Wow! I was very impressed with the effort you could see put into the menu, atmosphere, and customer service. I had oysters to start, which isn’t really a dish you judge a chef on but they were certainly very fresh and had a great taste. Then, I had live prawn crudo, which again, you can only pull off with super fresh prawns that are sweet and have a little crunch that shrimp have in the meat while still being very tender. They were served simply with olive oil and had no fishy taste. I was pleasantly surprised. Finally, I had to try the Margherita pizza of course. I almost couldn’t restrain myself from eating the whole thing. They serve it in that Italian style: uncut with a pair of scissors. It blew me away way. In a modern twist, it had crispy mozzarella melted onto the beautiful fluffy crust. The flavor was everything you could want in a Margherita pizza. I will certainly order many more of those. They do not do pasta, but next time, I will be trying their very unique Caesar salad, wild boar meatballs, and grilled meats (perhaps the steak).

Everything we had was well above expectation except for the risotto. Although, to be fair, I didn’t have high expectations going in. The lemon pasta was fantastic. Will definitely be making that at home. Plus, they asked if we wanted to add a protein to it, which was a great surprise. We added shrimp. No desserts really stood out to us, but who knows, maybe they are worth a shot.

A very interesting take on ramen. I’d almost describe it as Szechuan ramen. It has that numbing spice in a chili oil broth with very simple ingredients. There are only thin egg noodles, scallions, and some seared beef chunks. It is hard on pepper, which I recommend mixing up before eating. I love the idea of this restaurant. Simple (two option menu: large or regular), clean, quick, and good service. I would eat here every week if I lived in the area. A nice little garden to look at as well.

Fantastic beef hot pot. Get the top all-you-can-eat option that comes with the best wagyu, but you can skip the crab. The short rib is also worth repeating. We got the spicy and garlic broths, which were both delicious (and not spicy). Make sure to get extra things to add to your dipping sauce like garlic, scallions, and chili oil along with the sesame paste and soy sauce. You have 90 minutes to eat, but the service is not doggedly slow like at some places in America. You can get 90 minutes of constant meat if you wish. Oddly enough, you only get one dessert per person though.

Best tonkatsu you’ll probably find. The boss of Asahi eats here. Super friendly to foreigners. English menu. Must get the shrimp as an add on. Right by a famous temple, so a good place to stop by while visiting the touristy spots.

I’d find it hard to believe that you know a better NY-Italian red-sauce joint in LA and even in NY outside of a particular few neighborhoods or your literal Nona’s house. I got the classics: Spaghetti & Meatballs and Chicken Parmigiana with a side of garlic bread and not a single one of those dishes didn’t have a note or flavor that stood out in a bold and original way. Everything was packed with flavor, cooked to perfection, and served in huge portions just like grandma would give me. I can’t wait to try the whole menu.

Great tacos and quick taco-stand-style Mexican food, but higher quality than most stands. No carnitas or pastor sadly, but the meats they do have are all flavorful. The pico de gallo is sneakily spicy.

Increíble ramen. Simple ingredients that each brought a lot of flavor. Unfortunately the menu is in Japan with no pictures and you must order at a machine before sitting down so no help from a waiter or anything. Make sure to either study the menu before or just pick the first option which is the most popular: pork ramen with soy sauce broth.

A great place to have a burger and a beer before, after, or during a Dodgers game. Fun, loud atmosphere. Even better than having a burger and fries there, is to get it at their little to-go window and eating it outside at Bar Flores next door.

Good place for late night Izakaya and casual sushi with some beers or sake.