Totoraku in Los Angeles - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

No need to say much about this place. Best of the best

Food is normal . Very normal . Disappointing

One of the best restaurants of my life. A Japanese-style Yakiniku restaurant. Course only. Referral system. A Japanese couple is doing it. A shop where cult wines and high-class wines gather, as well as delicious ingredients. I started eating natto here when I was young 😂 If I go to LA, I'll definitely make a reservation. The store is visited by many Japanese celebrities, athletes, and even foreign celebrities.

OMG - never again - I was a taken there as a treat -but what a disappointment - this place was unsanitary - no ventilation - they cooked the food with charcoal at my table which I believe is a health code violation and charcoal at the table is even legal. Plus with all these negatives the owner was rude and the owner yelled at other guests. For the price tag - save your money and eat elsewhere- Please do not support this horrible establishment.

EXCELLENT FOOD AND SERVICE HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Great food for a place that isn't even on the map.

Very great place! If you love beef, you MUST come here. Also, the desert is wonderful.

Chef Oyama-san and Totoraku are 5+ Star. One of a kind experience and tasting. Exceptional.

IF you can get in, be authentic and generous. This is a priceless and personal experience. Truly a superb, elegant and down to earth. Heaven for mavens of food, drink and companionship.

Great experience! Both food and service we're top notch!

Simply the greatest place for beef in the USA.

Some of the best food Iv ever had.

The best beef in LA, if you can get a reservation. Enough said.

An interesting approach to Japanese BBQ. An amazing chef. Great ice-cream.

If you are lucky enough to get to visit this amazing restaurant, DO NOT MISS OUT ON THAT OPPORTUNITY. The food was fantastic. The service was amazing. I can't wait to come back.

Their sushi is super fresh and I love the selection they had when we ate here.

Beef. If you are lucky to have access to this restaurant and you love beef, the raw and cooked beef are excellently prepared and marinated. Highest quality meats! Chef Kaz is a character and has a wonderful personality. BYOB. Nothing better than great wine and great beef!

My boyfriend and his family took me for my surprise dinner. I knew nothing of what my dinner will be like. Initially when I arrived, the place did not seem so "open." I walked in and again didn't seem so assuring that it was going to be good. Then when I sat down and greeted by the friendly staff, my thoughts were "ok, at least staff was nice and detailed ." When he food started to come out, I could not believe my eyes and my taste sensations!!! I tongue woke up!!!! It is a set menu! First part of the courses were raw beef and it was amazing! Hen the cooked beef came out with the grill and each recommended timing of how to cook the meat, was perfection! No sauce needed!! Then Chef Kaz came out and sang happy birthday and took pictures with me! He is so humble, friendly, and so talented of putting this set menu together! It is an exclusive place. Can't make reservation just by calling. You have to know the chef to get in. I don't know how my boyfriend and his family pulled this off but it is best meal I've had! Thank you Chef Kaz and staff for your hospitality and your efforts to make my birthday amazing! This is definitely an invite you can't turn down!

Awesome beef and great service!

This is one of those restaurants where you are supposed to know someone in order to eat there. The phone number is rumored to be unlisted. I went as a +1 with a large party (10). The food is meat. Hard to find anything green. It is high quality and well prepared and abundant. However, at $250 per person it was not worth the experience. Nice staff. The owner is in the kitchen and he is very nice (I would be too at these prices).

It's probably the best quality meat I had in a restaurant in California, maybe in the USA. You need to know the Chef in this restaurant to "earn" your dinner, I mean earn because it's a gift to eat at Totoraku. Bring your own wine, wrong sign outside the restaurant, wrong phone number, don't be late... The owner Kaz wants you to have an experience and he is right - this restaurant is for foodies only. Omakase style. The first course is a tray of amuse-bouches, delicious and artfully arranged. Then various cuts of raw beef, seasoned and served with dipping sauces and the Japanese charcoal burner with tongue, filet, outside ribeye, inside ribeye, short-rib, skirt steak, flank steak, hanging tender, etc. Then lamb. I spend $300 per head each time there and gladly continue to do so when I am in LA. I recommend strongly if you are a real foody!

I adore my visits to the beef palace. But I have to train and limit myself to once or twice a year. Total vegan for a week before and no steak for two weeks. Then I grab several bottles of my best wine and head over for a night of beef debauchery. I know I will be meat drunk for two days after, but it is worth it. It is amazing.

This is the greatest Japanese cuisine I have ever tasted.

I have been eating here for about 10 years, never even considered reviewing before, because of the once-mysterious cache that now seems to have at least in part evaporated. Kaz and his wonderful world of Oz (oops I means Kaz) are now universally and famously recognized as serving simply the best quality meat in California, probably in the USA. Folks from all over the world seek out that magical connection (Kaz's cell-phone number and cistomer familiarity) to gain admission.) Over the years, I have escorted countless numbers of friends and family members into this den of heavenly dining, and, after befriending Kaz and regaling him with praise and fine wines, they have returned on their own and assisted others in getting there. Putting aside the hoopla and mystique, here is the rest of the story: the name on the awning is Teriaki House--not the name of this restaurant, so be careful to have the correct address (it is now on many food websites); keep in mind that you cannot get in without a reservation; the reservation requires familiarity with Kaz or "sponsorship" by someelse with whom Kaz is friends. Bring your own wine--bubbly works with the amuse course and veggies; all else is complimented by red wine. I personally do not bring my beloved burgindies because in my experience they do not stand up do the marbled, flavorful meats--either raw or cooked. I personally prefer Rhones, Rhone styles, some Bordeaux and Calicabs, Amarone, Rioja and, for me, my fav is old Penfold's Grange (Grange vintages from late 1970;'s through 1986) Ambiance? None, or better to say, it is "reverse ambiance". Seating is maxed at about 20 to 25 tops, and tables can be configured to host several groups simultaneously. On the walls are pix of James Dean and Marilyn Monroe, curtains abound, so do plain tables and lighting--not a shred of fancy in this place. Hundreds of empty trophy wine bottles sit above the eating areas like soldiers at respectful attention offerring their treasured memories to those of us who drank these wines or similar here over the years. The rest, is always as they say, history. It's all about the raw materials, which are, simply, the best available. Kaz, the master Chef, seasons and slices, both incredible arts for this one of a kind chef-artist. His wife leads a team that provide warm and friendly and informative service.Kaz often comes out and schmoozes with his customers in his affable and gracious manner. Service is Omikase.With very few exceptions all the main courses are predermined.The first course is a tray of amuse delicacies, non-meat, delicious and artfully arranged, and, of course, delicious. The progression then goes from 3 or more courses of various cuts of raw beef, seasoned and served with dipping sauces (which i eschew because I like the meat to speak for itself--taste and textures, ya know!) Then the Japanese charcoal burner arrives and we cook the rest of the cuts--all beef unless otherwise requested--for example I usually request an additional course of lamb chops for the grill. Here is the lineup of basic beef cuts for cooking (forgive me if I've missed one): tongue, filet, outside ribeye, inside ribeye, short-rib, skirt steak. I've also had various seafood entre's but for me it's all about the meat. The raw materials rule! Forget Kobe and other such cuts, whatever Kaz serves, it is simply the best beef I or my friends, family, guests have ever eaten, including similar meals in Japan, Argentina and Provence. Pricing is high but well worth the experience-expect to spend $200 per person plus or minus. I close with our running joke: Me: "Kaz where does your meat come from?" Kaz: "From Ralph's!." Right. And I am the king of Siam!

I don't know how the beef served here can be so unlike beef served anywhere else. It's as if Chef Kaz has bred his own secret species of cow, and it is incredible. The hospitality shown by Chef Kaz and his family are second to none.

So I've been meaning to try this place for quite some time now...ever since a friend of mine forwarded me articles about Chef Kaz almost a year ago. I didn't really put much effort or thought into it since I knew it was an exclusive "invite by chef only" type of place. Until..I was racking my brain to think of places to eat near the Westside Pavilion since we had a movie screening to attend that evening. So on a whim I gave the restaurant a call the evening prior. I spoke with a woman with a thick Japanese accent (who I later learned was Chef's wife). I gave her my Japanese name and phone number and she said Chef Kaz would call me back the following morning. Well he certainly did and invited us to dine their that night! As you've seen from my photos and others it's an unassuming building labeled "Teriyaki House Pico" nestled between a shoe repair store and a hole-in-the-wall music store. The shades were all drawn and the front door locked. You wouldn't even think twice about a restaurant even existing there. I barely even knocked on the door before we were whisked in by the woman I spoke to the night before. She greeted us in Japanese by name and promptly seated us closing and locking the door behind. Now I knew that Chef Kaz was an avid wine enthusiast and I brought a bottle of '05 Kosta Browne PN "Kanzler Vineyard" for the raw beef courses and a '90 Beringer Reserve Cab for the cooked beef. I immediately asked for an additional glass to share with Chef Kaz. His wife brought us three glasses and thanked us over and over again for the glass. Chef Kaz came out a few minutes later and thoroughly enjoyed the glass of KB with us. We talked for a few moments about our favorite wines in Napa/Sonoma before he thanked us again and graciously excused himself back to the kitchen. A few seconds later his wife brought out the amazing first course which included many different Japanese vegetables, mountain fruits, and some sashimi. Everything was so beautifully prepared and the pairings of ingredients were absolutely incredible. This portion was quickly followed by the raw portions of filet mignon, tongue, outside ribeye, inside ribeye, short rib and skirt. Everything was executed in perfect time and order. Next came the beautiful Japanese charcoal oven. It was a warm day in LA that night and the combination of no A/C in the building and the charcoal oven inches from my face made it a bit warm for my taste but it was absolutely worth it! Chef Kaz's wife continued bringing out dish after dish of different Kobe cuts that tasted so amazing with the shoyu, lemon and sweet sauces. She will advise you what sauce to use with which cuts but pretty much everything stands on its own! We opened the bottle of '90 Beringer Reserve and again insisted Chef Kaz and his wife have a glass with us. She bowed and thanked us and Chef Kaz came out moments after his wife brought him the glass. He was impressed with the Beringer Reserve and said their reserve Chard is one of his favorites and that he sincerely appreciated us bringing in this botlte of Cab. After the cooked meats we had a bowl of a spicy beef soup followed by the dessert course of ice creams and sorbets. We chatted with Chef Kaz and his wife before we left and couldn't thank them enough for his amazing cooking and hospitality. It truly felt like we had stepped into their house somewhere in Japan. I told Chef Kaz I will be bringing obaasan (grandma) back on our next visit!

This restaurant is very difficult to get in to. Typically, you must know the chef or know someone that has previously dined in the restaurant. That being said... the restaurant has no fancy signage or full page advertisements. Instead, they have the BEST meats and steaks period. The chef/ owner takes pride in finding the best cuts available. The set meal consists of assorted suishi, followed by numerous uncooked beef dishes followed by the best raw vegetables. Then comes the barbeque at your table ( you cook to your desired temperature ). Service was excellent. As in many traditional Japanese restaurants... service is respectful and attentive. There is a certain ambiance here... Chef Oyama is an excellent host. If you have the opportunity to visit this restaurant... Take it !!!

don't let the appearance fool you, the food is simply the best

There are 2 types of people in this world...those who have dined at Totoraku and those who wish they can dine at Totoraku. Until Friday night, I was of the latter...but after Friday night, I am now of the former! The food was fairly similar to the course laid out by the others here. We started with a plate of assorted appetizers. We then had some raw beef and beef tataki plates. The binchotan grill came out and we then grilled tongue, filet mignon, inside/outside rib eye, kalbi, skirt steak, etc. We also had the awesome tomato salad, vegetables, etc. We got there at 7:30 and stumbled out the door at around 11:30. A few things that I'd like to point out though. 1) I love Japanese people. They are so cute in how they act and talk. It's such a pleasure and I love it. They remind me of hello kitty, kerropi, and the rest of the sanrio characters. Chef Kaz Oyama-san and his wife and workers all exemplified the great Japanese culture of being absolutely polite, humble, and just so freaking cutesy. Love it! 2) I shared a glass of my French wine with both chef Oyama-san and one of the waitresses and they both loved it with a "oishii desu!" Totally made my day that they liked my wine. It wasn't one of the crazy expensive wines that were on the wall but it was a fairly respectable (at least for me), Baron Rothschild 2003. It needed some decanting but we didn't have one so it wasn't as good as it could have been, 2003 wasn't so great of a year, etc. but oh well. 3) I have had a lot of beef in my day and this experience was awesome. There are individual slices of meat at various places around LA and the world that come close (e.g. unmarinated short ribs at Park's, special JB at mapo in Gardena, wagyu kobe beef at Cut, kkot deung shim at moo deung san in Seoul, Korea) but to have it all in one place is awesome! I had some great company and the 7 of us (including a couple of girls who didn't drink much) polished off a tremendous amount of wine including champagne, reisling, rose, merlot, cab sauv, bordeaux, and finally...a port. Sure the price is a little high but you're really getting top quality meat here. I believe chef Oyama-san simply throws out a lot of meat that he deems unworthy. I also don't think he necessarily makes a lot of money here so treat this as the awesome experience that it is and give them a proper "itadakimasu" when you start your mean because you are humbly receiving... And in the end? I GOT HIS CARD! I'm in.