This might be the best restaurant in LA. The service was phenomenal from start to finish. Our waiter was bright, engaged when needed, and provided everything we needed. Great ambiance with this nice, lo-fi synth. But the best part about this place is the food. This is some of the best food in LA, if not the best. We got the shishito peppers and crispy rice, handrolls, sea bass and steak, eggplant, and cheesecake. Everything was fantastic. Perfectly timed out of the kitchen. Every dish bursted with flavors that complimented each other. The dessert wasn't too sweet. The Kitsune is also an incredible old fashioned.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Devin Miller
Was introduced to Kodo through the Red Book Dining experience, and had never heard of Kodo before, which is surprising because I’ve been to Bestia and Damien multiple times, which are right around the corner. Was pleasantly surprised! The space is beautiful and minimalist with indoor and outdoor options. I didn’t even realize at first that we were seated outside until they lit the large fire pit, which created such a warm ambiance. We had the beef tataki which was delicious and fresh, and the Wagyu Katsu. The Katsu was some of the most tender beef I have ever had, and it came with a hot stone to cook the meat a bit more if you wanted to sear it, but it came out perfect. It also had a sweet onion sauce on the side for dipping that was amazing! The real stars of the meal though were the Toro Handrolls and the Wagyu Cheeseburger. The handrolls had sooo much Toro on them, we actually were able to eat a piece as sashimi and then still have a handful for each of the three rolls (so good!). That burger though….i have been dreaming of it since having it. It was seasoned so perfectly and so juicy. I think it might just be the best burger I’ve ever had. I asked the waiter what sauce was on the burger, and there’s no sauce…it’s just the seasoning, cheese and wagyu juices. SO. GOOD. We also had the Uni Pasta, which was salty pasta perfection. We split and shared everything and that was the perfect way to experience all the food here. Cocktail menu is excellent as well, and the service is great. I think that overall, this place slept on and underrated. I can’t wait to go back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Andrew
Such incredible service and food quality all at a reasonable price. This restaurant with this service on the west side would be hard to find and double the price
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Sales Team
We had a small problem, a disagreement, with the valet. Brad, the manager, took care of the problem. He was attentive throughout the night with us. Apologetic. Sincere. And gave us a small tasting of some delicious sake. Very nice gesture. and our server, Jesse, the one that wears a tartan, was splendid as well.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Link Lo
Celebrated an anniversary here and unfortunately was expecting better. On the positives: cocktails are strong, and flavors such as the kyuri martini (riff of the dirty cucumber martini) are interesting. Also, the toro carpaccio is fresh and fatty, just like what toro should be.
Onto the room of improvements, the chicken karaage is a bit dried. We thought they were using white meat at first, but then realized it could be dried thigh meat. We also ordered the chimichurri prawns. The flavor profile was quite nice, but unfortunately the prawns were served with shell on, which doesn't allow the chimichurri to get into the meat. I think the dish can use a sauce to enhance the flavor. Lastly, we also tried the salmon dish and it's fairly standard. The one thing that stands out is the accompanying mushrooms. Upon first bite, it has a very strong sake taste that could use a few more seconds in the pan to burn off the alcohol.
All in all, kodo is still a worthy restaurant that is willing to try to take on new flavors, and the decor is right up my alley.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Anli Ding
had the best tuna ever here
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Chaityn Isaacson-Brewster
Stumbled across Kodo last week in the middle of the afternoon. The restaurant was closed, but I had a great conversation with the owner and he said that the restaurant was open for business and that they would take care of it next time.
I enjoyed a yuzu matcha tea and it was quite refreshing.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Niki Bhagavatula
Food was good, but the service was absolutely atrocious. Our server did not give us the time of day, and we were rushed to order. She didn’t even bring us water nor ask what we wanted to drink. But with the table behind us, she was all smiles and very happy to speak to them. I will not be coming back here nor giving my money to this establishment. Hire good people.
Don’t bother coming here. The food is not good or anything special. Left hungry and disappointed.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 4
FloraAio
This review was for 12 months ago. The food was good! The cashier is sketchy... I hope the owner can investigate the person in charge of the cashier at the 2 pm shift, or have all the receipts print out for the customers to prevent this from happening. The pending amount in my bank reduced after I asked for the receipt:) The amount was slightly incorrect, so l asked for a receipt after a couple of minutes. They took more than 15 minutes to give me the receipt “after” my second follow-up. The receipt had the correct amount, so I went to check my bank again - the pending amount got corrected before I ever mentioned anything :) On another note, the server didn't know what she was doing - soup without a spoon, no napkin, dirty table (oh, the tip was asked for upfront, not after the meal! I regret paying the tip first), and when we asked for utensils, she gave us three when we only had two people. Overall, I'm glad I asked for the receipt!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 1
Dalila Droege
A blight on the neighborhood. Police are called here all the time, they’re given warnings, they don’t care. Can’t figure it how to make their business successful so they hold illegal “club” events all the time. Update: they say they haven't been made aware of verified violations, but the LAPD has issued multiple warnings for noise and capacity violations.
Patrick Bittner
Nice sitting area in the heated patio, good, friendly service but the food not more than mediocre. Overpriced student place. More funky than tasty.
This might be the best restaurant in LA. The service was phenomenal from start to finish. Our waiter was bright, engaged when needed, and provided everything we needed. Great ambiance with this nice, lo-fi synth.
But the best part about this place is the food. This is some of the best food in LA, if not the best. We got the shishito peppers and crispy rice, handrolls, sea bass and steak, eggplant, and cheesecake. Everything was fantastic. Perfectly timed out of the kitchen. Every dish bursted with flavors that complimented each other. The dessert wasn't too sweet. The Kitsune is also an incredible old fashioned.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Was introduced to Kodo through the Red Book Dining experience, and had never heard of Kodo before, which is surprising because I’ve been to Bestia and Damien multiple times, which are right around the corner. Was pleasantly surprised! The space is beautiful and minimalist with indoor and outdoor options. I didn’t even realize at first that we were seated outside until they lit the large fire pit, which created such a warm ambiance. We had the beef tataki which was delicious and fresh, and the Wagyu Katsu. The Katsu was some of the most tender beef I have ever had, and it came with a hot stone to cook the meat a bit more if you wanted to sear it, but it came out perfect. It also had a sweet onion sauce on the side for dipping that was amazing! The real stars of the meal though were the Toro Handrolls and the Wagyu Cheeseburger. The handrolls had sooo much Toro on them, we actually were able to eat a piece as sashimi and then still have a handful for each of the three rolls (so good!). That burger though….i have been dreaming of it since having it. It was seasoned so perfectly and so juicy. I think it might just be the best burger I’ve ever had. I asked the waiter what sauce was on the burger, and there’s no sauce…it’s just the seasoning, cheese and wagyu juices. SO. GOOD. We also had the Uni Pasta, which was salty pasta perfection. We split and shared everything and that was the perfect way to experience all the food here. Cocktail menu is excellent as well, and the service is great. I think that overall, this place slept on and underrated. I can’t wait to go back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Such incredible service and food quality all at a reasonable price. This restaurant with this service on the west side would be hard to find and double the price
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We had a small problem, a disagreement, with the valet. Brad, the manager, took care of the problem. He was attentive throughout the night with us. Apologetic. Sincere. And gave us a small tasting of some delicious sake. Very nice gesture. and our server, Jesse, the one that wears a tartan, was splendid as well.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Celebrated an anniversary here and unfortunately was expecting better. On the positives: cocktails are strong, and flavors such as the kyuri martini (riff of the dirty cucumber martini) are interesting. Also, the toro carpaccio is fresh and fatty, just like what toro should be.
Onto the room of improvements, the chicken karaage is a bit dried. We thought they were using white meat at first, but then realized it could be dried thigh meat.
We also ordered the chimichurri prawns. The flavor profile was quite nice, but unfortunately the prawns were served with shell on, which doesn't allow the chimichurri to get into the meat. I think the dish can use a sauce to enhance the flavor.
Lastly, we also tried the salmon dish and it's fairly standard. The one thing that stands out is the accompanying mushrooms. Upon first bite, it has a very strong sake taste that could use a few more seconds in the pan to burn off the alcohol.
All in all, kodo is still a worthy restaurant that is willing to try to take on new flavors, and the decor is right up my alley.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
had the best tuna ever here
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Stumbled across Kodo last week in the middle of the afternoon. The restaurant was closed, but I had a great conversation with the owner and he said that the restaurant was open for business and that they would take care of it next time.
I enjoyed a yuzu matcha tea and it was quite refreshing.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Food was good, but the service was absolutely atrocious. Our server did not give us the time of day, and we were rushed to order. She didn’t even bring us water nor ask what we wanted to drink. But with the table behind us, she was all smiles and very happy to speak to them. I will not be coming back here nor giving my money to this establishment. Hire good people.
It all worked as expected. Nice place to visit.
It’s not delicious at all.
Restaurantji Recommends
Don’t bother coming here. The food is not good or anything special. Left hungry and disappointed.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 4
This review was for 12 months ago.
The food was good! The cashier is sketchy... I hope the owner can investigate the person in charge of the cashier at the 2 pm shift, or have all the receipts print out for the customers to prevent this from happening. The pending amount in my bank reduced after I asked for the receipt:)
The amount was slightly incorrect, so l asked for a receipt after a couple of minutes. They took more than 15 minutes to give me the receipt “after” my second follow-up. The receipt had the correct amount, so I went to check my bank again - the pending amount got corrected before I ever mentioned anything :)
On another note, the server didn't know what she was doing - soup without a spoon, no napkin, dirty table (oh, the tip was asked for upfront, not after the meal! I regret paying the tip first), and when we asked for utensils, she gave us three when we only had two people.
Overall, I'm glad I asked for the receipt!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 1
A blight on the neighborhood. Police are called here all the time, they’re given warnings, they don’t care. Can’t figure it how to make their business successful so they hold illegal “club” events all the time. Update: they say they haven't been made aware of verified violations, but the LAPD has issued multiple warnings for noise and capacity violations.
Nice sitting area in the heated patio, good, friendly service but the food not more than mediocre. Overpriced student place. More funky than tasty.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Pretty good!
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