Outside
Skewers (yakitori)
【Spring special】 Vegetables Tempura w/curry salt $7.95 Cooked Bamboo shoots w/seaweed and dried bonito $4.50
Tatami Floor
Honda-Ya Beer
Takoyaki - IG: foodie.maps
IG: @ifoodiejenn | Shishito Soy Sauce
Bacon Wrapped Enoki
Outside
Inside
Poke Bowl. 5/5
Yellowtail Caparcio.
Sitting area
Curry Udon w/Beef.
Iichiko (750ml), 3/10. I didn't like but if you like the vodka taste you might like it
Oyster shooter, 5/10. Fishy, I don't recommend :(
Garlic Pork Belly. Delicious!
Stinky Roll
Chicken Karaage
Cholesteroll
Soft shell crab hand roll
Chicken Karaage
Liz B.
Feb 4, 2025
This is a staple spot for Japanese yakitori (skewers) and small bites! Every item I've tried has been great, and I love how they have such a large menu with affordable small dishes so you can try many things. For the yakitori, I really enjoyed the pork cheek and chicken heart, I would recommend if you like fatty pork and organ meats. The skewers have a great barbecued flavor. For the small bites, the garlic French fries are my favorite, and they come with this delicious spicy cod roe mayo. They also have combination entrees if you want a full meal, and it comes with a refreshing salad and miso soup. The interior decoration is very cozy and traditional, and the staff is very accommodating. The wait can be long on weekends, so plan accordingly!
Read MoreEmily V.
Feb 22, 2025
HONDA-YA is my friends' and my go-to restaurant in the OC area. Even with our large party of 10, the staff have always been very accommodating when we called ahead. On weekend evenings you can expect about a 20-minute wait.The interior stays true to the traditional izakaya vibe you'd find in Japan, complete with a section featuring tatami mat flooring (where you'll need to take your shoes off). The menu offers a wide variety of options, so anyone who fw Japanese food is sure to find something they like. Parking is pretty easy to find in the adjacent area even if their parking lot is full. While I don't think anything in particular stands out on the menu it's a solid spot for late night dining that's sure to please a crowd.
Read MoreDanny M.
Feb 17, 2025
I've came here multiple times and have had great experiences and the food is definitely great but I had a very bad experience with the server on the phone for a Togo order. Unfortunately I cannot have crab meat and told the server that I would like to pay extra to substitute for salmon and avocado on a roll. Instead of giving me an answer at first, the server hung up the phone so they didn't have to give me an answer. I called back immediately and they said I can't do that and didn't even say sorry for hanging up or acknowledging the fact. I have done this plenty of times but this time apparently they said they don't do substitutions and who ever did the time before broke the rules. Very sad but I won't be eating here any longer and will be spreading the word
Read MoreJeff Y.
Feb 17, 2025
We ordered beef ponzu & chicken ponzu to go, the beef was completely dry (looks like it was sitting out for hours) , it didn't even bend. my wife's chicken looked like whatever they had leftover and the chicken was hard mostly crunchy. shocked on how they would pack this and approve. I called to just inform her we were unhappy with the order because typically we like this spot. She said " other people ordered these and they didn't complain." horrible customer service on her end, ate half and threw it away
Read MoreKathy Z.
Jan 26, 2025
As a former fan of the DTLA location in Little Tokyo, I drove here from quite a ways away to relive the experience. I used to love the appies, skewers, and rolls from the DTLA location. The ambiance was also unmatched. The menu here seemed very similar if not identical to what I can recall, so I was super excited for this visit. I planned to arrive just as the place opened for dinner. I ended up arriving about 5 minutes before opening time, and there was already quite a crowd out front! I was even more excited to give this a go. We waited about 15 minutes and were then promptly seated. They advised that they would be back with menus soon. We got them a few minutes later and ordered relatively quickly from there. Great service. When we got our first item - a soft shell crab roll - we were surprised to find it soggy. The crab, itself, was not crispy and had way too much water in it. We ordered sashimi and skewers - the sashimi was a bit too fishy though the skewers were pretty decent (note we were told they came in two pieces but turns out it's just one piece per order). We decided not to order much else and left pretty soon after. Long gone are the days of the DTLA Honda-Ya, I suppose. :(
Read MoreTaylor Y.
Jan 25, 2025
This is definitely one of my top spots to get yakitori and sushi in the OC area! I love how they offer so much variety so it's nice when you can get a lot of dishes and share it amongst your party. The ambiance is really cool and has a Japanese bar vibe. They have both tables and places to sit on the floor which gives a traditional Japanese feel. The service is always good and the food come out very fast. As for the food, we got the sexy roll which is spicy tuna and shrimp tempura. Also got the caterpillar roll which has avocado, eel, and cucumber, mixed plate sashimi, chicken karaage, and not pictured (mixed tempura plate, and yakitori (chicken, meatball, beef tongue, and pork belly). All of the food tasted fresh, delicious, and high quality. The yakitori especially is my favorite. It has a smokiness and richness, and the meat is all super tender. I would get the meatballs if you are here. It was juicy, smoky, and filled with a lot of flavor. I would definitely recommend this place if you want yakitori and also want a variety of other Japanese dishes!
Read MoreDustin W.
Jan 3, 2025
Highly recommend sitting by the bar where you can watch the grill at work. it's a really cool experience. Staff was friendly and respectful, but they did miss one of our box checked items on their ordering slip so we were waiting for a while without realizing they didn't see one of our ordered items. Inside has a lot of decorations and seeing the grilling experience was fun. Seating is limited so it can feel somewhat cramped. If you come at open you should be good on seating otherwise expect some wait.Agedashi Mochi - agedashi tofu is more common so seeing the mochi was different. It's unique and thought it was decent. Yakitori - I would choose the "recommended" items which have the thumbs up icon. My favorite was easily the miyazaki beef. Many of the other ones were also enjoyable5 Kind Mixed Sashimi - the yellowtail was fantastic. Salmon and tuna were decent. The white fish and albacore were not good. I would pass on this option since some of the items I felt were a little lackluster. Overall there are a lot of food options you can try from ramen, sushi, yakitoria, etc. The pricing is reasonable but you can definitely run up a tab. The food is tasty and enjoyable but not everything is amazing. Despite the higher price tag of the miyazaki beef I would highly recommend it because it was delicious!Service: 4.5/5Food: 4/5Ambiance: 5/5
Read MoreCody P.
Jan 4, 2025
Whenever I come, I always request to sit on the floor. There is a separate dining area where you get to sit on cushions on an elevated tatami floor. It's so cool and is such a fun little touch to your dinner experience. The menu has a lot of variety, consisting of Izakaya bar foods. They have everything from takoyaki, yakitori, sushi, and donburi. It's so much fun to come with a moderately large party, sit on the floor, order food tapas-style, drink, and yap. The food is good and becomes even better when you're drunk, sitting cross-legged on the tatami floor. The pork belly skewers are a must, but my personal favorite is the fried sweet chili shrimp. I would recommend coming a bit early though as the wait can be a little long, especially if you request the floor.
Read MoreMeLy P.
Feb 15, 2025
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!
Read MoreChris
Feb 17, 2025
The ambiance was warm and inviting, creating a relaxed dining experience. As soon as we walked in, our server welcomed us with a friendly attitude and made sure we had everything we ordered. He was not only attentive but also incredibly polite. We enjoyed an abundance of delicious food, but the service stood out even more. Thank you for the amazing hospitality, Odyn K. We'll definitely be back to explore more delicious menu options based on your recommendations!
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