Izakaya Akatsuki - Hand-crafted Udon Soba in Gardena

I went here 3 times.First time, there was huge gaps between each food comes out. Portion wise very little but expensive.Second time, foods came out as soon as we ordered. Wait.. we Just ordered but how so fast that food comes out so quick?Food, salty and still small portion and expensive.Third time as my last time will be coming to this restaurant. I WOULD NEVER SPEND EVEN ONE SINGLE PENNY here.Food came out super late and one of the waitress is rude. Most of them was old Japanese ladies but! There was young asian lady who worked in the Sunday dinner time was so super RUDE and she ruined my experience and my family’s dinner.One food came out and 15 mins later another food came out and another 15mins later food came out. Ridiculously rest of my family member had to lick the chopsticks until food comes out.Still expensive compare to worth of the food.Never come back.I’ve tried enough time and so not worth it.

I ate here first maybe two weeks ago and have been back six times since. It is very well made Japanese food and very fresh. I feel great after eating and have enjoyed everything I have tried. The staff is also top notch.

Cozy atmosphere that serves dishes packed with flavor. The seaweed was a great appetizer and the Gyoza was cooked to perfection. I got the katsu chicken curry and it had a great balance of spices. Service was a bit slow and we had to ask for drink refills a few times, but they also seemed very busy since it was mothers day.

A slight name change, New Ownership, very busy on a Sunday afternoon. Great service. I ordered the fried chicken bento. It was so busy it took awhile for the 10 of us to get served. Everything was very tasty. Gardena, Torrance is a gold mine of amazing eateries and Markets.

They definitely know how to get you in the mood ☺️. The first thing youd noticed is the aesthetics of the place and how clean, pleasantly lit the place is. I also really like their seating arrangements: very spacious but cozy. Servers were really friendly and patient. The place was clean, restroom included.Now, moving on to the food, I enjoyed every single dish on the menu 😋:- Shrimp Tempura Udon: This was a very comforting dish. I had oily food for days and decided to eat something light and this udon didnt disappoint. Seasoning again was on point and the broth was very delicious (I actually finished the whole bowl). The tempura was ok, but still enough for me to enjoy it. 👍🏼Portion was huge! Loved it.- Grilled Salmon: The portion was fair, the meat texture was perfect (tender and juicy). It was fresh and the seasoning was just right, not too salty nor oily. It was fairly priced too! I recommend this for salmon lovers!- Chicken Kaarage: They really made this extra crispy and the meat was also very juicy (I hate dry chicken and this is not it, so woohoo! 🎉).Overall, I would really like you to try this restaurant. You would have an amazing experience here. I am looking forward to coming back here to try the other dishes on the menu. Money well spent! 😁

Great experience with a large group of 20 in the private room. We ordered cream mentaiko nabe hot pot with udon set - generous portion of mentaiko and delicious homemade udon - good size for 3 small people or two large people :) they were kind enough to give us two matcha cake for the birthday boys. I will be back soon and hopefully will get to try to sit in their tatami room!

Saw the owners posts on Instagram. Surprisingly it was a local restaurant and decided to come after looking through all the amazing looking dishes that were posted. The Undon/Soba noodles are made fresh daily by the owner.The pictures do not do the food justice, as its MUCH more amazing in person.Decided to stop off during the lunch hours.Was attended immediately and in a comfy booth.Our orders on our visit:Curry Beef UdonAgemochi Oroshi UdonShoyu Fried Chicken SideShrimp Tempura SideYuzu Sparkling DrinkKinako Flan with Brown SugarWe started with the Shoyu Fried Chicken, each piece was perfectly cooked. Only dark meat was used and a side of lemon slice for lite seasoning. Its all it really needed and was finished in a few bitesThe Shrimp Tempura was so light and flavorful the only unfortunate part is that its gone in less than two bites and leaves you wanting more.The Curry Beef Udon was absolutely fantastic, not overpowering in flavor and rich enough to stick to the udon and beef to make an amazing flavor combination.The Agemochi was a unique new tasty experience. Ive only eaten mochi cold and with fruit flavors. The mochi served was very chewy and stretchy but in a good way as it soaks up broth with every bite. 😀We found a unique drink being offered and I am always happy to try new foods and drinks I happily drank the deliciously sweet Yuzu Sparkling Drink, although high in sugar its Yuzu flavor complimented all the dishes we ate great 👍To finish off our great lunch we tried the in house Kinako Flan with Brown Sugar.The taste was surprisingly mild and extremely smooth, reminding me of a semi sweet pudding drizzling with liquid brown sugar.Very happy overall with all aspects of the restaurant and am looking forward to visiting more often and trying more amazing foods on the menu.

Went there for lunch, it was pretty busy but no wait. The Udon is good with fresh hand made noodles, the soup was okay not the best Ive tried. Service was good so happy overall with my experience. Will go back and try other items on their menu.

Best handmade udon in LA- no joke!!If you feel like eating Udon, this is a must go to placeServer is also super friendly!

After a nice afternoon spent surfing the waves at Manhattan Beach, we had some time to spare before our flight at LAX. We had a strong craving for udon and after some googling, we came across this cute mom and pop shop in South Bay. Entering the shop, I was immediately hit with a strong feeling of nostalgia, a rare feeling that I find increasingly valuable these days. The service was attentive and the food incredible! We ordered a chicken shoyu nabe, tuna yamakake, eel roll, and yellowtail sashimi. Will definitely come back when i’m in LA again. Support small businesses!