4 Best Authentic Japanese restaurants in Los Angeles
Top Authentic Japanese restaurants in Los Angeles, United States
At a glance
Data updated: September 2026
- Places listed
- 4
- Average rating
- 4.4 / 5
- Reviews
- 1,265
- Rated 4.5 or higher
- 50%
- With a website
- 100%
4 best Authentic Japanese restaurants in Los Angeles compared
| Rank | Place | Score | Rating | Reviews | 5★ share | From center |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Hakata Ikkousha Tonkotsu Ramen Little Tokyo | 4.50 | 4.5 | 606 | 70% | 0.2 km |
| #2 | Tsubaki | 4.49 | 4.5 | 295 | 72% | 2.8 km |
| #3 | Takoyaki Tanota | 4.22 | 4.2 | 223 | 64% | 0.1 km |
| #4 | Torigoya | 4.06 | 4.0 | 141 | 55% | 0.2 km |
LocalGuideWorld score: the average rating weighted by the number of reviews, so a 4.8 from 2,000 reviews ranks above a 5.0 from 3 reviews.
Best for
How the places are rated
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★ 4.5 – 5.02 places (50%)
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★ 4.0 – 4.42 places (50%)
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★ 3.5 – 3.90 places (0%)
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★ < 3.50 places (0%)
What reviewers talk about
Share of 32 recent reviews that mention each topic.
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Food81%
-
Service & staff41%
-
Price & value38%
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Waiting & crowds31%
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Atmosphere13%
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View3%
View Place
Takoyaki Tanota
View Place
Tsubaki
View Place
Hakata Ikkousha Tonkotsu Ramen Little Tokyo
View Place
Torigoya
Quick facts
- How many places in the “Authentic Japanese restaurant” category are listed in Los Angeles?
- There are 4 places in the “Authentic Japanese restaurant” category in Los Angeles on LocalGuideWorld.
- What are the 4 best places in the “Authentic Japanese restaurant” category in Los Angeles?
- By LocalGuideWorld score: Hakata Ikkousha Tonkotsu Ramen Little Tokyo, Tsubaki, Takoyaki Tanota, Torigoya.
- Which place in the “Authentic Japanese restaurant” category in Los Angeles has the highest rating?
- Hakata Ikkousha Tonkotsu Ramen Little Tokyo, rated 4.5 out of 5 based on 606 reviews.
- Which place in the “Authentic Japanese restaurant” category in Los Angeles has the most reviews?
- Hakata Ikkousha Tonkotsu Ramen Little Tokyo, with 606 reviews.
- What is the average rating of places in the “Authentic Japanese restaurant” category in Los Angeles?
- 4.3 out of 5 on average, based on 1,265 reviews.
Reviews
I’ve been a fan of Torigoya for a while because their food is genuinely great. However, I recently had a very disappointing experience when I tried to set up a birthday reservation for myself with five other people. I called multiple times to make the reservation, but each time, I was blatantly hung up on. It felt incredibly unprofessional and disrespectful, especially when all I wanted was to celebrate a special day and show a new place to my closest friends, but now I'm never coming back.
While I appreciate their dishes, the lack of basic courtesy and customer service has turned me away. I hope they work on their communication skills, because menu quality doesn’t make up for poor treatment of customers.
While I appreciate their dishes, the lack of basic courtesy and customer service has turned me away. I hope they work on their communication skills, because menu quality doesn’t make up for poor treatment of customers.
I have been a loyal customer for over 7 years. No place is better than Hakata Ikkousha. The ramen with everything toping is a must. You don’t need to think which toping should you get, because you will get EVERYTHING. Dont forget the stamp card!
Extremely disappointed!!! Gyoza were absolute grease-balls! Tasted like greasy hamburgers. Gross! Worst gyoza I’ve ever had. Tonkatsu ramen flavorless. Ugh. And the waitress ignored our topping selection and simply added everything. So disappointed!
Great fast food ramen place featuring traditional ramen and also dipping ramen (tsukemen). Reasonable prices, quick service, consistent food quality. Parking tough to find but great place to be dropped off and picked up.
Takoyaki is one of my favorite Japanese foods. They are round semi gooey balls of dough stuffed with bits of octopus. Octopus in Japanese is tako. The basic takoyaki are topped with okonomiyaki sauce, mayo and bonito flakes. I had the yuzu takoyaki. Very delicious. There are quite a few other toppings for the takoyaki. Service is great and you can watch them make the takoyaki which is an art form. Meter parking and parking in nearby structures.
My boyfriend and I arrived late evening. No reservation, but they were able to accommodate us. When the server arrived, she suggested that we get 2 plates per person since everything is meant to be shared. She also said everything would have to be ordered at the same time, and they would course it out for us. We first got some drinks, then got the following dishes.
Cold Tofu
Japanese latkas
Short rib
Sesame noodles
Cold Tofu
Japanese latkas
Short rib
Sesame noodles
Service was okay, it was busy so they did what they could.
The food was ok, the noodles could have been more soft and more thick. These noodles are thin.
The spicy noodles were a level one and were still spicy to me beware of that.
The food was ok, the noodles could have been more soft and more thick. These noodles are thin.
The spicy noodles were a level one and were still spicy to me beware of that.
Torigoya is a small yakitori spot that fills up very quickly so get there when it opens or you’ll have to wait. When seated, you have a paper slip to order skewers and then they have a menu with items and prices. Their staff are hustling to serve all the guests and they were timely, despite being so busy.
Unfortunately they were out of Chicken Nanban when we ordered. All the skewers were very good, no complaints. The chicken thigh is incredibly tender, and the soft thigh is even more! The sauce is flavorful but maybe a little bit too much. They use the same sauce for any of their skewers so I prefer the salted option to let the chicken and charcoal flavor shine. Prices are average for yakitori in LA, but it tastes above average and they don’t skimp out on portion size or ingredient quality.
Unfortunately they were out of Chicken Nanban when we ordered. All the skewers were very good, no complaints. The chicken thigh is incredibly tender, and the soft thigh is even more! The sauce is flavorful but maybe a little bit too much. They use the same sauce for any of their skewers so I prefer the salted option to let the chicken and charcoal flavor shine. Prices are average for yakitori in LA, but it tastes above average and they don’t skimp out on portion size or ingredient quality.
Beautiful design and ambiance at dinner. Interesting menu with a wide assortment of options and flavor profiles. The braised short rib with fennel was incredibly tender and truly fantastic. The wagyu brisket udon was layered with flavor, the noodles were perfectly cooked and the broth was wonderfully balanced. I recommend the winter salad as well as the soft serve with the miso, sesame swirl.
Long wait since we stopped by to put our name down up front at 7pm and didn’t get seated until 8:50pm. We saw so many great reviews about this place and are huge fan of izakaya, so we decided to walk to all the near by shops and got onigiri at one of the stores to hold us over. What a great call to wait since it was hand down the best skewers restaurant we’ve been to in the US. If you had a chance, get everything with sauce. There wasn’t a huge difference in flavor than dry but they’re definitely more juicy. The meat was lean and just flavorful by itself. We ordered cucumber with special sauce and ot surprisingly a delicious choice to have as a side dish. The miso sauce can also be a dip for the skewers. The sodobodon (ground chicken rice bowl) was a must. All the veggies skewers were delish as well. Cannot recommend this place enough if it wasn’t for the wait, but what good foods weren’t worth waiting for right?
Came here for a birthday dinner it was great. I called ahead to bring out a surprise dessert, and our server was excellent. With the help of the server, I picked all of the plates and it was a surprise to everyone else.
I ordered:
japanese 'latkes'
potato pancakes, dry-aged ora king salmon, iburi gakko, pickled cucumber, yuzu creme fraiche
fall market salad
kabocha squash, chicories, fuyu persimmon, brined meiji tofu, myoga ginger, furikake pepitas
shumai
steamed dungeness crab, pork, and shrimp dumplings, karashi, housemade rayu
ebi sumibi-yaki
charcoal-grilled blue prawns, garlic chive butter
short ribs nanban-style
braised short ribs, honeynut squash, rainbow carrots, pearl onions, sweet + sour glaze, shaved fennel salad
yuzu and fig leaf flan
kokuto caramel, roasted cuyama arkansas black apples
The prawns, short ribs were great. The flan was AMAZING. I could have done without the latkes, and the salad was a fun way to introduce persimmon and tofu in a salad but kind of a filler - which happens with salad so that’s fine.
Overall this a great spot, for date night for birthdays or whatever. This plus 2 sakes, for 2 people was about $170 including tax and tip.
I ordered:
japanese 'latkes'
potato pancakes, dry-aged ora king salmon, iburi gakko, pickled cucumber, yuzu creme fraiche
fall market salad
kabocha squash, chicories, fuyu persimmon, brined meiji tofu, myoga ginger, furikake pepitas
shumai
steamed dungeness crab, pork, and shrimp dumplings, karashi, housemade rayu
ebi sumibi-yaki
charcoal-grilled blue prawns, garlic chive butter
short ribs nanban-style
braised short ribs, honeynut squash, rainbow carrots, pearl onions, sweet + sour glaze, shaved fennel salad
yuzu and fig leaf flan
kokuto caramel, roasted cuyama arkansas black apples
The prawns, short ribs were great. The flan was AMAZING. I could have done without the latkes, and the salad was a fun way to introduce persimmon and tofu in a salad but kind of a filler - which happens with salad so that’s fine.
Overall this a great spot, for date night for birthdays or whatever. This plus 2 sakes, for 2 people was about $170 including tax and tip.
This is my favorite Takoyaki and one of my favorite stalls at 626 Night Market! They cook them fresh in front of you and the owner/recipes are from Osaka so your getting the real deal. Will definitely check out their Little Tokyo spot next time I'm at Japanese Village.