6 Best Japanese Restaurants near Walnut

“My go-to has always been the Saikoro Mazesoba and I like how much meat was given. The sauce is thick but it's not too intense to the point that it becomes too much, which is good for me. The vegetables added texture to every bite and it does well to prevent us from getting tired from eating the same texture and taste. I like the condiment choices they provide on the side as well. I feel like the price is fair and the atmosphere in this restaurant is pretty good. My only criticism is that the meat is a little dry. I gave it a 4/5 stars but on a 10-rating scale I would give it an 8.5“

“This is such an amazing restaurant! I first came here in 2024, but I left LA for a while and hadn’t been back in a long time. When I decided to come again today, I was honestly a little worried. Two years had passed, and I wondered if the food would still be as good as I remembered, or if the fish would still be as fresh. Thankfully, my worries were completely unnecessary!

I ordered a similar combo to what I had two years ago. The price has gone up a little, but honestly, I think that’s completely reasonable given how much the cost of everything has increased. My friend initially thought it was a little expensive, but once the food started coming out, he completely changed his mind and said the meal was absolutely worth it.

We ordered the $90-per-person combo, and it was SO much food. Every time we thought the meal was finished, the owner would come out with another dish! The lobster was unbelievably fresh—you could actually see its antennae still moving when it arrived at our table. At the end, they took the lobster head and claws to make soup for us, and the soup was delicious.

The uni rice was just as amazing as I remembered it, and the grilled salmon head was another highlight. It was incredibly fatty, rich, and flavorful. You can really tell they use high-quality salmon. My friend even joked that the salmon must never have exercised in the ocean because it was THAT fatty 😂

The staff are Korean, and they were incredibly kind and attentive. I asked the owner if I could take some of their barley tea home because I really liked it. They didn’t have any disposable cups available at the time, but the owner actually went out of his way to give me a cup and poured some barley tea for me to take home. I really appreciated that small gesture!

We also had some sashimi left over, and when they packed it for us, they even included an ice pack to keep it fresh.

Overall, this is absolutely a restaurant that gives you way more than what you pay for. The food was incredibly fresh, the portions were generous, and the service was wonderful. Most importantly, this restaurant genuinely made my night. I will definitely be coming back again! ❤

One little note: English isn’t my first language, so I used AI to help polish and improve the wording of this review. However, all of the thoughts, opinions, and experiences described here are genuinely my own.“

“We always like to go to Picnic Time to get their Yubu. It's a small and cute cafe, but the ambiance is welcoming and comfortable. They also have a lot of new items on the menu. We ordered their seared salmon Yubu x 3, one Kimchi Yubu, one Lemon Ponzu Salmon Yubu, and one eel Yubu.
The food was fresh and delicious. The server was friendly.“

“Our meal was delicious and the service was amazing“

“Been here since 2016 and have been coming here still. My go-to is always the seafood noodle soup. There was a very friendly chef previously but I haven’t seen him lately, I wonder what happened to him. Luckily the noodle soup is still as good as always so I’ll still be coming back! (Still want to know if the friendly chef will be back TTnTT)“

“The sushi here is good! Only problem is this place takes forever to bring out your food and it comes out one at a time. Mind you its pretty much empty the times i do go. Maybe hire more staff for faster service. Other than that very nice people and great food :)“