The IZAKA-YA by Katsu-ya (Manhattan Beach) — Restaurant in Manhattan Beach

Just to set the story, my father in law and mother in law have lived in Manhattan beach for over 25 years they have seen restaurants come and go, eaten at every place in the area. This restaurant has been one of my father in laws fave spots.

For his 65th birthday, he wanted to come here and eat. I then proceeded to make a reservation over the phone several days ahead, wanting to reserve the sushi bar for 4 people (I kept calling in the counter and they kept correcting me). They mentioned that they cannot guarantee the sushi bar, esp for our party size. I then proceeded to say I understand that. We would like the sushi bar but if we can’t, can we have the table by the window. They said that was fine. The point I want to make clear is that they said they CANNOT, I repeat they CANNOT reserve the counter.

Okay. So the day comes when we go to dinner. As we walked to the window, I see on the sushi counter a “reserve” placard. I thought wow! They came through and held the counter for us.

We then came in, told them my reservation name and I said is the counter for us!? Super happy about it. The guy at the hose then proceeded to correct me again by calling it the sushi bar (lol) and said they don’t reserve the counter and said that I said EITHER counter or table by the window was alright. I then proceeded to tell him that was incorrect. That I was told they don’t reserve the counter at all and that if it wasn’t possible we would take the table. When we walked in, as you see from the pictures below, the counter was practically empty.

The guy at the host stand didn’t really know anything or what to do and so he called the manager. The manager came over, wasn’t super friendly but it was fine…at first.

We told him the situation and then said that it was reserved, two of the seats for the chefs friends. We proceeded to get a little frustrated, trying to explain to him how it looks to a guest to see a reserved sign when told it’s not possible, etc. the manager proceeded to not be understanding, and just continued to give us a hard time about it. My father in law then said to him that he’s ben coming here for 25 years. The manager then said to him “I’ve been here for 11 years and this is the first I’ve ever seen you.”

It was appallingly rude and my fiancé and I both work in restaurants and we were shocked by his demeanor and his lack of hospitality towards his guests. No empathy or understanding, very defensive. I get it, we were also a bit upset, trying to get him to understand how it looked to us as guests to see that sign. He didn’t show any understanding at all. Just acted rude.

We proceeded to have a fun dinner though regardless. Our server Sam was great and we forgot about the manager during our meal. Now that the meal is over, I just had to share this experience and how besides the food being delicious, service is just as important and leaves a lasting impression.

I don’t wish for any repercussions but I just had to put it out there that hospitality is not just a job, it’s an innate intangible and really important for creating return guests and memorable experiences.

PS, even though I did enjoy our server overall. The start rating is mainly for the manager and partially the lack of communication and knowledge between staff at...

Refreshing spot for sushi if you’re at manhattan beach. They seat you quickly typically (we happened to be there on a weekend around sunset and didn’t wait longer than 10 minutes). They do have a few tables outside (3-4 tables) that are pet friendly. Their fish is extremely fresh and they have a diverse selection of sushi. Their special - kiwi scallop was so unique and refreshing: lightly seared scallops on top of a thinly sliced kiwi with yuzu! Cannot recommend it enough. We tried their cooked dinner : salmon teriyaki and it was excellent, flakey well cooked salmon with not an overwhelming about of sauce. For sushi we got different tuna cuts (toro, blue fin) which were both delicious. But I have to say the star is their salmon special which is really well paired (lemon and avocado and a bit of shallots on top of a salmon nigiri). In addition to the above they have an excellent range of sake and many Junmai ginjou; our fav cost effective choice is always the Kukui junmai ginjou which is not easy to find and they have it as a staple. It complements all the dishes well.

Overall; excellent quality for the price and good customer service despite the busy location! Pet friendly (which is always a plus for us since our dog is so well behaved and just loves to be around when we are...

Depending on the time of day and week you go to THE IZAKA-YA by KATSU-YA, you will have a wildly different experience. Lunch during the week is a calm, relaxed affair. Dinner in the evening is busy - prepare to wait. Dinner on the weekends is hopping - again be prepared to wait, this is a popular place to go before heading out to local venues! If you're going with one other, I suggest eating at the bar. Interacting with the sushi chef's is always a plus. The sushi itself is very high quality, and they often have specials that are off the menu. Be sure to ask your wait staff the specials and what they recommend. It can get a bit loud inside, so if you're looking for a romantic evening, I suggest you wait for the bar where you can focus on each other - vs. the table of 4-6 next to you. This is a very different atmosphere than the KATSU-YA in Hollywood. Since it's near the beach casual is appropriate at all times, including dinner and night. The hosts are always friendly and engaging, even when you wait for your take out. On that note, it's great to do take out on those busy evenings when you know the line and wait to be seated...