Otomisan Restaurant
Japanese restaurant · Boyle Heights ·
Homestyle Japanese classics, sushi, tempura, curry, cozy vibe
Homestyle Japanese classics, sushi, tempura, curry, cozy vibe
"Years ago, Boyle Heights was an enclave for Japanese immigrants. One of the few reminders of this is Otomisan, a family-run restaurant with comfort food classics and affordable sushi. After decades of business, it’s still beloved by the community. Try the fantastic tonkatsu curry plate." - Eater Staff
"The air smells of spices and miso paste at Otomisan, the 66-year-old Japanese restaurant in Boyle Heights. Settle into a plush red booth and start with an order of pan-fried gyozas before moving onto a sizable platter of savory curry with crispy pork." - Eater Staff
"I read that Otomisan is still going strong since opening in 1956 and is highlighted in Culinary Backstreets’ look at LA’s longstanding Japanese food history focused on East LA and Boyle Heights." - Farley Elliott
"In Boyle Heights I note Otomisan is housed in a vernacular 1924 building originally built by Ryohei Nishiyama that later operated as a Japanese grocery, a florist, and a barbershop; the LA Conservancy calls it “an excellent example of a 1920s streetcar commercial development” and highlights its “cozy interior of three red button tufted booths and short counter with five stools.” It is the last remaining Japanese restaurant in the now predominantly Latino neighborhood, and its history is tied to the Nishiyama family’s wartime incarceration—interned after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and held at Tule Lake—before they retained the East First Street property and converted it into a food establishment in the 1950s. The restaurant began as Otemo Sushi Cafe, was sold and renamed Otomisan in the 1970s, and has been operated by Yayoi Watanabe since the mid-2000s; the menu offers homestyle Japanese fare like salmon sushi, oyakodon, tonkatsu, and soba. A pending vote by the LA Cultural Heritage Commission could designate the building as a Historic-Cultural Monument, a status that would require permits before demolition or major alteration and make it more likely the site will remain part of LA’s history." - Matthew Kang
"I find Otomisan in Boyle Heights a historic, throwback Japanese restaurant still turning out classics like sushi, gyoza, and a very satisfying plate of homey katsu curry over rice — perfect winter comfort food." - Eater Staff
