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Tengu - CLOSED
Categories: Restaurants Sushi Bars Restaurants Asian Fusion Sushi Bars, Asian Fusion [Edit]
10853 Lindbrook DrLos Angeles, CA 90024
Neighborhood: Westwood
(310) 209-0071
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street, Valet
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Ambience:
- Trendy
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
About This Business:
At Sushi Sasabune, it is our mission to make your sushi experience like no other. Trust us, and you'll see what we mean. We adjust courses based on our… read more »
123 reviews for Tengu
Review Highlights
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"I love the pineapple infused sake." In 10 reviews -
"The Miso-Jalapeno Chilean Sea bass is worth the visit." In 16 reviews -
"I would definitely go back here again for happy hour." In 17 reviews
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123 reviews in English
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Review from Tina B.
Etiwanda, CA
1/21/2011
I've been here twice and the food is absolutely amazing. The course for $35 with appetizer, entree, and dessert is a good deal. I've have their Tuna Tar Tar, so good. The apparatus inside steak was so good, melted in my mouth. The desserts are good as well. I have always been there with friends and it's a really good place to eat. But somehow we were calculated a 12% tax rate, not sure where that came from.
There is structure parking across and valet in the front. Be forewarn though, the valet person stole one of my friends' new jacket and a company's cashier's check from his car. DON'T TRUST THE VALET GUYS!. Other than that, it's a great place with ambiance lighting and a dj playing music in the background with music that's not so loud that your food would fall off the table. I am craving to go back again soon. -
Review from Jean L.
7/27/2010 1 photo
Came here Sunday evening, and the place only had one other couple having dinner. The hostess was nowhere to be seen, so the bartender had to take over. We chose a table near the bar and were immediately presented with complimentary pineapple sake. It was good, but too sweet for me. We got a carafe of junmai instead. (And I JUST remembered - they gave us a 50% DISCOUNT on it!! For no reason!! =DDD)
Started off with edamame - nothing special, the salt were rocks and too trivial.
asian tartare - I love how they name a tartare "asian" because it uses, what, wontons? NOT. Regardless, this dish was really really good. You can opt for three or four layers, but each one comes with a very hefty heap of diced tuna and avocado in soy-lime dressing.
jalapeno miso-marinated sea bass - MMm.
unagi and uni sushi - Mmm
sashimi picante - tuna, yellowtail, salmon marinated in this delicious garlic-ginger ponzu, each topped with more jalapeno. What do expect? It's a fusion restaurant, and you come here knowing that, and it's still fresh, and the food is still good for you. :)
also ordered a diablo roll - seared albacore, yama gabo, cucumber, jalapeno, habanero ponzu -- finally, this one had some spicy kick. It was deeelicious.
yes, we saved room for dessert and got the strawberry tart. Doesn't sound like much, does it? Well, it came in quite a large bowl, a thick and buttery pie-like pastry top-loaded with glazed strawberries and sided by a very generous scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. Think it's any good now?
There was probably only three other parties when we left. If you're expecting this kind of japanese fusion, I'd recommend the place. No frills, chill, great for conversation and good service. -
Review from Christine Y.
Brentwood, CA
10/14/2010 Seated via OpenTable
DineLA lunch with coworkers. Tried the tuna tostada and thinly sliced marinated beef appetizers, both were yummy but the rice tostada thing was super oily from being fried, it was practically leaking like the BP well!
Hand rolls were a good size and very tasty, I had a spicy tuna one and an eel and cucumber one, which both came with plenty of filling inside. Quality of fish was also pretty good on the nigiri.
Service was polite but way too slow, especially for a lunch where the restaurant was barely half full, and people are on a schedule to get back to work! Also, dessert was a forgettable standard tempura ice cream, should have ordered the creme brulee. Ice cream was served with blackberries, which was a mistake - tempura ice cream sweetness makes blackberries taste bitter and awful.
Overall, I'd go back especially for a deal like DineLA, I'd just choose better. -
Review from Bill C.
11/18/2010
3.5 They were out of those little deep fried crab, and the shrimp asparagus roll was basically flavorless. How did they manage that? Anyhoo, the other rolls, esp. unagi, caterpillar roll, salmon, hamachi, spicy scallop hand roll, were pretty good. Almost equivalent to Hide Sushi in freshness and texture, but not quite as consistent among the various items we tried.
Would probably go again, although as others said, it is a little dark inside, but the friendly sushi dude, Ali? (The one from Indonesia) Made the mood a bit brighter. He was helpful, but it was hard to hear him due to the loud music.
Also, probably a good idea to park around the corner, they have valet, but would not do it because the street can get dangerous around dinner time. Maybe at lunch it would be okay. -
Review from Rachel M.
Updated - 11/17/2010
I still love Tengu, but I was disappointed last night. That is why I reduced it down a star. It was 7:00 pm and they ran out of three items we tried ordering- the sea bass, zen crunch roll, and coke. The excuse for missing food had something concerning a new chef they hired. It was so surprising that my boyfriend asked another watier. I go to Tengu for the jalapeno miso chilean sea bass, and its absence was heartbreaking. I'm glad they brought me a sample of the pineapple sake, which did make me feel a tad better.
So my boyfriend and I settled for edamame and rolls for the nights. The rolls we ordered were the mizore, subrashi, and crispy salmon. The rolls were still very delicious. It turned out to still be a very good dinner. Hopefully my next dinner here will have a complete menu.
It was pretty crowded on a Tuesday night. The service was still good even if we were ordering between two different waiters. It looks like they redecorated it. The lighting is not as dim around the sushi bar. There are writings on the wall of the menu items.Listed in: Craveable, SPLURGE!, The Westwood Winners
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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10/9/2010
If I were to compare Tengu to a play, then this is how it would be. The Jalepeno Miso Chilean Sea… Read more »
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Review from John D.
9/30/2010
I've been here twice now and was very pleased with the food each time. The Miso-Jalapeno Chilean Sea bass is worth the visit. It can be bit pricey depending on how you order. Specialty rolls, entrees, are expensive compared to standard rolls.(CA, Spicy Tuna, Fresh Water Eel).
The reasons I did not give it more stars:
The service is slow and there is no good parking, just an expensive valet. -
Review from Jim B.
San Francisco, CA
9/28/2010 1 Check-in Here
Thanks to my new handy checklist I can now evaluate sushi places without emotion. This was rough because I like the folks that work here.
Maguro: Is there more fish than rice? No.
Saba: Is it fishy? No. Is it marinated? Yes.
Unagi: Do they marinate it there? No. Does it melt in your mouth? No.
Uni: Is it bright, yellow and firm? No.
Egg or Tomago: Is it fluffy and juicy? Yes.
Toro: Is it pink and fatty? Does it almost pop in your mouth? No, they don't have toro.
Style points: Do they make food with rhythm indicating speed and having a lot to prepare from scratch? No.
The ambience is great. The hostess is really friendly, but it is so hard to give this place more stars because of the checklist I used.
I hope they can improve and that I can say more positive things in the future. -
Review from Davidt C.
Los Angeles, CA
10/3/2010
I came here during LA Dining week or whatever during the time they have a discount. I did not see through the menu too much but there was a lot of sushi and sashimi as expected. Because of LA Dining week, there was a $34 for entree, appetizer, and dessert deal. I tried that going for the filet-wrapped asparagus, the midnight something (three different types of rolls), and the banana split tempura.
Side note/rant: The portions I received were small as you can imagine but the people bitching about price don't understand the economy right now. They're just dumbasses looking for cheap food. Of course, I'm the same but I went with my mom here so we aimed a little higher (cept that I was wearing flipflops and shorts lol).
Very good service and friendly waitresses/waiters, very good environment and ambience. There is no better way to set up the dining area than as they have. The portions, again, were somewhat small but the flavor was excellent. In fact, the appetizer was quite sizable and both the appetizer and the entree was excellently prepared, well-cooked, nice and soft, and well marinated. I think the way they timed serving out the food was perfect whether intentional or not. It gave me time to talk, gave me time to let the food sink in and I was actually pretty full by the end.
This is one of the few places I don't have complaints about. My lack of reviews doesn't show my lack of taste for restaurants but rather, when I review a restaurant, it means something stands out about it.
Go and enjoy if you want to splurge a little. If you're ABSOLUTELY starved, I wouldn't go to this place. I was pretty hungry and this place was perfect. -
Review from Julianne L.
West Los Angeles, CA
10/9/2009
Don't come here for their mediocre sushi rolls, overpriced drinks, or average DJ. Come here for their jalapeno miso chilean sea bass. It's cooked to perfection. The lightly seared exterior contrasts nicely with the buttery, melt-in-your-mouth texture of the rest of the fish. It kind of reminded me of a giant scallop. It was perfectly seasoned and served with a to die for chili-lime sauce. Surprisingly enough, the portions were huge too! Like the size of your fist huge! I would totally go back just to order this a la carte.
Since my friends and I ordered from their Dine LA menu we also tried the kanpachi carpaccio and Asian tartare appetizers. The yellowtail in the carpaccio was fresh, but overwhelmed by the excessively salty sauce. The flavors of the sauce was good, but it seemed like they added extra sodium soy sauce to it by accident when they really supposed to use low sodium. The Asian tartare consisted of 3 layers of crispy wontons and generous amounts of tuna tartare. I really liked the texture of the tuna (chopped into tiny cubes rather than pureed). My only complaint about this dish is the avocado sauce that was used very sparingly. It was just used to decorate the bottom of the plate! It could have been better incorporated in the rest of the dish.
For dessert, we had the strawberry tart and banana tempura. The strawberry tart was pretty good, but the banana tempura was overly battered. I could hardly taste any banana. In fact, it tasted more like a banana flavored churro! The ginger ice cream it came with was good. It actually tasted like ginger instead of essence of ginger.
Do yourself a favor and just get the sea bass. Just do it! -
Review from Michael T.
Alhambra, CA
2/17/2009
Closed my arse! This place is wide open!
I came here last weekend for the DineLA restauarant week at the recommendation of my very best friend in the whole wide world (Pillbug) who constantly reminded me to write a review for this place. This place is not one to disappoint. From the service to the food quality. It was 5 stars all the way.
The waitress was awesome. She was knew the menu very well and her recommendations were really informative unlike other restaurants where the server cant even tell you what the day's special is.
The food was great. We ordered the kanpachi carpaccio, asian tartare, chilean sea bass, ny strip steak, banana split tempura and strawberry tart. Everything was perfect from beginning to end. I'm not one to order steak at a sushi restaurant but I took a chance was completely surprised. It was thinly sliced and seasoned to perfection. Each slice was just the right size.
The highlight for me would have to be either the asian tartare or the steak. I didnt expect much but when the food came out, I was so surprised at how flavorful and mouthwatering everything was. Out of all the Dine LA restaurants I've ate at this past month, I would have to say this is the only place that I enjoyed the food from beginning to end. I'll definitely have to go back to this restaurant. -
Review from El Diablo D.
Los Angeles, CA
9/2/2006
This is by far the most fascinating sushi experience ever. Make sure you ask to be seated with Masa, the best sushi chef in Los Angeles.
Everything he prepared for us was eye captivating, mouth watering and heart smiling food.
When you order your sake, ask for extra cups and share it with the sushi chefs, you'll see ...
When it comes to raw fish, this is my SPOT! Pricey but WORTH IT!! -
Review from Michelle L.
Los Angeles, CA
10/19/2010
Not impressed.
Came here for dineLA menu dinner. I've never tried any restaurants for dineLA before, so I was really excited to see what Tengu had in store.
I came with my roommate from freshman year and a friend from high school, and they sat us at this really awkwardly shaped table, where we were essentially watching the couple in front of us eat. Also it was really dark and red in there, which made the whole dinner kind of uncomfortable. I feel like it's more of a place to take a date, not for a group of friends.
Anyways, for the food I got the carpaccio, the sushi platter, and the tempura banana.
The carpaccio was good, but nothing special. The yellowtail was fresh, and the ponzu sauce was decent.
The sushi platter was disappointing. It came with 8 pieces of nigiri, including yellowtail and salmon which are usually my favorite. However, the yellowtail and salmon both didn't taste very fresh. The uni was a pleasant surprise, however, since I usually don't like uni very much.
The tempura banana was pretty gross. I guess it was my own fault because I don't really like banana's that much, but at this restaurant I go to at home they have tempura ice cream with bananas. I guess I read the menu wrong...
I feel like if I chose different items from the dineLA menu I would have been more satisfied, but after that mean I was still STARVING. It usually doesn't take very much to make me full, but I've never had such an unsatisfying and EXPENSIVE dinner. At any other sushi restaurant $40 (yes I didn't tip very much, I was upset) would have gotten me a whole buffet of sushi and I would have been happy. However, when I left tengu I was miserable and starving.
Needless to say I will not be returning to tengu. -
Review from Hello K.
Los Angeles, CA
5/17/2007
Just.... okay. Good, but not great. Expect to pay $4 per (small) bowl of miso soup if you are not ordering it with a meal that includes it.
The chilean sea bass was good, along with the unagi/shrimp tempura roll. Didn't care for the the coconut shimp appetizer though.
Good service, and the warm towels they give you before you eat are a nice touch. Overall, would go here again only if someone other than I were paying. -
Review from susan j.
Oakland, CA
8/30/2007
Like this review, Tengu was okay, nothing too special, nothing too exciting. You can choose to read this review like you can choose to go eat at Tengu, both are equally not interesting (don't say I didn't warn you). Either way you aren't missing out on much.
My friend and I went to Tengu for the Dine Out meal sponsored by S. Pellegrino. $25 for lunch, $35 for dinner. We went for dinner and ordered the following:
-Kurama-Yama (spicy tuna, shrimp tempura, vegetables, soy-paper hand roll), this was okay...nothing too crazy
-Asian Tartare- okay. nothing special about this dish
-Jalapeno-Miso Chilean Sea Bass- good, but its hard to mess up this dish
-Combination Sushi Plate- okay, I enjoyed the california rolls
-Banana Tempura- the ginger ice cream was gross!
So, overall nothing special. Nothing exciting. I felt like Tengu was trying to hard to be that hip fusion restaurant, but wasn't quite able to reach their goal. The goal and concept is there, but not executed very well. If you are looking for Japanese there are SO MANY other places on the Westside that taste waaaaay better. If you are looking for a trendy Hollywood place, go to Hollywood. Otherwise, I guess if you want okay, not very exciting food, in a not very exciting place that is trying to hard, have at it!Listed in: Yelp and you Shall Find
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Review from Priscilla Z.
Los Angeles, CA
10/10/2010
I came here during DineLA for lunch. It is a pretty Japanese restaurant. The decoration is Japanese. Inside is dim light, which is my favorite.
The lunch menu is decent. All the starters are good. I would say each of them is worth of trying. Just a little salty. As to the entree, the sushi plate is big, which is enough for a girl. The hand roll seems also big in quantity.
One thing that i don't like the Japanese restaurant in US is that the sashimi is always in thick slice. But it can make you full easily.
The dessert was a little not that decent. The creme brulee was not that sweet, but rarely any taste. The mochi was not really mochi, not soft.
Overall it's a good place, just the service is a little bit slow. I would like to come back again for its happy hour for drinking! Definitely! -
Review from cindy m.
Los Angeles, CA
2/17/2009
Sigh. I love traditional sushi because I really believe it is the perfect food (i.e. it doesn't need anything else; a deviation from it will likely do nothing more than undermine it...), so naturally I am a bit wary of experimental sushi joints like Tengu.
But Tengu won me over. Their rolls were amazing-- I had some kind of salmon and mango roll (which doesn't seem to be on the menu any longer) and something that i think was "the diablo" (the details escape me; i had been drinking), and both rolls were so good, I felt as though God cradled me against his bosom.
Some fusion sushi places will go wild with their concoctions to compensate for a lack of quality, flavor, and creativity but Tengu kept things relatively simple cos, well, they can. Boy, everything was delicious.
Pretty expensive though ($20 for a very small roll that won't fill you up alone). The bill for two people came out to around $90 (with some alcohol, before tip), but what do ya expect if you're at some trendy sushi joint on the west side? I think this place can be and should be appreciated in better times.
Oh yeah, it's a very trendy, very hip place. My friend and I stumbled in whilst walking around Westwood Village. I am grateful for the wait staff, as they didn't turn me away, chortling cos I was wearing flip-flops. Old Navy ones. -
Review from Bethany H.
Marina del Rey, CA
8/14/2007
Tengu is one of my favorite sushi restaurants in Los Angeles. Beware -- it's pricey and it is VERY easy to run up a tab of $100/person, especially if you're with a group of sushi lovers. So if you're on a budget, get your buddy to take you there for your birthday :)
I love love LOVE sushi. And I can tell when sushi is not fresh, because it gives me painful indigestion within minutes. The sushi here is fresh and delicious. They have the most mouth-watering toro I have tasted, and I loves me some toro. Seriously, get the sashimi cut (market price -- you will probably pay about 40 bucks for five slices of fish. Like I said, I LOVE the stuff) and just let the orgasmic goodness of the fatty tuna belly carry your mind to the fair beaches of Osaka.
The best part is, you can even bring your sushi-coward friends here too, as they have mouth-watering cooked foods, including a delicious filet with wasabi mashed potatoes. Once when I was there with my friend and her husband, he ordered this and it was incredible.
The lychee and pineapple sake are MUSTS to at least try out once. They come in martini glasses, but they're not overpoweringly sweet like most sweet martinis -- they're this perfect blend of the sweet, tangy fruit and the more somber, grainy flavor of the sake. One of the most delicious drinks I've gotten in the city.
Favorite dessert here is probably the fried banana. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. My sister and I once split an order of this, and even though we were already stuffed from dinner we finished the whole thing and scraped up every little bit with our spoons. The tempura ice cream is also tasty though not quite as original, and one time when I sat at the sushi bar the chef sliced up a fresh orange and served it with ice cream. Simple, but delicious, and so nice! The mochi ice cream is nothing special, you can get it at Trader Joe's, but I think they do have a few more flavors than I've seen in the store.
Hmmmm... I think I better stop, because I'm making myself hungry. -
Review from CJ Y.
Los Angeles, CA
9/8/2009
I've lived in Westwood/Westla for more than 8 years now, and I can't believe I waited so long to check this place out!!!
My roommate and I came here this past Sunday to take advantage of their "Sake Sundays"/Happy Hour specials and I can say we'll definitely be going back with an even bigger crowd in the very near future. The bartenders that day (Cara and Dean) were extremely nice and very helpful in helping us navigate our way through the sake menu and made some great recommendations. Sake Sunday meant that all of their sake was 50% off--that's every Sunday! And the happy hour deal on food was also half off the apps in the bar until 7:30p, which was also a steal.
We settled on getting a Karafe of their homemade Pineapple infused sake (delicious--esp at half off, it was only $16 for the entire Karafe, although you can get individual shots too), and ended up getting a Karafe of Un-milled sake too, which was also AWESOME. For some reason, there doesn't seem to be too many places in town that serve unmilled sake--basically it's a white milky sake that has remnants of rice blended in, making it a bit sweeter than typical sake, but if you haven't tried it, definitely give it a chance.
We were somewhat in-between meals and a late lunch, so we decided to share a few of the tapas style appetizers rather than get a full dinner and all of them were great, including the Gyoza, calamari, and the Chinese chicken salad (a MUST try). I didn't have a chance to try the sushi, but I can see how some people would say this place is a bit pricey--I'm sure the regular menu is not cheap, but with the happy hour deals, it becomes a great value in the bar and a great way to try a new place without committing to a full meal.
If you don't want to go all out at a scene-y joint like Katsuya or Koi, this place is a great compromise for a cool cozy place that's a little quieter and great people that work there.
Only reason for four stars instead of five is the parking situation in the area is a bit dicey...but perhaps it may be a little unfair because that kind of goes for any restaurant in this part of the village... -
Review from Love C.
1/16/2007
DELICIOUS!
I love this place! The food is amazing and fresh but the best is their pineapple infused sake! I don't even like sake! But I truly loved this one. $32 for a carafe, but sooo worth it. Everything is so fresh and definitely above average. I LOVE the filet wrapped asparagus!
It is kinda pricey though - My first experience had the bill at $175 for 2 people. My second experience had the bill at $350... but it's always worth it!!!
Oh yeah, there's a dj in the house! Plays ambient, lounge, house music.
Some friends and I tried the new Tengu in Santa Monica and it was like night and day... I won't go back to that one unless I want to look at the hot bartender. -
Review from Dennis M.
New York, NY
2/17/2008
You have got to be kidding me? You call this stuff sushi? WTF? I feel sorry for the people in L.A. more specifically Westwood that are duped into believing that they're eating "great sushi."
C'mon, this stuff was bad. I ordered Unagi and some sashimi from the menu. The sushi was bland, wasn't fresh and was poorly made. It literally fell apart within seconds of grabbing it with my chopsticks.
I give the seating a 2.5, bad logistics from where we were sitting. We were perched above the restaurant in the "don't be seen" section. I'm 6'1, I couldn't even put my legs under the table without bumping into my coworker across from me. We were so cramped in our little seating area and there were only 4 of us. To add to that, our tables were so close to the others that I overheard a girl telling her boyfriend all the gory details of their friend's breakup. No bueno!
The service was spotty, in fact our waiter messed up our drink order and forgot one drink. The drinks were weak, no surprise there! The waiter seemed more intent on getting us in and out with as much aggravation as possible. Damn, the restaurant's in L.A. really need to take a cue from the ones from my hometown of S.F. or N.Y.C.
Oh before I forget, the calamari was pitiful to look at. The portion was so small I could have eaten the whole thing myself. In fact I commented to my co-workers that the calamari were probably malnourished and underfed from some 3rd world country.
C'mon Tengu, you can do better than that? Or can you?
The restaurant's only highlights were the Kobe beef which by the way was about a 3.5/4 on a scale of 1 to 5. It tasted more like a filet mignon than Kobe beef.
The other highlight of the night was the dessert, a chocolate mousse cake with ice cream that I savored and enjoyed thoroughly.
Oh Tengu, I can't believe the other patrons rated you so highly. Come up to San Francisco and try Sebu or Sushi Groove South, if you want real sushi and great, friendly service. -
Review from Xibee M.
Los Angeles, CA
2/9/2011
CLOSED!!!!
Please note that this restaurant has been closed YET AGAIN and is (contrary to their phone message) NOT OPEN for the month of February. Apparently it was running so badly they have now decided it will be reopened with new management and a new name as well, sometime in March 2011. Do I trust this date? No, I don't.
This is the second sushi place that the property manager of this block has screwed up and destroyed. (See my review on Ishin. )
When will they learn? -
Review from Eric T.
West Los Angeles, CA
4/17/2007
Tasty, but too damn expensive. It's cool and all, with its dark woods and dim lighting and DJ booth. And the food is pretty good - the roll with the spicy jalapeno is particularly notable, and our Uni was very fresh. But it's just not refined in the way that Katsuya or Sasabune are. Some of the more creative sushi/sashimi dishes were too "saucey", and their version of Agedashi Tofu is from the KFC school or deep-frying.
Overall, good but not great. -
Review from Rosny D.
San Francisco, CA
2/4/2010
Tengu would be a great restaurant if their prices were cut in half... I went in expecting some really delicious sushi and some good drinks on a date with my wifey, but that wasn't quite the experience we got...
The vibe of the place was pretty cool. Very westwood, so a lot of young people with money, but very stylish and modern. When we first sat down they brought out hot towels and a complimentary shot sized amount of pineapple saki, which was delicious. When the waiter finally came, he asked if we wanted edamame or miso soup while we were deciding what to eat, I said "sure we'll have some edamame!" not realizing that it wasn't free. Waste of money #1.
The waiter came back 20 minutes later and we put in orders, the waiter was super nice, but veeery slow. We ordered two sushi rolls and one sea appetizer.
The food eventually came, and it was really just decent. We had the spicy scallop roll which was pretty tasteless and not spicy, the rainbow roll that was decent, and the rock salt shrimp which was pretty good but a little too creamy. The portions were kinda small too. Any sushi restaurant could have made something that tasted as good, and most restaurants would have been1/2 or 1/3 the price.
We ended up paying $70 total for 2 beers, 2 rolls, and one dish. We could have had better sushi and more alcohol for $30 somewhere else. If you get a coupon, go to this place, but if not, it is overpriced for the quality. -
Review from kumi k.
7/24/2008
Chef Masa is phenomenal.
I had his omakase lunch and oh my. Everything was super fresh and delightful. Presentation was beautiful and service impeccable. I have been to a handful of Japanese fusion restaurant but I've never had sushi paired with herbs as perfectly as it was done by Chef Masa.
After hearing my dislike for onion and all onion family, he took it as a challenge and made me a special dish. I don't think it even has a name but it looks like a piece of art. It was a creation of Salmon sashimi, oranges and chive with special dressing. At first, I felt my stomach tighten at the thought of eating chive but after my first piece, I was shocked. The chive tasted just like the chive I've always disliked but I couldn't believe it tasted so good. The salmon was fresh and delicious with its natural sweetness, the oranges were juicy and sweet but I felt it was the chive that made the dish perfect. The dish was amazing.
I have so much respect for chefs like chef Masa. It takes a great deal of culinary skill and courage to serve something you know your client doesn't like. He made me a meal consisting of ingredients I dislike and/or don't particularly care and made it into one of my favorite meal to date.
Thank you chef Masa and gochisousamadeshita.Listed in: Gochisousama, Perfect 5 - Restaurant
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Review from Alfred K.
Chicago, IL
7/10/2008
Whoof it was pricey, but the food was very good. I feel like there's no secret recipe to sushi - if the ingredients are good, everything takes care of itself, and Tengu certainly has fresh ingredients going for it. Servers are attentive, and decor is modern with sleek dark wood floors. The only speck to pick is that there's not much of a personality or uniqueness to speak of (think Sushi Roku...), but there's nothing wrong with that really. It just means that Tengu will probably never be a favorite of mine, but I will probably be back again at some point.
Tengu is great on nights when you feel sophisticated and want a trendy sushi dinner with fancy drinks. But if all you want is sushi, then my guess is there's sushi elsewhere that's just as good and at a more reasonable price. -
Review from Tuan-pi t.
Lenox, MA
10/22/2008
Pro: tasty food. Nicely decorated.
Cons:
fugging expensive. music is too loud. music is DJ music (not my choice). hard to see. MEAGER portions. I went home and ate a meal directly after.
There's not much Japanese about this place. The waiter tried to convince me that I was craving Ocha instead of Matcha.
This is a place for name-dropping, un-buttoned, trendy LA bitches.
Save 30 bucks a person and go somewhere else where you'll leave satisfied. Unless you like that sort of thing in which case please continue going because then I won't see you at my favorite places. -
Review from Emily T.
Los Angeles, CA
4/11/2010
This place is way too pricey for the fish I tasted here.
I got the Sashimi Salad and the dressing/sauce was too little and bland. I felt like I was chewing on weed for the salad they put on the plate. This 5 pieces of fish that I tasted were off and just wrong. How could they charge $15 for such a horrible salad that was on their lunch special?
My sister got a roll which was mediocre and small for $15. We both left hungry and unsatisfied of the Tengu experience. We're definitely not coming back here again. Needless to say, this is not a students joint. We should have just walked back out.
At another, REGULAR, sushi restaurant, we could have gotten 3 huge ass rolls and unable to finish them. At Ami's we can barely finish 2 rolls for $20. -
Review from Michelle B.
San Jose, CA
4/14/2007
Still digesting my Tengu dinner.
It's 8pm, Saturday night in Los Angeles and I couldn't wait to get back to my friend's place to log on and Yelp about our Tengu experience. That's not to say there isn't more exciting stuff to be doing in the entertainment playground of the world on a Saturday night, in fact the limo will be here momentarily and I have yet to shower and dress for our night out on the town.
Tengu is lovely to look at, delightful to hold. A mid size sushi bar in the heart of the Westwood Village. Save your ducats and go down the block for twice the action at half the price. This has to be THEE most expensive sushi bar I have ever eaten at in the free world. The rolls average $15-$19 and the sushi is two pieces for about $10.00. Minuscule portions- very chintzy.
Great service from UCLA (not yet jaded) fresh faced co-eds, yummy cocktails, fabulous coconut shrimp.
Now for the bottom line since my pumpkin carriage awaits.... for dinner, this restaurant is a fifty dollar hooker in Prada pumps. Beware the sirens that steer you into the rocks dear sailors. -
Review from billy t.
Hancock Park, CA
6/25/2008
Excellent service. Must try the Prime New York Strip, and the Ginger-Crusted Chicken!! Sashimi's pretty fresh too.... Price is not too crazy considering it's located at Westwood.
http://www.tengu.com/m... -
Review from joanna e.
Pasadena, CA
5/4/2007
I love Tengu. Their oyster shooters are fabulous / their Omakase always is worth the $100 / the vibe of the place is cute. The one thing I think that is absolutely AWFUL about Tengu is the service.
Service is disgustingly slow. The Tengu gods seem to remember me and always give me the slow dark-hair with glasses waiter. He is SO SLOW! As in 15 minutes for water, slow. My friend's salmon sushi came after her dessert. HOW RUDE, right?
Anyway, if you can withstand poor service - the food is worth it. Like mentioned in some of the other reviews, it's quite pricey so make sure to either go on the 15th or the 30th.
Enjoy.... -
Review from Rina L.
4/7/2008
Went here for lunch on a weekday because my friend was craving uni (yuck). We ordered the spicy tuna roll, uni sushi, and a beet and goat cheese salad, which came out to $34 (including tip). The food was really good, service was great, but the price was a lil' high for me(for lunch especially!)
Pros:
- Tasty!
- Great service. My water cup was never empty...(but there was only one other table, so maybe that's why)
- My friend said the hostess looked like a model. I guess having pretty people to look at while eating could always be a plus.
Cons:
- $34 for lunch!? DANG... =)
* I wouldn't hesitate going back if I'm in the mood to splurge a lil'... -
Review from verna b.
San Francisco, CA
8/15/2007
This is possible the best sushi restaurant I've been to. EVER.
And I'm picky when it comes to my raw fish.
I went down to LA to visit old friends and we decided to try out Tengu so that we could visit our ole college hood and yet be fancy and sophisticated. First off, its a good thing this place wasn't around when I was collegiating my way around Westwood. All my textbook money would have gone to supporting the establishment.
It was one of those meals, hose unforgettable meals, where every course was unique, refreshing, different, and most of all, absolutely delicious. The prices are worth it. The cocktails (12 freakin bucks!) are SO good and completely compliment the food.
We started out with a fresh Yellowtail Carpaccio, with a white truffle sauce. AMAZING and so unique. We then had the Warm Spinach Salad with mushrooms and these thin crispy potatoe threads (I say threads, and not strings, because they literally were like threads). Next we had this gorgeous Sushi roll with salmon, crab, jalapeno, fried onions sprinkled on top, in a ginger sauce with carrots too. Can't even decribe the lovely explosive goodness. It was a Sushigasm. And last but not least we had the beef dish pictured on this page. It had a Chili Rub (so subtle) with a Pomegranite glaze and it was oh so tender and perfect. Cocktails? Mine had mint, cucumber, and vodka and my friend's had berry, vodka and jalapeno (Sounds gross but it was SO good. Like a berry fizzy drink with a bite to it on the aftertaste)
Basically, the meal was better than sex.
So I was reading the menu and Tengu is the Japanese god of mischief. Apparently, Tengu likes to tease you and play with your sense of reality. The food did just that. You expect something and then there's a little something different and unique and leaves you wanting more. -
Review from Sol L.
Los Angeles, CA
1/8/2011
CLOSED!
Sad to say that it's shut its doors. Farewell to a fun, delicious hideaway. -
Review from Steve K.
Tarzana, CA
11/8/2005
You want sushi? Go some place else. It's way too over priced. It's not a good place where you can have a nice dinner and have a pleasant conversation with your date because it's really noisy.
On the flip side, they do have pretty good mixed drinks and tasty appetizers. It would be a fun place to nibble and sip with your friends, but not a great date place. -
Review from Elyse K.
CA
4/23/2007
After a day of baking (more like burning) in the sun at the W Hotel pool, we needed a food fix and didn't want to get dressed up. The concierge recommended Tengu and said we could go as casual as we wanted. Sold. Now, i wouldn't recommend wandering in with your sweats on, but we did just that. Everyone was on date night or girls night out, dressed up in their Saturday best. That didn't bother us as we were seated in the back of the restaurant a couple tables from the sushi bar.
Everything was delicious. Our favorite (not counting the infused Sake!) was the Yellowtail Carpaccio special... melt in your mouth fish soaked with lime, what was that ginger, and something else? Who cares what it was other than amazing. We had to order a second plate of that one. The others were the Diablo roll with jalapeno on top and a habanero twist in the filling, the standard Spicy Tuna, and some kind of tuna on a crispy rice cake thing. It's all a blur because of the food and sake buzz permeating the entire meal.
Yes, prices are up there, but really what sushi place isn't? Dinner which included 5-6 plates plus 2 carafes of sake was $75/person (top included) for the three of us. -
Review from Tracy C.
Los Angeles, CA
1/24/2007 4 photos
UPDATE 8/31/07 - They're pretentious here. I was asked to write a review about them for a website and they weren't very cooperative saying they weren't sure they were going to be shed in "the right light". *rolls eyes*. I shall not be going back. Their pinneaple sake is good but their regular food (aside from their Valentine's Day prixe fixe menu that one time) is nothing to rave about.
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All I have to say is...wherever there's pineapple sake...I AM THERE!!
Haven't tried to sushi but I did one of those prix fixe menus on a special occasion. I kept my menu scroll from that night and here's what I had...
Tengu's signature house-infused chilled pinneaple sake
1st course -Chef's special salad: Watercress and arugula sald with baby golden beets, chevre goat cheese, shaved carrot and miso dressing
2nd course - Chef's special appetizer: minuet of foie gras and asparagus, wrapped in filet mignon with sweet soy mirin glaze and white truffle oil
Intermezzo: duet of champagne and passion fruit sorbets, with fresh granadilla
3rd course - Chef's special entree: Pan roasted medallions of veal tenderloin over whipped kobacha squash, lemon wilted spinach, and shamiji mushroom pan sauce.
4th course - Chef's special temptations: Giant stem strawberries with amore white and dark chocolate drizzle, mascarpone cream and dark chocolate pirouette.
Everything was fantastic! Haven't tried the sushi but I'm sure it's good. The ambience inside is reaally dark..asian inspired of course. We sat on the patio that night so it was much quieter. I definitely have to go back on another special occasion. -
Review from Timothy N.
La Jolla, CA
5/20/2009
OMG! The food is so tasty here!
I had so many things. I had some lamb, steak with the pomegranate sauce, fried soft tofu with spinach, and a handful of rolls.
Everything tasted superb! EVERYTHING! This is seriously good tasting food. However, I have to warn you that the prices are ridiculous and their portions are small. Items range from $15 - $40. If you order only 1 item, I'm afraid you might go hungry again in an hour. With that said, I have to admit the food quality is absolutely fabulous. I wish I could go here every night for dinner.
I need to go back. -
Review from Megan W.
Los Angeles, CA
11/5/2010
I've been here quite a few times for work lunches, but I recently made the mistake of going to Sushi Roku on a Thursday night for dinner, followed by Tengu for lunch the following Friday. Everything was phenomenal at Sushi Roku, so I think it made all of the issues with Tengu that much more obvious.
Service is really slow here. For lunch on a Friday with just a few tables of people, you'd assume you'd get great service. Not a chance.
The edamame comes out cold, the iced green tea is watered down, anything we got that was "crunchy" or with "fried" rice was soaked with oil/grease/nasty, the sushi is warm (what?!?) and fishy tasting, and it took forever to get our order (again, very few people in the restaurant.
I won't go here again...definitely not worth the money. -
Review from Lisa S.
10/15/2006
I thought the sushi here was excellent. We had the subarashi roll, the red dragon, and the curry tataki. Our favorite was the red dragon roll. It was perfect. The fish was really fresh, and the presentation was gorgeous. The only downside is the price. This is the most I've ever paid for sushi, with the average price being around $20 a specialty roll. Since we got three, that was a $75 meal. I'm used to being full for $75, but I still give the place four stars, because the food is mighty tasty!
Steve said it's noisy and not a great date place, but we went on a Saturday night, and it was quite and quite romantic. We had lots of conversation, weren't rushed.
The only thing is...from what I understand, they have specials at the bar between 5:30 and 7:30, but we didn't know that. I would have liked to have tried that out. Bootleg.... -
Review from Hannah T.
Los Angeles, CA
2/6/2009
This place is not closed.
Dinners at Tengu have been great. My bf and I enjoyed the mellow atmosphere and great food. Nice place to take a date or with a group of girlfriends.
The last time we were here, our waiter Geoffrey periodically checked on us to make sure things were going well. I received my entree before the appetizer, so Geoffrey apologized after he figured out what happened, he immediately called in the order and all three of us had a shot of pineapple-infused sake on the house. Geoffrey, you rock!
My fave:
Volcano bowl asian pear
Kanpachi carpaccio - I can eat three plates of this.
Filet-wrapped asparagus
Chilean sea bass
Banana tempura
Chocolate lava cake
Fresh nigiri sushi selection
My bf and I are not big fans of uni. I believe we tasted it once and never had it again. We ingested a lot of alkie from the volcano bowl, having a great time and felt courageous to try the golden-flesh sea urchin. Bf stared at his piece and hesitantly took the first bite, smiled and said "it's not bad." Shocked, I tried a sliver with an open mind and I still don't like it. I have not tried any of the rolls, only because I prefer the simple sushi here.
Three individual restrooms are unisex. It's clean and fully stocked. Valet is $6. Expect to spend about $100/person.
