Semi-Hidden Torrance Yokocho Has the Feel of a Tokyo Street Food Alleyway | Eater LA
"Tucked into a suburban strip-mall 'alley' along Pacific Coast Highway, I found Torrance Yokocho, a new multi-faceted restaurant opened April 19 that tries to recreate Tokyo's yokocho with semi-private wooden stalls, colorful banners, hanging lanterns, vintage posters, and Japanese signs. Owner Masato Sato split the space into one large cooking area and about a dozen stalls where diners scan a QR code to order ramen, yakitori, oden, sushi, karaage, beer, and sake, and servers deliver plates from nine different stalls as soon as they're finished. The torishin (chicken skewer) menu offers grilled chicken thighs, skin, gizzards, meatballs, and vegetables for around $3–$4 a stick; the izakaya menu includes grilled skirt steak ($15), grilled pork with kimchi ($12), beef tendon with ponzu ($8), and squid with natto ($7.50). Sushi selections range from assorted sashimi to a mini bara chirashi bowl ($15), cut maki, and assorted nigiri, while tempura options include king crab, shrimp, and shiitake and karaage comes in chicken thighs, gizzards, and even deep-fried pork shoulder. On Friday and Saturday nights there's a special oden section of boiled fish cakes, eggs, and daikon; the ramen uses a chicken broth with miso, spicy miso, soy, and shio options; desserts include mochi malls, matcha ice cream, and coffee jello; and drinks feature Sapporo pitchers on draft, Orion, Kirin, and Asahi by the bottle, shochu by the bottle, fruity cocktails, umeshu, and craft sake. While the breadth of dishes means Torrance Yokocho doesn't fully specialize, its sheer variety, distinct yokocho ambience, reasonable Tokyo-like prices, and location on the edge of Rolling Hills and Palos Verdes make it a solid new destination for South Bay izakaya fare." - Matthew Kang
