Few restaurants in Los Angeles arrive at such a sublime level as Otafuku. The Yakitori alone is next level. The Ume Chasuke is full of hearth and exact flavor. The Ankimo is spot on fresh and poignant. Excellent prompt service. Amazing loud bustling crowd of happy diners.

Some of the best tempura and soba noodles in the South Bay! My husband and I frequent Ichimian because it's a bit closer to where we live but recently started going to Otafuku and have had excellent experiences both times. I'm a big fan of their grated daikon and vegetables + seiro soba (cold). It's flavorful and refreshing. The eel tempura is a definite must try - it's tender with a crispy, thin coating. The restaurant has two main areas for seating- one for smaller tables and a bit larger room for 4 people+ tables that's a bit roomier. Overall vibe is pretty casual. They can get a bit busy on weekend evenings, so reservations may be advisable. Parking lot is a bit small and narrow behind the restaurant. Overall, worth the visit if you are in the South Bay Area!

I think I eat here at least once a month... And after moving back from the Bay Area (deprived of good soba), I think I've eaten here like once every 2 weeks. It's just that good. You really can't go wrong with anything on the menu and everything is prepared fresh right there in their open kitchen concept. My go-to is their cold Kikouchi Soba with Tororo. Their salad, yakitori, nagaimo (mountain yam) with okra, and tempura are also solid. And you can't forget the dessert, custard pudding with a scoop of ice cream. (,: This spot has become so popular - there's almost always a line. Parking is limited in the parking lot behind the building, but thankfully there's some street parking as well.

Came here on a Wednesday night to catch up with a friend. Came here around 6 PM and glad that we were seated immediately. I ordered the seiro soba cold and vegetable tempura. I honestly really enjoyed the vegetable tempura, it was something about that batter that was so crispy and appetizing. Of course the kabocha and sweet potatoes were the best but even the other veggies like bell pepper and green beans were delicious! Seiro cold soba was also very good, slurpable, fresh, and savory! I really like the little hint of citrus they added. At the end of the meal, they give you sobayu (soba hot soup) to pour into the dashi soup. Ambiance was great, clean and had that izakaya feeling to it with a bunch of sake decorations on the wall. Not a cheap place, vegetable tempura was $14 and the soba was $16 and I was not completely full from that. I want to come back for the tempura!

This is a hidden gem of soba in all of Southern California. I was looking for a place to eat after grocery shopping and stumbled upon this restaurant through some searching. One of the few places that make their own soba in-house, can taste the freshness of the three different kinds of soba they have with various levels of buckwheat within it. I've tried all three types of soda, and my favorite has to be the Kikouchi soba. It's got that strong, buckwheat flavor that I'm looking for as well as a really nice chew as it's the chewiest of the three types. The restaurant has two sides, and I'm usually seated at the bar if I am there by myself or with one other person. It doesn't get that loud in the restaurant, despite having an open kitchen that faces the seating area. I think in the separate room section that has seating for bigger parties tends to get a little echoey because of the tall ceiling. I recommend going during brunch because it's not as busy. You definitely need a reservation for dinner time, otherwise you may not be able to get a table. I recommend parking on the street if possible because the limited parking area behind the restaurant is quite tight and I've seen some people scratch their cars.

Fresh and delicious soba spot in Gardena! We made a reservation for weeknight dinner, just in case, bc the restaurant is small and busy. They offer 3 diff sobas - the seiro is their most popular and I loved the texture of the soba noodles & taste of the dipping sauce! Must get the EEL TEMPURA which is fried to perfection and fish is sooo tender.

This place has such an authentic, hole-in-the-wall, legit Japanese restaurant vibe. The food was great. We ordered the soba, shrimp/veg tempura, eel tempura, and tamago maki (egg roll). Everything was delicious, but especially the tempura. They do tempura right! The batter was so light and crispy, ingredients were fresh and flavorful. The eel was huge! Soba was delicious, as expected. The only thing that I had a problem with is that the usual accompaniments that you get with soba, such as radish and nori, are extras that you have to order. They do give you green onion and wasabi, but seriously minuscule amount. Otherwise, everything was piping hot, freshly delivered, and service was very friendly. We definitely want to come back and try other items with some sake/beer. Looks like they have a pretty extensive sake menu. Can't wait!