LA’s Favorite Japanese Yakitori Spot

I’d heard about this place for a while—a yakitori shop that opened in Gardena back in 1990, originally from Tokyo’s Shinbashi district. The chef here trained at the Shinbashi location before bringing it to the US. What a small world—I stayed near Shinbashi on a Tokyo trip and remember walking through its izakaya alley every day! The vibe here is great—filled with Japanese salarymen (and even spotted a Japanese guy on a date with a Korean girl 😄). ⚠️ Reservations are a must—I arrived around 6 PM and waited forever, but it thins out after 8 PM (though some items may sell out). They only serve chicken skewers (no beef or pork), grilled over binchotan charcoal. Every skewer we ordered was a hit! Also tried a few small plates—the veggie platter was super fresh. 🥬 Scallion Salad — Tasty but be warned… the onion breath lasts till the next day 😂 Not ideal for dates! They offer a $38 omakase set with 10 chef’s-choice skewers, soup, salad, and ice cream—great value, but we wanted to try more variety. 📍 Torimatsu 1425 Artesia Blvd UNIT 17, Gardena, CA 90248 #LocalEats #LALife #LAEats #Yakitori#JapaneseFood #LADiscovery #GardenaEats #HiddenGem