Such a staple for good Japanese yakitori. Be prepared to smell like smoke, but the food is so delicious and the servers were so humble. ENJOY!
Kajsa P.
Transcendent. Never knew meat could taste this good. The staff is friendly and helpful and knows just how good their food is ;). We were served by Bryan and Cindy, and they were great. Go here and get your mind blown!
Mad O.
Great dining with yakitori and small plates a.k.a. Izakaya style Japanese food and lots of energy has been the model here for several years....we love chef Ayumu and his energy and his dedication... we had everything from chicken hearts, chicken skin, chicken liver, chicken tenders, chicken leg meat, and we had pork belly, bacon wrapped quail eggs, bacon wrap enoki mushrooms, and more and more and more we had one show to drink and two ice teas.... Tip included it was $197 and we were beyond fatso full and we were treated like royalty so thank you thank you thank you and Arigato for being consistent for all these years... we will be back soon and we love chef Ayumu is the best of the BEST when it comes to hospitality..:)))
Jackie H.
Grandma loved the yakisoba with salad We loved the garlic beef, meatballs, shiso pork belly, quail egg with bacon
Anna C.
Went with fam and we all loved it. Spinach and cucumbers were so delicious. We liked all the food that we ordered. We shared everything. Ramen, bacon wrapped quail eggs, espárragos, scallops, enoki mushrooms. Only thing that we ordered by mistake were the raw octopus. Got some appetizers and all so yummy.
Nic L.
Went here last weekend. It was super good! My favorites were any of the Kobe options, beef tongue, and the duck! Oh and not to mention their plum wine is pretty good, got us fairly drunk that we ordered a second bottle! Rip to $400+ dollars but it was worth it! 10/10 would come here every weekend!
Gail N.
"WOW" is really the only description you need to know about this hidden gem tucked away in the suburbs of Gardena. My hubby and I recently moved down to the South Bay of LA having lived in HI and the Bay, and can hands down say this is probably one of the best overall foodie experiences we've had since making it out here. What makes it remarkable you ask? These (3) very specific things: 1) Excellent food flavor and quality. 2) Excellent value. 3) The every 10 minute or so robust, enthusiastic cheer of "KAMPAI!" by the whole staff. We ordered probably wayyyyyy too many things for just 2 people and rolled out stuffed to the brim, but the pain of over stuffedness was worth it in every way as we recounted the meal over and over again through the night. EVERYTHING we ordered was fantastic - incredibly flavorful and tender, but here are the highlights in our book that stood out amongst the many which are a MUST: - Goma Spinach* - Chicken Thigh Skewer - Kobe Rib Finger Meat Skewer - Enoki Mushroom with Pork Belly Skewer - Shiitake Mushroom Skewer - Agenasu Dashi - Grilled onigiri (rice balls) - both the white rice which is SO flavorful all in itself AND the shisho bonito one. *Both the Goma Spinach and the Grilled Onigiri were SO simple yet so unique and flavorful to us. The Goma Spinach was basically the ends of the spinach served with a black sesame paste, and the grilled onigiri were basically...just that. But man oh man do the flavors really stand out here. So full of umami. Eyes roll back into your head good. Oh! And LOVE the yuzu koshu condiment they serve in the side. Put that citrus spicy thing on everything!!! Let's just say that the hubby says: "This is my new happy place". And we will be returning back over and over and over again as one of our new local favorite SB places.
Carissa H.
Absolutely satisfying. It's a little bit of Japan in the heart of Gardena. It's super popular and sometimes there is a line. I highly recommend the marbled Beef. Soooo delish!! The chefs are straight out of JAPAN!! Love that!! The food is fresh!
John H.
One of my favorite and best yakitori place in the south Bay. Took, my friend travel nurse Julian here since he was down for some yakitori. After two small bottles of sake, shoyu Raman, and 24 yakitori's we both threw the white flag. We were stuffed. We came here at the perfect time 6:40pm when everyone was already inside. We didn't have to sign the wait list paper. It has been quite a while since I last came here, and it did not disappoint. Our total bill came out $171. Julian and I were guessing that our would be $200 plus.. both of us went over. Lol....
Gillian A.
Seems like Shin-Sen-Gumi is a pretty reputable Japanese restaurant group as most of the locations have a lot of glowing reviews. Tried this spot, which is the yakitori version (there are ramen and shabu shabu versions elsewhere). Pretty decent yakitori overall. The standouts were the coarse-ground sausages (tasty, juicy, and snappy like Taiwanese sausages), the meatballs (delicious light teriyaki glaze), and the shishito peppers (perfectly salted and charred). The other items that I tried were alright. The shiso basil w/ pork belly tasted average (nothing special) and the pork belly could've been cooked longer. The Hokkaido scallops were cooked unevenly as one of them was really dry. First time trying beef tongue; not sure if it's just the nature of beef tongue but it was like eating extra-chewy medium-rare steak but it's fully cooked lol. Eh, a little too chewy for my liking. The spicy cucumber tataki was a tad too salty. Although the geso itself was really tender, the batter of it was too thick and wasn't fully cooked on some parts (mushy in the crevices). The yakitori fries weren't great; stale, McDonald's-like fries with bland chicken. The mayo-cheese sauce on the fries helped a little but ultimately I don't recommend ordering these. So, I'd say 4 stars in terms of the food collectively. What made me bump the rating to 5 stars was the service. When you get seated you're loudly greeted, in Japanese, by the whole group of staff lol. Similar thing happens upon leaving. I wished I got my server's name to shout her out here as she was super courteous and was willing to answer any questions I had on the menu. The rest of the staff was very efficient on removing finished plates from tables. I arrived here 30 min after opening on a Sunday and the place was already half-filled (it's a small place). By the time that I left there were several people outside waiting for a table making me believe that this place gets super busy later in the day!
Dined here with a few friends on a Friday evening. We arrived around 8pm and had to wait about 30 minutes to be seated. We were hungry so went straight to ordering on the order form. The food took a while to come out but the restaurant was also fully packed. We tried a variety of skewers and side dishes that's were all delicious! My favorite items include the oysters, tofu, fries, and beef skirt.
Makiko N.
It's been soooo long since I last went so decided to take a friend to celebrate her birthday. Flavors were just as I remembered and amazing! Seriously everything we go was on point and so delicious! Things tried: - agedashi tofu - cooked to perfection and oh so tasty - agedashi nasu (egg plant) - this was a first but I loved it! - yakitori (yakitori sauce) - chicken was well flavored and cooked to perfection - shitake - just get it. - bacon wrapped quail egg - breakfast in a perfect bite. So good! - enoki wrapped in pork belly - yum! - baby scallops wrapped in pork belly - another yummy option - asparagus wrapped in pork belly - sooo yummy! Don't think just order it! - shiso bacon - I'm not necessarily a shiso fan but when you wrap it in bacon it's a winner! - goma spinach (black sesame) - sounds weird but really good! - yaki onigiri - I had to break down all the bacon I was consuming so go these. They were super tasty and helped balance the assortment ordered. All in all I know it's not a large restaurant, but it has such a fun vibe and amazing food. It's honestly the best yakitori I've had in LA and the US. Can't say enough great things about this place!
Angela L.
Wait was long as usual (waited about an hour), but the food was delicious. Check-in through a self sign-in sheet in front of the store. There's some chairs to use as you wait for your party to be called. The grilled was also backup for a little while but once it got going, all of our orders came all at once. We ordered more than our table could handle, but we consolidated plates to make room. Definitely a good place to try a little bit of everything! Plenty of varieties to choose from. Some items/specials are listed on the wall instead of their printed menu. This isn't their ramen store, so they only have 2 kinds of ramen available. The space is a bit tight and there's limited seating - not desirable for large parties. It's very loud inside, so we shouted to hear each other, which contributed to the loud environment. Plaza parking is available for free!
Maricel J.
Great experience came here with friends for the very first time. Good vibe, good food, friendly service. there can be a long wait because seating is limited inside, but well worth it.
Bin X.
No frills yakitori! We ordered a bunch of yakitori to try and some of our standout favorites were, beef tongue, pork belly wrapped anything (asparagus, shiso leaves etc), clicked thighs with salt, and chicken meatballs. They do have a couple of outdoor tables along the walk way. Service was efficient and fast, this is a great place for yakitori!
Such a staple for good Japanese yakitori. Be prepared to smell like smoke, but the food is so delicious and the servers were so humble. ENJOY!
Transcendent. Never knew meat could taste this good. The staff is friendly and helpful and knows just how good their food is ;). We were served by Bryan and Cindy, and they were great. Go here and get your mind blown!
Great dining with yakitori and small plates a.k.a. Izakaya style Japanese food and lots of energy has been the model here for several years....we love chef Ayumu and his energy and his dedication... we had everything from chicken hearts, chicken skin, chicken liver, chicken tenders, chicken leg meat, and we had pork belly, bacon wrapped quail eggs, bacon wrap enoki mushrooms, and more and more and more we had one show to drink and two ice teas.... Tip included it was $197 and we were beyond fatso full and we were treated like royalty so thank you thank you thank you and Arigato for being consistent for all these years... we will be back soon and we love chef Ayumu is the best of the BEST when it comes to hospitality..:)))
Grandma loved the yakisoba with salad We loved the garlic beef, meatballs, shiso pork belly, quail egg with bacon
Went with fam and we all loved it. Spinach and cucumbers were so delicious. We liked all the food that we ordered. We shared everything. Ramen, bacon wrapped quail eggs, espárragos, scallops, enoki mushrooms. Only thing that we ordered by mistake were the raw octopus. Got some appetizers and all so yummy.
Went here last weekend. It was super good! My favorites were any of the Kobe options, beef tongue, and the duck! Oh and not to mention their plum wine is pretty good, got us fairly drunk that we ordered a second bottle! Rip to $400+ dollars but it was worth it! 10/10 would come here every weekend!
"WOW" is really the only description you need to know about this hidden gem tucked away in the suburbs of Gardena. My hubby and I recently moved down to the South Bay of LA having lived in HI and the Bay, and can hands down say this is probably one of the best overall foodie experiences we've had since making it out here. What makes it remarkable you ask? These (3) very specific things: 1) Excellent food flavor and quality. 2) Excellent value. 3) The every 10 minute or so robust, enthusiastic cheer of "KAMPAI!" by the whole staff. We ordered probably wayyyyyy too many things for just 2 people and rolled out stuffed to the brim, but the pain of over stuffedness was worth it in every way as we recounted the meal over and over again through the night. EVERYTHING we ordered was fantastic - incredibly flavorful and tender, but here are the highlights in our book that stood out amongst the many which are a MUST: - Goma Spinach* - Chicken Thigh Skewer - Kobe Rib Finger Meat Skewer - Enoki Mushroom with Pork Belly Skewer - Shiitake Mushroom Skewer - Agenasu Dashi - Grilled onigiri (rice balls) - both the white rice which is SO flavorful all in itself AND the shisho bonito one. *Both the Goma Spinach and the Grilled Onigiri were SO simple yet so unique and flavorful to us. The Goma Spinach was basically the ends of the spinach served with a black sesame paste, and the grilled onigiri were basically...just that. But man oh man do the flavors really stand out here. So full of umami. Eyes roll back into your head good. Oh! And LOVE the yuzu koshu condiment they serve in the side. Put that citrus spicy thing on everything!!! Let's just say that the hubby says: "This is my new happy place". And we will be returning back over and over and over again as one of our new local favorite SB places.
Absolutely satisfying. It's a little bit of Japan in the heart of Gardena. It's super popular and sometimes there is a line. I highly recommend the marbled Beef. Soooo delish!! The chefs are straight out of JAPAN!! Love that!! The food is fresh!
One of my favorite and best yakitori place in the south Bay. Took, my friend travel nurse Julian here since he was down for some yakitori. After two small bottles of sake, shoyu Raman, and 24 yakitori's we both threw the white flag. We were stuffed. We came here at the perfect time 6:40pm when everyone was already inside. We didn't have to sign the wait list paper. It has been quite a while since I last came here, and it did not disappoint. Our total bill came out $171. Julian and I were guessing that our would be $200 plus.. both of us went over. Lol....
Seems like Shin-Sen-Gumi is a pretty reputable Japanese restaurant group as most of the locations have a lot of glowing reviews. Tried this spot, which is the yakitori version (there are ramen and shabu shabu versions elsewhere). Pretty decent yakitori overall. The standouts were the coarse-ground sausages (tasty, juicy, and snappy like Taiwanese sausages), the meatballs (delicious light teriyaki glaze), and the shishito peppers (perfectly salted and charred). The other items that I tried were alright. The shiso basil w/ pork belly tasted average (nothing special) and the pork belly could've been cooked longer. The Hokkaido scallops were cooked unevenly as one of them was really dry. First time trying beef tongue; not sure if it's just the nature of beef tongue but it was like eating extra-chewy medium-rare steak but it's fully cooked lol. Eh, a little too chewy for my liking. The spicy cucumber tataki was a tad too salty. Although the geso itself was really tender, the batter of it was too thick and wasn't fully cooked on some parts (mushy in the crevices). The yakitori fries weren't great; stale, McDonald's-like fries with bland chicken. The mayo-cheese sauce on the fries helped a little but ultimately I don't recommend ordering these. So, I'd say 4 stars in terms of the food collectively. What made me bump the rating to 5 stars was the service. When you get seated you're loudly greeted, in Japanese, by the whole group of staff lol. Similar thing happens upon leaving. I wished I got my server's name to shout her out here as she was super courteous and was willing to answer any questions I had on the menu. The rest of the staff was very efficient on removing finished plates from tables. I arrived here 30 min after opening on a Sunday and the place was already half-filled (it's a small place). By the time that I left there were several people outside waiting for a table making me believe that this place gets super busy later in the day!
Restaurantji Recommends
Dined here with a few friends on a Friday evening. We arrived around 8pm and had to wait about 30 minutes to be seated. We were hungry so went straight to ordering on the order form. The food took a while to come out but the restaurant was also fully packed. We tried a variety of skewers and side dishes that's were all delicious! My favorite items include the oysters, tofu, fries, and beef skirt.
It's been soooo long since I last went so decided to take a friend to celebrate her birthday. Flavors were just as I remembered and amazing! Seriously everything we go was on point and so delicious! Things tried: - agedashi tofu - cooked to perfection and oh so tasty - agedashi nasu (egg plant) - this was a first but I loved it! - yakitori (yakitori sauce) - chicken was well flavored and cooked to perfection - shitake - just get it. - bacon wrapped quail egg - breakfast in a perfect bite. So good! - enoki wrapped in pork belly - yum! - baby scallops wrapped in pork belly - another yummy option - asparagus wrapped in pork belly - sooo yummy! Don't think just order it! - shiso bacon - I'm not necessarily a shiso fan but when you wrap it in bacon it's a winner! - goma spinach (black sesame) - sounds weird but really good! - yaki onigiri - I had to break down all the bacon I was consuming so go these. They were super tasty and helped balance the assortment ordered. All in all I know it's not a large restaurant, but it has such a fun vibe and amazing food. It's honestly the best yakitori I've had in LA and the US. Can't say enough great things about this place!
Wait was long as usual (waited about an hour), but the food was delicious. Check-in through a self sign-in sheet in front of the store. There's some chairs to use as you wait for your party to be called. The grilled was also backup for a little while but once it got going, all of our orders came all at once. We ordered more than our table could handle, but we consolidated plates to make room. Definitely a good place to try a little bit of everything! Plenty of varieties to choose from. Some items/specials are listed on the wall instead of their printed menu. This isn't their ramen store, so they only have 2 kinds of ramen available. The space is a bit tight and there's limited seating - not desirable for large parties. It's very loud inside, so we shouted to hear each other, which contributed to the loud environment. Plaza parking is available for free!
Great experience came here with friends for the very first time. Good vibe, good food, friendly service. there can be a long wait because seating is limited inside, but well worth it.
No frills yakitori! We ordered a bunch of yakitori to try and some of our standout favorites were, beef tongue, pork belly wrapped anything (asparagus, shiso leaves etc), clicked thighs with salt, and chicken meatballs. They do have a couple of outdoor tables along the walk way. Service was efficient and fast, this is a great place for yakitori!