3 Must Try Kappo Ryori/Cuisine Restaurants in Los Angeles

If you want to go full Japanese, you need to try kappo cuisine because ramen and sushi is just the tip, and you will want to experience the entire girth of Japanese food.

Sometimes American food does seem like a lot of burgers and pizza, but imagine a life without clam chowder, apple pie, hot dogs, meatloaf, or barbecue ribs. If that sounds like a sad life, that is where you are in life, if you only have had ramen and sushi.

Kappo cuisine is like an upscale Japanese version of an American diner but with a massive menu ranging from raw, stewed, steamed, fried, and grilled. Versus grilled (burger), fried (fries), and Marge calling you sugah.
Also, no dude wearing a wife beater and a heart tattoo that says “mom.”

What is kappo cuisine (ryori)

Kappo (kappō 割烹) style most likely originated out of Osaka in the 1910’s and is considered fine dining because of the elaborate range of seasonal dishes that are served:

Raw (sashimi)
Stewed (nimono)
Steamed (mushimono)
Fried (agemono)
Grilled (yaki/zakana)

All of these dishes are prepared directly in front of you when you sit at the counter/bar seating (kaunta seki). Although if you still are not getting the picture, you can see my spots in Los Angeles, or for a more elaborate explanation, I lean on the Michelin Guide to do that.

5 kappo ryori restaurants in Los Angeles, Orange County, and San Francisco

The first two restaurants, Shibumi and Kappo Sui are the best examples of Kappo cuisine in SoCal because the 3rd spot is more of an izakaya. Although, I updated the list in 2024 to include two more spots in Santa Monica and San Francisco.
There were others claiming to be kappo in name only.

You can’t be a slacker, and you have to have the skillz (with a ‘z’) if you want to be a kappo style chef, which is why there are very few in the country and in LA that epitomize the style. So the select handful below range from “if you were Asian, your parents would tell other parents about you (meaning ‘you’ve done that good’)” to “meh, ‘A-grade’ is for average” (yeah, just really average).

Shibumi (DTLA)

In the Spring of 2019, Shibumi received a Michelin Star.
The best example of kappo cuisine in all of Los Angeles.

David Schlosser is the dude behind Shibumi, and I love what he’s doing because even in LA, sushi and now ramen is the most commonly associated foods with being Japanese, but David is helping to change that.

Photo Descriptions: Shibumi in DTLA has plenty of alcoholic beverages to choose from, from beer, sake, to Japanese whisky. In the pic, I chose a Coedo india-style pale lager. — I feel like I’m giving up all those hopes of being able to party it up with bikini clad Budweiser girls and Spuds MacKenzie when I drink Coedo.

I remember hearing that Japan didn’t have a craft brew scene due to the laws, so I looked it up and found an article on Japantimes “Japan’s craft beer scene: 25 years in the making.” They cite that it was not until 1994 until the Japanese government softened up their strict laws that granted brewing licenses. If you want to know more, you will have to read their article.

Photo Descriptions: the next beer I tried out was the Japanese ale with with sansho. — *Sansho* aka *sichuan* peppercorn are the notes I tasted with a hint of an autumn fall, earthy tones, yet with a floral… yea, right, I’m totally bs’ng you, I tasted notes of beer.

This beer is by the Iwate-Kura Brewery (Sekinoichi Shuzo is the parent company in the Tohoku region/Northern Japan), which is a cooperative brewery. Rather than just one company, it is five different companies.

Photo Descriptions: the first dish was a chilled corn soup with yubs tofu skin and puffed rice. It came in a black "miso soup" style bowl and the puffedd rice was placed in the middle of the soup. — Just how I like my corn soup, corny.

Chilled corn soup, yuba (tofu skin), puffed rice, $8. I can’t even imagine the amount of prep time all of these dishes require.

Photo Descriptions: a very decorative plate with a square cube of tofu with fresh nori and uni placed on top. Directly in the middle, freshly grated wasabi top it all off. — Lots of soft savory textures going on here.

Silky egg tofu with uni and fresh nori and wasabi, $18. This dish may look ordinary if you think it is just a piece of tofu that came straight out of an off the shelf brand of tofu, but it is not. Toss in some urchin gonads and the savoriness of pureed seaweed with a dab of wasabi, and you’ve got a dish you must try.

Photo Descriptions: a very cool light green square plate that looks rustic. The little cubes of pork are placed on the plate, with a small size of shredded cabbage. On the right, there are a number of white looking pieces that I totally forgot what they are, lol. — I was hoping for more pig for a deuce and a half.

Grilled heritage pork in koji, pickled daikon, leek, $25

Photo Descriptions: one of the coolest looking dishes is the friend ankimo because of the perfectly prepared outer coating. A lime wedge and a shishito finishes it all off. — It felt good eating the rest of the fish since I’m always eating its liver.

Crispy monkfish “kara-age“, citrus, kelp salt, $15

Photo Descriptions: a close-up of the monkfish. You an see a slight glisten to the fish which means it wasn't overcooked or old (freshly prepared). — This fish with a face only another monkfish could love and if only you could know how tasty it was.

Everything is so perfectly prepared.

Kappo Sui (Costa Mesa)

This restaurant has been around forever in Orange County, and this is a restaurant where the vast majority of the patrons are Japanese. So you will find the specials board typically written in Japanese.

A restaurant where you will find it packed with Japanese families, and a specials board only in Japanese.
A prime opportunity to practice your hiragana comprehension.

Photo Descriptions: a chef a Kappo Sui in orange county almost looks like ann American diner chef with his white hat and white shirt. — No stereotypical BOH tatt’d dude here although he may have a Ramones t-shirt in his closet.

Even the vast majority of the staff at Kappo Sui are Japanese.

Photo Descriptions: Kappo sui taro root are spherically shaped. — *Koimo* *inakani* (simmered in sweet soy sauce glazed taro root), $6

Ippin-mono are small dishes, like this taro (it’s a root vegetable) dish.

Photo Descriptions: another round "soup bowl" with a clear dark brown layer that is transparent floats above the thicker denser layer below. In the center is a dab of wasabi. — I could never date/marry anybody who has an issue with textures.

Tororo mushi-steamed cod w/yam, $10.50. I love this dish even though it may look lackluster, but it is far from it.

Not everybody is a fan of tororo (yamaimo/mountain yam), which can be off-putting for non-mucous lovers (the same texture as okra).

Photo Descriptions: four cubes of almost white crispy coated pieces of tofu sit in a bowl with a soy based dashi. Atop the fried pieces is momiji oroshi and diced green onion. — This is one of the first Japanese dishes I learned how to make, and I’m still learning.

Agedashi tofu can be seen as simple, but like all great food, it’s all about the details. From the type of starch you use, how you coat the tofu (from dusting it to having it sit in the starch), to the quality of dashi used.

Photo Descriptions: a flatter round bowl with a decorative motif around the outer edge. In the center is a pile of a mix of cucumber, crab, seaweed, and jellyfish all mixed together. — Expect to step on this salad at any local beaches.

Jellyfish and crab meat salad is a break from the warm dishes.

Photo Descriptions: tempura at Kappo Sui is a mixture of a number of ingredients from shishito, eggplate, oba shiso, to kakiage. — If your idea of veggies is jalapeno poppers, give the tempura a try.

Tempura is part of the deep-fried food group that most American fast food restaurants have on lockdown, but at Japanese restaurants like the three listed, tempura is always done from scratch (not out of a freezer bag).

Photo Descriptions: on this white plate are several tempura pieces. — On the specials board, they will offer up a variety of different types of tempura.

If you’re not familiar with Japanese tempura, that little white lump with the yellow speck is grated daikon (white) and ginger (yellow). You can dump it into your tempura tentsuyu (sauce) and it will help to cut any bit of oiliness.

Photo Descriptions: saba battera are rectangular shaped pieces of marinated mackerel. On top of the fish is a thin layer of kombu. — If you love fish, you will love this dish

Saba: marinated mackerel is something I love, but if you’re an apple pie eating, big mac eating, and a filet-o’fish is exotic enough for you, you just might not like it.

Kappo Honda (Fountain Valley)

Kappo Honda is more like their other restaurants Izakaya Honda-ya in Tustin and Little Tokyo LA.

More izakaya than kappo, but I kept it on the list as example of a self-titled “kappo-style” restaurant.
Price wise, Kappo Honda, then Kappo Sui, and finally Shibumi from the most affordable to pricey.

Photo Descriptions: the interior of Kappo Honda in Fountain Valley has a very rustic Japanese countryside look to it. — Honda ya and Kappo Honda have some of the best interiors in LA. Image courtesy of Kappo Honda.

I typically go to Shin Sen Gumi (SSG) yakitori, but Kappo Sui and SSG both have a very unique and distinctively Japanese interior. Only Kappo Sui has an 80’s vibe that feels more like big shoulder pads, pastel colors, Ferrari Testarossas, and lines of coke.

Photo Descriptions: of course I'm going to have a beer, and this is a mug of Sapporo beer with the Sapporo gold star. — Come for the food, stay for the beers, a few beers.

At Kappo Honda, they offer up the typical Sapporo and Asahi, but they also do wine, shochu/chuhai, to a range of sake.

Photo Descriptions: Kappo Honda's ankimo which is steamed monkfish liver. It is served with ponzu, diced green onions, and momiji oroshi. — No need for chianti or fava beans with monkfish liver.

Ankimo (monkfish liver) is steamed monkfish liver with negi (green onions), and momiji oroshi (grated daikon/radish with hot sauce/red chili peppers), and ponzu (citrus soy sauce), $9.95

Photo Descriptions: one of my favorite items at Kappo Honda is the teba or chicken wings. they are skewered and seasoned. — Buffalo Wild Wings are always dry and overcooked, so I’ll take these wings anyday.

Oh, I love you chicken wings ($3) at Kappo Honda, and I would say these are probably 1 of my top 3 times here.

Photo Descriptions: two skewers, one gyutan (beef tongue) and the other looks like liver which needs to be prepared medium rare). — Meat on a stick and beer should always be a dietary requirement.

Of course I do my go to’s from beef tongue $4.50, tsukune (meatball) $2.50, to gizzard $2.50

Photo Descriptions: a small square bowl has green beans and shrimp with a lemon wedge sitting atop the mix. — Variety of items is the spice of life (Hugh Hefner knows that).

Stir-fried food dishes like this, my mom would always make which are referred to as “o-kazu” or a side dish that goes great with rice.

Photo Descriptions: a sign at Kappo Honda of the oden "hot pot." the text says "w/boiled egg, daikon raidsh, konnyaku, and pressed fish cakes" The illustration is really cool because it looks like brush stroke. — What if I told you that “oden” is a Japanese winter dish consisting of several ingredients all for $6.95.

If you’re not sold on “several” ingredients, I’ll let you know that it is in light soy sauce based dashi with daikon (one of my favorite pieces), konjac, a boiled egg, and processed fishcakes. When I said “fishcake” don’t think McDonald’s fish fillet, think groundfish, like a fish meatball.

Photo Descriptions: a pic of the oden at Kappo Honda is in a mini donabe. Below the donabe is a white doily. — If my *obachan* (grandmother) could only see me now.

Oden is something my paternal grandmother would always make, and as kids, I never wanted to eat it for whatever reason.

As a supposed adult that I am, I now enjoy it, along with every other Japanese style dish cooked in a pot.

All three restaurants worthy of a visit

Are there other kappo style restaurants? Yeah, they are in name only, and there are only a few more that are truly kappo, and I will be updating this article (Kappo Irifune and Kappo Miyabi which touts themselves as sushi and kushiyaki).

Honorable mentions

To balance things out, I have two Los Angeles spots (Shibumi and Kappo Miyabi), the previous two Orange County restaurants (Costa Mesa and Fountain Valley), and I have added San Francisco (Kappo Yuji).

Kappo Miyabi

702 Arizona Ave Suite BB
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 260-0085
kappomiyabisantamonica.com

Kappo Yuji

Kappo Yuji is reservation only, we do not accept walk-ins. Reservations are available Thursday through Monday. Please book your reservation though TOCK.
(415) 658-7128 / San Francisco
kappoyuji@gmail.com
kappoyuji.com