Furaibo Japanese Restaurant

I’ve been a loyal customer of FuRaiBo since 1995. This time, I had the chance to visit their outlet near my hotel in December 2024, as I usually go to the one on Sawtelle Street. Unfortunately, I feel this restaurant needs improvement. When I visited at 7 PM, the place was surprisingly quiet, with only two tables occupied. This was especially noticeable compared to the restaurant next door, like Boiling Point, which had a long line of customers waiting. The menu feels outdated, and the taste, which I used to enjoy, now seems ordinary—nothing special to note. Health-wise, the food also felt a bit concerning. Most dishes were deep-fried or grilled. The steak I ordered had visible burnt char marks. It seemed like the grill they used wasn’t cleaned properly, as the burnt residue clearly came from previous usage. If asked whether I would return, my honest answer would be no. I think this outlet could benefit from refreshing its menu, improving food quality.

We visited this restaurant at about 7:30 pm. There were no customers in the store at that time, so the waiter entertained us very warmly. The portion of dinner was more abundant than we expected, and the taste was also very good. Although we didn't drink any wine, we were still very satisfied with the dinner. This is a Japanese-style izakaya worth visiting again.

I call this my comfort izakaya spot because for the price you get some nice food. I really enjoy the bento dinner boxes here especially the steak one. They give you plenty of food and everything tastes great. Admittedly, I haven't come here in a while especially after the pandemic just because the plaza itself has become incredibly popular and super crowded. But this place remains one of my favorites to hit up once in a while.

Food was okay. Service in the other hand was slow and unresponsive. Took 15 minutes to bring to go box and another 22 minutes to get Bill after asking 3 times. Waiter gave a bothered look and feel when asked.

Our usual orders are always Teba-Saki (Chicken wings), Karei Karaage (Fried Fish), Agedashi Tofu, Tori Soboro (Grounded chicken over rice), and Korean BBQ. Very consistent in quality and flavor. Been coming here and the one on Sawtelle in W. LA since 90’s. Never disappointed.

I've been coming here for many many years. With all of their locations, I think this one is the best! The ladies who serve here and have been here for many years. They're very nice and polite. The food here is always heartwarming. Even if it's crowded, it doesn't take too long to get your order. Besides the chicken wings, you should try the other dishes like the fish bass and the salmon delux chazu. This is great value for money. Everyone I've taken here has always been surprised about the place and they always want to come back!

This was a small, quaint place tucked in a shopping center like area with other Asian eats. The food was not bad, but I couldn't say that it was good either. Let me preface though that we make these dishes at home, and IMO are better homemade. The chicken wings lacked.....chicken. Where did the meat go? The bento was large, but the flavor was subpar for what I had expected. Chicken katsu was crunchy, but the sauce was off (you can always tell a good place by the flavor of their katsu sauce!). Teriyaki steak was tender, but again the sauce was off. Hoise salad dressing was not as flavorful as I hoped and the sides were meh. Miso soup was comforting but lacked tofu and some flavor. Overall, I'm glad we tried it, but I would not return.

Lovely little restaurant. The food is absolutely delicious, well priced and portions. Our Server and her “support team” was very friendly and professional. The only drawback could be the parking as there are quite a few restaurants in the strip mall so parking tends get tight, especially during peak dining hours; and I recommend making a reservation to avoid long wait times as this is a small place and they fill up fast.

I loved FuRaiBo! All the food was tasty and you can definitely tell it was made with quality ingredients. The Chazuke was my favorite, so comforting and warm for the weather. My friends and I split a couple dishes and a few skewers which came to a perfect meal. There was no wait at 5:30pm on a Monday.

My family and I have loved coming to this amazing spot for years! The place itself is slightly on the smaller side, but there's usually not a long wait and the staff are so sweet :) The dinner boxes are the way to go in my opinion! I've gotten the Chita (chicken leg and thigh), Jane (chicken breast), and the Steak (ribeye) and all of them were so juicy and flavorful. It also comes with a salad, miso soup, chicken cutlet, and bunch of other good sides! Give this place a try and I'm sure you'll be back! :)

Parking is in a huge shopping center that has other food places. Service was fat we went during happy hour so they had lots of specials that you could choose from. I loved the chicken Omg so so good the spicy chicken .Ambiance was great very nice and relaxing and happy waitress was very very nice she checked in on us to make sure we were ok. I will definitely be going back

Me & my family have been going to Furaibo for many years! It has the tastiest Japanese style tabasaki chicken wings (comes in sweet, mild, spicy & extra spicy)! Furiabo is a Japanese tapa resturant that has various shareable dishes. They also have bento boxes if you want to get a little bit of everything! Things to try if you have never been: fried baby shrimp, baby halibut, and agenasu (fried eggplant in shoyu sauce). We love this place! Definitely a good place to go if you are looking for authentic small Japanese plates with good friendly service!

First time at Furaibo and I was not disappointed! The parking lot here can be a struggle, especially if you come at dinner time, so be prepared. The inside of Furaibo looks like a super old school, Japanese-style place (well because it is LOL). Food is super cheap and especially if you come during happy hour! Service was quick and I got my food within ten minutes of ordering. I actually ordered my drinks a few minutes after happy hour was over, but the server was very kind and still gave me the happy hour discount! I ordered the Tori Soboro and got an umeboshi onigiri. The tori soboro was really good (it's just ground chicken on rice with an egg) and the onigiri was big and yummy! Nothing here is like amazing, superstar standout, but it's a solid place. If I could give 4.5 stars I would. Great place to come for drinks and small dishes.

Furaibo's an authentic, traditional Japanese restaurant that specializes in tebasaki wings. It's great for groups and has an awesome happy hour menu. For our party of 5, we got the house salad, mushroom butter, agedashi tofu, onigiri, yaki onigiri, karaage, 3 orders of wings, the tebasaki dinner box, the steak dinner box, and a couple of hot sakes. It was just the right amount of food. The tebasaki wings are so crispy and flavorful. Furaibo has truly mastered this dish. Each server is friendly and attentive. They came around several times to offer water refills without us having to wait or ask. Parking in this plaza can be pretty hectic, so it's best to come early and beat the dinner rush.

We've been going to this restaurant for over 30 years and they have never disappointed us. We fondly remember Harold greeting us way back when and now his son is managing here. Wonderful legacy. The chicken is simply delicious. I usually get the Chita special box which includes legs and thighs, plus many small bites. All is just absolutely tasty! Will be returning with anticipation!

Unfortunately I paid $23 for Korean Bbq with no rice and salad. At the Sawtelle location in west LA it is a whole dinner. This location is skimping on everything.

Great wings. Havent tried other stuff tho but wings are a must... also popcorn chicken was great. We usually order out but seems like a cozy space.

I've loved coming here since high school and I always make sure to order several of the tebasaki wings. I get the spiciest but it's not spice, they just add more black pepper for flavor. The service is quick and the toughest part might be parking because the lot has a lot of good food around. But I'll come specifically for those wings!

Horrible service and ambiance. Asked if they served sushi and they said no, I had ordered a gyoza while I waited for my friend to arrive. The appetizer did not come and I had not received any service. I then left without having anything to eat besides water. Went next door to the sushi restaurant which we really enjoyed. I was then head hunted by a rude waiter who demanded money for the gyoza which was made. He rudely shouted in another restaurant and embarrassed me and my friend during our dinner. We gave him the money for the gyoza which tasted like it was frozen and probably spit on. 10 dollars !!! Anyway, very harsh review but I hope others do not have the same experience as I did.

Our last stop of the day on a whirlwind tour of Torrance and Gardena. It was dinner time, and we were hungry! The place was pretty busy, it was 8pm on Saturday night (Labor Day weekend), but they had a table for 2 available. Ironically the same table that we always seem to get! The energy in the restaurant was good. Happy customers.. young adults, what looked like a group of older women having ladies day out, families with kids./ it was bustling! We started out ordering a couple of yakitori sticks.. the shiitake mushroom, the beef kushiyaki, a bow of rice and an eggplant dish with pork meat in the sauce. Sorry I don't have menu pics or dish names, I forgot to take pics before the menus were picked up. As we made our way through the tasty morsels, Hubby looked at the menu for the next thing that caught his attention. We tried several items and enjoyed each bite! Some brought back memories of my childhood and some flavors that my own Mom would serve to us. Our server was friendly and helpful. In fact, there were two working and both helped to make sure everyone was well taken care of. We always enjoy our dining experiences at Furaibo. We will be back.

I've been coming here for over 38(?) years, and it never disappoints. I always order at least the negima and gizzard yakitori.. it's great with a bowl of rice and a beer!

There's only 2 kinds of chicken wings in the world. 1. Furaibo dry rub chicken wings 2. All other chicken wings Their to tonkatsu curry plate is my favorite as well. Their curry is on sweet side but tastes authentic and comforting me all the time.

Furaibo has been a favorite. Their skewers are delicious as well as the wings. Our favorite is the fried baby halibut. It's quite pricey but delicious. Service is always great! We usually come for early dinner to beat the crowd. Parking at this location can be very challenging despite the ample parking space.

Great food, great tasting high quality food, great service and friendly environment. Been going to the location in Gardena and West Los Angeles for years and both locations never disappoint. My only wish is that they had more locations. They have over 70 locations in Japan but only about 3-4 here. Takes me about two hours to go to either of the locations I mentioned above but it's so worth it. Hopefully, one day they will open one up in or close to Temecula.

Excellent variety and quality food! The service is reasonably fast, and the ambiance is casual and inviting. Would recommend the tebasaki chicken-very crunchy and well seasoned, hanpen cheese, agedashi tofu, eggplant with minced pork (nasu soboro), and fried squid.

Best japanese fried chicken in all of LA OC SoCal been eating here over 20+ years still the BEST!!!!

The standard of chicken wings for me in the USA. Located in the busy Sawtelle area, this restaurant has been around since I was in grad school. We'd all go here from time to time to enjoy wings and beer. To this day, whenever I visit the Westside when I'm in LA, I have to come here. My beautiful wife loves it even more than me! That's how good it is.

Stopped by this place for the first time. Small restaurant but kind service- they accommodated us quickly and helped us through the menu. Of all the things we ordered (yakitori of various sorts, tofu salad and etc...) the chicken wings were the best!

My fav JFC Japanese Fried Chicken spot. They have other options on the menu, but the stars here is the fried chimkin. Chimkin is super juicy and crunchy, and of course it taste better with beer haha Service is nice, food comes out fairly quickly for being freshly fried. Place is always clean, pretty typical of Japanese restos.

This is one of our favorite Japanese restaurants. They always do it right. Teba saki wings, "max spicy" (pepper spicy). Butter mushroom. Butter Asparagus. Bean sprouts sauté with beef. Fried fish. Kids are super picky but always love coming here.

Very solid and reasonable. Service was really good. We had the edamame, which was fine; served cold, I'm good hot or cold, but thought I'd flag that in case you cared. We had the salted shrimp, which were tasty tiny bite size shrimps. Small enough to eat the shells. Then I had the breaded fish with rice. Nice amount of food, typical salad with typical thousand island type dressing. Lots of warm and well cooked fish with a decent set of sauces.

Incredible food and excellent service! Don't be deceived by the simple atmosphere. This place is worth checking out. I recommend the Chicken meatball kabobs, bacon spinach, and toasted rice balls.

Double teba, extra spicy, lets go!!!! Really brings back memories of the fried chicken served in Japanese bar's. Definitely get the double because the single will not be enough. Get ready to lick your fingers clean, your welcome.

Me and my friends came from an event and decided to get food before heading to our next destination, it was a party of 8, they seated us right away. From what we could see it looks small on the inside but we never went to the back so it might be more spacious. There wasn't much aromatics going on, I love walking into a restaurant and have wafting smells from the kitchen. I don't know what the entire party ordered but me and my closest friends had got fried rice, miso, and a Yakitori skewer and dinner box. The rice was exceptional, the skewer was way to fatty, the dinner box actually came with to much other stuff I didn't care for that I wouldn't normally get when I order a bento. The chicken itself was good, the shrimp still had the skin on and had a fried texture. I for one can't stand shrimp with the shell because there's poop still inside. I was starving and ate it as is anyways but I probably wouldn't do it again, the whole time I was trying to convince myself I wasn't eating shit because I couldn't taste it. The miso soup was basic as well. None of the food stood out, I've had this in my bookmarks for quite some time so it was nice to go because someone else chose this spot not me. The plaza it's located in has a good amount of free parking and other surrounding restaurants I highly recommend checking out. I eat at some of them whenever I'm in the area and I will return, however for This restaurant it did the job by filling my stomach up but there was no love in the food and so for that I'll check this off the list and not look back.

Located in a plaza with quite a few other restaurants across from the car dealerships. While this is one of many options just in the complex alone, Furaibo still stands out. There is parking in the back, which is shared with all the other tenants and can be rather packed and cramped at times, so don't go driving your oversized vehicle or large SUV into this lot if you can avoid it. Furaibo is known for it's chicken wings and other Japanese style faire. I must say the wings can be addicting, though are very small in size, so don't think this is your typical American sized chicken wings, as they are anything but. I'd say to double what you think you would normally order as an appetizer to relate with some equivalency to standard size wings. If it's all you're going to have, then triple your typical number of wings. Though with tons of other items on the menu, you'd be amiss not to give other things a try. Most are small plates, so you can sample many different things, or if you do opt for more of an "entree" size portion, they do have those as well. This branch is smaller than their Sawtelle location so you may have a small wait if you come at peak time, though typically I've always been able to get a table when I've arrived and chose to dine in.

This is my favorite place for wings. My favorite type are the spicy but tolerable. Sometimes gets a little busy but so worth it also they seem to take a mid day break so check in as far as that. Gardena must try spot.

Call Ahead! Double Teba Course (2 orders of chicken wings) To-Go please! These wings are so tasty! They're not as meaty as other wings but the flavor makes up for it. Yummy! You can choose your spice level: sweet (not spicy), mild (little spicy), regular (spicy) or extra spicy. The meal includes rice, soup, salad with your choice of dressing (house creamy japanese, miso, ranch, thousand island or italian) and pickles. The price is reasonable for the amount of food. Lunch is $12.50 and Dinner is $13.50.

Food was outstanding. Service was top notch. Ambiance was good and not great, but the other qualities of the restaurant more than made up for that. We've been going there for many years and will continue to in the coming years.

I was craving Japanese curry and first went to nearby Kotohira. However, they said they didn't have curry today. Really?! So I came here instead which was a couple doors down and got some pork and chicken cutlet curry, sweet chicken wings, and hanpen cheese. My lunch was excellent and was very satisfying. I have positive memories of the Furaibo on Sawtelle that I visited a long time ago.

Awesome good with excellent service!!! Everything tastes so good!!! Best Japanese wings in town!!!

I love coming here to eat. Been to both locations, Gardena and West LA. Both locations are good. As many of you know, this restaurant is known for their chicken wings. I always order extra spicy as it's mild in my taste. It's not the chili pepper spice they add; just black pepper, so it's really not that spicy. However, I can eat the entire wings by myself! I believe the order comes with 6 or 7 pieces. Sorry, no photos as I ended up eating all my food and had forgotten to take photos! Addition to the wings, I recommend hamachi no kama (yellowtail collarbone), age nasu (fried egg plant), fried tofu, Asari butter (buttered steamed clams), and skewers like the tsukune (ground chicken), shishito pepper, chicken breast, and etc.. Definitely will come back again to try other dishes.

Service: Early lunch time could not covered timely enough by 1 waiter. We arrived 11:30 and waited about 45 min to get our food, and took so much time to get the check. I had to delay my meeting time after the lunch. Lunch: It was not as good as I heard from friends recommended "it's like a Japanese real Furaibo taste". We didn't go Furaibo in Nagoya Japan so we were excited but... the famous Tarzan was out, so my friends and I ordered Chicken breast and Thigh. We all felt they were dry, and we had to depend on the skin to taste it until finishing all meat, should have asked dipping sauce. Tebasaki, the main guy, hmm. Okay, compare to the other meat of course because they are small enough to taste the "tare" all around the Teba,,, so ... we won't go back. :( Chotto zanneeeeen.

It's been 12 years since my last review and I think it's time for an update. Furaibo has lost its steam over the years with 2 less locations than at its peak in the 90's. Now, when you come here, there is no longer a line out the door or 15+ people on the waiting list. Until late last year, I had not visited this place in over 10 yrs, but was pleasantly surprised when I went back. It is a lot quieter there now, but the food is still good. From its signature chicken wings, meat/veggies on skewers, to the agedashi dofu, Furaibo still offers up great izakaya food at super reasonable prices. Since going back last year, it's become my go-to for great Japanese food once again. Highly recommended!

The food is always amazing!! Seating is fast during the week. Not on the weekend though. Things we love: plum wine, halibut, spinach and bacon. Enochi scallops, fried rice & chicken wings.

The chicken wings were amazing :)) Would love to be back soon. I did a to go order and it was ready in 10 mins

My family loves this place and comes here regularly. Service is always good and the teba-saki (chicken wings) are so good! You should definitely try the Hanpen cheese and baby shrimp. Try dipping the baby shrimp in a side of vinegar! Great little Japanese restaurant/mom and pop atmosphere.

I don't know if is because of pandemic but seems like furaibo Teba saki wings aren't as flavorful as they used to be. Seems like they over fried their chicken to the point that it is like a dried corpse. The seasoning isn't as good either. I'm not sure why it changed but I hope they can get their act together and do better like before. Their table are dirty old and sticky too. I'm sad to see one if my favorite place has gone downhill.

I had a craving for chicken wings so tried Furaibo. I got the tebasaki special with regular spicy seasoning which comes with 6 chicken wings for $7.95. I was surprised how small the chicken wings were for the price. The skin was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Not the best bang for your buck but a tasty snack.

Taking my five star review back. Tonight my favorite place to eat was taken from me forever. Awful awful vibe ....awful treatment I'm heartbroken but will never come back again.

A bit hole in the wall but the food is good, especially the chicken wings that they are so famous for. They are smaller in size but packed full of flavor. I personally prefer fried wings without any coating, with crispy skin. Their wings do the trick. Service is also great. Other items on the menu are quite decent, but on the pricey side for what you get. I recommend the lotus root chips if you like potato chips. It's something that is uncommon to find.

One of my favorite Japanese restaurants! This is one of the restaurants that I crave if I haven't gone in awhile & because it's more unique. I don't know any other places that make tebasaki deep fried chicken wings. They're fried TWICE which makes them extra crispy! My family & I always get the Tebasaki or Chita Dinner Box. You get so much variety in it! You can customize the spice level of the wings, from non spicy to extra spicy. I usually could never tolerate extra spicy if it were say, Korean food, but Japanese food is generally not that spicy and this is more of a light kick so I can tolerate it! It's also nice they have 4 dressing options for the salad, I always enjoy the House creamy Japanese dressing. The fried shrimp is good too and the shell is edible to eat. I always have leftovers cause I'm not a big eater, and can save the chicken katsu, rice, salad and edamame for lunch the next day. This was the first time I got take out (usually dine in) and it was neatly organized in a bento box. Parking: this plaza is always packed even though there are a lot of parking spots. We usually have to take a few minutes to roam the lot to scope out a spot. In the same plaza as Boiling Point, It's Boba Time, Pho So 1.

a very good izakaya marred only by the over-salted agedashi tofu broth and the over-vingegary octopus salad (geso kunomono). In general, the yakitori items are better than the non-yakitori. The onigiri rice ball is excellent, however. My suggestion: add photo of each item for easier ordering. An overlooked gem in the crazy busy foodie plaza. Stop in for some skewered appetizers, then move on to the main course elsewhere in the plaza.

Same great chicken. No one can duplicate it. Chicken and the halibut whole fish fried are the best. Will drive extra far to get here. Alos enjoyed the fried fish and soups.

I usually come here for the lunch specials as it's more affordable, but I was craving this during dinner so I gave the dinner box a try. For $20, you get salad, miso soup, some picked vegetables, stewed potato, and chicken cutlet, along with your choice of a main dish. I opted for the Tori Piri Kara - which is sweet and spicy chicken nuggets. The chicken is very crispy and tangy, it's got the perfect juicy texture that reminds me a lot of Korean fried chicken. It also came with some mini fried shrimp. Definitely couldn't finish this in one meal and was glad to take home some leftovers! The salad is OK - kind of like a coleslaw but they add some cucumber sticks and tomato wedges in there. I recommend getting it with House or Miso dressing. Parking: Private lot behind the restaurant, metered street parking (free after 8pm. You can also try parking in the Marshalls parking structure for free a few blocks down.

My friend and I shared ika yaki(squid w soy glaze), hansen cheese, tebasaki wings, and sweet&sour wings. Both wings were delicious but the other items are pretty mediocre. Overall, it's a good casual place to chill and enjoy good food. The portion of each dish is pretty small, so ordering multiple dishes and sharing is a good way to go! Parking: a huge lot, but it tends to get crowded

Just don't go for lunch because they have very limited choices. Go for dinner and the food is good.... Fried rice, fish, chicken wings etc. your order takes 10 minutes for some but not bad. The place is ok but more lights would help.

Oh my goodness... We went to Furaibo today with some friends that are regulars at this lovely place. The food was spectacular. Small plates so you can try lots of the different dishes. Bring another couple and you can share and enjoy more of the menu. Some favorites from tonight were the Nasu Soboro = Eggplant and pork meat sauce. The Mushroom Butter was my absolute favorite. Spicy shrimp was great too along with a pickled veggie dish that I could snack on all day. I heard they had a whole halibut fish dish pre pandemic that we hope they will bring back soon. Besides fabulous food with reasonable pricing the staff was excellent and our server Caz/Kaz made our Furaibo experience even more enjoyable. I would highly recommend Furaibo