First time here. I ordered the tokontsu ramen & karage chicken. The broth was very good. Lots of flavor & not salty. The noodles were thinner than I expected. They were cooked well & not chewy. The karage were large chunks of chicken with light batter & seasoned well. More chicken than batter. Service was great. I will come again.

Super cute izakaya place in west LA. Went for my gf's birthday and it was really nice. Service is quick and attentive. Parking is nominal and what you expect for west LA but ample enough at dinnertime. They are known for the potsticker chicken wings and they are really good. Nice presentation also. Sashimi special for that night was real fresh and beautifully plated. Porkbelly wrapped skewers were also very tender and juicy. The short rib kalbi and harami skirt steak were flavorful and served sizzling.

The Motsunabe is truly something special. I was eager to find this dish in LA, and I was not disappointed. The flavor and quality is comparable to what I had in Japan. I'm also impressed by their sake selection. They have plenty of rare bottles that are hard to find in Tokyo. Senshin in particular is one of my favorites from Niigata. I will be back again!

Hakata Izakata HERO is authentic izakaya experience with friendly service. Love supporting amazing small mom and pop shops like this. I've been a few times and it's always been amazing. The shop is quite small and reservations are highly recommended, especially for larger parties. It's best for 4-6 people. The parking is mainly meters and street parking in neighborhood. For the food: The signature item is Teba Gyo - Jidori Chicken wing stuffed with gyoza filing. It's priced per wing, so order one for each person. Other dishes to share with the table are Eggplant Agedashi, Crispy fried Chicken Kaarage, Stuffed Shitake Mushroom (also stuffed with gyoza filing). The Panfried Champon, noodle are nice and chewy, covered in gravy-like sauce. Beef Tongue Steak is one of the meat options, comes out perfect medium rare. I prefer the Skirt Steak Harami Platter.

If you want an authentic Japanese izakaya (pub) experience, Izakaya Hero is the place. I'm originally from Japan (but I have lived in the US a little over half of my life). It's a small establishment near UCLA. As soon as you walk in, you're in an izakaya in Japan. The workers, the chefs and the waitstaff, are mostly (if not all) Japanese. Their offerings are very authentic. They serve several dishes that contain cow intestines, dishes with mentaiko (cod roe), Hakata (city in Kyushu) style ramen. Their food is NOT Americanized at all. If you are opened about trying authentic Japanese food, this is an excellent place. If you want teriyaki or sushi rolls, this is not your place. I don't think they even serve teriyaki. My girlfriend and I ordered/shared 6 dishes and hot sake. See my pictures for details. I have included my ratings in the caption. After sharing 6 small to medium size dishes, we were completely full. The total only came to $113 (including a 9.5% sales tax) plus a tip. This is a GREAT deal. I recommend you to try this restaurant if you want authentic Japanese izakaya food.

Amazing. Amazing. Amazing. The service to the food, everything is always amazing. Sake and beer definitely also help. The specials are always a new surprise and a pleasant experience awaits with an attentive staff!

Came here with a girlfriend the other night since I had it on my hit list. The place is super busy crowded and no table remains empty. We decided to order the hot pot for two ($35/person). Probably won't ordered again because you really don't get enough food for the price that you're paying. And it was just OK. Service was very friendly but slow. We had to tag down our waitress a few times. The chicken karaje was absolutely delicious though!!

Overall: mmh mmh mmh. Located off the main Sawtelle strip is this tiny Japanese Izakaya that is on an absolute tear. So many delicious menu items I HAVE to go back and try more. Food: their stuffed chicken tsukune wing was so unexpected. Crispy skin on the outside with dumpling filling on the inside. Almost like a gyoza. Chicken karaage can never go wrong with that. Especially how crunchy crispy the texture is. The pork belly wrap was straight to the point letting the flavors of the ingredients do all the work. The chive one packed an intense punch with the fat rendering on the aromatic chives. The Shabu tonkotsu bowl was surprisingly really worth the order considering they load the bowl up with ramen noodles at the end. Good balance of ingredients with the meat and veggies to go with the slightly richer broth. Ambience/Decor/Service: hard to judge this place on their interior because of how small the shop is. I count maybe 6/8 tables for a max of 36 people inside. Not meant for large parties but meant for an intimate yummy experience. Service was quick so that they could quickly bus and serve the next group.