The Izaka-ya By Katsu-ya

Wow! BEST TASTING SUSHI! Fresh as it can taste!
I am so addicted and I always want to go back!
I highly recommend this place and this place made me a sushi lover! All dishes are soooo tasty! Two thumbs up!

Came here on Sunday for lunch. They were packed. We made a reservation for two, although it didn’t seem to matter since we waited 15 minutes anyways.
This place is cute.
The staff are all very attentive. They constantly come by to refill your drinks and clean up garbage from the table. I really liked how they served complimentary hot real matcha green tea. Such a plus.
The food is delicious. My boyfriend and I had the sushi lunch special, the sashimi special, and the miso cod. All were delicious and I highly recommend trying all three plates!
I really liked the crispy rice with spicy tuna topping. It was so good. I suggest ordering a side of these!

I have to say that this place was absolutely amazing. I’m still drooling from the food we got, looking at the photos is just unbearable.
PROS —
1. Pretty in n out sushi joint. People knew what they want and left. Which is good for us because we came during a busy hour
2. The baked shrimp with tuna and baked lobster with mini shrimp was very very good.
3. It’s small but they can accommodate a lot of people. They’re not one of those small places that has two tables, they maximize as much as they can.
4. The waitress gave us warm hand wipes to wash our hands before.
5. Food and service was impeccable
6. Walking distance from the beach. So if you have to wait a little bit then go take a little stroll there
CONS —
1. Good luck finding parking — we definitely had luck today
I will definitely be returning to this place. Hopefully it’s not a one hit wonder

One of my favorite sushi restaurants in LA. There’s one in Beverly Hills and the other in Manhattan beach.
Very full range menu for dinner, ranging from Sushi/​sashimi, udons, grilled meats. I like the MB location particularly for lunch. The sushi is very good quality and democratically priced with a full page of lunch specials. I’ve tried all their lunch specials, and none have ever disappointed.
My two favorites are 1) The appetizer sampler-​offers small portions of their top dinner appetizers. If you ordered them for dinner (full portion) this would run $ 65-​$ 70. 2) Chirashi bowl — perfectly portion and always fresh for under $ 15.
The inside is unpretentious and reminds me of authentic Japanese restaurants in Waikiki/​Honolulu.

Highly recommend this place for special occasions. We went for Mother’s Day this year and had one of the best meals ever. The presentation and plating of each dish were very unique and were all delicious. The portions are in on the smaller side so you would have to order multiple things to be full which means a bigger bill. Must get the toro and uni sashimi! The bill was around 350 including tip for 5 people, no alcohol.
The service was amazing and we were very impressed that our servers all spoke fluent Japanese! It was nice ordering in Japanese to make sure the chefs know how we want our sashimi. We were one of the few Asians in the restaurant so we were skeptical that the food would not be so authentic but it was! Also, they gave each mom that walked out a mini rose bouquet for Mother’s Day. It was thoughtful. I’d definitely come back here for another special dinner occasion.

Beautiful, freshest, and most delicious sashimi with an authentic flare to it. I love going to places with Japanese sushi chefs. Had a great time solo at the sushi bar (was there on work travel). Thanks Unilocal for helping find this really happy place for me.
The young couple sitting next to me added to the fun experience. Definitely will be returning here!

Okay so this is the BEST sushi in MB!!! I do love the food and quality. Highly recommend baked crab handrolls and the specialty rolls. Great sushi chefs and sushi bar seating!!! HOWEVER– I would come a lot more and give 5 stars if the front desk staff and hostesses actually respected and treated their guests. Like GUESTS! They are extremely rude to the point my BF and I have actually come here less even this we spend over $ 200 everytime and love the food. It’s unfortunate and I would def think if the owner knew that his rude greeters were turning ppl off and away they would immediately change that. Hope so and looks like I’m not the only
One who feels
This way :-/

Officially found my sushi spot in Southbay Area! (Also first time to see a female sushi chef? too)
I made reservations a couple days in advance thru Unilocal.And the restaurant actually called me and left a message to confirm the reservation. At 7 pm the place was filled, but I love that they keep the seats limited so you’re not elbow to elbow with another party. Although our seating arrangement was a little awkward like kinda in the middle of the room, but it was all good.
They bring out warm wet cloths to clean your hands before your meal which I appreciate. Our server was super friendly and attentive. Apparently all those pictures of the baked crab hand roll on Unilocal is actually a secret menu thing. My favorite was the bluefin toro — it LITERALLY just melts in your mouth. SO GOOOOOD. And the jumbo scallops the same, just all so soft and fresh.
I love how the inside of the restaurant is designed with the outside of Japanese styled buildings. Haha that sounds really confusing, but you’ll understand when you get there.
Being located in Manhattan Beach, parking is always a hassle, but there is a lot right by with meters. $ 1.25/hr. Yay. and street parking too.

My favorite sushi spot in the South Bay!
Pros:
Great Sushi
Great Location
Great Service
Cons:
Parking is tough in the area
Tight Quarters inside
Tips:
Go at off-​peak hours!
Order the Crispy Rice w/​Spicy Tuna & Yellowtail Sashimi w/​jalapeño

Great spot for drinks with good food! Had the toro sampler, lobster roll, uni (of course) and the yellowtail sashimi with jalapeño. All were delicious!
Make a reservation if you can, it can get pretty busy!

I have lived in the south bay my whole life and never, ever have been to Izaka-​ya. One of my girlfriends took me here for lunch on a Friday, and I had the best sashimi lunch! It was $ 14 for a full plate of fresh, delicious sashimi + miso soup, side salad and a cup of sticky white rice.
The fish included — Tuna, Yellowtail, Salmon, Albacore, Hokki Clam, + Octopus. Daikon radish, ginger and seaweed were placed on the side as well. The service was on point, filled waters and cleared the table in a timely fashion. I was pleased with my lunch experience and plan on coming back!

I’ve been here at least 3 times and WOW each time. It’s my favorite sushi spot in Manhattan, hands down!
Every time I come in, I ask for KITA to be my sushi chef. I also always ask to be at the sushi bar so I can watch them make everything. He’s so sweet and he’s such a pro at his work. He recommended the hand rolls with soy paper and I’m in love with all of them!
I highly recommend the baked salmon or salmon skin! The flavor isn’t overwhelming and the vegetables it come with are a great balance. So crunchy, savory and refreshing to the palate.
I’ve ordered the ramen as well. It takes time so order it first. The menu changes slightly from day to day. It depends on the seafood they get and the chefs decide from there what the specials are going to be.
I suggest to come for an early dinner or a late dinner, an hour before closing. There’s less time of a wait but they also take reservations. I always come last minute since I tend to go with the flow.
The entire restaurant has a relaxing feel, semi casual. A lot of people I’ve noticed come from work so they’re still dressed up. It’s also a great couple spot to go on dates. The hubby and I really like it here. The menu is fairly huge so we haven’t quite tried everything yet.
Park in the structures or street parking. Manhattan gets busy since it’s a street up from the pier. I’ve never had an issue finding a spot, maybe I’m just lucky every time. It’s a great place to walk around if they’re making you wait a bit. It’s located across The Kettle, next to a Starbucks.

I’m a big fan of Katsuya so I knew I’d naturally like Izaka-​ya in Manhattan Beach. My favorite is to come here for lunch where you get an incredible deal by ordering the Lunch Box. My choice is always the beef teriyaki and tempura combination with the California Roll. Good quality food that comes in a nice portioned bento box for only $ 13.50! Tempura comes hot and delicious. Beef teriyaki is always a perfect medium rare and California rolls are served in 8’s (vs 6) and made well.
Although I really like this place, I have to mentioned on our visit the other week, my boyfriend ordered his usual Chirashi bowl but requested it with brown rice. He was told by the waitress they don’t serve brown rice. When we were about done with lunch, the people next to us got bowls of brown rice served to them. WTF? Not sure if it was a language barrier issue or just laziness by the waitress. Long story short, kudos to the Izaka-ya’s Manager who apologized and made sure we left with our usual desire to return.

Preparing for my upcoming business trip to LA, looking for restaurants to stop in for lunch, this one came up on my Unilocal search. Looking through pictures, I noticed some of them are familiar. They look like something I would do. Sure enough, they were pics posted by me. Looking more pictures, I remember I came here at least twice… but no reviews or never checked in here? When I am on business dinner, I wait for my business partner to step away to check in as I don’t want to use my phone during dinner meeting (except to take pictures). Since I posted a picture of a large bottle of sake here, I might have had too much to drink that night and forgot to check in… hahaha.
What I remember from my previous visit here was how much I enjoyed their food. Blue fin tune’s quality was exceptional. Appetizer samplers was a great way to enjoy variety of their food.
I seem to remember seeing younger crowds. It is a quite small inside and reservation is highly recommended.
There was a parking garage nearby within a walking distance, and I remember walking from/​to there.
Solid Japanese restaurant in a great location, highly recommend.

Crispy Rice Spicy Tuna. That’s really all I need to say: P
I debated between 3 and 4 stars bc of pricing ($ 9.50 for 4 pieces), but I think it’s worth it if you’re looking for some good quality sushi. I’d do take out on weekends since it gets crowded — make a reservation if you want to dine in. The Miso Cod is also real good. If they still have it, another gem is the tempura asparagus with sea salt and lemon.

Izakaya by Katsuya earns a 4 star review! Lunch Specials (What a DEAL!), fresh fish, authentic food, great service.
One of my friends visiting from out of town suggested that we meet here for lunch. I made a reservations via Unilocal for 2 at 11:30. I arrived at the restaurant at 11:25 and noticed a long line out the door. I gasped and shrugged because I *HATE* crowds. Everyone was lining up and protecting their space in line. I was #15 in the line and when I got to the front of the line, I was seated and handed a #15 ticket. What?! Apparently there is a daily special (that varies) and the restaurant gives 15 lucky diners a special deal of the day. On the day I went, it was $ 9.90 for a Sashimi /​8 pieces Roll /​Miso Butterfish Cod. The sashimi included 2 pieces each of tuna, salmon, albacore tuna, Hamachi, and one piece each of octopus and hokiigai clam. What a deal! (Unfortunately I was the last ticket, and my guest and I had to share the special plus some other dishes that we ordered).
As our second dish we ordered the daily special ($ 13.50) which included more sushi /​sashimi, shrimp and veggie tempura, and other goodies. Well worth the lunch price money and quality that you got.
The restaurant was clean, there were plenty of seating, the servers worked pretty hard to ensure you had a great experience. My only complaint was that the servers were obviously instructed to feed people and push them out the door so that they could get 2 – 3 turns on the tables during lunch. I counted at *least* six (6) different times where the server attempted to take away dishes from us when there was (a lot of) food on the plate. It got irritating after the 2^nd or 3^rd attempt. It bordered unprofessional. Our server was Eber.
I’d be glad to come back to this restaurant. Only thing I’d come about 12:00 so I don’t have to fight the crowds to save $ 5 and get a special of the day. Lunch is supposed to be relaxing. My table mate and I got a check of $ 25. What a deal! I tipped the waiters close to 40% because I felt that they needed to earn tip money despite the daily specials that the restaurant ran. Take care of your wait staff!
Food Grade: B+
Service Grade: B–
Worth the Money Grade: A–
Overall Impression Grade: B+

Made a reservation for 6pm on a Friday and it wasn’t too crowded when we got there. It seems like your whole party has to be there before they’ll seat you because a group before me lost their table because someone was late, which I thought was kind of weird. The hostess asked me the same question when we arrived and was a little snappy the way she asked.
Anyway, we had the blue fin tuna sampler, agedashi tofu, wagyu sliders, miso black cod (probably my favorite), blue crab roll and baked eel & shrimp tempura. I also had the lychee martini which pretty much just tasted like lychee juice. I really enjoyed the food, especially because you can order a bunch of stuff and try a variety. Everything’s really fresh and flavorful!

I had the spinach sautéed garlic albacore and my wife had Robert Roll and I forgot the name of the other but it doesn’t matter because they were all excellent. Great service and the food melts in your mouth.
A true professional establishment that cares about being great. Interestingly, there is an older gentleman that basically stands guard near the back wall observing everything to make sure customers are being taken care of. Not surprised if he was the owner. My wife dropped her napkin and he quickly came over to pick it up for her. Nice touch!
High quality sushi that was surprisingly affordable. The salad with $ 8.50 and the rolls, $ 12 each. The lychee martini was very tasty as well and that was $ 10.
It has a very good and friendly atmosphere, plus it’s close to everything including the gelato shop across the street!

Chicken Ball Skewer:
~ I’m not a fan of meatballs at all. But I’m impressed that I do like the chicken meatballs here. It is very juicy and well-​seasoned, taste home-​made. Doesn’t have that artificial meat taste. It comes in a pair of 2 skewers, each skewer has 3 chicken meatballs. ⁹⁄₁₀
Beef Skewers
~ Presented well with green onions and daikon toppings of it but once I had a bite, I was disappointed. It was over-​cooked, meat is not as tender as I expected. Expected it to be like «Wow!» since our friends who recommended us here was raving how good the skewers are. ⁷⁄₁₀
Fried Chicken:
~ Juicy and crispy. Best eaten when it’s piping hot. ⁷⁄₁₀
Sashimi Lunch:
~ I must admit it was very well presented. Once served, my friends and I were like «Wow». It was very pretty with the different types of sashimi displayed on the plate. However, the taste doesn’t have the same «Wow» factor from its looks. Was just average, I had sashimi that is fresher and makes my dining experience even more memorable. ⁷⁄₁₀

Hands down one of the best izakaya restaurants! I give this place 5 stars for food, price, and service! The venue is a 4 star. But I would still rate this overall at 5 stars. I compared their food to nobu but the prices are much more reasonable. It’s unbelievable.
We ordered the Robert Rolls (spicy tuna with avocado on top) and blue crab cut rolls. Each are less than $ 6. Very reasonable and the sushi was very delicious. Blue crab rolls came in 8 pieces while the Robert roll came in 6 pieces.
The Yakitori was very delicious and flavorful. My fav was the chicken meatballs. 3 pieces for $ 8. The meatballs were very flavorful with a distinctive ginger and garlic. Very juicy and wasn’t too salty. The beef skewer was so amazing. Combined with the diced green onions and daikon. This just melted beautifully in my mouth!!! I will never forget the moment.
We also ordered the miso cod which came out hot, tender, and very flavorful. Must try. Note that it was $ 12 for a very small piece.
The service was world class. As soon as I sat now, the server brought warm towels for our hand. They checked on us at least 4 – 5 times to see how we were doing. They came back and refilled our water 4 times without being asked. We asked for an extra pair of chopsticks and the server half opened the package so all we need to do was grab the chopsticks out. Even the manager stopped by with the check and asked us for our experienced. I was so amazed that service like this even existed. I really enjoyed my overall experience and plan to come back again to explore the rest of the menu!
Tip: This place gets packed very early. They don’t take reservations. So go early and put your name down and they will call you when the next table is open.