Let Chef Chris Ono and Directory of Culinary Arts Jane Matsumoto guide you to essential JA restaurants, shops, and landmarks.
His California roll is a masterpiece , an immaculately constructed tug of crispy fry seaweed , crab louse , cucumber vine , and avocado pear topped with uni and wasabi , a textural take that is bring up both literally and figuratively , but Chef Chris Ono did n’t start out intend to cook Nipponese - American food for thought .
Instead he came up in high - close French kitchens , and spent time working in ambitious Italian and traditional Edomae - style sushi office . But as the LA aboriginal Ono watch some of the staple Nipponese - American restaurants he grew up with go long time without renovation or innovation , and as he saw too many of them close , he felt his linear perspective shift . As a Japanese - American Angeleno , he decided he wanted to bring those flavors forward atHansei , his tasting menu residency at theJapanese American Cultural & Community Center(or JACCC ) in Little Tokyo .
Nipponese - American culture in Los Angeles is unequalled , influenced by Japan and also Southern California ’s melting pot , by generation of in-migration and absorption pressure , with deep scrape left by Nipponese imprisonment . It can also feel like an overlooked chemical group , especially from a solid food linear perspective , lumped in with more mainstream Japanese institutions , the community - focalise restaurant culture overshadow by the variety of buzzy cooking that get more publicity and eclat .
Hansei Garden|Photo by Katrina Frederick
But Japanese - American solid food and culture is deserving celebrating in its own right . Broadly speak JA restaurant tend to be generalist , mom - and - soda shops that often remain within the family for generations , design to provide a casual , comfort repast . The menus often have sushi and noodles , Timothy Miles Bindon Rice ravisher and gyoza , and there is always , always , a California roll and a crybaby teriyaki pose .
There have been Japanese - American enclaves all over Los Angeles for generations , in neighborhoods like West LA , Crenshaw , Mid - City , Pasadena , and Silver Lake , with gathering places like the Venice Japanese Community Center spread across town . But footling Tokyo has historically been the big hub of Nipponese - American life-time , and since its hatchway in 1980 the JACCC has been a neighborhood mainstay , hosting festival , event , performances , exhibits , and office space for nonprofit organizations .
Jane Matsumoto is the JACCC ’s Director of Culinary Arts , and a Nipponese - American native Angeleno . She describe the grammatical construction of the JACCC as a project by first and second contemporaries Japanese - Americans , built with the hope of make something tangible for their child and grandchildren . That means that the mission of the JACCC is liquid and evolving , plan to keep up with the times .
California Roll|Photo by Katrina Frederick
“ We require to bring cultural practices and traditions , but also make it meaningful , accessible , and relevant to young people , ” Matsumoto enounce . So there are exhibits of traditional art likeIkebana bread and butter blossom arrangementsnext toShochu and Wagyu beef tastings , artisanal Japanese goods for sale , andbenefit concert with operatic singingnext to Ono ’s clearly modern and playful tasting menu atHansei .
The Hansei experience study vantage of the JACCC ’s expansive composite , give diner an extended coup d’oeil of the ground as you move through the different phases of dinner party . You start with a selection of small bite in the James Irvine Japanese Garden , a stunningly lush and meaningful space that is the gross backcloth for Ono ’s delicate other courses . You are show in to the sushi bar - style dining room for the larger savory plates , where Ono is behind the prevention explain and lead you through dishes like that California gyre and a particularly elegant take on a teriyaki set . Then you move back to the dining way for the final few rounds of afters and tea . It is , taken all together , a thrilling dinner , illuminating and inspiring and even educational .
Beyond Hansei and the JACCC , there are so many first-class and historical Japanese - American landmarks to research in Little Tokyo . With Matsumoto and Ono as our guides , here are some of the proficient JA restaurants , streak , and business sector in short Tokyo , with a duad bonus fleck around town :
Far Bar Little Tokyo
Far Bar
Today ’s Far Bar is not exactly what it was in X past , when it was Far East Cafe , aChinameshirestaurant that served as a hangout for the local Nipponese - American community of interests to eat on Chop Suey and other Cantonese cuisine . It was a space where they could well gather after returning from internment , and a place where the owners were known to serve meal on course credit to Japanese - Americans who had take back home with little money to their names . The building was importantly damage by the 1994 Northridge temblor , and it sat closed for several age until current proprietor Don Tahara took over , retrofit and reinvent it as the craftiness beer and whisky - focused pub that it is today . Despite the change of concept , it remains a neighborhood go - to for the Japanese - American residential area , with a warm and familiar ambiance and solid pan - Asian pub food for thought . And the raw ownership kept Far East Cafe ’s iconic Chop Suey neon sign intact and hang above the entering . How to book : Reservations for big parties can be made throughemailor over the earpiece at ( 213 ) 617 - 9990
Fugetsu-Do
“ If every restaurant had followed a similar good example , there would be a lot more really nerveless Nipponese - American coffee bar and restaurants around , ” Ono says of Fugetsu - do , the fabled Mochi shop that is now owned and run by third - propagation wagashi expert Brian Kito . Kito has go on the bequest left by his parents and grandparent , keep the shop in honest shape and sticking with traditional methods while adding some of his own origination . Fugetsu - do first opened in 1903 , was reborn after internment in 1946 , and go forward pee some of the very adept mochi and sweets to this Clarence Day . And they are set to continue doing so for a recollective time — Korey Kito , Brian ’s son , is in line to someday take over the shop . How to book : Walk in or order online throughJapan Super .
Bunkado
If you find yourself strolling Little Tokyo in search of gifts or small-scale graphics , the 76 yr - old Bunkado is a delight . The store was establish in 1946 by Tokio Ueyama , an artist who live and studied all over the world , then settled in Little Tokyo before and again after internment . Today they pack a beautiful and fun selection of ceramics , home good , book , tote bags , art , and Little Tokyo - themed stumper and pins . How to reserve : Walk in or tell on online through theirwebsite .
Anzen Hardware
In 1946 when Tsutomu Maehara opened Anzen Hardware , Single Room Occupancy Hotels were common around short Tokyo and Anzen was designed to add them with simple hardware , home base good , and toiletries . The current owner Nori Takatani has been exercise at Anzen since 1954 , and those category remained the stress under his stewardship , even as the SROs have been replaced by businesses and apartment buildings . Their selection of Nipponese house goods and tool is super well - curated , with a limited direction on garden supply and germ in addition to betting odds and ends like scissors , high - quality chef ’s knives , and shoes , many of which are otherwise tough to find stateside . How to book : Walk in only .
Suehiro Cafe
The fabled cafe Suehiro is one of the first Nipponese - American restaurants in Little Tokyo that springs to mind for Ono and Matsumoto . The iconic restaurant turn 50 years erstwhile in 2022 , and their expansive fare of Japanese - American classic is just as satisfying and comforting as it has ever been . They have all of the hits , from chicken teriyaki and California seethe to ramen and udon , and their lunch special — ginger beef , crab croquettes , or curry Elmer Leopold Rice — have a merited and dedicated following . It does n’t hurt that they ’re open until 1 am on weeknights and 3 am on weekend . How to book : Walk in , call ( 213 ) 626 - 9132 or order takeout or delivery online through all of theapps .
Kouraku
The nutrient at Kouraku is not purely Japanese - American , it ’s more yoshoku — Japanese versions of American food for thought . But it still may be Ono ’s preferent JA restaurant in Little Tokyo , with splendid renditions of yoshoku dishes like Curry Rice and Hamburger Steak . Matsumoto agree that Kouraku , which first give in 1976 , is a Nipponese - American classic , even if some of the food falls a little outside the stock definition ; “ JAs have go there for 40 years , after dance and consequence , ” she says . With the way the kitchen knocks out their classic get hold of on yoshoku , the next 40 years expect just as promising . How to book : take the air in or grade in the lead through theirwebsite .
Otomisan
Just across the LA river in Boyle Heights , both Ono and Matsumoto love Otomisan , a truly iconic Nipponese - American eating house that became an officialHistoric - Cultural Monument to begin with this class . Otomisan has been receptive since 1956 , when Boyle Heights was home to a substantial Nipponese - American residential district , and their food is as Greco-Roman as it set out . “ That ’s a totally JA - style eatery , very ma and pop - ish , you have the teriyaki and California rolls , and it ’s a pretty significant watershed , ” Ono say . How to book : Walk in or call ahead at ( 323 ) 526 - 1150 .
Feast From the East
In West LA , Feast From the East has been heart-to-heart since 1981 , a proportional newcomer compared to some on this list , but third generation Nipponese - American eatery owner Suzanne Toji ’s place has been a standout for all of its four ten in the same location on Westwood Boulevard . According to Matsumoto , it start as a small chicken wing and Chinese crybaby salad medical specialist , and those dishes remain the direction today even as the restaurant has expanded to take over several neighboring storefronts . They also sell several version of their salad get dressed at grocery stores and online . How to book : Walk in or order online through theirwebsite .
Aki Restaurant
These day the stretch of Sawtelle Boulevard between Santa Monica and Olympic is one of the densest strips of restaurants in townsfolk , but according to Ono the area used to be dominated by mart and shops and works nurseries . Those have largely been converted to mixed - use apartment and retail buildings over the age , but back then Aki Restaurant was an essential catch for the local community , a classic JA Renaissance man serving sushi , teriyaki , tempura , and stew and simmered nabemono . Aki is just as essential as ever despite all the growing around it , with a warm and unpretentious push that makes it a classic in the very best way . How to book : take the air in or reserve over the earpiece at ( 310 ) 479 - 8406 .
Fugetsu-do
Bunkado
Suehiro Cafe
Kouraku
Feast from the East
