Torrance Yokocho

"I think it somewhat captures the atmosphere of a Japanese izakaya. It would have been even better if there were an actual menu on the wall. I wish they had a grilled squid tentacle dish. The round dumplings were delicious."

"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 a bad night."

"Great atmosphere for an impressive date or to hang around with friends. Food is average. Nothing exceptional. There are better restaurants at this price range if I were to rate this solely on food. But I must give credit for the atmosphere. This was creative on the owner's part. The ordering process is confusing. Every order must be made through the app. And there is no option to indicate "dine in" or "to go" on the app. There is no option to set my item aside when i am ordering as a group. So, I would never recommend this place to someone who is not tech savvy. All in all, I would take my date to this place. I just wouldn't come back to this place by myself or someone who has already been here."

"Absolutely loved this place and will come back again. I came here with my boyfriend just to check it out because we love Japanese food and this place was amazing. Not only was the food good, the service was the best I've ever had. They always made sure we were doing well during our visit. The atmosphere and vibe is great; I love the alleyway theme. It is a bit pricey, but by the end of the night we were full and in love with the place. We called as soon as they opened and made a reservation the same night. If you want to eat here, I recommend calling first before walking in because it does get busy. Great place, I would come here again with friends to have great conversations."

"Soft Opening on April 19! The door they used is over to the side, in between the two buildings. Likely to give off the alleyway vibe? Once inside, the hostess counter is right away to the left. The decor inside is BEAUTIFUL! Every corner has small details that remind you of tokyo yokocho alleyways. There is a QR code on the table with the menu. They have 11 "shops" which all have a separate menu section. Once the items are ordered through the phone, staff will bring the food/drinks to the table. The quality of the food was good! Our favorite item was the fried pork. They had oden items as well that we want to try next time. Since it is a soft opening, you have to give a little bit of slack to the service. Servers were unfamiliar with the menu, wrong items would come, or the kitchen would run out of items. I fully expect that to be solved by their grand opening day."