The Most Flavorful Izakaya in Long Beach

X-Fish Izakaya

★★★★☆ 4.3 • $$$

"I am shocked that this place gets such high reviews. Maybe it's because people are comparing it to other AYCE sushi experiences. At $27.99 per person for lunch they cannot be serving high quality fish and still turn a profit. Food: The actual sushi/fish offerings are average at best. If you order any of their rolls it wont matter though. Because they will over sauce it to cover up the fact the fish have no natural sweetness. Their Tonkatsu ramen was very bland. Completely lacked the richness characteristic of a Tonkatsu broth, and the marinated pork had no flavor. Service: The restaurant was roughly 80% full yet it still took 15 minutes to get my first order of sushi. You certainly do get what you pay for in life. At this price point, it's possible that I'm expecting too much."

Oriental Breeze

★★★★☆ 4 (155) • $$

"All around fantastic eexperience. Food, service, experience - on point! I can not wait to return."

zoku

★★★★★ 4.5 (67) • $$$

"Everything was delicious and pretty unique!My favorites were the "tofu" cream cheese with honey and toast, the A5 Wagyu skewer (special), the giant shrimp, and the Hojicha Panna Cotta. We also loved the karaage, Zoku chicken thigh skewer, shishito peppers, happy hour chicken wings, and Zoku salad.I can't wait to go back to try the Shime dishes and more of the salads and desserts!"

Mori Izakaya

★★★★★ 4.5 (452) • $$

"Cute Japanese izakaya vibes!! Came for my cousins birthday. Good variety of food options for those that love Sushi, skewers, apps, meats, & more! Staff were kind and friendly. Wasn't a long wait if you get here at opening quickly filled up on a weekend though. Would definitely come back and try more food. Uni pasta & rib eye cap steak were my faves!! Also ordered the gizzard, spicy pork, scallops, eggplant, and salmon belly's"

Okidoki by Meiji

★★★★☆ 4 • $$

"Everything was yummy. Service was great. You can make a reservation online.It's a little tight with all the tables close to each other, so unless you"

Sakana Sushi & Izakaya

★★★★☆ 3.7 (34) • $$

"For me this is one of the best sushi places in downey My fav is the mango roll Also the shrimp popcorn roll I visit tonight with my kids and friend And the service was the best service I ever had The server I don't know her name but she was in the front And she took our table She follow all the steps of services Honestly She has a 5 stars services Ambience it's a little bit boring the music it's boring But the food was delicious!! Fav place in downey for sushi"

KIN Craft Ramen & Izakaya By Kei Concepts

★★★★★ 4.5 • $$

"Large, spacious, and classy but casual interior. We had a 30 minute wait for a party of 2 on a Thursday night. HAPPY HOUR MENU- tom kha chashu ramen ($12): 9.2/10. SO GOOD !!! rich, delicious, and creamy. heavy but not too heavy that you get sick of it. so flavorful. RECOMMEND.- crispy calamari ($10): 7.2/10. pretty normal. Very yummy spicy mayo sauce that comes with it. Could have used a little more sauce and a lime/lemon on the side. Not a must.- hokkaido scallop crudo ($12): 9.0/10. DELICIOUS AND FRESH. i LOVE scallops. the yuzu sauce/marinate they serve the scallops with is SO GOOD and complements the scallops perfectly.- 3 set yakitori skewers ($10): 6.8/10. The chicken thigh and sausage skewers were pretty mediocre. Nothing special. However, the scallop skewer was DELICIOUS. I would just order the scallop skewer to be honest but each skewer is much more expensive when bought individually and not in the happy hour set."

Izakaya Hachi - Costa Mesa

★★★★☆ 3.9 (503) • $$$

"Chris is such an amazing server! Very attentive, we never needed anything because he was always on top of it all! 10/10 customer service alone! Now the food was so fresh definitely great quality!!! Was my first time and I'll definitely be back for more! Everything tasted sooooooo delicious and fresh! Nothing smelled or tasted fishy. Overall 10/10 would recommend. The pressed salmon was the tables favorite but not mine. Not to say it wasn't good, everyone loved it. I'm just not a fan of seared/warm sushi. I like it cold and raw!!! I wouldn't order that again but I'm pretty sure the others would! See photos for reference :)"

Izakaya Takasei

★★★★☆ 4 • $$

"If you like Japanese beer, this is the place! Service was quick and attentive. Ambiance was very authentic."

ETCetera Sushi & Izakaya

★★★★☆ 4.4 • $$

"This place has nice service and good food. I like this place to meet with work friends as it is not too loud to talk with others. This time I started with the spicy tuna on fried rice cake - so good. Next up was the sashimi. All was good except the yellowtail - it was off. I should have just returned it but they were busy. I would likely just stick to the salmon and tuna sashimi. Rolls are good and creative. I especially liked the Fresh on Bristol (wrapped in a cucumber). I will back but no yellow tail."

Kappo Honda

★★★★☆ 4 • $$

"This is probably one of the best local spots for authentic Japanese food! I wish I could come here more often but there's usually always a wait, and for good reason. The sushi is always fresh, the ambiance is nice, servers are very attentive, and everything here is reasonably priced! My favorite thing to get is the Nabeyaki udon. I love udon (I used to work at an udon restaurant) and theirs definitely does not disappoint. They really fill up the pot with ingredients (chicken, fishcakes, veggies, tempura flakes) so you'll be full, and it's only $14! If you want to avoid the wait, make sure to come on a weekday before 6pm. It's definitely worth the wait though!"

Kimu Sushi

★★★★★ 4.8 (428) • $$

"Love this place! I think the coolest thing about this place is how it is a little oasis from the kind of rough area. It's pretty small but they have a yelp waitlist so use that! Service is attentive and everyone is so sweet. The sashimi dinners are great but not a good of a deal as their rolls. I loved every single roll that I've had here! All of them were very generous portions. I've had the sensual pleasure, stinky roll, kimu roll, baked scallop roll (it comes on fire!). Presentation is great as well. The sushi down in long beach isn't great so I would go here if you're looking for good sushi when you're in the area!"

Meiji Seimen

★★★★★ 4.5 • $$

"Have been looking for a go to udon spot! Diiiing Diiing Diinnnng!!! We have a winner! I have been trying to go to this place but every time I always miss the time frame to go as they have 2 opening times! Mon-Thurs: 11:30AM-2:00PM, Reopens 5:30PM-9:30PMFri-Sat: 11:30AM-2:00PM, Reopens 5:30PM-10:00PMSun 11:30AM-2:00PM, Reopens 5:30PM-9:30PMI finally was able to go with my fiancé and this place did not disappoint AT ALL! I got the Curry beef udon bowl with medium spice and that is exactly what I was looking for when I go to get curry anything (it needs to have spice)(my opinion)!! It was a 10/10 packed with flavor and you don't get tired eating it, I highly recommend that you also order a side of their fried chicken and literally is THE BEST I have had! Pairing it with the curry, just the best of both worlds! The Kitsune udon was so clean and refreshing, the broth was so flavorful and not too strong, 10/10!! The tempura that we also ordered was fried and cooked perfectly, satisfying crunch, shrimp not overcooked, and the tempura sauce was delicious as well!! 10/10! The only thing that was okay was really the fried squid legs as they were nice in crunch but the squid was pretty tough to chew 7/10, great flavor though with the lemon! The service was extremely fast as well, they have a system that literally has you in and out of their quick! All the servers make sure that you are well taken care of! It is a small establishment so make sure to plan ahead and get there early as it can get really busy! Ambiance just made me feel like I was back in Japan and so that is also a 10/10!If you want more space they do have a second location you can try out (okidoki by Meiji) but for me the original will always be the best! TRY THIS PLACE TODAY!!"

Aburi Japanese Kitchen

★★★★☆ 4.3 • $$

"Service was amazing.Great deal for the lunch special 12.99 with 4 different rolls!Reason for the star missing was that the rolls were super basic and presented a bit sloppy during this visit.If still come back though"

Gaburi Chicken

★★★★★ 4.5 (113) • $$

"Yummm...... Every item we ordered was amazing! We ordered the Gabukichi-kun, Thigh Karaage Bento, Cucumbers and the Matcha Tiramisu. The Karaage is juicy and flavorful. The Gabukichi-kun sauce is like a Japanese egg salad sauce over the chicken. Very unique in flavor and taste. The Matcha Tiramisu is..... delicious! The texture, taste, and look are all on point. I want to go back there again asap. There can be a long line, so it all depends on the days and times you visit. Thank you Gaburi Chicken!"

Sagami

★★★★☆ 3.5 (545) • $$

"A long time friend and I had dinner at the sushi bar at Sagami, Irvine, CA last Saturday night and it was just simply amazing food and service in my view.My friend speaks Japanese, eats here regularly, knows the chefs, the menu and exactly the pace to dine at so i was in great hands. Sagami is a small restaurant with a handfull of tables in the dining area and maybe ten seats at the sushi bar and we were never forgotten or overlooked by staff. The waitress and chefs get an A+ from me in all categories. The restaurant appears to be very clean also. We had appetizers of Sunomono (Japanese cucumber salad), shrimp tempura, a squid dish (the name escapes me) and then began eating numerous pieces of sushi. In between sushi we split a steamed salmon. The unagi, ikura, anago, hamachi were my favorites. We finished off with a futo maki handroll and desert. My buddy had green tea ice cream I think and I had the lightest thing they had...flan.This place is top notch in my book."

Iccho Restaurant

★★★★☆ 3.8 (395) • $$

"I can't wait to come back again and try more items! We made it a point to come shortly after they opened to avoid a wait. The place is a good size and very homey. SO MANY FOOD OPTIONS! From bowls to yakitori to sushi to noodles. We opted for tenzaru, rainbow roll, and a few yakitori - tsukune, thigh, chicken wing, pork belly, and pork sausage. I would get it all again lol but like I said, I really want to try everything! I like to ask myself if I'd get the same items again - yes. And would I bring a friend here - also yes!"

Izakaya Ichie

★★★★☆ 4.3 (527) • $$

"Izakaya Ichie is the perfect example of a hidden gem izakaya being tucked away in the far end of The Source away from all the shops. We discovered the place after waiting too long for another restaurant and decided to come once we saw there was no wait. Their menu is a mix of fusion items, sushi, omakase boxes, rice dishes, noodles, and cold and hot items. They have a standout list of sakes to choose from, as well as beer, soju, and soju cocktails. Nonalcoholic drinks included milk teas, regular tea, and soft drinks. My friend ordered a beer and a fun Strawberry Jasmin Tea that came with fake light up ice cubes inside. Bulgogi Fries (5/5): One of the fusion items that we all devoured. I'd highly recommend ordering this! The cheese, bulgogi, and crispy thick cut fries were the perfect combination for a shareable appetizer.Chirashi Don (3.5/5): Thin pieces of fish were served, but the sushi rice tasted great. There was still a good variety of fish though and the presentation of the bowl looked neat.Such a fun spot to enjoy late night food and I love the vibrancy of the restaurant to eat and chill at! I'd definitely come here on any occasion, and I like its unique spot in the shopping plaza."

Japanese Izakaya Akatsuki

★★★★★ 4.5 (379) • $$

"We went there on a whim, saw it on Yelp and it had good reviews and it was close to us.The food was delicious! We started with the Seaweed Salad, fresh and crisp, the dressing had a nice flavor. We also had the Grilled Beef Tongue, it sounded interesting and it was marked as an Akatsuki's Choice. It was great, tender and flavorful,a good choice. We also had the House Hot Pot, of course the Akatsuki's Special with Yuzu and Salt and the Udon Set. Just know that the mochi comes in a big chunk so if you're sharing, be sure to split it. All great!!! Not sure if this was a factor, but when we ordered the Hot Pot, they moved us to a booth, I'm pretty sure because of the size of the Hot Pot and stove (they cook it at the table) so we needed more elbow room.The service was great, good attention and fast. No complaints! The ambiance was good and clean bathrooms!All in all a great experience, I would go again just to try one of the other Hot Pots or the Udon. A table adjacent had curry and sashimi, those looked fantastic!"

Otafuku Restaurant

★★★★☆ 4.2 (718) • $$$

"This place is legit and so cute inside. I really loved the ambience and the food. I just wish it didn't take so long for the food to come out (though service is very nice).We got the hot seiro soba, miso black cod, vegetable tempura, and karaage. All were solid and 5/5.There is a slight discount if you pay by cash."

Takaya Yakitori Izakaya

★★★★☆ 4.2 (389) • $$

"Honestly don't understand the hype. You need to call and make a reservation as they don't take walk ins. The restaurant is small but half the tables weren't filled the entire Friday night we were there.Parking is a legitimate nightmare here, almost to the point where it's not really worth it to eat here.The yakitori was pretty good but nothing mind blowing. We order a plethora of different skewers, but definitely do not order the beef. It's tough and chewy. Everything else was decently tender and flavorful. Would recommend getting the ones with sauce over salt.I believe there's only one waitress and one cook, so service was understandably on the slower side.I think it's worth a try, but personally wouldn't be back for all the hoops you have to jump through."

Katsumura

★★★★☆ 4.3 (363) • $$

"Simply AMAZING!Amazing is the simple and only way I can describe this restaurant. The servers are friendly, helpful, and welcoming. The ambiance reminds me of some restaurants you will find in Japan, which I've personally been and can attest to. Last but not least, the reservation process over Yelp is a stellar way to stake a claim on some seats and avoid the wait.Everything from the Chicken and Beef Katsu to the seared ahi sashimi was a winner! The drink list was impressive with many drinks you would find served at restaurants in the Land of the Rising Sun. From the Whisky Highball, to the Calpis Sour. Lastly, the dining experience here did not break the bank or fracture the wallet. Cheers!I will absolutely be coming back here again soon!"

Gushiya Sushi & Izakaya

★★★★★ 4.6 (316) • $$

"So I've never dined in, I always order take out but they have yet to disappoint! Their ramen is sooo good and my favorite is their crunch roll. Parking is tight there but other than that I highly recommend!"

Munchie-Ken

★★★★☆ 4.2 (177) • $$

"Solid ramen, black garlic and miso are both solid options. The bowls are on the smaller side, but the flavors are there. They have a good lunch combo where you get ramen and a mini rice bowl/sushi roll/karaage/potstickers. Liked the Karaage but didn't really enjoy the gyoza. If you're nearby and want some good ramen, Munchie is a good option."

Tokyo Noir

★★★★☆ 4.2 (54)

"!! Is really all I can say; my experience here was nothing short of incredible. The ambiance is what really got me.Funny enough, as we were looking for the bar, we walked up with two young ladies who were also trying to find the entrance. We were all so confused because, looking from the outside, it does not look like a bar entrance. You need to ring a bell, which will then light up from inside and notify the staff that you're there. We lightly joked that this was a bad escape room game. The paintings on the outside of the building are gorgeous, and once you're inside, it's small but beautiful with a Japanese/Long Beach vibe, if that makes sense. They played cool hip-hop songs, and our waitress was great; she worked the heck out of that room on a Sunday night when they were pretty busy.My partner and I will definitely be back."

Happa Restaurant

★★★★☆ 4.1 (203) • $$

"Great variety of interesting Japanese dishes you can't find in most places. We especially enjoyed the lemon hot pot, which is a chicken soup with lots of lemon flavor. Also loved the Monjayaki, which is a variety of Japanese pancake from Tokyo that is almost impossible to find in the US."

HONDA-YA Tustin

★★★★☆ 4 • $$

"Super yummy! Never fails! Service is great! Always attentive. Don't let the line fool you, it always tends to go much faster than it says it will be. Small but traditional. They have booth seating, table seating, and they also have floor seating which they call Zashiki seating. They did send me the wrong food order HOWEVER I ate it anyway and I LOVED IT! They attempted to fix the mistake as soon as they realized it, however I did not allow them to, and I kept the meal which I was very pleased with. This please is a must try if you haven't already!"

Ramen Izakaya Ajido

★★★★☆ 3.9 (460) • $$

"Food was good. Definitely perfect when it's cold outside. I only wish there was a little more meat than just one piece."

Japonica - Hermosa Beach

★★★★★ 4.6 (609) • $$

"Ordered delivery. Crispy Rice was a huge disappointment. Like freeze dried, rock hard rice. All else was tasty and enjoyed. We would have preferred more chopsticks included along with additional sauce packets/condiments. Shishitos were WONDERFUL. SPICY EDAMAME were WONDERFUL. Rolls were nice. Would order again."

Zabon Ramen - Torrance

★★★★☆ 3.9 (447) • $$

"Been coming here for over a year now and this is the number 1 Ramen around town. Their Spicy Zabon ramen is great for crudas (hangovers) or if you arnt into spice their regular Zabon ramen is a delicious. Definitely a comfort food for cold days or when you need a tummy warmer. Also, don't forget to try their fried rice, Really Good."

Izakaya Hachi - Torrance

★★★★☆ 4.2 (691) • $$$

"YUMMY AUTHENTIC JAPANESE FOODDDDD!!!!!!!Hachi is so so delicious and worth it every single time!! Everything is so authentic and not a single dish I didn't love!! The presentation of all the food was beautiful, made everything so much more appetizing. The beef tongue was a huge hit, it was cooked perfectly and each bite was so savory. I also loved the ambiance of the restaurant, dim lighting and great attentive service at our table!! I love Hachi!!! So so yummy"

X-FISH Izakaya

★★★★☆ 4.2 • $$$

"Excellent AYCE sushi place. This X-FISH is located at the former Sapporo building in Koreatown (Buena Park). So, I've been to the Brea location a couple times. Now I come to this one which is close to my home. It's AYCE which offers Lunch X-FISH which is only available on the weekdays (except holidays) from 11-2pm, Dinner (Signature or Omakase options). I normally go for the signature option which is $39.99... not too bad for quality and cost. Drinks are extra.One of the best things I love getting is those bluefin tuna which you're limited to get just one (2 pieces) if you get the signature option. That's ok, there's other sushi to get like sake salmon, maguro tuna, hamachi yellowtail, etc.For more choices, you can use scan the menu via iPhone or Android phone. Check out the classic rolls, deep fried rolls, appetizers, tempura, and more.For the sushi and rolls I usually get.... bluefin tuna, salmon roe, smoked salmon, sake salmon, yellowtail, lobster rolls, salmon rolls, and more.Like I said, their goodies are sooo delicious. Heavenly good. Wish I could get one of each item on the menu, but unfortunately, my stomach is not big enough for it. Plus there's a charge for leftover, so be careful. Order what you like, but eat everything you order.Service here is amazing. Very friendly here.Overall, if you like going to a upscale sushi place and it's AYCE, this is your best bet.Thanks for reading!!!5 stars!!!"

Sushi Club

★★★★★ 4.8 (35)

"First time and the food and service was great jasmine was our sever she had amazing service she recommended the yellowtail jalapeño roll, it was delicious will be back"