Torrance Yokocho — Restaurant in Torrance

I called at 7:30pm on a Wednesday evening and spoke to the hostess for a party of two. I asked her if we could just walk-in, or should we make a reservation. She stated that you have to make a reservation, so I made one for the earliest available time which was 9pm. I'm coming from the Westside so it takes me an hour to get to the Southbay. We arrive at 8:55pm, and when I give the hostess our reservation information, she informs me that only counter seating is available. The entire gimmick of this restaurant is to be able to sit in a small booth, as if you were eating in Japan. Instead, the hostess wanted my date and I to sit at the counter, as if we were eating at Denny's. The hostess, only informs me in-person, that it is impossible to make same-day reservations for a booth. If I would have known that, prior to driving there, I would have just gone to Little Tokyo in downtown L.A., or Olympic & Sawtelle which is filled with many Japanese eateries. Instead of wasting your time here, I would recommend going to Gushiya Sushi & Izakaya which is just a 5 minute drive away from this place. They accept walk-ins, and they're able to actually sit you in a booth. There's also a Denny's located at 3060 Sepulveda Blvd. I'm sure they would be able to accommodate you, instead of giving you the runaround. One more recommendation would be the Yoshinoya on Sepulveda & Western. I've been eating there since I was a child, and they...

Many of the bad reviews are disingenuous. It is not the restaurants fault if you didn’t google and see how hard it is to eat here without a reservation. On to the real review

The ambience and vibe is very cool. Had the very back alley feel. A few reviews are complaining about digital ordering but honestly if this is an issue for you, you are behind the times. The menu is simple, you just find what you want and order it. The one minor complaint i have is that i wish the ingredients were more easily found on the menu.

The food was 9s and 10s. Full of flavor, very authentic and reasonable prices. This is another area that other reviews just are giving bad reviews for no reason. The sushi was fresh and tasty. The meat was cooked perfectly and very tasty. Again the one minor complaint was that i wish ingredients were more visible for anyone with dietary r restrictions etc.

Service is prompt and fast. The servers were helpful and i think people need to understand the type of restaurant they are going to before putting a bad review. It’s not odd for food to be fast for a small appetizer, and take longer for a meat dish.

Overall this is a great vibe great food and a great place to enjoy the yokocho ambiance. Will definitely be back for more delicious gyozas...

I met up with a friend for dinner here after seeing an article about this place. I was feeling a little nostalgic about Tokyo, and I thought this would be a fun place to check out.

The atmosphere is the best part of the restaurant. I appreciate all of the pieces that add to the feel (Ultraman masks, the cotton candy machine, etc.). Things like the street markings are nice touches as well.

We ordered a sashimi plate, gyoza, shishito, and a few skewers. The sashimi was okay... the tuna was really firm. The gyoza was burnt on the bottom, and it had a bitter flavor because of it. The shishito was tasty, and the skewers were good too. Still, I didn't think any of the dishes were exceptional. I think this place needs that one dish that really stands out.

The service was fine. I think the atmosphere sets the expectation of Japanese service: either omotenashi or grumpy izakaya owner. Instead I got typical American teenager level of service.

I'd like to try again when I'm in Torrance next. I think this place has potential, and maybe I just hit them on...