Laugh Tei Izakaya

Food was delicious, my friend An treated this for my birthday towards the end of June. We sat outside on a lovely day. Believe the restaurant had only opened up a month prior to this.The service was nice. I believe they were out of two things that day: a beer of my friend's choice and one of the deserts we were eyeballing.Anyways these are the things we ordered to share unless indicated:-Sea Grape Salad-Takoyaki-Bittermelon Sauté Plate (my order)-Okinawa Rice (her order)-Andagi with Ice CreamThe salad was nice. And my dish was amazing ~ first time seeing/having bittermelon at Japanese restaurant. I can't recall too much except that I was open to coming back.

This was Kitayama before and during covid part of it was the "original" Osaka Marketplace before their huge Warm Springs grocery store opened. We used to come all the time during those years for groceries and for their curry which was such a hidden gem. I believe the chef is still the same, I can hear the same voice from the kitchen. We were going to go to Okinawa in December and before the trip was canceled I already had some food and places marked. I was so happy to find some of the Okinawan food I was hoping to try on menu here. Sea grape salad: I told my wife we must order this, it's topped with an interesting seaweed that pops every bite you take. If you take too long to eat it the grapes will start turning black so best eat it quickly. Braised pork: Okinawan style pork belly. This normally takes very long to braise, boil, and rotate for it to be right. It was a tough and felt like it was cooked quickly at high heat and lacked the soft, gelatinous texture we were hoping for. We would have preferred to wait for this dish to be made correctly...I saw some of the low reviews based on slow service and I think it's better to be transparent that this takes awhile to cook rather than rush it. Okinawa Noodle: I loved the soup base, it reminded me of Hawaiian Saimin and had a nice clean and earthy taste, I normally don't drink all the broth but this one I couldn't help keep taking sips of. Unfortunately the same dry pork belly was used in this ramen.Okinawan rice: It's very simple and I loved this, made me want to get some chazuke mix for rice at home. Beef Curry: I feel like the recipe has changed since we had it before. We used to love it, it had something very distinct and savory about it, this time it tasted more like standard Japanese curry that was too salty.

I think Laugh Tei is off to a nice start!Overall, the food was good. There were some oddities with the service--for instance, a dish we ordered was initially unavailable, then suddenly became available shortly afterwards. We chalked it up to them being a newer business and a soft opening.I really appreciated the Okinawan charm. The music, decor, and atmosphere gave off authentic Okinawan vibes, which hold a special place in my heart. It's rare to see authentic Okinawan food, and that alone makes this place unique.What we tried:Okinawan Mixed Rice: Solid and flavorfulFried Oysters: Crispy and tastySea Grapes: Rare to see! They were interesting and enjoyableBitter Melon Saute: Delicious and well-cookedBeef Curry: Comforting and satisfyingChicken Soft Bone Karaage: A "special" appetizer that was crispy and fun to eatOkinawan Doughnuts: A little dry for my taste, but from what I understand, that's authenticThe food overall was fun and tasty--nothing spectacular in terms of flavor or execution, but definitely enjoyable.I appreciated the shochu offerings, although the one we wanted was sold out. The one they had was something we already enjoy at home, so at least we know they have good taste in alcohol :)The owner was friendly and came to chat with us, which added to the warm vibe. They also have nice outdoor seating if you prefer dining outside.This place has a lot of potential, and I'd return to give it another chance and try more of their menu. It's refreshing to see authentic Okinawan cuisine and their culture so represented. Definitely worth a visit for something different!

Solid Okinawa style Japanese eatery - draft beers are pretty cheap by today's pricing standard. The braised pork curry I had was flavorful. Only gripe about this place is the service tends to be a bit on the slower side. Took a while for the food to come out even though it wasn't that busy on a random weeknight. There's plenty of outdoor seating if the weather is nice.

Pretty good izakaya restaurant, we came on a friday night and we were seated right away. The menu is simple but the food is yummy. We ordered Chicken Karaage, Sea Grape Salad, Pork Feet, and the daily bento box, all are good. Only the Pork Feet can be more flavorful. Will come back.

Laugh Tei Izakaya is a cute Japanese restaurant specializing in Okinawan cuisine. They are located in a small strip mall, next to Ume Tea (not sure if it's still open). The parking lot is small, but there is also street parking available.Nice modern decor. They have patio seating and indoor seating. When you walk in, the dining area looks small, but they have an additional seating area as you walk towards the restrooms. The service is gracious, humble, and traditional. Salmon Onigiri - a fairly large onigiri filled with cooked salmon, wrapped in a piece of nori. Takuwan served on the side.Pork Katsu Curry - the curry was probably a medium spicy level. The katsu was nicely deep-fried, though surprised that they had ladeled the curry sauce on the katsu. I've read somewhere that traditionally, it is not so that the katsu stays crunchy/crispy. Not really, a big deal. It was delicious regardless.Come check out this local business.

Located in an older plaza near Ohlone college. This restaurant still has the previous restaurant name up which was a bit confusing, but good thing I remember seeing all the umbrella tables outside to which I had seen pictures of on yelp. Food was average to me. We ordered two tsukemen, takoyaki and the sautéed veggies. Total came out to $55. The tsukemen was okay - noods were cooked al dente and the dipping sauce was just kinda salty lacking flavor. The takoyaki was the best - it was warm, crispy on the outside and covered in lots of mayo and sauce. I mean, you can't go wrong with this one. Finally, the sautéed veggies - this was pretty bland. I'm thinking a few sprinkles of hondashi would have saved it. Service was good and the outdoor seating was perfect for those wanting that option as Covid cases rise again.

Just returned from 11th trip to japan so standards are higher. I thought the food here were good, service was hit or miss.Tsukemen ($14.99) was good, noodles QQ enough & dipping sauce adequate, there was only 1 piece of charsiu & the egg needed to be a little less cooked. Chicken karaage curry ($14.99) with rice was excellent, the chicken beneath the batter was very tender. Takoyaki ($8.99) was very good, the crust was crispy even after it sat around for 15 min. The young server was inexperienced, she brought out pig's feet as the appetizer even though we ordered takoyaki. 1 of us ordered a beer & it didnt come out until 15 min later, there were only like 4-5 parties so it wasn't even busy. The Okinawian chef came out to say hi to everyone which was cool, they gave us free ice cream with izuki, yummy.

Methinks some reviews here are sus...it may be Okinawan and is a good option from your usual Japanese fare, but unfortunately not worth of a return. Maybe the handwritten menu is reminiscent of the Okinawan restaurants, but doesn't make it authentic. The owner (?) was really friendly though, but food still isn't good enough to round this up.The interior is minimally changed from the prior predecessors. There are some tables in the back, but is really not restaurant ambiance when you're sitting next to random tables and shelves of plastic bags, cardboard boxes, and wires. Clearly no attempt to maintain or spruce up the space. Best to reserve if you want to sit by the window, or if you're a young couple/solo there's the bar seats.Like most other reviews, the pork curry was a disappointment. Do not order. It was very dry and felt the sauce a bit lacking of a kick as well. 3/5The bitter melon saute is another 3/5. Yes, this is an Okinawan famous dish but the bean sprouts was the majority component of this dish, rather than the bitter melon. C'mon...bitter melon isn't even that expensive of a vegetable. Whatever pork bits were in there were barely discernable. I can't even tell if it's trimmed ends of pork fat or pork belly. Most likely the former, just feel like they cut corners on this dish.Tsukumen is 4/5. Good flavor and noodle texture but very small portion. My partner left feeling hungry.

This new restaurant took over the little Japanese market on Mission Blvd right by the post office. I'm not familiar with Okinawa style food, but I certainly enjoyed everything I had. The place is small with a cute patio dining area and nice decor inside. Their menu is also pretty small, but there's a good assortment of noodles, meats, and curries. What we ordered:+ gyozas - these were crispy outside with a flavorful filling inside+ chicken karage - nice little nuggets of chicken that's crispy outside and moist and tender inside.+ daily bento box (you have to call them to know what they're serving that day) - today I got mackerel and short rib, Okinawa rice, and potato salad. The mackerel was good but had lots of bones (as most mackerels do). The short rib was very flavorful and fatty. Some people like fatty short rib, but I prefer mine leaner. They give you a lot of food.+ Okinawa noodles - delicious broth and pull-apart porkOverall, a quaint spot serving good food.