Torikizoku

4 Restaurants to Try This Weekend in Los Angeles: April 4 | Eater LA

"The first U.S. outlet of a Japanese yakitori chain (which numbers over 600 in its home country) is tucked between a Chili’s and a Verizon store on busy Hawthorne Boulevard across from Del Amo, and arriving even slightly late can mean a wait. The cave-like dining room offers little natural light; an open kitchen occupies much of the main space with a double-sized grill up front. Grilled bites are mostly excellent and reasonably priced at about $4 a skewer for most chicken pieces; the chicken hearts were split and therefore slightly underwhelming, but the tsukune and thigh skewers soared. While it may not surpass South Bay shops like Torihei, Koshiji, and Torimatsu—which grill skewers over charcoal to impart a very necessary smoky flavor—this outpost has its own sleek appeal, a boisterous dining room, and a wider menu of salads, izakaya bites, and even yuzu shio ramen. — Matthew Kang, lead editor, Eater Southern California/Southwest" - Eater Staff