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Categories: Japanese, Asian Fusion
Neighborhood: Santa MonicaMon-Sun. 6:00 p.m. - 11:30 p.m.
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I recommend this place to anyone and everyone who asks me for a dinner recommendation in Santa Monica.
I'm amazed. For being in such a high profile location right off the north end of 3rd street promenade, this place is very nondescript. I would almost go as far to say... this is some of the best food I've had in LA. There. I said it.
I would describe the food as innovative Japanese dishes. The food takes typical Japanese fare and puts a unique twist that turns into a completely new dish in a size that is perfect for sharing. Case in point: tofu fries. Spicy tuna dip on rice crackers (ok, I've seen that one a few other places but still). Many others.
Biggest downside: the wait for a table. Apparently word gets around that this place is good, plus the inside is tiny. And I wish this place was open for lunch back when I worked across the street.
Musha was recommended to me by a couple different people so I was really excited to eat here. However, I am not sold on this place yet. First of all, I give Musha 2 big thumbs up for menu inventiveness and selection. However, when the food arrived I felt let down because everything I ordered was a complete hit or complete miss. Presentation was great, but taste wise, everything was either packed with flavor or completely and utterly bland. I really enjoyed the M.F.C. (Musha Fried Chicked). It packed a flavor punch. The tofu french fries were a great thing to order because they're unique and the dipping sauce was awesome. But the spicy tuna dip was a total disappointment. I'd consider myself mildly sensitive to spicy foods, but the tuna wasn't spicy at all! The entire thing was bland, bland bland! I felt like I was eating texture with no flavor at all.
The place itself is charming in more ways than one. There were private rooms in the back - perfect for a small celebration or a special night out with a few friends. There is an overall very fun vibe to Musha - they even play japanese stand up comedy in the bathrooms which totally adds to the character of the place.
I felt the service was lacking big time. Our particular server was inattentive and not very polite. I had to track her down and ask for my tiny water glass to be filled 3 times. It didn't seem a problem to split the bill between two cards at the end of the meal until we only got one of them back. The server lost my debit card. Eventually it was found, but it was not a great way to cap off an unexciting meal experience.
I'm not a fan yet. But based on atmosphere and inventiveness, I'm willing to give Musha another try if I'm in a forgiving kind of mood.
I'm not sure why this place is so hyped... I went there thinking it was a sushi place... not so. It's "Japanese with a twist," as other Yelpers have described it. Hrmmm. The tofu-cheese spread was recommended to me... it tasted okay, but mostly like I was just eating cream on a cracker. The honey was an interesting twist. The baked salmon was okay, but tasted rather fishy...
I CAN recommend the crackling rice soup with mushroom sauce -- DELICIOUS.
Finally! I came, I saw and I conquered.
And now? I am officially a fan. A friend had been telling me about this place forever and I had naysayed - boy was that stupid!
This whole in the wall, shoebox sized joint, right next door to Wahoo's tacos, is great! Charming, loud and busy it has a really exciting vibe. It's crowded. Make reservations and just order a ton as there's something you're bound to love when you eat there.
Luckily I went with regulars so they know what to get. First let me tell you though, I ended up LOVING THEIR TAKANA RICE and their PAN FRIED SOMEN NOODLES (a ton of garlic). Simple dishes that had I known would be so flavorful, I would have begged for it to arrive at the beginning and probably would have just eaten that.
Lots of dishes for vegetarians to order which was cool and a fave in our group was tofu fries.
Additional items we had were:
Spicy Tuna Dip - the spicy tuna wasn't that spicy, but it was a perfect dip for the rice cake crackers they came with. Excellent crunch.
Kakuni - Braised pork dish that was reminiscent of Filipino Adobo
Daizu Karaage - Soy flavored chicken
Tuna Salad - Albacore tuna on a bed of mixed lettuce greens - tuna was great
Gyoza Soup - broth was hot and slightly tangy and there were at least 5 plump gyozas
Other items as well, but had no idea what they were...like the M.F.C. and the Kabo Cro - oh wait, the Kabo Cro were the potato croquettes. Very crunchy and flaky but I heard if they have pumpkin croquettes - those are the ones to get (but they didn't have any that night). Oh wait, just figured it out MFC - musha fried chicken. My least favorite but still decent - it's basically chicken katsu.
Good spot for friends, IF YOU make reservations.
Be aware that folks cook at their table for some items so there can be LOTS of smoke.
My boyfriend and I ate here last Saturday for a friend's 30th birthday dinner. We had no idea what to expect since we don't get to dine in LA very often. I have to say this place definitely exceeded our expectations.
We had a party of about 15 people and we ordered many different dishes and shared it family style. Some of the things that I remember eating were: pork belly, yellowtail collar, yellowtail sashami, baby lobster rolls, scallop sashami with spicy dynamite saunce, tofu fries, sweet potato fries, spicy tuna w/ ricecakes, and garlic butter clams with udon noodles. Everything was absolutely delish! They served some of the freshest fish I have ever tasted at a Jap restaurant. The items that stood out to me the most were the scallop sashimi w/ spicy dynamite sauce and the baby lobster rolls. But honestly, everything else I tried was just as good.
At the end of dinner, we split the bill evenly and it only came out to $40/pp and that included alcohol and tip. What a steal for such a memorable and quality meal.
I can't wait to take our friends back here for another authentic Japanese cuisine experience.
Sayanora!
Best izakaya place i ever tried in LA area.
I lived in Japan for 4 years so I know what good, authentic Japanese food is. MUSHA is it!
We ate so much I can't really remember what we had, but I do know that their spicy tuna dip and cheese tofu were awesome.
My friend who was visiting from Tokyo actually know the owner of the restaurant from Japan, but he wasn't in town the day we came. She ended up talking to the head guy that night instead and he was super nice. We even got a complimentary sashimi dish that was to die for!
Whenever I miss Japan, I will be back!
Kampai!
Went to Musha with a group of friends and associates and took over the tatami room in the back. The service, food and sake was excellent! Fantastic array of cooked and sashimi offers. Very fresh, served family style. If you have a party of 6-8, the room is ideal. Kicking myself for going by this place a hundred times and not trying it sooner!
How can you complain when the best part about this place is its service and its food...
I celebrated my girlfriend's bday party here and they were more than accommodating for our huge group of 18-20ppl. The whole time they were hustling around to keep us happily fed and intoxicated. Our server was the nicest lady ever. She was great at recommending her favorite dishes for the group which everyone loved. She was even accommodating to my special request to have a separate check for my bf & I since we decided not to eat in "family style" as the rest of the group. ;[ We had a late lunch. What can you do? ;]
They were so accommodating that when they brought out the cake they turned off all the lights in the whole restaurant to help create that festive bday singing mood.
The funny part was instead of blowing out the candles right away the bday girl wanted to take a photo of the memorable moment. I would too. Well, that would of been okay if it were one quick photo but knowing the paparazzi friends I know she has it turned out to be 3 or 4 photos. All while the rest of the restaurant and its patrons are all sitting in pitch black probably starring at their food in complete darkness. Finally, when she actually blew out the candles the whole restaurant joyfully cheered, "Yeah!" in excitement. I'm sure partial cheer for her bday and partial cheer of, "I can eat again." Everyone had a great time.
You gotta love the Japanese! I give this place big thumbs up. I heard the one in Torrance is as good as this one. It has an even more authentic feel than the Santa Monica location.
Love this place! Was introduced to this place by the coworkers. We don't come here often as parking in Santa Monica is always a pain... but we come here for special occasions (birthdays!). We always get the spicy tuna dip with crispy rice (YUM) and risotto (mixed in a "bowl" in a block of cheese - gross to some, but I think it's cool). My friend loves the green tea parfait (comes with cookies, mochi, and cornflakes). I prefer the chocolate souffle - while it's nothing special (we think it's the same as Trader Joe's)... it's just a great ending to an always great time.
I would give this place 3.5 stars but I'm rounding down for now. It's a fun place, with a big menu with plenty of fusion plates to choose from. We got the seared albacore salad, spicy fried rice, shrimp tempura with red peppercorns and spicy mayo, pork belly with egg and potato, octopus omelet, and plenty of beer and sake to go around. The octopus thing was a big disappointment. Didn't taste or see any octopus, was just overwhelmed by the sauce and the weird noodles that made up most of the dish. The pork belly was naturally very tender but didn't look like normal pork belly. It was definitely good though, especially with the spicy mustard they spread on the side of the bowl (you must eat it with it!). The atmosphere is good though, next time I definitely have to try the seared mackerel.
Sheesh. Another friend in town, another sushi bar. If there is city in the US that has the right to OWN sushi, it's LA. The service was meh and the sushi was offensive for being so unoffensive (they didn't take any risks in putting flavor into the presentation). Not coming back here, too many other places to try.
If you're going on a weekend night, make sure to make reservations ahead of time beacuse it can get really packed. I really recommend this place for a casual night's good food and sake.
All the menu items are great, but here are my favorites:
- seared mackerel
- lobster roll
- M.F.C. "Musha Fried Chicken"
- Takotama
And I'm dying to try their tofu items, but the bf doesn't like tofu so I haven't had the chance yet. Can't wait to go back. :)
List of the dishes we ordered on 4-11-09 (for 11 members including myself):
(Not exactly in this order, but close enough, I hope...)
1. Spicy tuna dip
Usually Japanese sushi restaurants serve this as a filling of spicy tuna rolls, but they use it as a dip with roasted rice cracker squares.
2. Seared Albacore Tuna Salad
3. Chicken Cracker Salad
4. Cheese Tofu
Cottage cheese, cream cheese, mozzarella cheese mixed with soy milk served with crackers, honey and slices of baguette
5. Sweet potato French fries
6. Asari Sakamushi
Asari (Clams) simmered in stock with sake and soy sauce
saka=sake mushi=steamed
7. Nasu Kani
Kani (crab) and shiso leaf stuffed in Japanese eggplant (nasu) served cold
8. Kabocha bumpkin croquette
Steamed and mashed kabocha (Japanese pumpkin) , flattened and breaded to deep fry.
9. Ponzu Duck
Thinly sliced cooked duck breast marinated in ponzu (Japanese citrus seasoned vinegar) on top of daikon oroshi (grated Japanese radish)
10. Seared Scallop sashimi with Dynamite sauce
11. Portabello mushroom grilled on Shichirin
Portabello mushroom cooked on shichirin (portable tabletop grill) served with yuzu mayo sauce
12. Aburi Saba
Shime-saba (vinegar marinated mackerel) sliced and blow torched on table
aburi=seared
saba=mackerel
13. Negitoro tuna croquette
Minced tuna with chopped green onion, hijiki seaweed, garlic, pepper and deep fried.
negi=green onions toro=fatty tuna
14. Sake kasu salmon
Salmon marinated in sake kasu (leftover sake leek)
15. Butano kakuni
Pork belly boiled first to get rid of fat, and braised in soy sauce, mirin, and sake mixture with potatoes and hard boiled eggs
buta=pork no=possesive kaku=square ni=cooked, braised
16. Takotama
Okonomiyaki-style omlette with chow mein noodle, octopus (tako) and ginger topped with okonomi sauce and mayonnaise
tama=tamago=egg
17. Tori yuzu
Chicken (tori) leg grilled with yuzu kosho (yuzu, Japanese citrus and green chili pepper paste)
18. Char-han
Japanese fried rice with ground pork, thai chili, bamboo shoot, ginger, garlic and green onion with a touch of fish sauce.
char=(sauteed, stir-fried, chinese) han=rice
19. Aski
Wok sautéed asparagus with shiitake, enoki, and shimeji mushrooms with soy sauce, butter and garlic.
20. Musha's risotto
Japanese brown rice (genmai) cooked with chicken broth and chopped prosciutto, onion, and soy milk.
came in a block of cheese!
21.Anago meshi
Broiled sea eel mixed with cooked rice with hijiki seaweed, mitsuba leaves and grilled in a hot stone bowl.
meshi=cooked rice
22. Okogeno kinoko sauce
Sizzling rice crackers mixed with Japanese mushroom sauce.
okoge=charred..
kinoko=mushrooms
Shared by 11 people, approx. $34 per person including tip and tax, without drink and dessert.
http://www.meetup.com/...
my faves are as follows:
1. ebimayo tempura shrimp)
2. spicy tuna dip on rice crackers
3. green bean salad, with bacon, and field greens
4. itame somen (garlic and sesame oil over thin rice noodles)
5. $12 pitchers of brew, love.
6, and sometimes the pork belly
super affordable. can be crowded so its best to make a res
Have been coming here for years. Always delish, unique and glad I came. Some of my favs: spicy ahi tuna dip with rice crackers as an appie. I also love the Ponzu Duck.
Phenomenal everything - service, taste, price. The waitress shrieks your order to the chefs! Hilarious - good things.
It was my first night in Santa Monica and I was wandering around trying to figure out a place to eat. I found this place via Yelp, which had said it was an izakaya, so I was excited.
It wasn't really an izakaya, but more of a casual quick dinner place. I sat at the bar and read a book and drank my beer, enjoying the spicy tuna (delicous) and my yaki-onigiri. It was pretty quiet when I was there but it may have to do with the fact that it was pretty early for dinner (6ish?) and a Monday evening. Still, I would recommend the place if you're in the area and want a quick, casual meal.
When I plan to go to Musha, I know it will be a happy happy day. I LOVE going to this place. I've been to both the Santa Monica and Torrance locations and both are great, but the menus are slightly different (i.e. no spicy tuna with rice crackers in Torrance so Santa Monica wins out as my fav locale). Favorite items include: spicy tuna w/rice crackers (which I could eat all day), aski (asparagus and mushrooms), ebi mayo (crispy shrimp with mayo dipping sauce), cheese risotto, clams with udon noodles and the green tea parfait (green tea ice cream, corn flakes, red bean paste, those chocolate cigar cookie things). Pretty much anything I've tried there is YUMZO. Bottom line: food great, service great (you're heartily welcomed right when you walk in!), ambiance great! Extra tip: Park in the public lot on 4th near Wilshire. It's easy walking distance to Musha.
Good food, reasonable price, friendly service - I'm coming back for sure!
I've only had their salmon and tuna sashimi, and the meat quality was really good. I'm particular on my salmon, and this is one of the better ones I've had! Looking at other tables, they had a lot of interesting things I want to try next time.
For a two dollar sign restaurant, the service was excellent and the food was delicious! The bf and I got seated right away when we walked in around 8:45pm on a Thursday night. It was packed, but we still got a nice little table. Here's what we shared:
-gyoza kimchee soup: nice little twist on your typical dumpling soup with the kimchee; gave it a great spicy flavor
-pork, mushrooms & kimchee: this was the weakest link out of the 4 dishes we ordered, probably because the other dishes we had with the same ingredients tasted far superior, although the two tables on either side of us both ordered this dish as well
-asparagus & mushrooms: a delicious dish with a nice sauce to it; we ordered a bowl of rice to split to savor the buttery, gravy like sauce
-pork belly: omg - i will come back to eat this dish again! the potato they serve this dish with is an excellent companion; so tasty and filling; i was sad they took our bowl away because i wanted more of the sauce; didn't really care for the mustard though, tasted more like wasabi, which didn't work well with the sauce; the egg was a nice touch
I really appreciated the timing of the food. Each dish was brought out individually and appropriately. They changed our plates between dishes. Our tea pot was refilled without our asking. We got a hot towel at the beginning of the meal and a complimentary tea at the end of the meal, along with an orange. For $25 a person, the bf and I were really satisfied! I even got a little bag of candy as I walked out the door. =) I'd like to go back and try the tofu dishes on the menu. Looks like a great date spot or for a group of friends.
Waiters are a bit retarded and Taku the manager is an absolute creep, my bf said he saw a sign in the washroom in which he asked if anyone knew where he could buy guns. Food on the other hand is cheap, tastes good and has a bit more personality than the rest of the westside. So if you don't care too much about the staff its awesome.
we went for the first time last night and I can't believe I haven't been before. It is right in the neighborhood, so its a quick walk from our house. We walked in to be greeted and quickly seated. It is kind of small, but you're not sitting on top of one another. The place was pretty full, which we figured was a good sign.
We opened the menu to find some of it handwritten in Japanese with explanations in English, which makes it look like they change out their specials daily.
My husband, who is a vegetarian, was shocked to see how many vegetarian dishes they offer - tofu fries, tofu nuggets, combination platters of pickled veggies, sweet potato fries with dipping sauce and so much more.
I got the lobster roll, which was amazing, really full of meat and no nonsense filling of rice. My husband got the Buddist feast of veggies and soy meat. We both shared the pickled vegetables and salads.
The only thing I would recommend if you are tight on cash is to skip the appetizers of salads and pickled veggies - they were really small portions for the almost the same price as our entrees. They were still really good, but just a note if you want to save some money.
Since we are so close, and even if we weren't, we will definitely be back. Another couple near us, had this grilled meat platter where it looks like you grill the meat and veggies on your own personal grill they bring out - I definitely want to try that next time.
This is one of our favorite finds.
totally didn't make reservations, but got seated in like 5 mins on a busy saturday night during what seemed like their peak at around 930pm. i think it was a mistake. i think the host assumed we'd made a reservation because apparently that's what you do at this restaurant on a saturday night...oopsie! we snagged a table in the very back which would have been so perfect had the asshole yuppies next to us been seated about four tables down instead of directly adjacent to us even though i'm pretty sure that wouldn't have helped much because wow, they're voices really carried pretty well around this tiny little restaurant especially the parts of the conversation/complain-a-thon about how one of them fools didn't wanna marry his long term girlfriend because she gained 20lbs [homie was a little chubster himself btw] and that he was pretty sure he had feelings for some chick he works with and how, don't tell anyone bro, i haven't told anyone, but we kinda hooked up without kissing. just heavy breathing. well, now about seven tables worth of musha customers know your bees wax, tyvm and i would bet good money that your fat gf is out cheating on you right now [while you're having a few small bites and gabbing with your bff on a saturday night] because, word on the street is, men prefer their women a little thick these days.
yelpers, i was enthralled and nauseated at the same time. i never encounter this shit in real life and i shamelessly eavesdropped the whole time. i wanted to throw up all over their table after some of the verbal vomit that was escaping their mouths, but the food we consumed at musha was way too yummy and i wanted to keep it all to myself. in my stomach.
other than the unwanted storytelling session i'd say our experience here was absolutely delightful! all the servers were very polite and speedy...and that table next door in no way affected my rating for this restaurant.
we ordered a small feast:
pan fried somen ~ mmm garlicky noodly goodness. kinda sticky, but the little tiny angel hair noodles were fun to eat.
spicy tuna dip with rice crackers that looked like rice crispy treats minus the marshmallowy part. loved it.
octo omelette ~ would have liked a bit more octo, but still very tasty and i like that it looks like a funky piece of birthday cake covered in mayo, ginger and seaweed flakes.
croquettes ~ tuna was delish and the outside was fried with a perfect, golden crunch.
add a $12 pitcher of sapporo and we got ourselves a wonderfully filling, unhealthy, tasty, pretty affordable dinner of little japanese tapas like dishes.
i'd definitely make the trek out to santa monica again for some more of the yummy treats offered at musha, especially since there was so much more i wanted to try. will be sure to make reservations, next time...promise! and i'm crossing my fingers for equally entertaining neighbors :P
I came here last night under the recommendation of my friend. I have to say I had some really impressive dishes that I would go back to again and again for many years to come. I'm so glad I found this place.
The items I had, though I don't remember the name
1) trio of vegetables: I would pass on this, since it's just as pricey as the other dishes, but the portions were tiny.
2) fire torched mackeral: amazing, the fired chars the skin just enough to give it a nice bbq favor, and melts the fat underneath. it melted in my mouth.
3) beef tongue bbq: quite good but a little lacking in salt.
4) asari udon: which is the BEST udon I have ever had. it's not traditional udon in a brooth. it resembles more of a italian clam linguines but 10 times better. I figured it's frequently missed on the menu, since it's tucked away on the bottom of the last page. but you have to try it if you go. it's simply delicious. this dish made my tongue smile. It's also a decent size portion that filled me up at the end. happy tommy - happy me.
ok there you have it, enjoy!
I find it very hard to recommend this place because I just don't feel it does enough justice to be labeled an izakaya type place. Maybe an asian-fusion place, but not izakaya. I'm not a native, but I've had some great experiences with my japanese friends at more traditional izakaya places like Honda-Ya.
-The place itself is somewhat small and noisy. Because of the size, reservations are a must during peak hours.
-Food itself seemed to be good to high quality, but I hate asian-fusion. Guess I'm just an old-school kind of guy.
-No asians. I can't believe the place was packed and I don't think we saw any asians while we were there.
-Parking can be tough. Typical LA: street parking or parking garage only.
-Menu seems very limited for an izakaya type place. (No yakitori???)
-No large communal table where you can sit with random strangers or bring your larger groups. (Although there are rooms in the back it seems for large groups).
-For the Beef Tongue they brought out a small little grill so we can cook ourselves. No vents so there was an uncomfortable amount of smoke. (I'd prefer the chefs prepare it just right so we don't have to). Since we are not the best cooks, we burned it a little bit. If I wanted to burn my own meat, I'd got to a k-bbq.
Quality is good, but I can't find a single reason to go back.
#114
Upon a recommendation, I decided to bring my date here on a Friday night a couple weeks ago. After reading the reviews on how busy Musha gets, I felt fortunate to secure a reservation calling in on the same day. In fact, I called in at about 2pm and requested a reservation for two @ 8:30pm.
Sure enough, the place was packed. Even though we had a reservation for 8:30, we weren't seated until about 8:45. One thing I didn't care for was that our table was a little too close for comfort with the tables on each side of us. They were definitely trying to fit in as many tables as possible.
Here's what we ordered:
Pure tofu: The consistency of the tofu was amazingly soft. Top it with some kelp salt, bonito flakes, diced onions, (I want to say it was) ponzu sauce and we have a winner. Very refreshing.
Yellowtail sashimi (hamachi): No complaints here ... tasted fresh
Rib eye steak: They bring a charcoal grill to your table so you can cook your steak, which is cut into small cubes. It's served with a garlic soy and ponzu sauce. Both flavors tasted great.
Pork belly (kakuni): The pork belly is served with a boiled egg and sliced potato pieces. The pork was delicious and the tenderness was excellent.
Garlic and butter clams (asari garlic): The garlic and butter sauce was tasty and added a nice flavor to the clams.
I wasn't expecting the dishes to be as large as they were, so we didn't end up finishing everything (might also have been the drinks). When I return, I'll probably go with two dishes per person. Along with the check, they brought melon and hot tea - a nice touch.
Service was pretty good considering it was packed, but I'd like to come back on a slower night.
I love this place because it's open late, until 11:30pm, and it's some good izakaya style (japanese tapas) food! my fave dishes, thus far:
1) tofu & veggie dishes, particularly the "pure tofu" is silky soft and so yummy with the accompanying salt, chives, ponzu sauce and ginger to top off.
2) lobster roll is probably the closest you'll get to a sushi roll. a bit on the pricey side, and the roll is a bit thin, but it's freakin' tasty!
3) soju cocktails TO. DIE. FOR. particularly the guava soju. FILL 'ER UP!!
4) edamame which you can't really F-up, right?
5) seaweed salad nom nom
6) ok, so my friend had some meat dishes, and they were just as yummy!
So if you're looking for dinner at 10pm and are in the SaMo area, head to Musha!
Clearly I've been eating out way too much since this is my 3rd review of a restaurant I've been to in the span of 24 hours. Tonight I was craving Musha - a place I've taken out of town visitors to often. I didn't want anything too heavy and thought the izakaya style would have the kind of portions I could handle.
First off, I love the atmosphere - very cozy and quaint but not cramped. I've eaten at the bar and at the tables, both great experiences. The candles are also a nice touch and the server replaced the one that went out on our table really quickly.
Second, the service is excellent. Especially after my past few experiences at Japanese restaurants, I totally appreciated how attentive the staff were with ordering, delivering the food, and refilling our tea pot!
Lastly, the food was great! I have had a couple of dishes I wasn't too excited about so I stick with my tried and true favorites - spicy tuna dip, seared saba, kakuni (pork belly), and lobster roll. The rice crackers for teh spicy tuna dip are cooked just right - nice and crispy. The saba is seared perfectly and I love the flavor of mackerel. The kakuni was tender with a nice sweet sauce. And the lobster roll was light and refreshing. We ended our dinner with some green tea ice cream that had a nice hazelnut and chocolate wafer. Yummy!
This is my favorite izakaya place and it's pretty reasonable price-wise. But I know that I'm still going to drop at least $20, although tonight with all that we ate it ended up being $30/person (we left a good tip cuz of the service). Can't make this a regular hang out but I could definitely go every couple months and save up for it. =)
Two thumbs up. This place was great. I was visiting friends in LA and they said this was one of their favorite places. After eating there, I can see why.
The food is great, well priced and well presented. The staff is exceedingly friendly (almost has a Texas feel to the hospitality if I may say so myself) and attentive.
I'll certainly go there again when I head back to LA when the Longhorns are back in the National Championship Game (knock on wood)!
Eating at Musha's bar, it's all about Taku. If you're a table eater, you know Taku as the host who welcomes you and takes your name and number to call you when your table's ready. (There's always a line out the door). When you are finished with your meal, Taku is also the one who sends you out the door with a cheerful "Arigato gozaimasu" as he hands little bags of Japanese candy to the ladies. If you eat at Musha's bar, however, you quickly realize that Taku is a master of all trades.
He dresses your salad. He plates your sushi. He even torches your mackerel. Oh Taku, is there anything you can't do? My day had been stressful and I eagerly anticipated a good meal and a few drinks. I arrived early and ordered a carafe of sake as I waited for my friend. Minutes later, an attractive woman sat down alone two seats from me. She wore a shawl and her cheeks had a pinkish glow. Clearly a woman who knows what she wants, she orders without even a peek at the menu. My sake arrives in a pretty green carafe and the woman eyes it curiously. She motions to Taku while pointing to my carafe, hey...what's that?
Sake! says Taku.
A perfect eat at the bar moment. I offer her a glass. She accepts with little hesitation and offers me some of her green bean salad. I quickly learn that she's just taken herself to a nice massage across the street and came over for a bite. We talk about her consulting work with small businesses and venture capitalists. Again, I'm impressed. I love smart, hard-working women that also know how to treat themselves once in a while. This is a woman I can learn something from. Soon, my friend arrives, plus one, which made 4 at the bar. I find that 1-2 is the ideal number for eating at the bar, 3 the maximum. After that, it gets a little harder to converse. Plus, Musha's bar only seats 4 total. The conversation with my new friend at the other end of the bar lulled, but that didn't stop us from all sharing food.
We started with their delicious spicy tuna dip. I've probably had more spicy tuna in my life than I've had pizza and this one is exceptionally delicious. It comes with rice crackers that are thick and crispy. Then came the mackerel, raw except for the torched skin. It had the wonderful tanginess of Japanese mackerel but was not overly fishy. The pumpkin croquettes were greasy and amazing (I also recommend the tuna croquettes). We finished the meal with Musha's famous risotto. I know what you're thinking...risotto at a Japanese restaurant? It's made with soy milk, served in a giant cheese bowl. It's rich and tasty, but then again, anything with that much parmesan is bound to taste good.
By the end of the meal, my new friend had invited me to her house party the following week. All in all, Musha has great Izakaya style Japanese food. It's perfect for eating at the bar and sharing...Order lots of different dishes and try everything! This is probably one of the most unique, authentic restaurants on LA's Westside. Definitely order the spicy tuna dip, any of the croquettes, the seared mackerel, lobster roll, fresh tofu...shall I keep going? Lots of fun, very unique menu and perfect for the adventurous eater. If you're expecting a typical sushi bar with California rolls and dragon rolls, you better go elsewhere.
By the way, I want to punch the person that tried to order a spicy tuna or California roll here. I hate picky eaters who have a million and one special requests at restaurants. If you don't like what the chef's serving, don't come back and just go cook home and cook it yourself. F***ing whiners.
Thank God this place is only 5 blocks from my apartment!! What would I do without it? Musha is the place for a complete Isakaya dining experience. The entire staff is fun, friendly and animated! This place is always crowded, so call ahead or plan to wait a little while (although I once got free drinks while waiting). If you're lucky, you get one of the private booths in the back. The food itself is fun, interesting and tasty all at the same time. The 2 must-haves are the grilled salmon and the Yellowtail collar.
I'm a sucker for izakaya style restaurants, and I'm especially fond of Musha because it's one of the most vegetarian friendly izakayas I've ever been to. The tofu fries were good, albeit a bit gimmicky. The Daikara is like a vegetarian version of karaage, which was not bad, but B didn't like how the texture felt like chicken fat. Point taken, while I gladly finished the rest of the plate. The rice dishes like the Okoge are my favorites. I've had their salads before and they're good too. The only thing I would probably never get is the Portobello Steak. The folks at the next table ordered it and the mushrooms sat there for 15 minutes and still they were barely cooked. If B wrote this review, it would probably be a 3 star review. If only I wasn't so charmed by you, Musha.
I was under the impression that I would be going to a Japanese restaurant that had the usual sushi rolls and other normal Japanese fodder, but instead I was pleasantly surprised by what they had on the menu! Japanese tapas, I believe.. not something I thought existed (please excuse me), but I have to say that it was pretty good.
Although everything we had was great (the dumpling soup, the sauteed mushroom and asparagus, tofu fries) a part of me still wished that I had a chance to eat some delicious sushi rolls (which me and my friend were kinda-sorta looking forward to). There were so many other interesting aspects of the place though: from the guy who torches a fish right in front of you to that mini little hibachi thing to grill your own food. But I loved the atmosphere of the place... it was kind of fun and stylish, and the host seemed to be a pretty cool guy. He was nice enough to cheer me on as I chugged my beer and gave me another one in a bigger glass. I like that guy. Except for the fact that he wore a Dodger hat, I think I'd like to be his friend.
The wait was okay... although sometimes it seemed like the dude saw his regulars and gave them priority over the people who just seemed to walk in. But at least he takes your name and number down, and calls you when your table is ready so you're not just waiting by the door.
I felt so fortunate that one of my friends recommended me to this Izakaya style Japanese joint coz' it's SMOKIN'! From their cold dish to the Shichirin grilled dish, Musha consistently bring the best stuffs to the table. Although this place is always jam-packed, I was delighted that finally there's a good Izakaya place that we can RESERVE, jeez...
OK, no further due, let me break it down what made Musha an Izakaya restaurant at its finest:
Aburi Saba a.k.a seared Saba - You'll watch a torching experience. the taste? DAYYYUMM! fresh Saba vinegar marinated melt in your mouth leaving salty, crispy, smokey Saba skin at end.
Cheese Tofu - mozzarella cheese, soy milk, cottage cheese, and cream cheese might not sound weird, but mixed together as a spread on top of baguette or crackers, pour a little bit of honey from the honeycomb stick - you get a hecka bomb appetizer. You can ask for extra crackers too.
Negitoro Tuna Croquette and Kabocha Pumpkin croquette - both are very yummy fillings and oh I love how crunchy they are!
Tanshio - thinly sliced and tender beef tongue grilled on tiny tabletop grill. The only bad thing about this meal is I can't get enough of them!
Takotama - It's a house special dish. It's a finely stacked scrambled egg, octopus, fried noodle, mushroom, onion drenched in mayo. Highly recommended!
Cheese Risotto and Spicy Tuna Dip weren't too striking. Although the way they prepare the risotto was interesting, a handful of creamy risotto being tossed in a gigantic block of Parmesan cheese, but the taste wasn't spectacular.
Oh, I can't wait to go back and tried every single dish on their menu. I heard their pork belly is a must try!
Great, friendly izakaya place with reasonable prices on food and sake.
Make sure to get the spicy tuna dip served on crunchy puffed rice bars- looks a bit odd but is SO GOOD. Mackerel torched tableside and the signature octopus omelet with soba noodles are also not to be missed. Green bean salad sounds a bit boring, but the dressing makes it quite delicious.
This place is always packed, so make a reservation if you don't like to wait. A little tip for large parties - they have a small "private room" for up to a dozen people and we were able to get seated right away without a reservation for 10 people.
Every dish we ordered was great! Must say I liked Musha better than Ronin Izakaya Bistro.
In order to avoid sounding like a redundant review...must simply say I AGREE:
Can't go wrong w/:
Ribeye on tabletop grill
torched mackarel
slow braised pork
spicy tuna w/ crisped rice squares
tofu fries
creme brulee
need to try:
risotto
croquettes (squash and/or tuna)
lobster roll
It's tiny and gets packed pretty quickly, so call ahead for reservations!
Took off one pt. for the slightly pudgy prices (considering its an izakaya)
My favorite izakaya place ^^
restaurant is small and always busy yet worth the wait.
must try:
spicy tuna dip
brown rice risotto
Steak (very tender!)
slow braised pork (amazing here!)
torched mackerel
lobster roll
kabocha croquettes
It was getting late on a Thursday night and my girlfriend and I were getting hungry. We had planned on trying out the BP Oysterette, but the place looked too packed and we were looking for something a little more intimate. We found that and much more at Musha.
We passed Musha on our way to BP Oysterette and decided to circle back and try it out, and I'm REALLY glad we did. Everything we ordered was great (especially the spicy tuna dip) and the servers were really friendly and attentive. Thursday was a perfect night to go since we got to avoid the weekend and the "dinner-and-a-movie" crowd.
Needless to say, we'll be coming back for seconds...
Great place for Japanese tapas.
Cute little venue.
The food was very good but it was too crowded and the tables were too close together.
Gets very crowded so I suggest making reservation.
I would go again but on a off time.
Parking in Street.
Happy hour
Los Angeles, CA
Lunch Special
Neighborhood: Mid-City West
Neighborhood: Santa Monica
Category: Japanese
Neighborhood: Torrance
Category: Japanese
Neighborhood: Santa Monica
Category: Sushi Bars
Moorpark, CA
Category: Restaurants
Neighborhood: Santa Monica
Category: Sushi Bars
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