Otomisan Restaurant — Restaurant in Los Angeles

First the atmosphere: it's a cute, well put together little Japanese restaurant. Walls line with art and photos. You can read the history of the place as you eat. Dining tables and a bar to sit and enjoy a meal.

Second, the food: impeccable food displayed on nice plates. Large chunks of fish in the sushi rolls. Spicy tuna and salmon roll had a smooth texture and world-class taste. I did not use soy sauce or because the fish was amazing by itself. This alone will bring me back. I ordered a combo with beef teriyaki and pork cutlet. The pork cutlet was succulent. Pick it up with chopsticks and marvel at the juiced flow. The crust had standalone flavor that I might use as a topping by itself if that were an option. The beef was cooked to perfection. The yeriyaki sauce had a unique taste to it. Came with soup and salad. Miso is a simple dish that this establishment has perfected. The salad was a standard side salad with ginger dressing. Great way to cleanse the palatte. Tempura was also served, and it was again a world-class dish. Fresh tasting veggies and two healthy shrimp.

Lastly, the service:the older woman who was there was a gem, and this review is not about her. This review is about the young, inexperienced waitress. I don't think she has enough experience to be serving folks, so this may not be the best place for her to learn. This establishment is the longest running japanese restaurant in Los Angeles. That comes with a heavy burden. The young waitress was not warm or inviting. These two traits are set in stone within japanese culture. As the older woman tried coaching the younger, she younger woman gave dirty looks and rolled her eyes. She seemed uninterested and worse than that, unwilling to learn from her elder. I will be back at some point and hope to see how her journey is going.

Overall, you will be satisfied here. Please come one and all to a modern marvel of japanese cuisine in the greater Los...

#LATEPOST from 01/22/2024:

Took my sister and my mom here, due to the story behind this restaurant. It was opened since 1950s!

It was raining, on Monday lunch hour when we get there. This place is so tiny! It was packed! 3 of 4 seaters booths & 4 stools for dine in customers and 2 groups (included ours), were waiting by the entrance door. While we were there, more people were coming and tried to come in for the food. But the lady "closed" the restaurant for a while because it was FULL! LOL

This was a good sign! The lady owner was busy running around to cater to everyone. We were waiting for quite a while to be seated. We ordered Tonkatsu, Curried chicken katsu plate & spicy fried chicken bowl.. and 1 side of sweet potato croquettes.

The prices were decent, portions were big! The taste of each meal was so authentic!

We enjoyed our food & the authenticity of Japanese homey vibes! It's definitely worth the drive.. the wait and the...

Purely for charm and LA history, Otomisan is outstanding. The oldest continuously operating Japanese restaurant in the city, there's certainly a retro feel to this place that can't be replicated.

Ever since a few well-received profiles (Vice, PBS, etc), Otomisan has experienced a burst in popularity. On Saturday, we arrived at 11:30am, which is when they opened, and already all three booths were taken. Our party of four sat at the counter, which honestly might have been the reason we had such swift service.

The owner is SUPER nice and even though she was obviously totally overwhelmed with a long waiting list and a bunch of takeout orders, she handled everything with a smile and didn't rush anyone out.

The food is exactly like what I had when I ate at my friends' parents' or grandparents' houses who were Japanese American, so this meal was a lovely hit of nostalgia.

Highly recommend the katsu, teriyaki, tempura, edamame, and...