Kopan Sushi & Ramen — Restaurant in Glendale

Over a year ago, I emailed you directly about a disappointing experience I had at your Glendale location, but I never heard back. I kept hoping someone would acknowledge it, but since that never happened, I’ve decided to finally share my experience publicly in the hopes that it brings some attention to what went wrong.

My partner and I visited the Glendale location on March 27, 2024, around 4 PM. We’ve always been fans of Kopan especially the spicy garlic edamame but that visit really changed how we felt about the restaurant.

From the moment we walked in, it was clear things weren’t running smoothly. There was only one waiter working the floor a Hispanic man in his late 20s or early 30s who was clearly overworked trying to manage all the tables alone. We asked him about the new hamburger steak dish, and he said it came with a fried egg, so we went ahead and ordered it, along with some rolls and the edamame.

When it arrived, it had a raw egg on top instead. That might not seem like a huge deal, but had we known, we wouldn’t have ordered it. We gave it a try, but the texture was really unpleasant. When we asked to have it removed from the bill, the waiter did so but without any kind of apology or explanation.

Throughout the meal, there were long delays, and we noticed there were only three staff members working the front of house: the manager (a young Asian man with long black hair), the waiter, and the sushi chef (an older bald man). It honestly felt like the restaurant was unprepared to serve even a small dinner crowd.

Things got worse when we received the red dragon roll it wasn’t what was described on the menu. Instead of tuna on top, it had avocado and a pale pink fish. When we brought it up, the waiter got defensive and actually yelled across the restaurant at us. It was really unprofessional and honestly pretty embarrassing to be put in that situation just for pointing out a mistake.

Even after asking to speak to the manager, no one really apologized. The manager removed the incorrect items from our bill, but there was no effort to make us feel heard or valued as customers.

I totally understand that mistakes happen and that sometimes restaurants have rough days. But the combination of being ignored when we first tried to resolve it privately, the lack of staffing, poor communication, and how we were treated just felt like too much. It made us decide not to return to Kopan, which is sad considering we used to really enjoy it.

I’m sharing this now not to bash anyone, but because I genuinely hope this feedback leads to some improvements for both your team and future guests. Stronger communication, better staff support, and more accountability could really go a long way in preventing others from going through something similar.

Thanks for taking the time...

Wow. This place blew me away. I came in not expecting much, but it turned out to be one of the best sushi and ramen experiences I’ve had in LA. The second I walked in, the energy was on point — busy but not chaotic, and everyone behind the counter looked like they were actually enjoying what they do. That’s rare these days.

But let me tell you about the chef — Vali. This guy is a legend. He was not only preparing food with full focus and confidence, but also shouting out orders and cheering with the team like it was a sushi battle show. I loved it. It created such a fun vibe. Every time he shouted something in Japanese, the whole kitchen echoed it back with energy, and customers smiled. I’m not even kidding — the energy was so contagious it made the food taste even better.

I ordered a mix of sushi and ramen. The sushi was fresh, super clean cuts, nothing smelled fishy like in some other places. Just fresh, cold, and full of flavor. Every bite felt like it was prepared with care. The ramen? Broth was rich, flavorful, not too salty — just perfect. The noodles had that chewy bounce, and the toppings were generous.

But again, what made this place really stand out wasn’t just the food — it was the atmosphere. Watching Vali command the kitchen, throwing out phrases like a sushi general, made the whole dinner feel like an experience, not just a meal. At one point he yelled something with a huge smile and clapped his hands — the whole room lit up. People were laughing, even strangers started talking to each other. You could tell everyone felt the vibe.

The service was fast, the staff was friendly and chill, and the pricing was more than fair for the quality.

Definitely recommend this spot. If you’re in the area, do yourself a favor and stop by. And if Vali’s there, get ready for a show — and a...

My experience didn't turn out great. Actually got sick from the messed up Kuro Mayu ramen (aka black garlic ramen) or the Okinawa sashimi set. Luckily my kids didn't get any issues with their order. Although we were seated quickly, the place is very unorganized. There were different servers helping us and they didn't seem to communicate what was done so we had to repeat our orders. The Black Garlic Ramen came first immediately after ordering which I found a bit too fast. The rest of the plates came a bit later. The hostess came all of a sudden and tried to give us the Black Ramen again. We said I got it already. When I looked at my Ramen closely, it was not the Black Ramen. Asked one of the servers and she said it's the wrong order. Looks like Tonkatsu instead. They offered the black oil free of charge they said (what! I ordered the black Ramon). Another lady came and said it's really the same and just missing the black oil. Not sure if that's true but I just accepted the black oil and poured it in my bowl.

The adjusted so called black ramen is not great. There was no real garlic in it at all. The noodles texture tasted like buck wheat noodles. The broth is ok only. The Okinawa sashimi set didn't come with rice. My kids got the California roll and another sushi roll. After I got home, I felt weak and had some stomach issues. Took a day for me to recover with meds and visits...