Asakuma Restaurant
Los Angeles, CA 90025
Phone: (310) 826-0013
Fax: (310) 826-3453
- Price:
- $$$
- Cross Street:
- South Barrington Avenue
- Hours:
- Mon-Sat 11:30am-10pm, Sun 12pm-9:30pm
Editorial Review for Asakuma Restaurant – by Citysearch Editors
In Short
The mundane strip-mall exterior gives way to a dining room split into two sections: a formal sit-down area with sleek, honey-toned wood paneling, and a more casual sushi bar. Entrees are prepared with artistic twists in both areas. Menu highlights include buttery soy-marinated cod fillet, and crispy deep-fried catfish. Of the rotating menu of sushi specialties--some large enough to be full meals--the caterpillar roll is a perennial favorite.
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Insider Tips
Know Before You GoMany menu items can be made without oil, including the Hiroshima oysters, vegetable sukiyaki, miso soup and most fish dishes.
User Reviews for Asakuma Restaurant
02/11/2008 Posted by Easycritic
Could this be the WORST Japanese restaurant in LA? I think yes. I have been to dozens and dozens of Japanese restaurants in LA--both high end and low end. Asakuma is the worst I have eaten in LA by far. Terrible food and service. After being ignored for half of an hour while they served all of the business lunches around us, our terrible food finally arrived. Shoe leather steak for my daughter and pieces of unidentifiable fatty cod sprinkled over too salty rice for me. Top it off with super greasy soggy tempura that took about a half hour to soak up the oil in the kitchen, and my stomach is still hurting just thinking about it. My daughter needed to return home immediately after the meal because she felt so ill as well. I don't think I have ever left a restaurant without tipping before, but after being completely ignored because I happened to be in shorts and a shirt with my daughter rather than attending a business lunch I felt that no tip was warranted. Rude services, terrible food. Need I say more? Don't go! I prefer Hide and Hirozen, which are much cheaper and much much better. I wish Hide was open on Mondays.
Pros: Open on Monday
Cons: Terrible food and service and so loud it hurt our ears. My stomach still hurts!
10/22/2007 Posted by cheeselouise
ok this has been my typical Asakuma experience from start to finish: (recommended to me by my japanese friends, who rave about the BLACK COD. I have found that many japanese ppl eat there, which speaks to the authenticity of the cuisine. i'd say the place is 80% regulars, plenty of which are japanese families.) Ive never gone here and waited more than 5 minutes for a table, despite them looking very busy on several of those occasions. although the manager may not be present at the hostess stand to seat u when u walk in, as soon as she gets to u, u'll find she's got a peculiar accent & hearty guffaw. the servers are very friendly & willing, i think its actually the kitchen/sushi chefs that are a little slow during peak hours (& which - ive also had explained to me - is due to a new and ocassionally faulty computer system). Sometimes the food comes out very fast though! Despite the speed of the service varying, not many ppl seem to mind considering the food! Black cod never sounded good to me but as promised, it was marinated and cooked to perfection, melted in my mouth. It's an incredible bargain during lunch but even for dinner, its a great price considering the cost of COD elsewhere. Also addictive: the Chilean Seabass, Teriyaki Steak, all the House Special rolls & everything on the Sushi Specials Menu. Sometimes we order a lot of sushi, & the platters come out beautifully & the fish looks fresh even to the most discerning eye. The servers were often busy but no harm in asking a busser to refill your tea or pack a to-go box. They're very accomodating for large parties as u will get plenty of attention from the server. Other reviewers seem to speak of hiccups in the service here and there but we've never noticed a problem when inspecting our bill, nor has there ever been any unapologetic servers if their service wasnt lightning speed. Basically, if youre not the pushy impatient type, there's no reason u shouldnt try the place out! i cant wait to go back
Pros: well priced Black Cod, Sushi specials, friendly service, good for business crowd.
Cons: Can be fast, can be not-so-fast.
