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Taiko is almost Japanese comfort food to me. Aside from being one of the first places my wife and I went when we started dating, their menu offers a wide range of solid Japanese food. From sushi to tempura to udon and cooked fish entrees, there’s something for everyone.

We usually stick with the Donburi combos. For around $10 you get a nice bowl of fresh udon and a rice bowl topped with a variety of choices such as tempura, chicken teriyaki or thin sliced beef. The combo also starts with a small green salad with a tasty ginger dressing.

Tempura Donburi

Beef Donburi With Udon

I like how Taiko gives you a side dish of tempura bits to drop into the udon. With careful planning, you can drop the bits in as you eat and keep them crunchy. Dump them all in at the beginning and you end up with a soggy mess.

The sushi at Taiko is good. I don’t think that it is the reason to go to Taiko, but it is a great appetizer for the rest of the meal.

I have also had the dinner bentos which are a great deal. The combinations change as different ingredients are available and usually include a couple types of fish, some veggies and rice or noodles. It’s actually a good dish to share.

Depending on what you order, a party of two can get out of Taiko, stuffed, for less than $30. A partial view of their menu shows that you can order some more “fancy” items and pump the bill up towards $100 or more with sake and beer.

Taiko also serves green tea ice cream, one of my favorites.

[update] I forgot to mention, it’s a good idea to call ahead for Taiko, they can fill up fast. If you show up around dinner time, it’s not unusual to have a 20+ minute wait.

Taiko
11677 San Vicente Bl. #302
Los Angeles , CA 90049
310-207-7782

By Jonah (see more of his posts). Jonah is the founder of la.foodblogging and also created Digesty, a food blog aggregator and Cheww.com, a spam free foodblog search engine.