50 Best Japanese Restaurants near San Pedro

“I love love looooove this place so much. Their fried rice is wonderful. Their orange chicken is to die for. Their California rolls are huge and delicious!

Honestly the best is the sweet young lady that works at the counter. She's attentive and has an amazing memory. She remembers who I am and my friends and remembers what we order and how we like it (My friend loves her orange chicken extra spicy)
A hidden gem that is worthy of a visit.“

“So fun! love the HAPPY FISH! Going to see him tonight!“

“This has got to be the best teriyaki I have had. My wife and I were exploring LA and staying in LA for our sixth wedding anniversary we stopped here for lunch and we loved it, I got the chicken and beef large bowel and my wife got the veggie bowl and it was delicious. The staff are great and it’s a nice little restaurant. Highly recommend it. We were satisfied and full of good food.“

“After a long drive I was still hungry, sushi was calling. HOW is this the only place open late for sushi in San Pedro!?!Thank goodness they were! Hit the spot.Very fresh and expedient, all the fixin's given in little sealed bags. Decent combos.All ingredients seemed high quality and well prepared. Wide selection.

Parking: Strip mall“

“Good taste noodle, great customer service! interesting old Torrance neighborhood.“

“Excelent food ! Great place !“

“We went to try out the new menu and what a great idea, We had the happy hour sushi and beers and everything was so delicious and the presentation was gorgeous!
We will make this our new spot for sushi, and can’t wait to try the Ramen and all the other choices on the menu. PS outdoor seating is wonderful during the summer months, plenty of umbrellas to go around. Fabulous service to boot“

“This is kind of like a restaurant cafe with a Japanese-Korean コンビニconvenience store together. Think 日本7-11, 7i, Gs25. They have instant ramen bowls and cute Shiba Inu and Kitty bags and totes. Freshly made onigiri… ? with good quality rice. ?“

“yummmmm so good. highly recommend“

“The curry is very good and not too heavy or salt. It goes very well with the poached egg and beef nikutama was very flavorful with the onions. The tempura was very soft and flaky. I've been here a couple times and loved getting the dashi broth and miso udon along with other tempura items available like the shrimp or zucchini.

There's a fair amount of seating along with outdoor seating. Plenty of parking available in the plaza with other restaurants there. The staff was nice and attentive to the items you wanted.“

“It was a yakiniku restaurant where you could really feel Japan. The atmosphere is great. The meat is also great. The minced meat and miso that come with the kimchi and sandwich are also delicious. The clerks are also kind and work quickly, which is great. You can also eat liver sashimi and yukhoe. Cold noodles and yukke bibimbap are average. It would be even better if they had stone-grilled bibimbap.Reservations required.“

“My husband and I came for a date night, and it was perfect! The inside is decorated in a cozy, cute manner, and our server was super kind and attentive. Most importantly, the sushi was delicious! I recommend trying the rainbow roll. It was soooo good and gave us the opportunity to try a few different fish. For dessert, I had a red bean taiyaki, which had the perfect balance of sweetness to end the meal! Sadly, I forgot to take good photos of the food, but that is because everything tasted so amazing that it slipped my mind!! We will for sure be coming back to try more!“

“LOVE the poke bowl options including the gluten free/lo carb noodles!“

“Tiny restaurant, but the food they serve were delicious, above average. Not a fine dining place so I didn't expect much service. Treat it as a fast food high quality beef don place, then you will truly enjoy it. Yeah, a bit pricey, but the beef quality matches the price. Must go early, we arrived at 5:15pm, left with just one table and three counter seats. By the time we finished, there was a line already outside of the restaurant.“

“The Current offers a lot of convenience with its prime location in the middle of DTLB. The connected retailers, including Hi-Lo Liquor, Qargo coffee, Sushi Beluga, and BMore Pizza, make everyday errands and dining out incredibly convenient. The amenities are outstanding. I can enjoy a relaxing day at the beautiful 4th-floor terrace or take a dip in the pool on the 17th floor, both offering great spots to unwind and take in the views. Additionally, The Current hosts a variety of events, from the big Grand Prix party to smaller gatherings like yoga on the 17th floor, which adds a vibrant and engaging community feel to the place. The staff at The Current, particularly Raelle and Denisse, always make me feel welcomed and valued. Their friendliness and attentiveness greatly enhance the living experience, making it feel like home. Overall, The Current offers an exceptional living environment with its convenient location, excellent amenities, and welcoming staff. Highly recommended!“

“Every dish is as good as all the others: wagyu beef, pork belly, pork cheek, beef tongue, hearts, gizzards, octopus, rice ball. We will definitely be back for more.“

“A unique, traditional Japanese steakhouse. We tried the omakase wagyu steak and miso yaki butterfish with sashimi, kabocha soup, jidori chicken, creme brulee and crepe cake. Every bite was to die for and magical. Best wagyu steak and butterfish I've had. Madai kobujime was delicious.
The service was amazing, warm and friendly.
The chef visited us.
The ambience is classy, yet cozy.
Looking forward to bringing the family in.

Dietary restrictions: They ask for any allergies and accomodate“

“Love this place. Very relaxed atmosphere and great food. Our go to place for big gatherings and birthdays.“

“Everything was amazing! Loved the hot Vegas roll tuna nacho appetizer, rainbow roll and thick pieces of tuna sashimi. This was the best, I’m definitely coming back for more and amazing service.

Vegetarian options: Veggie tempura steamed veggies and more“

“Located in the food court of Tokyo Central in Gardena, this Japanese Tonkatsu restaurant is an authentic hidden gem for Tonkatsu lovers?

Tried their pork Katsudon set (you have a choice between pork or chicken also) and the pork upon first bite was juicy and meat was very tender. Outside katsu was crunchy, the pork is lean and didnt have any fat too. Miso soup and cabbage salad was fresh and not instant, I would visit this place again. 5 stars??“

“Came here for lunch because my dad saw an ad on Facebook for the $9.99 September special, lol. We were a bit confused at first, because we drove to the old Sushi Boy location and didn’t see it anymore. (It’s been years since we went to this area.). Then we looked up Kozo Sushi online and found this place.

Plenty of parking in the shared lot was nice. Unfortunately, the air conditioning was very weak and the heat from today was unbearable for my toddler to be in the restaurant for too long, so we took our food to go eat in Del Amo Mall instead.

The Bento Box is a great deal, and the food is delicious and very filling for a meal. My mom said that there was too much rice, but you kind of need the rice to make it filling.

Everything was fresh and the rice was nice and soft and perfectly seasoned. I was surprised that the white fish nigiri was fully cooked, but I preferred it that way because usually it tends to be kind of tough and rubbery with a smell when it is raw.

The chicken was nice and tender and not overly seasoned. The shrimp in the tempura was tender, but the shrimp in the nigiri was kind of tough—as it usually is in other places.“

“The best sushi I had in my entire life.

The baked Salmon Roll is absolutely delicious ?.
After about 10 minutes of waiting this wonder was in front of me ready to be my late lunch (3 PM ish)
Wonderful service as well.

Next time (maybe today) I'll try the Tiger Roll.
Thank you!“

“Thank you for the great food“

“Last minute dinner decision for a Saturday night
Went around 630ish it was packed but we didn’t wait very long

However one of the waitress asked if we made a reservation we did not she did first come off rude but later service was very nice

The two gentleman by the bar greeted upon entering

Food was very tasty but they forgot the starter soup and rice for the course meal

It was plenty as we order each course meal Chicken and the Beef

We also got a pitcher of their draft Ahsai

Overall experience was great we would definitely come back“

“Excellent in every way. Perfect!!!“

“One of the best restaurants in Long Beach for Peruvian, style, seafood, ceviche, and Sushi. Family owned and operated with a friendly vibe and amazing service.“

“This place is great it you come at the right time. They open and close on random days..

Recommended dishes:
- Mixed baby scallop and shrimp tempura bowl
-Black pork cutlet with starchy egg bowl
-Hamburg steak w/ demi glace sauce combo
-Fried Oysters

The meal set comes with miso soup and pickled
veggies.“

“Friendly service, everything is yummy!“

“Always friendly staff and great food.“

“Great location. I wasn't expecting much from this spot as I had never been here before. However I was pleasantly surprised with the depth of flavor and quality of the food as I received my chicken teriyaki bowl. Keep up the good work!“

“been coming here for 23 years! great service and great sushi!“

“I have been enjoying meals at Okane Umi since 2016. They have always been excellent in every category of service. The restaurant has had its share of ups and downs but I am happy with how strongly Okane Umi has powered up its menu and added some wonderfully flavorful genuine Japanese dishes. Im pleased they have reinforced their sushi, sashimi, chirashi offerings - I love this restaurant.“

“They offer a wide variety of dishes, ranging from traditional Chinese cuisine to creative Western cuisine, and there are many surprising combinations. In addition, the restaurant pays attention to the selection of raw materials and the innovation of cooking techniques to ensure that each dish can bring you the most extreme taste experience“

“Upscale Japanese restaurant that serves delicious sushi of very high quality and freshness. If your not a fan of sushi, then the beef and chicken dishes are outstanding also. More expensive than other places but it is worth the expense once in a while to treat yourself to a great meal.“

“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“

“Our server was super nice. As always, the curry beef udon was delish! My son and I love to come here because he likes to get the kids udon combo.

Parking: Big parking lot outside Mitsuwa and the Del Amo Mall.

Kid-friendliness: The kids udon combo is the best and comes with a cute little toy.“

“Good taste noodle, great customer service! interesting old Torrance neighborhood.“

“muy sabrosa y delicious la comida lo recomiendo y sobre todo El servicio muy bien“

“The best sushi lunch specials. It's small and out of the way. The absolute best.“

“Solid tempura spot. Carlos' background is so unique, love the fact that he learned from the best in Japan. Cant give 5* because it doesnt have that lightness you would find in tempura spots in Japan... but also difficult to source every last ingredient.“

“Been for years ..! Love it“

“The best wagyu meat we have ever eaten in our lives (at least until now) delicious. We ordered the tasting plate for 2 of Japanese wagyu + accompaniment and a plate of another premium meat. Everything was great and the man who served us was super friendly!!“

“The food is excellent, great service, and outstanding prices. My favorite restaurant in Torrance.“

“We've been going to Tashiro for around 15 years now. They have delicious food that quickly became my comfort food. The miso soup is delicious and comforting. The service is great, they are attentive and very kind. We love to introduce our family members to this place. I highly recommend it!!“

“GETSOME!!!“

“Takoyaki with Gindako's unique crispy fried skin. The contents are substantial and delicious.Although it doesn't have the juicy and soft feel of Kansai-style takoyaki, I'm grateful that specialty takoyaki shops are open and I always enjoy it.I pray every day that the number of stores will increase.“

“Delicious and creative Japanese food by these talented Thai chefs“

“No dress code, friendly staff and good food.“

“First time trying this spot out and absolutely loved this decision. I was looking for a quick dinner that had teriyaki chicken. I ended up ordering the same thing the guy in front of me ordered. The beef and chicken. It was great! No hard chicken pieces, all tender. If I am in the area, I will definitely come back.“

“Great place to have lunch. I ate here around noon and it was not crowded. Very friendly Lead Chef!! I was seated at the bar next to him and he served me my order. The Spicy Yellow Tail Roll and Spicy Scallop Roll was amazing. I defenitely recommend this place. I hope to come have lunch here again soon.“