Izakaya Hachi
Izakaya restaurant · Torrance
1880 W Carson St, Torrance, CA 90501
Highlights
Tender beef tongue, pork shabu shabu, and sake
Tender beef tongue, pork shabu shabu, and sake
"Even during the pandemic, Izakaya Hachi maintained its title as a premiere party spot. The South Bay izakaya has set up a decently sized tent out front where you’ll find the full spectrum of the human experience, from 21-year-olds celebrating birthdays to groups of Japanese men who will ultimately outdrink everyone around them. And yet, it’s hard to nail down what exactly makes Izakaya Hachi so special. The food’s a huge part of it - all of the grilled meats are excellent and worth your attention, like medium-rare beef tongue that tastes buttery and tender, or salty, chopped pork cheek accompanied by a biting yuzu sauce. But it’s also the celebratory atmosphere, and the fact that most dishes are made to share, like the pork shabu shabu, or family-style omakase that requires four people seated at the table (house rules) and involves a parade of over 13 different dishes. Either way, if you’re looking to party like it’s 1999, or whatever year, this is the place to do it." - kat hong
"On any given night, Izakaya Hachi is filled with everyone from 21-year-olds celebrating birthdays to groups of Japanese men who will ultimately outdrink everyone around them. It's hard to nail down what makes this Torrance izakaya so special, but the food is a huge part of it—all of their grilled meats are excellent and worth your attention, like medium-rare beef tongue that tastes buttery and tender, or salty, chopped pork cheek accompanied by a biting yuzu sauce. But it’s also the celebratory atmosphere, and the fact that most dishes are made to share, like the pork shabu shabu, or family-style omakase that requires four people seated at the table (house rules) and involves a parade of over 13 dishes." - garrett snyder, sylvio martins, cathy park
"Torrance has plenty of izakayas and drink-friendly Japanese restaurants, including Ojiya and Torihei, but the best overall one has to be Hachi, which gets filled with salary folks spilling out of local offices and the nearby Honda Motor Co. headquarters. The weathered wooden tables and traditional Japanese decor makes Hachi fill like a true suburban Tokyo hangout. In terms of izakaya menus, Hachi’s offerings are fairly focused, keeping to Japanese drinking dishes like pressed saba sushi and grilled chicken skewers. Adventurous types should definitely order the motsu nabe, a shareable hot pot of beef intestines and cabbage simmering with a soy dashi broth." - Matthew Kang
"On any given night, Izakaya Hachi is filled with everyone from 21-year-olds celebrating birthdays to groups of Japanese men who will ultimately outdrink everyone around them. It's hard to nail down what makes this Torrance izakaya so special, but the food is a huge part of it—all of their grilled meats are excellent and worth your attention, like medium-rare beef tongue that tastes buttery and tender, or salty, chopped pork cheek accompanied by a biting yuzu sauce. But it’s also the celebratory atmosphere, and the fact that most dishes are made to share, like the pork shabu shabu, or family-style omakase that requires four people seated at the table (house rules) and involves a parade of over 13 dishes." - brant cox, nikko duren, kat hong, garrett snyder, sylvio martins
"It’s hard to nail down what exactly makes this popular Torrance izakaya so special. The food’s a huge part of it—all of the grilled meats are excellent and worth your attention, like medium-rare beef tongue that tastes buttery and tender, or salty, chopped pork cheek accompanied by a biting yuzu sauce. But it’s also the celebratory atmosphere, robust sake list, and the fact that most dishes are made to share, like the pork shabu shabu, or family-style omakase that requires four people seated at the table (house rules) and involves a parade of over 13 different dishes. Either way, if you’re looking to party like it’s 1999, or whatever year, this is the place to do it while eating very well. " - Nikko Duren, Garrett Snyder
