Furaibo Restaurant Inc

08/04/09

great food but they use tons of msg in their food

by zio at Citysearch

Great food. But they use tons of MSG. This place is not for people who have reactions to MSG.

Service was fair.

• Pros: Food is very tasty. Dreamt about it for days afterwards.
• Cons: Tons of MSG in their food.

01/29/09

Chicken Wings are the best here

by tismeeh at Citysearch

The chicken wings are sooooo delicious here!!!! I ordered other yummy stuff too, but it's the wings that's going to keep bringing me back.

The parking is kinda weird in the back though... what's with the "pull fwd", so other cars can park behind you and block you in? ekkk.

• Cons: can get crowded w/ a wait later in the evening.

06/18/08

Great Food

by xipetotec at Citysearch

This place is great. I've been going there for a couple of years now pretty regularly. What I like best about it is the fact that you get to sample a number of dishes during one sitting. I think the staff are usually a pretty decent bunch and, contrary to what some other reviewer states, the chef is Japanese. The cooks aren't, but I don't see how that's a big problem. This is L.A. and that's the beauty of it.

My personal favorites:

* Beef sashimi (a bit pricey, but good)

* Chicken liver skewers!

* Chicken wings

* Squid calamari style (don't even think about getting the broiled one)

Usually get some beer and the grilled rice-balls (yaki onigiri) as side dish.

You won't be disappointed.

04/04/08

Terrible lunch service

by zippy753 at Citysearch

I?ve gone to lunch here twice and the wait staff is the worst I?ve ever experienced ? the guys who serve food are rude and empty headed. The fist time I went, I got my salad at the end of the meal after reminding him three times. He gave me attitude when I complained so I vowed not to go again. I went back a second time with a group of co-workers thinking it may have changed after a year. Unfortunately, the staff is still bad.

We were a group of ten and called ahead to make sure we could get a table. We were told there was plenty of space in the tatami room, but when we got there, we were told the tatami room is only available at dinner. They wouldn?t let us push the tables together so our group had to sit separate.

When I ordered the Sanma (Mackerel), I was cautioned that American people can?t tolerate this bony fish which is served whole, intestines included. I let the comment slide because I understand he was just trying to be considerate, but it?s annoying to be treated like I don?t know what I?m doing when I never asked.

Other signs of bad service are that two people in our group got their plates almost ten minutes before everyone else. One person had to ask twice to get his bowl of rice halfway through his meal. Five of us ordered the same dish, but only one of us got the side of pickles. Getting a glass of water is a task and the general attitude is poor. We were there before the lunch rush and it wasn?t even that busy.

Bad service aside, there?s nothing special about the food. The chicken wings are pretty good, but not good enough to salvage the rest of the mediocre menu.

• Pros: Good, social ambience
• Cons: Terrible service

08/04/07

not sure what the hype is all about

by jh72 at Citysearch

Sorry to be writing a review that's going to bring down the star average. But, what's the hype??? I don't get it. Seats are small and uncomfortable. Cost of each dish is low, but that's matched by the quantity. If you like your food deep fried or soaked in oil, then this is the restaurant for you. And BTW, don't think the chefs are Japanese. That's the number one sign if a Japanese restaurant is good or not. When the chef is not Japanese, he's not putting his heart into making the food. Food is no longer an art form for him. Just a way to pay the bills. It's like going to a fast food chinese place and all the people in the kitchen are not Chinese.

• Cons: long wait, oily food, small quantity

11/22/06

Great Japanese bar food!

by ewingnc17 at Citysearch

I'm not Japanese so I'm not sure if this is traditional Japanese bar food/ tapas but I do know that the food here is really great regardless if its traditional or not. Try the chicken wings and also the spinach with bacon. Very tasty. Be prepared for a wait though on weekend nights and the parking lot is pretty treacherous too. Look for parking in the surround neighborhood.

• Pros: food,service,ambience
• Cons: parking, wait

11/17/06

Best non-Sushi Japanese food

by chowjjs at Citysearch

Definetely try the chicken wings. You'll be instantly hooked. This is the default restaurant my boyfriend and I go to when we can't decide where to eat.

• Pros: good food, fast service, cute area (Sawtelle)
• Cons: parking, sometimes long wait for seats

09/21/06

Great Food

by laurahan at Citysearch

Fun place to sample a variety of Japanese Foods. Small portions with small prices. The chicken tanuki is great with its white pepper spice. The veggies are very flavorful and sweet. Gets crowded so expect to wait. The seating is a bit uncomfortable w/its small wooden furniture.

• Pros: food, price
• Cons: seating, parking

08/24/06

Great deal for a great time

by jeffson at Citysearch

I've been here 7 or 8 times now and I've never been disappointed with my experience. The food is good and priced rather well... for how much you eat, you'd expect to pay 1.5x to twice more... I've found the perfect group size to be around 5-6 people to split 1-3 orders of anything. With a fair amount of beer/sake and a lot of items ordered, the bill will be only about 30 per person. The beer is priced very well; especially for LA, the Saporro and Kirin pitchers are a bargain. And the sake menu is limited, but what they have is good enough and inexpensive. There are also some tasty shochu drinks, but I stay away from them. The food is perfect for meat lovers... the various beef and chicken items are all worth trying, and everyone seems to have their personal favorites. The pork skewer is really good too. I am a big fan of chicken hearts and gizzards and FuRaiBo does them REALLY well... the house special Tebasaki wings are a must... and you should get them at least regular spicy (which is practically not spicy at all) although I prefer extra spice. This is a good place to try new things, and a lot of their items are definitely worth having... I would have to say that their seafood is not quite as good as the land varieties, but they definitely have a few grilled fishes, squid and scallops that are delicious.

Overall, I would recommend this place for an unpretentious good time, with friends that just want to get together, be vicious carnivores, and drink beer... a solid manly place that's good for family and ladies too. And for your info, they DO have parking in the back (though they tow non-diners) and they only take reservations until 7pm.

• Pros: Good food, great prices, fun time for a group to chat and drink at
• Cons: Not a date place... sake menu small... some seafood could be better... can get BUSY. Minor things though!

07/26/06

Getting Crowded

by chudjr at Citysearch

I've been going here off and on for years around 9 to 10 pm. I love the agadashi tofu. Great sauce. It is getting more and more crowded. Long waits. Slow service. Small cramped seating. Don't get the pickled squid.