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    Torimatsu

    4.2 (265 reviews)
    PriceyJapanese
    Closed 5:30 pm - 10:00 PM
    Updated 1 month ago

    Torimatsu Photos

    TORIMATSU ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Classy
    Moderate noise

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    Recommended Reviews - Torimatsu

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    Reviews With Photos

    Atsuage (Fried Tofu)
    Daniel L.

    Finally found a place in the US that offers raw chicken. Authentic Japanese restaurant from Japan that specializes in chicken dishes and skewers. Restaurant provides a very cozy environment perfect for a chill hangout or even a date. Expect a wait if you are trying your luck for walk-in seating as reservations are considered first. The staff, also, recommended to come after 7:30pm for the best chance at seating within a meaningful time. My group was seated within an hour after arriving after 7:30pm. Opted for their 10 course (Torimatsu) meal along with raw chicken (Sasami ponzu). Everything was absolutely made to perfection. The stars of the show were certainly the raw chicken, chicken wing skewer, chicken breast skewer, and chicken/green onion skewer. The raw chicken was very clean, flavorful, and tender. The skewers were just absolutely divine with the juices bursting at every bite. Will be returning for some more skewers and try their Yaki-Onigiri along with their Karaage. Definitely recommend!

    Arthur E.

    Cozy Japanese yakitori restaurant focused on chicken. Made reservations for a Friday dinner - would def recommend making reservations as it gets very busy. Place is located in a strip mall with ample parking. Was sat immediately - ordered several different yakitori pieces, as well as some rice balls. Would also recommend ordering some chicken broth as well. Both the chicken and veggies are well prepared. You can also order chicken sashimi here! I've had it a while back before and enjoyed it - but stuck with the normal yakitori today. Service is quick - and there's a decent sake selection as well. Would def come back!

    Yaki onigiri
    Tanya W.

    A very authentic and intimate yakitori restaurant! The chef is grilling everything in the kitchen which is in the main dining room. The skewers are very generous in portions and every thing was cooked perfectly. I was surprised at how quickly all of my food arrived. All the chicken and vegetables were plump, juicy, and tender. Nothing was over cooked. The service is very prompt and friendly. I arrived 10 minutes before opening on a weekday night and I was seated immediately at opening. It quickly got busy as the hour went on. Yaki onigiri - 5/5, my favorite item on any yakitori menu. So happy to see it on theirs and I love the crunchy exterior with grilled soy sauce flavor! Stuffed Lotus - 5/5, I love lotus root and I thought it was so unique and delicious that they stuffed ground chicken in it! Chicken tail - 5/5, Chicken giblets - 5/5, I love chicken gizzards and I'm very sorry that I missed trying the hearts here! Negima - 5/5, a classic yakitori skewer! The green onions pair really well with the chicken. Fried chicken cartilage - 5/5, if you love crunchy foods this is double the crunch! Oshinko - 4/5, generous portion of pickled vegetables. While I didn't like them all, the acidity and crunch were essential to help me finish my food as I got more full towards the end. Chicken wing - 4/5, it is exactly that but butterflyed. I would go with something else next time, but it was good! Quail egg - 4/5, standard. I wish they got grilled more. Okra - 4/5, I love grilled okra and wish they let it get more charred. But it was still very delicious! Ginkgo nut - 4/5, unique skewer to try! It's a little bitter. Eggplant - 4/5, excellent roasted flavor but I wish they cooked it marinated. We had to dip it in soy sauce. I really liked the grated ginger it was served with. Mushroom - 3/5, this was fine. Personally, not the best skewer option on the menu.

    Peter H.

    TL;DR - good place for a yakitori experience, their Torimatsu course was good, and next time I'll try their chicken sashimi lol I heard this place was known for their raw chicken AFTER I left lol so maybe I'll try it next time. For this visit, I ordered the Torimatsu course which comes with 10 Yakitori skewers, salad, soup, and ice cream. Also got a few other things a la carte like their roasted egg plant and soboro-rice. Unfortunately a few of their menu options that we wanted to try were unavailable that night, like their karaage and one of their salads on their Torimatsu course. The skewers were good but didn't have that smoky aroma you'd typically expect from a yakitori restaurant. The food was otherwise tasty and we left satisfied. The service was quick (they plopped all of our skewers on two plates all at once!) and kind (our waitress gave my kid ice cream with a candle on it because it was her birthday). Overall, decent place and I'd come back!

    Susan S.

    I've heard about Torimatsu for yearrrrrs. Who hasn't heard about the legendary Japanese chicken skewer place that serves raw chicken in LA? For one reason or another, I never made it out here , and FINALLY, we were able to check it out last week. We ordered the set menu, and in my opinion, the set menu items were not the best. There wasn't a single vegetable item, and there was an item like liver, which is not for everyone. I found it hard to enjoy that. One of the items, chicken in yubu, came out not cooked well, it wasn't even hot. I don't think I would've even noticed except my husband got the same skewer that was well charred and piping hot, so I could really tell the difference. The seasoning was on the mild side, so it's good if you don't want anything too salty, but it is almost bland without additional seasoning. We also added fried cartilage and the raw chicken in ponzu dish, and it was ok. I personally passed on the raw chicken, but my husband enjoyed it. Lastly, we ordered non-alcoholic beer, and the bottle was lukewarm. When we asked the waitress about it, she just gave us a glass with ice so that we could add it to the beer. The decor is old school charm, and I love the feel of traditional neighborhood yakitori-ya. Overall, I was kinda disappointed after hearing about Torimatsu for so long. I don't think I'll be back but I'm glad we finally got to try it.

    Yakitori and grill
    Diane C.

    It was my first time visiting today. The vibes of this restaurant felt like a more upscale yakitori without the yelling and like hole in the wall shin sen gumi gives. They season their food a lot lighter then the shin sen gumi fountain valley location I go often. My family particularly enjoyed the duck and the chicken skin. I also enjoyed the chicken thigh with green onions! I would also recommend the grilled onigiri I got the Bonito flake one! It was crispy on the outside but soft on the inside. I was sat in front of the glass but would be nice to reserve the seats on the side so you can get your skewers grill to plate (: The service was good they were pretty attentive and pleasant. The food also came out super fast but granted it was a Monday night and two other parties were there.

    Menu July 2024
    Roy L.

    Torimatsu has some of the best yakitori in all of LA, and has blown up since being featured on LA Eater as an essential South Bay restaurant. I appreciate the authentic feel of the restaurant. As you go inside, the amount of seating is very limited, so don't even bother coming with a big group. It's just not possible. As you walk in, you'll be greeted by an elderly Japanese man that is manning the binchotan grill and working hard. It's very reminiscent of eating in Japan. I think the best value is probably going for the Torimatsu course meal that includes 10 yakitori pieces, a salad, soup and ice cream. We ordered a la carte because we came with a seasoned professional and he ordered all the high value skewers. Be patient because it takes a while for the food to arrive, but they are absolutely fantastic. Come early, and come with a small group.

    Bryan C.

    A superb dining experience! We all had the 10 skewer torimatsu course which included skewers such as chicken gizzards, liver and other delicacies. The chicken meat ball was one of my personal favorites of the bunch, and was snappy and delicious. Service was quick and friendly, and the ambiance is lively and abounding with character. I do wish they provided some carbohydrates with the meal given the pre-fixed meal (needed to pay), plus there was some confusion with my order, but otherwise it was a great experience.

    Judy V.

    Very good spot for Yakatori. Make a reservation ahead of time because this place does not have a lot of seating for walk ins, Seems like everyone who came had reservations. My boyfriend has dabbled in making Yakatori so he wanted to try a spot where he was not behind the grill. So glad I found this place, everything was really good! Was extremely full after we left. Would definitely make the drive to come back here again!

    Rice and chicken
    Yun C.

    I have mixed feelings about not living nearby this restaurant. I may come few times weekly if I lived closer and gain weight from eating too much! Probably a good thing it is far for me. This is the best yakitori restaurant I've tried in the States. It reminded me of being in Niseko Japan as the food and cooking are so authentic and delicious. I'm amazed how the chef can manage so many skewers and still cooked them just right. My favorite was the rice ball which had the perfect flavor and charred rice! I'm salivating just thinking about it. We were actually brave enough to try the sashimi CHICKEN! We chickened out in Osaka but ended up trying it for the first time here. It tasted like fish sashimi. We didn't get sick. We ordered way too much food and had to take some home. I say stick to the yakitori. The omakase was a good deal!

    Menu 3.2.23

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    Ask the Community - Torimatsu

    For the torimatsu or shinbashi course, do you get to choose which skewers or is it set?

    It's the chef's choice for the skewers but you get to choose either scallion or lettuce for the salad portion. Everything he selected was excellent!

    This place is listed today as having outdoor seating. Is it still available? If it is, is it covered or heated? How many people can sit there?…

    There is no outside seating. It's a small restaurant with maybe 7-8 tables and then bar seating.

    Do they offer an omakase option?

    There are two types of Omakase courses.

    Is there any seafood options?

    Not really. They are all chicken related dishes.

    View All 6 Questions

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    Tonkatsu Marushichi

    4.4(83 reviews)
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    Tried the "Yaki-Katsudon" at Marushichi. The low-temperature cooked pork was incredibly tender and…read morelight--almost as if it wasn't deep-fried at all. I loved that the cutlet sits on a bed of fluffy eggs rather than being simmered, keeping it perfectly crispy. It's much more filling than it looks. A truly blissful meal! 低温調理のカツ丼。油で揚げてないので、低温調理の柔らかさがキープされていて、めっちゃ美味かった。 ボリュームも満点

    This spot is SO slept on wow. The hype on social media is UNDERrated…read more This humble eatery is shyly tucked away, so easy to miss at the back corner of the plaza next to Daiso. Upon entering we were welcomed by the lady at the cashier who answered our questions and took our order. On weekends they have rusk available for free! We were encouraged to take as much as we wanted-- we took two bags. (They were so good! Crunchy ,Cinamonny and sweet, it was a perfect little snack to much on with coffee in the morning) Then as we sat to wait for our food, we were given two bowls of lovely miso soup which tasted like so much care went into making it. Then the main course came out. The sando was wow so amazing. Initially I thought no that is TOO thick. There's no way the ratio works, but it was my turned to be humbled. The pork was so tender and juicy. SO TENDER. The panko breading was just the right thinness. Right amount of crunch layered with a sauce that added just the right punch of spice from what tasted like wasabi or horseradish? Then it was all contained within two sturdy layers of bread that were chewy and melded perfectly with the cutlet and sauce in between them. Does it sound amazing? Because I promise you it will be even better than you can imagine. They have other stuff on the menu we'd love to come back to try, and wholeheartedly recommend this spot!!

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    Shin-Sen-Gumi Yakitori - Gardena - Front

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    4.3(1.7k reviews)
    0.9 mi
    $$
    Casual dining
    30 years in business

    the line sucks . i am not sure i'd wait more than 20 minutes for this but im honestly just…read moreimpatient, so if you are here on a weekend or something you will need to get in line or be ready way before. if you go at lunch on some random tuesday it'll probably be ok, and i've done that. the food is excellent. the interior of the place isn't anything noteable but not dirty or anything but don't expect a fancy restaurant. that said, once you are seated and ordering its great yakitori

    My husband & I live in Huntington Beach and for the past 19 years, we've always ate at the Shin Sen…read moreGumi location on Brookhurst in Fountain Valley. It's literally 15 mins away from our house and we thought their food was super authentic and yummy. We knew about the original location in Gardena - but never thought about going since we were content with the location in Fountain Valley. 3 weeks ago, I was in the area of Gardena with my sister in law and decided to stop by this location for dinner on a whim with no expectations. I was very surprised to find out this Gardena location does't have the excessive lines & wait time and the servers and cooks are a lot nicer and accommodating than the Fountain Valley location. In fact, I think the food quality is slightly better qnd once again, less wait time to be served. There is a server by the name of Oswaldo at this location that's exceptional kind and helpful and is worth driving down to Gardena just to be served by him. Oswaldo is always smiling and genuinely eager to accommodate you. The servers at the Fountain Valley location are strict & militant, like soup nazis. Their rules are somewhat rigid and you couldn't even open the door to the restaurant to use the restroom without an approval from one of the workers. You were pretty much told what to do and where to sit for your meal. This Gardena location is slightly larger in space and not as tight and stuffy. And the best part, they serve Yakitori for lunch during the weekdays and weekends. Their hours seem to be more flexible. Hands down; Gardena's location is all round the best in my opinion. Maybe it because it's the original location. Trust me, I've been to the West L.A. location too and it was my least favorite location of the 3.

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    Kagura - Torrance - IG: @nom.noms.only | premium Fillet Gozen

    Kagura - Torrance

    4.0(1k reviews)
    3.0 mi
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    I'd been to T.O.T in little Tokyo before but decided to check out Kagura. It was great, the katsu…read morewas light and delicious. Standouts were definitely the millefieulle katsu - the pork ends up very very tender. The oyster katsu is also delicious! We stopped by at 4 pm on a Saturday so there was no wait. It's a great spot for a celebration or a nice dinner! Parking it's a little tough, there are a few parking spots behind the restaurant.

    Been here a few times, but this most recent time wowed me a lot cuz of the FRIED OYSTERSSSS!! If…read moreyou can, try to sit on the left part of the restaurant - it's a much nicer, Japanese vibe :) Good service and easy parking (back lot or street parking) Fillet katsu and fried oysters: 4.75/5. I've tried the fillet katsu a few times, and most of the time it's pretty dry, but this time it was made well! The real star of the show though were the FRIED OYSTERS!! Enormous pieces of oysters that are so juicy, tender, fresh, not fishy at all... just wow. I finished my meal, but I'm already craving the oysters again! I wish they had a set with only fried oysters. Really liked their rice, side dishes, miso soup, and cabbage salad too, but their salad dressing is a little salty. Fried potato cheese mochi: 2/5. Would not order again. It was pretty bland, and it was just such a strange combo to me cuz they used American cheese. Gobo chips: 3/5. I had maybe 2 pieces that were good, crispy, easy-to-bite-through chip texture. The rest were so tough to bite through :( This has potential, but they need to work on getting the gobo to be softer Edamame tempura: 4/5. Exactly how you would imagine edamame with fried batter to taste! Nothing crazy. Mentaiko shisho mochi egg roll: 3.5/5. It was not bad, but I was a little confused by the slightly cinnamon flavor. Salmon avocado roll, negihama roll, spicy tuna roll: 4/5. Grouping these together cuz they were all nothing crazy, pretty standard. You can definitely find better, but it was a pretty good price ($6-7 per roll?) Lemon chu-hi pitcher: 3/5. Wish this was more lemon-y, and it was kinda watered down! Tasted more like sparkling water with a very slight lemon taste.

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    Izakaya Akatsuki

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    4.5(470 reviews)
    0.7 miHarbor Gateway
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    Family-owned & operated
    Large group friendly

    Overall impression: Everything we tried was excellent -- no complaints at all…read more Food highlights: We ordered the octopus sunomono, crispy gyoza, seared marinated mackerel, hard shell clam, fried chicken, and mentai cream hotpot. · The fried chicken is among the best we've had in LA. · The gyoza and mentai cream hotpot are absolute must-tries. Service: Attentive and genuinely doing their best -- very solid. Ambiance / decor: A bit dated, but practical and comfortable.

    If you are looking for an authentic Japanese Izakaya with good quality food, this restaurant is a…read moregood option. They have plenty of comfortable seating and the food options are varied enough to satisfy most people in your family. We were seated quickly on Mother's Day night but I did have a reservation. The Akatsuki Special Hot Pot with Chicken Soy Sauce was very nice. It is a bit pricey but we did share it among 3 people. It has a good combo of pork belly, meatballs, mochi and veggies. We would have chosen the Spicy Miso Butter soup base but one of my daughters doesn't like spicy food. I highly recommend getting the Udon Set with it. We only got one since my daughters are not large eaters. My husband ordered the Grilled Yellowtail Collar and he said it was very good. The size was so large - it was a really good value. But the star dish of the evening was the Crispy Winged Gyoza. We ordered that at the end and only got 6 pieces. It is perfectly crispy, with a really tasty filling and the dipping sauce is to die for. Next time we will order the 16 piece set. Sadly we were so excited to eat everything I forgot to take pictures of our food. But we'll be back for sure!

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    Fukagawa - Pork Fillet Cutlet Plate

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    4.2(566 reviews)
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    Premier find for excellent Japanese cuisine. My girlfriend and I came here for an early Saturday…read moredinner after a day on the water in Long Beach. When we arrived luckily there was no wait and were sat immediately. Luckily it was only a couple moments before a party of maybe 12 arrived behind us for dinner. Our host and server were helpful and efficient. We quickly scanned through their menu and decided on their combos (pork cutlet and tempura) Our trays of paradise quickly arrived and looked beautiful! ( see attached for reference ) i loved the balanced presentation and blend of flavors. Each tray had some miso, a 4 bite California roll, some rice, soba noodles, broth, wasabi and ginger. Mine came with some dipping sauce for the tempura. Considering the amount of food I was very satisfied. The tempura was gorgeously crafted with semi thin crisped batter, and a decent amount portioned. I was mostly amazed by my girlfriends pork plate. Their crisp cutlet had beautifully made with an easy crunchy exterior and soft tender pork savory to taste. All elements complimented each other perfectly. Their soba was also good quality and a nice touch to an already balanced dinner. While I was exactly stuffed after dinner, i was still impressed with their entree presentation, quality of food, calming ambiance and great service.

    Small, traditional feel, Japanese restaurant in Gardena. I wide selection of food to choose from…read moreincluding lots of sets which I love. It's like a mix and match of chicken, tempura, soba or udon, with rice, salad and miso. I love those types of options and this place does that well. We went on a Sunday for lunch. Busy! You just stand in line. No reception or list. I think that's awkward. Need something to manage the wait. It's odd. Service is friendly. The food can take awhile to come out. It's also not the type of place where they will check-in on you or refill your water. You have to yell out. Big parking lot with lots of stores to shop around too.

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    Waraku - The classic: the bara chirashi never disappoints!

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    4.2(796 reviews)
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    The food was delicious and the quality felt really good for what I paid. The staff were also very…read morefriendly, and overall it was a nice experience. This was always one of the restaurants I wanted to try, so I was happy I finally got to visit haha. One thing is that the prices are high and the portion felt little small. If you are really hungry, I probably would not recommend ordering only the premium dishes. It might be better to try some of the more affordable menu options too. Still, the food quality was great and I would love to come back again to try different dishes next time.

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    4.3(832 reviews)
    1.0 mi
    $$

    Wow. Just. Wow. The food is excellent 5/5…read more Service is excellent 5/5. Ambiance is 5/5. We got the Kobe Slice Beef Don (with the egg) and the Omu-rice with hamburger steak and a beef and potato croquette. All were melt-in-your-mouth delicious and made our tummies so very happy. The omu-rice brought me back to my childhood, when my mom would make this for us. We were there on a Monday at 5:30 and walked right in. The service was helpful and friendly. Loved everything about Red Rock and we'll definitely be back!

    This was my third time ordering the sliced roast beef. The first two times I had it, it was…read moreexcellent, which made this visit especially disappointing. This time the meat looked different and had far too much sauce on it. There was a dark soy-based sauce that was much more noticeable than before. On my previous visits, the white sauce was the main added flavor and the darker sauce was minimal. This time the dark sauce dominated the dish and changed the flavor. The meat quality was also different than previous visits. It was chewy pieces and had a lot more connective tissue. One piece was so chewy that I eventually had to spit out a large amount of connective tissue. At that point I was no longer enjoying the meal. I really do not like returning food, but this dish was not good, so I sent it back. The waitress spoke with the chef and later told me it was "the same as always," but that was not my experience at all considering how much I enjoyed it on my previous visits. Instead, I ordered the 7 oz galbi set. It came with rice, miso soup, kimchi and bean sprouts. The kimchi and sprouts were delicious. The miso soup was extremely plain with only green onions and no tofu or seaweed, so I mostly skipped it. The galbi had a nice beefy, fatty flavor, but it was extremely chewy and over half of it was fat or connective tissue, so I would not recommend it. The rice was fine. I also tried the beef and potato croquette, which I really liked. Despite the disappointing food this visit, I still appreciated parts of the atmosphere. The relaxing music, comfortable chairs, and responsive waitress made the experience more pleasant overall.

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    Red Rock-Torrance - Inside

    Inside

    Red Rock-Torrance - American Sliced Beef Don w/ Egg (regular/5 oz)

    American Sliced Beef Don w/ Egg (regular/5 oz)

    Red Rock-Torrance - American Sliced Beef Don w/ Egg (regular/5 oz)

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    American Sliced Beef Don w/ Egg (regular/5 oz)

    Torimatsu - japanese - Updated May 2026

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