Izakaya Little Tokyo Restaurant — Restaurant in Louisiana

We were starving and needed food, so we stopped in this eatery, thinking it was part of the Little Tokyo Restaurants elsewhere in NOLA where we have enjoyed decent Japanese cuisine.

My wife ordered a Bento box of sushi and a salad, and I ordered the Ramen tonkatsu. Overall the food was horrible: it was poorly prepared, the ingredients did not even approach fresh, and the presentation and flavors were insulting to Japanese cuisine. A few salient details are in order. The salad was drowned in some vague dressing, with the bottom 1/4 of the bowl filled with water. Gross. The sushi was was like last week's leftovers from the airport vending machines -- the fish was like paste and the rice a gooey mess. The Ramen tonkatsu arrived with barely warm broth and vague bits of pork substance. The weak, unpleasant taste was definitely that of the Ramen tonkatsu available in the frozen food section in most Asian markets around NOLA. The condiment offered to season the Ramen was a dish of semi-rancid Thai chile oil. To be positive, there were fresh scallion frags littering the top when it arrived at table. After picking out some pork and noodles, I simply could not finish my lunch. Utter swill. The slightly warm green tea might have come from one of the canals. It was the worse facsimile of Japanese green tea we ever tried to drink.

Bottom line: spend your money where someone knows something about preparing Japanese food. This place is a pathetic excuse for a Japanese eatery.

To the kitchen staff and management -- I strongly suggest that you buy a copy of the classic book by Shizuo Tsuji, Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art, read it carefully, and learn what Japanese food is supposed to be by preparing...

I visited here today for lunch. First impressions are awful! The place looks like it is a hodge podge, of ugly paint and old furniture. The smell of pine sol is overwhelming. I love a clean smelling restaurant, but that was overwhelming. The place itself looks dirty, there is stains everywhere. There is a weird red glass window that looks into the kitchen, this makes things worse. I noticed several health code violations, if you’re not going to keep immaculate kitchen, don’t show it to the public. The three employees that were working in there, were playing on there phones while wearing their food prep gloves and handling meat at the same time. One was even eating while doing food prep, that’s pretty gross, I don’t want you open mouth eating with cooking my food. Fix that or at least don’t display this to the public. I asked for the drink menu, and it was so stained I couldn’t even read it. That’s just lazy on your part. How much effort does it take to print a fresh one every now and then. I was so annoyed I just ordered water. I ordered the spicy tonkotsu ramen, fully expecting it to be awful. I was pleasantly surprised that it was really good. The broth was perfect. It would have been better if that has add ons (like garlic, nori, sesame seeds) for it, but it was a great bowl of standard Ramen. For this reason it’s a 3 star and not a 1 star. I’ll be back, but not with business clients. It’s kinda embarrassing to bring anyone who dresses above casual here.

Business owner, do yourself a favor and update the interior of this place. And get rid of that dirty red glass. It could be a great...

Lowkey feels like this place could be tucked away in some Japanese alley, complete with cyberpunk-esque vibes courtesy of the panoramic orange tinted glass wall separating the dining room & kitchen. Be sure to check the specials board when you walk in (I always do & regret it after ordering). Not pictured but an absolute must try; the edamame hummus with an olive tempenade, and the most perfectly toasted, soft pita bread, pre-cut & served on the side. You’ll be fighting over the last piece, no joke. Grab a couple of Sapporos and Kampai the night away, surrounded by fine original art paying homage to iconic videos games & anime. The sake is always high quality and they keep it flowing with tentative & enthusiastic service. With a menu expansive enough to take your time exploring, I’ve still yet to have a meal that didn’t absolutely satisfy in every way. Never been? Make this your next date night spot and thank me later 🕺🏼 After getting sloshed like an overworked Japanese salaryman, head next door and get a face full of white powder…I’m taking about beignets, of course. The perfect way to top off a mini trip to Shinjuku, don’t ya think? Well quit reading this and put this place into your plans. Oh, and the soundtrack?! I was bustin a damn move in here when I went cause the DJ was just outdoing themselves with 90s dance club classics, my kryptonite! Check it out & write your own review, tell em...