Izakaya Osen

"Osen Izakaya is a neighborhood Japanese restaurant along Sunset Boulevard. It specializes in kushiyaki (Japanese skewers) and offers meat, vegetarian, and seafood options. Beyond skewers, find sushi, hot pot, and signature bowls on the menu, including a toro unagi bowl with fatty tuna and charcoal-grilled eel. Make sure to make a reservation on busy nights as the wait times can get long." - Rebecca Roland

"This bustling Silver Lake izakaya is more of a crowd-pleasing sushi spot with a wide menu that features prepared appetizers and entrees (like age dashi tofu or miso-marinated Chilean sea bass) that appropriately model the Nobu menu. There are even yakitori skewers grilled over charcoal. But the sushi situation is very good, including fresh fish flown in from Japan like nodoguro (the “A5 of whitefish), bluefin toro, and Hokkaido uni. The boisterous surroundings and easy-flowing sake make this more of a celebratory place to enjoy sushi instead of a more staid counter-only omakase situation, and its central location in Silver Lake makes it a good gathering spot for those coming from various parts of the city." - Matthew Kang

"For $45, Silver Lake’s Izakaya Osen is offering an eight-course lunch menu. The meal starts with salad and miso soup before moving on to mussels, sushi, sashimi, a spicy albacore hand roll, beef and negima kushikayi, and yuzu sorbet." - Rebecca Roland

"The extremely underrated Japanese izakaya in Silver Lake has been our go-to for everything from pre-show meals at the Satellite to awkward double dates with an old coworker (don’t ask). And now, they’re back open with a front patio in their parking lot. The menu is quite lengthy, so just concentrate on the sushi - like the albacore or tuna belly - and any of the jidori." - kat hong

"With wood paneling and smoky yakitori grills that stink up your clothes, Osen in Silver Lake hardly feels like a Sunset Blvd. strip mall spot. This is an izakaya, so you want to get involved with small plates and meat skewers, but it would be a huge mistake to ignore the sushi menu. Whether you just grab a few a la carte nigiri or go for one of the four different omakase options (they range from $40-$150), you’ll have some of the freshest fish in the neighborhood." - brant cox, brett keating