Arado Japanese Restaurant

My partner and I stumbled upon this restaurant after years of passing it and boy do we wish we’d gone in sooner! This was hands down one of the best meals we’ve had in a while. Walking in we were greeted by who we now know is the son of the owners, Sam who was kind and accommodating, allowing us to sit in one of the fun booths! We each ordered the entree plate combo and boy was it a lot of food! We planned to get an additional sushi roll but luckily Sam warned us against it for portion sizes and he was so right! Every bite was more delicious than the last! The sushi was fresh and buttery, the beef was cooked to perfection, we discovered our new obsession of rice with FOUR kinds of fish eggs, spicy fish soup and tempura that was fried to perfection. We both instantly knew this was going to be a top five local spot that we rotate to when we want to eat out. To know it’s family run for over 30 years means so much to us when we decide where we put our money and we will happily spend time and money here over and over again! We can’t wait to go back and try more of the menu! Thank you for wonderful service and food!

Amount of food is very big! Fresh and delicious🥰 plus cute icecream dessert!

Service was excellent, food fresh and delicious 😋. I am not from L.A. and came for a wedding. I was looking for a place to have lunch and looked at the reviews. I have to say, the reviews were not wrong. I will definitely come back when I revisite in the future!

Hidden gem in Koreatown, this Japanese-Korean restaurant usually is packed with a long line each time during prime lunch or dinner hours. We chose to go around 2pm and we were easily seated. A bit dizzying on what to order, everything looked good! Enjoyed both our choices for this time but will surely order other items on the menu. Our server was great and extremely friendly!

outstanding freshness, hasn't changed for last 30 some yrs. be cautious when you drink hot tea, it's extremely hot & you may suffer from burning your mouth. waitresses were in hurry to getting orders, but they were slow when you asked for more bahnchan & tea and picking up dirty dishes

It had been over two decades since my last visit to this Japanese restaurant, and I was thrilled to return. From the outside, the restaurant appeared modest, nestled within a small retail space with humble decor and entrance. Our dinner gathering, especially planned for our siblings, felt incredibly special. We opted for the large Sashimi combo, which boasted a variety of seafood, including sea squirt, sea cucumber, shrimp tempura, and octopus salad. The freshness of the fish was remarkable, and we appreciated the generous cuts. The Sashimi assortment included yellowtail, salmon, tuna, and Avalon, among others. We were particularly impressed by the attentive service of the three different waitstaff members. They promptly replaced the hot miso soup, served grilled mackerel pike, rolls, and accommodated our request for fresh wasabi. To complement our meal, we enjoyed Sake, Junmai Ginjo. Wrapping up our dining experience, we indulged in 누룽지 and 매운탕, with ice cream served as a delightful dessert. While the meal may have been slightly pricey, we unanimously agreed that it was well worth it, leaving us all thoroughly satisfied.

Best best best in town. They have been here for 30 years and their food never disappoint.

Great place for sushi in K-town. Love their chirashi bowl. Quality of sashimi was very good.

Super Korean Japanese restaurant. I don't mean the Korean fusion Japanese type. It's owned and operated by Koreans focused on preparing meals to suit Korean taste buds and atmosphere. Staff are typical not so friendly Korean ladies that seem to be only friendly to Korean speaking older generation. The food quality was good. Nothing exceptionally good or bad overall.

The best Bento boxes around! Been catering from this place forever and everyone always rants and raves about the food and it makes sense!

The sashimi was fresh. The soup, and fish combo were tasty. I really enjoyed the hot noodle soup, it was well seasoned. The server was very fast, friendly and try to accommodate all the things we asked for. I think they keep their door locked (at first we thought they were closed) but there's a bell, if you ring it they'll come and open (I'm guessing is for security purposes) The ambiance is not that great to be honest.

everything is plated so nicely here, it felt like i was at a fine dining restaurant! the menu selection is great, i'll definitely be coming back to try other things. the free ice cream at the end was the cherry on top!

Great quality Sushi and Sashimi and delicious Korean food!!! They been in business for 30 years and wow ...you can tell!!! Hidden gem that should be known more to the public!!!

We couldn't decide what we gonna eat lunch. We didn't go this place for so long and just stopped by for quick lunch. Sashimi bibimbap(3/5)- I didn't try that. I didn't eat law fish. My friend said it's was so so. I ordered some of sushi. Egg sushi and octopus sushi, ebi sushi. Tuna and uni sushi was for my friend. Also I ordered soft cell crap hand maki roll. 2/2 for every sushi. Long time ago I've been this place was much better than now. I don't like taste changes. But that's my opinion probably a lot of people like this place. I usually don't looking for Japanese sushi restaurants in anywhere. Sushi is not my favorite food but only one my favorite place in Manhattan I will always go there for eat sushi. Old places but you can seated more private. Clean but you can tell this place was old place from there interior. Out waitress was accommodating I am not sure about go back this place for try or not. Probably not.

Very good food is being served here. I agree with others saying that this quaint restaurant is a definite gem! Try it & find out! Extra stars for the tasty banchan... nom, nom, nom!

Food, Service, Ambiance, specially kimchi and hot tea and appetizer ice cream! Most of time when I go to ktown I go Arado restaurant.

Went for dinner on a week night about 7pm and there was no wait. The server was kind to ask us if we wanted a bigger table even though it was just the two of us. They thought our complimentary tea and banchan- fish cake with sesame seed, bean sprouts, and gochuang radish. It was all very tasty. The rolls are a bit pricey but they are quite filling. They do use premium ingredients and it is well put together. It is a little bit different than traditional Japanese- lots of onion on the rolls and the masago was black not orange. Overall the staff was quick and attentive and we didn't realize they were closing we sat for a long time and they allowed us to stay. At the end of the meal they even gave us a tiny ice cream cone. Due to the service and quality of ingredients I would give it 4/5!

Arado has been around FOREVER and for good reason! I LOVE their lunch menu and hope it stays around forever! I've honestly only ever come for the lunch and will probably continue to do so. I love their combination meals that they offer! It's a little pricey but I feel like you get your moneys worth with how much food and the quality you get! I usually get the 알밥 which is the rice with assorted roe on top, and it comes with a side shrimp & vegetable tempura, as well as a whole bowl of sashimi! Everything is SO good and I am usually super full after the meal. The other dish I get is the hwaedupbap, which is the chopped sashimi and veggies over rice dish. It also comes with side of tempura. If you're new to eating the hwaedupbap make sure you add in the spicy red paste and mix it up! So tasty! Service was good and parking was easy in the lot! Make sure you get there before they close for the mid day break! Lunch service ends at 2:30 pm!

We came here for my father-in-law's birthday dinner and we were not disappointed. Their large set menu was $300 and that included the two fish platter (pictured), salad, grilled fish, soup, fried shrimp platter, small rolls... We all enjoyed trying out different types of dishes and the sashimi was fresh. The large set menu feeds 4-6 people. There were just four of us and we finished everything (but admittedly very full). Would go again.

It had been over two decades since my last visit to this Japanese restaurant, and I was thrilled to return. From the outside, the restaurant appeared modest, nestled within a small retail space with humble decor and entrance. Our dinner gathering, especially planned for our siblings, felt incredibly special. We opted for the large Sashimi combo, which boasted a variety of seafood, including sea squirt, sea cucumber, shrimp tempura, and octopus salad. The freshness of the fish was remarkable, and we appreciated the generous cuts. The Sashimi assortment included yellowtail, salmon, tuna, and Avalon, among others. We were particularly impressed by the attentive service of the three different waitstaff members. They promptly replaced the hot miso soup, served grilled mackerel pike, rolls, and accommodated our request for fresh wasabi. To complement our meal, we enjoyed Sake, Junmai Ginjo. Wrapping up our dining experience, we indulged in 누룽지 and 매운탕, with ice cream served as a delightful dessert. While the meal may have been slightly pricey, we unanimously agreed that it was well worth it, leaving us all thoroughly satisfied.

Food quality and service are what makes this quant little sushi restaurant so satisfying. I truly believe their "Aal-bap" (egg rice) is spectacular. Various colorful assortment of fish eggs litter the white sushi rice below and just beg to be mixed and eaten. The security guard out front is incredibly cordial and the wait staff are always so nice.

Had lunch the chirashi bowl with tempura. Had a private booth. So cool and private! Great for meetings or if you need a bit more privacy. Great service. Just ring the bell.

The inside of the restaurant is nice and clean. I went for lunch and it was not too crowded but we got a private seat that had a nice curtain that blocked us off so it felt quite cozy. I did feel bad for the staff because it seemed like there was only a few servers for the restaurant and our waitress was literally running back and forth from both sides of the restaurant to serve people. Fortunately service was still very good and the food did come out pretty quickly. The food was just okay. I got the eel over rice and the portion was pretty small for the price. The meal itself came with a good amount of side dishes, but I did not like that my miso soup had a dishwasher taste to it, probably needed another rinse before using the bowl. My girlfriend had the poke salad which to me was not bad but not great either. It's a simple spring mix salad with fish mixed in and they give you a gochujang sauce to mix into it. Flavors were simple and fresh but the fish was a bit fishy and didn't taste the freshest. Parking isn't too bad during lunch hour but I can imagine it can be a pain at more busy times. There's a small lot in the front as well as a small lot in the back of the building that has a few spaces.

Went for lunch during veterans day around 12ish. Had to wait a little to be seated since prime lunch time. Parking lot but it was full so just metered park. I had the super chirashi and mom had hwe dup bap. Both were good and came with side tempura and soup. It was definitely enough food for 2 of us. Sashimi slices were big and not skinny and thin. AL bap (fish roe rice) was really good. I loved how chewy and umami the rice was. Would definitely get this again.

I just cannot believe the attitude the server gave my wife over the phone. I've been a regular to this establishment for YEARS, and my family and I have been their big customer going for the high-priced nigiri (i.e. toro, uni, mirugai, etc.). Today was no different: we ordered take-out as usual with the exception of my wife adding one more sushi combo in addition to the nigiri by the pieces. Shortly after we hung up, in less than 5 minutes, my wife called them back to cancel the combo and replace (for the same amount of value) with more nigiris, and the woman that picked up the phone threw a huge fit saying that we can't change them. She wouldn't even let my wife finish explaining our change in order. Owner and management need to take their training of servers more seriously and make sure the servers are providing adequate and professional services 오늘 너무 불쾌한 서비스로 인해 저희 가족 (나름 몇년 단골이었었는데) 앞으로 이 식당 이용하지 않기로 했습니다. 전화 받으신 서버분, 불친절하다못해 손님에게 해서는 안될 행동을 하셨어요. 저희 보통 이 집에서 인당 $75-100정도 (가족 4인기준 합 $600정도로 자주 시켜먹었습니다) 되는 가격 높은 니기리 초이스별로 먹는데요, 오늘도 그렇게 시키고 추가로 $50에 해당하는 스시콤보를 포함, 테이크아웃으로 오더했어요. 그리고 끊고 바로 와이프와 상의 후 콤보에 안먹는 츠키다시와 생선이 있으니 캔슬하고 같은 값의 니기리로 교체하려고 채 5분도 안되는 사이에 다시 전화를 걸었는데, 오더 받으셨던 서버분께서 자초지종 다 들어보지도 않고 이미 오더 들어가서 못바꾼다며 짜증을 내시며 와이프가 말하는 도중 전화를 끊어버리셨습니다. 물론 저희가 중간에 맘을 바꾼건 저희 잘못이지만, 서비스를 이렇게 인격적으로 불쾌하게 제공하시는건 옳지 못하다고 봅니다. 저희가 오더를 캔슬 하겠다는것도 아니고, 총 $150이 넘는 오더에서 몇가지 수정을 하려고 한건데 말 끝나기도 전에 대뜸 안된다며 전화를 끊어버리시다니요. 식욕이 떨어져 제가 직접 다시 전화 해 다 캔슬시켰습니다. 식당 사장님이나 매니저분 이 글 보신다면 서빙하시는 아주머니들 서비스 애티튜드에 더 많은 주의 주셔야 할 것 같아요. 음식이 맛있어도 이런 기본이 안되어있는 서비스라면 손님들 다 달아납니다.

So sad this restaurant has changed not like old days... Every menu price is too overpriced compared to the amount of food and quality. Staffs were fine but that is not good enough to resolve the money spend for eat out. Defintely won't be back here on my own expense.

Friendly staff with wide ranging menu. You can probably get better type of sushi at better price anywhere ... but what they do provide is reliably decent food. Their combo bento boxes are great deals and offer a little bit of everything. Great for takeout. They provide complimentary tiny ice cream cone for dine-in meals. Their security guard it there ALL THE TIME - which great for Ktown where there are lots of car break ins.

The service was excellent and so was the items i ordered. I was attending an even at the SAG building and I had one hour to kill and I found this restaurant. I was seated right away. I asked if they had yakimandu and she recommended me gyoza. And I ordered a bibimbap. Food was good portion was excellent, very inexpensive. Ice cream cone at the end was nice touch. The waitress was very attentive. Two thumbs up!!

I've been here twice found this place on my lunch and it did not disappoint its a great place to stop by for lunch or dinner the staff is very friendly they greet you with a smile it's also family owned. They gave me complimentary tempura to try & a ice cream dessert. This restaurant has two sided on the right a very traditional Japanese sushi theme & the right side is more of a business meeting / date night or going out with a group of friends with painted walls the atmosphere is very calming & fun.

Read the reviews that the sushi is not fresh... must've gone in a VERY GOOD DAY. CHIRASHI- this came with the chirashi + tempura. It was very fresh. The only thing I didn't like was the spicy tuna.. but my mom loved it. SUPER CHIRASHI- I LOVED this. Thai didn't have the spicy tuna mix. It came with the fish eggs.. with eel over rice. I will always order this. Can't wait to come back.

I for one thought this restaurant was fantastic. They were very accommodating as my wife was running late about 30 minutes to our family dinner. The chicken teriyaki bento box was fantastic. The chicken was moist and the tempura super delicate and crunchy. The sushi sashimi platter was also great. The tuna melted in my mouth when every bite. It also came with fish egg stew and fish egg rice were was also really good. I'm not one who usually eats fish egg on the regular but the rice and stew combo was incredible. It was perfectly portioned so it didn't feel like too little or too much and overwhelming. The fish was also not fishy at all so that was always a plus. Definitely a place to return to. If anything, the price point is a little on the high side so it's not an everyday meal for me.

Wow! Talk about bomb sushi that is incredibly cheap! Korean sushi places are hit or miss, but this place is a hit hit hit! Came here for lunch with some friends, which are regulars, and left so so satisfied and full and happy. The service was pretty slow though but I think the restaurant was super busy with online orders as well as keeping up the indoor dining. I ordered the special chirashi lunch ($30) and holy moly it came with SO much food. Start with miso and banchan, then tempura, and out came the chirashi and eggs over rice. It was amazinngggg. The sushi pieces were sooo good and melted in your mouth. Eating the sashimi with the egg rice was so perfect. The toro was my favorite piece and it came with little gold flakes so cute! But honestly all the pieces of fish were outstanding for sure. Also? That roasted rice house tea is probably the best green teas I've ever had, no cap. It was DELICIOUS. The little roasted rice pieces were sooooo awesome and crunchy and added the perfect flavor to the tea. For the price, would 100% recommend coming here.

Arado has high-quality food that is prepared in Japanese traditions. Needless to say, the food is delicious, and it keeps me coming back over and over again. Once you walk inside, you are seated in a dining area that makes you forget that you are in the middle of Los Angeles. The service is above and beyond with very welcoming servers who are willing to explain what the dishes are and have in them. This place is top-notch!!!!

The best Japanese restaurant experience in Koreatown!! Let the pictures speak for itself!!

I've been visiting Arado since 2004, when someone else owned it. Then & now, always best of everything. Products/ingredients and service 10/10. Nigiris are huge. Beer is super cold. Kitchen cooks everything to perfection. Service is fast. Staff has personality. Love them.

Such great service and food. Workers were so welcoming. I liked how the walls/dividers were a bit high so that it felt more private for each table.

Been here long times ago, good quality with reasonable prices. Since pandemic, price went up too high, compared to the quality. One of my friends wanted me to go for sushi for dinner. Wow, I would not go for sushi. Too overpriced food.

one of my favorite korean restaurants in ktown! my family's go-to place for sushi. their quality of sushi is absolutely amazing. the service is also amazing!! they always start off with side dishes and a salad and even their salad is loaded with fresh veggies! their side dishes are also bomb. we always get their sushi and they are always so fresh and thick cut. they give you a good amount of fish for a decent price. we also always get their spicy fish soup that is amazing. sososo rich and it comes with a lot of meat. they also give us korean scorched rice with water after that is so rich and chewy. ahh this place is a must in LA!!

I've been going to Arado since my college days in early 2000s and loved their fish egg assorted bibimbop, and even after I moved to overseas and whenever in town I always went in to get my albop. I never liked the albop in Korea since it's a cheap version but real albop from Ktown. Albop in LA was the best. However not sure if it's got anything to do with pandemic, but Arado became little too casual and my al-bop was missing a lot of things that were supposed to be on the rice like uni and salmon roe. Missing these two elements was crucial but still ok, just not the best. I visited twice, had same thing.

Definitely one of the best sashimi in ktown. It seems over priced but you will be satisfied with your meal for sure. Only one downside is interior. It feels extreamly outdated.

Love this Japanese restaurant. Prices are worth it. Everything was good. We ordered the bento box and the Arado roll special

Sashimi bibimbop was really freah, and fish soup was really good ! Definitly go there again soon!

The food was really good! My mom ordered all the seafood, and I was hesitant at first because I wasn't sure how fresh it would be. However, I was happily surprised because of how fresh the seafood was. Prices are quite high while portions of the seafood are smaller than one would think. The service was really good and our server was kind and took very good care of our table. Would highly recommend! As for parking, since the lot is so small there is valet available.

For sashimi and jirashi Arado is a recommended place with the quality of the neta fish is pretty fresh. Sushi is not the best if you are a serious sushi person shari (rice) is not my favorite here and the quality of neta can not catch up with it. Great for lunch bites not for sushi.

Arado is your typical korean sushi house. We ordered the large sashimi, large halibut, several rolls, and tempura. Standard sushi and very fresh. Its pricey but nothing out of the ordinary for that kind of establishment.

Arado is a classic Korean sushi restaurant in Ktown that I've been coming since I was a little girl. They are a family-owned restaurant with exceptional service and CONSISTENTLY great food. Every time I come here, I know I'll have the most satisfying meal. You'll find from high quality sushi/sashimi to Korean staples like bulgogi and galbi. Love their "double-decker" chirashi bowl! It's genius of them to separate warm rice and chilled sashimi into separate bowls so that the fish doesn't get warm from the rice. Plus, the rice is topped with colorful roe and it's soooo pretty! Tip - Come here with a group to share a sashimi platter that comes with assortment of fresh fish and lots of delicious side dishes. They offer different size platters for various group size.

I love this place, owner is very friendly and food is fresh. We ordered the sushi and sashimi combo and the side dishes, soup, and tempura came out for free. Definitely recommend

It has been a few years since I have dined here but arado is still a pretty solid Korean sashimi restaurant in Koreatown. It's in a little strip mall so parking can get full but we got one of the last spots so that was nice. There is also a cafe next door and you can order food there as well. We got the arado special sashimi which was $100/person. It's pretty extensive with a lot of sashimi as well as some rolls, cooked fish, etc. If you haven't had Korean style sashimi before, it's sort of like a kaiseki meal I guess of various dishes that come one after another. The main dish is a big plate of sashimi though. In the past they used to include lobster sashimi but maybe that's only in the top tier vip private sashimi? I knocked off a star because even though it was pretty good, the sashimi just didn't seem as fresh or as good as it was in the past.

Ok, this is an honest experience & opinion by a local business man who dines out 3-4 times a week for the last 25 years in this Koreatown / Mid-Wilshire area. This "used" to be extremely decent place to eat fresh sushi & sashimi. They heavily cater to Korean community & advertise in Korean radio frequently. So, now that we can sit inside and eat, we decided to come here again in about 16 months. First impression - The quality of food in Arado "used" to be very good. Fresh and adequate amount of food. Now, it seems like supermarket sushi, and fish and other ingredients are low quality, similar to fast seafood places, or supermarkets. Our bill came out to $157+tips, and we all literally walked out with eating crappy seafood with lots of rice (not that good of sushi rice) and fried food.(aka tempura) I think the older gentleman who operated this place is giving his son to make decisions, and he doesn't know crap of running a higher class Japanese restaurant. He is turning this place into 2nd class fast food Japanese restaurant with low quality ingredients. The father was much, much better at running this place. You need to greet, meet, talk, to your customers. We recently have been to about 5-6 different seafood restaurant catering to this community, and EVERY single one was better than this place. Where do you ask, try Yelp "sushi" or "sashimi" in your area. Go to places with 4+ stars. Oh, BTW, if you want additional edamame (green soy beans), they "have" to charge you. I mean, we(4) ordered drinks from them and before our food came out, we ate small bowl of 10 edamame beans, and when we asked for refill..... "gotta charge you sir" What a customer service!!! We will not come back.

Amazing I been coming here so many times always great food except they don't serve any more brown rice highly recommend

Food was decent for a sushi place. Service was good. I'm just pretty sure I got overcharged for one hand roll and 2 pieces of shrimp sushi

Truly impressed by how the owner of this place treats the customers. I left my denture (one tooth) on the table. Luckily. I found out right away and called the restaurant. The staff who answered the phone was also very helpful. When I got back there, the owner was looking for my small one tooth denture with the gloves on his hand and going through the trash. And found it after all! And of course, the food is the best and absolutely fresh. Love this place!

Rolls and sushi is good. It's a bit expensive for the quality and what u get honestly but In ktown ifs one of the better sushi option.

This is one of our favorite places to go. The marinated beef, galbi, chicken and salmon are all delicious! Also equally tasty are the hamachi collar, sea bass soup, abalone porridge. Sushi and sashimi is always fresh, love their citrus roll. Great bento specials on their menu too. Awesome and super friendly staff. Safe, clean, and the staff are all masked up, wears gloves, and sanitizers are available on the premises.

I have been going here forever but after Covid era, things have changed here. It does not have that cozy yet semi- upscale ambiance it use to have. Now it's just little better than a food court Japanese restaurant. Not a place to celebrate a special occasions or to bring your business clients. As far as the food itself, not as generous or considerate of how it is presented either. I say maybe they are catering too much to take out and lost the touch with presenting a good experience to their customers. Just decent. I am just so sad.

I came in here and tried the sSpicy Seafood Noodles. Excellent Choice ! Highly recommend it .. I also LOVE the complimentary dessert they give at the end. I enjoyed the restaurant , I gave it 4 stars due to the fact that my waitresses was a little cold towards me and didn't check on my table once till I had to get another waitresses attention to pay the check . Other than that , great food.

Yuki S. reviewed that this isn't a Japanese restaurant. She's right. It Isn't JUST a Japanese restaurant but is also a korean restaurant as well. It is the best of both! My husband and I go there frequently and love it every time. Not only is their food fresh and delicious, their service is outstanding. I could tell this place is run well because the owner is hands on. Although we both love Japanese food, it's a nice touch to get kimchi and all the great side dishes that Korean restaurants are known and loved for!!