Thanks so much for the great evening we had with the PDI Team. Superb welcome and great food.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jane Kobayashi
Takuma is the best Izakaya on the westside!! I love eating there and doing delivery!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Denise
Creative Japanese food, nice specials. Owner/ chef serves great lunch and dinners with recipes from his family in Japan. Love it . Very small.
rslyn
We went for a pretty late lunch at 3:30ish, so there was plenty of tables available. We got the albacore tuna salad, karaage chicken, okonomiyaki, and the salmon. Loved the tuna salad, the sesame sauce was refreshing. I like the texture of the tuna which is half-raw and the crispy things (fried wonton strip maybe) in the salad. The karaage was great, the skin was beautifully crispy and the meat was tender and juicy. The salmon was decent, though I thought there could be some more marination or aroma in it. The okonomiyaki was pretty good. Just make sure to eat it when it still got the heat of the pan so that the outer layer is still crispy and the batter hasn’t gotten muddy. Overall a nice and quiet place to have a decent Japanese meal.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Marcus Holman
I went for lunch. I picked the Mackerel option from the lunch special. Food was great. Staff was friendly and offered suggestions.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Luis Felipe Morales Knight
Excellent, varied menu, excellent food, and the best sake I've had. A nice quiet place to really enjoy izakaya dishes.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jane Ross
Amazing food! We had a variety of sushi which were all very well presented and delicious. We also had the homemade panna cotta 😋 We will definitely be coming back to try more from the menu. My son was so happy we found this little gem as Japanese food is his favourite.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Scott B
Takuma has become one of my favorite spots for a reason. Every dish has lovely balance—blending umami, sweetness, and saltiness in a way that never feels overpowering. The service is professional, courteous, and attentive without being intrusive. You get the sense that the staff genuinely care about your experience. Cleanliness is clearly a top priority here. Every time I visit, the space feels well-kept and clean. And unlike many restaurants, the atmosphere is calm and inviting—ideal for a peaceful dinner or thoughtful conversation.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Austin K
I got the bento, which wasn't bad but the portions are pretty tiny
Dustin Colucci
Staff was very friendly and attentive. Fish was fresh. Would definitely come back. Got the salmon roll and yellowtail
We are regulars and here are the reasons why: 1. For when we want Japanese food but not necessarily sushi. Japanese fare is more than sushi, broaden your palate. The ginger pork, hand rolls, soba noodles, yakisoba, and sukiyaki are our go-tos. If you like okonomiyaki, one of the few places in Santa Monica that makes it. 2. Good variety of small and medium size plates to share. 3. Casual. Jeans and a shirt is our regular dinner attire. 4. Great selection of sake. 5. Really kind servers. 6. Great value. We get a really good meal for a reasonable amount of money unlike other Japanese places in Santa Monica.
I finally got to try this eatery. Not what I expected. Not bad, but different: When I visit a Japanese restaurant, I expect a sushi bar with a sushi chef, who is skilled and trained for years/decades. Nope.
To my wife's surprise, whondoesnt eat raw foods, there were more cooked food options.
Overall, it was good but not great. Their chicken curry cutlet was more like chicken jerkey (overcooked, thin, stringy/chewy.) I expected a more plump piece of breaded chicken patty. It was literally like chicken jerkey. How can they serve this? The curry was okay, but nothing memorable.
The yellowtail appetizer offering was more like poke yet the sauce was overpowering. I had to force myself to finish, and not waste any hamachi. I prefer more subtlety.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 4
HZ “Filllous” Z
One of the best in West LA. :)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Mia Mia (Mia)
I expected a more authentic Japanese taste.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 5
Jenna Park
Our favorite izakaya place!! The chef is so friendly and thoughtful. We love all the food here, always over eating but worth it. Reasonable price, always the same great quality food. Definitely will visit more often!
Thanks so much for the great evening we had with the PDI Team.
Superb welcome and great food.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Takuma is the best Izakaya on the westside!! I love eating there and doing delivery!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Creative Japanese food, nice specials. Owner/ chef serves great lunch and dinners with recipes from his family in Japan. Love it . Very small.
We went for a pretty late lunch at 3:30ish, so there was plenty of tables available.
We got the albacore tuna salad, karaage chicken, okonomiyaki, and the salmon.
Loved the tuna salad, the sesame sauce was refreshing. I like the texture of the tuna which is half-raw and the crispy things (fried wonton strip maybe) in the salad. The karaage was great, the skin was beautifully crispy and the meat was tender and juicy. The salmon was decent, though I thought there could be some more marination or aroma in it. The okonomiyaki was pretty good. Just make sure to eat it when it still got the heat of the pan so that the outer layer is still crispy and the batter hasn’t gotten muddy.
Overall a nice and quiet place to have a decent Japanese meal.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
I went for lunch. I picked the Mackerel option from the lunch special. Food was great. Staff was friendly and offered suggestions.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Excellent, varied menu, excellent food, and the best sake I've had. A nice quiet place to really enjoy izakaya dishes.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Amazing food! We had a variety of sushi which were all very well presented and delicious. We also had the homemade panna cotta 😋
We will definitely be coming back to try more from the menu. My son was so happy we found this little gem as Japanese food is his favourite.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Takuma has become one of my favorite spots for a reason. Every dish has lovely balance—blending umami, sweetness, and saltiness in a way that never feels overpowering. The service is professional, courteous, and attentive without being intrusive. You get the sense that the staff genuinely care about your experience. Cleanliness is clearly a top priority here. Every time I visit, the space feels well-kept and clean. And unlike many restaurants, the atmosphere is calm and inviting—ideal for a peaceful dinner or thoughtful conversation.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I got the bento, which wasn't bad but the portions are pretty tiny
Staff was very friendly and attentive. Fish was fresh. Would definitely come back. Got the salmon roll and yellowtail
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
We are regulars and here are the reasons why:
1. For when we want Japanese food but not necessarily sushi. Japanese fare is more than sushi, broaden your palate. The ginger pork, hand rolls, soba noodles, yakisoba, and sukiyaki are our go-tos. If you like okonomiyaki, one of the few places in Santa Monica that makes it.
2. Good variety of small and medium size plates to share.
3. Casual. Jeans and a shirt is our regular dinner attire.
4. Great selection of sake.
5. Really kind servers.
6. Great value. We get a really good meal for a reasonable amount of money unlike other Japanese places in Santa Monica.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Blow Torched Mackerel, Kinpira Gobo Hijiki Seaweed, Chicken Karage
I finally got to try this eatery. Not what I expected. Not bad, but different: When I visit a Japanese restaurant, I expect a sushi bar with a sushi chef, who is skilled and trained for years/decades. Nope.
To my wife's surprise, whondoesnt eat raw foods, there were more cooked food options.
Overall, it was good but not great. Their chicken curry cutlet was more like chicken jerkey (overcooked, thin, stringy/chewy.) I expected a more plump piece of breaded chicken patty. It was literally like chicken jerkey. How can they serve this? The curry was okay, but nothing memorable.
The yellowtail appetizer offering was more like poke yet the sauce was overpowering. I had to force myself to finish, and not waste any hamachi. I prefer more subtlety.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 4
One of the best in West LA. :)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I expected a more authentic Japanese taste.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 5
Our favorite izakaya place!! The chef is so friendly and thoughtful. We love all the food here, always over eating but worth it. Reasonable price, always the same great quality food. Definitely will visit more often!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chicken Saboro Rice Bowl, Kinpira Gobo Hijiki Seaweed, Mackerel, Potato Salad
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