Manpuku Japanese BBQ Dining - Torrance

Valentine's Day called for something special, and Manpuku Japanese BBQ delivered an unforgettable dining experience! From the moment we walked in, the cozy, intimate atmosphere set the perfect tone for a lovely Valentine's evening. What made the night even more special was getting to sit in one of their traditional Japanese-style Tatami rooms, where we removed our shoes and settled into a private, intimate space. This added an authentic and unique touch to our date night.This was my second time dining at Manpuku, and once again, I was impressed! The highlight of our dinner was the incredible selection of premium, high-quality meats. We opted not to do the Prix Fixe menu and instead chose our own cuts. We indulged in Kobe filet, Kobe short rib, prime ribeye, Angus tri-tip, prime rib cap, and Kurobuta pork sausage. Each cut was perfectly marbled, rich in flavor, and melted in our mouths. Cooking the meats together at the table added such a fun, interactive element to our evening.For sides, we had the garlic noodles, which were flavorful and had a nice garlicky kick, but they felt a bit more ordinary--reminiscent of ramen noodles rather than the richer, more decadent style I was expecting. The egg soup, on the other hand, was a pleasant surprise, with a light yet savory broth and generous chunks of egg that made it extra satisfying.Manpuku made our Valentine's celebration feel extra special with its welcoming ambiance, top-tier ingredients, and exceptional service. Getting to dine in one of their Tatami rooms made for an even more intimate and memorable experience. It was a wonderful Valentine's dinner, and I can't wait to return!

If I had a buck for every time I drove by and didn't notice this place! What makes it even more ironic is that I have this place bookmarked. Heh... Some of my fellow Yelpers strongly advised making reservations, and I got a bit antsy since it was a last minute audible. Luckily, they were able to accommodate my party of 8 (room for a 3 month old's stroller included.) We arrived about 15 minutes early, so we were down for a wait, but! We got seated immediately instead. They were prepared for us! It wasn't busy - maybe two or three other tables of 4 to 6 people other than us. Menus were strategically placed on the table so we got to take a good look at them immediately. It took us awhile since we couldn't really make up our minds, so our server suggested order 2 orders each of their Prix Fixe tastings (Prime Beef and American Wagyu) and add on as needed. Clever! So, that's exactly what we did! We all went nuts on both salads. They were prepared differently with different dressings, and both freshly made. Great starter. The shishito peppers were seasoned nicely as well - they are not spicy at all, and we cleaned that bowl up as well. Both tastings included a garlic rice which they mix for you when it gets to the table. If you're a garlic fiend, this is for you! A good pairing to all the grilled proteins! The assorted kimchi were great palate cleansers. We put in an order of pork belly as well as pork cheek just because we wanted to try them. They are delish, just like all the meats and seafood we threw on the grill. Our ultimate favorite, though, is the Kobe sukiyaki wraps! It is pricey, sure, but it is soooooo worth it! Highly recommending!FOOD: 5. SERVICE: 4. VALUE: 3. PARKING: Shared private lot with others. Wasn't an issue on a random weeknight. OVERALL: 4. HEADS UP: They stop taking orders a 915pm on weeknights. Really glad of the discovery! Now on my radar and list of Japanese BBQ joints should the craving come up!

This place was a delightful surprise. Because this was our first time, we orderedPRIX FIXED MENU ( PRIME BEEF)- This was tasty. Plenty of food.. we walked out so full. The KIMCHI was very good. My fave was the radish one. The CABBAGE SALAD - was great with the beef My least favorite was the hangar. The GARLIC FRIED RICE- this was good but I'm very sensitive to shiso.. next time will ask if they can leave out? THE BLACK SESAME MOCHI ICE CREAM was good. It came with 2! This may be my new fave place in Torrance.

Very nice, "high-end" (should be $$$$ not $$$) yakiniku restaurant. Tried many parts of their beef and they were all outstanding; services were also fabulous, too. The best part was their superb ventilation system, which left clothes odorless after meal. Surprised that during grilling the beef, the whole table was smokeless. Highly recommended their sukiyaki wrap(?), dipped in raw egg yolk. First time had it and it left me speechless.

It was my bf and I first time here since we were in the area with a friend. Our favorite was the Tokyo style prime short rib, salted pork cheek, and the Kobe short rib. We also got 2 pots of garlic fried rice as well. Service is very fast and staff members are attentive when you need service. I'm definitely going to the other location in Costa Mesa for Valentine's Day

My family came here to celebrate my dad's birthday and it was delicious!The 4 of us shared 3 of the "Prime Beef Tasting", which was one of their set meals. It came with spicy beef soup, garlic friend rice, kimchi, bean sprouts, cabbage salad as appetizers. The cabbage salad came with a delicious dressing! It was definitely my favorite appetizer. The garlic fried rice was flavorful and I enjoyed the crispiness of some pieces of the rice from getting grilled on the hot stone bowl. It came with various meats: Tokyo style prime short rib, prime ribeye, prime hangar steak, prime outside skirt, angus tri tip & shrimp! The shrimp tasted delicious with the ponzu they gave. Our favorite meat was the prime hangar steak. It was very tender & flavorful. A couple of the meats were a bit chewy but flavor was always good. It came with a scoop of green tea ice cream for dessert. Overall, the best deal is definitely getting their set meals because you get to try so many different appetizers & meats without having to buy everything a la carte. It is pricy, but for a special occasion, I would recommend!

The good:We got the prime beef prixe fixe menu for $69 per person (minimum 2 people) that came with a mushroom rice, spicy tofu soup, beef and shrimp, ice cream, salad and some ban chan. The interior has an elegant, modern and simplistic Japanese-feel. The waiters replaced our grill grate after every batch we grilled (2 changes). I liked the shredded salad and how it had a bitter quality. The tofu soup was nice and not too spicy nor too salty. The shiso mushroom rice came in a hot stone pot so the rice had a crispy nice char on the edges and a unique flavor because of the shiso. The lychee ice cream was creamy and yummy. We also had green tea ice cream but had an option for vanilla. Recommendations are recommended. The bad:It's really pricey. There's no outdoor seating. The interesting:This is a Japanese and Korean-inspired fusion spot. The tofu soup was like Korean tofu soup and the ban chan Included sesame bean sprouts, kim chi and more. They have private tatami mat rooms with tables that appear like you'd be sitting on the ground but actually have a space for you to dangle your legs and sit normally. You take your shoes off for this seating.

Best kimchi and sukiyaki/zubaton!That is all i have to say. But they are requiring 85 char.

I love this place as far as food goes, it's a little pricey but it's always worth it. The service is usually fine but the other night we had a reservation at 930, they close at 1030. It started off not great when a woman called me and said "can you be here before 930 because that's when we do last call?" Ummmmm then why does open table allow me to make a reservation for as late as 945? Doesn't make sense. So we show up, it didn't feel like we were rushed at first but then at the end they literally turned the music off as we're still eating and dropped off the check. And just now we realized on our bank statement they took it upon themselves to add an unauthorized tip after they took the check. Sadly I think they changed maitre d and that's why the service has changed.

A little steep on the price but I wanted to see what the fuss was all about. The food is good but not worth the price imo.