kodo

BEST MATCHA I've tried IN TOWN so far.kodo is a Japanese restaurant open for dinner that opened a coffee shop at the front during the day and is now also a hotel.This achingly beautiful space serves the best ICHIGO MATCHA I've had.Barista was fast.Street metered parking.

Went there last week for a special occasion. We found out when we got there that it was a limited menu. My partner was disappointed because he had a few things in mind that he was looking forward to trying.We ordered some handrolls, the crab croquette, a wagyu ribeye, miso Chilean sea bass, and the eggplant. The food was delicious but the service was terrible.The server was at our table almost every two minutes or so, filling up our water and checking in. She didn't course out our food well so we felt very rushed and everything came out almost immediately. I understand that it was a slow night and maybe that's why she was on top of us but we wanted to be able to enjoy our meal and be able to talk to each other without constant interruptions. We got there for our 7:45 reservation and was in our Uber by 8:30. I would go back when they have have their full menu because the food was great but I would advise everyone to order their dishes one at a time to set the pace. Truly a disappointment when you're spending so much but don't get to enjoy the experience.

Aparently the ownership changed a couple of weeks ago and they didn't have any of the sushi menu anymore I was a little disappointed and wish I knew this before coming. We had the uni pasta, wagyu tataki, and the eggplant. My favorite was the eggplant, wagyu tataki was okay (some parts were a bit chewy for being wagyu), the uni pasta was probably the worst uni dish I've ever had (I love uni). It was way too salty and lacked any other flavor.The ambiance and service/staff was great though!

Ambiance, service and food all top notch!I traveled here from OC from a reccomendation and it was well worth it. Keep in mind that parking is a little difficult since they do not have their own lot. There is a valet service for $13, not including the tip.We had a prior reservation for Sunday evening, but it didn't look like we would have any trouble getting seated. The menu is a little pricey but everything on it was within reason for a date night. Everything is also meant to be shared so portion size can be a litttle on the smaller side.Our server gave us some great reccomendations, which I will be passing on to you. 100% go for the chicken karaage, it was our servers favorite and now it is mine. Combine this with the salad and you have a winning combination. For our mains, we ordered the uni-mentaiko cream pasta and the umami prime ribeye. The pasta was rich with umami and the pasta was cooked really well. The prime ribeye was seasoned and cooked really well. I loved the yakiniku sauce that made it taste like a really expensive beef bowl. The meat was a little on the rare side, but thats how it should be eaten. Overall great dinner, and would come back!

Came to celebrate a friend's birthday. It's a little pricey, but flavor combinations are yummy. I recommend coming with a small group and ordering a bit of everything.AMBIANCE Located in DTLA, the restaurant feels like a grey modern art museum. Valet was $13 right in front of the restaurant. Front and back room available for dinner.DRINKS$18 Cocktail had good quality liquor. Lychee Martini was not too sweet & very strong$9 Thai tea is a fantastic non-alcoholic option!FOOD5/5 Spicy Tuna on Crispy Rice $24 - can't go wrong. crispy rice was perfectly crispy and generous amount of spicy tuna4/5 Chef's Selection Nigiri Plate $65 - it's fun to get one per person and try each piece together! some of the pieces melted in your mouth, others had interesting flavor combinations4.5/5 Uni Squid Ink Pasta w/ Ikura $30 - very rich and filling. couldn't taste too much of the uni, loved how they marinated the ikura 4.5/5 Cheesecake - cooked for 8 hrs! paired well with the sesame seeds and jamSERVICEStaff were phenomenal and very knowledgeable on the food and drinks. Definitely a must try for a nice dinner.

Parking: Street parking is available but may need to spend time looking for an open spot if you come during a busy time of day. Outside: This restaurant is located inside a historic building Engine No 17 at the corner of the street. The entrance is large floor to ceiling opening. Interior: Very beautiful upscale and modern design. Comfortable waiting area (although there was no wait for us) and modern décor. It felt like walking into a hotel when we checked in with the hostess. We sat outdoors which was nice and open. It can be a bit cold as everything is concrete including the bench seats. The lighting however is very intimate and beautiful. Service: Amazing, the servers are very respectful and attentive. Never had to wait long for anything that I needed. Food: Everything we tasted was amazing. I didn't have any complaints and would definitely be back to try their other menu items. Would definitely recommend this spot for date nights, birthdays, girl dates, and unique dining. Order: Hand roll trio - 6/5 each roll was very delicious, highly recommendedTsukune - 4/5 good and very juicyCrab Cream Croquette - 5/5 savory appetizerCrunchy Shrimp Roll - 5/5 unique flavor, simple and still deliciousUni-Mentaiko Cream Pasta - 5/5 must order. Grilled Sea Bass - 3/5. Not the buttery fish I thought it was. Did not love the puree as much as the other dishes

Came here on a special new years eve omakase dinner reservation on Resy and was very excited to try Kodo after looking at other reviews and watching YouTube videos about this place. Kodo is such a nice vibe restaurant with dark lights and a great atmosphere all throughout the restaurant. Service was immaculate. Everyone was so nice and helpful when choosing drinks and explaining the dishes as it came out.There was a total of six dishes, including dessert at the end, which was really delicious however felt like it was very mid compared to other Omakase places. I was expecting a bit more nigiri dishes and felt a little letdown. The other dishes were just okay. For $95 per person, I guess I was expecting something else in terms of Omakase. Wouldn't highly recommend someone to try this special Omakase set menu as I felt like there are better alternatives. Willing to try their regular menu dishes on a different day! Valet was $13 and street parking is available if you can find.

I love the vibe of the place! I came here for the cafe drinks and ordered the coconut matcha latte and kuro goma latte. The coconut flavor overpowered the matcha in the coconut matcha latte, but I still enjoyed it. The coffee was strong in the kuro goma latte so I definitely recommend if you're in need of caffeine in a delicious sesame drink. There weren't a lot of people so the service was quick. They also have a cute patio with seating outside. I would definitely come back to try the restaurant and also try new drinks with friends.

PSA: We learned that the entire restaurant has changed within the past few days/week during our dinner last night (2/8/2025). Apparently the entire menu, almost all the staff, and chefs have been overhauled so do with that information what you will.I will say the good things first: the food/drinks and ambiance here are solid. Cocktails were solid and the quantity of food per dish was good for the prices. The Uni Pasta was a little underwhelming though for being a featured special. Also they ran out of uni halfway through our group of 10 ordering. The Wagyu Cheeseburger was surprisingly really good and a great size. The "fries" are not fries and were actually potato wedges but were also good so the false advertising gets a pass. Overall, the food quality and quantity was good but we'll get to the food service soon. Ambiance is probably where this place shines. The inside is dark and has really cool vibes. Probably a better experience for date nights or small groups.Now let's get to the bad: the service was horrible (minus one person). So I mentioned the staff was completely overhauled and it really looked like most of the staff had no idea how to give good customer service. The hostess when we checked in seemed extremely stressed out and one of the male waiters was rude (he had a short ponytail so beware of this guy). Shoutout to Lizzie though who was the one bright spot for service. She was very helpful and kind to our group of 10. Another sore spot for our dinner was that all our food came out randomly. Entrees would come out before starters, orders were completely forgotten, and waiters didn't know what they were handing out. For example, 3 uni pastas came out at once, and then the other 2 came out maybe 30 minutes later. An order of shishito peppers and uni handrolls were forgotten and we never got them. Just huge inconsistency in food coming out. We were there about 2.5 hours and the last dish to come out was an eggplant starter. Some of our group also overheard other tables who we're confused as they were trying to order things from previous times and the staff saying they no longer had many of the items from the old menu.Until the kitchen and staff figure all their stuff out, I'd avoid coming here for a bit, especially if you have a big group.

This was our 2nd time and all I can say is everything we've tried has been AMAZING! Staff ran fairly quick and the restaurant feels pretty intimate. They also have a hotel and cafe in the building. Every dish is a little more unique than the usual you have at other places. We tried the monkfish liver mousse, spicy tuna crispy rice, uni pasta, and some of the nigiri! To top it off, we still had room for the bread pudding. Definitely a place we'd recommend to people :)