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The Izaka-ya by Katsu-ya
Categories: Restaurants Sushi Bars Restaurants Japanese Sushi Bars, Japanese [Edit]
8420 W 3rd StLos Angeles, CA 90048
Neighborhood: Mid-City West
(323) 782-9536
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street, Valet
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Very Loud
- Ambience:
- Trendy
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
405 reviews for The Izaka-ya by Katsu-ya
Review Highlights
"Best spicy tuna on crispy rice in town- by far."
(in 104 reviews)
"Not only that, the baked crab roll was amazing as well."
(in 37 reviews)
"I loved their creamy rock shrimp tempura."
(in 30 reviews)
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405 reviews in English
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Review from Faye G.
1/26/2012 3 photos
I had my 25th birthday at Izaka-ya by Katsu-ya and was not disappointed!
I listened to all the other Yelpers and ordered the Baked Crab Hand Rolls and Spicy Tuna on Crispy Rice...delicious! The hand rolls were amaaaazing! They arrived warm and they did not skimp on the REAL crab! My boyfriend and I also ordered Hamachi nigiri and the Kobe Beef with Foie Gras (we splurged...it was my birthday)! Again, both dishes impressed. The Hamachi was melt-in-your-mouth delicious and although the Kobe Beef dish was a bit small, it paired well with the Foie Gras and had this delicious sauce to go with it. Not to mention the rest of our party enjoyed their meals too. I loved the mix of fusion and traditional dishes on the menu. I wanted to order everything!
The staff and service were exceptional. We made a reservation for a party of 8 on a busy Friday night and were easily accommodated. When my boyfriend brought a cake for dessert, the staff immediately placed it in the back and brought it out just on time...all without a cake cutting fee (score!) On top of that, they made sure that our sake glasses were NEVER empty :)
My absolute favorite part about Izaka-ya by Katsu-ya??? The atmosphere! It was lively, casual and fun...not pretentious at all. The lighting was on point too...perfectly dimmed. Seriously, lighting makes everything! Such an important detail that many restaurants don't think about. Loved everything about this place, I can't wait to come back. -
Review from Ben S.
Los Angeles, CA
2/7/2012
Ok, to start with, this place is a total scene. Packed to the gills with drunk hipsters and people on awkward first dates desperately trying not to look MR with their chopsticks.
The decor is this awkward mash-up of rustic seafood house and strip mall sushi joint. The service is forgettable at best. Had to wait about 15 minutes from our reservation time. The waitress was pleasant, but needed to be reminded of a few things. Wow, I sound like a total whiny bitch, don't I? Seriously, I'm pretty tolerant of these things, especially if the food is great, which.... well, how do I put this...
The food isn't total crap, but it's close. The sushi is average at best, except for the Spider Roll which was pretty much inedible. They had Kirin on tap, which was cool. Except ordering pitchers of beer made me feel like we should be playing flip cup. The drunk chicks next to us didn't help assuage that feeling.
I can't really speak to most of the non-sushi dishes since we just ordered a bunch of rolls and pieces of sushi. The only hot dish we ordered was the crispy rice with spicy tuna... it was mehh: Sushi for people that like carbs.
This place deserves a solid 2.5 stars, and I was totally prepared to give them the old round-up to 3... until I just got a message from Open Table claiming that Izaka-ya claimed my party was a no-show. Um. Pardon? Not that I care about Open Table points or anything, but don't be assholes.... especially after a subpar meal.
I want to make some kind of pun, like "Kiss Izaka-ya goodbye" or something, but since I don't really know how to pronounce it, I'll just say this place sucks. -
Review from Denisse C.
Gardena, CA
1/26/2012
I dont care how much people hype it up, if Izaka-ya doesnt answer phones until 4:45, then runs a busy signal all night to make it impossible to make a reservation, they've failed the general population.
It's not like this food is anything so stellar you MUST MUST come here. In fact, you can get the same overrated hand crab rolls and crispy rice with spicy tuna at any Katsu-Ya locations (and may I suggest the Brentwood location if you're interested in a West LA star sighting).
Happy Resie Hunting. -
Review from Jennifer V.
Los Angeles, CA
2/6/2012 1 photo
Love this place. Low key but food is still amazing Like hollywood's Katsuya. Albacore w crispy onions, brown rice spicy tuna crispy rice, and lobster roll is to die for!
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Review from Paige S.
Los Angeles, CA
1/18/2012
One of the BEST in town! Seriously.
My son and I have gone here since he was a baby. He LOVES it. Sits at the sushi bar and orders the boat meal for kids. He also gets a baked crab roll. Those are his favorites. The crispy rice with tuna is to die for. The seared tuna with crispy onions- YUM! The peppers are amazing! Everything I have ever tried is top notch.
The staff is really nice. The hostess, waiters, waitresses, sushi chefs, busboys, everyone. Perfect. Always smiling. Never once rude. My water glass is always filled. They are so sweet to my son. (who is now 6 and begs to go here all of the time)
I would give it ten stars if I could. Bravo!
p.s. they don't charge for ponzu sauce... -
Review from Tom A.
Los Angeles, CA
12/26/2011
I love this place. I always order these four things.
Crispy Spicy Tuna (rice is warmed, so good)
Eggplant (you get to spoon it out...)
Spicy Tuna Cone
Kobe Burger
The food is top-notch and the service is kind of amazing. They're not in your-face annoying, they just anticipate your needs really well here. Removing things from your table at the right time, re-filling your drink at the right time, picking up my phone when I dropped it before I could even turn around. -
Review from Clark F.
Granada Hills, CA
1/15/2012
I eat here for lunch at least once a week. Love the Seared Tuna Sashimi Salad with the tuna roll.
You won't be disappointed. -
Review from Mike A.
Santa Monica, CA
1/6/2012
Fancy people go here so I pretended as best I could when I was invited out here by my ladyfriend, for my birthday. Everything tasted great, and it came quite quickly, too. But, I can't really remember much about it. The only thing I really remember is that the place was so loud, I almost felt like I had to leave or I was going to have a panic attack. Take this with a grain of salt, though. I had a panic attack today when the lady in front of me on the plane spent more than two minutes in the bathroom. I wasn't sure if she had died or if my voyage into the stall would be horrendous.
That said, the place was loud. Yikes. I don't even understand how a single place could be so loud. Acoustics, I guess.
Maybe it's not as bad at lunch. I dunno. Probably still worth it for the food, but don't expect to relax. Unless you like things like jackhammers and Fran Drescher's laugh. -
Review from Chrissy K.
Manhattan Beach, CA
1/18/2012 1 Check-in Here
The food is great but the location is really small and very very crowded. You have to yell across the table to have a conversation with someone. The tables are all so close together. Its just really packed.
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Review from john S.
Los Angeles, CA
12/1/2011
THE GOOD
We had 8 o'clock reservations on a Thursday night and it was a packed house. But we were seated promptly although there were others there waiting before us but presumably without a reservation. So I applaud the integrity of the hostess. This is a rarity in the LA dining scene.
The service is fast. A few minutes after our order was taken the food started to roll in, timed perfectly in batches. and our server was very aware of what food we still had outstanding. I was very impressed.
I brought a friend from work here for his birthday and they brought out a desert plate for him and sang to him. It was unexpected and very appreciated. They also did not charge us for that desert. Again a big rarity in the LA scene.
The Fish is fresh. Not super high grade, but very good. Better than most places of the same caliber. No doubt the volume helps keep the invert churn and the stock fresh.
THE BAD
The rolls are not generous enough. If a guy comes here hungry, he can easily spend over 60 bucks to get full.
The menu items are uninspired. They have a ton of stuff on the menu, most of which is your run of the mill rolls. For a Katsuya on the Westside across from Roku and next to Wokano, I expected the menu to be more elaborate with perhaps some cool appetizers.
The presentation of the rolls was nonexistent. They were just there on the plate with no garnishment. I expected more.
THE UGLY
So I asked the server if the Kobe burger was any good. And contrary to my better judgment I took her word and ordered it. please skip this. If you are a burger junkie like ma and I've pretty much been to most of the burger joints on the Westside, then you know this burger needs to be taken off the menu. It was on a Mc Donald's bun with really cheap yellow cheese that completely overwhelmed the patty. It was a little bit better than a Big Mac, but it costs $12 bucks.
Most reviews here say this place is loud. And yes it is loud. But it's not because the patrons at this restaurant are any livelier than any other place. Its just that this is a tiny place and they've packed in LOTS of tables. You have zero elbow room.
Where a great meal deserves 5 stars, this place gets a solid 3. -
Review from Mary W.
Hollywood, CA
1/17/2012
Basically if you are a Katsu-ya sushi eater this is the place for you. By that I mean you have the americanized version of sushi and want the atmosphere and tasty rolls and fried plates. The sushi is good and don't get me wrong I love eating here and if you haven't eaten sushi before this is a good place to try it. The place is kind of small but it's cute. I am not sure about reservations but usually you can get seated in less than 20 minutes.
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Review from Vi T.
12/6/2011 1 Check-in Here
I dined at Izaka-ya while visiting my best friend in L.A. and it will be on my dining list EVERY SINGLE TIME I come to L.A. from now on. It's that good.
We weren't super hungry so we just got a few dishes to share and every one of them was delicious. We had the yellowtail sashimi with jalapeno first. Wow. I adore yellowtail and this was really fresh. The seared albacore with fried onion was also really good. I loved the soft albacore with the crunchy salty onion. Yum. But my favorite was the crispy rice with spicy tuna. The rice was perfectly crispy without being too hard and the tuna was also fresh. The only downside is that there isn't enough in an order! I could have eaten three plates by myself. We got one sushi roll and it wasn't really memorable but I think it's because I was blown away by the other dishes.
As for service and ambience, it was a busy Thursday night. Tables were packed and the place was buzzing but we got seated fairly quickly. The staff was really nice and drinks were refilled promptly. Love this place and I can't wait to come back. -
Review from Julia C.
Carmel, CA
12/20/2011
Best. Sushi. Ever. First of all, I need to admit to the simple fact I am a sushi-e aka foodie except with sushi. I've had everything from hole-in-the-wall sushi joints to Magu's $300pp-gourmet-imported-from-Japan-today-sushi. I'm not kidding when I say that Izaka-ya has The Best sushi (next to Megu), I've ever had.
The only thing that was missing was the REAL wasabi. Seriously guys. How hard is it to get your ass to Whole Foods and buy some wasabi root?! (When I say "guys," I also mean the guys at Morimoto, which is my other favorite to date, but I go there more for the drinks and desserts than the sushi).
I'd recommend ordering everything on the "special creation" list, but the absolute Must-Haves are 1) Crispy rice w/spicy tuna (I had dreams about that stuff for weeks! no joke) 2) Yellowtail sashimi w/jalapeno 3) Halibut carpaccio and if you're not afraid, order 4) Uni sushi. -
Review from Amanda L.
Los Angeles, CA
1/16/2012
Service is alright and the vibe is super scene-y but oh.my.god the honey hand roll is to die for.
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Review from Marilynn L.
Los Angeles, CA
1/13/2012
Very good sushi - love the lunch specials. Don't love the I'm too busy for you, oh, really, you don't have a reservation? (Tsk Tsk) attitude.
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Review from Taylor W.
10/26/2011 1 Check-in Here
Oh what's up sushi! This is BOMB sushi. I haven't had sushi this good in a while.
We started with the spicy garlic edamame (bomb), then moved to the albacore with the fried onions on top (amazing), then to the yellowtail topped with jalapeno (incredible), and then to the spicy tuna on top of crispy rice (delicious), then to the crispy spinach with tuna (licking your fingers good) and finally to the green tea tempura ice cream (out of this world)!
There was nothing we had that was not good, plus the service was awesome too! We tried to get a reservation and they said they didn't have anything for 2 hours. We decided to show up, at which point they told us it would be a 45 minute wait.... but 5 minutes later we were seated and our waitress had brought us hot sake :)
Will definitely be back here again soon. -
Review from Morgan N.
11/17/2011
Yum, Yum, and Yum!! I loved my sushi experience here. I was tipped off that we needed reservations here so I took the great advice. As we walked up the street to enter the restaurant, all of the other restaurants seemed to be empty compared to this one. It made me happy about our choice!
The scene was cool, movie starts sitting next to us (i'm not from here!) It was kind of loud as my boyfriend and I were trying to have a nice meal. The baked crab was excellent! We had a few other rolls, seaweed salad, 2 handrolls and some beer. Perfection. -
Review from Federica F.
Los Angeles, CA
10/31/2011
I have no comments.
Try it. -
Review from Las V.
Los Angeles, CA
1/28/2012
Great food. Bad phone and reservation system.
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Review from Meesh G.
Los Angeles, CA
Updated - 9/8/2011 1 Check-in Here
After my third time here.. this place is exactly as YELP says. It's truly just "A-Ok"
Honestly, nothing tonight tasted like anything. They have become extremely cheap with their portions. The spiny tuna on crispy rice portion was a joke.. literally the crispy rice was so teeny tiny. The spicy tuna didnt have any flavor.. just a whipped texture.
The rock shrimp was plump but lacked that delicious sauce that I enjoyed oh so much before. The Albacore with crispy onions didnt wow me either this time. Maybe Izaka-ya was having an off night but I left feeling like I spent too much money on sushi that wasnt that great and lacked flavor.
Makes me appreciate my go to sushi spot Haru around the corner. Unfortunately, Izaka-ya wont be seeing me for a really long time. The rock shrimp and albacore I craved so badly from my last trip has left an undesirable taste in my mouth.2 Previous Reviews: Show all »
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2/1/2011
Izaka-ya I am sorry oh so sorry for writing a three star review previously. You have redeemed… Read more »
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Review from D Y.
Santa Monica, CA
1/24/2012
Simply the best
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Review from S B.
Los Angeles, CA
12/23/2011
Best sushi place in LA. Most exceptional and attentive service I have had at any restaurant (sushi or otherwise) in L.A.
Make a rez and don't be late - it's always packed. -
Review from David M.
Los Angeles, CA
7/14/2011 1 Check-in Here
With inventive rolls, delicious specials, and decent prices (for a sushi restaurant), Izaka-ya stands atop the heap as the best sushi spot in the West Hollywood/Beverly Hills-Adjacent area. Haru Sushi & Roll Cafe on San Vincente can give Izaka-ya a run for its money, with its superior ambiance and commitment to organic food, but Izaka-ya deserves all the praise it receives.
Izaka-ya is "American-style" in its mentality with a focus on rolls (or maki), sauces, and specials. The sushi chefs are very well trained and can cut you a delicious "freshest catch of the day" if you ask nicely (and know the right people to ask). I don't always know what I'm eating, but it's always delicious.
Izaka-ya's standout dishes (and crowd favorites) are:
Spicy Tuna on crispy rice
Seared Albacore w/ crispy spinach
Creamy Rock Shrimp Tempura
Seared Albacore w/ crispy onion
Yellowtail Sashimi w/ jalapeno
*They also have a nice sake menu if you're into that type of beverage.
As for the space itself, it can fill up very quickly, especially on Fridays and Saturdays. The acoustics are pretty bad and the crowd get can loud, so Izaka-ya is not a recommended first date or work meeting spot. The chairs are not particularly comfortable, but the decor is nice (I especially like the type of wood them used for the floors and walls). Another nice touch is that every new customer who walks in is greeted warmly by the sushi chefs.
Izaka-ya by Katsu-ya is open for lunch and dinner. Reservations are a must.
They have valet parking, which is your best option, because it can be nigh impossible to find a spot in that area once the sun sets.Listed in: 3rd Street Corridor
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Review from Christy S.
West Hollywood, CA
9/30/2011
I absolutely love this place. It's a splurge meal for my husband and I because we can never order just 1 of our favorite dishes. But the food is really amazing. Best items to get are the baked crab hand-rolls, creamy rock shrimp tempura, seared ahi tuna with japanese salsa, oh and my favorite - spicy tuna on crispy rice (which can be a hit or miss) I've had the rice before be a little soggy and it MUST be crispy to be so good. Usually they nail it, but not always.
Only reason why I wouldn't give it 5 stars is there is always a 40 minute wait and the wait staff (blonde reception girl) was very rude to us one night when she didn't have record of our reservation after we called ahead of time. -
Review from GiGi D.
West Hollywood, CA
9/2/2011
Yeah it was good but really nothing special.
First of all, I couldn't find the damn place... I was cruising along and just drove RIGHT PAST IT. And then I finally did spot it... but of course the only parking available is valet parking so well... you HAVE TO pay $4... which really isn't THAT BAD but still, for those of us who only want to grab a bite for like an hour, paying $1 on the meter would work out!
Any who, the parking attendant was VERY PLEASANT so paying $4 meant nothing to me, ha ha. When I entered the restaurant MAN WAS IT LOUD! I couldn't even hear my stomach growling from being SO HUNGRY!
My party was not complete so we could not be seated yet... so I just stood there like an idiot for 15 minutes, awesome. Ah ha ha, but I never actually feel like an idiot so that's fine. But for all of you who might feel on display just standing there... you might want to come with EVERYONE in your party because they have a policy that they will only seat you when everyone is there.
So finally my friend joined me, we sat down and go to ordering. We both got sashimi combinations that came with rice, miso soup and a salad - the TYPICAL. Yeah, the sashimi was good and fresh but... of course they gave us octopus. I asked to sub in something else (I totally would have paid more) but nope, no subs so I had to deal.
Oh and the loudness DID NOT SUBSIDE AT ALL. So here I am eating lunch with a friend I haven't seen in ages and I couldn't even hear what she had been up to in the past several months. Oh well, I guess I will know NOT TO COME to this restaurant if I actually want to talk to someone.
I ended up paying $15 (not including my parking) for my meal... which really wasn't all the big. I feel like they should give you an option between a side of rice and something else, like seaweed salad or something! If you're reading this Izaka-ya owners: JUMP ON IT!
So will I come back? Meh, probably not. I will probably just head on over to Katsuya! Love that place! :) -
Review from Eddie G.
Los Angeles, CA
9/6/2011
Absolutely delicious! This is definitely one of the top spots in L.A. to have sushi. The place is hopping when you walk in and it's a bit loud but you get used to it after a few minutes. Service is excellent and they bring out the food quickly and are all over the refills.
Must haves are the spicy tuna crispy rice, rock cream shrimp and the yellowtail sashimi is pretty damn good too.
Excellent food, good service and pretty decent prices for the quality (excellent) of food you get. Definitely recommend it to all sushi lovers! -
Review from Brittany A.
New York, NY
6/28/2011
I judge a sushi place by its spicy tuna, and the spicy tuna here is delicious! I ordered spicy tuna on crispy rice cake, a spicy scallop roll, a spicy tuna roll, and a shrimp tempura roll. Regular roles are around $5 to $6 dollars, and specialty roles around $12-$18. All were fresh and delicious. The sushi chefs know how to make authentic sushi. The rolls are small enough to eat in one bite, which means that this is authentic sushi. For dessert, I shared the cheesecake. Although small, it was the perfect amount to satisfy my sweet tooth.
The atmosphere: LOUD. If you are looking for a romantic sushi restaurant, this is not the spot. It's hard to even here your dinner party at this restaurant. However, the food is tasty and the crowd is trendy. If you ask me this restaurant is very LA.
Being the sushi connoisseur I am, this sushi place offers some great Los Angeles sushi. I just wish for the prices the atmosphere would be more decadent. -
Review from Anastasia E.
Danbury, CT
7/27/2011 9 photos
Great sushi, yummy tempura, and pleasant service. Ordered a robert roll, spicy tuna with crispy shrimp, baked crab roll, shrimp & veggie tempura, seaweed salad, edamame and iced green tea. I think there is a little too much hype about the baked crab roll. While I did enjoy it, I felt as though it was missing something but can't decide what. Perhaps I was expecting it to be something miraculously delicious. The robert roll was really yummy, and so was the spicy tuna with crispy shrimp, but the shrimp were so large that I couldn't fit the entire piece in my mouth and had to eat it in parts. I didn't care for the seaweed salad at all and the iced green tea was a little too murky for me. The tempura was cooked perfectly with a great, not greasy at all crunch.
I had a reservation for 12 right when they opened and the place filled up quickly.
If I lived near by, I'd be back, but considering I live on the east coast, I'm satisfied with my one izaka-ya experience. -
Review from Matt C.
Atlanta, GA
5/1/2011
Izaka-ya by Katsu-ya was highly recommended to me by friends in Los Angeles. Please make sure that you make a reservation, even during lunch time. The place is always crowded and doesn't have a lot of seating.
I had the Lunch Special which cost $12.99. It is a great deal and you will not leave hungry. The sushi is good, but wasn't as spectacular as everyone made it out to be.
I would recommend stopping by Izaka-ya if you are in the neighborhood, but it isn't worth fighting LA traffic to make a special trip. -
Review from Jimmy M.
6/18/2011
The sushi here tastes pretty fresh and the specials were pretty good. Service was also excellent. Out of the specials the blue fin carpaccio was really good. Definitely recommend it. The Robert/Honey roll was really good too. Everything else we ordered was standard stuff you can get at any sushi place.
We didn't have a reservation on a Friday night, but it didn't take too long to get seated at the bar. -
Review from Greg S.
Los Angeles, CA
8/29/2011
One word, AMAZING. For the price you get the best quality possible I have eve seen in the last 10 years i have lived in L.A.
Great unique creative dishes and rolls. Fast service. Amazing quality. Reasonable price for the top notch quality and inventiveness you get. SOLID choice.
If you want an amazing meal and you care the most about 1 thing, THE FOOD, this is your place.
Cons... : MAKE A RESERVATION. This place is packed everyday. If you're looking for a romantic meal this isn't the place for you. It's loud and the space is really nothing special generic white walls and wood table...
So + for food, quality and overall dining and tasting experience
- for table time wait, overly packed and loudness + lack of decor and ambience... -
Review from Aimee I.
Los Angeles, CA
4/7/2011
Like all Katsuya restaurants only not as posh. Has more of a kitschy feel to it. Offers many of the menu staples-- spicy tuna over crispy rice, albacore sashimi with fried onions, yellowtail sashimi with jalapenos, rick shrimp tempura-- from Katsuya at a lower price.
Sushi is fresh and comes out quickly.
Only beer, sake, and wine; but decent selections.
Incredibly busy and the wait for a table can be long at times. Make reservations beforehand!
Service can be rude at times, but I suppose it's cause they're busy. They get you in and push ya out. -
Review from Kimberlie C.
Los Angeles, CA
9/13/2011
Great sushi on 3rd street. The best part about this place is that the sushi is great AND they have a lot of things for non-sushi eaters. The pumpkin, lotus root, and green bean appetizers are too die for. The kobe burger is yummy too. And the sushi is consistently good especially the baked crab roll. This place is usually jammed packed so reservations are a must.
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Review from Michael C.
Los Angeles, CA
4/25/2011
Halibut Kumquat...Garlic Toro w/ Spinach...Crispy rice w/ spicy tuna...are just some of the fantastic things that you'll find at this busy lil hole in the wall. Def my fav place to eat Sushi in LA.
Reservations are a must so call ahead!
Oh and Its reasonably priced! So that whole feeling of rape doesn't exist after leaving. Good stuff. -
Review from Megan P.
Los Angeles, CA
4/18/2011
BAKED CRAB ROLLS!!!!!!!!!
Just order this first and then think about ever eating anything else again for the rest of your life.
Warm rice and crab in a hand roll with some magical sauce... it will follow you home and haunt you in your sleep. It will lead you back for more and more... it will transfix you. -
Review from Stella N.
Inglewood, CA
5/30/2011
The Sushi:
All fish were fresh!! that need to be noted.
I had mostly sashimi with one roll. The roll was for filler. It was okay.
Blue fin tina 1
Scallop 2
Clam 2
toro 2
The blueffin tuna was not the best the day i went. It was okay in terms of flavor. The scallop was damn good. It was smooth and buttery. That was what i favored that night. The toro was en pointe, as well.
I felt great that night afterwards. If my spirits are lifted the fish was fresh.
The Service
I sat at the bar. I don't like it another way. i like to be able to talk to the chef at any point to make sure something I don't like happens and it means, and faster service.
The waiters were great, although waiting for the check took way too long. -
Review from Jason K.
5/1/2011
A bunch of friends and I came here to have dinner for a bachelor party we were throwing. We all ordered a mass of food, beer, and sake. I can't recall everything we ate because there was so much. The food was all excellent, the service was fantastic (they brought out food fast, kept filling our water glasses and our sake bottles without asking, etc.), and the value overall was pretty solid (though it certainly wasn't cheap).
We had the kobe burgers, rainbow rolls, california rolls, spicy tuna, foie gras, and a bunch of other stuff. I would definitely come back here for a nice sushi meal if I were in the area.
Summary: Great service, food, and good value. Street parking is limited but there is valet. I recommend checking it out sometime. -
Review from Preeti C.
Los Angeles, CA
11/3/2011
I went here last night for dinner. We made a reservation for 8:30 pm and were seated promptly. Like all other reviewers make reservations! This place was packed all night.
The food was AMAZING! I took the yelpers recommendations and ordered:
Albacore with Fried Onions--so amazing I'm still thinking about it
Rock Shrimp Tempura--good but not the best I've ever had
Yellowtail with Jalapeno--so freaking good! The fish melted in my mouth!
Spicy Tuna on Crispy Rice--was good but not the best
Lobster Dynamite Roll--only ok...wouldn't order again
Baked Crab Roll--awesome
All in all, the food was great and service was impeccable. I never needed to ask for a refill or anything. They were on top of it even though it was so busy.
Like others said, it is very, very LOUD! So if you want to have an intimate night with conversation, don't come here. You will find yourself sorta yelling to communicate. It didn't bother me much because I was hungry and when the food came out, the conversation pretty much stopped because we were consumed in how tasty our meal was :)
I will be back for sure! -
Review from Licia L.
Los Angeles, CA
7/15/2011
Must have's:
- crispy rice w/ spicy tuna
- seared albacore w/ fried onions
- yellowtail sashimi w/ jalapeno
- spicy tuna & crab cone
- baked crab roll
- grilled yellowtail collar
I can't remember which of the special rolls I had but they were also good. I come here every now and then, and pretty much get the above that I listed. Can't go wrong. -
Review from Christina L.
Los Angeles, CA
4/12/2011 2 photos
The most important thing you can get out of this review: make reservations. Make Reservations. MAKE RESERVATIONS!!!
If you don't you'll end up standing out on a random WeHo sidewalk waiting anxiously for a table while cars speed by you and Bar Method people walk into the building above making you feel extremely guilty. Fortunately I called the day of and they miraculously had reservations open for 7:15 pm! They were very accommodating with us even though we ended up running about 15 minutes late.
Overall I thought Izaka-ya was good, but Haru Sushi and Roll Cafe nearby is. in my opinion, definitely better. Izaka-ya I'd say is a little more trendy upscale while Haru is more quaint and low-key. It really gets very busy and loud at Izaka-ya so keep that in mind - not good for business or a first date (although maybe for a second)!
Highlights were:
-Tuna on Crispy Rice: pretty standard
-Blue Crab Roll: in a soy wrapper, very good!
-Seared Albacore with Crispy Onion: YUM
Mediocre:
-Mixed Mushrooms in Foil
Overall I would say the meal was good but it didn't blow me away. Worth a try but I'll probably end up taking my Japanese food craves elsewhere from here on out!
