I’ve been calling and calling and no fucking answer. Is the archaic phone call the only way to reserve?
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Even more archaic: Just show up and wait for a seat.
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Yeah, nah
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Slowly, the Japanese-ness of this place emerges…
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I sometimes see a line for this place in West LA. Worth it?
Is it very prototypically Japanese to not answer the phone??? Genuine question.
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Often the phone is only used to dial out.
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Their recently updated web site says to phone for reservations. Maybe call an hour or three before service.
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It’s good – it’s your standard frozen yogurt. I mostly posted because it’s a relic of 80s/90s LA (and the pre-mid-00s “froyo” boom), and all this talk of calling a restaurant to make a reservation (or even just showing up at a restaurant and waiting for a seat) made me nostalgic.
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they’re old school, best bet is to call after 5pm for a reservation
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i usually call to get a reservation, most of the time they’ve answered but i usually call around 5 pm when they first open.
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lol, give it try …they don’t answer at 5, 6, 7. 8, 9…but if you get through I need a resv for Fri for 4 people at 7:30.
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i really love Nanbankan, it’s not the best and they dont try to be, they’ve been on their own lane ever since i’ve been going there. Prices have been relatively cheap compared to all the other izakaya and Yakitori places out there. Nice people working there too! it’s got a nice lively vibe for me.
Storytime: We were eating at the counter and we were sitting next to this guy and his friend. One of the friends went outside i guess to get something from the car and walked back in. Everyone was staring at him while he walked back to his seat. My wife whispered to me “so racist! look at how theyre staring at him while he just wants to sit down and eat.” i calmly showed her my phone and a picture of the guy, it was Rui Hachimura and he had just joined the Lakers. 
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I love Nanbankan. I’ve never had trouble getting through on the first call after 5 and I usually call the week before to make a reservation anytime I’m seeing a show at the Geffen Playhouse.
For the price point - it’s unbeatable.
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Always enjoyed nanbankan! Don’t blow it up lol.
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i noticed a bit of new crowd last couple visits (>1 mo ago) - younger, trendier-looking first time visitors. think it was cause of some mildly performant tiktoks (waitress thought so, too). little scared, but maybe the phone barrier will hold the line, haha.
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Good for them i guess? We used to go quite often but don’t live in the area any more but its awesome to hear they’ve maintained and even been able to keep their prices down which is commendable.
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I am half-convinced that the Penguin’s in West LA managed to stay open thanks to people not wanting to wait in line at The Bigg Chill.
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Yeah, so I’ve been eating at Nanbankan for some 30+ yrs, when my dad first took me (he worked in Westwood village). I love the place and would drive from Los Feliz often, but haven’t been in several years. Last week on three different days at different times after 5:00 I called. This week I repeated without luck, stumbled on the Yelp comment and well, there you have it. I’m with a 6 top and we don’t want to stand around waiting all night. If his model works for them, terrific. But in this day and age, getting a fucking answering machine at the very least.
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