Shirubē

"Shirube can be the first stop of the night for a pre-dinner drink and a snack or you can enjoy an incredible dinner for under $100 per person. Both are excellent paths. This izakaya serves grilled, fried, and noodle-y dishes, all of which are prepared in front of you at the bar. Most plates fall under $25, including fried corn ribs coated in shoyu butter, grilled duck breast with a beautiful pink center, and a silky egg custard topped with a pile of roe. And if you want to keep things light, there’s a great sashimi platter for two that costs $45." - brant cox, sylvio martins, arden shore, cathy park

"This Tokyo import from one of the chefs who popularized the izakaya concept has expanded to a new restaurant steps from Third Street Promenade. Expect a solid sake menu, well-sliced sashimi plates, and an incredible seared filet of mackerel that fills the room with the aroma of blackened fish skin. Sitting at the counter affords the best view of the action from the open kitchen. Most of LA’s great izakayas tend to concentrate near the South Bay or Little Tokyo, so Shirubē is a shining beacon of casual Japanese food on the Westside." - Matthew Kang, Mona Holmes, Rebecca Roland

"There are plenty of tables for groups inside this casual Santa Monica izakaya, but the bar seats are where you'll get the full Shirube experience. That includes a courtside view of the small but mighty kitchen, equipped with a charcoal grill and a spinning slushie machine full of frozen yuzu mojitos. Chefs here mean business: they swiftly flip gorgeous wagyu steaks over hot coals, slice yellowtail with razor-sharp knives, and adorn tiny egg custards with jewels of roe. Be sure to get the chewy mentaiko udon, crispy corn ribs, and mackerel sashimi that’s blowtorched right in front of you. " - brant cox

"Shirube can be the first stop of the night for a pre-dinner drink and snacks, or a place to have a full dinner for a price that we'll call "Westside reasonable." Both are excellent paths. This izakaya from Tokyo serves grilled, fried, and noodle-y dishes—sit at the bar for the full Shirube experience, which includes a courtside view of the small but mighty kitchen equipped with a charcoal grill and a slushie machine full of frozen yuzu mojitos. Be sure to get the chewy mentaiko udon, crispy corn ribs, and mackerel sashimi that’s blowtorched right in front of you. " - garrett snyder

"Small plates restaurants in Santa Monica often translate to bad tapas or wagyu sliders that cost more than a good burger. Not at Shirube. This Tokyo-based izakaya works well for snacking on roe-topped chawanmushi, grilled duck breast with a beautiful pink center, and delicate halibut sashimi. Most dishes cost less than $20, which makes Shirube an ideal place to load up on snacky things and drink sake with a date at the bar (where you can watch the kitchen staff swirl udon noodles in salty roe butter)." - Brant Cox, Arden Shore, Sylvio Martins, Nikko Duren