Has to be izakaya? I would recommend Chinchikurin/Tanota for good food (okonomiyaki and takoyaki), beer, and good vibes.
https://www.yelp.com/biz/chinchikurin-little-tokyo-los-angeles-2
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Too priority: good robata. Bintochan?
Places near Little Tokyo/Downtown that might grill over binchotan:
(I have never been to any of the places.)
- Hatch - Downtown LA (https://www.hatchyakitori.com/)
- Torigoya - Little Tokyo (http://torigoyala.com/)
Places that I recommend that use binchotan:
(Not located in Downtown/Little Tokyo)
- Aburiya Raku - West Hollywood (https://aburiyarakula.wixsite.com/weho)
- Torimatsu - Gardena (http://www.torimatsu.com/)
- Torihei - Torrance (TORIHEI -Yakitori Robata Dining- Official Website)
- Koshiji - Torrance (http://koshijiusa.com/)
Places that I recommend against:
- Hondaya
- Inko Nito
Others that you might be interested in:
- Tonchinkan (Izakaya) - Arcadia (https://www.yelp.com/biz/izakaya-tonchinkan-arcadia-2)
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Sorry @Michaeldreamsofsushi, I have to disagree. I think Fu-ga is quite plain, if not flat-out bad (it almost made the list of places that I recommend against).
The Yelp photos speak for themselves: from Yelp https://www.yelp.com/biz/izakaya-fu-ga-los-angeles
As for atmosphere? I do not find it cool in the least. I find it dark and outdated. Again, you can check the photos:
For LIttle Tokyo, i would say that Torigoya is your best bet.
They don’t really have robata. They are mostly like sake, appetizers and sushi. The sake selection is excellent if that matters to you. I posted the sake list here
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Thank you for sharing your perspective.
I never judge a restaurant by Yelp reviews (Fu-ga has a 4-star rating on 888 reviews). I was using the photos to illustrate my personal experience.
I think Kinjiro is the best. I recommend it.
Hatch and Torigoya sound great.
I have to plan a trip to Torrance one of these days.
Kinjiro sounds great except they’re closed on Tuesdays. Some future trip.
Torigoya was great. Bintochan, expert grilling. Best skewer was the Sp Heart (not the SpSp Heart, which we thought was overpowered by sauce). Good value, friendly place. Very popular.
Did a bang-bang at Gazen. The house-made tofu sampler was a revelation for my dining companion. Good cured saba sashimi. I’d go back to try more.
http://www.e-k-c.co.jp/gazen/la/
We got to Torigoya before they opened so got some $3 beers and a tasty kurobuta sausage at Fu-Ga’s happy hour.
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the go-to skewer at Torigoya is the shin. they only have a certain amount for the night and you can usually only get one or two sticks. I’ve tried to order more but alas they always turn me down
I don’t see shin on the menu. You mean skin? That was a standout, we ordered a second of that and double seconds of the Sp heart.
maybe it’s not on the menu, you can ask for the shin. it’s probably not on the menu cuz they don’t have a lot of it
edit: i guess there’s new owners and maybe they don’t offer that part anymore, but i guess you can always ask the next time
Is it meat or something else?
it’s chicken. i’m trying to find exactly which part it is.
It’s not cartilage?
That’s from this, from I guess the sake supplier for Tori Shin in NYC:
http://gohansociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Tori-Shin-texts-2013.pdf
No more info there. 弁慶 doesn’t appear on Tori Shin’s menu, either:
Seems like it would be mostly cartilage, tendon, and skin.