“Excellent food, service, and overall quality. Personally I have not had a more authentic and enjoyable experience with Japanese cuisine than I have had at Toku Unagi & Sushi. Both the wait and kitchen staff take pride in their work and truly care about its quality.“
“A next level dining experience. The ability to deliver dish after dish that could stand alone as signature dishes at nearly any other restaurant while combining the refinement and attention to detail that comes from years of experience in fine dining with a fun energetic atmosphere is truly special. I wish I could have tried even more. Well worth a trip. I will certainly be back again and again to share this experience with many friends.“
“I come to LA from the east coast once or twice per year and I make my travel schedule around eating at Moto once per visit. The tan tan men ramen is absolutely the best ramen I have ever had. The broth is pure perfection... The side dishes are solid as well and the sushi is simple, but out of this world fresh and tasty. Sam is a great host. See you on my next trip Moto!!!“
“Came here just before seeing a show at the women's center across the street, it was pretty hard to find without looking in the window, which was pretty cool. The food menu was delicious, but we couldn't stay long enough to finish our meatballs! They were still good when we got home, next time we're there we'll try more of the sake and sushi collection!“
“First time here tonight (on a Friday) and what a cute place! Love the little wooden bridge as you enter the restaurant, cherry blossom faux tree and Japanese decor. There's even a couple of cute private dining rooms & a small outdoor eating area. Service was attentive and friendly. Shout out to Jose. Food was great! Miso Soup - Seaweed Salad - hubby said it was meh as he didn't eat much of it Black Cod - flavorful, tender & perfectly flaky Mixed Green Salad - great Truffle Salmon Carpaccio - hubby said it was good & fresh Yellowtail Jalapeño - hubby said it was good & fresh Albacore Sashimi - hubby said it was good & fresh King Salmon Sashimi - hubby said it was good & fresh Would definitely come back if in the Santa Monica area again. Oh and love the cute "wallet" the check is placed in & given to you. @travel_lifestyle_chow“
“We popped into this gem to have a spot of lunch. We instantly fell in love with the atmosphere. We ordered the Teriyaki Burger (which was SO DELICIOUS!) and the Fried Chicken sandwich (perfectly juicy and tender with delicious dressing), and Hawaiian Fries. We had the frozen Maui Wowis, which were refreshing and sweet! If you’re looking for a cool place to eat delicious food, LOOK NO FURTHER. Here it is!“
“We just ate here this evening and the place doesnt disappoint. Its a tiny shop in a strip mall and the interior just feels so welcoming. The service tonight was pretty great, even with 3 kids, we felt so welcomed. Its hard to navigate with kids in small spaces but the food, the service and the space just felt very lively. The kids loved the fried chicken and the spicy ramen was fantastic.Kid-friendliness: Really kind and friendly. The kids loved our server, she was the best.“
“Everything is of the highest quality! The atmosphere is very pleasant and the food is completely fresh. I ordered 3 dishes and they were all served fresh and with a simple and beautiful presentation! Great experience, I will definitely be back!“
“My boyfriend and I got the omakase but to be honest it was not worth it, the food tasted great but you can get almost the exact same course by ordering the 10 piece nigiri from the menu for half of the price. The atmosphere is nice but not appropriate for a traditional omakase. Highly recommend, just save your money and skip out on the omakase.“
“For the price it’s a 10/10 meal!!Service: 10/10Note: make sure to put ur name on wait listWhat I ordered:Scallop sashimi - 10/10, fresh, vibrant flavours.Nigiri sampler- 9/10 very fresh and good quality fish. A little too much rice for me.Burnt garlic ramen- 8/10 I’m more traditional in my flavours. But it’s peoples favourite.Tuna crispy rice 10/10. Can’t complain“
“Bit of a pricey spot, but so worth it! Got the intestine hotpot, gyoza stuffed wings, and oysters. Hotpot comes only with intestine, cabbage, chives, and noodles, so we ended up adding tofu pork meat. Such a good choice for a cold night. Fattiness of intestines was umami and not overwhelming, especially when paired with the yuzu kosho. Noodles were thick and the perfect texture. Wings taste exactly what the sound like and had a nice grilled flavor. Oysters were very fresh and refreshing.“
Asian • $$
“Amazing selection and loved the service. Waitress was working hard waiting tables herself for the most part with some help from the back. Comes in 3 diff price tiers and we got the one with sashimi and boy was it worth it. No alcohol license right now but we still had a great time. Free parking for 2 hours and menu doesn't include beverages other than water or dessert! Ambience is sitting around other people, nothing secluded. If come again because the fish is“
Sushi • $$
“Absolutely outstanding! Some of the best sushi I’ve ever had. It didn’t taste like it was boxed or frozen at all! It was simply delicious. The atmosphere actually felt like a restaurant in Japan. The service was excellent, with some of the staff actually being Japanese, so I pulled out my skills and tried to speak the language. Overall: everyone was kind, the food was delicious, and I couldn’t find anything wrong with this restaurant. Highly recommend!!“
“There is a master chef and a master mind behind the scenes in this small, unpretentious, well appointed Izakaya. If the layout seems a little odd the food and presentation more than makes up for it.The offerings are all unusual and tempting and if I were a full time resident in L.A. this would be my go to place for any worthy excuse.I loved every bite that I ordered and my only regret was finding the urchin risotto in the menu when I was already too full and satisfied. It will have to wait for the next time I am in L.A.But if you are a full time resident you have no excuse not to eat in this mini paradise.“
“One of the best tasting ramens everI have only ordered take out from this place and there food comes well packed the taste is amazingI recommend the seafood ramen with mushroomsIt’s the best tasting mushrooms everGreat place definitely have to dine in some time soon“
“It was a very busy restaurant that only served Japanese food.I thought it was yakitori, but there were many other attractive menu items than yakitori.It's cost-effective and full of locals, so I think reservations are a must.When the bill came, it said 18% service included and there was also a section to write a tip.I still don't know which one this is. . .“
“This place is the definition of a hidden gem. Unbelievably amazing ramen everything is just right with flavor and spice. Very laid back aesthetic and service was wonderful. I ordered and highly recommend the spicy tonkotsu it was probably the best I have had in Los Angeles. Outside of the amazing ramen they have so much more to offer. I cannot gush over this place enough. If I could I would give it 6 stars out of 5 just for havingSapporo and asahi on draft on top of everything else.“
“Spur of the moment found ourselves here for a late Thursday lunch. Excellent service and extensive menu. We tried the sushi lunch and the seared saba over rice bowl. Both were spectacular. Very delicious. They came with small side dishes that were also tasty. We ordered eggplant and pineapple grilled skewers, too. The sushi selection was fairly diverse with large portions of fish, great rice and well thought out flavor preparations. The saba was particularly marinated with thinly sliced ginger. Wasabi appeared to be chunky and milder than most US Japanese places and possibly the freshest I’ve tasted in a long time.More American Japanese restaurants need to use fresh wasabi, as it is easy to source in California and fairly easy to prepare and serve; and it tastes much better than the pseudo-wasabi horseradish mix usually served.Osen is a great find and should be experienced for an exceptional, traditional, Japanese experience.Highly, highly suggest you dine here.Parking: Small lot with valet. $7 withvalidation.“
“The service was phenomenal. It is rare to have a waitstaff that is so attentive and knowledgeable. We ordered 4 types of sushi and each one was delicious. We'd never head of lime roll and decided to try it. I'm so glad we did. It was refreshing and delicious. The hand made tofu was a real treat. They pour it right at your table and it solidifies before your eyes. I'd never seen that before. I absolutely recommend this place. It is a rare and wonderful experience.“
“I used it twice.On my first visit, the food was delicious. The Japanese woman's response was also good. However, when I visited the store for the second time,Perhaps because I was busy, I didn't have much food.The two images areThe first thing I ate was fried chicken.This is the second time I've had ginger grilled pork.Obviously the amount of rice is different.No matter when you visit, you can choose the amount of rice you want.I hope it remains constant.The female Hispanic staff offers hot tea after the meal.When I asked her to bring it,It was said in a very unpleasant way.I know, I'll bring you some tea.That was an annoying way to say it.For a moment, the expression on his face turned scary.I was surprised.This staff works in the wrong placeI thought there might be one.Why was this person hired?I do not understand.Attitudes that are not suitable for Japanese entertainmentwas.I felt really badI also paid less tip.Next time you visitI hope this woman doesn't exist.“
“This was our first visit. Our family lives in Santa Monica, and they recommended this restaurant.It was by far the most authentic delicious cuisine.Really amazing flavors.We all ordered a entrée and sides to share.What a food experience!!!“
“We just learned about Sola a couple of months ago and we've gone five times already.The food is outstanding, the restaurant is nice, with a cool mellow vibe, and the owner is friendly and fun to talk to.I've tried almost everything on the menu by now, from the sizzling mushrooms to the grilled onigiri, to the special salad covered in fried onions. It has all been great.Try the grilled mackerel and mixed dumplings, too. Seriously, everything there is delicious.Fairly quiet, so it's a perfect place for a date or meet-up with friends. And there's free parking downstairs!“
“One of the better yakitori restaurant around the LA area! I usually make reservation before heading over especially during the weekend because it gets packed. It's on the 3rd floor of the Alameda building next to X-lanes and above the Korean market. Service is usually on and off- some days you get great service and some day it takes 15 minutes before you get to place an order or even get water. Food is on the more expensive side but tastes delicious. The sautéed skirt steak with shishito peppers appetizer, however, was not worth and very salty. Parking is free with validation from the restaurants or market.“
“seaweed salad and gyoza were great to start! the ambiance feels moderately dedicated towards japanese culture which is always a plus. they may have been understaffed when I came, but service was a bit weak. The ramen entree left a bit more to be desired flavor-wise, but I do really appreciate the vibe in the establishment. I would come again!“
“The service was wonderful, we had a big party and came in about an hour and a half to close, the staff was so kind and gracious in letting us stay a little after close. Such wonderful prices for the quality and service, cannot recommend enough.“
“Food We were a big group so I got to try a good number of options. Starting off with drinks, I got to try the watermelon high and yuzu high. The watermelon high was really fresh, and really came through with the watermelon flavor, but the drink was a bit too strong for me and kinda ruined the watermelon notes in my palate. The Yuzu high was the better drink for me, refreshing and just all around really good. For some starters, we got some rolls(taberu roll & spicy roll), kakiage, and gyoza. Overall, the starters were really good, the kakiage was crunchy on the outside and still really moist on the inside, the shrimp it came was a nice big piece and really juicy. The carpaccio was fresh, tangy, bright and balanced with the bitterness of the microgreens. The rolls were nice and fresh and the spicy roll was just the right amount of spicy. The gyoza was crunchy but still really juicy inside. For our entree, we got to try a variety of skewers, each one was a hit, but some more than others. Since they all came at the same, I couldn't really tell which was which, but the most of them tasted really good and all the meat was cooked properly and moist Service/Ambiance I liked the decor of the restaurant, giving of modern japanese omakase style vibes. Our server was really nice and accomodating and really paid attention to us and did a good job of explaining the food on the menu, which is always a pluis for me“
“This place is wonderful. Friendly and attentive staff, delicious, high quality fish, an intimate date night spot. It can get noisy, but it's an Izakaya! That's to be expected. My husband and I have tried many other popular local sushi spots, but Izakaya M is by far our favorite. After coming back from Japan and eating some of the best sushi possible, Izakaya M is our way of getting a bit of that quality back home. Not only do they have delicious fish, but their robata items are delicious as well.“
“This place is so cute! The food is so good. I’m kind of poor so I can’t come here often. I walk by here every day and no one is inside. It makes me sad because you can tell the owners put so much love into this place. I’d hate to see it go. The sushi is fire and unique. You won’t regret trying to place. Praying for Keith Lee to come visit this place. ?? “
“So I've had their food a few more times now. This is just an excellent restaurant. Delicious and pristinely fresh nigiri, gracious and smart service, a menu to please almost any taste. And the best ponzu I've ever tasted. If they don't make it in house which I'm assuming they do, then I need to know where they get it. It's the most intense umami flavor ever. Always happy after a meal from here.“
“3rd time here and it's always a pleasure. You'll find us at the chef table. One of the best deals for sashimi in my opinion. So fresh and the cut is nice and thick. I love that it's a hidden gem under the stairs lol. It's laid back and very chill. Services is on point and the workers know what they are doing. I wish they they would serve more from the old menu but everything is good so I can't complaint. This is my go to for late night eating and relaxing.“
“I ended up getting the Tonkotsu Ramen at level 2 spice and it was really delicious, the broth was very flavorful, chicken was delicious and I also got some California rolls which were pretty good. Funny side note, I think I was the only one there cause it’s that weird time between lunch and dinner so it was better for me lol but yes 5/5 definitely recommend this place if you are in the area.“
Recommended
“Went there for a quick lunch. Ordered $22 bento box. Decent quantity with quality food. ? friendly and professional service. The environment was good too- not a lot of people. Not the cheapest quick lunch in this neighborhood but worth the money as the food was diverse and delicious. Would come back again! ☺️“