- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
Azuma Japanese Restaurant
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 11:30 am - 2 pm
Mon-Sun 5:30 pm - 12 am
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
315 reviews for Azuma Japanese Restaurant
Review Highlights
-
"I usually get the combo plates with black cod." In 43 reviews -
"The beef teriyaki was probably the best I've ever had." In 43 reviews -
"Azuma is the Izakaya where everyone knows your name." In 46 reviews
Loading...
315 reviews in English
-
Review from Angela A.
Azuma is one of Gardena's hidden gems! Building is so inconspicuous that if you blink, you'll barely noticed that you passed it. Parking/entrance is in the back and the dining is small, and not really recommended for large groups. If you arrive during peak lunch/dinner hours, expect up to an hour wait. However, the food is so worth it!
The lunch/dinner plates are overwhelmingly huge! They serve it to you on a serving platter that's fit for Thanksgiving. They offer your typical teriyaki chicken, beef, salmon, eel, katsu - served with rice, salad with house dressing, and macaroni salad. They also offer Izakaya dishes for those who want small plates. They got all my favorites - salmon belly, pork belly, gomaae, nasu dengaku, takoyaki and buta kakuni.
If you sit at the front of the restaurant, you can see all the food get cooked and prepared. I always like sitting at the counter because I like watching all the action! Food is so exciting to me!
Prices are great too; not over-priced..besides, the food is good enought o make you want to come back for more! -
Review from Kevin L.
Los Angeles, CA
5/2/2012
Lunch
Sashimi and Pork Katsu -$10
Good: quick and easy.
surprisingly good sashimi
friendly service
good price
Bad: strangely large plates (more humorous than bad)
I'd definitely come back here again, service was good food was good and $10 for a filling lunch, I'll take it. -
Review from Belinda S.
Los Angeles, CA
Huge portions for lunch specials. I upgraded to black cod for another $2 and it was totally worth it. The beef teriyaki is basically a steak with teriyaki sauce. Totally stuffed and I didn't even finish.
Parking is in the back. -
Review from Robert N.
Torrance, CA
4/9/2012 1 Check-in Here
High power = high volume = high performance! This place will feed you till you die... volume is king and cost performance is very good! The content n taste is also nothing to make fun about too.
if you have a super empty tummy, and kinda empty wallet then go to Azuma! -
Review from Gray L.
Huntington Beach, CA
5/11/2012
Folks, this place hits the spot if you're craving Japanese izakaya (beer) food. They have a great variety of meals and side dishes, all for a very reasonable price. If you are really hungry, go for their 'combination meals' (they include rice, Japanese style cabbage and macaroni salad, sashimi, miso soup and your choice of either beef, chicken, pork cutlets, or Japanese style croquettes - all of this for $10-17).
The only downside to Azuma is its seating capacity. Its a really small joint, and therefore, I recommend you guys come right at opening time in order to avoid their lunch and dinner rush (especially Friday nights). -
Review from Jason W.
Hawthorne, CA
5/10/2012
Today I went to this place and the most ridiculous thing happened.
I walked in about 5:30 and there was just the cooks there.( they have seats surround the cooking area, where you can talk to the cooks)
I don't see any waitress so I just told the cook what I wanted, then I walked to the refrigerator and grabbed a can of drink.
About 2 minutes later, this waitress who just got there, walked up to me and said :" You Know It's a Crime Right ? You Not Suppose To Steal From The Refrigerator." She was so serious and she gave me the most disgusting look like I was a thief.
I was so shocked and offended by her comment and attitude. What the fuck happened to this restaurant? What happened to the hospitality ? If anything, she should apologize to me that I had to get my own drinks because she was busy. Instead of apologize, she accuse me of stealing a $2 drink. Ridiculous !!!
I asked to talk to their manager, the cooks told me the manager is not there.
I was so insulted that I lost any appetite. I put $25 on the table and left without eating a bite of their fucking food.
If you are the owner of this restaurant, please fire this stupid waitress. She is killing your business. This is not how you treat your customer. I'm not coming back and I'm telling all my friends not coming back. -
Review from Jen A.
Los Angeles, CA
4/5/2012 1 Check-in Here
Went to Azuma on a whim after a long flight to LA from a vacation to Philly. It was perfect because it was open a little later than most Japanese places. We were expecting to get sushi but ended up getting rice/meat dishes. It was a great decision! The plates fool you though, big plate to make the portions look HUGE. Heh so smart of Azuma!
Parking is a pain, small parking spot, I suppose you can park in the neighborhood near, but it's so much nicer when a place has a parking lot. The place is smaller and packed full of all kinds of people.
The food was basically Japanese soul food with a touch of the islands, aka Hawaii. My family cooks exactly like this, so I can definitely feel the soul food aspect and the touch of Hawaii. I ordered a combo meal with salmon, mac salad, sashimi, salad. Sashimi had tako! Ahh i love any sashimi with tako, of course it had other things but oh how i love my tako! The teriyaki Salmon was a nice hearty portion, filled me up fast. Customer service was great, the lady who served us asked if we were local, and all that, again very home-like.
I recommend a green tea to finish off your meal to help aid digestion, after all it is a lot of food to take in. Highly recommend Azuma! -
Review from Khoa D.
West Covina, CA
4/24/2012
Came here with my co-worker today & had the beef terriyaki / tempura combo. The beef is great here, so tender & quite juicy. Not like most other terriyaki houses that uses lower grade beef. We also order the sashimi combo which was pretty fresh! Better then some sushi house. They're very generous with the portions here & if you have a good appetite as I do, then you would enjoy this place. I recommend!
-
Review from Cemone K.
Irvine, CA
3/17/2012 1 Check-in Here
OMG SO GOOD.
Huge servings, very well priced, combinations and small dishes are wonderful! Fresh sashimi and sushi. Had an eggplant sauteed with ground beef dish that was out of this world, baked mussels are delish too. Got the chicken katsu combo with sashimi, comes with soup, cabbage salad, rice and macaroni salad. But seems like the beef terriyaki is the way to go though, they use steak cooked to your preference!
I would drive all the way to Gardena for this place in a heartbeat. Best tasting Japanese food I've had in a long time with a ton of options on the menu, and they get everything out fast!
Place gets packed real quickly, its super tiny and attached to a barber shop but this place is a must try. Guarantee you will find something you love! -
Review from Ty D.
2/19/2012
One of my friend / co-worker's loves this place. If you're looking for a lot of food, this is the place to come. But if you're looking for great Japanese food, this is not the place to come. It's average when it comes to food quality. Definitely had much better Japanese food at other places.
Azuma does give you a lot of food on a big plate. The tempura..., I definitely had much better at other places. The tempura batter is not light and crisp as it should. They need to use panko in the batter to make it light and crisp.
The tonkatsu I've had here is not the best either. It's okay, decent, and I've definitely had much better.
The beef teriyaki is probably the best thing here. It's nice and tender.
Not much else to say, other than average Japanese food. It's a shame that all the great Japanese restaurants that used to be in Gardena are no longer! -
Review from Willy W.
Updated - 3/7/2012 1 Check-in Here
Update:
Stopped by for dinner with friends. They do tapas! We ordered a bunch of stuff including the black cod, backon wrapped asparagus, pork belly, sashimi salad and okonomiyaki (japanese pancake).
Everything was good especially the pork belly and okonomiyaki!
We also ordered a #1 platter, which was enormous. I can't see anyone finishing off that plate! So much food! Good tempura + teriyaki meat of your choice.
We had a pretty long wait on a Saturday night as they are a relatively small place.
Park in the back (they have a pretty big shared lot), sign your name on the clipboard, and then wait.1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
3/17/2010
A great hole-in-the-wall Japanese restaurant! They're quite busy around lunch time, but it seemed to… Read more »
-
-
Review from Aiko S.
Los Angeles, CA
3/10/2012
I love this place!
We ate so much. and it was only $44 for two of us. -
Review from christine h.
New York, NY
4/23/2012
Finally found an izakaya spot that both the hubby and I can enjoy. Large portions (he loves), delicious food (I love), and great prices (we both love)!
My favorite was the sashimi salad which came in a medium to large sized mixing bowl (yes, the kind you bake in) with fresh fish, crisp lettuce, radish sprouts, and other greens, tossed in a light dressing. Everything else was pretty good. The fried rice ball (nomnom), stir fried kimchi and pork (who doesn't love kimchi and pork together?!), miso cod, and the hamachi collar. Can't wait to come back and try the other dishes.... Maybe one of the super sized combo platters. (seriously... Super sized) -
Review from Aimee A.
Torrance, CA
4/9/2012
straight up old G-school japanese joint in Gardena. Great for groups (just got to wait sometimes), and with huge portions. Been around for a long time. I always forget about it, and then am like, Oh Azuma! We should go there!
-
Review from David M.
Torrance, CA
3/1/2012
I come to Azumas once in awhile.
I dont think their food is as good as Furaibo, but their portions are HUGE!!!
When im with a few friends i like to try alot of different small plates, but when i come with just a friend i usually order the combo plates and i have more than enough for two meals. -
Review from Liv E.
Irvine, CA
More like 3.5
Came here w/ some girlfriends through the back entrance which was tight and awkward.
Ordered chicken cutlet and sashimi combination ($14). When it was served it was ridiculously HUGE! It took up half of the table! It came with a hefty amount of fresh sashimi (tuna, salmon, something white? and octopus at least 2-3 slices each!), a large serving of cabbage salad, an obese size chicken cutlet and hiding behind all this was a macaroni salad.
The sashimi was fresh, the mayo dressing on the cabbage was good, the chicken cutlet was ok I think it still had skin (eww) and the breading was ehh. I really enjoyed the macaroni salad it was a pleasant surprise never got that outside of a hawaiian fast food place. -
Review from Jen M.
One of Gardena's Bests, you can't go wrong at Azuma!
I love the miso butterfish here - one of their long standing local faves.
The crab cream croquette is to die for too.
They offer a lot of authentic Japanese style dishes too - even natto with quail egg - mmmmm.
The ambiance could be considered hole in the wall cozy. Nothing fancy here. Just good food, and you bring the atmosphere!
Everyone here is very polite, friendly, and efficient. I love coming here, and bringing people for their maiden voyage into Azuma yumminess! -
Review from Erika G.
3/24/2012
IZAKAYA AWESOMENESS, PEOPLE!
that's really the whole story right there, but let's just say that i seem to be constantly dreaming of the next time i can make it to the yumminess that is Azuma. friendly place with easy street parking, and pretty darn good service.
there's something for everyone here -- from the Japanese food newbie to the experienced izakaya muncher to the nostalgic-for-comfort-food-i-had-growing-up-in-Jap an (that's me) eater. great place to have your friends meet you for some excellent tasties.
prices are super reasonable, portions are generous, and there are a quite a few creative selections that are beautifully presented. you can either go the small plates route or get the combos -- personally, i always get an assortment of the small plates i can't get anywhere else (i can get a katsu combo easily at the Mitsuwa food court, for example -- but not the koebi karaage (fried baby shrimp).
yay Azuma, thanks for making my belly so consistently happy! -
Review from Agnes K.
Torrance, CA
1/16/2012 4 Check-ins Here
Excellent place for lunch! I came here on a weekday last week and ordered the sashimi rice for $10. It came with several pieces of sashimi, rice, salad and macaroni salad. I was a bit overwhelmed by the amount of food. It might not sound like a lot but the portions were huge. The menus are a bit tricky because there are no descriptions, but the servers are really friendly and can explain to you anything on the menu.
Will definitely be coming back for lunch soon. -
Review from Denny K.
Irvine, CA
2/2/2012
A co-worker of mine recommended Azuma to me and I had to try it. If I did not research and look for this eating place; I would have thought it was a Barber Shop. This is really a hidden place to eat; and if you focus more on the food than surroundings and want really good Japanese food; this is the place for you. They have two sections of dining; up front with some seating and the sushi bar and a large space for sit-down dining in the back.
I ordered the lunch combo - sashimi and chicken cutlet. You get served hot tea and a sampling of pickle cabbage while you wait. The chefs that are preparing the meals are very efficient and function as a team. I noticed that there were 3 of them and they each had a part in preparing your dish depending on what you ordered.
The miso soup came next and it was piping hot and delicious. Next it was the main course and wow I have never seen a plate so big for one person. My co-worker and I each had combos and it covered 90% of our table. The portions are definitely generous. Everything on my plate was great from the chicken cutlet with the katsu sauce and a touch of wasabi mustard. The sashimi was fresh and delicious and the fresh shredded-cabbage salad and creamy macaroni salad was a nice addition. For $10 and the amount of food you get; you definitely leave full and satisfied.
This is another great option for lunch. Next time I want to try the black cod which I have been reading about in other yelp reviews. -
Review from Kevin N.
Thousand Oaks, CA
1/29/2012 3 Check-ins Here
A little cramped for an izakaya but some of the best food around. This isn't a place for ambiance but for some good homey Japanese food.
Entrees and combinations are huge!! If you don't eat a lot, stick with a la carte. -
Review from Janice M.
Torrance, CA
12/12/2011
Came here over the weekend for the first time. We ordered a bunch of appetizers, and our entrees. Food is really good. The fish is of good quality - you can taste the freshness :D Octopus is not as rubbery as people would expect. I ordered the black cod and melted in my mouth. Friends ordered the beef teriyaki - and its really good - steak quality! Appetizers are not the norm that you find in Japanese menus. It's really quite refreshing.
My only complaint is that it probably violates a few fire codes as the place is sooo small. And the restaurant sign along Western is in Japanese - difficult for us non-Japanese speakers/readers to spot. I think it's got a bigger sign in the back - where it faces the parking lot. Bf and I came through by the Western side - where a table sat in the door way. I felt bad for the guy whose back is against the door. Oh and if you have small children, don't expect a high chair or booster seat for your little ones.
Other than that, if you want really good Japanese food, this is the place to go. -
Review from Martha C.
Long Beach, CA
12/13/2011
I think you can tell a lot about a place from its bathroom. It's the one room that nearly everyone will visit at some time during the meal--and it's the one place where you won't be influenced by the wait staff, the other diners, the aura of the place--NOTHIN' but what they want you to see when you're alone with your thoughts.
Azuma's bathroom says "Utilitarian." There's a Costco-size package of toilet paper on the floor, the toilet paper holder is broken (looks like it had been for months), an opening in the ceiling reveals storage that no one is trying to hide.
The utilitarian theme continues in the Azuma dining room. It's a shotgun space, with not quite enough room at the bar for diners to be comfortable. Three cooks (none of whom looked asian) line up prepped plates and bento boxes at eye level: plop goes the orange salad dressing on top of the shredded lettuce, a pinch of radish, and scoop of potato salad. It's steamy and a little smokey from the grill and the wait staff, while friendly enough, want your order NOW.
And the place is packed. I ask the waitress what people like, what I should order. She recommends the black cod, that it is marinated and real good. So I order it in a combo with tempura.
I soon notice that the guys sitting next to me get their meal before I get mine. I didn't even see them order. Ah ha, I realize when my fellow diners start guessing at what's on their plates, they ordered "The Special." I look around: everyone's ordered The Special, and they seem to be enjoying it. They gobble it down, pay their bills, and get back to work.
The black cod, however, is pretty darn good. I like fishy, squishy fish, and the cod satisfies. But not enough to make me return. For utilitarian, I'll go to the corporate cafeteria, take it to go, and eat at my desk. -
Review from Su L.
3/3/2012
This used to be my favorite restaurant in South Bay back in 2003-2005. Ever since the restaurant changed chef, I haven't been back until today (2012). The food was still awesome. There was a little wait time and it took a while for my friends' dinner combo to come out. I ordered couple of small dishes with boyfriend, including pork belly, asparagus wrapped in bacon, sashimi salad, Japanese pancake, black cod, etc. Everything was very very good. Furaibo, another Japanese restaurant who's known for tapas style dinner, didn't come close to what this restaurant offers. My friends ordered dinner combo and the plate is the size of a tire. HUGE portion and it's decent in terms of taste. I'd recommend coming for tapas though cuz that's what they are really good at.
-
Review from Jack L.
San Gabriel, CA
11/6/2011 1 Check-in Here
Really small Japanese place, but pretty good food! Don't expect amazing service, though. Orders, dine-in and take-out, were flying out of the kitchen non-stop. The dinner specials are large enough to be shared by two people, or one really hungry individual.
I got the chicken teriyaki dinner and shared it with a friend. We also got two small appetizers; tempura tofu and yaki onigiri (grilled rice ball). The rice ball tasted very similar to burnt rice(like the kind you get on the side of your rice cooker when you put less water). Overall, delicious. Chicken was grilled perfectly.
Definitely a spot to come back in the future when I'm in the area. -
Review from Nino M.
Culver City, CA
3/13/2012 2 Check-ins Here
The portions are UNBELIEVABLE here. Wife and I usually get the sushi and teriyaki beef combo + a side, and we are stuffed after we're done! I'm not one of those people who only eats teriyaki whatever at every Japanese place, so the tender, perfectly cooked beef stands out to me. This is normally packed on weekends, with waits averaging 20 minutes (there is tiny bar area for a few groups of 2-3 people in the front, and groups of 4+ will sit in the back), but we've brought a bunch of friends here and no one ever holds the wait against them after a great meal.
-
Review from Sooichi S.
San Jose, CA
3/8/2012
Wonderful price performance. Great quality. Best Izakaya style restaurant in the area.
-
Review from Jennifer C.
Torrance, CA
Updated - 10/13/2011 141 Check-ins Here
Oh how I love Azumas!! Buta kimchi and rice with a cranberry soju is a wonderful meal! No one makes but a kimchi like Azumas!
Don't forget to try the miso cod, ebi fry shrimp and sashimi salad!Listed in: The best I ever had.....
2 Previous Reviews: Show all »
-
6/6/2011
Oh how I love Azumas!! Buta kimchi and rice with a cranberry soju is a wonderful meal! No one makes… Read more »
-
-
Review from meg m.
Temple City, CA
10/25/2011
love this place, it's not your ordinary Japanese Restaurant.
Delicious homemade style ~ Too bad i live so far away.
Prices are cheap too -
Review from Dean M.
Torrance, CA
11/29/2011
So, I've been living in Gardena for little over a year now and have driven by this hidden treasure almost daily. My family and I came here for dinner at the recommendation from an employee of another favorite Japanese restaurant who we used to frequent often but, no longer live near. In a few words, Azuma is friendly, home style and delicious.
Make sure you arrive hungry. Their combo plates are huge. Azuma is that restaurant you find yourself going as a "regular." You know, that's favorite local Japanese restaurant near by. We've been looking for this place since we've moved to Gardena. I'm glad we final dropped in. We will return for more.
Arrive early as the restaurant is quite small. There are counter space and small 2 tops in the front and more larger seating area in the back of the restaurant. Parking is in the rear and you can enter from either side. This place is a great stop for late night comfort food as it is opened past midnight. So, next time you find yourself in Gardena looking for a great Japanese restaurant, check out Azuma on Western near Redondo Beach. -
Review from Michael Y.
Garden Grove, CA
8/12/2011 1 Check-in Here
This place was DELICIOUS!
I counted 9 tables in the restaurant, and agree that parking (in the back) was difficult to find. The wait was a bit long, but was well worth it.
There was a Japanese gentleman who manned the waiting list, seated patrons, and took orders. He had a cow-spotted apron on and was bubbly. If I were a female, I'd say he's "cute", in the sense of his uplifting personality.
We ordered the Black Cod, Beef and Chicken teriyaki, and a Donburi. All were GOOD, and the portions were on the larger side. The Teriyaki dishes were all served on oversized platters to accentuate the meals' sizes. I'd have rather liked them served on smaller ones since the tables are small.
I loved the food. Go! -
Review from Char M.
Long Beach, CA
YAY...great portion size, no nonsense lunch time eating spot...they even have a counter for fast service...they have it all...I tried the beef teriyaki with sashimi...next time I will try something else...I also tried the braised pork belly...OMG...tasty...perfect flavor...I will definitely have that again...but that was pretty pricey...ARGH!
Good value for lunchtime but get there early cause they get packed...I'll be back! -
Review from Darren P.
9/24/2011 4 Check-ins Here
This place may be small, but that is the only thing tiny about it. Big food with big flavor! Prices may be a bit higher ($12-$16) but you get a lot of food that tastes amazeballs.
Don't forget to write your name (and # in your party) on the clipboard and secure your spot on the list.
I recommend:
-Teriyaki Steak (with your choice of sashimi or tempura). It is literally one of the best plates of teri I ever had. Most of us are used to skirt steak or thinly sliced cuts of lower quality meat for teriyaki. Ordered medium rare, this is one of the most tender and flavorful cuts of ribeye I have had before (noticing a trend?). The sauce is not too sweet and plenty savory. If you order this anything other than medium rare, it should be considered a crime.
-Chicken Cutlet Curry has great flavor as well. Not too much heat, but served with a lot of chicken (usually with dark, 50 cent up charge for white), rice, pickled radish (that is sweet) and curry. The curry had onions, carrots and even more chicken pieces. Yummy!
-Braised pork belly. It melted in your mouth. You can't help but smile after eating it.
-Iced green tea. Not too bitter, goes down smooth. Almost like great beer!
Well worth the trip to this hole in the wall place. -
Review from J K.
Arlington Heights, IL
11/8/2011
I'll make this a quick review.
I thought we were going to an izakaya but we ended up here instead which I think is more like a restaurant. Nothing wrong with that because the food was spectacular!
Being hungry, I ordered a bowl and a few appetizers. The food was served quickly and hot. Their Katsu don bowl is very good, Asahi (and we're talking the large bottles, not the 12 oz) is priced very well, the server was really awesome about our orders and taking care of us. Their Kushi Katsu was also great! Don't let some of the higher prices scare you away either, so far we got what we paid for. If you get to try their green tea creme brule, it's also tasty.
So why the four stars?
-Seating can be limited, even later at night.
-It is a bit cramped. I don't really mind it since I've seen other traditionally Japanese restaurants just as cramped.
-I was a bit uneasy first since I thought the server was being initially rude and ignoring us. Turns out he was taking an absurd number of orders at one time, he did apologize for taking so long. After that, it was all good.
-VERY insufficient signage outside. We thought our GPS got us lost, turns out that the store sign was out and the only hint we got with the Japanese lettering outside and the storefront address (which is how we found it).
Personally I don't believe in ordering Korean food/liquor at a Japanese restaurant, so I say stick with the Japanese food, definitely worth it! -
Review from Diana L.
Updated - 1/18/2012
I'm docking a star. Don't get me wrong, the food is still delicious (LOVE the fresh melty sashimi and grilled black cod), but the service is just too slow and forgetful to ignore.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
12/4/2011
What a great find! It is the very definition of a hole-in-the-wall. I went on a Saturday night, and… Read more »
-
-
Review from Stewart T.
Playa del Rey, CA
10/4/2011 1 Check-in Here
When I think of Azuma I'm not thinking one of the best meals in LA. What I'm thinking is if I were at one of my Japanese friend's house and his/her mom was cooking up just about any Japanese dish I wanted, this is what I'd get... down right, good as hell, Japanese comfort food... and I'm talking ANYTHING!
Whether you're in the mood for curry cutlet, donburi, sashimi, or izakaya, they have it and they have it good. Don't expect it to show up pretty and don't expect the decor to make you feel special. Just expect a home cooked meal in big portions and picture yourself being spoiled cause food is only this good at home. -
Review from Jenna Z.
7/23/2011
OMG portions here are larger than Cheesecake factory!
This is a small cramped place, but it feels authentic as if you're crowed in a small restaurant in Tokyo.
We got the combo plate with teriyaki (portion larger than my head. comes with rice, mac, salad), and ordered the okonomiyaki. I loved the combo plate but the okonomiyaki was ehhh... I've had better.
Pssttt... you can enter the restaurant from the back parking lot :) -
Review from Michael C.
San Jose, CA
11/2/2011
I am a huge fan of Asian style food, and let me just say, THIS PLACE IS SOOOO GOOD! I've eaten at tons of Japanese restaurants before, this is hands down the best one I have been too. The food is fantastic, and the price is just right.
So why not 5 stars?
- Place is a little cramped, especially for larger parties 5+
- Menu has no pictures, so if you aren't used to Japanese food be prepared to do a LOT of reading to figure out the scope of the food
- When I was there, they had VERY poor timing of the food. It was like 1 dish after the other, with 3-5 minutes in between each dish. Thus, by the time the second dish was out, the first person was practically finished eating, and so fourth.
Honestly, it really was the poor food timing that knocked it down a star. -
Review from Anna B.
Carson, CA
8/30/2011 9 photos
Azuma is a great place to go for late night Asian eats... They are open pretty late and the place is so 'hole in the wall' that you'll probably pass it by if you're looking for it. The sign in front of the store is in Japanese... And the parking is behind the litlle plaza.
It's pretty small inside so you might have to wait for a place to sit. Once you sit down and check out the menu though, making a decision on what to eat may be hard...
Their appetizers are awesome! I've tried the Soft Shelled Crab, the Fried Oysters, Tempura and Potato Croquettes - all were DELISH!!!
For the Main Meal combos... The Black Cod & Sashimi Combo is always a favorite - the Black Cod is simply grilled and melts in your mouth when you eat it and the sashimi pieces are thick and fresh. The Curry Udon soup is awesome - the curry didn't over power the soup so you can enjoy slurping it and the udon wasn't soggy.
They serve beer and sake here so that's a major plus for me.
Overall, I have never been disappointed w/ Azuma :) -
Review from Jerome V.
Two beers, two sizable appetizers - $15.99. I repeat:
Two beers, two sizable appetizers - $15.99.
Yeah. That's the way to go. I shared a meal with one other person and our first round of appetizers consisted of their Squid Legs in Vinegar Sauce and their Fried Octopus in Mexican Sauce - which I think is just hot sauce.
[PIC: http://www.yelp.com/us...
[PIC: http://www.yelp.com/us...
Our server Akane told us that these dishes would be small, but they're actually quite substantial. Look: these weren't elaborate or exquisite but especially considering their bar food origins, they were actually really good. Neither of these came out greasy, even the fried octopus - both were crisp and chewy in turns, just right.
We supplemented the second bottle of beer with an extra set of appetizers: the tofu with duck egg and kimchi and the green mussels with garlic and butter.
[PIC: http://www.yelp.com/us...
[PIC: http://www.yelp.com/us...
The tofu was a very pleasant surprise. The textural mix of the crisp kimchee; soft tofu; and the egg in between complemented the interesting intersection of flavors each ingredient provided. The egg in particular was amazing.
The green mussels also outdid the first batch of appetizers, small but loaded with taste. The garlic and butter provided a simple underscore for the flavor of the mussel and simple or not - it works.
All of that came out to just under 30, pre-tip. More than well worth it.
The service was a little slow but that's too be expected in a small pub setting and our server Akane was very polite.
I foresee this will be a late-night staple of mine in the near future.
