Skip to Content
Cheap Eats

East Japanese Restaurant ~ Little Tokyo

12:01 PM PDT on August 3, 2006

East Japanese Restaurant

329 E. 1st St. ~ (213) 437-0563~ Little Tokyo ~ Downtown (TACO MAP)

I'm no expert on which Little Tokyo place busts the best ramen, and I think East might be a chain, but I sure do like the cut of their jib. It is a comfortable little spot heavy on bamboo and posters from Samurai and gangster flicks, earning serious cool points. Tables are laid out in the front, with a bar-sized area for the sushi chefs in the back.

The service is cordial and the general atmosphere is very welcoming, a sort of cross between a low-key Izakaya and a traditional eatery on the country road to Edo. Their menu has seemingly everything from yakitori to terriyaki, ramen, and sushi. It's sort of like Japanese food 101...

Udon at East Japanese Restaurant
East Japanese Restaurant

Hot tea was poured beside our cold Kirin drafts. The sushi at East is not going to put Nobu or Urusawa out of business anytime soon. Nonetheless, it is simple, artful, and tasty. Our unagi (eel) rolls were drizzled in long, wavy strokes of soy-based unagi sauce. The flavor was strongly sweet, the texture soft, and the rice firm.

My udon noodles were brought out in a bowl that had a medieval feel, a sort of iron-sided, heavy-duty earthenware. The rootsy blend inside is dense with foliage, chives, seaweed, and a giant piece of tempura shrimp. My favorite ingrdient exists in the slightly boiled egg that is slipped in the bowl. As the egg breaks, the hot soup beings to cook the runny yolk within the broth, adding a barely solid, gooey prescence. The broth itself has a very sweet, comforting taste, though the tempura has nary a chance of staying crisp when it is saturated like this. The noodles keep very firm, and have a solid consistency that keeps them intact as you slurp away. The broth is truly delectable, we slurped it up until we were staring at an end empty bowl. For a price under $7

East Japanese Restaurant

We'll keep coming to East. It's a good deal, cool and cozy environment that makes us feel all warm inside, and very good food at very good prices.

East Japanese Restaurant
East Japanese Restaurant
East Japanese Restaurant
East Japanese Restaurant
East Japanese Restaurant
East Japanese Restaurant

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from L.A. TACO

The Seven Best Tacos Across the J Line (Formerly Known as The Silver Line), From La Puente to Gardena

From calamari tacos to Oaxacan-style braised goat on handmade freshly nixtamalized corn tortillas and Mexicali-style "cooler burritos," this may be the best Metro bus line to take for tacos in the county.

March 28, 2024

L.A. Spent Over $1.73 Million on These Controversial ‘Anti-Homeless’ Signs. Do They Actually Work?

Earlier this month, a leaked memo from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) suggested that these 41.18 zones rarely led to unhoused people being moved into interim shelter or permanent housing. After being cleared, most 41.18 zones quickly became repopulated.

March 27, 2024

Two New Lowrider-Inspired and Dodger-Blue L.A. TACO Hats Are Now Available!

Wear your L.A. TACO swag and support our inclusive, street-level community journalism!

March 27, 2024

A Morning-Only Taco Pop-Up in Northridge Is Making the Biggest Breakfast Burritos in the San Fernando Valley

What does it take to stand out in Los Angeles's saturated taco climate? Focus on San Fernando Valley-style loaded breakfast tacos, "breakfast quesadillas" with crispy cheese skirts, and the beefiest breakfast burritos Balboa Boulevard has ever seen.

March 26, 2024

The Second Round of TACO MADNESS 2024 Is Now Open for Voting! Meet ‘L.A.’s Sweet 16’ That Advanced

Save the date! Our 15th annual taco tournament is taking place on April 13th at La Plaza de Cultura y Artes near Olvera Street. Pre-sale tickets are now available. Our online tournament starts on Monday. Check out this year's contenders!

March 26, 2024
See all posts