After so many years, I still can’t find any other Yakitori places better than this place. That is it.
The restaurant is small. I suggest making a reservation. Walk-in can be difficult.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Bill Vang
Food was delicious and set at a great price. My cousin and I ordered each of the two courses on the menu and two beers. Everything came out in a timely manner as well.
The biggest problem was when my cousin had recieved a skewer with a piece of hair in it. She asked me to double check which I also believed it was a piece of hair that had gotten on her skewer. It was short about an inch curled up and looked like it had a hint of brown to it but mostly black (which makes me assume it might’ve been a piece from the brush the chef was using).
When my cousin told the server about the hair, the server looked at it quickly, told us it was a piece of fabric from the charcoals, and scurried away. Our server didn’t ask if we would like a new one or offer anything to replace it either and just left us looking at each other whether we’ll trust her or not. She decided to just eat the top half, but we were not amused about the server’s response at all. If she had at least given us time to just ask for another skewer so we don’t feel disgusted eating the rest of the food, it would’ve been a nicer finish to our dinner. I would still like to assume it was a piece from the brush, but the server did not show any concern for us at all on such an extreme food safety concern.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 2
Naomi
Very authentic Japanese yakitori!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Okra
gigi mimi
Good food but bad service
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: Yakitori 10pcs
poppy
It’s a busy place that you have to make a reservation in advance. We went on a Friday night and would like to add one extra person but it was fully booked so we had to seat in a smaller table with 5 people. It was a 2 hour limit dinner but the service speed is a bit slow. When we were ready to check out, it took a long time for the bill… like 15 mins so we had to ask to expedite. There were two waitresses and the younger one had no smile from the beginning to the end and the other waitress was warm and helpful.
The food is about average and it’s a good place for friends gathering.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Yakitori 10pcs
S C
They don't answer the phone... I don't know how to make a reservation.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 5
Service: 1
ドラゴンゴッド
Two of the dishes I ordered were charged to my card before they arrived.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 4
coco
The most delicious authentic yakitori in Torrance! It's a level that can be used in Japan, and if you can't make a reservation, you won't be able to get in. Chicken sashimi is also delicious 👍 The dessert gelato is also elaborate and recommended.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: 焼おにぎり, 鳥刺し, 焼き鳥
Andrea Boonyarungsrit
I always forget to take photos because it's that good. Yakitori in front of you. Small place from Japan book in advance.
I knew I was in for a treat when I saw a poster on the wall explaining what is binchotan. Torimatsu is one of the top, if not the best authentic yakitori joints I have eaten at in LA/OC. I enjoy making yakitori at home (with binchotan in a japanese grill, skewering and deconstructing chicken to the best of my abilities), but will definitely be returning to enjoy the skewers that were thoughtfully prepared and grilled by the yakitori master.
The restaurant has very limited seating, so would highly recommend making a reservation for parties more than 2. I came a little after opening on Saturday, and luckily was squeezed in after 15ish minutes. The place was at its max capacity after two additional (I presume reserved) parties showed up between 6-7pm.
With regards to the food, I can't stress the attention to detail given to each skewer. Every skewer was cooked in a way to highlight the innate flavor and texture, so you appreciate every part of the chicken. The tare (sauce) was light, and I was often surprised at how juicy some skewers were (given my personal experience cooking them at home). The meat was threaded on the skewer to allow optimal grilling efficiency, bones were strategically removed to allow easier eating, small pieces of fat hidden within the skewer to make it more juicy, small green onions tucked inside tofu skin to change the flavors, etc.
Highlights of the meal: - Tsukune (meatballs): so juicy and was not sauce heavy - Gizzard skin in soy sauce: this was a pleasant appetizer and tasted like braised tofu. Always thought this was a byproduct when making gizzard skewers. - Gizzard: cooked perfectly - Liver: so creamy - Cartilage: so juicy, idk how he did it - Heart: loved how packed and juicy it came out - Duck: first skewer I ate, but my second clue that the chef knew his stuff. Piece of fat was wedged between the pepper and green onion so that they soak up the oils - Chicken wrapped in tofu skin: first time seeing this anywhere. There were hidden green onions inside the tofu skin that gave the skewer a refreshing taste. - Bell pepper stuffed with chicken: another one of those "how is this so juicy" skewers. - Chicken tail: like a mix between the cartilage and skin skewer. Recommend getting this.
We got the Torimatsu course (10 skewers, soup, salad, ice cream) which is essentially the omakase, and added on a la carte skewers and a couple appetizers. For first timers, I think the Torimatsu course is perfect and leaves enough room to experiment with more adventurous skewers. We ended up eating 15 skewers each + splitting the raw chicken and gizzard skin apps, which left us both completely satisfied.
If you're a fan of yakitori and miss eating yakitori in Japan, definitely check this place out. Looking forward to my next visit!
Parking: Parking was plentiful at 530PM on Saturday
Food is okay, but they got my order wrong. Didn't got the chicken heart I wanted. The grilled duck is good.
wj
Tell us only 10 minutes wait time, then saying to wait for another 30 minutes after waiting for 20 minutes already. This kind of behavior to maintain a full occupancy rate is truly disgusting.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
dw
At the junk shop, the waiter told me to wait at the door for ten minutes. After waiting for fifteen minutes, he told me to wait another hour.
After so many years, I still can’t find any other Yakitori places better than this place. That is it.
The restaurant is small.
I suggest making a reservation. Walk-in can be difficult.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Food was delicious and set at a great price. My cousin and I ordered each of the two courses on the menu and two beers. Everything came out in a timely manner as well.
The biggest problem was when my cousin had recieved a skewer with a piece of hair in it. She asked me to double check which I also believed it was a piece of hair that had gotten on her skewer. It was short about an inch curled up and looked like it had a hint of brown to it but mostly black (which makes me assume it might’ve been a piece from the brush the chef was using).
When my cousin told the server about the hair, the server looked at it quickly, told us it was a piece of fabric from the charcoals, and scurried away. Our server didn’t ask if we would like a new one or offer anything to replace it either and just left us looking at each other whether we’ll trust her or not. She decided to just eat the top half, but we were not amused about the server’s response at all. If she had at least given us time to just ask for another skewer so we don’t feel disgusted eating the rest of the food, it would’ve been a nicer finish to our dinner. I would still like to assume it was a piece from the brush, but the server did not show any concern for us at all on such an extreme food safety concern.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 2
Very authentic Japanese yakitori!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Okra
Good food but bad service
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: Yakitori 10pcs
It’s a busy place that you have to make a reservation in advance. We went on a Friday night and would like to add one extra person but it was fully booked so we had to seat in a smaller table with 5 people. It was a 2 hour limit dinner but the service speed is a bit slow. When we were ready to check out, it took a long time for the bill… like 15 mins so we had to ask to expedite. There were two waitresses and the younger one had no smile from the beginning to the end and the other waitress was warm and helpful.
The food is about average and it’s a good place for friends gathering.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Yakitori 10pcs
They don't answer the phone... I don't know how to make a reservation.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 5
Service: 1
Two of the dishes I ordered were charged to my card before they arrived.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 4
The most delicious authentic yakitori in Torrance!
It's a level that can be used in Japan, and if you can't make a reservation, you won't be able to get in.
Chicken sashimi is also delicious 👍
The dessert gelato is also elaborate and recommended.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: 焼おにぎり, 鳥刺し, 焼き鳥
I always forget to take photos because it's that good. Yakitori in front of you. Small place from Japan book in advance.
Delicious ?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Fancy version of shinsengumi yakitori.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I knew I was in for a treat when I saw a poster on the wall explaining what is binchotan. Torimatsu is one of the top, if not the best authentic yakitori joints I have eaten at in LA/OC. I enjoy making yakitori at home (with binchotan in a japanese grill, skewering and deconstructing chicken to the best of my abilities), but will definitely be returning to enjoy the skewers that were thoughtfully prepared and grilled by the yakitori master.
The restaurant has very limited seating, so would highly recommend making a reservation for parties more than 2. I came a little after opening on Saturday, and luckily was squeezed in after 15ish minutes. The place was at its max capacity after two additional (I presume reserved) parties showed up between 6-7pm.
With regards to the food, I can't stress the attention to detail given to each skewer. Every skewer was cooked in a way to highlight the innate flavor and texture, so you appreciate every part of the chicken. The tare (sauce) was light, and I was often surprised at how juicy some skewers were (given my personal experience cooking them at home). The meat was threaded on the skewer to allow optimal grilling efficiency, bones were strategically removed to allow easier eating, small pieces of fat hidden within the skewer to make it more juicy, small green onions tucked inside tofu skin to change the flavors, etc.
Highlights of the meal:
- Tsukune (meatballs): so juicy and was not sauce heavy
- Gizzard skin in soy sauce: this was a pleasant appetizer and tasted like braised tofu. Always thought this was a byproduct when making gizzard skewers.
- Gizzard: cooked perfectly
- Liver: so creamy
- Cartilage: so juicy, idk how he did it
- Heart: loved how packed and juicy it came out
- Duck: first skewer I ate, but my second clue that the chef knew his stuff. Piece of fat was wedged between the pepper and green onion so that they soak up the oils
- Chicken wrapped in tofu skin: first time seeing this anywhere. There were hidden green onions inside the tofu skin that gave the skewer a refreshing taste.
- Bell pepper stuffed with chicken: another one of those "how is this so juicy" skewers.
- Chicken tail: like a mix between the cartilage and skin skewer. Recommend getting this.
We got the Torimatsu course (10 skewers, soup, salad, ice cream) which is essentially the omakase, and added on a la carte skewers and a couple appetizers. For first timers, I think the Torimatsu course is perfect and leaves enough room to experiment with more adventurous skewers. We ended up eating 15 skewers each + splitting the raw chicken and gizzard skin apps, which left us both completely satisfied.
If you're a fan of yakitori and miss eating yakitori in Japan, definitely check this place out. Looking forward to my next visit!
Parking: Parking was plentiful at 530PM on Saturday
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Yakitori 10pcs, Yakitori Course, Chicken Meatballs
Food is okay, but they got my order wrong. Didn't got the chicken heart I wanted. The grilled duck is good.
Tell us only 10 minutes wait time, then saying to wait for another 30 minutes after waiting for 20 minutes already. This kind of behavior to maintain a full occupancy rate is truly disgusting.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
At the junk shop, the waiter told me to wait at the door for ten minutes. After waiting for fifteen minutes, he told me to wait another hour.
Service: 1
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