Izakaya Tonchinkan 呑み屋 とんちんかん

This is, without a doubt, one of the liveliest izakayas in Los Angeles — boasting an impressively long menu and one of the most extensive selections of premium sake in the city. The atmosphere is intimate, and Itamae Chef Tatsu-san is as enthusiastic and entertaining as they come, blending humor with genuine hospitality. On our last visit, he shared that the producer for Lisa from Blackpink had dined here, and that the son of the guitarist from the rock duo B’z is a frequent guest — a testament to the restaurant’s popularity, particularly within the Japanese community.

The food is authentic, straightforward, and rooted in the fundamentals of Japanese cuisine — nothing overly ornate, but deeply satisfying and heartwarming. Many dishes are designed for sharing, with several donabe options to end the meal. The sashimi is expertly prepared: we enjoyed abalone freshly sliced while still alive, along with amaebi and shiroebi that were refreshingly sweet — ideal sake companions, especially on a warm summer evening.

Some of my personal favorites include okizuke (marinated firefly squid), ankimo (monkfish liver with ponzu), and 甲州煮 (chicken liver, heart, and gizzard simmered in sweet soy sauce). Each makes for an excellent otsumami, perfectly suited for pairing with drinks.

From time to time, the restaurant also hosts special events, such as Dassai Sake Night and Nankai Shochu Night, further cementing its reputation as not only a dining destination but also a cultural hub for Japanese food and drink in Los Angeles. The only downside is that it’s so far from where I live that I couldn’t visit more often, but I suppose that’s entirely my fault.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Staff friendly, warm and inviting atmosphere. Good selection of rare alcohol, if you want; generally fairly priced even after restaurant markup! Make sure to get the panna cotta! The boss's wife makes them herself in limited quantities daily!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Ever watch an old school samurai movie where the main protagonist rises up from the streets as a poor orphaned kid who has dreams of saving the love of his life and liberating his village from the evil empire and slays godzilla? This place is exactly like that! Except a lot more drinking, tons more delicious food and of course beautiful women and men for people of all flavors and kind! Oh and the evil empire is just closing time... because that's the only downside ... 😞 make sure you offer drinks to the staff or ur food will be unlucky too... and no one wants unlucky food! They have DJs on the 5th weekend of every month and security is really chill but make sure you bring a good fake ID cus he can tell 😉

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

This place is more than just dinner—it’s an experience. The energy is warm and communal, with friendly conversations flowing easily between staff and guests. It feels like a local hangout—the kind of spot you stumble into and end up staying longer than planned, or eventually become a regular.

We ordered a well-rounded spread: Japanese seaweed with dashi vinaigrette, a sake-friendly trio of firefly squid, takowasabi, and white fish with ponzu, plus torotaku tsumami, clams sautéed with asparagus, beef tongue, slow-cooked beef with yuzu kosho, and the donabe rice topped with salmon and ikura.

my favs were seaweed with dashi, slow cooked beef with yuzu kosho and donabe rice with ikura but i would recommend all of it.

I’ll be back. Make reservations if you don’t want to risk it!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Love the food, but always packed... Hard to get in. My favorite is the beef tongue. Sushi were fresh too.

Very authentic Japanese food and very good vibe!!

Food is awfully bad especially considering the price range. Words can’t describe the disappointment. I won’t use words like “best” “worst” often but this is clearly the worst restaurant among hundreds of places I been to.

The dishes are quite special. I don’t seem to see sushi or ramen on the menu.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 4

Very good place. Both sashimi and cooked meat are delicious. They also have a lot of sake options.
It's a small restaurant with limited seats, so you'd better make the reservation ahead of time.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Average, not as delicious as expected. The store is small, but the waiters still feel like they can’t take care of them.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 3

Service: 3

Service was slow food is good

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 4

You must make a reservation in advance for dinner time. It is a very popular restaurant. I have eaten there once before and I like it very much. The salmon rice is generous and delicious. There is a lot of salmon roe and the rice is very fragrant. Wasabi octopus is our favorite appetizer. The raw octopus is very fresh and well seasoned. Thick-cut beef tongue is also a very popular dish. It is thick, tender and perfectly cooked. The fried tofu is large and affordable. Is Izakaya TOnchinkan a good choice for a get-together with friends or a family dinner? There are also many good sakes to choose from.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I always had excellent experiences in this restaurant. I suggest you try every dish.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Chicken Cartilage, Arabiki Sausage, Wagyu Beef, Simmered Chicken Gizzard & Liver Koshu Style, Monkfish Liver

A cozy place, loud conversations with light jazz playing the background. Small portions though they're all pretty appetizing. A neighborhood hidden gem

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Very good food and nice customer service.