50 Best Japanese Restaurants in Los Angeles

“Fashionable place for not just ramen, but gyoza and self-made hand rolls.

Dimly-lit, medium-spaced tables, service is good but a bit overwhelmed when they're at capacity (which is often!). Parking is limited on the street but doable.

Have to say the NYC location is better, but honestly would need to do another visit to confirm. Distinctly remember the self-made hand rolls in particular being quite good in New York and not nearly as memorable here.“

“Amazing takeout family meal which features the most flavorful and delicious Char Siu Wagyu Short Rib with fluffy bao. All side dishes are well executed and delectable. One of the best staying at home meals I’ve had! Highly recommend it!“

“One of my favorite Japanese restaurants in Los Angeles. Amazing sushi and all food is high-quality made from scratch and delicious. The service is excellent and it’s well priced given the quality of food atmosphere and service. I highly recommend.“

“สนุกสนานอาหารอร่อย บรรยากาศดีมีระดับ“

“Kinkan feels like a love letter to flavor. We came to celebrate a friend’s birthday and left feeling nourished in every way. Each dish was beautifully crafted, delicate yet bold. Perfect for a quiet celebration, a romantic date, or a night to remember. A true neighborhood treasure.“

“I like the food in this restaurant very much. Healthy, clean, and tastes great too!“

“Everything was perfect, fave drink was lychee martini and in the morning strawberry matcha. For dinner we loved the rib eye, ceviche, tuna tartar and chicken the most. The Caesar salad was unique and I really enjoyed it. Miso eggplant also great! We were so full and didn’t think we could eat any more but The sorbet at the end was delicious, super light and refreshing. Service was friendly, atmosphere very pretty.“

“Tasty bbq take out outside. Amazing desserts to ans friendly staff“

“Progressive Japanese food that focuses on simplicity and freshness showcasing technique. They highlight their eel and we got the whole one to share. It can be a bit intimidating for people not familiar and a bit simple but the effort to prepare takes a lot. For the price, I wish it came with a side of rice or something to complement it. I really enjoyed the Tofu and Eggplant dish also. The Eggplant was super unique and cooked in a way I haven’t tried before and was very flavorful with a dark miso crust. The Corn and Sausage was unique too and presentation was pretty cool. I really enjoyed the Strawberry Shaved Ice for dessert. Great way to end!! Overall, the food is on the lighter side so if you’re looking for hearty or indulgent food this may not be the best pick. They serve smaller plates that are good to share between two people or a small group. Service was great though and super friendly.“

“Freshest restaurant quality sashimi and sushi at a reasonable price in the U.S. Their sashimi is top notch. Highly recommend the Hamachi/yellowtail toro (so underrated), the scallops, and the squid/ika, but honestly any of the options won’t disappoint. Also a big fan of their tamago and their Takuan roll (which has fresh perilla leaves inside)!
If you’re a big sashimi/sushi enjoyer and value quality, this place is perfect!“

“I pop in here probably once a week sometimes twice for a glass of wine. The bartenders are very cheerful and informed with respect to varieties and flavors and all the jazz. They walk you through the options and make tip top recommendations. The place is always slammed at night, yet the manager is extremely accommodating and always finds a place for me to chill and savor the weekend ambiance. I’ve never had their food, but it looks delicious. All the servers are friendly and have excellent people skills. The outdoor space is a fun hang too if you have a group. I always feel spoiled here. 5 star experiences.“

“Just had a self Omakase date and I have to say, the detail that was poured into each dish, flavor wise, was really special. Even just the sashimi pieces themselves really had great complimentary garnish flavors that weren’t even noticeable just looking at the fish.

Great service and throughly enjoyed.“

“What an experience! I didn't even do the chef experience and got such a wonderful dinner! I was so jealous of the people experiencing it so I'm definitely doing that next time

I celebrated my first anniversary here and it was such a joy. Some people get worried they will leave a Michelin star restaurant hungry. But i was stuffed!!!

Everyone at the restaurant was amazing, kind and really took care of you! I kind of just want to come back just to experience that as well!

Since their menu constantly change, I think it's just best to say: trust the chef. You won't regret it! Or let the pictures do the talking!

I'm 100% coming back with my family to treat them to this!“

“Both dishes were so good! I really liked the way they cooked the Bento- Shio Koji Marinated Norwegian Mackerel. The side dish Side- Chicken Karaage (Mild or Spicy)- had just the right amount of spice (l ordered mild). Overall, this will definitely be my go-to lunch spot now! (Doordash Pickup)“

“Superb place. Unfortunately Jonny Won (?) left couple of years ago but the current Chef is more than capable of upholding this restaurant's glowing reputation for exceptionally fresh ingredients and superb cooking skills. My only advice is to stick to fish and leave the meat dishes as, although nice, are not quite "wow" as they used to be.“

“Delicious food. Fast service. Get here early to avoid a long line.“

“If you're looking for the best udon soup in town, look no further! This gem offers a delightful dining experience with its rich, flavorful udon soup that keeps you coming back for more. The teriyaki chicken is a standout, perfectly cooked and bursting with taste. The atmosphere is warm and inviting, enhanced by the charming backdrop of Japanese television, which adds to the authentic feel.

The service is exceptional—super sweet and polite staff made us feel right at home, attending to our needs with genuine care. It's rare to find a place where food, ambiance, and service come together so harmoniously. I absolutely love this place and can't recommend it enough!“

“One of the best omakase experience i’ve had.

There were so many dishes that came out that I started to get full. Love it!

The service was very attentive. The fish quality was great and there were some unique options i’ve never had before. My favs were the ankimo, seared baby barracuda, spotted ebi, and uni. The espresso hojicha dessert was absolutely amazing as well.“

“I've been to a lot of Michelin restaurants around the world and this is easily a one star. Fantastic food and service and the pacing was perfect. Just look at the fish main course... Grilled perfectly on charcoal. Definitely coming back next time I'm in “

“Great place. Food tasted amazing.“

“Delicious Udon and other Japanese specialties“

“This Raman is hands down one of the best!I always get The blaze spicy tonkotsu with extra pork belly, corn, and extra garlic medium 🔥🔥🔥 wish I had a photo for you but it was to yummy I couldn't even wait to take a photo lol worth it to very reasonably priced the place is not fancy. Good service good food.“

“Manpuku is hands-down one of the best Japanese BBQ spots in LA. The food is consistently amazing – every cut of meat is high quality, well-seasoned, and cooked to perfection right at your table. The service is just as impressive: attentive, friendly, and fast without being rushed. Whether you’re going for a casual night out or a special occasion, Manpuku delivers every time. I truly love this place – it’s a go-to for delicious food and a great overall experience. Highly recommend.“

“Easy to miss at night, the outside is dark and unassuming. Calm atmosphere, attentive service. The individually delivered hand rolls amazing! Great pacing to savor the contrast of warm toasted nori and seasoned rice against the chilled fresh fish. Highly recommend taking your time with the 6 roll order. Great value for the quality of sushi. 🍣“

“The low reviews here are from charlatans and wimps; Q rips. If you want a peaceful, restorative, and exceptionally delicious omakase experience, look no further. It may not be the flashiest experience, but the preparation and quality of the meal is exceptional. Sensational!“

“This place is great! I don't know why some people are giving negative reviews… delicious, innovative food; intimate, modern vibe/decor; and our server Alice was awesome. Kinda feels like it could be a spot in Brooklyn (in a good way!) Parking in the area is tough obv, but they have valet ($10, pretty typical). Will be back!“

“Excellent food. Authentic Japanese. It was really delicious, thank you!“

“The ambiance was sleek and inviting, creating a truly enjoyable atmosphere. The staff members were exceptionally attentive, ensuring that our experience was seamless and pleasant, with service that was impressively fast. I am definitely looking forward to returning to explore the menu and try the food. Thank you for a wonderful experience!“

“Excellent service, great food, too bad there wasn't extra room in the parking area.😊😊“

“All of the people that hate waiting in line should come on a weekday night, because our party of 2 got seated immediately upon arrival.

It’s definitely not cheap (maybe a reasonable-ish price for sushi) but the quality is pretty good.

The fresh water eel (unagidon) was GAS!! The sauce is pretty standard — sweet and savory and sticky — and it was everything we expected and more when paired with the tender eel and chewy rice. It also serves as great leftovers.

Salmon: buttery and the quality was phenomenal

Toro: tasted kind of like beef, fatty but also had texture to it

Tuna: this was probably the most lackluster fish I had of the night; quality was just ok and didn’t really have any memorable texture or taste

Sea bream: with the lemon it was so refreshing and had a similar butteriness as the salmon

Scallop: it was sooo sweet and the lemon brought out those flavors even more

Yellowtail scallion: the refreshing kick of the scallion paired really well with the fish

Overall salmon, scallop, and yellowtail scallion were my favorites. I’d probably get the combination if I wasn’t looking for anything in particular since it’s more bang for buck.“

“Good quality of meat. Very nice service. You could enjoy little desert afterward“

“best japanese rich fllavors unique taste simple fresh and delish“

“We were both super tired after a week of travel around the country. Decided to give the hotel restaurant a try. Super happy we did. Waitress/hostess was very friendly, fun and attentive. The food was much better than we expected. Really nice meal at the end of a tiring trip.“

“Really good food! The manager fit us in even there was an issue with our reservation. He was so sweet. The menu is a bit confusing/overwhelming, but our waiter Nessie knew exactly what we should order and hooked us up. The miso sea bass was incredible.“

“The food was amazing!! Great experience.“

“Very delicious 😻 very beautiful presentation“

“Very true to authentic Japanese cooking method and flavors. Amazing experience!“

“Great and delicious food 👍“

“Delicious and freshly prepared food 🥘“

“深みのある濃厚鶏白湯ラーメン🍜 つけ麺やカレーも美味しいです 😋😋😋😋“

“Thursday after working OT, my coworker and myself were planning to have dinner before heading back home, while driving down the street on Olympic I saw this ramen shop and I noticed few fellas outside waiting to be seated , and I realized that maybe the place was good. Once we were there we have to write the name. Anyway after waiting for about 15-20 minutes it was our turn. The restaurant is not huge, but is clean. We have to scan the QR and Start from there. My coworker got spicy miso and I ordered the veggie ramen, short time after, we got our food and mine looked amazing, came with cherry tomatoes, fried eggplant, lotus, mizuna, and broccoli. Broth was perfect and very delicious. I believe shiitake would make a good match to the veggies, ear mushroom and nori and some corn, just my personal opinion. However every place is different and have their own ingredients, and I was very surprised when I saw mizuna in the ramen, never had ramen with mizuna. Highly recommend this shop for ramen lovers or anyone interested in trying it. It's worth the shot.“

“One of the best sushi I’ve had in Southern California, small place not fancy at all but it is a recommended experience must try.“

“Ordered chicken karaage, shrimp tempura, chicken tempura roll, teriyaki chicken, yakisoba noodles, and the mid-size chicken shabu shabu. The overall taste, service, and ambiance were great—everything was flavorful and well-prepared.

The pricing was reasonable, which made the experience even better. However, aside from the shabu shabu, the portion sizes could have been more generous. A bit more quantity would really elevate the value of the meal.

Still, a solid dining experience that I’d recommend, especially for the quality of the food and atmosphere.“

“Came here for a last minute bite and was pleasantly surprised. Ashley our server is the sweetest and she took such good care of us despite being an hour before closing. She was fantastic with recommending dishes and checking in on us and every item was brought out in a timely manner. I really enjoyed everything here it feels elevated, it’s great for date night, light bites or a full meal. They have a great happy hour menu that I look forward to trying next time. My only critique is that some of the dishes skew sweeter than my preference but that’s just me. The granita dessert is an absolute must have and so is the uni temaki! I’ve eaten a lot of uni and theirs was particularly sweet and fresh. Will definitely come back again soon!“

“Haru is a hidden secret.... Premium quality sushi without the fuss of the popular "high-end" places. Follow their social media stories and you'll see how they break down beautiful, sourced cuts of fish themselves... Mouth watering and beautiful presentation.

We try to order directly when they can (rather than through apps) when we can in order to support them.“

“Chinchikurin was my first ever Hiroshima style okonomiyaki. I've had the Osaka version in Japan many years ago, but haven't had okonomiyaki of any kind in the US since. So this experience was definitely fun. The food was very tasty and well built. I ordered the Loaded Kaisen, which was the seafood okonomiyaki as part of the 11-layer savory pancake. It was very filling. After the cooks make the okonomiyaki at the main teppan grill, you eat it at your own personal grill at your table, which keeps your order nice and warm. Be sure to put a lot of the mayo and otafuku sauce atop it to make the flavor even bolder and more exciting. If you've never had okonomiyaki before, Chinchikurin is a great place to start. There are very few of these kinds of restaurants in LA, so Chinchikurin is a very unique Japanese cuisine in Little Tokyo worth scoping out. I did a YouTube video of my eating adventures here, which can be found on my channel called Rockstar Eater“

“Stopped by for anniversary and DineLA!
I never knew this place existed, but it seems like they've been around for about two years. The restaurant was a lot bigger than it looked and had a lot of spaces. They even had a full bar inside with a nice list of Japanese Whiskeys (Sorry, no Yamazakis!) and other spirits.

The food was good and was presented in a 5 course meal (most likely for DineLA) Although my date got the sushi, I opted for the sukiyaki as they presented themselves as a kaiseki restaurant. They also had other options, but I think their sukiyaki was better than the sushi.

The service was great when we first got in, but the place got packed in a few minutes and it seemed like there wasn't enough servers. However, the overall experience was great and I'd probably visit again for a different menu.“

“Exceptional Yakiniku experience! Ben's knowledge and attention to detail made our visit memorable. The premium meat selection is remarkable, particularly the marbled wagyu cuts. The contemporary atmosphere and high-end grills create an elegant setting.“

“Great service and great food, but even better drinks because of my guy Cash there an extraordinary bartender with requisite taste and such an amazing aura can’t wait to go back and try more of his drinks thank you Cash had a great time!!!“

“Great service and very friendly staff“