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Mon-Sun. 5:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
"A++ in my book. Ive tried most of the Ramen joints in the Sawtelle/Little Tokyo/Asian Corridor area, and I must say Ramenya is my favorite.…" read more »
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This place was really delicious. The menu is a little pricy, which is why probably can't come here all the time. but they have great service. We tried several things including chicken meatballs, steak, fried fish, and a mixed mushroom bowl from the kitchen. They were all really tasty.
The real reason I give high ratings is because of good service. And this place has really great service, the waiter was really nice to us, gave us a bar seat. The chef was nice too, asked us how we were doing before we even ordered anything. The waitresses were really observant, i held onto a menu in case I wanted to order more food. After eating a bit, the second i picked up the menu to take a look, a waitress walked by and tapped me on the shoulder, asking me if I would like to order something else. Also when I finished my tea, I was just chatting with my girlfriend, and the next thing i notice, my tea is already refilled. We couldn't even remember when she walked by to do so, and that's really great service. When you don't have to look around trying to catch the waiter/waitress's attention to get what you want.
I really look forward to coming here again sometime
I love this place.
Their menu was pretty extensive on the kushi and what made my day was their yakionigiri. They do it right by crisping the outside first on the charcoal then adding on the soy sauce after and letting it crisp again. Its by far the simplest food but my all time favorite.
We had:
negima: can't ever go wrong with this item
tebasaki: very tasty
tsukune: my boyfriend's favorite
shisomaki: if you want white meat i think this give it much more flavor.
nanbanyaki: very tender
kaibashira: tasty
pork wrapped burdock root : my favorite for the night
pork wrapped asparagus: ok
ginnan: they use fresh ginko nuts! my other favorite for the night
plain yakionigiri: if i wasn't so full i would have ordered two more
agedashtofu: ok, didn't have much flavor.
Each skewer ranged anywhere from 4 to 6 bucks but for most of them it came with 2 skewers for that price.
Corkage is a mere $9 but they had a pretty good list of sake for a reasonable price.
I guess there's parking in the back of the restaurant but we parked on the street. I'd highly suggest to sit at the bar but also highly suggest that you make reservations before you head out. The restaurant was packed from the moment they opened.
I loved it so much we're heading back this Friday to try more of their items we couldn't eat. Can't wait!!!
For years and years I travelled to Japan for business. While I was able to try lots of different styles of Japanese cooking, Yakitori and Robata remain my favorites. These are not the most expensive or exotic things you can get there mind you, but the delicacy and creativity of the stick food along with the simplicity and low cost make these two cooking styles universally attractive to Japanese people and foreigners too. And lots of the best Yakitori places are nothing more than a stand outside a train station with a man and his hibachi cooking over coals and selling by the stick. I had mentioned Robata also and that is a little bit different because of the serving style and the broader breadth of dishes, but these two cooking styles are similar in that they offer small plates of stick cooked foods that are cooked over open barbecue heat. In purest terms Yakitori should be chicken dishes as Yaki Tori translates to Cooked Chicken, But most Yakitori-yas serve vegetables and other items as well. In the better establishments like Nanbankan, they use charcoal and aficionado's of Yakitori can tell by the kind of wood where the charcoal came from. Some Yakitori places cook over wood as well.
I was so impressed by Nanbankan because they go way beyond just cooking over coal. Each dish is delicately prepared with just the right seasonings, just the right flavors and with beautiful presentation.
We had four for dinner and enjoyed quite a few courses. There were no picky eaters in our crowd and most of us had eaten Yakitori in Japan before, so we knew the drill.
They have a nice looking Yakitori bar which was full and I am told this is popular and booked way ahead and they had tables with waiter/waitress service. They serve beer wine and saki and had a nice selection. We had big botttles of Japanese beer which goes well with Yakitori.
I will list the Japanese names and also will tell you what we had in English. Nanbankan serves both courses (preselected meals of Yakitori) or ala carte. We ordered completely ala carte, which I find to be the best way to go.
As I recall we had the following:
Tebasaki - Chicken wings (my all time favorite, I suggest salt as opposed to soy sauce for the cooking method)
Tsukune - Chicken meatballs (these come with a delicate light brown somewhat sweet sauce)
Kawa - Chicken skin (sounds gross, but think delicate crisp potato chip like texture)
Sunagimo - Chicken Gizzards
Piman - Small roasted hot green chili peppers
Potato - Potato
Negima - Chicken breast with Scallions
Don't know the Japanese name - Sea Scallop cooked in the shell and sliced (Wow!)
We had lots more, but this is what I can remember off the bat.
The thing that separates Nanbankan from other Yakitori-yas is the delicate preparation for each dish giving each one its special flavor. I don't give out many five star reviews but this place deserves that rating.
When we left the restaurant full and grinning from ear to ear I bowed to the chefs and thanked them in Japanese saying Oishi Kata Desu, which translates to that was delicious.
Smokey authentic and outstanding.
I tried Nanbankan for the first time for my b-day. All I wanted was some amazing Japanese food (Like I do every bday) and Nanbankan was pretty much a random, last minute choice.
It didn't fail to impress!
Japanese seasonings, sauces, and marinades have captured my heart ever since I was a child. I was excited to step away from sushi to reignite the other areas of Japanese cuisine.
The yakitori was delicious. We tried everything from chicken liver to octopus. Eating everything with a side of rice topped with marinated ground chicken. SO good. (Every restaurant should have this as a side option)
I highly recommend trying this place out to break free from the sushi phase, but still remaining obsessed with Japanese food. Great experience. Great food.
I can't wait till my next visit.
Nanbankan is slept on. Totally legit, huge menu. This place honestly gets a 4.5 in my book. I was able to steer completely away from sushi and still have an amazing array of items.
The Yakitori will save your marriage. OK I'll chill out, but seriously...
The yakitori is no where near as good as Kokekokko, but unlike Kokekokko there are a diverse range of non-chicken items to choose from. Unfortunately, these tastier items are usually on the pricier side.
I highly recommend the pork belly, clams and chicken skin. I've also heard from a few friends that the lamb is delicious as well. But if all you really want is chicken skewers, this place is a no-go.
The last time I came here was 11 years ago. But, as a birthday present, one of my friends took me here for some good yakitori and sake. Man, it was so good. It was like falling in love all over again.
So, I'm sure everyone knows what yakitori is. It's the Japanese take on skewers. It's a little pricier than what you would expect for skewers (especially outside of Japan), but the quality of ingredients is excellent.
Being Japanese, she naturally knew all about sake. To celebrate, she ordered a bottle of Hakkaisan sake, which cost $40 at the restaurant. It was the perfect amount of sake for 2. Wow, that sake was so amazing. It was smooth, and had character, and even gave off a different type of buzz. Like a clean buzz. Whereas most alcohol will just make you feel muddled, this allowed me to retain clarity. Absolutely, the sake was not cheap. But when you think about it, a glass of wine will run you $9-15. And this was $40 for a whole bottle.
Anyways, onto food. For the skewers, the stand-outs included the pork belly and bacon-wrapped okura. Of course, at yakitori you always have to get chicken hearts and chicken meatballs. And Nanbankan has really great renditions of those. They also do several non-yakitori dishes really well. The line scallops, cooked on the shell, were great. The soup on the shell was so clean and flavorful. Knowing it was unclassy, we took the shell up to our faces and finished the soup down to the last drop. It really was that good. Their black cod is really nice...not overly sweet like a lot of other places. The quail? Succulent as hell. And then their Wagyu slider was an excellent, hearty ending.
So, this is a good place to celebrate a special occasion. It's not cheap, but I think it's actually got good value. For an equally fulfilling experience at a Western restaurant, you would have to pay more, I believe. It's a place to sit down, eat slowly and drink slowly, and enjoy the good things in life.
I've been going to Nanbankan for over 7 years.
I really love this place. Somehow you can order as much as you like and it always averages out to about $20 per person.
I suggest making a reservation as it gets a bit busy as words gotten out in the last few years on how great this place is.
The food is totally great and a lot of fun!
Oh my goodness! The best thing on earth is hanging out on the beach, riding your beach cruiser and going to this place for some really amazing Japanese food!
For those adventurous eaters, you must try the chicken skin, chicken heart, pork belly, squid, chicken wings, agedeshi tofu and honestly....everything on the menu!
My mouth is watering as I Yelp!!
The first time I came, we ordered the set menu because we didn't know what to order. It came with 8 skewers, chicken wings, a beef rice bowl, and ice cream for $25. It was a lot of food for a reasonable price. Dishes I really liked: the beef skewer, chicken meatballs, a vegetable skewer that came with a slice of pepper, tomato, and mushroom, and quail eggs. My boyfriend really liked the chicken wings, I thought they were just okay. The rice bowl was really good too but it was so much food, I had to take it home and ate it for lunch the next day!
The second time I came, we just ordered individual dishes instead of doing the set menu. We ordered 3 specials: Wagyu kobe beef, yellowtail collar, and the avocado crab salad. Everything was good but the salad was my fav! Half of an avocado with crab in it and sprinkled with capers on the side. Heaven. I added a photo.
Go away.
This place is for me and myself only.
That's why they made it so hard to find.
To hide my chicken from your grubby little mits,
The pork belly is mine. All mine.
The corn and chilean sea bass too.
Don't even think about taking my beef wrapped asparagus.
2.5 really, but I gave furaibo 3 stars, and if we're comparing the two, furaibo is definitely a better pick for me, so i selected 2 stars.
They serve similar stuff to furaibo, but I feel that Furaibo has more variety, and it's slightly cheaper. Also, this place serves a very small selection of sushi rolls and sashimi, and I feel that if you're going to serve sushi, then you should serve sushi and put more variety out there. Or at least serve SUSHI, not just a few rolls and sashimi.
There yakitori was a hit or miss for me. There tebasaki was juicy, but I like the flavor or furaibo's better. I do like how they cut it so you don't have to dig through the bones though. Their yakitori asparagus and pork wrapped in shiso was a favorite of mine. The clam also was divine. The quail egg was not bad as well. I didn't care for their beef items, it was very overcook and dry. My bf loved their scallops, I don't care for those so I didn't try. Their onigiri also fell short of furaibo's. I feel Furaibo's has more flavor. They do serve donburi which i thought was delicious. and their lychee ice cream is definitely one of a kind, I've never had anything quite like it, it was so fresh and tasted like fresh fruit, not artificial flavoring.
The portions here are very small, I could order the same things at Furaibo and be extremely full, here I was still itching for more...
The staff at Nanbankan is definitely better than those at Furaibo, hands down. They are much more courteous and are quick to answer questions and clearing plates, as well as making sure your drinks are always filled. The ambiance is different than Furaibo, but both are good, depending one what you are looking for. Nanbankan is more for an intimate meal, or business meeting setting. They had an older crowd. Furaibo is for a younger crowd, where a bunch of friends can get together and drink.
Basically Nanbankan is ok, maybe some place I will come again in the future, depending on my company. But for most occasions, I'll probably head over to Furaibo.
We were hungry and it seemed, out of luck. That stretch of the road seemed to only offer us fast food or fare from the mini-mart. We had 45 minutes to kill so we decided to take a walk. within moments we saw Nanbankan.
There is some construction on Santa Monica Blvd. The restaurant was barely visible from the street, obscured by a chain link barricade making it difficult to even find the front door. Beyond was utopia! The first thing I did was profile the place. Sure enough, it was stuffed to the gills with Japanese people... An excellent sign.
We sat at the bar and watched grill masters do their thing. The menu is diverse, interesting, authentic and very reasonable.
Go... eat... enjoy... You will be back!
I just love this place! It's almost always packed, so a reservation is highly recommended, but this is my favorite place to catch a fun, delicious, and reasonably priced meal.
Not to be missed:
Chicken meatballs
Beef tongue
Fresh oysters in ponzu (at $4.50 it's a bargain, you get 4-5 large freshly shucked oysters)
Ebi (large, succulent shrimp that get a lovely flavor over the grill)
Stuffed shitake mushrooms
Grilled onigiri (the rice gets nice and crunchy)
Everything I've had here is excellent. I keep meaning to get some of the very delicious-looking items from the kitchen, but the grill beckons to me every time.
This place was hard to find because of some constructions around it. Look for the "We're Open" sign, with the little Nanbankan name under it. They also have a parking lot in the back.
The inside is pretty nice. Very well decorated with nice ambient. However service was slow and the food overall wasn't particular great. I didn't hate their food because some things were pretty good. Stuffed shiitake, wrapped asparagus.. but overall, we weren't too impressed.
Also a word of warning, if you're going to order their eel livers, keep in mind that they are very "eely". Unless you absolutely loves that strong distinctive eel flavor, I recommend that you steer clear.
I've always wanted to try Nanbankan, and I finally got the chance to this week. It left me with two impressions--some pretty good food and some pretty reasonable prices.
Currently, Nanbankan is in a building that is undergoing construction so it is quite easy to miss (with all those construction barriers). Even though it is on a pretty busy street, street parking was quite easy to find. The interior is pretty simple and bare bones but nice. They have tables as well as counter seating around the yakitori grill.
They start you off with a complimentary fresh cold salad of carrots, green peppers, and cabbage. You also have a dipping sauce, which was quite tasty.
They have a set meal in the $20 range that includes many different chicken, beef, and vegetable sticks as well as rice, miso soup, and ice cream. It is quite a bargain. You can also order a la carte, and the prices are still pretty good.
In terms of the yakitori, all the chicken selections were quite good. The dark meat chicken with the scallions stood out by far as the best (in my opinion). But the chicken meatballs and the chicken wings were also very good. The sea bass was excellent as well. The beef was good but not great (the same can be said about the scallops). The vegetables were merely okay. I thought the green beans wrapped in pork skin/fat were the best of the vegetables.
The miso soup was good, and the rice was good. The rice was topped with ground chicken, seaweed, and a little bit of sauce. You can substitute this for your regular bowl of white rice if you get the yakitori combination meal. I had to add a little soy sauce to give it more flavor; in the end, the chicken and rice was pretty good.
The dessert menu was just ice cream. I went with the chocolate mochi, which was okay but solid as a rock. If you are going to just have ice cream on your dessert menu, you should try to make it great.
I think the only drawback to this place was how the food was served. They seemed to bring it all out at once. Granted the food is small enough to be consumed quickly, but because it is served on regular plates, the yakitori can go cold quick. Though the set meal is a good deal, I would recommend ordering a la carte and then ordering just small amounts at one time. That way everything tastes nice and hot. If you order at Nanbankan this way, I think you are going to have a very good experience.
You can get a complete meal (definitely the equivalent to a 3 course meal) of beef/chicken/veggies/rice/ice cream (without drinks, tax, or tip) for about $25.
Been here a few times with coworkers, family, and friends.
Excellent quality of meat, seafood, and vegetables - everything is freshly grilled on the spot. It's fun to sit at the counter and watch the chefs grill away. They use a special charcoal that they import from Japan for grilling. When they grill - nothing is burnt - just nicely caramelized and perfectly cooked.
If you want some outstanding yakitori - go for the specials board.
Last time, I went we tried:
Fresh scallop - they actually grill the fresh scallop in the shell - leaving a beautiful broth for you to slurp up from the shell.
Abalone - freshly shucked and so tender - served in the shell as well.
Beef steak - so tender and juicy.
and others standards like Chicken with Scallions, Green Pepper w Tomatoes and Onion, Bacon wrapped Green Beans, and Shishito Peppers were great!
It's hidden behind construction as others say. There is a tiny parking lot behind the building.
They do take reservations - just call ahead so you don't have to wait or at least you'll know what is going on.
so i came here after reading about it on yelp.. i thought it would be good, really, but it wasn't. This was my first and last time coming to nanbankan, and here's why:
The good:
location - I first noticed the large yellow banner they have outside.. are you people really not finding this place? their sign is huge and bright yellow, it couldn't have been easier to find. It's 2 lefts after the freeway exit and it's very very easy to find.
However, the rest of the building was under construction and fenced off, just kinda awkward as my friend and i had to walk around it
service - it was prompt, the girl spoke english unlike most of the japanese places around this area, and she was nice. The waiter that brought our food was also very attentive.
price (yakitori) - for $4.00 (or so) per 2 sticks, believe it or not this is actually one of the cheaper yakitori places in LA
chicken cartilage - nice, crunchy, and juicy, good on the smokey flavor
chicken skin - nice and crunchy, could use a little more salt
oyster mushroom - seemed perfect
neck meat - soo tender.. but this is where it ends
The bad:
chicken meatball - *shrug*
chicken white meat wrapped in shiso leaf - the shiso completely overpowered the taste of the chicken.. it felt like i was eating a piece of shiso
top sirloin beef - something i could make myself for much less than i paid, drowned in sauce and still pretty much tasteless/overcooked
dark meat and scallions (aka negima) - this is probably the most common yakitori out there, and it was just "ok" It didn't really stand out or anything.
chilean sea bass - tasted like thawed frozen fish on a stick, very disappointing
stuffed mushrooms - *shrug*
yellowtail collar - crunchy, but flavorless
price (anything other than yakitori) - the bill was $80+ for 2 people before tax and tip, that was only including 2 $3.50 beers..... so why exactly was it so expensive? Pretty much anything that isn't yakitori is ridiculously expensive for what you get. You get more "bang for your buck" at furaibo down the street
parking - the whole one way thing is strange, we missed the entrance to the parking lot the first time (since there's no sign out back) and had to make a big round to get back in.
reservations - upon our arrival we were asked if we made reservations.. i took one glance at the restaurant and there were only 4 people in the whole place...... when we left there were still plenty of seats.. so whoever said they are stingy about reservations was correct. However we DID make reservations so we were promptly seated in one of the many empty tables
environment - this place isn't sure if it wants to be an izakaya or a classy restaurant.. it falls somewhere in between where it's just very awkward. We sat in the table area near the entrance, and it felt like it could have been "classy" (which were my first words when i sat down). That was quickly forgotten as it was a small room and noise escalates quickly.
The crowd there was older, mostly non asian. If i closed my eyes and listened to the surroundings, i would have thought i was at chilis, applebees or some american restaurant.. that's right.. we were pretty much the only asians in there. (aside from most of the workers and 1 couple..) and what do they say about asian restaurants not filled with asians? hmmmmmmmmmm?
crying baby - that's right, there was a crying baby on the table next to me. Since it was a small room, it sounded like the baby was crying right into my ear. The whole party seemed to want to talk louder than the baby was crying... This was even worse than the noise as shin sen gumi on a busy night. I should have sat at the bar.
Do yourself a favor and skip this place, it's about as average (more like below average) as it gets. Instead, go to shin sen gumi or yakitoriya, both of them taste way better. I really don't understand why there are so many 4 and 5 star reviews for this place.
service = 5/5
food = 2/5
environment = 0/5
crying baby = -5/5
Like Eli G said, it's very over-rated. I won't be back
It's like they dare you to find this place. Oh, but many do as it was busy on a Friday night.
The prices are right in the middle of other yakitori restaurants. The food places about the same with other like restaurants. The octopus was chewy, but the chicken cartilage was nicely crunchy. The agedashi was a little bland, but the scallops and green beans were bursting with flavor. That's about how our whole meal went; some hits, a few misses, but pleasant enough.
A friend of mine recommended this place a few months ago and it truly holds to its name. :0) I went to this place yesterday and it was a great experience. My friends and I ordered a variety of dishes and they did not fail to meet our taste buds. I do want to point out that this place is at the corner of a block and it is hard to find as there is a small "under construction" sign outside the restaurant.
So anyway back to business!! Here are the recommendations:
Deep Fried Tofu
Fried Japanese Peppers
Chilean Sea Bass
Salmon Roll
Chicken Wings
Sauteed Mushrooms w/Green Beans
Beef Sirloin
These are just a few of the items we tried -- since we had four in our party we all just decided to try things family style. :) It was a fun experience and the service was great. The waiters are always available to change your plates and are consistent in refilling beverages.
But seriously, don't take my word for it -- try this place out for yourself. :0)
This is my favorite yakitori place as of yet. My faves are the sea bass, chicken wings, and sirloin steak, white chicken meat wrapped with shiso, okura wrapped with pork.. to name a few. My not-so-faves - stuffed mushrooms (which were on the house, so I shouldn't complain) and hamachi kama (tends to be on the fishy side - they should serve this with some grated daikon).
I recommend sitting at the counter to watch the chefs do their thing and maybe meet a few new friends seated next to you. Last night I met a French chef who opened a successful restaurant in Palm Springs. He comes to Nanbankan every chance he gets b/c he loves it so much and has been doing so for the past 20 years! Omoshiroi ne!
Service is impeccable. Come ready with Febreeze because your clothes might get a bit smelly. Well worth it though. :)
OMG this hit the spot fri night! But I think I still like Honda-ya better..
Group of 4= ~$200(with tip) (1 bottle of sake + 1 beer + food)
Do not get the Eel liver...it had a very stinky flavor...couldn't eat it! Wonder if Zimmerman tried this =/
I highly recommend the tomato yaki(?) it was really good.
Oysters were good, but wasn't served on the half shell =/
Beef Tongue is always good.
Seafood mix was good.
Grilled Triangle rice-house style was ok...
and many many more...can't remember
Without reservations we had to wait 45 min.
Parking sucks ofcourse..they have a small lot behind the building, street parking or lots.
It looked cool to sit at the bar and watch the grilling, but I'm a girl and I don't want to infuse myself with the grill smell and it was already hot inside-no need to roast.
this place is great and well hidden, because of the construction going on on top of the restaurant for the past 5 years. i'm not sure if it's been that many years but it's been too long for a small building to get constructed.
if you like skewered food and like your food cooked with charcoal i highly recommend Nanbankan.
a few of my recommendations:
tebasaki (chicken wings)
australian lamb chops
pork belly
chilean sea bass
chicken skin
chicken meatballs
dark chicken & scallions
asparagus & pork
yaki onigiri
any type of steak skewer
corn (shaved) *order at the end of your meal
Girlfriend set up reservations here last night-- I was a little bit skeptical cuz in the past, I just never come out full at these places.. good, but not enough to really hit the spot? chalk it up to my carnivorous side.. but she makes great choices so I was down to check it out.
I gotta try out a few more places, but I gotta think this is shooting up as one of my favs!
- Ambiance was an excellent small restaurant feel
- Our server was super friendly and attentive
- The food was EXCELLENT. Great smokey char, savory salt seasoning (I gotta think there's something else other than just salt??), and the service was relatively fast too.
- I was actually pretty full after our first round of ordering.. and the bill? under $50 for two with drinks included!
Quick Hit Notes:
- The building Nanbankan is at is under construction, so it's a little hidden. Look for that sleek modern looking office building being constructed.. it's there.
- We had the Shitake and Enoki Tempura that sounded a lot more exotic than it came out... Fanned out Enoki battered and fried in tempura is really just another phrase for a lot of fried tempura batter.
-They have Asahi Black! Major bonus points to that~
Conclusively, this place really left a good impression and I'm really looking forward to coming back here (especially if I'm out near the westside again).
A friend and I decided to try this place after reading about it in Los Angeles Magazine - it was one of the restaurants in the Cheap Eats feature. It's a small place and it can be a little hard to find since the front façade is hidden behind some construction. Once inside, however, the sound of traffic on Santa Monica Blvd. goes away and it's actually hard to imagine that you're having dinner right next to the 405!
I had the freshwater eel donburi (rice bowl) and my friend ordered an assortment of sushi. We also ordered an appetizer to split and surprisingly, our bill came out to $27! For two! The donburi was delicious, though I wish the portions were a little bigger. I'd love to go back and try the yakitori, which is what this place is all about.
Sawtelle Avenue between Olympic and Santa Monica Blvd. is a little Japan town where you can find decent Japanese restaurants, shops, grocery stores and hair salons. I did NOT know that they had a yakitori restaurant on Santa Monica Blvd about a block east of Sawtelle!...
It was about 6 months ago when I found this little hidden spot when my friends and I were randomly walking around the neighborhood.
I walk into the Restaurant and you can already tell that the place is pretty authentic. Very Japanese and cozy, you can smell the sweet + salty smell of the teriyaki sauce they use for the yakitoris.
We ordered about 10 plates between 3 people. each place is about $4-$10 and it comes with 2 yakitori sticks. We ordered chicken skin, pork belly, chicken thigh, chicken harami, hamachi collar (this was not yakitori, it was a baked yellowtail fish its SO good tho!) asparagus, quail eggs, tendon and lamb. They have so many things on the menu to choose from! I will definitely have to go back here again soon!
With beer the bill came out to be about $30 a person. Not bad at all!
again, i have been coming here for over 13 years, and its great every time. tony has updated the decor and it looks great,,, i was very groggy last nite since i had been in the ER for gastriotitus, but needed something to eat and knew tony could do the job. Had some simple white meat chicken w shiso, some steamed white rice, ginko nuts, simple agedashi tofu... i think thats it since i couldnt eat much.. my love was there.... benecio del toro.. my little bubble was burst when i saw him with a girl... since i have seen him there quite a few times over the years, i was just positive that i would marry him one day... dont ask me why, maybe because IM DELUSIONAL!! anyway.. i love going to tonys, they never let me down.... oh i love you Benecio, even you betrayed me......
I love this place, i have been coming here for the last 10 years, tony the owner is great and very… Read more »
This place is great!
They have a grill in the center of the open kitchen - and a huge menu. Some of the items are a bit on the exotic side (chicken liver, chicken skin, eel, etc) but there's plenty of things if you want to stay on the safe side of things. They also have non-grilled items such as sushi/sashimi and tempura. Fun to sit at the counter and watch everything.
Robata may not be ready for primetime in North America, but even the most casual backyard griller can appreciate the flawless combination of charcoal, meat, and beer. And Nanbankan does this trinity justice.
1. Sit at the bar. It's the best seat in the house, and interacting with the chef as he artfully juggles over a dozen dishes is part of the fun. He's working hard over fiery coals, so buy him a beer.
2. Stick to the grilled items. The meat, veg, and rice cakes are all still sizzling when they hit your plate. If you're in the mood for sushi or tempura, go elsewhere.
3. Best dish: the tongue. No longer just the holy grail of eighth-grade dances, this is beef in its purest form.
I really love yakitori and Nanbankan is pretty good, I really love the chicken meatball. I think they have the best steam rice. haha
Craving some meat on a stick? Get yo azz over here.
They have an extensive izakaya menu complete with land animals, sea creatures, and all sorts of veggies.
I took my friend here last night because he had never been, or even heard about it. Since I ate here once and liked it, I suggested coming here instead of Sasaya (again).
We were seated immediately upon arrival at the bar surrounding the grill. Front row seats! Yay!
Items we ordered:
Agedashi tofu- my fave! I love the sauce it came in so much that I made the waiter leave the sauce so I could put it over my rice. What? I'm Asian, I like rice with everything. The tofu itself was very good, lightly fried and flavorful. So good that we asked for a second order. Oink.
Tomato, green pepper and mushroom skewers- pretty self-explanatory and standard kabob.
Grilled scallops- I love scallops, but this dish was a disappointment. Too dry and a bit overcooked. I guess I enjoy my scallops seared way better. Would not recommend.
Tsukune (chicken meatballs)- Great dish! Love balls! Get this if you love balls on a stick!
Rib eye steak- Ehhh.. this was alright.. pretty forgettable. A bit too rare for me. I asked for Medium, but it came medium rare. humph!
Quail eggs- OMG. I love quail eggs!! I could eat quail eggs forever. These are so cute and petite. Perfect for a dainty girl like moi.
Dark meat chicken with scallions- decent meat, but not as good as the meatballs!
All in all a very enjoyable meal. It was a bit cramped at the bar, but I got used to it after a while. Good, attentive service which is very important to me. I like having my water glass filled, especially when eating food that makes your thirsty.
Pricing was not bad considering we got to try a ton of food. About $50 for 2, with no alcohol. I'm on a drinking hiatus.
See pix- http://pandaliciousfor.../
I have been coming here for years and love this place and Tony, the owner. I even had my birthday party here a few months back, and was pleasantly surprised that after monopolizing the entire dining area of the place for several hours, yelling and walking around drinking sake from the bottle did not end up getting me banned from the restaurant.
Nanbankan is not a place to go if you want a quick meal, especially if it's a busy night. I also recommend getting a reservation and giving yourself time to find the place if you've never been. It's located in a building that has been under construction for what seems like forever, so it's hard to see the sign and the door.
Nanbankan is also the kind of place where you can spend a little money (around $30 per person) or a lot of money ($60+ per person) depending on what you order. I recommend ordering smartly and getting items like their grilled rice balls to fill up, if you want to spend less.
As for food, chicken meat balls are my hands down favorite and very popular overall. I also love the rice balls with salmon, the live scallop (a specialty, but seasonal and sells out quickly), shishamo (a grilled small whole fish filled with eggs - something for more daring eaters to try) and pretty much any vegetable on the menu, especially the stuffed shitakes, which are the perfect marriage of grilled mushroom and chicken meatball.
A common rookie mistake I would avoid is ordering sushi. It's not that the sushi at Nanbankan is bad, but there's no point in going to a robata bar to eat sushi. This place is great if you're not sure what to get or want to try a lot of different things, since the portions are small and easily shareable.
I was told it was a "hole in the wall" place. It's not. They're doing construction and it's pretty nice inside. The food was a bit confusing to order, but everything was delicious.
this is my kind of izakaya, and i'll definitely be back! i kind of like the discrete entry through construction fences because it makes this cute, cozy place more hidden and exclusive.
the staff was very friendly and the cooks are all japanese. my coworker and i sat around the bar, where it got kind of hot because of the grill, but the cold sake helped cool us down.
all the yakitori was pretty good, juicy and flavorful. i'd recommend:
- chilean sea bass
- beef tongue
- stuffed shiitake mushrooms (YUM!)
- sausage (a special of the day and SO good)
- mixed mushrooms sauteed w/ butter & tomatoes
- chicken hearts
- tri-tip
- lamb
- yellowtail collar - SO GOOOOOOD
the white chicken meat was a bit tough/dry for my liking, but was so good with the shiso leaves. the house hot sake was a little bit yellow and pretty sour, but i drank the whole thing anyway.
service overall was excellent! i plan on becoming a regular here. it's a nice change of pace from the Sawtelle joints and good for the price. i think i need to learn japanese though - the chefs could not understand a word i was saying.
Pros:
- Very authentic and tasty
- Nice decor inside but currently next to construction
- Specials are very fresh and are all pretty good
Cons:
- Pricey
Favorite Dishes:
- Chilean Seabass is some of the best fish I've ever had
- Pork Sausage (you'd be surprised)
(See photos)
I'm a big fan of meat impaled on stakes. Thus I'm always excited to try new yakitori places. But I'm fairly convinced now that West LA doesn't have good Japanese food.
Nanbankan seemed okay at first. It smelled good when we entered and they had set up a nice long table for our party of eight. The menu was a cross of standard chicken parts on sticks and small plate dishes. Each pair of us ordered a set course meal, which included all the easy to eat pieces of chicken along with some rice and soup. On top of that, I ordered one of each of all the organs and other chicken bits that most people don't like.
The timing of the food and the service were never an issue, they were both done right. But what was really lacking was the food. Some of it was okay, a lot of it was over cooked or just not seasoned at all. The couple times I had yakitori, there were a variety of dipping sauces and salts to help the meat out, here was none. They did have some soy sauce and Shichimi pepper on the table but that couldn't save most of the food. For the price, I guess it was a tad above average over all, I did get full but I wasn't happy full.
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
Besides the lacking food, the company was great and it was a nice place to host our gathering. But we'll never go back, very over rated.
Where the hell is salt??? Where the hell is flavor?
I'm normally not the one to use the salt shaker on the restaurant table, but here, I needed it. Of course, when I really need it, it's never there. A skewer after a skewer, I kept tasting the under seasoned chicken. Ugh. The meat was nothing comparable to Shin or Shin Sen Gumi Yakitori where chicken is so tender, juicy, and flavorful. Here, it was rather over cooked, chewy, and bland.
Even the Soboro Don (rice bowl topped with stir fried ground chicken) that came with the meal was meh. Once again, not enough flavor. They also didn't ask if we wanted the rice from the beginning or to wait till the end of the meal. It's standard for Japanese dinner/drinking place to ask the customer that as us Japanese drunks don't like to eat rice while drinking, hence rice tends to come out at the very end of the meal when we stop drinking. But no, with the first skewer, the rice and miso soup already came out.
It also bummed me out that there was no additional sauce. No yuzu pepper, no soy base sauce, or no sweet sauce. Nothing. Well, there was Shichimi pepper and soy sauce on the table, but that's like as standard as salt and pepper at Japanese restaurants. Maybe they think that their flavoring is perfect that there's no need for additions, but that obviously wasn't the case here. I kept thinking about Shin's 3 heavenly dipping sauces throughout the dinner.
Over all, the food was a total meh. I'm just so glad that the night was still full of fun with good friends, because without them, it definitely would have turned out to be a sad night.
Nanban Kan: the little hidden den of deliciousness. I've been to Nanban Kan four times now and I've always had a great meal and a great time! I like ordering some beer or sake and then a slow progression of many, many little skewers of meat, fish and vegetables. It's a fun dinner!
Some others have complained that their meat was not properly seasoned but, thankfully, I've never had that experience. Some of the standouts, in my mind, are the asparagus and green beans wrapped in side pork. They're smokey and salty and crisp! The sea bass and scallops were very soft, perfectly cooked. I love the chicken meatballs! The glaze is great. And I always order some quail eggs and the house steak skewers. I did try the chicken skins and some more exotic chicken parts... not bad, I thought, and boyfriend liked it.
The staff is very attentive and pretty friendly, unless you walk in without a reservation. Then you will get no love. Okay, there's one more thing I need to address: what's up with the parking lot? It's awkward and bizarre. Somebody needs to rethink it.
I love to eat at this restaurant. Everything is fresh and delicious.
You should try BONB OCHI, EBI, ASPARAMAKI, QUEIL EGGS, LAMB,SEA BASS, TROUT, CHICKEN BALLS AND DEFINATELY ORDER MIXED MUSHROOMS FROM THE KITCHEN.
When making reservation make sure to ask to be seated at the bar. That's where the food tastes better.
Do not forget to order sake and Asahi.
Yummmmmmmmmm
P.S. The zip code listed here is wrong. The correct zip code is 90025
I'll be there this Thursday.
I have been a regular at Nanbankan since 1989. I have seen cooks change, waiters and waitresses come… Read more »
Yelp Specials!
Los Angeles, CA
Lunch Special
Neighborhood: Mid-City West
Los Angeles, CA
Category: Japanese
Los Angeles, CA
Category: Japanese
West Los Angeles, CA
Category: Japanese
Los Angeles, CA
Category: Japanese
Neighborhood: West Los Angeles
Category: Japanese
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