Outside of Japan, did you know that the United States has the 2nd largest population of Japanese in the world? And LA, home to one of the largest Japanese communities in the U.S., has some of the greatest Japanese food this side of Tokyo.
Since there’s such an amazing array of Japanese cuisine in Los Angeles, we tapped three of the city’s most acclaimed and vastly diverse Japanese chefs for an extensive taste of the Japanese foodie landscape. Tomonori Takahashi of JINYA Ramen Bar and Robata JINYA, Niki Nakayama of n/naka and ROKU Sunset Michael Monzon - lead us to your favorite sushi, ramen, yakitori, Japanese BBQ and French-Japanese pastries!
Tomonori Takahashi
Son of a successful Izakaya-style restauranteur—Izakaya is an informal Japanese gastropub—Tomonori Takahashi opened his first restaurant, JINYA, in Tokyo to outstanding success. However, after a trip to the U.S. where he noticed a gap in the ramen scene, he decided to lay down some Californian roots. He set up JINYA Ramen Bar in Studio City in 2010, followed quickly by Robata JINYA on 3rd Street. JINYA Ramen Bar going on to become a hugely successful franchising brand, now with four in Los Angeles and 11 throughout North American. So, while you thank Mr. Takahashi for appeasing your noodle soup and Jenga-shaped tofu obsession, let him show you where else he’d take you to eat.
Chef Tomonori Takahashi. Image courtesy of JINYA Ramen Bar.
JINYA Ramen Bar
Studio City, $$
Tomonori Takahashi: Our Cha Cha Cha ramen has a great combination of thick, rich pork Tonkotsu broth, soy sauce, and LOTS of raw garlic. Once I start slurping, I can’t stop! An insider tip for ordering at JINYA (a secret menu item): If you aren’t satisfied with one bowl, you can ask for a second serving of noodles—especially if you still have plenty of broth left. Just ask your server for “Kaedama”, meaning “another bowl” in Japanese, and you’ll have freshly cooked noodles placed into your existing bowl.
The Cha Cha Cha at JINYA Ramen Bar. Image courtesy of @jinyaramenbar
Yakitori at Torihei. Image courtesy of @_malibudream_
Torihei
Torrance, $$
TT: This place has very authentic Izakaya vibes that I love. Whenever I am home sick for Japanese food I always go here, their yakitori and oden are just amazing. Their reasonable prices and great atmosphere keep customers coming back.
Manpuku Tokyo BBQ
Sawtelle, $$
TT: This is my favorite Japanese BBQ joint. The way that they prepare the beef is just top notch; their sauces and marinades are authentic and flavorful. And I love marinating my meat with a raw egg and enjoying Sukiyaki-style.
Go's Mart
Canoga Park, $$$$
TT: A very intimate and small sushi restaurant. All of their ingredients are shipped directly from the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo—all fresh, seasonal fish that melts in your mouth.
Niki Nakayama - n/naka
As one of the world's only female chefs of Kaiseki—an ancient multi-course Japanese dinner likened to Western haute cuisine—Niki is a fierce pioneer in the traditionally male dominated world of Kaiseki. To make a point of this fierce female power, she opened her first restaurant, Azami Sushi Cafe, with an all female staff. Azami quickly became acclaimed for some of the best sushi in LA. Next came Inaka, a casual takeout spot by day, offering omakase at night. Now, at n/naka in Culver City, Niki crafts 13-course tasting menus with the freshest ingredients into beautifully simplistic artistry. She believes that we enjoy a meal much more when we feel emotionally connected to what we see.
Toro Tartar at n/naka. Image courtesy of @sfoodblog
Grilled oysters at Izakaya. Image courtesy of @victors_belly
"At n/naka, we try to communicate a sense of place and seasons through our food, as well as an element of surprise in each visit," explains Chef Niki.
As one of LA’s most acclaimed chefs, we’re leaning in with bated breathe to find out where her favorite spots for Japanese food in LA are:
Chef Niki Nakayama. Image courtesy of n/naka.
Izakaya Hachi
Torrance, $$
Niki Nakayama: A terrific place to eat because the level of cooking is on par with Japan—the execution is so similar.
Shin Sen Gumi Yakitori
Gardena, $$
NN: A great way to get introduced to Yakitori.
Yakitori meats at Shin Sen Gumi. Image courtesy of @larissa_neto
Omakase at Mako Sushi. Image courtesy of @fannyshiao
Mako Sushi
Little Tokyo, $$$
NN: I would highly recommend the Omakase so the chef can serve you what he feels is the best representation for that day or season.
Patisserie Chantilly
Lomita, $$
NN: Lomita has the best French/Japanese cakes and pastries. Everything is incredibly delicious but I love the Goma (black sesame) pudding.
Black sesame and chocolate cream puffs at Patisserie Chantilly. Image courtesy of @conbon
Michael Monzon - ROKU
Seattle-native Michael Monzon AKA Tattoo Mike is one of the top teppanyaki—Japanese BBQ—masters in North America. Michael first fell in love with all things teppan whilst working as a busboy in Seattle’s Sakura Japanese SteakHouse & Sushi Bar. From here, he quickly worked his way up to nearly to the top of the ladder. In 2014, he became head teppan chef at Hawaii’s Nobu Lana'i at Four Seasons and then Innovative Dining Group’s ROKU Sunset in WeHo, where he’s flinging fire with flair over the grill today. Read on as he illuminates his favorite Japanese restaurants in Los Angeles...
Chef Michael Monzon. Image courtesy of Innovative Dining Group.
ROKU Sunset
West Hollywood, $$$
Michael Monzon: As cheesy as it sounds, my favorite place has got to be my spot, ROKU Sunset, where the ever-changing menu is pretty incredible. We literally have tastings every week. So, I get to try new things all the time, whether it be from the sushi bar or the fine dining side. And they let me experiment on my own Teppan-Yaki grills—how cool is that? With premium ingredients and a constantly evolving menu, this has got to be the best spot in the world to eat!
Teppanyaki at ROKU. Image courtesy of @rokusunset
Spiny lobster trio at Nobu Malibu. Image courtesy of @nobumalibu
Nobu Malibu
Malibu, $$$$
MM: I used to work at Nobu Lana’i, and I have a huge amount of respect for the chefs in Malibu, because they’re extremely talented and switch up their menus often. One of my favorite new dishes is the Chicken & Waffles, with Jidori Chicken, ginger plum auce and the syrup that they make in-house. Other favorites are the new style sashimi (sea bass, salmon, caviar, sesame oil, seared with yuzu lemon on top), and Spring Seaweed with micro greens and crispy garlic. All Nobu locations are a bit different, so there are still so many new things to explore.
Katana Robata
West Hollywood, $$$
MM: Katana is right down the street from ROKU, so I find myself there often. I’m a sucker for anything on a stick. The first time I went to Katana, I was pleasantly surprised to see such a great big Robata bar—they have everything! When I lived in Seattle, I could never find interesting ingredients like chicken gizzards or geoduck, but Katana doesn’t shy away from the gamey meats. Some of my favorites here are the Chicken Wings, Chicken Skins, hearts, liver, and the fried stuff!
Skewered meats at Katana Robata. Image courtesy of @katanarobata
Tofu ramen bowl at JINYA. Image courtesy of @jinyaramenbar
JINYA Ramen Bar
Studio City and Mid-Wilshire, $$
MM: When I first moved to CA, a friend took me to Jinya Ramen. We went around 2 a.m,—it’s a great late-night spot, they serve ramen until 4 a.m,! I’m very picky about my ramen broth, but JINYA’s is the best. They make it the night before and let it stew. I love the big portions of tofu, eggplant and fish cakes. The fish cakes are made in-house and they fry them to order, so they’re super fresh. My favorite ingredients here are the thin sliced meat and the fish meatballs made out of flounder. Then they top it off with seaweed. As the seaweed sits, the salt oozes out and makes the broth extra tasty. I’m getting hungry just thinking about it!
Fresh In The Box
Culver City, $$
MM: As someone who works a lot and has a family, I tend to go to smaller places that are a bit dressed down. This joint looks like it’s in a tiny strip mall, but don’t let that throw you off. It’s an organic sushi restaurant that specializes in locally sourced ingredients, and also serves ramen. Even though my wife is a picky eater, she likes just about everything here since it’s so fresh and high quality. The service is super quick—they actually have a spot where you can walk up and get food to go—and the people who work there are so nice.
The Crispy Rice Spicy Tuna Burger at Fresh In The Box. Image courtesy of @freshinthebox
Belinda Gosbee is an Aussie writer, actress and coffee snob based in Los Angeles. Follow her jaunts on twitter @belindagosbee or instagram @gos22
Header Image courtesy of Robata Jinya
