RYLA — Restaurant in Hermosa Beach

First impression, this is much needed, upscale high-end restaurant in Hermosa Beach.

We walked in, and greeted by the hostesses that were very accommodating. We were a little early and sat down at the amazing bar with the most absolute great vibe and welcomed by the amazing Zora. She described the drinks to the utmost detail and created each drink with much passion. I felt like it was a chic bar with a laid back personable connection. We ordered Grandma’s Cigarettes and Mellow Yellow that were perfectly mixed, beautiful presentation; however, a little on the weaker side.

Our table was ready and we anxiously sat down. If you are a couple, the table situation is horrendous. Even before COVID standards, the tables are too close. (5’7” and 145lbs and could not get in between the tables) nonetheless, couldn’t hear anything other than the two other tables on either side of us because it seemed like we were at the same table. We felt like we were squeezed in like sardines. Please just take one table out and everyone will be more comfortable. We then moved to the outside patio and much more comfortable.

Next up….food! -Hokkaido Milk Bread: perfectly baked and great flavor! Amazing spread to go with it.

-Hot Chicken Karaage: temperature perfect with perfect amount of spice! This dish stole the show with a delicious charred scallion mayo. A must have!

-Agedashi Meiji Tofu: really don’t understand the craze of this dish. Overall good flavor; however, still the mushy texture of tofu. Not worth it.

-Flannery Beef NY Strip: Great Flavor! Think we got a lemon…a little too fatty with lots tendon. Would be a great dish to have with a few bites and share with a few people. A little too much to eat by yourself.

-Nama Chocolate Tart: If you love dark chocolate, you will love this. Tart needs to be a tad bit bigger (no bigger than 1 inch at the largest end) to keep up with the ice cream. Coco powder makes a little too dry. Ice cream is a delicious addition but decrease the size of sesame crust, it overpowers everything.

Service: other than bartender worst part Of our whole experience. Our server, James, had no personality, awkward phrases, barely checked in with us, and never asked if we wanted more drinks or how the food was. Heard the service was impeccable; however our experience was much below average.

Overall, excited for this upscale restaurant in Hermosa! Tasty food; however pricey for current quality and service, great cocktails, beautiful atmosphere, and needs work on the...

I absolutely LOVED this Asian fusion spot! It was so good, I went back 2x in 1 week so I could try more stuff on the menu.

The restaurant is located in a very popular spot in Hermosa Beach. The atmosphere is lively, kinda dark and a younger crowd. They have a full service bar and they do offer happy hour. My first visit was on. Friday night and it was packed and got seated at a high top table in the bar area....nice but very cramped. We had barely enough room to squeeze in with less than 6 inches between us and both tables on each side. The 2nd visit was for the late night happy hour on a weekday and it was much less crowded....most pleasant since we had more room.

I love that the menu is focused on farm to table and it changes frequently depending on what the chef finds at the local Santa Monica Farmer's market.

We tried the following items: Shishito pepper skewers (happy hour menu)$5 Pork Belly Bao Buns (happy hour menu) $13 Hot Chicken Sliders (happy hour menu) $12 Grilled Skirt Steak (happy hour menu) $32 Nashville Spiced Hot Chicken Kaarage $18 Grilled Ribeye Steak $58 Yuzu Shio Butter Ramen $22 Mapo Paccheri Pasta $24 Chocolate strawberry dessert $14

Everything we tried was great but the standouts were the grilled ribeye with the crying tiger sauce and the Mapo Paccheri Pasta ....the kaarage chicken and the pork belly baos were great too! Even the ramen was delicious! Honestly everything was really good quality with nice flavors.

They offer happy hour M-F from 5:00-6:00pm and from 9:00-10:00 pm and weekends 3:00-5:00 pm and 9:00 pm- close. $2.00 off bar bites and discounts on drinks too.

They do offer valet parking for $10 if you can't find metered street parking.

I will definitely be back! This is one of my...

RYLA is a contemporary restaurant offering a fusion Japanese cuisine. Losing a bet, I treated my friend for dinner at RYLA, a superb decision!! I asked our server for recommendations (She was really enthusiastic and attentive!) and we had the Korean styled spare ribs, miso ramen, grilled lamb chops, and matcha tiramisu. Starting with the spare ribs it was sweet with a slight tang, ultra tender (slips right off the bone) and has a glazed slightly charred exterior, one of the best ribs I've ever eaten. The miso ramen was alright, really good fatty pork chashu, soft medium thick flat ramen noodles, with a really green and sharp spicy taste from the serrano chile and oil, egg looks good (My friend ate it). The lamb chop was super unique! It had a tangy yogurt topped with tons of quinoa allowing for a popping crunch, it was paired with the super tender lamb surrounded by bits of apricot and olive oil tasting liquid (tomato herbs fine sauce perhaps?) and it was SPECIAL, I love cooking lamb myself but never as rare or tender as this. Finally, the matcha tiramisu was the best! Maybe it's because I was eyeing this dish ever since I found out about RYLA but this tiramisu was topped with a soft grass land-like of matcha powder followed by layers of airy matcha cake and sweet mascarpone cream, a delightful ending to a delicious meal. Overall, I loved how RYLA experiments with different dishes quite frequently always allowing frequent returners to try new delicious innovative dishes, I will be...