Kappo Miyabi — Restaurant in Santa Monica

As a Los Angeles native, I hold a record experience of having tried the best of the best cuisines, that exist in this city. Some search for the food, some search for the music, some search for the aesthetics, and although these are merely in part, it is very rare that I would find something that resonates with my very soul. Something that is not in part, but in full.

This, is that place.

For the first time in my life, I have found something that holds the key of being intentional, led with discretion and privacy, held together by the beauty of establishment in kindness and consideration.

SETTING Kappo Osen is like a person's soul. It holds different rooms for a different purpose. There are dog-friendly patio sections where you still feel the breeze of the nearby ocean while at the same time having blankets and heaters ready to balance the atmosphere. There are areas where it is more private and you can even take off your shoes and wear their special sandals they provide (of which each are new and you can even take home!) and you can reserve ahead of time. There are also bar areas and areas where you can sit down in front of the chefs. All are open to the public, it just depends on what type of experience you are looking for. The outer decor is more surrounded by images but the interior decor has multiple touches of beauty, from a samurai armor piece to the private at-home feeling with a bar section fit to welcome a lively party group. The music is fit for each occasion depending on the time of day, but I love how the volume isn't so loud; It allows for you to be present with other people while at the same time not being completely silent among conversation.

PRICE, QUANTITY, & QUALITY FOR PRICE $50+ per person (Includes tip)

Depending on what you order, it can vary. If you don't eat much, with tip, it would probably be a minimum of $40, but if you truly want an overall experience, it will most likely result in about $80+ per person ($80 already includes tip). They do offer certain alcoholic drinks and items that can range in the $$$ range, it just depends on what the occasion is and what you're looking for. Don't let the portions of the food fool you. It may seem not as big but it is very filling; Think of many small dishes, multiple flavors with a very satisfying experience.

Reservations Even though walk-ins are available, it is highly recommended that you make a reservation ahead of time, always. It can get VERY busy here, with a wait time of 40 minutes to 2 hours. It is noted that many people will be willing to wait because they know it's worth it, so again, make reservations. If you have a party of about 10 - 12 people, you can reserve it ahead of time, given that you make a down payment, so as to make everything run smoothly. I love this area in particular because it has closing blinds for privacy; It gives the experience, a taste of Japan.

D. It is HIGHLY suggested to save room for dessert. Their dessert menu is limited but elite in overall experience, as I found this part of the course, most exciting and the most memorable. I ordered the matcha cake with green tea ice cream. It was PERFECT. 5/5. 10/10/ 100/100

FINAL THOUGHTS Kappo Osen is a wonderful place for being present; Whether it be for a special date, business, a group of friends, or catching up with a friend after a long time of not seeing them. It represents aesthetic intentionality, privacy, and creates an atmosphere where you can be fully present. This is, my very heart, a finished portrait and the...

Quality, quality, quality! I cannot emphasize enough how top notch quality this restaurant is. We had a reservation for a group of five and as soon as we walked in, we were greeted with a friendly “irasshaimase” and were immediately seated. All the waitresses and waiters were friendly and had an upbeat attitude. It was our first time there and they recommended dishes that we were unfamiliar with and they were ALL very delicious. In addition, they checked up on us to make sure all the food was to our liking and filled our empty water cups as soon as they were empty. Their interior is very cute with hints of Japanese culture throughout the restaurant and has a great view from the seats. For starters we had miso glazed eggplant which had a subtle sweet with a good type of bitter after taste as well as a savory mochi type dish which complimented the sweet eggplant dish. We also had a salmon crab dish topped with caviar and it was just amazing.Then we ordered many many kushiyaki: jidori chicken heart, jidori chicken liver, jidori chicken tail, pork belly, asparagus, pineapple, and seabass. My personal favorite was the pork belly but honestly everything tastes phenomenal. Every kushiyaki was full of flavor and I highly recommend them to everyone. And for our main… we ordered the sushi and sashimi premium omakase. This dish is the chef’s choice of seasonal premium sashimi with sushi on the side… and their sashimi is what makes this restaurant superior to all the other sushi restaurants. Their sashimi cuts are so thick and when you put it in your mouth it just melts… it does not leave any strange after taste like some of the other restaurants I’ve been to. The sushi has very well seasoned rice and is properly made (has lovely individual grains of rice instead of nasty mushy pasty rice). Moving on from their heavenly sashimi and sushi, their hot pot is also really good. We ordered the salmon and hijiki hot pot and you definitely get your money’s worth. There are mountains of salmon and for every spoon of rice you eat… and of course the salmon in this dish is also top tier. Lastly… for dessert we had matcha and black sesame ice cream. Matcha is a very common flavor nowadays but I say it is still worth it to finish the meal with it… and the black sesame, a not so common flavor, I say try it!! It may sound weird because it is not a common flavor but it is AMAZING-- the two ice creams come out with cream cheese stuffed dried persimmon and even that is insanely delicious… Long story short… This restaurant is top tier if you are looking for some Japanese cuisine and if you are nearby… KAPPO MIYABI IS TH...

Update: I went back to give it another try last month and it was a much better experience than back in February. We went on Friday at around 7:30 pm and didn’t expect much besides seated indoors since it was super chilly outside. We were greeted into the tatami room and I believe it was because there were not that many customers at this time. We ordered our usual especially their Wagyu crispy rice and everything was superb. This time, the servers and waitress were attentive and didn’t mess up our orders. I thoroughly enjoyed this recent visit. It was a complete 360 turn from the last visit and I realized I needed to update this review. —————— Previous Rating: 3 Stars I really wish I could give them five stars but our overall experience was lackluster. My cousin called the restaurant the day before regarding reserving the tatami room and the restaurant had confirmed the reservation. We arrived a couple of minutes later than our reservation but the street parking was terrible on a Saturday night. We told the host we had a reservation for the tatami room and she told us to wait outside. They then seated us outside a couple of minutes later and we were so confused since we called the day before confirming the reservation for the room. The server stated we were not listed for the tatami room and someone else was occupying it. We didn’t want to leave so we took the outdoor seating. The food was incredibly delicious and quite literally the reason the restaurant deserved stars. There were miscommunications between the waitress and our orders and they kept giving us the wrong order however, that was rectified and all was good in the end. We would come back for the food but we hope that the communication could improve to better...