Honda Ya Izakaya

The food is decent. The skewers start adding up in price. I wish there was a happy hour. Parking is only validated for 2 hours.

Here’s the SETUP: 7 of us at about 9:30 on a monday. Looking for somewhere casual to just hang out and drink after a long day.
Here’s the RUNDOWN:
Food: Everything we had was tasty. TBH haven’t really had «bad» izakaya, seemed consistent to everything I have had anywhere else. Nothing stood out that made me crave going to this place. Tako Wasabi, Salmon Skin Salad, and just about all the pork involved skewers are a must and did not disappoint. Satisfactory.
Service: After they realized we weren’t a party of delinquents just trying to get drunk, they were helpful with suggestions and attentive during our non peak hours visit. Satisfactory.
Extras: There’s still a bottle with our name on it at this place, on the pricey side, sing karaōke after.

First time I came here was with a couple of friends and only tasted the salmon skin hand roll and it was good but the salmon skin was not crunchy as all the other places I have eaten at.
This time, the whole experience was just not right, waited extra long for a booth and the food was not so great, understanding sushi is not the food they are known for, what they are known for is the hot food. During this visit, I ordered salmon skin hand roll, salmon again was not crunchy but seemed baked. Also ordered the crunchy roll and spider roll, this rolls are very skimpy but the tasted was a bit okay. I was not very satisfied with the food but would try their hit food instead next time around, if possible.
Hope this helps others when deciding what to eat.

this was just standard japanese food, nothing really too special about it. We had the poke bowl which was good (the sauce was well but it was really anything special.

Another popular spot that took us over one hour to get a table. Yet I would do it again! The wait is long, the food is good and the place is just simply awesome!
It is a local chain in LA area and offers over 200 hundred items on the menu. Whatever you crave for, you can find it on the menu. We started with a pitcher of sapporo beer and sake. Normally, I don’t like beer but sapporo is probably my favorite. It goes well with grilled food in my opnion.
Sushi is not the highlight here and we only got three roles, which are still solid. We ordered a ton of yakitori. They all tasted great. My favorite is the grilled baby octopus, juicy and succulent. The grilled miso cod is also amazing, we finished the first one in no time and got a second one. We finished with the sesame balsl with red beans and ice cream as our dessert. They offer sesame flavored ice cream if you like that.
Service was quick considering the amount of people dining here. I would love to come here again!

I LOVE me a good izakaya. The atmosphere and the food makes you want to drink lol. Sadly, there aren’t that many great izakayas around that can beat the original Japanese izakaya. I mainly came here to get some skewered items +some sake and was satisfied with the food and service. We had to wait a bit since it was on a weekend night but it was still worth the wait. Gizzard, liver, scallop, and bacon wrapped enoki was so good. Tested their freshness by ordering sweet amaebi and uni sushi and both were really good. Definitely coming back for more casual drinks + good food :)

Long line wait list for seating. Recommend to go there at late time. One of the late open Japanese food restaurant.
Different seating for bar, table, and tatami area. If you would Like to feel Japanese style, choose tatami area, you will need to take off your shoes.
A lot choice for Japanese style bbq stick, named Yakitori.
Cons, the sashimi does not feel so fresh, because of no ice underneath.

I had dinner here tonight with a few friends. We went on a Sunday night at around 7pm and there was a fifteen minute wait.
They have a pretty large assortment of Japanese items on their menu, including sushi, ramen, udon etc. I ordered the tororo udon, which was okay. Tororo is a sticky grated yam that kind of has a weird and slimy texture. It was the first time I tried tororo and I didn’t like it too much. The udon itself was decent — not terrible but not great.
2 hour parking validation available.

Rating is 3.5. Decent place and came here on a weekend night. Tried the yakisoba, poki bowl, bacon wrapped scallop skewer and quail egg skewer. The poki bowl was very good, as there were several chunks of fresh fish and was the highlight of the meal. The yakisoba was a standard choice.
The two skewers were dissapointing though. For $ 2.60 each, they were extremely small and overcooked. The quail egg had no additional flavor on it. The scallops were tiny and the bacon didn’t really look/​seem like bacon.
Overall, the food is very decent for a mall setting, however, seeing as there are so many food options in LA, I wasn’t blown away.

Great izakaya! Order a few beers and a few dishes off their yakitori menu and you’re bound to have a great time!!! Love love love their grilled scallops, grilled spicy chicken wings, chicken with plum something so good! And their Japanese beef! Kimchee pancake is also yummy! Expect a bit of a wait on the weekends.

After coming to this establishment for several years, i must say their management doesn’t do a good job at satisfiying the costumers.
When making a reservation, we were told had 2 hours for dinner, after that we would be asked to leave.
We also made a mistake ordeding noodles, we were asked to keep that order, which were two. Then we asked for stock for the noodles and were told to order a whole noodle dish.
The manager, who served our table has not been accomodating and ignored our requests from the moment we complained.

Came at 11pm on a weekday, half full. Nice ambiance.
Yakisoba was decent, not the best I’ve had.
Calamari was good.
Chicken cartilage was not what I expected it to be. There are 2 different kinds, and this is the bigger kinds that have more meat, not my favorite.
Black cod was pretty good.
Will come back again for their extensive menu!
Friends ordered Nabeyaki udon and said it was good.

Came here on a weekday night, there was a lot of spaces. Service was pretty good, the server suggested and gave his opinion on whats best to order in here and I was not disappointed. As there menu was so big that I had a hard time picking which one to order :(.
I was able to try their asparagus bacon (⁵⁄₅) which was so delicious, several kinds of sushi and rolls like salmon, tuna, yellow tail and their super california roll. I think I’ll give this a (³⁄₅) as the taste was just decent, not that good but not that bad as well. Also had the chance to try their blue crab handroll (⁵⁄₅), it was very taste and there was a lot of crab in it.
Overall, the place is pretty decent which offers lots of options for diners with reasonable prices. Would definitely come back again to try some of the items at their menu.

This review is for the great experience I had on 3÷18÷2016 in that Tatami room. The food was delicious, the service was excellent, the price was reasonable and the restaurant was very clean. I dined with family and one of my uncle is a stickler for all that I mentioned above, and they exceeded his expectations.
What we ordered: Tokatsu ramens (al dente noodles), crunchy roll, spider roll, salmon & steak Japanese dinner box (cooked perfectly w/​o asking us!), miso ramen, seafood udon, and tempura (good variety of pumpkin, potato, shrimp, zucchini, etc.) —no complaints on any!

My boyfriend and I had to cancel our original sushi plans and came here unexpectedly after looking around. We didn’t know what to expect and lucky for us. it was great!
It was around midnight on Weds. when we arrived and it was really packed and crowded inside, which you wouldn’t expect because you didn’t hear any noise outside. We got a table for two and didn’t have to wait. Our server greeted us immediately and took our drink orders.
SAUTEED SALMON BELLY– salmon, fried onion, dry onion, corn, and fried garlic chips with ponzu sauce
This dish was very unique. I didn’t taste much ponzu and it was bland overall. The salmon was nicely cooked and fresh. The onions provided a nice texture, and I liked that the corn added some sweetness. I only wished for it to be more flavorful.
YAKITORI– scallop with bacon, beef tongue, pork belly, and fatty pork
I’ve got to give it to them. They have the best yakitori I’ve ever had. I’ve never really been a fan of yakitori, but I ordered them because I wasn’t feeling super hungry and didn’t want anything too filling. Who knew that it would be the smartest decision ever?! The SCALLOP WITH BACON had a nice savoriness to it. I love that the scallop tasted fresh and the bacon was meaty. I only wished that the bacon had a crisp to it. The BEEF TONGUE was my absolute favorite. It was so tender and flavorful. The juiciness of the meat was amazing! The PORK BELLY had a nice crisp to it and was nicely tender. The FATTY PORK was really juicy. I liked that the the meat comes off the stick real easily.
SPICY SALMON HAND ROLL
The hand roll was really good. There was a nice spice to the salmon and the salmon was very fresh and very smooth. I love that they filled it up with a lot too and was not scarce on the fish.
LOBSTER HAND ROLL– cooked lobster with mayo sauce
They gave a big chunk of lobster in this roll. It was very flavorful and the mayo sauce wasn’t too overpowering nor did they put too much. There was just the right amount to give it a bit of a creamy texture. The lobster was cooked perfectly and very meaty.
NIGIRI– fresh water eel, tuna, salmon, and fatty tuna
The FRESH WATER EEL was sweet and meaty and the TUNA was decent. It didn’t taste super fresh, but it wasn’t to the point where it was fishy. The SALMON was buttery. The FATTY TUNA was disappointing because it tasted fishy. It wasn’t as smooth and tender as it could’ve been.
I definitely will be coming back to get more of their yakitori and hand rolls. I want to try their other items as well. I’ve got to add this place on my list again. They also validate your parking ticket for an hour if you parked in the garage.

This has got to be the general store of all Izakaya’s in Little Tokyo. It has a wide range of foods you won’t see at most Japanese restaurants since they try to specialized in certain foods that are their forte. Izakaya are Japanese gastropubs, and Honda~ya has various spaces so that groups of all kinds can be accommodated. Ebisu, Haru Ulala, Raku are fine Izakaya, but limited in space, but Honda~ya can swallow a multitude of the famished.
I only sampled the Yakitori or barbecued chicken on skewers. The cooking heat is from a hard charcoal, probably the exquisite Bincho-​, which gives out even heating and imparts a light, elegant smokiness to the barbecue’d meats. I enjoyed the Tsukune or ground chicken meat balls, Bara or porkbelly which can be wrapped around asparagus, Enoki straw mushrooms, etc. or all by itself. Bonchi is the rear small tail portion which is crunchy and oily/​savory at the same time. Lamb Chop had a nice gamey typical sheep flavor & pleasant chaw. Aluminum foil is thoughtfully wrapped around the end of the rib bone so it can be picked up by the fingers without soiling them.
Shrimp on a skewer is a good change from mostly land animal fare. Hokkaido– Hotate Gai/​scallops are amazing in that not only do they bbq the round adductor muscle, but also include the chewy Himo/​mantle, and if you’re lucky the Ko/​roe which is composed of micro-​small eggs & feels creamy & lush w/​a bit of ocean sweetness.
And, of course, Sake, Sho-​chu-​/​low octane Japanese vodka, or beer such as Sunrise by Kawaba Microbrewery as well as the more ubiquitous Asahi, Sapporo, Kirin can be a great pairing to the Yakitori depending on if you want a palate cleanser, or food enhancer by contrasting against the flavor of the Yakitori or augmenting to the flavors.
Huge scoop of Black Sesame Ice Cream is ground black sesame seeds, which adds a smokey, oily Umami to the vanilla ice cream matrix & went well w/​the Ho-​ji Cha/​roasted green leaf tea as a conclusion to the meal.
If you are in a group of friends who have different likes in terms of Japanese food, then Honda~ya may be a good choice since they serve so many different kinds of foods that hopefully, all will be satisfied with their varied choices. 4– Unilocal stars.
PS The music, sort of urban, contemporary, supposedly «edgy» definitely does not match the rural, bucolic décor of Honda~ya. Perhaps they should save this music for later in the evening while for us earlier diners, more traditional Japanese music such as Enka or Minyo– would match the setting better.

I am surprised at how bad Honda ya are. all across the town!
I went to the City of Industry on Friday evening and than again this past Wed in Little Tokyo and I swear. the wait staff and the standing manager had huge tude.
I am a vegetarian and I know its difficult to accompany me but when they clearly see a table full of food, when asked if their are any vegetarian options she asks us to go to the Vegan Sushi place next door !! ummmm how can that be taken lightly? So incredibly rude and uncalled for ! I felt so disrespected that the rest of the meal was tasteless.
Not to mention, we spent over 150 that evening !

Well priced tapa-​style Japanese place in Little Tokyo. On a Saturday night, the wait was 45−60min, as were all the other good restaurants in the mall (except this one ramen place that was deserted… maybe they have roaches???).
We got seated and got several dishes. The ones that stood out was their Udon Yakisoba — which had a nice flavor like regular Yakisoba, but the fatter noodles really added something. Also their Super California Roll (essentially a dragon roll) was also very good, and if you are a fan of Unagi sauce– you will love it (smothered in it). A few other dishes were just okay– their Spicy Ahi Cracker (bit bland but interesting thought) and ramen dishes.
Solid place to come, especially with reasonable prices. Room for improvement would be their service (not as good as most Japanese places).

It’s been so long since my last visit to this particular location, but they didnt disappoint me! I have been frequenting the one in the City of Industry just because my boyfriend lives nearby, and I feel like Little Tokyo location is so much better!
The servers were definitely more attentive and they actually named every dish when they brought it out other than just putting in on your table. Brought us a pitcher of water upon seating and the whole set up was super nice also. I am proud to say that every one of the waiters here were nice and knew what they were doing. Customer service was exceptional and I couldnt be any happier.
It was a group of three, we ordered a lot of food and just shared altogether. None of us had dinner so we finished our food pretty fast, I mean lightning fast, haha. I really enjoyed their Yakisoba which I didnt have a big expectation for. The flavor was just the way I like it, not too overpowering. Also, there were a decent amount of meat and veggies. Takoyaki was OK. To me, it was a little too mushy. I would have enjoyed it more if the outside was more crisp. Sesame chicken was also great. I dont like it when the batter is too salty but their sesame chicken was not. I can probably eat a lot of them! Yakitori was nice for most part but the chicken meat ball was ridiculously small. I remember getting them at the other location and they were prettt big and juicy but here, is very tiny. Please look at my picture!
The salad and the miso soup they give is pretty fresh too, for the salad part atmost. The dressing has peanut butter in it or just peanut so if you are allergic to peanuts, please be careful.
Parking ticket is validated for 2 hours max. Dont forget to get them validated! The server will usually ask if you need a validation when you ask for a check.

It’s been over two years since I’ve been back to Honda Ya Izakaya and their Yakitori and their items on the menu still hit the spot. It’s not best Yakitori that I have had, but it’s still good enough to satisfied my craving.
SERVICE:
The service was great. Made reservation at 8 for 10 peeps and was seated right away, and this was on a Friday night. Our waiter did a good job of taking care of us.
FOOD:
Sake «Ikura «Bowl: This was good. Cook salmon served over rice and top with fresh Ikura.
Agedashi Tofu: This was good as well.
Sashimi Bowl: This wasn’t the best. Some of the fish were fresh and some not so. Pass.
Yakitori Items:
Chicken w/​Wasabi: Good flavor, but the chicken was dry.
Beef Tongue: This was excellent. Nice and tender.
Chicken Cartilage: My favorite Yakitori.
Okura w/​Bacon: Good
Chicken Tail: Good
Chicken Skin: Love that skin
Chicken w/​Green Onions: Just ok
Chicken Neck: Good
Gizzard: Wasn’t bad
Overall a good place to eat and drink with a group of friends.

Having lived in Irvine for a few years I really enjoyed frequenting Honda Ya Tustin as THE place to go to for Japanese food. So when there was a group outing with my friends to go to the one in Little Tokyo, I could not refuse.
I found the place (located on the third floor of what used to be the Yohan plaza) to be livelier than its Tustin counterpart, and I really enjoyed the chill yet authentic atmosphere and friendly service. Honda Ya really excels at yakatori or anything that has to do with meat and this place did not disappoint. I found the popcorn chicken and my bento box to be awesome with my teriyaki to well marinated and tender. The Green Apple Hai was also good in loosening me up. ;-)
Honda Ya in LA also provides a great setting for groups to converse and also to drink (with some warnings if you want to look at my pictures). Don’t miss it if you feel like having a good time.