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."

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!"

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."

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."

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!"

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."

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!"

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"

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."

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"

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."

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!!"