Toku Unagi & Sushi

One of my favorite restaurants in WeHo to enjoy a Japanese meal. I enjoyed a round up of dishes twice in a week including the unagi ochazuke, sunomono, tuna hand roll, hijiki, agadashi tofu, and chanwanmushi. The service was on point and the chefs are quick and skilled.

Toku Unagi is hands down the best place for freshwater eel in LA. As the only restaurant in the city focused on unagi, their eel is perfectly grilled, tender, and full of flavor. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable, making the experience even better. If you’re a fan of unagi or want to try something unique, Toku Unagi is a must-visit! Highly recommend! @sushitraveler

As others have mentioned, the price vs portion is off but it was a great experience. Having fresh unagi or pre-packaged drenched/marinated in sauce is your choice. Would I come back, yes but only if I'm in the area. PARKING When we arrived, parking was free under the shopping complex. SERVICE It was a little confusing because there wasn't really anyone around when we arrived, even though I had originally phoned to make a reservation that had been pushed back. Overall, the dining experience was average nothing mind blowing FOOD Yellowtail Carpaccio = 4/5 Jalapeño dressing with renkon chip Unajyu Matsu 4/5 A perfectly prepared directly imported Premium whole Japanese Unagi, steamed and broiled with Toku's exclusive sauce, over bed of rice. Served with Japanese pickles and soup. Ohitsu Matsu (POUR OVER) = 4.5/5 A perfectly prepared directly imported Premium whole Japanese Unagi, steamed and broiled with Toku's special sauce, sliced over a bed rice, served along with a pour over tea/broth and ganish. Served with Japanese pickles and soup.

Authentic unagi house! Love the food, the hospitality, and the jazz music! What a gem in West Hollywood! I'm grateful to find it so should you.

This is one of the most exciting places to come to if you are interested in trying some of the best sushi one can have around Hollywood and LA. The Bluefin Tuna sashimi was to die for and all of their other fish simply had been not only delicious, but also very well crafted into various rolls. The staff was super friendly and very helpful to accommodate our newborn child at the time. I highly recommend to go visit this place and to give it a try. You will miss out and have fomo if you didn't go.

I have been here more than 5 times. Every time I come to Toku, they serve the best Japanese ingredient food. In LA, it’s really hard to get real Japanese quality food, so I’m very happy to have found this place. If you are looking for an authentic Japanese restaurant, I highly recommend it. Thank you💗

Very authentic and upscale Japanese restaurant. Unagi may seem a little small for you all but still it tastes very good. My boyfriend and I had omakase meals and sake and the server was very professional too. There are not many places where you can eat legit unagi around LA and this place is to go to. Oh and parking is convenient too 🙏

Oops, get ready for a long one y’all, I had a great time at this place and wanted to be thorough :] Tucked away in a cute part of WeHo is a sushi place most known for its unagi (eel) boxes. I admittedly did not try it; I don’t think I could handle that much eel! This review is for those of you who may not be into eel, and want to know about the many other dishes at Toku! We started off the course with a sake bomb… I’d never done that before but I will say Japanese beer and sake mix way better than a Mexican cervesa and shot of tequila (Mexican car bomb)!! Classy, I know. I think it was a great way to pregame before the food arrived. Most sushi restaurants these days serve spicy chili oil edamame, and of course I cannot recommend that enough as a starter. The chili oil is spicy but not terribly so, making it a perfect way to whet your appetite before your main course! While you’re at it, make sure to also enjoy the roasted shishito peppers with fish flakes on top. The peppers served were quite larger than what I’m normally used to, so that was cool. Additionally, my friend ordered a few plates of the fried rice with spicy tuna on top. This seems to be a popular trend at sushi restaurants right now, and while tasty, I will say the ones from Toku are just okay. If you haven’t tried one before, though, this is a good place to start. As for the main course, I’m personally a sucker for omakase. I love whatever the chef recommends, and I can say with confidence that it was so delicious, I forgot to take a picture of it!! As someone who personally dislikes sea urchin, even the piece of sea urchin with roe was divine. I couldn’t even finish my spicy tuna hand roll at the very end because it came with so much food! In my opinion, omakase is the best way to get a bang for your buck while also tasting the best of what a sushi place has to offer. The fish practically melted in my mouth. Speaking of fish, the fish served at this place is super fresh, of course, which should be expected of a restaurant of this caliber. The staff was also very friendly! I believe my friend knew the head chef, and he was warm, welcoming, and very professional. The space itself is rather small, so we were lucky to get a spot when we did. I can see why Toku is so popular! If you’re exploring WeHo for a bit and want to stop for a bite to eat, I cannot recommend Toku enough. I think its unique spin on sushi with the added eel boxes makes it stand out among the many other places Los Angeles has to offer.

Came here with my gf for dinner. I came here during Covid and coming again was an incredible treat. Unagi is absolutely delicious if you like eel. They make it authentically using the sauce to baste/marinate the eel then cooking it over heat. They also have all the accouterments for eating it hutsumabushi style. Their menu also has a lot of other great options and is relatively affordable given how much you get. Highly recommend for anyone into Japanese! They have easy and cheap building parking, comfortable, clean, and modern decor and very attentive wait staff as well!!

This restaurant is very subtly charming upon entry. Have not even looked in the 2nd dining area to the opposite wall of the sushi bar. Being on the 2nd floor of that intersection of WeHo does add to the experience. Was so good I went 2 nights back to back after trying. Beautiful presentation and quality cuisine here. Sushi chefs craft their dishes timely with care. Salad tasted so fresh. Their style of spicy tuna gets just a touch of sauce on top while the rice cakes they rest on are a perfect texture and thick and wide style. Topped off with bell pepper makes the color accents pop aside from the sweetness and tartness they add. Wagyu nigiri was delectable with rice that stayed warm inside from the meat. The garlic chips may have been freshly fried. Creamy Crab Croquettes are 2 nice big pieces with an amazing tomato based sauce. Great crunchy outside and rich filling inside. The small bites handrolls are scaled down open faced portions but are standouts as well. Wanted to try the traditional main course first over the other option. A Matsu/Medium can easily be enough to share between two persons especially if trying small dishes first. On the second visit I had one all to myself and the rice being so good was a bit heavy in the end. The unagi sauce itself was not overly sweet and sticky like I'd expect. Make sure to try it with some of the provided sansho pepper. It makes your tongue tingle like a buzz button flower while mixes well with the unagi flavor. A superb creme brulee ended the meal well. Lastly, I really have to rally for their Uni Shooters. The mix was perfectly balanced without too much of sake or sauce.

A bit disappointed because we have been wanting to try this place for a long time. Not only its service is very slow, we tried to understand that they might be understaffed that day, but it was beyond timing that we expected to be. It took 20 mins to place an order and another 30 mins until our food arrived, and if you think you'll get a check right away after asking for it, you're wrong. It took us 40 mins and multiple call outs to get the check because we needed to be somewhere and it was just a waste of time waiting over waiting over waiting. They also didn't provide some utensils that we're supposed to use like the big spoon to scoop the rice from the big bowl, and it took us an hour to get our sake after placing the order. It was truly disappointing experience. I hope they'll improve with better service and enough staff next time. The food itself is nothing extraordinary. if you've familiar with unagi don or hitsumabushi, you won't think the price and service (and the drive) would be worth it. Other tables surrounding us also experienced the same thing. They waited for 30 mins and they never got any menu and they ended up grabbing it at the front. It's very crowded and we had rsvp, but the place is very intimate.

As others have mentioned, the price vs portion is off but it was a great experience. Having fresh unagi or pre-packaged drenched/marinated in sauce is your choice. Would I come back, yes but only if I'm in the area. PARKING When we arrived, parking was free under the shopping complex. SERVICE It was a little confusing because there wasn't really anyone around when we arrived, even though I had originally phoned to make a reservation that had been pushed back. Overall, the dining experience was average nothing mind blowing FOOD Yellowtail Carpaccio = 4/5 Jalapeño dressing with renkon chip Unajyu Matsu 4/5 A perfectly prepared directly imported Premium whole Japanese Unagi, steamed and broiled with Toku's exclusive sauce, over bed of rice. Served with Japanese pickles and soup. Ohitsu Matsu (POUR OVER) = 4.5/5 A perfectly prepared directly imported Premium whole Japanese Unagi, steamed and broiled with Toku's special sauce, sliced over a bed rice, served along with a pour over tea/broth and ganish. Served with Japanese pickles and soup. Clean ambience no issues when dining.

If you're a diehard unagi fan and would love to try unagi imported directly from Japan and prepared in a traditional way, then Toku is your best bet. Don't fret if you don't like unagi because they also have other items on the menu that are delicious as well. The only downside for me is that it's just quite pricey; however, once you understand all the preparation they do for the dishes, it seems fair to me. I would recommend getting reservations as it does get crowded, or if you're lucky like me to come in without a reservation and get lucky with bar seating. || L O C A T I O N / P A R K I N G || -Cross streets are Holloway Dr. and La Cienega Blvd. -Free parking structure located beneath the establishment. Like many Yelpers mentioned, it is quite small and cramped, but hey, it's free parking and you have an attendant watching over the garage. || F O O D || Premium Matsu Ohitsu - I never had anything like this before so I decided to opt for this instead of the typical unagi with rice set. The pour over broth with the rice was a perfect palate cleanser in between bites of flavorful unagi. Such a wonderful experience. Sashimi Omakase - holy guacamole, these slices were so thick and fresh! The sushi chefs were definitely generous with the cuts. Note that they give you all the fish in a platter so it's not like your typical omakase spots that give you each piece one by one.

This place was DELICIOUS - but I have to admit... I liked everything else more than I liked the unagi, which is supposed to be their specialty. I came here with a friend for a friend date and we ordered a la carte. The eggplant dish was so good I devoured the whole thing and we had to order a second one. The uni dishes were so fresh and yummy. My friend LOVED the unagi, but for me, I thought it just tasted like any other unagi. Don't get me wrong, it was good, but I just liked everything else so much more. The restaurant is fairly small, but they have a bar area and it seemed like you can walk in and get a table. I had a reservation. The service was friendly and food came out quick! Next time I come here I am definitely trying the a la carte.

The udon & unagi set here is perfection--tender, flavorful, and elevated. I also tried the unagi liver soup, which I loved, though its bold flavor might not be for everyone. A must-visit for unagi lovers.

The best Unagi in LA that also serves incredibly fresh sushi and sashimi. Was blown away at the amazing quality and flavors of the food that we've tried here! Their Unagi is definitely the best I've ever tried! Love the rich and naturally sweet flavor. I learned that their Unagi here is imported from Japan directly every week, ensuring the authentic flavors of the dish. Also really love their hand rolls and sushi! So loaded with fresh seafood, every bite was chef's kiss! I highly recommend for an amazing luxury Japanese food experience with impeccable service and ambiance! ig: @cheska.eats

Meh. I've had better for far less $$$$ and I left wanting more at the end after paying $330. The meal wasn't worth what they charge. I recommend sticking with sashimi as it is very fresh and even though they are known for the unagi, I was not a fan at all. I ended up giving it all to my husband as it tasted like something was off and normally I do not have any issues with unagi and normally I love it more than my husband... Most likely won't return. At least they have free covered parking which was surprising for a Friday night.

We visited Toku Unagi and Sushi, a restaurant located on the top floor of a plaza, with convenient parking in the basement. We arrived early in the evening, so the restaurant was still quite quiet, making for a quiet and relaxing dining experience. We started with the Uni and Snow Crab Don -- the uni was very fatty, and the snow crab was fresh and of good quality. Next, we tried the Unagi Box. The eel is imported from Japan, so it has a thinner, sweeter texture than the regular eel in other restaurants. Food: 4.3/5 Price: 4/5 Ambiance: 4/5 Service: 5/5

Been here twice and ordered from one of the delivery apps once or twice. I love open kitchens. This kitchen shouldn't be open. A grumpy chef who bickers and berates employees in front of guests just ruins the experience. I couldn't imagine having to listen to that all night. Both times I've been there, it seemed cold and unhappy. This last time was just uncomfortable as I had to listen to a grown man act like a child. Take it to the back where guests aren't in the crossfire. The food is good though. I'll stick with ordering online.

This place is just amazing everytime. Their quality of their sushi and sashimi is top notch. Is almost like you're in Japan. Their eel box is superb. Get the one with the tea. Is sooooo good. Had it 4 times now and it is done perfectly everytime. This place might seem expensive but think about how much money you save from not having to fly to Japan to get this quality. Service here is also on point. They really take care of you! Just make sure to make a reservation. They have limited seating and they fill up everytime I'm there from what it seems.

Very good. Tempura was crispy and not greasy. Toro sampler was delicious. Unagi was also well cooked the hamachi collar bone was slightly overcooked but still good nonetheless.

I visited this place for the first time for lunch and the food and the service was okay. I was the only person who was there, and the day I went was on Thursday so they told me I have 10% off on that day though I ordered the cheapest one unagi which was total of $67.63 ,green tea $3.32 and the total With the tip $85.09. For a lunch , I think the price is higher than others. No wonder I was the only person who was there.

I wasn't impressed with the food here. Dishes were authentic (ingredients wise) but just did not taste all that good. The most premium unagi wasn't the best I've had despite them specializing in it and I've never even been to Japan. The fish quality was good but I just didn't feel like it was charred well and the house sauce was meh, lacked umami throughout. I would have preferred the sauce to be sweeter. The liver soup was so fishy I couldn't eat the liver at all. The side dishes/apps were okay but texture and flavor to all the dishes were just not up to par to my liking. Many were served with weird stale fish cake textured garnish that I did not like at all. I got some steamed monk fish liver served with some ponzu jelly and it was super mid. I'm used to better sauce and texture for that dish. The grilled scallops were okay but they didn't serve it with the frills or organs cooked. The frills are the best part! The uni and toro toast apps sounded so good but it was so bland and the toast was bitter and hard. The dishes all just tasted so underwhelming. I did not have any of my bf's nigiri but it looked okay, pretty standard. I just feel everything here had B grade presentation and the food tasted worse than it looked. It felt underwhelming. Prices were reasonable. We ordered a lot and total was $270 for 2 with a sake. Anywhere else (I'm from Seattle) I would give this place 4 stars for authenticity but this is LA, driving anywhere takes so much effort, and competition is fierce, so 3 stars. It's actually 3.5 but I don't quite feel like I can round up to 4. Parking was easy here, free near the entrance, just take an elevator trip up. They have two 2 person small tables for outdoor seating with no cover or heating if you want to bring dogs during nice weather.

We were so excited and came for my husband's birthday. But the experience was so meh, at best. Overall, hard pass for me. We were seated in the side area that smelled like cleaning fluid and was incredibly stuffy (bad air circulation). So already not off to a good start. We ordered Matsu Unajyu ($68), Daisai 45 Nigori 300ml ($28), Umaki ($28), Crispy toast 2pc ($25), Mochi ice cream ($5). The best part of our meal was probably the crispy toast. Service was good - and our waiter warned that the size of the meal was small. TBH, I'm glad we didn't order the larger unagi since I was not a fan at all. The flavor just wasn't there and it was overcooked.

Top three most disappointing experiences I've ever had at a restaurant. Heard great things about this place and went with a friend so we could try lots of Items. What a terrible mistake that was. For starters, the service is a joke. Atrocious. Rushed. Hassled. Comically impersonal. And I don't give a damn if people think "no one goes to a sushi place for the service." When it costs this much, yeah they do. If the sushi was great, I would't have noticed. Unfortunately, the service was better than the food. This is a place for eel lovers? No, the eel was cheap crap. I've eaten the fish all over Japan and if the eel they served me was imported from there than it must have been from the frozen food section of a grocery store. The rest of the fish was immediately forgettable. In fact, I barely remember all the nigiri and rolls we ordered because the only one that had any distinctive flavor was the salmon. I will admit, though, that the soy sauce they apportion to every customer was quite good. I was told the shrimp tempura here was epic. It was an epic fail. When they first put down that plate with two shrimp and GIANT hunks of friend vegetables I thought it was a joke. Sadly, the joke was on me. If you love sushi, do not let the joke be on you and avoid eating here.

I made a reservation of 8 and they were very up front and said that due to being a small restaurant, they requested that we give them our appetizer order ahead of time to insure we get our food in a timely manner. I called in the night before to submit our appetizer order. We arrived 30 mins early and they allowed us to sit in the side room and order drinks while they set our table. The food was delicious. The Agedashi Tofu was excellent. Delicious and the portion was more than generous. The uni chawan mushi was excellent. If you love uni and chawan mushi, this is a must. The Unagi was excellent. Not over cooked or over sweeten by their sauce. Service was good and food was excellent. We will be back

Had a celebratory dinner with friends. The restaurant was pretty empty when we walked in, but picked up as the evening wore on. Service is excellent. The team is attentive and I didn't even know they had taken my order until it arrived at the table. One of our friends said they wished we had something like this in the southeastern suburbs...it was a fun evening. Ohitsu matsu - best unagi I have ever eaten. The crisp edges of the skin where the sauce caramelizes it is significant. Rice was also super fragrant. Also ordered...Toku Treasure (smaller version of Providence's "ugly" bunch), blistered shishitos, some vegetables, and maybe couple of other things I can't remember. Grabbed a bottle of sake, too...it's on the regular menu and paired well with the items we ordered. Edit: Menu no longer claims that unagi is fresh.

Beautiful fine Japanese dining located in WeHo. There's a parking garage located below the plaza, but it is tight spaced. You can find this restaurant located on the second level. It is small and intimate inside. Service was and is amazing. Everything that was ordered came out authentic, fresh, and delicious. Felt like I was eating in Japan again. Recommend eating here if you are a fan of unagi (eel)!

It was such a good experience. Food is good, service is great, everybody is so kind. I plan to go again.

Food: 4.5/5 Service: 3.5/5 Ambiance/vibe: 4/5 We had two waitresses tonight, and one was 'okay' the other one was very snobby and purposely would say things that insinuated we were ordering cheaper sake/dishes. We got there right when they opened and felt really rushed and the restaurant was completely empty. Our bill was still over $200 so I don't know what she is being snotty about. I thought overall the food was good, their dessert matcha Creme brûlée was good too. The interior is nice, and I really like that it's on the second floor so it's away from the noise but I was just turned off by the bad service from the one waitress. Food was good, not sure if I'd go there again. It was our first time here and it was just not very welcoming in there. I'd rather give my money to someone else that treats their guests with kindness.

I decided to stop by since I was in West Hollywood for the first time in a while. Since it was a Friday, the restaurant was busy. The place was busier than I remembered, and I ended up waiting about 10 minutes. I regretted not making a reservation. The food took a while to come out, and the server checked in a few times to see if I wanted to order appetizers. But I wanted to save space for sushi!!Unfortunately, the omakase was sold out, which was disappointing. I would love to come back and eat here if I'm in the area again.

This restaurant is so delicious! I went there with my husband and we became obsessed with the quality of the food and unagi!!! The service was exceptional very attentive friendly. Felt very greeted. It's such a cute small restaurant like it's really nice. It's such a perfect place to dine. We try caprese entrée that included scallops, mozzarella and tomatoes so so good. Then we had their yellow towel roll and their last roll very fresh quality rolls. We had their unagi melted in your mouth. This cod that was so amazing. The fish quality was in impeccable. And then we ended our dinner with this Matcha crème brûlée that is such a game changer. It's definitely a must check out restaurant.

I am going to start this review off by saying I have never been a fan of any unagi I have ever had at any restaurant but this place and their unagi changed my mind! The flavor was off the charts and with the pepper they provided it was even better but that was just one highlight of the evening. We started off with the scallop caprese salad which was something new, adding an Italian twist to a Japanese dish. The tomato, mozzarella and pesto paired well with the raw scallop. Next up was the ribeye tataki salad. The dressing, garnish and garlic combined with the seared ribeye was pure heaven. Both the Alaskan roll and spicy yellowtail roll were delicious and the fish was super high quality. The one dish that blew us away above all others was the Miso black cod. The fish just melted in your mouth and the flavor was incredible. We finished off with a matcha creme brulee which again, was excellent. This is definitely a place for an intimate dinner date as it is on the smaller side. There is free parking underneath the plaza and plenty of it. It was not super crowded when we were there but even if it was I don't think it would be super loud. 10/10 will go again the next time we are in West Hollywood!

I would echo the recent reviews which have described Toku as overpriced and not worth it. As others have said, while the space is beautiful, the food itself is not up to snuff. What you are really paying for are the huge number of staff packed into this tiny eatery. While my 7-course meal was at least edible, if not great (the chawanmushi was by far the best part), my partner's eel and sushi all had bones. I tried some of hers and it was...put mildly, prepared carelessly. In addition to the bones, her eel was burned on the bottom. As others have said, this place did not satisfy my eel craving, and at a fine-dining price point, I just can't justify giving Toku more than a single star.

I love unagi!!! My partner saw this place on Instagram and she knows my love for unagi for decided to check this place out. It is very small so make a reservation! The service was cool. The ambiance is very cute and quant. The food though - we started with the shooters which were yummy. We shared a premium unagi box and it was delicious. As someone who eats unagi a lot I definitely could tell that this place is serving an elevated and just overall better quality than we normally see at restaurants. We order a few pieces of sushi and they were all good. Definitely will be back!

Excellent food and ambience. Easy parking downstairs for free. Just tell the parking attendant that you are going to Toku upstairs. We prefer this place over Nobu where music volume can be disruptive to have a nice business dinner. Thank you

A Japanese restaurant located on the second floor of a strip mall in Weho that specializes in unagi or eel. Some folks were craving unagi within a small group of people I usually dine with, so we decided to come here and we made a reservation. They import their unagi from Japan on a weekly basis and use classic cooking methods. Everything from the food to the space itself is authentic to me. I felt like I was transported to Japan as soon as I walked through the door. Since this was my first time here, and the fact that I don't have a lot of experience eating unagi dishes, I thought it would be a great idea to get the Omakase menu so I can try a little bit of everything or trust the chef to give us a great representation of what the restaurant has to offer. We actually all ended up getting the Omakase menu. And we also ordered some sake and some Asahi on draft accompany our meal. The meal started with a delicate fish and a broth with radish topped with fish eggs. Delicious. This was then followed up with a savory pudding, some sushi/ sashimi, and tempura. I thought everything was cooked or prepared very well. Never had the pudding before. It was fluffy and so good with the pepper or condiment provided. The sashimi was super fresh and tasted of really high quality. The tempura was perfectly crispy and the sauce was great. Then on to the unagi - there were two dishes - first broiled and served with some dipping stuff. Other was unajyu - cooked with soy sauce based seasoning on a bed of rice. Unagi was steamed than broiled to bring out the flavors. Served with a soup and pickles. Just really well done. The meal finished with mochi and fresh fruit. For someone who hasn't been to Japan, I really felt like this was authentic and it was unique dishes/ type of restaurant to the area. I had a really good meal and I wasn't super full afterwards. The service was super friendly and helpful. Really great folks work here. You can tell the folks behind the counter also put a lot of care into their product. The service, the hospitality, and the food were all amazing. There's a parking garage, but I didn't see that until I walked up to the restaurant. Luckily, I found some street parking really close by. It was a Sunday evening so that might've helped.

My mom and I got a Tuesday lunch at Toku Unagi & Sushi during Dine LA Restaurant Week. It was an easy reservation, made less than a day in advance, and I'm fairly certain we would've been able to walk in. I assume this is also true when it isn't Restaurant Week. Toku is on the upper level of a nondescript plaza on the West Hollywood stretch of La Cienega. There's a small garage with free parking for customers, no validation required, at least when we were there. The restaurant is small and appealing, a neat, comfortable space with a sushi bar and a handful of tables. Service was fast and friendly. We went for the $45 Dine LA lunch set, which came with several items served all at once on a single tray, with a scoop of ice cream for dessert. For the first part of the set, we were offered a choice of bolognese udon or ikura chawan mushi. We got one of each and shared. The chawan mushi was clearly the better option, a lovely steamed egg pudding with mushroom and ikura and a tiny bit of caviar. The udon was okay. The noodles and bolognese were both fine, but I didn't think they went well together. They came with a loose, soft-boiled "onsen" egg and another bit of caviar. Arare shrimp and "nikogori" jellied broth also served as little appetizers. The shrimp was nice, fried with a crispy coating of crumbled rice cracker, and I liked the bite of jellied broth with unagi. We both went with the half unajyu for our main dish. (The other option was an omakase set of four nigiri and one hand roll.) This was delicious, an exemplary piece of eel brushed with sweet sauce and served over a bed of rice. The lunch came with a bowl of osuimono, a light, clear soup, as well as some tsukemono, both great accompaniments to the unagi and rice. Dessert was a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream that I think was probably Häagen-Dazs. Nothing impressive, but not a bad note to end on, either. I liked Toku Unagi & Sushi and would like to go back for more of that tasty eel. There aren't many places to get unajyu around here, and I'm glad I know where to go to satisfy that particular craving.

Toku is well known for the unagi dishes, but I am here to say that their sushi and other food items were exceptionally well done. The restaurant is located on the second floor with free parking under the plaza in the garage. Super easy. We made a reservation for 2 for dinner on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, though I'm pretty sure we wouldn't have needed one. We arrived almost 7pm when it looked like their dinner rush was almost over. There were three, I think, waitresses handling all the tables in the restaurant and they looked pretty busy/stressed with taking care of everyone, but as soon as the dinner rush left, we were taken care of quite attentively. The space is nice, clean, and comfortable and leans a little casual, even though you can definitely dress up for the meal. We ordered the omakase ($120) and got one of each the Unajyu and Ohitsu (omakase comes with the premium version, half portion). I have been to very good unagi restaurants in Japan and was hoping for something similar, but I honestly didn't think Toku's unagi was as good and was slightly disappointed (like another reviewer mentioned). The unagi meat was a bit on the thin side, not the soft meaty fish I was hoping to have. Nonetheless, the Ohitsu was my favorite out of the two. Pouring the broth over the eel and rice along with a sprinkle of sansho powder made for really heartwarming and delicious bites. The star of the meal was actually all the other dishes that came with the Omakase. The sashimi was incredibly fresh and the tempura was one of the best I've had in a while - fried perfectly and came with matcha salt and tempura dipping sauce. The tempura shrimp was so delicate and tender inside. I liked both the sashimi and tempura more than eating the unagi, ironically, but overall, we both really enjoyed our meals and were very full after the omakase. Dessert was green tea mochi ice cream that came with whipped cream and some fresh berries. So nice to finish off the meal with this small sweet treat. I would love to come back again to try out the other sushi, sashimi, and appetizer options. I am giving 5 stars despite the fact that I didn't love the unagi (good but not great) because everything else is worth coming back to eat again and I was very satisfied after the meal.

Overall a great experience with DineLA dinner courses. Food is authentic and fresh with rich flavors and beautiful plating. With an open kitchen, you can see how chef treats each dishes with care and make sure it's perfect. Portion size is on a small side. Servers were friendly and polite all the time although a bit slow during Friday night. Restaurant is on second floor in a small plaza with lots of parking spaces which is very convenient location. Will come back for Omakase sushi next time.

I reaaaally want to rate higher because the chefs and our server especially were so gracious but unless you're chasing a particular type of authentic unagi, you may leave slightly disappointed like me so this review is mostly for people who just want a thick juicy slab of delicious unagi regardless of authenticity. We found Toku through DineLA but didn't opt for the DineLA menu because we just wanted unagi. I was seriously craving fresh unagi after a couple of the most amazing bites of eel in my life a couple weeks prior at n/naka. The restaurant is VERY small but comfortable, lots of natural lighting through the large windows, and I recommend having a reservation just in case I also wound up ordering a salmon ikura bowl ($39...) because I can't read and thought it also came with uni--the other two rice bowls were something like snow crab uni and ikura uni so I stupidly thought this one had some uni too even though all 3 are the same, rather hefty price for the portion size. My favorite sushi restaurant in Pasadena usually has similar sized bowls for like $23 or something :( As for the unagi, we were told the ta-ke had slightly older eel while the matsu came with a younger eel that was supposed to be more tender. It did look young because of the size but, at least the eel we got, was not at all more tender than any random eel we've had. The menu at the restaurant also didn't say what the portion sizes were so we didn't know the ta-ke is like 350g while the matsu is 200g of eel (from their website menu) or we would've stuck to the ta-ke. So $150 of eel rice later, the craving for eel was very much not satisfied. I have no clue what the norm for specialty unagi is, maybe these prices are totally normal, or it's paying premium for the Hollywood location. The total bill for the 2 sets and salmon ikura bowl, plus tax and tip and no drinks, was over $250 which is impossible to justify.

The service was good and speedy. Its a cute shop on the 2nd floor with free parking below. It has only a few tables, but everything was clean and the chefs make the food nearby. We had a reservation, but didn't need one since it wasn't too busy on a friday night. The unagi was tasty with good portions and really liked the broth! It did seem a bit overpriced for what it was though. $70 each?? $30 seems more reasonable honestly.

Date of Visit: 9/15/2022 This is my second visit to Toku Unagi & Sushi in West Hollywood. Toku Unagi & Sushi was opened in Fall 2019, is the most authentic Japanese Unagi Restaurant in LA. Highly recommend the traditional Unajyu and Ohitsu, both have imported Unagi from Japan, with the selection of Special Japanese Unagi or the Premium whole Japanese Unagi to choose from. Unagi Chawanmushi $15 Love the Chawanmushi, the texture of the egg pudding was so soft and flawless. Vegetable Roll $9 The vegetablel roll has avocado, asparagus, cucumber, kaiware sprout, tomato, very light. Crunch Roll $15 Has Shrimp tempura, avocado, cucumber, tempura flakes, tobiko, imitation crab, very flavorful. Matsu Unajyu $68 Unajyu is eel rice in a beautiful box. I chose the Matsu which is a premium Japanese Unagi, steamed and broiled in a exclusive unagi sauce over rice. Love the smokiness and texture of the unagi. Ta-Ke Ohitsu $53 Another unagi dish we picked the Ohitsu. With imported Special Japanese Unagi on top of rice. On the side there are pour over tea broth, wasabi, green onion for garnish.

I pass by this place to and from work everyday and I'm so glad I decided to check them out for dinner one day! My fiancé and I made reservations and we were seated promptly. The restaurant is on the second floor of a small shopping square and the views from our table of West Hollywood and Beverly Hills were amazing. As far as food goes, everything was delicious! The waitress was also very kind and helpful. She helped us choose a nice bottle of sake to pair with our dinner I got the Omakase 7 course dinner which was a great way to try various options on the menu, including their eel dishes which is what they're known for. My fiancé got the omakase sushi which had beautiful and fresh cuts of fish. We also got a Japanese Wagyu and Unagi specialty roll which was a decadent treat worth the splurge. I also recommend paying a little extra and asking for fresh wasabi to accompany your meal. This was a wonderful spot for a nice dinner date and I can't wait to visit again. (Course 5: tempura and 7: dessert not pictured)

I have been missing authentic Japanese unagi. Ones in regular Japanese restaurants in Southern California are not as same as ones in Japanese Unagi specialties restaurants in Japan. And so I have been searching.. and OMG! My search is over!! I had hitsumabushi which is Nagoya style Unagi, and ohhh... it brought me to tears in appreciation! The taste that I remembered and loved!! A little crispy outside and soft and fluffy inside The last part of this meal ends with pouring broth onto unagi pieces and rice with a little bit of wasabi and onion. This really took me all of the way to heaven!! The service was excellent! The waitress was very attentive and brought us fresh tea often. The restaurant is small but very nice. Overall, I was very happy and I am sure I will be dreaming about coming to eat Unagi here. I will definitely be back!

Excellent quality of unagi and sushi. relaxing and luxury inside. Must try. The plaza has free parking structure.

I always drive by this place and see it driving up La Cienega Blvd and when I use to work out at Barry's. I've heard great things about it. The tempera was crispy and hot. The rolls were good. The unagi plate was very traditional and tasty. The service was interesting - didn't explain well what we were ordering. But, I would come back again to try other items.

Wowww amazing unagi! Definitely one of the best unagi I've had. The texture is perfect and flavorful... I recommend getting one of each box set to try. I personally like the simple one without the broth since the eel with rice alone is so, so good. Also the chawanmushi is to die for! It's a perfect custard, and not soupy like I make it! I loved it so much I ordered another one.... Only downside is this place was busy almost the entire time and the staff kept messing up our order. First, they accidentally put in 1 order of chawanmushi, despite asking for 2, and those take awhile to steam. Then, we kept asking for water but we didn't get even though repeatedly asking until towards the end of our meal. And worst of all, we pointed at the sake we wanted and somehow they gave us and charged us a bottle that was $40 more expensive... what??! Unfortunately, we drank it without realizing because we can't read Japanese... :( And then they also gave us the wrong soups but whatever, it was still tasty... Otherwise, the servers here were nice and friendly, but the way it's run is a little disorganized. They kept asking if someone has helped us to get seated and we were waiting for quite some time before we were. That didn't really bother me, but it made me wonder if that's why we kept getting the wrong things. Also be sure to come earlier if you can... they ran out of sushi rice towards the end of the night. There is a (small) parking garage but it's pretty cramped. I wouldn't come during peak gym hours since they share the garage with Barry's Bootcamp.

High quality Japanese dishes, highly recommend the Ohitsu option for the Unadon. A new way to experience the eel rice combo! Chawamushi is also great pick!

I don't eat unagi, but the sushi here is excellent. It's fresh and authentic and the presentation of the dishes are beautiful and appetizing. Spicy tuna crispy rice, carpaccios, tempura, and eggplant were all a hit! We liked everything we ordered! Waitresses are super nice too!

We decided to come here for DineLA NOT to experience a good deal BUT to try this special menu for this event. Little more expensive than their regular course menu but you'll get to see the chef's creations only available for Dine LA. We enjoyed all the dishes came in right sizing and each presentations were beautiful. Since we seated at the bar, the chef kindly kept making sure if we were doing good even while he was very busy preparing food for other guests. Servers also were very helpful when we had some questions/requests. Our family used to go to their other locations in Japan and we remember they always provide great quality Unagi eels. If you've only experienced pre-cooked (packaged) unagi in USA before, it's well worth trying Toku for authentic Unagi with real unagi chef came from Japan!!

Wow. I typically like Japanese eel, as long as the skin isn't as overbearing. But I've never had something as close to this where the eel is grilled properly. I'm told this is as authentic as is gets compared to Japan. And the sauce! In most places the eel bowl is sauced with eel sauce that is very sweet and sugary. Here it's not like that at all. The sauce that is glazed over doesn't have an overpowering sweetness. The portion size of the eel dishes with rice may look small, but if you get the most expensive one at $95, you could honestly share it with someone if you plan on eating other things in the menu. The sushi is also extremely fresh and the tempura is perfect. Not too much batter where its soggy in the inside, so there's a nice crunch to it all. Definitely coming back.

Been wanting to try out the eel rice. Overall, it didn't disappoint, but I wished the rice wasn't soaked with the sauce. I ordered the Kaba Yaki Matu and it was pretty tender & fatty. It did take quite a bit of time to prep. We got the Tatsuta-age (Japanese fried white meat chicken), the spinach & Unagi Chawanmushi (eel egg pudding) as our appetizers. Hubby got the Japanese Wagyu steak, negitoro hand roll & omakase sashimi 7.

Fantastic food, presentation and service. I think if they were in a better location with better decor, the place could be more poppin'. Regardless, it was a great experience for a quick dinner out with the wife.

My wife like it. It reminds her 红烧鳝筒 a traditional Chinese dish in her home town area. The good thing about this is it's either marinated well and the eel tastes great with the source. We have to say even though the fishy taste from the eel is very light after grilling and with the source, you can still taste it but we're fine with it. I had a chance to go to Japan Yokohama this summer, and the two meal sets we got here are very close to the meals I had tried in Japan. So we would recommend this store! You cannot find a competent one in my place

타케 우나쥬와 프리미엄 마츠 우나쥬를 먹었다. 각각 50불, 68불. 매우 맛있습니다! 정말 맛있다. 하지만 양이 매우 적습니다. 가게 분위기도 그닥. 히츠마부시는 일본 가서 먹어야 하나보다. 엘에이에서는 사치인 듯. 그리고 매우 친절합니다. 감사해요.

Despite a hefty price tag, I am bounded to Toku for their preparation of unagi chazuke, which entails eating the unagi on top of a bed of rice with hot broth (dashi) poured onto rice bowl. It's something I would eat for comfort every day if it weren't for the cost - so it will be a visit I will make any time I want to treat myself to a delicious, silent, head-nodding meal. The other home run appetizer for the meal was the Japanese eggplant - simple, deep, intensely flavorful.