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Tamon Sushi
Categories: Restaurants Japanese Restaurants Sushi Bars Japanese, Sushi Bars [Edit]
328 E 1st StFl 2
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Neighborhoods: Downtown, Little Tokyo
(213) 617-7839
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
Amy Y. said: "I love going here, it's so good each and every time I go. I almost always get the Chirashi Jyu Sushi Box Matsu, it's two boxes placed on top of each other. The top box has an array of different types of sashimi and the bottom has all…" read more »
23 reviews for Tamon Sushi
Review Highlights
"This is the "Cheers" of Karaoke bars."
(in 13 reviews)
"Great Chirashi Zushi (Sushi) for this price."
(in 3 reviews)
"This is a little GEM inside the Miyako Hotel."
(in 3 reviews)
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23 reviews in English
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Review from J T.
Rowland Heights, CA
This is for their restaurant, Tamon and their new Lunch menu...
I was informed that they have a new lunch menu, and that I should come and try it out. As thanksgiving was the next day, I took the day off before to spend some time with the family and thought it'll be a great opportunity to go there for lunch as I'm not available during week days to have lunch in the area. I usually make my trip there for dinner.
As we entered, we were quickly greeted and sat us down. The menu was brought to us and surprisingly, we felt we were back visiting in Japan at those higher end hotels in their restaurant. The menu brought us back to what we are familiar with when we visit Japan. Even my wife who is a Japanese National and in the hotel industry mentioned the same thing.
As we perused the menu, several things popped up that we must try as we would at the hotels in Japan.
1. The grilled fish of day Benito box - it was grilled gindara (black cod), mixed tempura, niimono (stewed vegetables), sashimi, rice with furikake, and miso soup.
The gindara was done differently. It wasn't overpowering with sake or miso, or even too sweet. It was well balanced and did not disguise the quality of the fish. The tempura looked soggy, surprisingly it was not. it was crisp and not over-battered that you can't tell what you are eating. The dipping sauce added flavor to tempura even if you don't over dip it. My daughter started dipping everything into it! The sashimi came with hirame (halibut), tai (red snapper from Japan), hamachi (yellow tail) and maguro (blue fin tuna). It was all fresh! The wasabi also had little bits of real wasabi. Even the quality of the shoyu (soy sauce) blended well and enhanced the flavor of the fish onto your palette. The nimono (stewed vegetables) were soft with a crunch. Great texture that wasn't over simmered. The rice had furikake (rice seasoning) that my daughter enjoyed as well.
2. Ebi Furai (Fried Shrimp) in Curry with rice.
Wow, this was some x-large shrimp (3pcs). It was about the length from my wrist to the tip of my middle finger. Seemed that it was a u8-10 (# of shrimps to a lb). The curry was creamy but had a lot of depth. I'd normally would find this type to be a bit more thick and chunky, but they pulled it off making it creamier and with a smooth texture. It was spicy as I liked it.
3. Hamburger steak with rice, potato and cabbage salad, and miso soup
This was a tender chunk of ground meat. It included American Kobe beef. The meat was seasoned very well. What I liked about it was that it wasn't mixed with a bunch of fillers such as panko or bread crumbs. Other than seasonings, it was all protein. The binding agent was organic jidori egg. It was tender and had a texture that was more rounded as the fats with the meat made it juicy. Hint: Eat this hot! If it cools down, the fat solidifies and changes the texture.
4. Child's Benito box - karaage (fried chicken nuggets), ebi furai (med size), mini hamburger steak, tamago (sushi style egg), some ikura (salmon eggs) toppings, with fruit, potato salad , rice and miso soup.
For $6 child's Benito box was impressive. With all that was included, $6 was a steal. It was more than enough for my daughter as she was eating off everything else too. She's 2, but even wanted to eat our sashimi. Of course not yet, but it was appetizing to her.
The pricing was fair and not overboard as you may find it in some hotel restaurants in Japan. When I came in, all patrons were Japanese from housewives with their kids, businessmen, and couples...just as you would see it in Japan.
Note: They also have organic Jidori onsen egg over rice. This is rare to find in many Japanese restaurants here. They were out, but will definitely come back on a weekend for lunch to try this out plus other things on the menu I wanted to try. The Quality and quantity was impressive compared to other restaurants in it's level. Definitely a better than average place for lunch if you're looking for better food.Listed in: My Neighborhood
2 Previous Reviews: Show all »
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5/6/2010
Came back here again last week Friday.
Again, "5 Stars"!!!!
This was no fluke. Made sure that it… Read more »
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Review from Amy T.
Los Angeles, CA
10/19/2011
We had a hard time getting here from the parking structure next to the hotel. It's so confusing! The mall was also really old. I think I will try finding street parking next time.
When we first entered, the restaurant was very lively and all the seats were fully packed. The weirdest part was after we ordered, everyone was gone! They seated us in the back that was hidden. There were a few tables back there but the only people there was this couple seating two tables down from us. It was a little awkward because it was so quite. Also, because they were on their date and we could hear their entire conversation since we're isolated from the rest of the crowd. We decide to try the assorted sushi for 3 guests. We also tried a hamburger that they suggested getting. The food was great. The service was excellent.
Assorted Sushi- I wish I could list everything in here but I couldn't understand our waitress. I wish I could speak Japanese. She was very sweet and she tried her very best to help us out. I think there were Albacore, Yellow Tail, Tuna, Salmon, Flat Fish, and Octopus? Regardless what they were, the fish was very fresh.
Bunless Hamburger- The hamburger was not the traditional American hamburger with the buns. This burger was just the patty itself with a pan fried egg and deep fried mushrooms on top. Omg the burger was very heavy but tasty. The burger also came with miso soup, rice, potato salad, and a mini salad.
I talked to the waitress a little about the food. I definitely would want to come back to try their Omakase! -
Review from Hootie B.
Las Vegas, NV
I am somewhat reluctant to write this review about Tamon Sushi, why you may ask. Because Tamon Sushi is the best kept secret in Little Tokyo!! Why only five reviews you may ask, probably because all the patrons are Japanese!!
I was referred to Tamon by several Yelp friends, each insisting that an Omakase by Chef Wakizo Toma was a must on any LA visit food trip. Upon making reservations I suggested that a price point of $120.00 pp. would be a good starting point for me and my wife. In LA that seems to be about the normal price for an Omakase.
Our Omakase was almost canceled by of all things, a typhoon in southern Japan causing "dirty water". It appears that almost all of the fish served at Tamon originates in Asian waters. In true Japanese fashion Chef Waki would rather cancel/reschedule our omakase rather than serve us anything he deemed unacceptable. Fortunately for us the fish was good that week!!
Tamon is located on the second floor of The Miyako Hotel in LT, I've been in the area quite a few times lately but would have never found it were it not for the referral's I received. Driving from Redonodo Beach we almost didn't make our reservation on time because of that horrendous traffic in LA!!
Once seated at the sushi bar Chef Waki suggest that $80.00 pp. would be a more appropriate price for our Omakase tonight. He just cut 33% off of our bill, I wasn't expecting that. Even at that discounted price, you had better come with a healthy appetite.
I don't want to go into the details of the three hour omakase, I posted some pictures of the highlight of our evening though. The great thing about Chef Wakizo, he was born and trained in Japan but I believe he grew up stateside so his English is perfect. He is more than eager to explain every dish in detail, it's prepartion/presentation and history. If you are a novice foodie like myself it makes for an very entertaining evening.
At the conclusion of our dinner, Chef Wakizo explained to us that the Omakase changes with the seasons, so I will be back in a few months to try his next incarnation. -
Review from Lauren K.
8/18/2011 5 photos
How can I even explain how amazing this place is.
Want authentic Japanese food? You MUST come here.
I got the Tamon Bento ($23.99)which has the freshest sashimi I have EVER seen. I even quizzed the waiter asking where the various fish came from.. He told me confidently and proudly, Korea and Europe. The tuna was the brightest red color I have ever seen. Everything just melted in my mouth! The green tea ice cream came with 2 scoops and tasted so delicious. I would definitely go again! AHHHH. *droools.
Service was amazing and tea was always poured into my cup. They were friendly and the environment was beautiful. There was a samurai uniform and everything all set up in the back of the room. Just Stunning. -
Review from Michiko T.
Rowland Heights, CA
They changed the menu. I was excited to see "tamagokake gohan"- raw egg over rice, but they were out... I have never seen any restaurant serve raw egg over rice, which I used to eat in Japan when I was little. I ordered hamburger steak and shrimp tempura curry rice and my husband ordered lunch box. Shrimp was huge and curry sauce was so good! Hamburger steak was very juicy! Lunch box came with so many stuff. They all looked good. I tasted some, they were delicious, too. We ordered a kid's lunch box for our daughter. We got so much for $6!
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Review from E.S. R.
Los Angeles, CA
Updated - 11/12/2011
Got to try the sushi bar. The original manager/head server, whatever his position was is no longer there. Sushi is not cheap but not unreasonably expensive. I had a good sitting and then some for $71 with a bottle of Yuzu sake, wish that stuff didn't have HFCS. Real crab meat in a California Roll makes for a better taste. A good evening all in all. Got my grub on, pigged out, then did a couple songs next door and met the happy hour regulars.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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3/26/2011
2.5 for this time, a fair round up because I was not totally disappointed. Like the layout and view… Read more »
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Review from Duchess T.
Hancock Park, CA
2/10/2011
Check out their specials. Last night, their chicken teriyaki box dinner was $20 and included 8 HUMONGO california rolls, quite a bit of tempura, a nice portion of salada, miso shiru, rice, and chicken teriyaki.
Their chirashi for $29 was a double-decker.
and, the flavor isn't too bad.
BTW- They have buffet breakfasts! It's a nice blend of Japanese food and some American continental breakfast type stuff. It's quiet and the servers are real nice. I think I'll be back for the buffet breakfast. -
Review from Rick A.
Glendale, CA
9/5/2010
As others have already said, this is one of the hidden gems in Little Tokyo and has become our favoite restaurant downtown. Tamon delivers great value for nicely prepared sushi made with high quality fish. The dinner menu's Chirashi sushi for $20 may be the best deal down there, delicious, and beautiful to look at in a 2-tier lacquer box. It was also servied with appetizers of pickled spanish mackerel, nimono, and miso soup. I was stuffed.
Also come here for the lunch specials. Just as impressive as dinner and even a better bargain for great quality food.
All this in a charming dining room above the lobby of the Miyako Hotel and across the street from their sister restaurant, the super-popular Daikokuya. And almost forgot to mention the friendly attentive service.
We live both here and Japan, so we've had plenty to compare this to.
At Tamon you'll feel their commitment to providing an outstanding dining experience. -
Review from Toshiro D.
Los Angeles, CA
7/16/2010 5 photos
If you read my reviews, you will see a lot of 1 to 3 stars. 5 is very rare.
Particularly for a Japanese restaurant.
For dollar value, quality, service and everything else, no one in Little Tokyo can hold a candle to Wakizo-San's fantastic sushi. While similar establishments can easily run from 150-250/person, you can have an excellent meal here for 25-50/person or less.
GIve Hama a rest and come here. You will taste and see the difference. And your bill will be half.
This place is still kind of a hidden gem and even though I lived around the corner for 2 years, I never tried it until a friend pointed it out. (its not really visible at street level unless you look up)
2nd floor of Miyako hotel. Try the Chirashi (sushi on rice). The ones in the photo may have some extra stuff that does not come standard but believe me, even the basic one is not basic.
Fish was very fresh and uni was the best I've had in town (this is seasonal and its always a hit or miss anywhere you go).
The chef - Wakizo Toma is polite, gracious and engaging. Sit at the bar or it will not be the experience you are hoping for.
5.5 stars! -
Review from billy t.
Hancock Park, CA
6/25/2008
Fancy environment, great service. Fantastic food.
http://www.tamon-ten.com/ -
Review from Jacquee p.
San Francisco, CA
6/4/2008
This is a breakfast review.
I loved the traditional breakfast! It brought me back to 1999 when I went to Japan and got to eat all the rice and salmon and pickles that I could handle.
Ohhhh.
So a trip to Tamon is definitely worth it. Cheaper than flying back to Nihon. -
Review from Wendy C.
Los Angeles, CA
7/25/2010
Even as a sushi newbie, I can tell the quality of food is pretty good. However, this place is too pricey and too deserted. There are definitely better sushi places at better prices.
Expect to pay $30 per person. -
Review from Sam B.
Fort Lauderdale, FL
7/25/2010
"Good for groups" is misleading. Our group of less than 20 (maybe 18?) had 2 waitresses, and it took them over an hour to get all our food out. A few dishes were lost, and to make up for this they brought out a spider roll from earlier in the night that they had come to drop off, but realized no one had ordered. Ghetto.
The associated karaoke bar charged a $6 cover and a $30 drink minimum per person. Yes, groups are good for them I guess, but not for poor college students. -
Review from kumi k.
2/22/2010 1 Check-in Here
After hearing the rave reviews from my co-workers about the chirashi-zushi at Tamon, I just had to come. Reservation is not necessary but for someone with only 1 hour lunch break, I called in my order ahead of time to avoid the eat and run situation.
As soon as I was seated, my order came in under 3 minutes and I was presented with this gorgeous two tiered jubako. Wow. I was impressed. I'm a sucker for pretty visual presentations and if the rate is solely based visual presentation alone, I would give it 5 stars.
Because the chirashi-zushi came in two boxes, sashimi was kept cool and the rice was kept warm which was a plus because I dislike eating cold rice. The assorted neta were fresh and quite generous. I thought the salmon was especially good. The miso soup had some good dashi going on as well. Overall, a good satisfying lunch.
On the last note, I really liked the interior of Tamon. It's laid-back and class rolled into one. I would LOVE to find a coffee shop with interior like Tamon. -
Review from Christina o.
Los Angeles, CA
2/8/2011 1 Check-in Here
Chawanmushi and black cod in miso were bomb. The prime rib that they tried to make, it not only looked like ham but it was VERY under cooked or something. It wsan't appetizing at all. They just didn't know how to handle a banquet for NYD. The staff were friendly but still, so many other things went wrong.
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Review from alan r.
Corona, CA
11/22/2010 17 photos
I recently visited Tamon because my friend J.T. (see other review) arranged a special dinner for a small group of friends. I felt really fortunate to get invited, because it was going to be a very special fusion kaiseki dinner prepared by Chef Waki and some special guest chiefs (that were only going to be there till the end of this month) such as the head Chef Hisa of Nobu - Malibu, Head Chef of Thousand Cranes - New Otani Hotel. You could tell a lot of effort and thought was expended to prepare dishes that were artfully presented and excited all your taste senses. Second time I've visited this restaurant and was not disappointed : )
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Review from Natsuko E.
Winnetka, CA
Great Chirashi Zushi (Sushi) for this price!! I'm very impressed. Also, the Sumeshi (Rice) was very delicious :D
I heard that Tonkatsu (pork cutlet) is great so wanna try next time :) -
Review from Jonathan c.
Santa Clara, CA
4/21/2009
I stayed at Miyako Hotel for 3 days and what I thought about this restaurant is that can they came or come up with any better breakfast, and dinner? I have no idea are they trying to introduce Japanese cuisine to customers who are staying or visiting Miyako hotel's restaurant. I did not enjoy eating their meals even though their interior looks were great. I was disappointed with their concept to attract customers, welcoming them inside their restaurant. They waitress and waiters were rude, did not assist me with any drinks. Even though when I needed some water, they did not violently come to me and pour a water into my glass from pitch.
To be honest I should have no waste my $63.89 for this restaurant. Instead of should have gone to other restaurant who could at least serve me with better quality kinds of Japanese cuisines. I would not recommend to anyone who are going to be staying at Miyako hotel to either dine out at Tamon from my own personal experience. -
Review from Sean B.
Long Beach, CA
7/25/2010 1 Check-in Here
Came in for a birthday party. Service was slow, they lost a few friends' orders completely. The sushi was good but not great for the price. The karaoke bar next door is a racket. They charge $6 just to sit and there is a 2 drink minimum. A man at the bar told our friend Jenna that she "looked like she could eat." Decided not to stay for karaoke.
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Review from Arnold W.
I came here with my co-worker and her friend when we were in the area. She's Japanese, so I trust her. Pretty authentic, you come into the 2nd floor of a nice hotel in Little Tokyo, greeted by Japanese people in Japanese. Came here for lunch, we all ordered the chirashi bowl. It comes 2 leveled with miso soup! $15, good value too. Lots of variety of different fish, seafood, and eggs (usually 1 piece and a couple of 2 pieces). I didn't know where to start! Overall, it was really delicious! The right amount too. It's good quality. I'm not a sushi snob so I don't know good to great, just good to bad, and this place is good!
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Review from ayami h.
2/28/2010 5 photos
i really liked this place...
quality of food
service
interior
price
appearance
authenticity
A+!
i mean common, my mom with the highest expectations comes here... so that says a lot. the waiter said something about ladies night, having a discount on some days if you come and if you are female. can it get better than that?? really?
my mom got the chirashi zushi and i got the kushi katsu lunch box. when it came, we were just in awe... nothing like what we expected. it was just much much more food... appearance was beautiful and everything tasted really good. very authentic, very light, just super yummy.
chirashi was full of sashimi that my mom really liked, bottom layer was full of sushi rice. mine had takikomi gohan (rice with some seasoning and veggies cooked into it) with some veggies, and the fried stuff. didnt know what they were until i took a bite. one was fish, one was shrimp i believe and the other was mochi!! oh so good...
oh i cant wait to go again. -
Review from Marc w.
1/13/2010
I've been here three times for breakfast and twice for lunch while staying at the hotel. The breakfast is nice in that the quality of the food ok a bit above average but cool in that they offer a bit of a Japanese twist with fish, pickles and brown rice tea. Lunch was cool is that I got to try these quarter sized little crabs that were soaked in sake, lightly dusted with rice flour and then deep-fried. I'd seen them before but never tasted them. They were crunchy and tasty. The rest of the lunch was composed of a terriyaki salmon with rice and pickles. Nice and not too expensive.
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Review from carlos h.
New York, NY
1/4/2010
I have been back to LA for 18 months.. and my God.. did not know this place was so good for their Berkshire Pork Tonkatsu (Pork Cutlet). It was thick , juicy, tender .. accompanied with Miso soup and rise and a small plate of Hijiki. I am a miser when it comes to giving out 5 stars.. but I can say the Tonkatsu here is the best I have tasted so far in LA and or New York. They also have a Katsu Curry.. using the same pork cutlet.. this is a repeater place for Tonkatsu. Now.. the Chirashi Sushi for $18.00 was also a great Value. At lunch it comes down to $14.00 but a little less generous in the "neta" or seafood ingredients.. The reviews here are for the Karaoke bar Ohjah which is not about the food.. I was told there was an owner change 3 years ago.. and usually a restaurant inside a hotel is not great .. unless it is in Asia..ie. Hong Kong, Tokyo, BangKok.. etc.. This is a little GEM inside the Miyako Hotel .. in Little Tokyo.. Tues and Wed is 15% off if accompanied by one female in any size group- "Ladies Day" .
