Yabu

A cozy and intimate Japanese restaurant in West LA. They specialize in many Japanese foods, but their soba in particular stands out to me as having amazing mouthfeel and bite. You can tell they make it fresh. Their tempura is also freshly cooked, and they have a wide variety of fresh sushi and sashimi to choose from. They have a really nice back patio that is great to eat in during the summer. You can also sit at the bar and chat with the head chef while he makes your food. A great place to bring a date and chat with delicious food!

Favorite spot in the west / pico area for non pretentious Japanese food. Get the Yabu Combination — soba, sushi, and tempura, you won’t regret it

This was first time visit after checked good reviews. Susie was great! I and my friend ordered Yabu Soba with tempura and tempura with rice. When we got the food, we found missing tempura sauce and grated radish. Both should come together with the food... we got tempura sauce right away, but the radish took 10 minutes. And I found I needed the Oshinko, because left lots of white rice. After I ordered it, I got it 20 minutes later.. The rice was cold🥶. The service was not professional.

We were seated almost immediately upon end during the restaurant The service was also good. Our food was prepared quickly and how ordered. The food tasted good, but several items weren't seasoned at all, e.g. chicken wings. Some of the menu items were also very pricey like the rainbow roll, which was about $17. Overall experience was good.

To celebrate Mother's Day, we decided to visit Yabu Restaurant, as it is my mom's favorite place for udon. Our experience at Yabu turned out to be delightful as usual, thanks to the delicious food, friendly staff, reasonable price and cozy atmosphere. First and foremost, the udon at Yabu did not disappoint. Mom's favorite dish, the udon, was cooked to perfection. The noodles had a delightful texture, firm yet tender, and the broth was rich and flavorful. Aside from the udon, we also tried their sashimi, and it was a true highlight of the meal. The sashimi was fresh, expertly sliced, and presented beautifully. The quality of the fish was exceptional, with each piece melting in our mouths, leaving behind a burst of flavors. It was evident that Yabu takes pride in sourcing high-quality ingredients. While the food took the spotlight, the overall dining experience at Yabu was enhanced by the attentive and kind staff. The servers were welcoming, ensuring that we were comfortable throughout the meal and addressing any questions or requests promptly. Their warm hospitality added an extra touch of charm to our visit. The atmosphere at Yabu was cozy and inviting, providing the perfect setting for a family meal. The soft lighting created a relaxed ambiance, allowing us to enjoy our time together. However, one minor downside was the limited parking space. While there was parking available, it seemed insufficient during peak hours, resulting in some inconvenience. In conclusion, our visit to Yabu Restaurant for Mother's Day was a memorable experience. The delicious udon, fresh and delightful sashimi, and friendly staff made it an occasion to remember. Despite the limited parking space, the cozy atmosphere added to the overall charm of the restaurant. If you're looking for a place to enjoy delectable udon and sashimi with a touch of warmth and hospitality, Yabu Restaurant is definitely worth a visit.

Yabu’s owner and sushi chief, Okyo makes delicious sushi and presentation of sushi also pretty and beautiful. They also have soba noodle and tempura. Try here!

the number of times I said SO GOOD while eating the lunch special and also their assorted tempura. A great lunch special for $25. Highly recommended

My man Okyo makes the best sushi I have ever had. The Toro sushi was amazing. This was the most pleasant surprise of my trip to LA. Any time I go back to Los Angeles I head here for food.

Tried Yabu restaurant on a Thursday after work because I wanted to wait out traffic before going home. Without reservations at 6:30pm, there was no wait. Plenty of street parking too (if you're willing to look around/walk a bit). I got the oyakodon because that's like my ultimate japanese comfort food these days. The one here didn't hit as much as I would've liked, but it wasn't bad. The rice bowls come with a bowl of miso soup. The oyakodon quantity was generous and I had leftovers to take home. I found it less good (compared to Ducks) because the eggs weren't a little runny and they use less mirin maybe? Regardless, service was great. Food came out quickly and the ambiance was very cute.

Came here with Hurnan and Robert in Sept 2023! This was such a cute little spot. Parking is tough - Robert was able to get a street parking right in front. We each got our own order of soba noodles and then we shared roll (spicy tuna and salmon). Everything was really yummy! I do think I need more food though. So if you have a big appetite, suggest ordering more. Service was great! Nothing wrong. Overall, I would come here for a quick dinner date. This place is better for smaller parties.

Love this place for a celebration or special occasion. The sushi is always great quality and the outside patio has the best of vibes. Plants hanging from the over head awnings and scattered all around the corners of the space. This time around my date wanted soba so we embarked on their soba menu. It was refreshing and delicious. I got the duck soba while she got the shrimp tempura soba. We got the picked veggies as an appetizer and a bottle of their yabu hot sake. After we cleared our plates we wanted to try something else. She got the chawan mushi. An egg custard with white fish and ginko nuts. This was so light and flavorful. I would get this for myself next time I go. The texture was so soft. I wanted to try the uni from Japan. This was a beautiful bite of clean uni with a kick of wasabi. I love this place and decided it was time to write a review and share my thoughts.

Yabu is a place that is a staple in my LA experience. When I was a college student, this place used to be a weekly treat for me. This was 10 years ago. Now I come back as a mom with my family and my picky eater toddler loves the Niku udon, the tempura is still best in class, the spicy tuna roll is hands down my favourite thing in the world. If you come in for lunch, it's mostly older Japanese people so you know this place is legit. I have many happy memories of Yabu in the past decade and I hope that this is ab establishment that stays around for a long time. I don't understand how this place only has a 3.9 rating when it deserves the full 5 and more.

I've been coming to Yabu, an unassuming Japanese restaurant in West LA, for soba and sashimi for the better part of the last decade. It may not be trendy (Kaz) or high-end (Inaba), but it's a solid spot serving consistently good food. Although the restaurant serves typical Japanese fare, it's known for its soba and udon, which can be ordered as part of moderately-priced lunch sets on Tuesdays through Saturdays. Nowadays, I regularly order the bluefin tuna don set ($26), but I've previously been partial to the chirashi sushi set ($24.50). As part of the lunch set, you have the choice of soba or udon -- zaru (served cold with dipping sauce), kake (served hot in broth), or tanuki (served hot in broth with tempura flakes). The soba noodles are a bit starchier than other soba restaurants, but they always satisfy my craving for buckwheat noodles. The fish served at the restaurant is fresh, with adequate portion sizes. Of the menu options, I've only been (slightly) disappointed by the tempura, as the pieces of shrimp are significantly smaller than what you get at other local Japanese restaurants. Service at the restaurant is decent. Parking is limited, but you should be able to find a street spot on Pico with relative ease. Note that the restaurant's ventilation could be improved, so you'll likely leave the restaurant smelling like tempura -- whether you ordered it or not -- given the open kitchen setup. They do have outdoor seating in the back if it's a concern.

Comforting, considered Japanese food in a delightful atmosphere. We are regulars. don't miss the collar if he's got it.

Yabu has been around for a while, and I finally got to try it yesterday! Came on a Friday night with reservations. They do accept walk ins, but it isn't too big in there, so reservations are recommended. We actually ate right at the sushi bar. We couldn't decide what to order, so the solution was omakase! The sushi chef was amazing, and is very well trained in his art. Our omakase was AMAZING! I love the element of surprise with omakase. We started with monkfish parfait, which I had never tried before. It was creamy and citrusy because of the ponzu. This was followed with two plates of different sushi pieces, two hand rolls, and two bluefin Toro pieces. Everything was so fresh and delicious. Every dish worked together so well in the order they were given to us. There was only one sushi chef making sushi for the entire restaurant! He was truly amazing. Service was great! Parking can be tricky, especially because it's located right on Pico. There is parking in the neighborhood behind, and a few spots behind the restaurant. They also have outdoor seating. Although the restaurant is small, it does create a cozy ambience. This old school japanese restaurant is a must!

Ambiance: traditional Japanese restaurant, old fashioned indoor dining and very chic outdoor patio Service: friendly and patient with questions, served food and refilled water adequately Food: numerous items on the menu, with daily special available from time to time, combo items have the best value here Chirashi Sushi - **** Assorted sashimi over a bed of sushi rice, fresh raw fish, recommend Cold Soba - **** chewy noodles with dipping sauce, recommend Salmon Hand Roll - **** smooth texture, recommend Spicy Tuna Hand Roll - *** average Yellowtail Hand Roll - *** average Hot Udon Noodles - *** average taste Price: moderate portions and reasonable prices, 10% discount if paying cash, expect $25 per person

Love the food at this place. Such a classic the service is always fast and they always have the right game on. They do everything really good love the broth they have here and of course the sushi.

This has been a favorite of ours for many years. The food is amazing and generally the service is very good. Our favorite is the curry nanban with udon noodles. So delicious and comforting. The sushi is very good. Give it a try!

Thanks to a dear friend (Niki), I've been dining at this awesome, authentic (best homemade soba noodles) Japanese restaurant for nearly 5 years!! & EACH & EVERY time, the food has been consistently outstanding whether it be their bluefin tuna bowl, assorted sushi bowl or tempura & their lunch sets can NOT be beat (be sure to call ahead to make reservations)!!

Yabu is like a neighborhood Japanese spot serving lots of hot and cold noodles - soba, udon as well as some raw fish. Overall I love soba so I wanted to like this place but it fell really short. This ambiance is a nice grungy Japanese eatery with nice wood paneling. I ordered the soba with tempura and felt that overall the flavor was fine but not special. Soba unfortunately doesn't taste fresh made but rather from a package and they're super soft with little chewiness. Tempura was nothing special to write home about. The tororo soba is interesting, it's inaccurately described as yam but is rather mashed up and stringy Japanese Mountain yam. I had a taste and it was solid but the dish lacked something due to the uninspiring nature of the noodles. The sad thing is that it took 40 minutes after ordering for our food to come and a ton of time after we put our cards down to pay. All in all a 40 minute meal turned into an almost 2 hour affair.

Read great reviews and I live close by so I decided to come give it a try. My favorite soba I've had in West LA is at Takuma, and I was hoping Yabu would be a closer option. Although my tenzaru set was fairly good, the price wasn't worth it. The soba noodles didn't have that fresh buckwheat taste that people eat soba for, and the tempura, although quite tasty, was very oily and the taste coated my mouth. It's clear this place caters more to the people in the neighborhood, and isn't the freshest or most authentic Japanese restaurant I've been to. The prices are enough to scare me away from coming back.

- Locale Destination - It's on W Pico Blvd and Granville Ave in West LA. Ambiance: Quite old school, simple pop & mom shop. Not so big. Menu: sushi, sashimi, appetizers, noodles, rice bowls etc. Quite wide selections. Service: Decent Parking: street parking - Gluttony Expedition - Chirashi: Fish quality is pretty good. A lot better than I expected. Karaage: fried chicken was good - Japanese style. Nasu miso: not bad! Very homey taste. Kimpira gobo: good but very small portion. - Conqueror's Deduction - I didn't think this place was existed and this good. Very homie, good Japanese food for good quality sushi. I like here!

Great food. Got seated at the sushi bar and ordered all my sushi dishes directly to the chef. It can get filled fast on a Saturday night so you should call ahead to reserve a table or come early. When it gets full they have very few wait staff so it can take a while to get orders in or the check. Food was great though

I came here on a Saturday for lunch, after learning about their lunch special. It's a bit hard to see from the street, so definitely be careful if you're driving here. There is a small parking area in the back. We opted to sit outside, which has a covering so it isn't too bright. I ordered the Chirashi set, which is 20.5 as of February 2022. It comes with a bowl of sashimi and rice, and a bowl of noodles. I ordered cold Soba Tanuki. The food came out relatively quickly and is honestly so good for the price. The food taste so fresh and the portions are very filling. A bowl of Soba is at least $10 at any other restaurant, so for $10 more, you'll get a bowl of very fresh sashimi and rice. The server checked on us often even though we were the only one sitting outside. Sadly this place is pretty far from me, so I won't be coming by often. If you live nearby or in this area for lunch on Mondays to Saturdays (they're closed on Sundays), definitely give this place a try!

The black cod is awesome and I would highly recommend it! This place is very standard Japanese fare. It was good, not stand out great, but very solid overall. It's a small restaurant on a busy street. We were lucky to get a parking spot right out front. Unfortunately it had some leaks because of #larain. It was a bummer and I hope they fix it. The kake udon was great. I really liked the broth. I wish they had more than one fish cake but the udon was good. The sushi combination was pretty good and fresh. The black cod was hands down the star. It was mouth watering good. Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. With the lemon, everything tasted perfect. I would come back for the black cod. Come early if you can though. The place is rather small and when we left there was a wait out the door. The food was good and maybe with a few upgrades to the interior they can step up the ambiance.

Old School Japanese restaurant specialized in soba and udon. As soon as you step in the restaurant, you will know that this place has been here for a long time with the way it looks. There is also an outdoor seating which is newer and cool too. In a place like LA, I feel like I experience less and less of that so I immediately appreciated the restaurant. I think they have sushi but I've been busy with eating their udon with Kansai broth, which is the style I grew up with. I'm glad I found this place. Oh, actually, I did try a little bit of their lunch special that did have a bit of a donburi and that was excellent. I imagine the sushi is equally wonderful too. Dishes came very fast for work nights and I appreciate it very much. Been here like 3 times in two weeks so I imagine I'll come again soon. Lol.

Soba - good but nothing special. A friend said they came here a decade ago and they had the best soba. Maybe it was an off night Tempura - fried well but didn't come with its own dipping sauce. Just used the soba sauce Sushi - good but one of the pieces didn't seem that fresh. Overall price was expensive for dinner vs the quality . I would only go back for the lunch specials. Parking at night was rough. There are meters east of Barrington, a block away

Great, authentic Japanese food The sushi is as authentic as it gets. Family owned and been around for decades. My go to is the cut Cali roll

food is delicious and well priced. service can be slow sometimes pending on what you get. for example we ordered karage for an appetizer and it came out at the end after we finished our entrees. my partner's meal also came out 10 min after mine came out. overall great place and good food. small cute lowkey japanese restaurant vibes.

Overall, 4+. We're from NorCal, but whenever we visit LA as a family over the past many years, we always stop here. The food is great. We've tried multiple items and everything is consistently oishi. The sushi is fresh, flavorful, and well-executed. The soba and udon are likewise good quality and perfectly cooked. The fried foods (fried oysters) are perfectly crunchy on the outside and fresh on the inside. Great place.

I've been looking to find a good soba/udon place on the west side for a very long time and finally came across Yabu. They offer both hot and cold soba/udon which can be hard to find north of Torrance. Service here is fantastic and feels like you're really stepping into japan when you're dining here. They also have other food if you're not in the mood for noodles such as rice dishes and tempura. Honestly everything I've ever had here is fantastic and I've been her many times since I discovered this place. Highly recommend for anyone that enjoys authentic Japanese cuisine!

How have I lived on the westside for 5 years and never been here?! This sushi spot was amazing and I will be returning again and again. Somehow hidden on Pico, this spot serves some seriously authentic and premium sushi. Sat at the sushi bar and enjoyed chatting with the sushi chef (can't remember his name, but he's been there for decades). They have a daily specials menu, which I definitely ordered from. The quality of the fish was phenomenal -- this spot is pretty unassuming, nothing fancy about it, so it was pure delight and surprise to bite into fish that melted like butter. Ordered the uni (both Japanese and Santa Barbara), sweet shrimp, blue crab handroll, toro (!!!), scallop with uni, albacore, and more...all were amazing. Overall, highly recommend this restaurant. Good service, outdoor seating in the back, street parking, excellent food. Check it out!

So you want good Japanese food you say? Say no more for Yabu Restaurant is here to stay. But only if you eat here multiple times, which I fully intend to do. I hope you do too. It's got a hole in the wall vibe but is extremely warm and welcoming especially their outdoor dining setup during the covid era. I was feeling soba and Ten Zaru is my favorite. So what did I do? Get Ten Zaru soba obviously. The soba is nice and refreshing, the tempura was made to perfection, and the overall dining experience was fantastic. The waiters regularly check in on you and I just felt like I was eating in a loving family's home the entire time :') Anyway, soba and udon is the name of the game here but I feel like everything else on the menu is just as good so you can expect me to try everything else in the near future. Like tomorrow.

Yabu has a nice little outdoor patio that you can make reservations for. They're known for their soba as it is made fresh daily. Other tasty items to order are the crispy salmon salad, tempura, Yabu beef tataki, and the nasi miso! Their menu has plenty of options for even the pickiest of palettes.

Service (4/5 stars): We were quickly seated. Our orders were taken quickly. Our orders took some time to be made, but not unreasonably long. Our check was settled quickly. Food (3/5 stars) Overall the food was ok. Nothing in particular stood out to me, besides the shrimp tempura, from what we ordered. The tempura was quite good, the shrimp specifically was very soft almost buttery in texture. I personally did not like the salmon sashimi. The salmon belly was a bit fishy, and the marination retracted from the experience for me. Additionally, I was hoping to try the Yabu Homemade Tofu, but each time I have gone (during dinner) they don't have any. Given the higher price range and that the dishes I have consumed haven't for the most part stood out to me, I personally would not eat here again.

Don't come here. Soba is not 100% buckwheat. Yellowtail hand roll came with uncut scallions that are unchewable. Sushi is priced per piece. Chirashi bowl is $45. Oyako don is super mediocre. Wish we went somewhere else!

Yabu is our go-to spot for lunch, and for good reason - their lunch specials are a real treat. The combination of quality and value is hard to beat. Whether you're in the mood for sushi, sashimi, or a hearty bento box, Yabu delivers with fresh and delicious options. The service is consistently prompt and friendly, making it a perfect choice for a quick and satisfying midday meal. We keep coming back for more!"

Food here is consistently good. My guests and I had a good time until a freaking lantern fell on us after we finished. BEWARE of outdoor seating. It's very hazardous when it's windy outside. The outside tent was very shaky due to strong wind and every wire was getting loose. The lantern fell directly on our table injuring my friend's head and his elderly father. He fell from the chair and almost hit the heater which could have resulted in fire. I am glad he was not hurt much but we were just so shocked. Other customers were terrified too. And I regret so much for recommending this place for visiting guests. I was also very disappointed how staff handled this. He did not seem to know what to do and just apologized minimally. Since we were already on our way out we just paid everything and escaped the place. Hope no one else got hurt after we left because it still looked insecure and dangerous. We will never forget this traumatic night...

As a former resident of Japan, I can easily say this is the best authentic Japanese food in LA with the best prices. Especially a fan of the Ten Zaru noodle dish as well as their fresh selection of sushi.

Best authentic Japanese food in LA. Been coming here for years, sushi and noodles is always authentic and top quality.

Yabu has been one of our go to spots during pandemic. They have really reasonable prices for lunch time and the fish is super fresh. Definitely treat yourself because 2020 sucks and Yabu brings us happiness They are highly underrated in my opinion, and deserve a lot of support and love during pandemic.

Feels like an eatery in Japan. Great Lunch specials.

Love this place so much! As others have mentioned it has a great authentic local old school Japanese restaurant in a small town vibe! I love their duck soba and always try to get a couple pieces of sushi and sashimi. Their hotate and amaebi nigiri is my favorite. I love coming here once every 2 weeks to have a nice intimate meal after a long day of work to decompress and the chef behind the counter and servers are always very kind and make an effort to connect with me and other customers.

Came on a weekend night, and luckily were able to snag a street parking spot and head into the restaurant and get seated almost right away. We ordered soba combo plate, which came with a choice of either cold or hot noodles, as well as 6 pieces of sushi. The soba was light, refreshing, and filling with a very savory yet not overpowering broth. There was good variety for the sushi, which were all fresh, flavorful, and nice and chewy. The total was approx 38$ per combo plate. I left feeling extremely stuffed! Overall, highly recommend and would come back again!

Had a lovely time here with friends. The food is homey, tasty, and presented with nice details. Be sure to call and make a reservation, as the patio is limited. Felt very safe, as others have said, and the vibes were cozy and comfortable. Yes, there are heat lamps. The service was excellent! You can tell the servers are doing a lot here, so props to them. Always tip 20%+, please. Apps: - Get the eggplant. I have never had eggplant like this, which was a Japanese variety with a banana-colored flesh (haha). Creamy flavorful sauce. Main: - Had the tempura/sashimi combo platter, and it was a good amount of food. Good quality sashimi. Parking: - If you're early (pre-7 PM), you could snag a spot in the alley connected to the restaurant's back patio entrance. (A few spots only.) Otherwise, try your luck in neighboring streets. Really good, would like to go back.

I would say this place is more of a 3.5 star joint...you know, some place that you can rely on to be decent time and time again but never really knock your socks off. We came here for a later lunch on a Saturday (a little after 1pm) noting that they shut down at 2:15pm for a pre-dinner break. We weren't concerned with the timing since these places tend to push food out fast. We weren't wrong. We all went with their lunch specials: Tempura and Sashimi Set Soboro Set Toro and Tuna Set (special) Spicy Tuna-don Set Overall, everything was pretty okay. I was the only one in our party who opted for the soba and I could have used a couple more ounces of noodles. The udon looked more plentiful but it could just because they're thicker noodles. Portions are pretty dainty and if we hadn't ordered some other stuff, I probably would have still been hungry when we walked out. We also ordered the homemade tofu (nothing to write home about but fresh), egg omelet (not bad either) as well as two orders of amaebe/sweet shrimp and uni. I realized as we were eating the sweet shrimp that we didn't ask if it was live. They weren't. Rather than the hard-to-describe "crispy" texture of just-offed seafood, the shrimp was mushy, especially towards the tail end which to me means they were frozen. They were huge, though, and the heads well fried. Mom thoroughly enjoyed the uni so I guess there's that! Not a cheap lunch, by any means. But solid and not disappointing at all.

Yaba daba do We walked in after looking for a 5 star sushi bar in West LA. This is a 3 star, mayyyybe 3.5 stars for the nice customers at the sushi bar who are regulars The hostess needs a few tips on how to smile We ordered a cold bottle of much needed sake and it was great even though I swore off It's a love hate thing with me and wakatake daiginjo is the devils playground Japanese pickles aka oshinko were the top choice tonight https://www.seriouseats.com/2014/06/guide-japanese-pickles-tsukemono.html Yellowtail was tender and melted in my mouth Salmon with dill was a nice touch!! Halibut was fresh with with yuzu paste on top Scallop sushi was a solid C+ We had a lobster handroll and there was too much rice and not enough lobster:( I can't decide what to give as far as a 3 or 4 star review. Let's go with 4 stars!!! Another star for the ATE (awesome toilet experience)

Such a hidden gem and from what I gather has been here for yeaaars serving the community! We got the Japanese omelette and shishito peppers, which were delicious and appetized us for the rest of the meal. The Ten Zara soba was refreshing and the tempura complimented the noodles very well. I'd love to come back in the summer and get this dish again, but who am I kidding...I'll be back earlier! The sushi was SO good. The spicy tuna roll came with the combo and wow, I normally don't like spicy tuna since it feels like mush and doesn't really taste like tuna but the flavor here was fish forward and not fishy at all. The rest of the sushi was delicious as well and felt like I was back in Japan. Certain fish was brushed with soy sauce and had wasabi under it which I gather is the more traditional way of eating it. Their patio back dining is SO cute with hand painted lanterns and plants everywhere. The tables are spaced out very well and it feels like a very intimate setting. Given COVID and I assume a smaller staff, the sushi came out later than expected but honestly not mad at all. These are trying times and the build up made the sushi taste all the better. I'd definitely come back again!

One of my favorite places!! They have the best soba and fresh fish. Quality is consistent. I always get the lunch menu- chirashi set with cold soba

Authentic Japanese eats. Their soba is out of this world. My bf and I came here Saturday right at noon when it opens. It's a good sign when a restaurant is filled ten minutes only after opening. Their portions are generous, and it's fair amount amount of food for the price. My bf and I got the homemade tofu to start, which is very soft and silky. I got the Ten don lunch set with tempura and my choice of soba while my bf got the delicious chirashi set. The fish is fresh. They put a lot of effort into perfectly seasoning their rice, which is very soft and tender. The staff put a lot of care into the food, presentation and fast service. You get the choice of zaru (seaweed), tanuki and another type of soba - served cold or hot according to what you like. Their website also has a extensive introduction of soba's nutritional value, and how it compares to ramen. That's how devoted Yabu is to their noodles! As other reviewers mentioned, their restaurant has a cool toilet with heated seats and automated bidet too. Overall, Yabu is one of the highlights of the Westside eats. And that's saying a lot since there's fierce competition in nearby Sawtelle.

I'm not used to the dry noodles. Other things were good. Fresh Fish Shrimp TempuraZaru Soba

Apps and lunch specials were solid. BUT, group lunch on the back patio...beware! MAJOR fly problem, AND smelled like trash (dumpsters nearby). I casually mentioned the issue to our server when taking care of the check. She replied 'yes, we know'. THEN WHY DID YOU SEAT US ON THE PATIO!?!?!?

I'd forgotten how much I love this restaurant....authentic fresh food ...and what's better...THEY STILL HAVE lunch specials even on Saturday!!!! Thank you for hanging in there during the pandemic!!

When I'm craving soba, this is the place to go. Restaurant is not fancy or anything but it's cozy. I would not recommend getting sushi here but def get appetizers and SOBA. They make the soba in-house and it's def much better than the other places around the area. I think the soba is a bit overpriced but it does satisfy my soba craving every time so I keep returning. Yabu has been around for a while so you know it's good.

We came to Yabu longing for some cold soba to reminisce the time we had an amazing time in Japan eating soba. Yabu offered several variety of cold noodles including a duck broth dipping sauce called Kamo seiro to the traditional nori cold noodles. My husband and I opted to try the duck broth and the veggie topping one (nameko oroshi- mushrooms spinach, daikon). Overall the taste and experience was there but the duck broth was odd as the menu listed it as a cold noodle dish but the broth came hot which altered the texture of the noodles slightly. NBD but really wished someone informed us that the dipping sauce was warm rather than cold before ordering. Maybe next time we'll stick with things we know and get the zaru tempura (udon) and nori soba instead of venturing out to try new flavors.

When I lived around the corner, Yabu was an easy choice for quality Japanese food, and even though I live a drive away now it's worth the drive for their food. I've become addicted to good pickles, so to clear my palate, the plate of napa pickles with home made nukazuke was the first order for $8. One of my favorite sushi is the aji or horse mackerel and their version for $8 continues to be an excellent rendition. The only slightly disappointing dish was the asparagus with butter and soy for $8. This was my favorite asparagus dish in Los Angeles and I frequently ordered 2 because I could not get enough of it. Sadly four of the bites were too woody to eat, and the recipe has changed enough to have lost me as a fan. It's still a decent vegetable side dish, but nothing to rave about anymore :( The fried calamari for $8.50 was tender and lightly battered; theirs is a good version of the ubiquitous appetizer. The Albacore tuna tataki for $15.50 was spectacular! Lightly seared, served with an assortment of seaweed, grated ginger, scallions, spicy radish, and garnished with fried garlic, it converted a non albacore eater into a fan :)

So delicious and the waitress are so kind. I recommend nabeyaki udon!! It's so amazing!