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Gaja Japanese Restaurant
Category: Restaurants Japanese Japanese [Edit]
2383 Lomita BlvdSte 102
Lomita, CA 90717
(310) 534-0153
- Hours:
Tue-Fri 11:30 am - 2 pm
Tue-Fri 6 pm - 11 pm
Sat 12 pm - 2 pm
Sat 5:30 pm - 11:30 pm
Sun 11:30 am - 3 pm
Sun 5 pm - 10 pm
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Loud
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
418 reviews for Gaja Japanese Restaurant
Review Highlights
"Gaja is the perfect place for some savory okonomiyaki."
(in 326 reviews)
"But the true winning dish was my spicy cod roe udon."
(in 18 reviews)
"My favorite is the Hiroshima style with noodles."
(in 22 reviews)
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418 reviews in English
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Review from Vincent H.
Torrance, CA
1/30/2012
Gaja's Okonomi is as good any I've had in Japan. Excellent variety and a selection of Okomonis, they also have a good selection of Monjas for those of you who prefer Kanto style and even a Hiroshima style Okonomi as well. Their menu also includes teppan, yakisoba and izakaya style selections as well. Good selection of imported Japanese beer. Blue Berry Beer is a perfect summer time treat.
Excellent for groups, just be sure to get there early as is starts getting packed as the evening progresses. After a delicious meal check out their awesome desserts and treat yourself to Japanese Parfait. Keeping in mind that this is not a good restaurant for first timers to try as it takes a little practice to make a proper Okonomi and their written instructions are a little vague. You can always ask the server to prepare it at the table (that way you can see how it's done). -
Review from Wil C.
Brea, CA
2/2/2012 1 Check-in Here
probably the best Oknomiyaki you gonna find at S. CA.
go try it! -the staff are nice & helpful, they'll help to answer your question & cook for you.
Great Desert menu & selection of beer, too! ^^Listed in: ~all the yelping that get me…
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Review from Derek W.
Not sure why I didn't review Gaja before but this was my 2nd time dining here. Decided to dine here Saturday night with some coworkers and luckily we made reservations as there was a decent line forming out front. Parking here is a pain in the ass as the lot is small.
Ordered 2 okonomiyakis to share among 4 people along with their pot of clams.
Started off with their No. 6 okonomiyaki http://www.yelp.com/bi... which is comprised of seafood. The waiters begin the cooking process but never came back to inform us to flip it. Of course one side ended up more well done than what we wanted but after adding the sauce, mayo, and bonito flakes...all was good http://www.yelp.com/bi....
They ended up cooking our 2nd okonomiyaki in the back and I think it's because we didn't have room on the grill http://www.yelp.com/bi.... This was the No. 7 which was a pork and kimchi okonomiyaki. Tasty but would've preferred cooking it ourselves. Needed to add the sauce, mayo, and bonito flakes before consuming.
We also ordered the pot of clams which you basically cook yourselves as they place the pot on the griddle. The miso soup was awesome and is a must order if you come to dine.
Ended the night with dessert, the green tea mochi w/ red bean http://www.yelp.com/bi.... Was an awesome way to finish a good meal and the parfait had a nice crunchy texture as they add corn flakes to it.
Ended up deducting a star due to the fact that after I got home, I had an enormous headache and was thirsty as hell. Not sure where msg was added but damn they sure did go overboard. Beware to anyone who has dietary restrictions against msg. Don't remember this being an issue the first time I dined at Gaja but did notice it this last time. Everyone in my party had the same thirsty feeling that night. Oh and you will come out smelling like oil so bring a change of clothes in case you go out afterwards. -
Review from Loc H.
1/27/2012
In Japan there are tons of places that serve okonomiyaki. my signif other said he basically lived off of this and rice balls in osaka. Coming back, he was on a mission to find the real deal.
We went to my favorite udon place, Oumi and realized there was an OKONOMIYAKI place right next door!
The next time we went back, we decided to give it a shot.
We ordered the MODERN MIX (Mix of pork, seafood, noodles) and it was a hit for our party of 3. It was enough to feed 4 with apps.
Chicken Karaage was very plentiful and the TAKOYAKI was super good.
The restaurant has all the side stuff (bonito flakes, seaweed, sauces) right there on the table so you can just load it all up yourself.
cooking it is very easy esp. since they have HOW TO guides EVERYWHERE.
The pan in front of you can get hot, but that's the fun part.
Blueberry beer was pretty interesting and very gimmick-y but heck why not.
This is definitely drinking foods so bring your friends, chill out and have some hearty foods! -
Review from Erica J.
1/21/2012 1 Check-in Here
Gaja is fun comfort food, Japanese-style. I've been with my family, groups of friends, and with a date before. All were great experiences.
Okonomiyaki, the house specialty (despite the expansive menu with many other item types listed under their own separate tabs), is definitely something you should try, if you've never had it before. It's basically a big, savory Japanese pancake, with many different ingredients to mix into the batter. You can choose your own combo or go with one of their tried-and-true popular set mix of ingredients. This is also great if you have people who want certain combos, like only veggies, or only meat, or seafood.
You can also choose to make your own okonomiyaki at your table on the center grill pan (caution: very hot! - they make you read a little note that states the dangers of the extremely hot temperature of the teppan grill pan when you sit down), or you can go with the safer, but not as fun option of having them make it for you in the kitchen. Sure, it may look better, but why go to a grill-it-yourself place if you're not going to at least try? Plus, if you're on a fun date, or if you're with close friends/family, why not? The last time I went, my friends and I noticed that the servers were actually cooking the okonomiyaki for patrons at their table. I didn't even know that was an option! The fun of cooking and yet it still ends up professional-looking. We should've asked for a demo too.
Their menu keeps growing, so it was a little overwhelming to actually order our food this time around. We settled on the codroe, mochi, and cheese okonomiyaki. We also got the spicy mayo takoyaki and the chili garlic fried chicken. For drinks, my friends had a beer and a sake, and we shared a pitcher of Sapporo and tested out a glass of the grapefruit beer. For those intrigued by the blueberry beer or the grapefruit beer, don't be. It's literally Sapporo beer with either blueberries or grapefruit segments floating in it. The glass is pretty large and it's whimsical to see, but it's not really worth ordering. If they squeezed some grapefruit juice into the beer so that it had an essence of grapefruit, that might be more tasty. But, I could also just do that at home.
The okonomiyaki was good (we had it professionally cooked, since my friends wanted to see how different it would be from their home-cooked version), as was the takoyaki and the fried chicken. It was comfort food, but it was a little underwhelming this time. All the foods lacked a bit of crunchy bite in their texture, which made it seem a bit mushy. Tasty, but not crispy.
I would still come back, especially since the staff is so nice and laid back, as is the feel of the place. But I'd prefer to cook my own okonomiyaki next time and make it super extra crispy on the outside. -
Review from Kevin C.
It's been a long long while since I was here last time. Months? No. Years! I can't believe it. While this place is not out of this world good, it certainly is delicious and it's one of a kind. This is the place to go if you want to make your own okonomiyaki.
Rather than telling those of you about what okonomiyaki is, here is a link for you to edumacate yourself: http://en.wikipedia.or...
Anywho, my friend and I wanted to catch up and what else is better than to catch up over food that requires some mixing, flattening and flipping skills. Yes, it's that simple. We ordered two main dishes. We opted in for the healthy choice of seafood okonomiyaki followed by the not so healthy cheesy mentaiko omelete. In between those sessions, we also had two orders of yaki onigiri (rice ball; grilled on teppan; hence yaki onigiri).
Not that the omelete or the okonomiyaki wasn't exciting, it's just that I didn't expect the yaki onigiri to be that tasty. I suppose butter with rice is almost always delicious. First, you melt the butter on the grill. As the butter is melting, brush the sweet soy sauce on the rice ball. Place the rice ball (soy sauce coated side) onto the grill. Wait for 30 second and take a deep breath. Good lord. The aroma of butter and sweet soy sauce marries in the air and dances into your nose. The rice balls that we ordered were not stuffed. Since I did not conduct the ordering, I'm unaware of whether there are stuffed onigiri or not.
The okonomiyaki was pretty tasty also. The sizzling seafood is exciting to hear, smell and watch as it colors up and pounce on the grill happily. Make sure you make the okonomiyaki in small batches, like how regular pancakes should be done. That way, you won't burn and waste it. Unless otherwise you order the monjya yaki, which should be cooked differently as that should be poured and spread all across the grill and eaten off the grill.
Besides those entrees, we also ordered mentai mayo takoyaki. Those were aok. I still think that the takoyaki over at Asa ramen shop to be way better. We also ordered clam in wine and butter broth. It's a tad bit too buttery in my opinion. Nonetheless, it is super tasty. I mean, when is butter not tasty? It isn't the best for you but it's pretty awesome to complement many food items.
The parfaits here are pretty good too. I ordered the wafu japanese parfait. A little bit of canned peach and pear, a little bit of frosted flakes, a little bit of whip cream then a little bit of red bean paste (an). Topped them all with dense green tea ice cream with more whip cream and then a few pieces of banana, grapefruit slice and orange slice. Altogether, a tower of colorful, tasty parfait.
All in all, I had a great dinner and experience. As contradicting as it may sound, I won't be back anytime soon, but I can't wait to be back again. Hopefully, I'll have monjya yaki next time along with more parfait and yaki onigiri. Gochisousama!Listed in: Top Restaurants, Itadakimasu - Gochisosama
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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6/30/2007
http://www.gajamoc.com
I've been dying for an okonomiyakiya for quite sometime now. I was really… Read more »
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Review from Tiffany L.
Irvine, CA
2/9/2012 3 photos
Okonomiyaki here is so bomb. I went with a party of three and we seriously only ordered one order of the okonomiyaki set and a side order of Takoyaki and it was enough for all of us! You get to either a) make your own okonomiyaki and DIY or you can b) ask the waiters to cook it for you. We decided to make the okonomiyaki ourselves but I think the next time I go, I would rather just have the people working there do it. The steam goes everywhere and the okonomiyaki was a bit difficult to flip around. It's pretty fun to try it at least once though, to get a sort of hands on experience of how okonomiyakis are made. I really recommend trying both the okonomiyaki (seafood flavored, which contains shrimp, squid,etc) and the spicy mayo Takoyaki. The only con: the last time I went there was absolutely no AC and it was during the summer in 90 degrees weather. So basically I was grabbing the fans they put by their menus and fanning myself like crazy from the lack of air condition AND the steam coming up from my okonomiyaki. Other than that, no complaints.
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Review from Eunice J.
Torrance, CA
1/10/2012
This is currently one of my favorite lunch spots. It's unique.
The menu(s) can be pretty ridiculous. Here's what I recommend:
1) Okonomiyaki (Pork & Seafood). I mean you're at an okonomiyaki restuarant - you better order it. I think this place is pretty legit. It tastes extremely similar to the one I had in Osaka, Japan. They also make it for you so you don't mess up. :)
2) Tomato Shiso & Seafood (w/pasta or udon noodles). What is this? It's like a tomato based soup/coippino/home-y. It tastes familiar, but it totally new. It's super yummy.
3) Go for lunch. You can get a combo with both an Okonomiyaki bowl and Tomato Shiso & Seafood.
4) You should also share, the portions are huge. I feel like lunch and dinner sizes are the same; dinner is just more expensive...
5) And of course- blueberry beer. It has real blueberries!
GOGOGO! :) -
Review from Rosie T.
Torrance, CA
1/2/2012 1 photo
Cute little place!
Came here by mistake because I wanted to try the place next door and they happened to be close.
The two restaurants can appear to look like ONE restaurant. When you get to the front of Gaja restaurant, you think it's connected to the restaurant next door, "oumi sasaya", because the restaurant next door barely has any signs in the front. This restaurant has lots of wordy/picture signs to entice you.
Anyhow, they specialize in many combo items. I wish I knew what "okonomiyaki" was when I went there because I would have ordered that. But my friend and I both ordered a pork broth udon and tempura rice combo. The udon was simply delicious. The broth had lots of flavor and the tempura was fresh and crispy to perfection.
I'll definitely go back. Service was great too! -
Review from Miho S.
Palos Verdes Peninsula, CA
1/12/2012
Not fancy but good and fun place for especially young people, students, family and groups.
Teppan style for Japanese pancake and fried noddle. (not sweet pancakes)
I always order "spicy tomato seafood with udon noddle" I love it! -
Review from mong m.
Monterey Park, CA
12/18/2011 1 Check-in Here
This is the most bad service Japanese restaurant I have been!
You will never can get the discount like what they show!
I will never come back this place anymore!
Good luck...... -
Review from Katie E.
Fountain Valley, CA
1/3/2012
Okonomiyaki is one of my favorite dishes. The okonomiyaki here is pretty legit! I had them make it for us because I didn't want to mess up. One can feed three people if you're not too hungry, but I think one is good for two people. It's a great place for groups, although it is pretty small inside, the tables are big. I came in Tuesday around 10pm, they have happy hour 9:30pm on Tuesdays! Top 5 okonomiyaki is 50% off, which is kinda a great deal. I don't know if drinks are discounted-- I didn't order any.
They have awesome Japanese parfaits here, I didn't have any, but my friend said the coffee one was amazing! (: Although, they don't always look like the picture.
Amazing okonomiyaki! Service was a bit slow...but overall I really enjoyed it. (: -
Review from Diana S.
BLUEBERRY BEER. Light beer with fresh blueberries inside. Absolutely delicious.
Parking is the one issue here... the plaza is always so packed! -
Review from Sam C.
Monterey Park, CA
12/5/2011
I was excited to try the okonomikayi here b/c the table gets a grill and you can make ur own!!! so like korean bbq?
anywayz when i got in the restaurant i told the server i've never done this and there are too many options...so he gave me some ideas...the okonomikayi is like a japanese potato-ish pancake and i got hte modern mix which comes w/ pork, and seafood. there is also a small pouch of soba noodles.
I asked if they can show me b/c i wanted to do the cooking....his reply, "its actually really hard, jes let me do it" ....0_o ......... =0( ........the server didnt speak english very well and was very sincere..he'd prob seen multiple mishaps and didnt want to set me up for failure....pshhhhhhhh!!!!!!
and there goes my first okonomikayi experience!!!..watching the server cook it for me...but then as he was cooking it...i was thinking to myself, if he just handed that to me, there'd no way in H#@Ll i'd be able to make it look like that. mine would prob come out looking like some panda express stir fry...
its 20.00 for one order but its really filling so its worth your money.....would def come back again if i was in the area... -
Review from Maruko X.
Los Angeles, CA
1/1/2012
A super great place for group hangout.
You can cook your own okonomiyaki, it's so delicious. Their takoyaki, clams and spicy udon are great too. Don't forget to try the green tea mochi and pudding for deserts, yummy~~~
Price is very reasonable, and the service is nice too. -
Review from Johanna C.
Northridge, CA
1/21/2012 1 Check-in Here
Great food, but if you lack experience in cooking your meal at the table, not just your meal but this type of meal then you need and can ask for help. Part of the experiences is in the cooking and the waiters will show you if you need. It is an experience and food worth partaking in.
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Review from Keila N.
10/30/2011 6 photos
This has been in my bookmark for months and I finally had the opportunity to go last night. My date's very accommodating. He's not a foodie, but he's always cool to try new places. I like that about him.
We wrestled with the 405 to get here. It was especially ugly yesterday. We arrived a little before 5:30 so we chilled at Patisserie Chantilly. I picked up several macarons for my daughter.
I make okonomikyaki at home sometimes, but I didn't want to take on that task here. I thought it best to have the experts prepare it for us. We ordered the No. 1 mix which had a blend of octopus and pork. I really enjoyed it. My date did too, which was a relief. He's never had okonomiyaki so I wasn't sure whether he would like it.
There are other restaurants that serve okonomiyaki, but Gaja has this one. It also has copious selection of other dishes. -
Review from Agustin K.
Summit, NJ
11/29/2011 1 Check-in Here
Super cheap lunch special.
$8 for the pasta/udon and a rice dish.
The best soup is the tomato seafood sisho ...
Oh and don't forget blueberry beer... -
Review from Kathy S.
Los Angeles, CA
1/17/2012 2 photos
I think this is the only place where monja is served:) Love monja-yaki:)
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Review from chih-hung c.
Los Angeles, CA
12/11/2011
The blueberry beer is a must try. And i really like the okonomiyaki there, my big all time favorites.
The toys outside the store is really fun, I took some photos with them and friends~ -
Review from Kat T.
El Segundo, CA
11/26/2011 1 Check-in Here
Good okonomiyaki - probably the closest thing you can get compared to being in Japan. VERY big portions. Please do share ONE order and a drink of some sort. Save room for desserts... they look delicious (we never learn from our own suggestions and end up being too full to get them... one day).
Grapefruit and bluberry beers are new. It literally is just canned grapefruit or fresh blueberries in a glass of Kirin or Asahi. It's a little refreshing actually... and different. I would at least try it.
Risotto is delicious! -
Review from Ayumi S.
Torrance, CA
Updated - 10/16/2011
Okay, went here again with my love..and we had such a strange second experience. (This was my 3rd time there..his second..second experience together) ANYWAY. So..we pretty much were the only customers inside the restaurant..and it was about mm maybe 9?
We both ordered the spicy chicken okomon..I ordered one without ginger.
While we were waiting, the waiter brings us takoyaki (octopus ball pretty much.) and I gave him a confused look cause 1. I dislike seafood..and 2. We..uh didn't order that lol. He just said, "Oh it's free!' I was like oh..okayyy? So I had my boy eat it lol.
Then, my food came out...just mine. So, our waitress accidentally heard wrong about our order and didn't bring my bf's food out. She felt really bad and had the kitchen cook it right away.
I waited until he got his food, and as we were waiting, the waiter brings out chicken karage (fried boneless chicken.) He just handed to us saying, "Here you go, sorry for the wait!" It was pretty bomb might I add. But, what the hell? Two free appetizers? What's going on?!?!
Finally we got his food! So we're eating, the okomon is pretty good. That was my first time actually hearing about okomon which is supposedly just cheesier and crispier? To be completely honest, there was no crunchiness in mine, nor was it cheesy :/ ..BUT, it was good.
The waiter and waitress were being extra nice, asking us questions like if we were from Torrance, and asking if that was our white truck outside....haha
We finished our food, and the waiter comes and shows us the dessert menu. Both of us were okay on the dessert, but the waiter insisted, and said that the eclair parfait was the most popular one...and that we'd get it for free. O.O
So, we got the eclair parfait...ate that shit, got the bill, and we definitely got 2 free appetizers, and 1 free dessert!
Definitely not complaining, they were GREAT! But, it was a little on the..what in the world is going on, and why are they giving us so much free food?!?!?!
Great service
Great food
Great-ness1 Previous Review: Show all »
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8/29/2010
DAMN..GAJA IS AMAZING!
I love okonomiyaki FIRST of all..and..it was just too bomb.
We had to wait… Read more »
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Review from Akiko T.
Riverside, CA
10/15/2011 2 Check-ins Here
the okomon yaki with mentaiko is really good, as well as the Mix mondan okonomiyaki :)
My fam and I've been here a few times now because my brother goes to MK Labo, which is a Japanese school right next door :P anywho, the waiters are all really nice, super friendly and helpful! One of the waiters (has tattoos) seems to really like kids; he was so nice to my brother :)
Def recommend this place! But I'll tell you now, portion is HUGE!!! Share one among two people, for reals...biggest okonomiyaki ever lulz -
Review from Michelle W.
Atlanta, GA
1/8/2012
Food was superb! no complains, everything looked ans tasted so great. No kidding, you've got to try it out yourself. The servers were very courteous, and helpful. We ordered the Okonomiyaki mix, clam pasta soup, mentaiko past (love it), and salad all three of us had more than enough to eat, but we still saved room for shaved ice desert! Will definitely go again!
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Review from Edwin S.
Pasadena, CA
11/3/2011
Oknomiyaki. So tasty and so hard to find. These guys to it with excellence.
Pricing was such a great deal. I got 2 really big "small" pancakes with salad and drink for 8.95.
Service was speedy and super friendly -
Review from Cathy L.
9/15/2011 6 photos
The only thing I enjoyed was the novelty of cooking your own meal at the table. It was my first time having okonomiyaki and I didn't find it too tasty. The place gets quite hot from all the cooking...they even give you hand fans. Our waiter (an older fellow) was a bit unfriendly. Even though we told him we were new, he didn't give us any tips on cooking. Just handed us an extremely faded (beyond readable) instruction sheet and then gave us attitude when he saw we weren't doing it right. However, the younger waiters were all very helpful.
Spicy Cod Roe, Mochi & Cheese - sounded really good but I couldn't taste much of any of the main ingredients. After saucing up my pancake and piling on bonito flakes, I barely ate 1/4 before I got sick of the flavor (first couple of bites were good/OK).
Egg & Cheese Fried Rice - very disappointed with this dish. It was basically a solid pancake (1/2 inch thick) made from a batter of egg, cheese & rice. How is that considered Fried Rice? It was completely bland with only a side of ketchup for dipping...gross.
I think I should have gone with the Modern Mix. That one looks more traditional and may have tasted better than the Cod Roe mix. I'm not going to completely give up on okonomiyaki but it may be just one of those foods I don't like, no matter how well it's prepared. -
Review from Smitcha B.
Los Angeles, CA
9/7/2011 4 photos
Can you say okonomiyaki five times without stuttering? I sure can't. I will tell you what I can do though which is grub the hell out of one of these bad boys. I always randomly order this dish at other Japanese restaurants. I never realized how hard it was to cook this to stupid pancake to perfection. You have to give it to the people of the Rising Sun to come up with something as genius, creative, and annoying as this dish.
We sat down next to a Nisei and her three year old daughter. We wanted to be brave and attempt to make the okonomiyaki ourselves. The waiters advised us that they can make it in the kitchen for us but we figured we would have a fun time attempting it on our own. We ordered the Modern Mix and for first timers this may not have been the best option. I will elaborate shortly.
Since we were n00bs at this, the servers handed us a rooktown detailed set of instructions. From time to time they would come by our table to check up on our status and give us pointers. Simply put, the instructions itself is easy to follow. Applying the techniques is the difficult part. I stared aimlessly at the lady next to us because without any struggle, she was able to cook her pancake without breaking a sweat. I tried my best to take photographic memory shots of what she did and although at times I thought it helped; it didn't work out as great as I wanted it to. Her daughter would look over at our work and even though she may not have been able to speak clean sentences yet, I can tell she was clowning us in her mind. I don't blame the kid, I would've thought the same.
The reason why I may suggest for first timers to stay away from the modern mix is because it comes with noodles. This was the downfall of our attempt. Because the noodles cooks and burns swiftly, it builds a crusty, charred layer on the grill which makes your okonomiyaki cook at a very slow rate. I'm sure there are many who can master this but just to be on the safer side, I'll ask for the modern mix again but without the noodles. It was a great mix of many items, plenty of seafood and meat. In the end, our pancake was edible but I was disappointed that it didn't come out as perfect as our neighbor's. Then again, she's a master and I'm just a pupil.
We also ordered the clam with spaghetti that came in a soup. The soup base was delish and I would recommend this dish if you like clams. It looks plain as hell but it packs a mean punch. Too bad they don't give you more spaghetti though.
I'd like to apologize to Gaja for burning their grill with the stupid noodles. The poor waiter was scrubbing the hell out of it when we were done but he was still able to smile and thank us for coming in. I vow to do a better job next time and not dishonor the Gaja clan again. Visiting this restaurant brings me a new profound respect for okonomiyaki masters. Also, as another fair warning, their menu is extensive and somewhat overwhelming. Give it a go and good luck. Just remember to enjoy your own creation if you choose to make it yourself. Definitely not ideal for lazy people.
Dinner for two here was about $40ish. The service was attentive and friendly at all times. Parking is crampy and the restaurant gets packed so plan to arrive early or wait (not much interior space in general). -
Review from Linda H.
Los Angeles, CA
9/12/2011
So as a kid i would watch Ranma 1/2 and they use to make a lot of episodes about Okinomiyaki. I always wanted to try it and it looked so good in the cartoon. Finally i found a place like that cartoon.
Can someone tell me why they don't have a place like this near Arcadia yet??? I came far from home to drive to this place and OMG it was good.
First you come in you choose the type of Okinomiyaki you'd like to try.Then you want to start off sharing it together. (Its really a lot of food) The price is roughly around $20 dollars. Don't worry $20 will definitely fill you up plus 1 more. Get an appetizer if you are afraid you wont be full. Then either cook it yourself or have them cook it for you. The fun of it is having to cook it just right yourself, but my recommendation for first timers have them cook it for you, that way you know what its exactly is suppose to taste like. Then next time you can definitely do it on your own haha.
This place is great! Price is worth it.
1. Location ***** Easy to find.
2. Food **** Worth the price it was really good. DO it yourself service
3.Ambiance **** Cute
4.Service *****
5.Waiting time *** There is a wait.. Come early to not have to wait. They take reservations too. -
Review from Lucy P.
We came here because we were looking for a place that was open late at night. I thought this place had ramen and when we got our menu, I was disappointed. :o(
The server handed us several menus that were bound like thick hardcover books. The menu was extensive and bigger than the ones at "Jerry's Deli". Most of the menu was written in Japanese and since most of the food appeared traditional, we opted for several items off the appetizer menu. We ordered: fried chicken with spicy mayo, fried shrimp with spicy mayo, and fried rice. All the items were tasty but the fried rice was a small portion and too oily. Most of the items here were a tad overpriced IMHO.
One of the staff gave me some literature regarding one of their specialties called "Okonomiyaki" which is a savory Japanese pancake. After reading the article and reading about the different flavors and additions, it just did not appeal to me.
Service was friendly but the food and the atmosphere just was not too impressive and a tad overpriced for what you get. The portions are measly.Listed in: Little Tokyo
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Review from Holly G.
Gainesville, FL
10/15/2011
I had okonomiyaki for the first time here and it was amazing. We had the three mushroom and the spicy tuna and both were equally amazing. If you're looking for authentic Japanese food, this is the place to go. It's worth driving up to 45 minutes out of your way to eat. In fact, I'd go an hour. It was that good.
We cooked our meal at the table and the restaurant was packed -- lots of locals and Japanese diners, which tipped us off that it was going to be great and authentic. There was only a 10-15 wait, which was well worth it. Everyone was very friendly and helpful and all of the other diners we talked to couldn't stop raving about how much they love this restaurant.
We ordered two okonomiyaki and an order of fried rice to share between four people and it was way more than we ever could've finished. I would say one okonomiyaki and an order of fried rice would have fed us all happily. We are ladies, so if you threw a guy in the mix it probably would've been closer to the right amount. -
Review from Liz B.
Royal Oaks, CA
9/29/2011
We went for lunch, and they had all kinds of crazy lunch specials. Such a selection. I decided on an eel rice bowl and spicy cod roe udon combo. My husband ordered a mini okonomiyaki plate with a side of takoyaki. Our friend ordered another udon, although I can't remember what kind. So much food for the price! Who says Japanese food is expensive? If you are on a budget but have a craving for Japanese food, this is the place for lunch.
I sampled my husband's mini okonomiyaki. It was OK, but I prefer the ones at Doya Doya. My eel bowl was satisfactory. The takoyaki was very good. But the true winning dish was my spicy cod roe udon! It was so good!
I think Gaja is a fantastic place to take people if they want to eat a variety of dishes. It does get hot inside the restaurant with all the people cooking their own okonomiyaki. We didn't try the cook-your-own okonomiyaki, just the ones they did for us. I wasn't that impressed. Maybe it depends on who cooks that day? Maybe the lunch minis are not as good as the ones you cook yourself? In any case, I would definitely return for more of that delicious spicy cod udon, that's for sure! I might try the DIY okonomiyaki as well. -
Review from Satoshi H.
Pasadena, CA
9/19/2011
Until I try out the recent Okonomiyaki additions in Doya Doya and Gottsui, Gaja is definitely my default - unless of course I cook it at home.
We usually order the Modern Mix, a salad, and maybe an additional item. That's more than plenty as the okonomiyaki is pretty big. In fact, we'd mix the bowl to make two smaller portions of the okonomiyaki - cooks faster, perfect for a his & her split, and you wouldn't need to have the okonomiyaki just sitting on the grill getting burnt while eating away at the huge portion you'd make by dumping the entire bowl. The taste of the okonomiyaki depends on how you cook it - if you fail, you might end up with a watery, ugly pancake-ish looking thing. And in case you're worried about failing, have the people at Gaja make it for you in their kitchen.
Gaja is pretty much all about the okonomiyaki, or perhaps the monja-yaki if that's your preference (not mine, unfortunately). The rest of the menu items are alright. My gf insists on getting parfait for dessert, even after a huge meal. Don't know how she does it, but the desserts are pretty good if you have room for it.
The place can get quite crowded - it seems they've been advertising in papers targeting the Chinese community. You can usually find parking in the strip mall lot, I've never really had a problem here. -
Review from Natasha K.
Chicago, IL
8/6/2011 1 Check-in Here
Okonomiyaki making at it's best---- because YOU make it!
Quite a bit of a drive from L.A. but totally worth it. Turn a normal dining experience into an experiment in creation. Try new things! Mix a bunch of yummy crap together, slap it on a grill, flip it over, toss it onto a plate, squeeze a bunch of sauces all over in any pattern you fancy, sprinkle a little of this, a little of that, and OISHII /DELICIOUS!!! You MADE something yummy for you and your friends to try. The sense of accomplishment will stay with you forever. Go.
Not to mention there is a huge menu full of all kinds of Japanese delectables and booze. Get a little tipsy, try to coordinate your moves into some copycat of Bobby Flay's. Impress your friends and your date. As a matter of fact, BEST PLACE TO GO ON A DOUBLE/TRIPLE DATE. One order of okonomiyaki is enough for two! If you fail, don't worry. Servers are there to help. I suggest choosing any combination of ingredients + BACON.
Don't be put off by it's unassuming location in a tiny strip mall. Great things come from what you'd least expect. You may be one of the few white people there but you can hold your head up high because you are in the know. -
Review from Yi Z.
5/22/2011
WTF? Am I slow or did I miss something? The ambiance is cool but the food was flavorless. Why did I drive all the way to Lomita for this?
Pros:
-One order of okonomiyaki is big enough for 2 people
-Tabletop cooking is fun
-The employees are helpful and friendly
Cons:
-The pork okonomiyaki was bland (even after I drenched it in seasoning)
-The spicy mayo takoyaki may have been the worst takoyaki I've ever had
-The long lines unless you go when they first open
-The menu has way too many items and is incredibly hard to follow
-The instruction guide doesn't tell you to cook the proteins separately
I suppose it was worth one try but the food left me very disappointed.Listed in: Japanese Restuarants, Overrated
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Review from Michelle T.
Torrance, CA
1/9/2012
the food was ok... got the #1 okonomiyaki - cooking the food and looking at the guys was the only good part! the risotto was horrible because it was swimming in milk and not creamy at all. i'd still like to come to this place to give it another chance.
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Review from Lana T.
5/14/2011 4 photos
This place has pretty good okonomiyaki, but it's really a place to come when you're too lazy to make it at home yourself. If you get the right mix (which you can easily pick up at Nijiya or Mitsuwa) and ingredients, it's pretty much just as tasty at home, but wayyyyyy cheaper. My main gripe is how expensive it is relative to what you're actually eating.
Came on a weekend evening and there was about a 10 minute wait. We ordered the Hiroshima style okonomiyaki, and it was pretty good. Takoyaki is just decent.
However, there's something to be said about crowding around a grill with you friends and cooking your own okonomiyaki together. It's fun and a great experience; I would say Gaja is more about getting together with people and bickering over how to properly cook okonomiyaki rather than the food itself. Definitely a good place to bring friends who are visiting!
Also, they have happy hour deals on Sundays after 9 pm which are significantly more worth it.
I'll be back! (I definitely fall into the lazy category...)Listed in: Asian Food in LA
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Review from Lisa M.
Wth is okonomiyaki, you ask? Don't fret, I was wondering the saaaame thing when I met my friend here for dinner a couple weeks ago.
It's actually a cool place- small, with grills in the middle of all the tables. Their menu is extremely extensive, with everything from okonomiyaki to soups to izakaya appetizers to shaved ice. They have tasty alcoholic fruity drinks with soju or sake in them too. Their watermelon one is delish.
Back to okonomiyaki: it's a bunch of cabbage, egg, bread crumbs, and a few other things that come to your table in a bowl. You mix everything up, then put it on the grill to form a pancake. Once it browns, then you flip it to cook the other side. There are great sauces you can put on top, along with seaweed flakes. My friend and I ordered it with a spicy tuna mix, which we put on top of the pancake. It was really good, and definitely is an interactive meal. They give you directions too, on how to cook the food, but you can pretty much just guess at it.
The food was yummy, hugely portioned, and just the right price!Listed in: i heart japanese food !
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Review from Aki S.
Harbor City, CA
11/23/2011
We decided to go to the restaurant since the coworker gave us $5 off coupon. We had two of them and were thinking that $10 will be off. The food was good for type of regional Japanese food. They have veriety of things on menu, but to me it's a bit pricy for the ingredients. It feels like we are paying for the use of the hot plate in front of us. We submitted the $5 coupon which didn't have any fine print, but couldn't use both. They said it was a misprinted information. We received another $5 off with remarks for the expiration date as well as the note saying we can only use one coupon per group. I don't think I will go back there for a while...
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Review from Aiko S.
Los Angeles, CA
8/13/2011
I LOVE this place!
It is hard to find okonomiyaki restaurants in LA. Especially a place where you can cook your own okonomiyaki. So Gaja is a place to go for good okonomiyaki:)
The good thing about this place is that they have so many different dishes. Maybe it is a bad thing at the same time because it takes forever to chose what to order ^^; too many to chose from xD
Dont forget to try their beer with grapefruit and blue berries are good! -
Review from Jon L.
5/7/2011 5 photos
Gaja is a Japanese restaurant specializing in okonomiyaki. I had never come across before a place before that offers okonomiyaki in a cook yourself setup until I tried Gaja.
While they offer rice dishes, Japanese pastas and soup noodles, the okonomiyaki is front and center. They have a lot of varieties to choose from. Some typical and some are more eclectic. Spam and cheese okonomiyaki anyone? There is even a list of their bestsellers to guide your choice of which to choose.
I was in a group of three with my sis and her friend. We wanted to just give this place a try, so we ordered the seafood mix okonomiyaki ($19.50). The server then brings you a big bowl of the ingredients that you will need to mix and cook on the grill.
The server will turn on the grill for you. The heating space to cook the okonomiyaki is kind of like a Korean BBQ grill except that it is rectangular. Utensils are provided as are instructions on how to go about making the dish. This is meant to be a fun cooking experience.
Before you start cooking, make sure to put oil. That is the one thing you must remember to do first. I would mix the bowl before putting anything on the grill. Once you do, it is best to split the ingredients in the bowl to make two pieces of okonomiyaki. You then will need to shape them into a circle like a pancake. Made the mistake of making one big pancake and think it could have turned out better if made smaller.
There are a number of toppings and sauces on the table that you can use to top off the okonomiyaki. We tried the dried bonito flakes, dried seaweed, okonomiyaki sauce and mayonnaise on top. The pancake turned out to be smaller than I expected. Though I think one bowl is more ideal for 2 people instead of 3.
After trying it out, I have to say it is tasty. The seafood including scallops and octopus works well with the pancake. Although the portion size is kind of small, it actually does fill you up.
Gaja is worth a try to experience the joys of cooking and the good self esteem that goes with it. It might even build up the confidence and inspire the dining customer who does not cook.Listed in: Nom Nom Nom-ing in SoCal
