh to me - matcha ice cream with 4 pcs mochi and azuki: also a generous amt and very tasty way to end the meal - Toban Sukiyaki $19.20: had to let cook in the pot for 10 minutes, as directed. loved the bounciness of the clear noodles, paired with the umami of the soup, and large slices of tofu and meat. yum!!! - Nankai White Oak Highball $13: pretty stronnnnng fizzy On a Friday around 8PM, it was easy to find free street parking in the residential area. Service was a bit slow but very friendly and hardworking (there was only one server and maybe even 1 chef). Still worth the experience and would recommend to others.

JM9 kitchen is one of the vendors in a ghost kitchen in Colony Santa Monica. I ordered ahead of…read moretime, not in their kiosk, so it was ready when I arrived. Colony has both inside and outside seating which looks so cozy. Since I was in a hurry, I had mine to go. When I got home, I was very surprised to see how big their portions are. That explains why I thought the bag was too heavy. I had the Grilled Chicken Steak with Black Pepper Sauce and a side of spaghetti. I ate half of everything and ate the other half the next day so you can actually split it with another person. Everything was so delicious including the lemon tea I had. I was pretty satisfied and I can't wait to try other items on the menu.

Was excited to see HK style food on the Westside and wanted to try it out for couple months…read more Finally went last Saturday, ordered at the kiosk and then got a table at the patio. We had the baked pork chop so food took about 20 / 25 minutes or so to come out. Tasted just like childhood! Milk tea also tasted very familiar. I was happy about these two items. The grilled chicken with black pepper sauce was just so so in comparison. Gave it 3 stars because there were flies flying around the patio. Covered trash cans might reduce this problem a bit. Price is also on the higher side. $6 milk tea was not very worth it. And they charged you some sort of fee (see pic) that I wasn't aware of, did not expect extra fee when ordered at the location and not doordash.

SO UPSET WITH NEW MENU. I've been coming here for 5+ years and just recently discovered that the…read moremenu has changed. They've taken my beloved "downtown" style ramen off the menu. It was the most unique style of ramen with a vinegar-y and less peanut buttery flavor. Service and ambiance are always great here but what keeps me coming back is the downtown style. Also, my no soup ramen didn't come with rice like it has in the past. I'm extremely disappointed and will not be frequenting this place as much.

LOVE killer Noodle, one of my new favorite spots, The ramen is so good, very peanut forward flavor…read more My friend wasn't a fan of the cashews on top but I was besides that they loved it too. The dry version is just as good maybe better and I wish I could come once a week! It's right by my job so I come by once or twice a month , every time I come by it's around lunch time and there's no wait. The parking outside sucks 90% of the time, so we pay for parking in the parking structure around the corner. The pork bun was not good at all. I'll be back for ramen, and skip the pork bun :p the spicy mango margarita is good too. The staff is friendly and pretty attentive.

One of best sushi places I've been in LA. Great atmosphere and seating with authentic look…read more Fish is incredibly fresh. All the sushi I had was amazing. Agedashi tofu was very well done. The tempura plate is good, but the batter isn't as light as it could be. But overall good. Spicy scallop handroll and soft shell crab are favorites.

On my most recent visit, I had a hamachi roll, tempura, ikura and Jack mackerel nigiri, pork…read moresausage and Chilean seabass skewers. Everything was delicious, well presented in a nice ambience and table. Highly recommended.

We got the Papaya Salad (vegetarian) 5/5: delicious and…read moretangy. The lemon flavor was strong and the palm sugar really elevated the dish. Highly recommend! Vegetarian fried rice 4/5: the button mushrooms were really good. Could have had more vegetables - there was just spring onions, bell peppers, some garnish and scrambled egg

Incredible food!! I came because I saw them on DineLA and wanted to give them a go. Immediately,…read moreyou see a gorgeously designed restaurant; I would say medium-sized of about 20 tables? I think the rice dish we got was Nasi something and it was really unique in flavor. Their roti and curry was amazing - one of my favorites for sure. Parking: there's a small lot in front of the store. However, I thiiink there's more behind the restaurant?

Im addicted to their sushi. I eat there for lunch 3 times a week and took my daughter for dinner…read morelast night. Our sushi master Ken is truly a Master! Like the real tradition. Please really read what freshness they serve in-their menu and their informative suggestions I've fished for over 60 yrs and can slice my own yellow tail an Marlon, catch my own oysters with my toes in Connecticut ! Fish lfresh off the boat ,

We've been here for both dine-in and take-out and Moku perfectly straddles the line between sushi…read moreand Thai food. While the menu can seem a bit limited compared to places that specialize in one or the other, they cover the bases. There are plenty of creative sushi rolls, but for purists who want quality nigiri, Moku delivers. While you won't find the full range of options you might at a traditional Thai restaurant, dishes like Bangkok Fried Rice and Drunken Noodles are unique specialties that I haven't found anywhere else.