Yabu Restaurant

04/07/08

Great food, Great service

by eatwestside

I have been to Yabu on pico so many times. What I like about Yabu is their authentic dishes for reasonable prices. They have variety of foods including vegetarian dishes, so its a perfect place for families and friends.

Actually I was at Yabu when this rude guy (the previous reviewer 2 below) had a big argument with the sushi chef. I don't know how that happened, but apperantly he didn't like the fish he ordered. When you order something, and if you didn't like the dish, maybe you can ask nicely to change with something else. But just to ask this is already rude, but it is acceptable if you ask nicely. But this guy stood up and walked to the chef and yelled at the chef 'this is terrible! im not gonna pay for this!'. Wow, all the customers there were like 'omg, what the...?', and his wife was trying to stop him, and crying from embarassing. And yeah, he was saying he was gonna write about this on the internet, and here I found it. haha

Anyways, I am big fan of Yabu, and so are my family and friends. Yabu is great. If you wanna enjoy authntic quality Japanese food, then go to Yabu.

03/11/08

Yummy japanese comfort food....

by sushimom

I have been a regular patron of Yabu for years & really enjoy the food & service. It is a casual local spot where I can dine with my family (including young children), my husband alone before a movie or with girlfriends on those few occasions where mom's get to dine together. I am someone who enjoys trying everything on a menu & have tried just about everything offered & recomend it all. My husband on the other hand is a creature of habit & has the spicy tuna don and/or udon with tempura most often. One of the things that is great about Yabu is that there is something for everyone. Got a vegetarian friend? They will love the seaweed salad & fresh homemade tofu. Feel like sushi but your significant other 'doesn't eat raw food"? They might ejoy the crab & asparagus salad or a fresh soba noodle soup while you enoy a plate of salmon & whitefish sashimi! Other favorites of mine include the tuna tataki, cold soba noodles, braised pork, fried tofu, tempura etc., etc! Unlike the last reviewer, I have never experienced 'bad' sushi or had them out of any items (and the cold soba with quail egg is one of my favorites). At times the sushi preparation is slightly different but I just see that each chef is allowed his own style. I eat at yabu AT LEAST once a week (granted I typically eat very early) and haven't had them run out of anything. Perhaps the previous reviewer eats late??? I'd also like to comment on the service which is always friendly & accomodating. I often dine with my 7 year old son who can be somewhat finicky (not to mention messy) & the servers always treat him well. There are a few parking places behind the restaurant which are tough to get & parking on pico is terrible but cheap valet is availalbe at night. Oh, and lunch is such a bargain too!

• Pros: something for everyone, great service, low prices
• Cons: parking sometimes.

02/29/08

inconsistent food quality and the sushi chefs lack skill

by 909

i like certain things at yabu on pico such as their sobo noodles and shrimp tempura, vegetable tempura as those dishes and a few others (lotus, black cod, etc..) are most always near spot on perfect, but overall their quality is inconsistent. it's not uncommon to order sobo and the server knowingly takes your order without mentioning they're out of quail eggs to properly make their dipping sauce or on occasion the eggplant or lotus is served with so much more oil than normal it's almost swimming in it. too often they're out of many of their staple dishes on the same night (midweek as well) such as black cod, yellowtail collar and quail egg--this has happened more times than i care to count.

but that isn't the worst of it--it's the sushi and the sushi chefs. my last few visits i've stopped ordering their raw fish. more and more i seriously question their ability to select quality sushi grade fish, toss it when it's in the customers best interest, how to pick the best cuts, and properly cut it. it's a risk whether the fish will be sushi grade fresh, a good quality piece, and even cut right. over the course of the past two years i've possibly returned three or four fish dishes because the fish was bordering on bad, instead of getting the apologetic professional response it's a standard shocked then prideful turned gravely offended response. it's the "you order fish, you pay!" in all my years of dining out and over 35 plus years eating sushi, i've never experience such rude conceitedness. knowing what i know about fish--working professionally as a fish chef for the past twenty years, i can't in good conscience recommend yabu.

• Pros: sobo & tempura
• Cons: fish can be bad, sushi chefs lack skill, and rude service.

08/19/07

Great Sushi

by adtran

The boyfriend and I love Yabu. It's authentic, delicious, and most importantly isn't one of those pretentious sushi joints that charge you a fortune. You can never go wrong ordering their sashimi. It's always fresh and they always have a great selection. You're not going to find concoctions like the Philidelphia roll or things like that. They keep it basic and they really deliver.

I love the the fried chicken wings served with japanese mayo and the broiled mackerel. At times I'm even tempted to order 2-3 of them and make a meal of it. It's very juicy with a perfectly broiled top. I wouldn't pass it up.

though I generally go their for sushi and the aforementioned items...their udon and rice dishes are also super good. Ten don is really filling and very good. The pork is breaded and fried to perfection. not at all oily or dry.

I would definately recomment this place to anyone. It's a very cute place. It's kinda hard to find, despite being on the main street. The name is often blocked by a flag...and it's a very small place.

• Pros: fresh sushi, mackerel, fried chicken
• Cons: slow service at times

11/18/06

Best udon and soba

by ag69123

This is the place in Los Angeles for Japanese udon (flower) and soba (buckweat) noodles. The Pico location is completely different from the La Cienega place, even though both are under the same ownerwhsip. The Pico location is where you go for great noodles, as well as some broiled fish and other Japanese food. Great food, good service, great food! As the restaurant is small and popular, it pays to make reservations.

• Pros: Food, udon, soba
• Cons: Parking, waiting to get seated