Kushikatsu Tanaka

This little restaurant on Sawtelle is quite good and usually not too crowded. Extra bonus for having a dog friendly patio. You do have to be in the mood for breaded fried skewers and a whole different type of ramen, though.
If you enjoy tomato soup, Kushikatsu Tanaka is for you! Especially their tomato broth ramen, which has the added bonus of being vegetarian and kosher friendly (no pork in the broth.) It’s basically ramen meets tomato bisque with the added twist of being able to order dipping skewers. There are also unique flavors like the taco tomato ramen, which is very Los Angelesy.
Service was friendly and efficient and the food was piping hot off the fryer/​grill. I am taking off a star because sometimes there are roaches on the outdoor patio at night (I don’t know if anything can be done about this?) but otherwise finally there is a ramen place on the block doing something completely different from all the other shops!

I love their kushikatsu, but this time around, I was there for the Ramen!!! Their ramens have been quite a hype among Japanese bloggers. So here I come!!!
I had L.A.Men ramen which comes with sausage (The shape of this sausage reminds me of dog food a little…), cilantro, sour cream, and salsa (Yay, everything that I like.) in tomato based soup. I don’t know if we could call it a Ramen, and it was more like pasta dish. But boy, it was delicious!!! I just wish they would serve it in more high temperature since I like having my food hot, especially for noodles, piping hot.
Five stars for their service, too. Especially, the manager there who always treats customers in great manner. Being in same kind of business, I really respect that.

Fried, oily foods on a hot day in a hot restaurant was probably not the best idea, but it still was a tasty experience! The waitress was really helpful and friendly and told us about the menu.
I got the Kushikatsu combo, which came with salad, rice, and all the fried goodies. I liked the onion the most actually, maybe cause it was the biggest. hah. The zucchini was good too! Also, the sauces are in bottles that you can squeeze onto a separate plate, sooo I didn’t see any of that double-​dipping signs or whatnot. The secret menu is a hamburger with a beef patty that’s basically fried.
Why go to the fair when you came come here to get all your fried goodies?

Very good and a lot of Happy Hour options. We tried their salmon roll, which was excellent in taste and presentation. Most of the rest of our meal was from their «fried» options… it was all very good though I was running a little slowly afterwards.
We sat outside and had great service. A cool new place.

Kushikatsu Tanaka reminds me of my friend, also with the surname Tanaka, who is a Japanese dude born here so he is totally influenced by Western culture.
I think that is an appropriate description of what their tempura and Tanaka ramen are like. Items such as the tempura skewer of bacon or chicken really has a Western type fried food feel to it and they are both really good. They give you a basket of about 6 sauces to try with the skewers and I liked the Ponzu sauce and their Kushikatsu special sauce.
The ramen too has a Western feel with its tomato base and kind of tasted like spaghetti, but more on that later.
Probably the biggest reason I have them so highly rated is because of their Instagram discount — tanaka ramen for $ 5 instead of $ 9.
Tip: this instagram deal ends at the end of August!
You simply follow them on Instagram, tag a pic of you enjoying the ramen, and voila! Cheap ramen. They’ll even follow you back and like your pic.
The Tanaka ramen was good, I though the tomato broth was not overpowering at all and my only real gripe is that the noodles could have been firmer. Otherwise I liked having a tempura battered asparagus stalk, parmesan cheese, tomato skewer, and mixed spring greens. Overall a new take on ramen and enjoyable ramen dish.
Tip 2: its located right next to the newly anticipated Tsujita Sushi concept restaurant. So if that place doesn’t fill you up, Kushikatsu is waiting for you!

I came here again to try their tomato ramen. It reminded me of childhood (chef boyardee) but with less gross ingredients. At first you’d think the tomato and noodles are a weird mix, but it’s actually not too overwhelming. I love the thicker, chewy noodles and the asparagus gives some nice crunch.
I feel like this place is soo underrated, especially since everything is very affordable and service is amazing.

An Instagram deal offering Tanaka Ramen (Tomato Miso) for $ 5 (instead of $ 9) lured me in off the sidewalk while $ 1.50 bottles of Sapporo Beer for Happy Hour were an easy win. The inside looked nice, but the sidewalk patio nicer, so, I grabbed a seat at a table there and was quickly greeted by a really kind guy. From start to finish the service was stellar.
Unfortunately, it turns out I’m not a fan of the Tomato Miso Ramen. It’s too tomato-​y for me and the Parmigiano Cheese was kind of odd. A long thin Kushikatsu Asparagus was the star of the ramen and I probably could of just ordered that on its own. The noodles were average, but the flavor just didn’t really do much for me. (2 stars)
I did try a couple of the Kushikatsu house specialties. Neither was spectacular, but weren’t horrible either. A Jalapeño Kushikatsu skewer ($ 1.70) had three slices of a breaded jalapeño pepper while a Tsukune Kushikatsu skewer had two balls of Chicken Meat. (3 stars)
There are lots of signs everywhere reminding diners not to «double-​dip» the kushikatsu in the traditional sauce served in a small bowl on the side; however, the friendly waiter said not to worry since they would toss the jar after me. To be safe, I still just «single-​dipped.»
Potential seems to be there for some good Japanese-​style seasoned deep-​fried meats and veggies, so, I may have to stop by for another Happy Hour beer and to try more of the food which Kushikatsu Tanaka is famous.
Thanks to great service and the discount prices, the overall rating for Kushikatsu Tanaka is raised to 3 stars.

Not bad! I was a bit hesitant at first since I am not THAT into battered and fried things but I am glad I tried Kushikatsu for lunch. It is a relatively straight forward menu — you get the kushikatsu set that includes a deep fried asparagus, onion, pork cutlet, zucchini, and a lotus root in addition to a bowl of rice, small salad, and miso soup. It was more than enough food for me at an affordable $ 9!
I had a bite of my bf’s ramen — the tomato + miso base — and it was good for what it is. A little out of my cr

Cute little spot on Sawtelle.
I’d say this is more of a place to go to if you want to drink and munch on something. They have deep fried EVERYTHING (including oreos) and their hot sauce is amazing!
They have happy hour (3 dollar beers) and they added a ramen menu that is SO good. I had the Tanaka ramen (tomato miso) and it was DELISH. SUPER oily and heavy but i liked the taste. Note: it isn’t a gourmet bowl of ramen but its definitely tasty and affordable!
They are having an instagram special. (to be honest it was a lot of work for a discount but cant complain on saving money) You have to follow them, take a picture WITH your ramen and the sign, and post it on your own instagram, and tag them in it as well. *To get the discount, you have to post one photo per bowl* (original price around 9 bucks, the discount gets you a bowl for 5 bucks!)
We went late and the server wasn’t super friendly. She probably wanted to close and we came in late. Gomen!

Kushikatsu Tanaka currently has a great promotion going on til the end of July. Like them on instagram and take a picture of yourself with the food, tag kushikatsutanaka and show it to the waitress. You get $ 4 off your ramen, that means 2 free fried bits of yumminess.
Now what’d I think of the place. Kushikatsu is the tempura version of yakitori. Little skewers that are breaded with panko and then fried. Their kushikatsu is pretty awesome. The breading consists of very fine panko, which is nice. Crispy exterior with a perfectly cooked interior. Simply masterful execution. My question is… is it worth the price? I paid $ 1.75 for a ¼ sliver of a tiny pickle that was then fried. $ 2.25 for what seemed like 1 strip of bacon, cut in half, curled up and fried. Now I realize that masterful technique has it’s price but 3 cherry tomatoes, skewered and fried shouldn’t cost me $ 2.
Bacon Kushikatsu — 4.5÷5 Stars
This was pretty delicious. I would get this again. As mentioned, the price seems a little steep but that is the case with all the skewers.
Pickle Kushikatsu — ³⁄₅ Stars
This was okay. The pickle was very sour but I couldn’t find any sauce that matched with it.
Tomato Kushikatsu — 3.5÷5 Stars
Same as the pickle… none of the sauces seemed to work with this. Also no body to this as the tomatoes turn to gushers after they are cooked.
Asparagus Kushikatsu — ⁵⁄₅ Stars
This was great. The asparagus was cooked perfect. Tender yet firm, not over cooked and limp. Flavor was great. I don’t know about maying $ 1.75 for each spear of asparagus but if I had to pick anything it would be this and the bacon.
I also tried their Tanaka Ramen — Tomato Miso Ramen. I will start by saying that this is really filling. I walked out feeling completely full. The noodles are definitely fresh and have a very good chewiness to them. The broth is good at first but is a little one noted so you get tired of eating it when you’re done. I would suggest sharing a bowl between two people and getting a bunch of the kushikatsu’s to supplement.
They also suggest dipping stuff into the tomato miso broth but I don’t really suggest it. I think the dipping sauce they provide works better.
I will probably try this place one more time before their instagram special is over to see what else is good.

we come to sawtelle often and end up going to the same places over and over, so yesterday we decided to branch out and try something new (ie tomato ramen).
the tomato ramen was interesting and worth trying once, but i found the flavor to be too concentrated and couldn’t eat more than a couple of bites. the bf finished the bowl we were sharing (ie he didn’t think it was that bad), but he said he wouldn’t order it again.
we also ordered a couple of pieces of the kushi katsu, which tasted nice (good batter, yummy dipping sauce) but the pieces were way too small for $ 2 a piece. and i wish the sauce came in a squeeze bottle instead of a large tin (it says «no double dipping» on the lid, but i’m still suspicious).
overall, we still liked dinner for the novelty of it. but the food wasn’t really to my taste, so i doubt we’ll ever come back again.

THEY HAVE RAMEN NOW.
It sucks that this place is empty while both Tsujitas down the street have huge lines at all hours of the day (especially now that Tsujita has ramen for dinner now). But according to the interwebs, this is also a Tsujita joint? If that’s the case then it makes sense that they would make a mean bowl of ramen.
Tomato miso ramen — sounds weird but apparently it’s really popular in Japan. I had the Tanaka Ramen and was impressed — good, rich ramen flavor with a not-​too-​overwhelming kick of tomatoness. Add top quality chashu, a zany giant deep fried asparagus stick and a few kushikatsu tomatoes and they really shouldn’t have a problem dragging over a few of the miserable souls who have been waiting over in the Tsujita Annex parking lot for the last 45 minutes. Can’t wait to go back and try the (gulp) quadruple cheese ramen.

I appreciate that Kushikatsu offers an alternative Japanese cuisine other than the usual sushi or ramen options. However, I would only come for a light meal or snack. It’s a bit pricey if you come with an empty, growling tummy!
My boyfriend and I shared the Tanaka beef burger and picked 4 Kushikatsu: squid, eggplant, lotus root, and pork. The burger was quite delicious, but not filling at all. The squid wasn’t memorable, I barely tasted it under the batter. The eggplant was good, but nothing great. I didn’t like the lotus root even though most reviews rave about it. But, I’m not a fan of lotus root to begin with. The pork was my favorite and the only one I considered ordering more of, however the portion was so small I didn’t think it was worth the price.
I was also really disappointed in the service. It took forever to catch a waiter and place our order. After ordering, the wait time was reasonable, but we still had not received water. It’s one of my pet peeves to get food before my drink, especially when it’s just water!
We ended up heading to New Japan for more food because after spending $ 30, we didn’t want to spend more only to still be hungry.
Overall, I really like the concept of the restaurant but because of slow service, high price, and leaving hungry, I can’t give this place more than 3 stars :(However, this place is worth a try if you’re ever looking for something new to try on Sawtelle!

Came here for lunch with my sister today and food is absolutely delicious! We had the beef burger and the Kushi katsu combo. Both were perfectly fried and melted in your mouth. Even the fries and salad were delicious.
Both were reasonably priced. Definitely want to come back and try dinner!

Just loved this place, especially for lunch! Came randomly, and stumbled upon Kushi Katsu, which apparently is a different way of eating Japanese food. Basically, you have fried veggies or meats on a skewer and you dip it in the house sauce, which is communal.
For lunch, there are a few different combo options, but I got the Udon noodle soup combo, which came with Inari and a salad. Yum! I had the beef and pork kushi katsu in my udon (not meant to sound dirty). My friend got the Kushi Katsu combo, which came with a whole assortment of fried veggies including lotus root, eggplant, pork, chicken, and asparagus. I loved the concept of it all. She also had deliciously cooked white rice, miso soup, and salad.
First, the katsu was phenomenal. Perfectly fried crispy on the outside, melt in your mouth on the inside dishes (especially the eggplant). The house sauce was wonderful too. I suggest you pour a little into a small bowl and use that for dipping. My combo was $ 11, my friend’s was $ 10.
The interesting thing. NO TIPPING. If you want, you can, but the proceeds are donated. When you pay with credit, there’s not even a line to add tip. Great service.

Veryyyy interesting! This place basically serves fried food a la yakitori places. The prices are pretty descent and the special sauce is much gentler than I thought it’d be. Being a sweet sauce, I was worried it’d be overpowering like teriyaki (I hate teriyaki sauce) but it wasn’t. The sweetness is much milder than in teriyaki.
Their appetizers are excellent. We had the beef tendon and milk «tofu» spread. Both were amazing, the beef was fairly tender and the sweet sauce was amazing. The peppery honey «tofu» spread tasted like a milder greek yogurt in spread form. Very unique and surprisingly tasty.
I actually was not crazy about the fried foods on a stick themselves – it might be because I’m not a huge fan of fried foods other than non-​breaded fried fish, french fries and fried chicken. The only sticks that were surprisingly delicious/​worked surprisingly well were the mochi and leeks. Those were excellent.

No tipping! Tips are donated to St. Jude’s.
Kushikatsu Tanaka is a new addition to Sawtelle. It serves various items in panko battered skewers. The master chef is behind a plexi glass wall where customers can observe him at work.
There’s attention to details. Disposable chopsticks are made of bamboo. They’re smooth. There’s no necessity to brush off the splinters.
I really like that Kushikatsu Tanaka follows the Japanese tradition of No Tipping. It makes this place a perfect lunch spot.

Barely opened a week ago and we had to go try it out. They have a happy hour they’re piloting (just started this week) to try and get more traffic. $ 2 for ‘genuine’ Japanese beer? Sounds like a decent Happy Hour.
I gravitated toward the curry udon because it came with one pork skewer/​one beef skewer. The udon was pretty good, nice and brothy. The beef skewer was tastier than the pork. I also got a mochi skewer, which turned out to be my favorite (I love mochi by itself, but deep fried on a stick? ridiculous). The yam one was the only one I didn’t like… I was expecting more of a sweet potato tempura and got a slimy crunchy slice. That sucker was huge and there’s «NO DOUBLE DIPPING» so I choked it down dry.
They seem to still be fine-​tuning the menu, so the «chef’s special» may continue to change as they figure it out. Just glad it replaced sad little Chabuya.

We tried this place for the first time last Thursday for dinner and it was a great dining experience!!!
Kushikatsu TANAKA is more of a specialty Japanese restaurant that focuses on Kushikatsu, which is good that is fried on a skewer.
I wanted to check this place out because I had heard about TANAKA in Japan got a special dine out award last year.
Service is great even though they just opened last week.
Not a cheap place but the food is satisfying and varied. Definitely recommended.