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Aburiya Toranoko
Categories: Restaurants Japanese Restaurants Sushi Bars Japanese, Sushi Bars [Edit]
243 S. San Pedro StLos Angeles, CA 90012
Neighborhoods: Downtown, Little Tokyo
(213) 621-9500
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 11:30 am - 2:30 pm
Mon-Thu 5 pm - 11 pm
Fri-Sat 5 pm - 1:30 am
Sun 5 pm - 10 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Trendy
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
$20 for $30 Deal
lauren y. said: "One more try? Okay fine, since I work a block away. Luckily, it was good! The food/service was better than last time, and I am once again a fan. …" read more »
179 reviews for Aburiya Toranoko
Review Highlights
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"white fish sashimi with pomegranate." In 15 reviews -
"whitefish sashimi, seared tuna & crispy spinach." In 6 reviews -
"located right next to lazy ox canteen in lil tokyo." In 11 reviews
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179 reviews in English
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Review from Amy L.
Los Angeles, CA
4/27/2012
Good rustic izakaya.
Great service. Good atmosphere. Completely unpretentious.
My favorite dishes were the live octopus sashimi, the spicy baked crab handrolls (i just drooled thinking about these), the pork belly or was it pork butt skewer ( i forget the japanese name), kobe skewer, and green tea pudding for dessert.
Pretty good wine and sake list. -
Review from Win K.
4/4/2012
If you're about the dark, lounge-y urban experience with neon lights, this place fits the bill. It is a lounge..I haven't really had the food here. There are some good happy hour prices on the weekdays starting 7pm (but you may have to find out more on the specifics).
One side of the room, on the left, is the bar which had a neat, eerie light florescent glow. The far end appears to be where people can order sushi and things. The right side are some booths, and a wall is filled with hip, urban wall paintings.
The interior is about regular-sized. The dark, speak-easy feel of the interior is kind of charming. There are a few seats on the patio in front of the main entrance with heaters. There is $5 parking nearby, but otherwise, one may have to look for street parking which won't be easy to find. -
Review from Yuki S.
Honolulu, HI
3/7/2012 1 Check-in Here
I came here for vday for a grand lala date!!
Toranoko resides next to Little Tokyo, in Downtown LA. not hard to find. Lots of street parking after 7pm. I walked into the restaurant and let me tell you it was PACKED. lots of couples and first dates. The light and atmosphere was perfect. It was truly date perfect. The art work itself is amazing from local artists. My favorite was the bar top art. Very chic and modern
For the food..let me say it was all DELISH...i didn't think of anything else. We order a bunch of random dishes for a taste of a little everything, from something simple to udon, homemade tofu, to sashimi, to green tea pudding dessert. Everything was prepare to perfection. Taste was great, the seasoning and favorites were all rich, well worth your hard earning cash!!! Simple just come here with a hot date and simply enjoy good food and a chic atmosphere.
My absolutely MUST GET is the dessert., now most folks I know always go somewhere else and dine on desserts ( i tend to do myself =)..), but let me say...DONT MISS out. the HOME MADE GREEN TEA PUDDLING is truly amazing. it is to die for. super yummy and clean. It is not heavy, and very tasteful and light, a good way to end an amazing meal!! -
Review from Jennifer l.
Santa Monica, CA
5/23/2012
I am shocked that it's rated only 3 and a half. First of all, the sashimi was amazing and fresh. R23, Mori sushi, Takao never had FLYING FISH and SEA BREAM. They were so fresh and the portion was generous and the price was far less than all other restaurants I mentioned. The girl who served me was friendly and prompt. I parked a few steps from the restaurant. The decor was unlike any other typical Japanese restaurants. I LOVED THE PAINTING BY THE BAR. The Japanese person who recommended the restaurant told me to sit in front of Hisa (one of the sushi chefs) at the bar. Oh the wine was really good... usually, I don't expect Japanese restaurants to have a good selection. Maybe it's this guy, Heesa who did a good job but no matter what, sashimi HAS TO BE FRESH.. I don't care how nice the sushi chef is I noticed somebody complained about their cooked food.. If you are stupid enough to order lamb or duck at a Japanese restaurant...well..what can I say? .
-
Review from Muchin K.
2/15/2012 1 Check-in Here
This place is really a 4 stars for me, but the service was so bad and slow, I dropped it to 3.
We met up with a friend who happens to be in town for business and staying near by in little Tokyo, so I suggested that we try this place out. This restaurant is located next door to the Lazy Ox Canteen, and it is literally 1 block away from homeless central. 2 blocks away we witnessed a cop arresting couple of guys, so I didn't feel safe parking the car on the street. There's a $5 pay parking to the east of the restaurant.
I didn't realize it's owned by the same owner of Lazy Ox... probably wouldn't have come here if I had known that. Regardless, the food was much much better then Lazy Ox, but the service is the same - crappy and slow!
I had made reservation just in case it's crowded, but on a wednesday night, it wasn't. My friend got there first and apparently they didn't bother to pay attention to him or seating him, so he just sat down at one of the booths... some time passes, he had to flag down a waitress to get a glass of water... no one, acknowledged him.
Then we showed up, and proceed to order. After a few attempts we managed to flagging our waitress down, she took our drink order first, then came back for the food order. Oddly enough, we got our food way before we got our drinks. Half way through our meal we didn't even have water. I guess being a good waitress is not a requirement to work here. Maybe it's just that particular waitress, but the fact that they didn't acknowledge my friend when he showed up bothered me a lot too.
All the food we tried were really good, we had some sashimi, some sushi rolls, some specialty rolls and some suniyaki. One dish that stood out for me was the Uni Tofu! I LOVE Uni (Sea Urchin), and the dish is tofu tastes like uni and had uni on top of it with some kinda ponzu sauce. Highly recommend it if you like uni. Other then that, it's just like another nice sushi place in town with teppanyaki.
I had a 30% off deal from Blackboard eats to come here, so that saved us a little bit of money, not sure if I'd come back again, but if I do, it'll only be for the uni tofu. -
Review from Jenn S.
2/28/2012 1 Check-in Here
Loved the artwork by a local artist on the walls.
Amazing handrolls! My favorite is the spicy baked crab. -
Review from Genevieve L.
Los Angeles, CA
4/25/2012
The "TAI" seabrean sashimi with truffles is absolutely worth the splurge! For more truffle-loving greatness, the chawan mushi is a lovely hot dish to start with. Head chef Hisa knows his sh*t and you won't go wrong if you go with a chef's menu from him.
-
Review from Samantha C.
Los Angeles, CA
2/20/2012
Food: 3 stars
Ambiance: 4 stars
Service: 1.5 stars
This is a place I really wanted to like.
The atmosphere was festive (although the music is a hair too loud), and an agreeable looking menu.
The food was good enough. The rice for the sushi was a little hard and not too flavorful. The fish was okay. Another reviewer mentioned the rice as well so I'm surprised they ignored the comment.
Their version of spicy tuna on crispy rice was a little oily.
The trifecta was yummy.
The baked crab hand roll (real crab!) was the highlight.
Unfortunately our server was rarely to be found, never checked in on us to see if everything was okay, and it was like pulling teeth to try to order more food.
4-5 times throughout our meal we had to ask the bus-person, another server, or the hostess if they could ask our server to come our way. Our server just seemed clueless. Perhaps they should assign fewer tables to a newer or less experienced server.
We were quite hungry and we were ready to eat. Unfortunately it was so difficult to get the attention of our server that we ended up ordering 1/2 of what we intended and after 1.5 hours, we gave up.
Aburiya Toranoko has enough elements to make for a successful restaurant and with some simple changes (better rice, more attentive service-- ANY service) may improve.
All in all, the experience was more difficult than pleasant and because of that we wouldn't return. -
Review from Shirley Z.
Los Angeles, CA
1/12/2012 Seated via OpenTable
Pricey, but mostly worth it.
The FIVE STARS is simply for the outstanding UNI dishes. Overall, accounting for price and other solid but not spectacular dishes, I would give it a 4 star... but back to the uni
As a fan of uni, I am in love with both the uni goma tofu as well as uni jullet (i think that's how it's spelled).
First the Uni Goma Tofu-
This is uni heaven - somehow the tofu is infused with uni, they somehow managed to make an uni tofu 0_o i can't fully wrap my head around it but it was delicious, every bite was TOFUUUNNIamaaaaaaazing!!
Is it tofu? Is it Uni? ITS TOFUNI AND ITS DELICIOUS. The texture was tofu - of the medium firm variety - but it had the mush and flavor of uni! Okay, seriously excited just thinking about it! Uni Lovers, this is a MUST TRY.
The Uni Jullet (sorry for the misspelllliiingg)
Also delicious - stellar in its own right but a little pale in the halo of the Uni Goma Tofu, the uni jullet is cubes of gelatin served with uni in a light sauce. The presentation is excellent - it comes in a martini glass and is finished off with gold flakes and there is so much uni in just one glass! The soft of the uni and the springy of the gelatin complement each other very well and makes are an outstanding dish.
I had some other stuff too, sashimi, monkfish liver, etc. etc. and all of it was very good as well.
Ambience - FULL BAR and very chic exposed brick wall with colorful murals makes for a very hip vibe. Outdoor heated patio available as well. Very rarely do you find stellar food in such a hip/trendy setting.
If you are on a budget but would still like to enjoy the toranoko experience, I would suggest coming here for drinks and uni and filling your stomach elsewhere. For either a meal or a quick bite, Aburiya Toranoko it is definitely worth a spot on your must-try list! -
Review from Renita K.
Los Angeles, CA
Came in for dinner with two girlfriends and (almost) everything was amazing.
The host that greeted us was really friendly and just let us sit wherever we wanted. The food was all amazing. The drinks were meh. Our server was bleh.
The hamachi and uni were both super fresh. I was traumatized by uni the first time I had it, but this time it wasn't bad at all (just the texture was a bit off-putting but the taste was fine).
The albacore ceviche roll had albacore (obvi), avocado, and pico de gallo on top. It was really, really good. It was a special so it probably won't be around for long but it was delicious!
The toranoko trifecta consisted of thin slices of salmon, halibut, and tuna drenched in an amazing ponzu sauce, then sprinkled with green onion and sesame seeds... this was definitely my favorite part of the meal.
The tsukune (chicken meatball) sumiyaki was also good... juicy and salty just the way it should be.
My girlfriends also ordered spicy tuna rolls, which looked good (although I didn't try them). It looked like they were made with actual pieces of tuna instead of all the left over bits mixed up in spicy mayo like they do at other sushi restaurants.
As for cocktails, I had the cucumber chiller which had cucumber vodka, fresh mint, and midori. For some reason, it tasted really spicy (like a vodka version of the spicy margarita from Las Perlas). It's not refreshing and cucumber-y as one would expect.
One of my girlfriends had the Watermelon Martini and it was SUPER strong... at least it tasted like fresh watermelon juice and not some awful syrup.
Lastly, the service was alright. The host was great but our actual server clearly had better things to do, or she was on her period, or both.
Our bill originally came out to $103 and some change, but we had the BBE code so it was only $70-something. I feel like I was expecting it to be much higher given how much we ordered so that was a pleasant surprise.
Overall, I was really happy with my experience here. All the sushi was amazing and fresh. I loved that this place could satisfy all kinds of sushi-enthusiasts, from people who eat only spicy tuna or california rolls to elitist sushi purists. -
Review from Alexis L.
Los Angeles, CA
1/2/2012
Here you'll find the best udon in Little Tokyo--which is dangerous because even after you're full, you can't stop eating it!!
The staff is soo friendly and really on point. They have great specials and events for lunch and dinner each day and clearly really care about what they do.
If dinner is a little expensive for you (it is for my husband and I to go regularly), then lunch is much more accessible at down to $10 for their specials--which are a ton of food and wonderful quality.
The food here is also some of the most like actual Tokyo that you'll find in Little Tokyo. And food in Tokyo is amazing ^_~ -
Review from C L.
Los Angeles, CA
1/22/2012
Lazy Ox was our first experience with owner Michael Cardenas's other restaurant right (actually to the left) next door. The menu was simple with mainly robata and sushi. Gimmick-less but merely good food, Aburiya Toranoko was worth a try.
Our waitress Pat was friendly despite being pestered by our party. She made some good recommendations with the sashimi but I really did not know what I was eating. Under the influence of sake, I remembered the miso eggplant was good. I also remembered the bacon wrapped asparagus, fried chicken with green tea salt, lamb chops, and some sweet potato tempura. The rib-eye steak could not make the recommendation as it was way over cooked.
"Monica" (ask Pat if you want to know who Monica was) was kind of anti-social. He would not give us an extra menu even though he had one in his hand but to direct Pat to fetch us one. Overall this was a delightful restaurant not over crowded with a relaxed ambient. -
Review from Chanel C.
11/7/2011
I really wanted to like this place since it was so cute. I loved the brick walls, the art, the black chandeliers, and the bar counter top. Really hip and modern decor.
The food was really good, but there wasn't anything I had that blew my mind away. Maybe we didnt order the right things, but our bill did come out to 350ish so I would say we got to try a good amount of their menu. The dishes were not too expensive, but you can definitely find the items in a different place for mucchhh cheaper. For example, a small order of tempura was $12 and I've definitely had better...without a doubt.
I would so much rather go next door to the Lazy Ox because the food is sooo much better & the price is about the same. -
Review from mary l.
Los Angeles, CA
3/16/2012 1 Check-in Here
Japanese tapas and sushi. In an area full of Japanese food, this place does okay. The sushi rolls were fresh and delightful and you can tell they are trying. I think they reach the bar in terms of expectations. Nothing is bad. Everything is tasty. Otherwise, I think it would be hard to survive in this area. I would love to try it for happy hour because it seems like the perfect place. The portions are a bit small though so it's not a good value but it's still good.
-
Review from Art O.
San Francisco, CA
12/29/2011
This review is just for the bar. We decided to wait here until our table was ready at Lazy Ox.
The ladies got some killer drinks - I'll fill in the names next time - while us guys threw down some large Sapporos.
We liked the ambience, decor, and especially the bartender - very sweet and cute and a professional through and through.
We'll have to try the food next time we're around for sure. -
Review from K H.
West Covina, CA
3/21/2012
Hit & a lot of miss dishes
Sexy interior decorating
Graffiti walls & red lit bathrooms
Reflects the creative & funky menu
New Style Sashimi, Sumiyaki, etc.
Adventurous & expensive
Sake Flight: 4 stars
- great choices to complement the menu & all palates
Whitefish Sashimi w/Pomegranate Vinegar: 4 stars
- great opener
- sashimi is overpowered by pomegranate, but still delicious
- perhaps thicker slices would be better
Yellowtail Sashimi w/Miso Marinated Cream Cheese & Caviar: 1 star
- Sounds interesting, but too creamy & yellowtail is definitely lost
- thicker slices would be better and on canape w/more caviar
Uni Goma Tofu: 5 stars
- silky smooth tofu made from sesame topped w/fresh uni & freshly grated horseradish
- sexy & luscious dish; must try
Miso Tongue: 1 star
- lack basic seasoning & needed more char
Duck w/Yuzu: 1 star
- okay flavor & definitely lacked basic seasoning
Lamp Chop: 1 star
- another okay, under-seasoned dish
Chicken Thigh: 2 stars
- another okay dish; just a little better than the other sumiyaki dishes we had
Negima Chicken w/Green Onions: 2 stars
- grilled green onions a nice touch, but still lacking seasoning
- tasted very similar to the chicken thigh
Tsukune Meatball: 3 stars
- best out of the sumiyaki dishes we ordered, but still lacking seasoning
Green Tea Pudding: 3 stars
- smooth like mousse, but nothing spectacular
If they had a tofu tasting, I may reconsider going back. Something like agedashi tofu, miso soup, fried tofu w/mushrooms, uni goma tofu, hot soy pudding dessert palate cleanser, tofu sumiyaki 3 ways, cold soy jello &/ frozen yogurt. -
Review from Ming-Jou C.
Torrance, CA
10/6/2011
After winning a staring contest with a homeless guy standing right next to my car waiting for me to get out and feed the meter and in process feed him, I finally was able to run across the street to Aburiya Toranoko, my first dineLA meal this year.
On a Thursday night, there was no one there except for a couple of tables and some people at the sushi bar. Everyone seems to think hanging shabby chic Murano-glass looking chandeliers makes everything look cool. Maybe I'm just sick of seeing them everywhere, but there they were. Three of them lined up, contrasted with brick walls and an overall contemporary ambiance.
We were seated right away and brought menus. Our waitress (the first of a variety) was nice and brought us the dineLA menus, along with their specials and regular menu, explained everything to us and took our drink orders.
Of course, for $34, we ordered the dineLA prix fixe and just waited for the food to start coming. It was a four-course deal:
1) Persimmon and Shimeji Mushroom with Sesame Sauce
2) Trio of Appetizer:
Hama Hama Oyster with tabasco sauce, Kanpachi (Amber Jack) with fig Salsa (SO GOOD), Fluke with Pomegranate Sauce.
3)Entree Choices:
Assorted Sushi Combination
Beef Tongue Stew with Miso Soup
4) Green Tea Pudding and Creme Brulee cheesecake
I have to admit that presentation and taste were good. I almost thought there wouldn't be enough food, but the sushi combination came with 6 cut roll pieces of tuna+cucumber, and your basics like unagi, tuna, hamachi, white fish, salmon nigiri. I think there was one more, but I can't remember because we were flapping our gums the entire time.
For dessert, we thought we were both getting green tea pudding (which was really tasty and a nice thick consistency), but instead they brought out one pudding as well as a big slice of cheesecake, so we just shared. Good thing we liked each other, or that could've been awkward.
Service was pretty good the entire time, except we did have to wait about 10 minutes before being able to flag someone down to see if we could also order off the 5-7 happy hour menu. turns out it's only applicable at the sushi bar, at which they gladly offered to seat us, but we declined. I took another look and it didn't say anywhere on the menu that it was sushi bar only.
Overall, staff was friendly, parking was easy (avoid the creepy homeless) and food was good. I would probably go back again and try the izakaya portion, since we didn't order anything else off the menu. But really? $3 for tea? This is why I hate LA.
Oh, and also the fact that it took me 50 minutes for 15 miles. Ridiculous. (didn't affect star rating, of course!) -
Review from Elmo S.
Arcadia, CA
1/16/2012
I have been here a total of 4 times now and I have to say, each time... the experience just degrades.
Let's assess the food first. Considering it's price range, it's expected that the food is authentic and good/great... to that end, Toranoko delivers. However, despite it being subtle, I have to say that the food had also degraded over time. It's almost as if they had a change of chef(s)...
Now let's move to the decor... as something they have common with Lazy Ox next door, they seem to put some emphasis on their front doors. They are enormous and very eye catching. The inside is an interesting mix of graffiti with neighborhood/street playfulness and Asian artifacts like the tiger behind the sushi bar. It is also interesting to note there are no sushi display cases on the sushi bar counters (first I've seen like this). The overall lighting is dark and cozy and that theme continues to the full bar as well with a lighted glass countertop. The only let down in the interior decor is the restrooms. The hallway that leads to the bathrooms are pictures of bosouzoku (Japanese motorcycle rebels) and it ends with just a plain white bathroom inside (kinda of a let down and very anti-climatic).
When it comes to the service, I have been there 4 times and each time, I felt that the servers are trying to do the best that they can. To that I give them props... however, I can't say the same for the management. They seem to favor a certain type of clientele and I guess I do not fit that type. Despite spending well over $80+/person there each time, I have never even gotten a smile from them. I will see them fully engaged with other tables (usually young Asian females and your typical yuppie non-asian group) but that treatment never got extended to our table. Somehow, I just get this stuck up nose up in the air attitude from them.
I really want to like them since I enjoy good quality Japanese food. But I am not willing to spend that kind of money if I am being treated like a 2nd rate citizen. I hope things will change and improve down the road... -
Review from Sylvie C.
11/5/2011
Eek. I really wanted to love Aburiya - I had been dying to go to lazy ox's cuter, funkier, anime-loving sister, but like an inflatable doll, she only disappointed. I went with a group of 8, so we were able to try a pretty large selection of the menu...however, as expensive as our bill was, due to the teeny tiny portion sizes, we ordered a pizza several hours later. Our waitress (even though we asked her) failed to inform us of the size of these plates, and as they came out, we were genuinely shocked.
The meal started out great...if Aburiya does anything right, I'd say their cocktails are pretty spot on. I loved the graffiti and art on the walls; hello kitty stared at me from every direction. But then. Things took a sour turn. Not only did we wait 1 hour plus for our food, when it came out we (and mostly I, as I had chosen the place) were sorely disappointed. Don't you just feel TERRIBLE and like you've lost ALL your street cred when you pick a sh*tty restaurant??
Things I thought were super boring, especially because of the hype and expense: Seared tuna with crispy baby spinach, baked black cod in sweet miso glaze, beef tongue in miso marinade, new zealand lamb chop, asparagus in bacon. I won't even go into the details of the order, because almost everything we ordered was a huge disappointment and just fell flat,. How can a place that serves subpar sushi/japanese food even compare to the other gems in little tokyo?? Perhaps I'll give it another try, but I simply can't imagine an improved experience. I'm stickin with lazy ox, the sister who doesn't try so hard. -
Review from Sheree P.
10/10/2011 14 photos
Mmmmm Toooorroooo http://www.yelp.com/us...
Kagayalover bought a chef tasting thing and I'm the honored freeloading guest :) Toranoko was at the PbP Annual Plate by Plate event but I missed it due to wedding in SD so this is def an upgrade. *heart*
Chef Hisa def took his time making each dish with care and artistically pleasant. http://www.yelp.com/us...
Exhibit A:
Uni Cocktail: http://www.yelp.com/us... with daikon consume and gold leafs. Sweet taste of uni with the light consume blends well together. Refreshing.
Exhibit B:
Trio of deliciousness: http://www.yelp.com/us... which consist of:
-- Hama Hama Oyster with caviar and ankimo: http://www.yelp.com/us...
-- Mysterious fish (I think its snapper) with truffle and truffle oil http://www.yelp.com/us...
-- Salmon with Jalapeno sauce and ikura http://www.yelp.com/us...
Taste wise, I think the oyster was the best out of the three. The truffle oil and truffle pieces were too heavy on the light fish, didn't work so well together.
Next up, beef tongue stew http://www.yelp.com/us... this was a warm, hearty, rustic dish. The beef tongue was tender and Great way to settle the stomach after the greasy truffle oil.
Then Chef Hisa served an array of sashimi that were mouth watering:
TORO, no need to say more http://www.yelp.com/us...
Ama ebi http://www.yelp.com/us...
Hamachi? (not sure) http://www.yelp.com/us...
Another mysterious fish I forgot http://www.yelp.com/us...
Unagi http://www.yelp.com/us...
Between stuffing my face and busy taking pictures and comparing photography skills on our smart phones, kagayalover and I were filling up fast. But of course, then comes desserts. They brought two different desserts so we can have a little variety.
Green Tea Pudding: http://www.yelp.com/us... Cute presentation. I like the mini clay pot. Taste wise, the pudding is not overly sweet so the honey can add the natural sweetness.
Cheesecake Brulee: http://www.yelp.com/us... a hybrid between cheesecake and creme brulee, I was expecting this to be more creamy. But its got the consistency of Japanese style cheesecake with a candied top. Not exactly my cup of tea, but interesting nonetheless.
There you have it. I give it 4 stars for the quality, presentation and friendly service. Oh and my pictures turned out pretty damn good for crackberry.Listed in: Su-shhhiii
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Review from Brian W.
Los Angeles, CA
11/22/2011 Seated via OpenTable
4.5
The food was good and very unique. The service was excellent.
I'm not sure if I would go if I didn't have a bloomspot although the prices seem pretty good. The sushi quality doesn't match some of the places in little tokyo or west LA, but it hit the spot and was a wonderful time. -
Review from MJ W.
Los Angeles, CA
9/9/2011
OMG. I just saw that this place got FOUR (4) stars. Are you kidding me? What are these people on? I love you yelpers but I do not agree with you at all on this one.
I don't even know where to begin. I will never go back to this place EVER! I was out with some friends and was supposed to dine next door at Lazy Ox Canteen. But after waiting almost an hour for a table at lazy ox and having horrible seasonal allergies which progressively got worse as I was standing outside. I just couldn't take it anymore and convinced my friends to eat at Aburriya instead. It looked and was empty but I was pretty desperate and hungry. I was thinking, the owner of lazy ox opened this place and brought chefs from Japan it can't be bad, right? WRONG!
1. The server spilled 1/3 of our sake all over my fav Jbrand jeggings
and Atilio Leombruni flats. He apologized but didn't even offer to
pay for dry cleaning nor did he comp our sake. HELLO! if you don't
know how to open it, ask someone else to do it for you or open it
AWAY from the table.
2. The server messed up our order.
3. It took us almost an hour to get our check (why????) AND it was
incorrect! They overcharged us. Seriously? I was SPEECHLESS!
4. The food is mediocre.
No wonder this place is empty. I'm pretty sure that other people who were dining there only came because they got sick of waiting for a table at Lazy Ox too. I don't think they will stay open for much longer. -
Review from Forrest D.
South Pasadena, CA
8/23/2011 1 Check-in Here
The pedigree here is high, coming from the folks at the wonderfully delicious and inventive Lazy Ox Canteen directly next door, causing most anyone in the know to have ridiculously high and probably unmeetable expectations. And while it doesn't quite meet those lofty standards, there are a lot of unique offerings if you don't mind the sometimes steep entry price.
White fish with raspberry sauce is exquisite. It's sweet and sour and spicy all in one bite, really quite special. The problem is that that really is all there is, about one bite, and at the cost of an entree in many restaurants it's hard to rationalize it being worth so much.
Yanagita farms Uni goma tofu was also excellent, not the most perfect uni ever, but stellar and tasty and modestly priced.
The waiter misunderstood our order of Snow crab, and served us a Soft Shell crab roll and it turned out to be a pleasant mistake. The crab roll is fantastic, just about perfect and not overpriced.
Chirashi with Tsukemono and miso soup is a fairly good value. There's a moderately generous assortment of standard sashimi, nothing too crazy but the fish is extremely fresh.
The restaurant itself is a stunner, with the coolest murals on the walls I've seen in a while and a contemporary but comfortable feel. Service was great even with the missed order, really had no complaints. The biggest issue is that unless you drop a benjamin or more, you're likely to leave hungry, even at lunch. While pricing seems on par to next door, the food there is just more substantial and more unique. Here it's light, delicious and airy, but you're going to need to order quite a lot to get full and much of it is fairly straighforward in execution.
Still, we'll be back and we'll probably even order the Whitefish again. It really is that good.
Best Plates: White Fish with Raspberry Sauce, Yanagita Farm Uni Goma Tofu, Soft Shell Crab Roll, Chirashi
Food - A
Ambience - A
Service - A-
Value - BListed in: Sushi, Japanese Food, Top 12 New Restaurant Finds of…
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Review from Lisa U.
Glendale, CA
Updated - 9/23/2011
If I may be so picky, I'd like to be picky about the sushi rice. A true sushi connoisseur will judge sushi not just by the neta*, but by the rice. The rice is seasoned with vinegar, salt and sugar. Depending on the sushi type, the sweetness, sourness, or saltiness may change. The texture of the rice should also be fluffy and sticky while not being overly compressed and mushy.
While I enjoyed the neta* on the sushi enormously, I found that the rice was on the hard side. So much so that if you're not careful, it will crumble. It's a pity because the rice should enhance the enjoyment of fish, but I found that the al dente texture of the rice took away from the fresh fish.
Also, from a purist's point of view, it's kinda silly to taint the flavor of perfectly good sashimi with truffles or figs. I asked the sous chef in Japanese,
"Are those... figs?"
The chef replied sheepishly, "yes..."
But we both realize that this IS the States. I'm sure it's not a bad combo overall.
Again, I give it 5 stars because it's good, tasty Japanese food.
*neta = the fish topping on the nigiri sushi.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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8/4/2011
I'm Japanese American. I've been to Japan 20+ times. I've eaten at Tsukiji Market, have traveled… Read more »
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Review from Risa Y.
8/12/2011
I finally got to try Aburiya Toranoko!
Although I stumbled into the restaurant drunk, I do remember a pleasant experience of great service and yummy sushi~ It's a bit pricey but I went straight for the Hamachi and Uni my 2 favorite sushi. Hamachi had a good amount of fat, it literally melted in my mouth... and Uni was amazing as well. I really liked how they are generous with the fish and give you little bit of the sushi rice so that you can really taste the fish.
I also ordered ankimo and uni tofu. Ankimo is Monkfish liver. I LOVE Ankimo and I have not had ankimo is a very long time. I wish they didn't put them in a sweet sauce and just used ponzu and yuzu for the sauce but it was still pretty good. Uni tofu might be my favorite!
The sushi chefs are nice! Not stuck up and scary like some other sushi restaurants!
I would definitely come back here again!Listed in: Japanese Food Anyone?, Fine Dining in LA, Little Tokyo LA
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Review from Jim A.
11/7/2011
This is the first time that I went to Aburiya Toranoko. The owner of this restaurant also owns Lazy Ox Canteen which is next door. The decor is very modern, yet you get a feeling that you are in an exclusive place. This might have to do with the space not being very big at all. I believe that there were about 10 tables and booths.
I ordered the lunch Benito box which for the price point and the quality of the food was excellent. My Benito box had sashimi, vegetable tempura, bamboo shoots, a rice and beef combination and a Japanese salad. The service was excellent and I look forward to returning/ -
Review from Keila N.
7/24/2011 25 photos
This is located on the west side of San Pedro Street, between 2nd and 3rd Street. I was here for dinner with the family. Toranoko serves high quality izakaya style food with attention to details. We ordered a variety of dishes, all of which were superb.
Agedashi tofu was impressive. Unlike the store bought tofu that you can store in the fridge for days- even weeks, Toranoko picks up tofu from a place in Gardena that makes its tofu daily and is good for 2 days only at the most.
The salmon sashimi was fresh and so were the tuna rolls. My water glass was always full, and the servers were very cordial and attentive. I couldn't have asked for better service. It was truly a top notch experience.Listed in: Exceptional Service
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Review from Sarah C.
Rowland Heights, CA
8/27/2011
Young Adult Downtown Dinning
The food, ambiance, and service is superb yet not pretentious. Sushi bar, full bar, indoor seating, and outdoor patio seating. -
Review from Lawrence L.
Covina, CA
Came here not too long ago for our usual Friday night date night which lately has meant the culinary exploration of something new that we haven't tried. It's become somewhat easier to decide where to go: just look for some BlackboardEats or OpenTable offer that we have accumulated and pick the one that is ready to expire...
On this particular occasion, Aburiya Toranoko was on the radar because of it's one of restaurateur Michael Cardenas trendy eateries like Lazy Ox Canteen next door, and Sushi Roku on 3rd. Reputed to be about "no fluff, down home real cuisine," Sushi Mike has taken most of the executive cooking team from Nobu and put them here at Toranoko...
Our first experience was mixed, like riding in a rollercoaster it had its ups and downs. Chef/Partner Hisaharu Kawabe's appetizer was an inspirational mix of flavors and textures to satiate the palate, all were varied, all were delightful. Served on a long skinny rectangular sushi roll plate, the Seared Ahi w/Crispy Fried Spinach was an eye opener, especially the crispy spinach, how did they do that? The Sea Urchin (Uni?) Tofu was salty and very smooth without any sign of sliminess that you might expect. The Whitefish Sashimi and Pomegranates kampachi was sliced thin and ever so slightly 'crunchy' and not melt in you mouth meaty like other sashimi...
For the main course, we split the BBE choices: she had the Beef Tongue Stew and I ordered the Seasonal assortment of sushi. The sushi assortment was disappointingly ordinary, not memorable. I'm sure that everything was very fresh but I thought that the nigiri and the spicy tuna roll was so typical, so run-of-the-mill that you would see this stuff at a take out place such as Sushi Boy. I'm not trying to slam Sushi Boy, it has it's place, but it's like comparing KMart to Saks Fifth. I don't remember much about the Beef Tongue other than the fact that my wife said that it was ok. There was a large stewed daikon slice in the middle of the dish...
Off of the BBE prix fixe menu, we also ordered something else that was touted, the velvety New Union Farms Sizzling Mushrooms roasted toban yaki-style which refers to cooking on a ceramic plate, it was finished with a beefy broth. It was sort of a slurry of different kinds of mushrooms served in a ceramic bowl with a thin layer of broth. It was originally served mistakenly to the handsome couple sitting next to us--I watched their reaction to it comically like 'did you order this?--no, did you?' The service was uneven in general, mixing up our order and all, but I thought the waitress was courteous enough otherwise...
For dessert we had an interesting but good Green Tea Pudding topped with a raspberry in a glass. The BBE deal came with a 180ml bottle of cold sake for each of us. I took a couple of sips and decided to try a glass of the Spring Sangria which was a white sangria. I didn't think it was very good, either that or else I just prefer red sangria better. It wasn't "aged" very well, I thought that the fruit was suppose to sit in the wine for a while to allow the flavors to meld. It tasted more like some cheap white wine with some fruit thrown in. Can skip this the next time...
The ambiance is pretty cool, we sat next the to opening to the open sidewalk patio on the inside at a small table for two. There are some happening spots along the bar which was busy, and from where I was sitting, the sushi bar towards the back with the tiger mural looked like it was for the regulars. There was also a large communal (?) table in the center of the restaurant... The patio is fenced but otherwise open to the view of uninteresting concrete lined San Pedro St. At least there are heat lamps for cool evenings...
The menu is pretty imposing and extensive, maneuvering it takes some skills in being decisive. Like everyone else says, the prices are a bit steep for what you get (izakaya). I would prefer to wait for another deal before coming back... -
Review from Kristie W.
Marina del Rey, CA
12/4/2011
Went here on a Bloomspot certificate for the Omakase Chef Tasting Menu. Being the Omakase, and valued at nearly $200, I had high hopes. The staff was pleasant but the service was slow. With only three tables when we arrived, we had to wait about 15 minutes before they came by to take our drink order/bring us the sake that comes with the offer.
The food/fish was barely edible. The only thing I enjoyed, outside of the freshly brewed hot rice tea were the oysters. My husband liked the beef because of how tender it was but I was turned off by their seemingly straight-from-the-can and perfectly manufactured square shape (slightly larger than my cat's perfectly squared canned beef niblets). While the meat was very tender, the accompanying sauce soaked the meat a bit too much like gravy. The whole dish felt too kibbles and bits for me.
That said, perhaps the chef's menu (or good sushi, for that matter) isnt the way to go here. I'm just not sure I'll be back to figure out what is. -
Review from Anita i.
7/20/2011
I took my dear friend here for her birthday! Although the portions are mostly pretty small, the food is GOOD. the only downer would be the flies that kept hovering over us. Management needs to do something about this. It was really annoying shoo-ing all the flies away while we were trying to eat.. and made it kinda gross, but i let it slide.
t h e o r d e r
s h i s h i t o p e p p e r s
did you now 1 in 10 are spicy? or was it 1 in 20? i loved these, fried and tossed in ponzu and sesame seeds
Y a n a g i t a s e a f a r m s u n i g o m a t o f u
I didn't expect the tofu to be so creamy.. my friend said it had the texture of peanut better.. and it totally did! you cant really taste the uni especially when eaten together with the tofu. Everything is just too creamy. It's good, but we need more UNI!
K u m a m o t o O y s t e r s 4 w a y s
topped with Uni, Caviar, Salsa, Ponzu+grated ginger and green onions. Uni and ponzu were my favs. I LOVE OYSTERS! We each had an order of oysters. mmmmmmmm.. so good!
C l a m u d o n
mmm nice and hot, and the clam sauce is made with sake. Our server recommended this dish and it was delicious!
O k o n o m i y a k i
my first time having this! we ordered half half, so it had pork and seafood in it. This order is slightly bigger than their other dishes so def more worth it! it was gooood. I want to sit in front of the griddle and make my own!
D u c k s u m i y ak i
grilled duck breast with garlic chips. this dish was TINY for $8. i didn't care much for it.
W h i t e f i s h s a s h i m i w/ r a s p b e r r y r e d u c t i o n
the white fish had a nice texture that paired well with the raspberry, but it wasn't anything overtop delicious. just slice and drizzle.
S a n g r i a
they give you lots of fruit! the sangria is yummy, although i don't taste much vino.
M a t c h a p u d d i n g
complete with a candle for the birthday girl! I would come here just for this.. (and the oysters)... Its so good. If you like matcha you will LOVE this. its creamy and perfectly lightly sweetened
w h a t i d i g
the art mural backdrop
q u i c k t i p
there's plenty of parking on 3rd street if you cant find parking on San Pedro -
Review from Kevin B.
Los Angeles, CA
2/21/2012 Seated via OpenTable
Solid sushi, very good service, but a bit pricey.
Scene is fun, just know that you might be sitting next to (I mean RIGHT next to) another couple. It's all good. We went on a Friday night and you didn't need a res (even though we got one).
Plan on going back.
Trying Lazy Ox next Friday, see you there. -
Review from Andre N.
9/29/2011 1 Check-in Here
Came here for a birthday party, so didnt really eat much other than the sushi which like the goonies was good enuff for me. Enjoyed their Spicy Tuna Hand Roll, seemed pretty fresh.
Atmosphere is good, has a nice outdoor patio, so you can be drinking outside and such overlooking the streets of little tokyo - yay.
Bars prices were reasonable, enjoyed my glasses of sapporo. Staff friendly as well and ever so helpful.
Must check it out again, when not going for a party. -
Review from Ross K.
Venice, CA
2/10/2012 1 Check-in Here
Stopped in last night for the first time and was blown away by the great service and tasty eats! As it was a beautiful evening, we sat outside and I started with a Kawaba Snow Weizen which was also a first! Love this Japanese import rendition of a hefeweizen! It was so frosty and smooth. A great compliment to the meats we ordered.
Our appetizer was the salmon rice ball. Also a first, and something I'd like to try to make at home! It was very good.
From there we ordered some Sumiyaki. Chicken liver, wings, beef tongue, karagi chicken, and bacon wrapped asparagus.. all so very tasty yet the New York steak in garlic and onions was sooo delicious. The steak melts in your mouth along with the sweet sauteed onions. :D~ My mouth is watering thinking about it.
The food was soo good only to be surmounted by the excellent customer service we received. Unfortunately there wasn't room for dessert as we had to reorder a couple of those skewers!
Definitely a recommendation for this place! I'll have to return to try the sushi!
:DListed in: Top Restaurants
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Review from Eli G.
I guess it's my fault for expecting so much from a downtown Japanese spot. Little Tokyo really needs to be renamed to Little Korea as all the good Japanese food is and has been in the south bay.
When we first sat down at the counter we browsed the high priced menu and noticed the chef in front of us serving up a conch on a bed of salt on fire! It looked pretty cool and we love conch so we ordered a pair. We also ordered a bunch of other dishes and some beer.
A few minutes later our room temp beer came out and after complaining we got a cold beer 15 minutes later. We then watched in horror as the chef took an empty conch shell and a plastic bin with conch meat and proceeded to dice up the conch and then stuff it back in the shell. This completely removed the enjoyment of pulling out the full spiral of meat with bitter entrails attached at the base. Oh well, it at least was served on fire;
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
The tofu and uni was okay, nothing spectacular;
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Roasted garlic was nice and roasted;
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The oden was okay as well, not too bad or great;
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The soupy intestine dish was great though! The intestines were cooked just right and had a great texture to them. The broth in this one was also quite nice;
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
We got a couple other dishes but had to limit ourselves since everything was so expensive compared to izakaya in the south bay. The kicker came when we got the bill and we found that our mutilated conchs were $26 each! That's more than double what we'd pay at any sushi spot in the south bay. So we left paying close to 3x times what we'd pay at any other spot for food of equal quality. -
Review from D S.
Los Angeles, CA
Got a great deal from Bloomspot! We went on a Sunday evening and wasn't busy at all. The decor reminded my girl of NYC! Reserved the sushi bar (per Bloomspot) but when I got there my reservation was wrong! No biggie, since I preferred a booth instead cuz of my son. The omakase was great! The owner/ chef even came by to apologize for the error w/ the reservation@ the end of our dinner. The staff was awesome! They even comp'd a beer, bottle of sake, and a desert due to the error. After leaving the spot, I realized that I didn't tip on the FULL value( pre- Bloomspot) of the dinner, so being the great guy that I am (LOL), i sent the "controller of my $$" back with xtra $$. Our server told her the original tip was more than sufficient and REFUSED to accept the add'l $$!!! Repeatedly refused! Whaaaat!?!? Great food, decor, and staff!! As Arnold stated, " I'll be back!"
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Review from Kenny Y.
Los Angeles, CA
11/14/2011
So 2 of my friends from NY insisted on taking me out for my birthday last night and stressed that I should pick a place that I haven't been to. I read about Toranoko in the Downtown L.A. Restaurant Guide and wanted to check it out. Since moving back here, I could not find an Izakaya that came close to Sakagura in NYC...until last night.
The decor is a mix of Urban/Modern decor with a traditional bar in the back of the restaurant. I enjoyed the quaint seating as well as the old school hip-hop playing at a good, moderate level.
And now onto the food...delicious. Almost everything was made from scratch and we annihilated everything we ordered. Chef Hisaharu San is truly an artist in terms of his presentation as well as having a keen sense of balancing delicate flavors together in harmony.
They also have a great sake and beer list! Finally found an izakaya with my favorite beer, Echigo Koshihikari and my favorite sake, Dassai 23.
I love the fact that this place is 2 minutes away from my place and will be frequenting here at least 2-3 times a week. Great find and a great and knowledgeable wait staff. What's up Takumi! -
Review from Sandy S.
Food was good! I had blackboardeats code for a prix fixe. So my gfs and I got one of those and then ordered off the regular menu.
All the sushi and sashimi we tried were fresh and tasty.
Must tries:
-kanpachi sushi with fried leeks: tangy and delish. Perfectly bite-sized.
-Ono sushi: my favorite dish of the night. It was really good. No soy sauce needed.
-deep fried uni: surprisingly good. Crunchy outside, rich center. Beautiful presentation. Off the menu.
-uni tofu: very rich and silky. Yummy.
-Udon dish with clams: udon was perfectly cooked. Great sauce.
The eggplant with ground chicken was pretty good, as well as the black miso cod.
For dessert, the green pudding and strawberry shortcake were both good...I think. I was too full to really enjoy the dessert. :(
Overall, great experience. Not cheap tho. My gfs and I got a little carried away with ordering food...and..ahem..martinis. Bill came out to $220 for 3 people. Lol.
Overall, great experience. Mike, the owner, was very attentive and treated us very well. My only complaint is the wait staff. Very nice, but very forgetful. We had to ask for things two to three times before we finally got it. -
Review from Angela D.
5/31/2011 1 Check-in Here
I took my friend Lisa Z. here and it was awesome! We got to sit at the sushi bar and watch all the action!!
I got the BBE pre-fixe for $35 and Lisa got some individual rolls (Scallops and Yellowtail).
The pre-fixe:
Appetizer with sea urchin tofu; seasonal whitefish sashimi and pomegranates; and seared tuna and crispy spinach- YUM!! Usually I don't like uni but matched with the tofu it was amazing!! The sashimi was delicate and the crispy spinach was so addicting!
Beef tongue stew or Seasonal assortment of sushi- I got the sushi. Melted in my mouth :))))
Green tea pudding- It tastes like green tea ice cream but in pudding form. It was a refreshing end to the meal.
Bottle of Jizake sake- It was really smooth!
The service was good and the sushi chefs were really friendly. Great atmosphere :) I would come back again. -
Review from Jane O.
7/8/2011 1 Check-in Here
This is my second time here and overall I enjoyed the food here, but it's just a little too pricey for what they offer.
My first discovery of this place was when a friend of a friend of mine, hosted a happy hour here. (I think he is the "duke" here or something like that.) My girlfriends and I actually enjoyed the food so much that we decided to come back again a couple months later.
Since we were dining with extremely hungry boys the second time around, they were less than enthused when they saw how small the portions were. We ended up ordering what felt like 2/3 of their menu, just to be barely satisfied, in terms of killing their hunger pains.
For 5 people with drinks, the bill was about $250. For me, that's a little much to not be full and/or food I find to be un-fancy. For $50, I could get a steak at Mastros!
If money and portion-control is of no concern to you, I would still check this place out because all in all the food here is pretty good.
The notable dishes to try are:
-Salmon sashimi with jalapeno sauce
-Ankimo (fish liver)
-Clam Udon
-Specialty cold tofu (I think Hokkaido style?)
-Eggplant
-agedashi tofu
-seafood okonomiyaki (pancake)
