Restaurants in Which to Enjoy Sake (South Bay Region)

Text / Photo by Tomoko Moriyama

The Sake Festival in Los Angeles held in Beverley Hills this past March is still fresh in everyone’s minds especially considering how overwhelmingly popular it was, but the interest in sake is still very high. It is to the point where the parties of the most popular hosts have recently featured, not wine, but sake. The special attraction of sake is that depending on the temperature at which it is served, it has a different taste, so that it does not interfere with the taste of cooking, but can be enjoyed along with a meal. For those who have only imbibed hot sake up to now, trying cold sake or sake at room temperature will undoubtedly come as a revelation. Many Japanese and Americans of Japanese descent live in the South Bay area. We have collected here information about restaurants where one can light heartedly enjoy sake at reasonable prices. Among those restaurants, we will introduce ten of them.

1. Sushi Casa Arigato
215 Avenue I, #101, Redondo Beach, CA 90277
Tel.: (310) 543-0586
Lunch: 11:00 am – 4:00 pm (Monday through Thursday)
Dinner: 5:00 pm – 10:00 pm (Monday through Thursday) 5:00 pm – 11:00 pm (Friday)
11:00 am – 11:00 pm (Saturday), 11:00 am – 10:00 pm (Sunday)
Open seven days
Average tab (dinner): $30.00 (without alcohol)
Popular sake: Katana EXTRA, Kuro-bin, Mu

No problem going out with friends and family with different tastes
In this restaurant one can enjoy the whole gamut of sushi, from authentic sushi to creative sushi. Popular dishes include the California Roll made into tempura, the Crazy Boy Roll ($7.00) and the Las Vegas Roll (deep fried cream cheese, avocado, crab assorted fish roll, $8.50). Besides this, there are baked and cooked rolls and tempura, so that even while eating with those who are sticklers for eating authentic sushi at the same time with those who find eating raw fish a problem, is no difficulty in finding a choice for everyone. What is recommended is what cannot be found at any other restaurant, the Steamed Sushi of Ocean Gaudium (salmon, sea bass, freshwater eel, scallop, shrimp and smelt roe on kanpyo sushi rice, $11.00). Since none of the dishes are deep fried, the calories are low, so they are perfect to be enjoyed with a cold sake. There are more than ten varieties of sake in the selection. If one is unsure what to order, restaurant personnel will offer suggestions, or even set up an impromptu tasting. During the Monday through Thursday Happy Hour (5:00 pm – 6:00 pm) the sushi rolls are somehow half price, while for the Happy Hour on Fridays (5:00 pm – 7:00 pm) beer, glasses of wine and hot sake is half price. Free parking is available within the building structure. Next door, the wife, Momo, has a cake shop.


2. Bistro Miyoda & Sushi Ichiriki
1220 Beryl St., Redondo Beach, CA 90277
Tel.: (310) 376-1081
Lunch: 11:30 am – 2:00 pm (Tuesday through Friday)
Dinner: 5:30 pm – 9:30 pm (Tuesday through Friday), 5:30 pm – 10:30 pm (Friday and Saturday)
Closed on Monday
Average tab (dinner): $25.00 (without alcohol)
Popular sake: Kubota, Otokoyama, Hakkaisan, Mu and Suigei

Sushi, kaiseki, Chinese food and sake to be enjoyed
Those who are old hands at eating sushi and kaiseki cuisine will be fully satisfied with the authentic sushi and kaiseki here, and in addition one can eat Chinese food at this restaurant as well. Veteran Japanese and Chinese chefs work side by side here. This is a restaurant where even the most fussy Japanese connoisseur of sake would savor the sake offered. On the popular menu, there is broiled black cod marinated in sake and soy sauce, ($6.50), ebi-shinjo, tempura and tan-tan noodles ($8.00). Recommended is the daily menu that changes using the freshest ingredients flown in from Japan. What is most interesting is how the chefs receive their favorite ingredients as well as those that they don’t like to use, but arrange them to create a new menu. I was hoping to enjoy the special skills of these veteran chefs, but the sushi counter beckoned. I also wanted to try the Kaiseki Course ($50.00 advance reservation required), of special interest to devotees of Japanese cuisine. Here there are ten varieties of sake to enjoy. Six kinds of sake can be enjoyed with the Sake Plate ($13.00) and I was glad to see that my favorite sake was on the list. It is recommended that one enjoy the freshest catch of the season that matches with dry and cold sake. It is located on the corner of S. Prospect and Beryl Streets, in a mall that also contains a Vons.


3. I-Naba
20920 Hawthorne Blvd., Torrance, CA 90503
Tel.: (310) 371-6675
Lunch: 11:30 am – 2:00 pm (Monday through Sunday)
Dinner: 6:00 pm – 10:00 pm (Tuesday through Saturday), 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm (Sunday)
Closed on Monday Dinner
Average tab (dinner): $30.00 – $35.00 (without alcohol)
Popular sake: Masumi, Suishin, Juyondai, Urakasumi and Gekkeikan Yanagi

The Sake Sampler, don’t miss it
A Japanese restaurant with a sushi bar and a tempura bar. The drive is to preserve the Japanese taste of old. Since there are a lot of Japanese in the area, this is a restaurant that one can feel comfortable bringing people who have just come off the plane from Japan. Sushi, tempura, udon buckwheat noodles and unagi eel pack the rich menu. Within that menu, a favorite is the Chef’s Choice Nigiri Sushi ($32.00). For those who enjoy full–fledged sushi and teriyaki dinners, the Special Sushi Dinner Course ($45.00) and the Special Tempura Dinner Course ($37.00) are recommended. The tempura is made with a clean-tasting rice oil so that it has an elegant feeling of luxury which seems to be the secret of its popularity. For a bit of a different kind of tempura, there is the Ice Cream Tempura ($6.00). Here there are 25 varieties of sake to drink. Shochu is also in stock. There is also a Sake Sampler ($10.00~) whereby one can have three different kinds of sake and to go with the tempura the Dry Sake Set is worth trying. There is also Draft Sake, by the quantities are limited. It is located near the corner of Hawthorne and Torrance Boulevards, in a mall where there are a number of restaurants and other stores in a row.


4. Japonica Dining
1304½ S. Pacific Coast Highway, Redondo Beach, CA 90277
Tel.: (310) 316-9477
Dinner: 6:00 pm – 12:00 am (Monday through Saturday), 5:30 pm – 10:30 pm (Sunday)
Open seven days
Average tab (dinner): $35.00 (without alcohol)
Popular sake: Izumijudan, Ouka, Jozenmizunogotoshi, Koshinokanbai, Otokoyaka

Searching for sake on sake night
This is a Japanese fusion restaurant in the style of an izakaya Japanese pub. With Japanese cuisine as the base, there are small individual dishes as well as a set menu, along with a menu for those not very familiar with Japanese food to enjoy. In the front at the entrance there is a cool display of sake bottles. It seems that there are regular customers who have similar displays of sake bottles at their homes. On the popular menu is Albacore Tataki ($8.80) and a Japonica Roll, with tuna, salmon, avocado, cucumber, gobo burdock root, kaiso seaweed, shiso beefsteak leaf and daikon radish wrapped up in katsuramuki. Recommended is the Yuzu Pepper Steak ($18.50) which is steak sprinkled with citron (yuzu) pepper and ponzu sauce. This goes well with a dry junmai sake. At this restaurant one can drink approximately 40 varieties of sake. On the sake menu there are thorough explanations written, so even beginners can understand easily. In addition, there is a Sake Sampler, on Sunday through Wednesday for $5.00 and Thursday through Saturday for $10.00 one can enjoy a tasting of three different sakes, daiginjo, ginjo and junmai. If one is puzzled as to which sake to order, the Sake Sampler is recommended. The location is near the corner of Pacific Coast Highway and Avenue E.


5. Kan Izakaya Yuzen
2755A Pacific Coast Highway, Torrance, CA 90505
Tel.: (310) 530-7888
Dinner: 5:30 pm – 1:00 am (Monday through Saturday), 5:30 pm – 10:00 pm (Sunday and holidays)
Open seven days
Average tab (dinner): $35.00 (without alcohol)
Popular sake: Otokoyama, Sumiyoshi, Onikoroshi, Ryokan, Suishin

A popular izakaya Japanese pub restaurant
When Japanese want to treat an important person to dinner, Izakaya is the kind of restaurant that they go to. Good ingredients are imported from Japan or carefully scrutinized before being purchased at local markets. There are several menus of Japanese food featured, but no sushi. While they are sticklers for traditional Japanese cuisine, for those people who are not very familiar with Japanese food, efforts have been made to make sure they enjoy themselves, too. One of those efforts is a menu with photographs of all the dishes. With this, there is no worry that one might order something that one is thinking of only to have something completely different emerge from the kitchen. One popular menu has yakitori and tempura. By sitting at the counter, one can enjoy seeing the dishes being prepared before one’s eyes. Recommended, if one is visiting this restaurant for the first time, is the combination menu. By ordering Shokado ($22.80) and Oju ($27.90) one can get a good idea of the cuisine here. The 4 kinds sampler ($7.80) changes daily and it is also interesting to explore the other menus, such as the 4 kinds of chinmi ($7.80; in Japanese chinmi means “exquisite tastes”). At this restaurant one can drink approximately 20 varieties of sake. According to the season, draft sake is also available, but there are limitations to the quantity, so one should be prepared to try a new kind of sake that is on tap. The 4 kinds of chinmi discussed above go best with Ryokan and Suishin which are recommended sake choices. The location of the restaurant is at the corner of Pacific Coast Highway and Crenshaw Boulevard, inside a mall that also has a Smart & Final store.


6. Kappo Seafood
1757 W. Carson St., #8, Torrance, CA 90501
Tel.: (310) 782-0530
Lunch: 11:30 am – 1:45 pm (Monday through Friday)
Dinner: 5:30 pm – 9:45 pm (Monday through Saturday)
Closed on Sunday
Average tab (dinner): $50.00 (Dinner course / without alcohol)
Popular sake: Kubota, Hakkaisan, Minowamon, Ken, Jouzenmizunogotoshi
Above: Large and small rooms are available
Below: Kaiseki dinner

Good for anniversaries or entertaining special guests
This is an authentic Japanese restaurant where even the most traditionally minded Japanese can bring an important guest. No artificial ingredients are used. They are strictly conscious of the sashimi, while half of the ingredients for sushi are imported by air from Japan. The rest are of the best local ingredients that come to hand. On the menu, there is of course seafood, sushi rolls, noodles, tempura and steak, a wide selection, so that even those who do not eat sashimi can relax. Very popular is the in-season vegetable of the month, which changes every month. In Japan there are four clear seasons and there is a habit of enjoying the most delicious ingredients of those that are ripe (vegetables and fish) and that is exactly what appears on this menu. For anniversaries and for special guests, the Kaiseki Dinner ($85.00~) is recommended. It is the same as with a French course, in that the meal is served with the pace of the food as it is prepared, so one can leisurely enjoy oneself. Here there are more than 20 varieties of sake that can be enjoyed. There are also several kinds of shochu. It is recommended that for sashimi and sushi one drink cold sake, while in the winter when eating steamed fish, hot sake is best. Should one eat the hot pot, things like the hire-sake type of sake might be tried. The location is the corner of Western and Carson, in the noted Mitsuwa Marketplace Mall.


7. Otafuku
16525 S. Western Ave., Gardena, CA 90247
Tel.: (310) 532-9348
Lunch: 11:30 am – 2:00 pm
Dinner: 5:30 pm – 10:00 pm
Closed on Sunday
Average tab (dinner): $30.00~ (without alcohol)
Popular sake: Hakkaisan, Tengumai, Otokoyama, Kubota, Suigei


Professionals will be stunned at the ingredients and the price
Doesn’t every restaurant have delicious food? These days, speaking to Japanese and those associated with the Japanese restaurant world, one is told that the restaurant that one has to try is Otafuku. It is just a small restaurant along Western, but is famous among those who love Japanese cuisine. The special feature here is the quality of the ingredients used in the food served at a low cost. Among professionals in the food industry, there is much surprise when they think about the ingredients used. Start with home cooking. That is supplemented with a professional menu. The principle ingredients are brought in by air from Japan. That freshness is boosted with quality local ingredients. The drive is to use the most natural ingredients, so artificial products are not acceptable. Miso, shoyu (soy sauce), tofu and similar basic ingredients are made in the restaurant, including buckwheat soba noodles. Popular on the menu is Steamed Abalone ($10.50), Special Prime Rib With Oroshi-Ponzu Sauce ($15.00) and Jaco Salad ($7.00). Here there are approximately 10 varieties of quality sake that may be enjoyed. With Seki-Aji Sashimi ($13.50) and Hirame Usuzukuri Sashimi ($11.50) Hakkaisan, Otokoyama and Tengumai among other quality sakes may be enjoyed at their best chilled. The location is the corner of Western Avenue and 166th Street. Recently the shop has been expanded, so there is little crowding at mealtimes.


8. Sen-Nari Sushi
18220 S. Western Avenue, Gardena, CA 90248
Tel.: (310) 324-1970
Lunch: 11:45 am – 2:30 pm (Monday through Friday)
Dinner: 5:30 pm – 10:30 pm
Open seven days
Average tab (dinner): $40.00 (without alcohol)
Popular sake: Juyondai, Kubota, Otokoyama, Toranoko, Nambubijin

A true sake restaurant with private rooms
This is a sushi restaurant with 17 seats at the sushi bar and table service as well as private rooms for special events. Express delivery from Japan and the choice selection of local ingredients results in a reasonable price for patrons, so that everyone in the area loves the sushi in this restaurant. As a restaurant specializing in sushi, there is no tempura or teriyaki to be found here. The staff is bright and friendly and they are cheerful in welcoming guests to their restaurant. The restaurant was opened 20 years ago. There are patrons who come from far away, as far away as Pasadena and Monterey Park. Popular on the menu is the daily changing recommended menu selection ($15.00). The restaurant is especially proud of its rice preparation. (Japanese are rigorously concerned with rice preparation: early harvest rice, short grain, long grain, late harvest rice, long soaking, little soaking, it all fits into the calculation.) What is to be recommended here is the Omakase that changes every day to select the most delicious ingredients that are available. There are five varieties of sake that are stocked here. They will select the most delicious sake to go with the cuisine. It is liked to pair things like Sashimi Tataki or Sunomono with, not chilled, but room temperature sake. There are also large and small private rooms, which are good for business meetings and parties. The location is at the corner of Western Avenue and 182nd Street. Inside a mall that also has a Union Bank of California.


9. Sushi Sei
1040 Hermosa Avenue, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254
Tel.: (310) 379-6900
Dinner: 5:30 pm – 10:00 pm
Open seven days
Average tab (dinner): $32.00 (without alcohol)
Popular sake: Kikusui, Otokoyama, Harushika


If one wants to see the sushi chef display his talent, sit at the counter
Very close to the Hermosa Beach Pier, this restaurant has a great location, with parking right in front of one’s eyes. This is Sushi Sei, a restaurant that was established more than twenty years ago. The sushi chef trained in Japan more than thirty years ago when he started his career and he heads for the fish market downtown every morning to make sure of the sushi neta ingredients with his own eyes. There is also tempura and yakitori, but as expected, the sushi is what is recommended. The cuisine here is rigorously adhered to, including the best rice, so one must absolutely try it. Since the menu also includes photographs, it is easy to know what one is ordering. Popular items on the menu are Spicy Tuna Roll ($4.80) and California Roll ($5.00). Anything on the menu at this restaurant may be confidently recommended, but the Usuzukuri (Japanese Style Carpaccio $15.50), that incorporates the freshest of fish, is especially to be singled out. Here there are six varieties of sake to drink. The sake list is thoughtfully changed in its ranking regularly. With sushi, sake is always good, but in the summertime it is nice to try cold dry sake. This is a restaurant where one likes to sit at the sushi counter and enjoy sake with the cuisine while watching the chef display his creative flair.


10. Taiko Beach Cities
2041 Rosecrans Avenue, Suite 190, El Segundo, CA 90245
Tel.: (310) 647-3100
Lunch: 11:30 am – 2:15 pm (Monday through Friday)
Dinner: 5:00 pm – 9:45 pm (Monday through Thursday), 5:00 pm – 10:15 pm (Friday and Saturday), 5:00 pm – 9:15 pm (Sunday)
Open seven days
Average tab (dinner / without alcohol): $15.00 - $16.00 (table), $50.00 (sushi bar)
Popular sake: Hakkaisan, Jouzenmizunogotoshi, Onikoroshi, Otokoyama, Daihichi

After a date at the movies, to the sushi bar
This is a restaurant where one can enjoy everything from casual Japanese cuisine like soba or udon noodles to authentic sushi. During lunchtime, bustling businessmen are all over the place, but during dinnertime one can enjoy a leisurely meal. When seated at a table, Teriyaki Chicken Don ($9.75) and Ten Don ($10.50) are popular. The career chef at the sushi bar, with 20 years of getting to know guests’ tastes, got authentic training for more than ten years at a first rate hotel in Japan and prepares the cuisine exactly the way the guests like. Recommended is the Whatever Roll ($17.50). According to the day the ingredients change, so one can come every day to enjoy oneself. For those knowledgeable about Japanese cuisine, omakase is the way to go. The best ingredients of the day are selected and prepare according to the way the guest prefers, whether nigiri hand-crafted or sashimi or anything else. Here there are 15 varieties of sake that one can drink. With carpaccio and white-fleshed fish, cold sake like Hakkaisan or else Jouzenmizunogotoshi is good. For asari sakamushi, room temperature sake goes well. The location is nearby the Manhattan Beach Marriott Hotel, facing the Pacific Theaters.