Kagura Torrance — Restaurant in Torrance

So, Kagura is one of my favorite restaurants in all of Torrance.

It's one of the few Japanese restaurants I've been to in Gardena/Torrance that serve sake glasses in a wooden hasu box, allowing the sake to overflow. It's quite mesmerizing and twice as cool that it's a serving style with centuries of stories; I adore it so much and I just wished more places would do it. Their sake selection is quite good and you can surely find a glass that you'll like. For myself, I like the nanbubijin.

I've been going to Kagura for several years now, and I keep coming back for the Millefeuille Cheese Katsu Gozen. This should be the first set you order when visiting Kagura, ignore everything else. The meat quality, paired with the beautiful breading allows for one of the best bites of katsu you can get. Upon first bite, you'll know what you're getting into. The set comes with a wonderful bowl of soup, rice, cabbage, and small assortments of other things. It's enough to keep you full, and you should probably try ordering just one side if you were wanting more.

I'm always a fan of their agedashi tofu, ordering it every time I visit. But the rest of the menu has been often unexplored for me due to their specialty being katsu. I've tried the steak, which I thought was forgettable, as well as some of the sashimi which was too expensive for what you get.

The restaurant is very pleasing to look at. The building is divided into two parts: one side has more private wooden booths, which I love so much for its intimacy, and the other side is an open table layout like other restaurants are.

I've visited as recently as January 2023 and I've noticed the booth I was at no longer had a button to press for service. I'm not sure what the rationale is, but I find that my service has gotten slower due to it. Due to the wooden booth being so private, I often miss a server passing by and fail to grab their attention.

Additionally, the reservation system is quite funny to me. They stand by their Yelp Reservation policy, even if it's clear that there are empty tables with no one waiting in the lobby. I'm not sure if they're doing it to have an accurate count of customers everyday, but sometimes I think forcing a patron to join the Yelp Waitlist just out of principle is a bit odd.

Anyway, that's the main hiccup I have...and I've been going back and forth on this, but I do think the price is a little bit higher than it should be. After all, the katsu is amazing but the overall presentation still feels like a lunchbox set I'd see at any other casual restaurant. Then you end up with a $50+ bill. Anyways, I love Kagura for the food, ambiance and location. I'd wished it was open just a little bit later but that's a common theme among many places in the city.

Get yourself a glass of overflowing sake,...

A friend took me to this restaurant that specializes in pork katsu. Coming from San Francisco and the Japanese restaurants I have gone to never specified what cut I wanted: prime, choice or select. I was so overwhelmed with the menu and the choices, I told my friend to order.

We started with Gobo chips that neither of us had before. We thought we would try it. It was disappointing - limpy, soggy and no flavor. We expected it to be crispy like taro chips. It was so bad that neither of us hardly ate it.

Next was the fried oyster. Lightly battered and cooked to perfection. They were huge oysters - so fresh, juicy and yummy. It was one of the best fried oyster I have tasted.

The grilled black cod marinated in saikyo miso sauce came with three pieces. It was so delicious that it kind of melted in your mouth, The fish was soft and flavorful.

For out meal, I had the Premium Fillet Katsu Gozen. It's one of the best pork cutlets I had. Lightly fried on the outside (crispy) and tender and soft in the insides. My friend had the Premium Loin Katsu Gozen. The difference is the meat denseness. Both tasted good. For dessert, we tried the pudding. It tastes like flan but not as sweet.

The restaurant is styled like a Japanese restaurant. Tables are divided by walls so there's privacy and you don't hear people talking. Lighting is rather dark due to the dark wood furniture and dark walls. Service was excellent and the server checked on us frequently to see if we needed anything. The main problem is parking - there is a small parking lot with about five tiny, squeezed in spaces. We had to circle several times...

Just wonderful place to try something new! They have a small parking lot on the side of the building, but plenty of street parking. Got there a few minutes before they opened and by the time it did open, there was a line behind us. No reservations, but got seated. There was 4 of us. Got the Kagura Gozen, chicken katsu, 3 item combo (crab cream croquettes, salmon, and layered pork) and the layered pork with cheese and shiso. Started with a sesame dressing cabbage salad and a steam egg custard thing. First time here, so no idea we would be getting those. Salad was good and the egg custard thing was warm and savory with pork. Almost like a soft tofu. Our food came out and the only thing we didn't care for was the croquettes. Everything else was great! Love the panko crust on everything. Miso soup is very pork flavored. I liked the spicy mustard. Some of the accompaniments were weird, but we didn't know what it was and enjoyed trying something new. Ended with a hot tea, supposedly green tea, but tasted of something roasted instead. It got busy in there super quick and took a little longer to get our check. Pretty cheap meal for the 4 of us! I will be coming...