Little Tokyo

This WAS my favorite place for Japanese in all of Charleston. The Chicken katsu was amazing, as was the Salmon. So sad they decided to sell to a bigger company, who ended up closing it down.

Little Tokyo is the only saving grace and my personal haven in the whole state of South Carolina for actual food. This place is the real deal… the katsu is addictingly perfect, and the staff will remember who you are. It’s like having a second family who is there to give you delicious foods.
Bottom line: If you live in SC, you need to eat here. Real food is good your you; stop eating a bunch of processed junk elsewhere, and for the love of god don’t hook a left and go to that Mexican place next door. Trust me. Eat at Little Tokyo.
If you give this place any less than 5 stars, then you’re either working for a competitor, an idiot, or just don’t like REAL Japanese food. And YES, THIS IS ACTUAL REAL JAPANESE FOOD, not like most places that front like they serve Japanese food and just make up menu items and throw key words out like «sushi» because people don’t know real Japanese food, and think a «Japanese Steak House» is a real thing in Japan. It’s not.
I lived in Japan for a decade (which is slightly longer than 1 year) in various areas, so I think I’ve had a pretty good array of experience in Japanese cuisine.

Little Tokyo was a decent restuarant. They had really good Japanese food but for some reason I could not find a reason to rate any higher than 3. Little Tokyo had some of the same qualities as a regualr Japanese restuarant. They bring you hot towels before the dining expirence, which is fairly similar to Japanese restuarants in Japan. (Trust me, I know. I lived in Japan for a year.) Regardless, their food was splendid but did lack some of the finer points of Japanese cuisine. Such as Carrots in Katsu Dun. I just never had it made this way although I will admit I liked it. Their curry was very good and similar to curry houses in Japan.
In addition, the restaurant as a whole is kind of small and hardly ever crowded. The staff is friendly and quick with getting our order out. Futhermore, the restuarant carries packaged Japanese pastries and Japanese drinks near the register. These items werep completely awesome and tasty.
In my opinion, Little Tokyo was a fairly accurate Japanese restaurant. They have quility food and quality service that blow me away. Despite these claims, I still have the rate the restauramt a 3.

This place had good food, my wife loved the pot stickers (gyoza), and the prices were good. One complaint was that the sushi wasn’t the best so while I would definitely recommend everything else I would say don’t come here if sushi is your goal.

We ate here yesterday and particularly enjoyed the baked salmon stuffed with snowcrab. We’ll be back.

This is really bomb Japanese food. It’s like the little Japanese grandma cooking that I never had. I’m really going to miss this place when we move. :(
They have everything, so if you like Japanese you’ll dig it. Even if you don’t that’s okay too because they have teriyaki (which I understand Japanese don’t even eat that much) and ramen, which is reminiscent of Chinese.
I really love this place, but I was incredibly impressed when Husband ordered Zaru soba. I knew what it was, but he was alarmed when it came out cold. :P It’s supposed to be like that! It was so cool — as if we were in Japan!

Always great food
They used to be in a small location in Summerville, near our home. We have to drive 20 – 30 minutes to the new location, but it is worth it.
We often order Yakisoba, Gyoza, or Hibachi Chicken with Vegetables. Their Spring Rolls are wonderful too.
The owner is sweet and always remembers you. Her hospitality makes you want to return.
Highly recommended!

Best Katsu I’ve had outside of Hawai’i. Dare I say, better than what I had in Hawai’i. Reasonable price for the large portion as well. Service is great, very attentive. $ 5 sushi too, can’t beat that! Definitely going to be one of our new places to go.

For any Japanese food enthusiasts, this is probably one of the best places to get some. The food is authentic and delicious, and the staff are friendly and helpful with recommendations. The prices are reasonable, I spent $ 20 for an appetizer, entrée, and dessert. The banana tempura ice cream dessert is a perfect end to your meal. If you’re in the area, Little Tokyo is a must-​visit.

This was my first time at Little Tokyo. The food was very good but there was something not quite right.
Anyway, the waitress must have been off her game. It took her 15 minutes before she came to get my drink order. Normally, I would have been a little irritated but I was really hungry. It was my birthday and I was determined to have sushi.
Over all it was very good. The fish is fresh so it’s quite tasty.

I’ve been going to Little Tokyo since they were located in a gas station plaza in rural Summerville. A few years ago they moved to a bigger location in Goose Creek. I like the larger Little Tokyo, but part of me really misses the old Little Tokyo. It was a hidden gem and I liked that it was Summerville’s best kept secret.
Owners Utako and Jose have put together a great, authentic japanese menu which now includes sushi and a whole host of appetizers which did not exist at the old Little Tokyo.
The first thing that deviates from other Japanese restaurants is the oshibori (a steamed white washcloth) you are presented before dining to wash your hands. It is a great custom I was not aware of before dining at Little Tokyo.
There are so many great dishes at Little Tokyo that are worth driving long distances for, but I think that the ramen is really one of best things I’ve ever eaten in my life. It hits a spot deep inside my foodie soul that few other meals can even reach. It is a beautiful bowl of ramen noodles bathed in a delicious pork
(or soy sauce) broth. It could use a little spice but other than that it is perfect accompanied with a hard boiled egg.
Having been to Little Tokyo many, many times, I think I’ve eaten almost everything on the menu. Other notable entrée are:
Gyoza
Shrimp tempura
Eel Don
Chilean Sea Bass (they appear to either temporarily or permanently not offer this anymore)
Squid salad
Chicken or Pork Katsu
The only entrée I don’t really care for is the ribeye yakitori. The ribeye is over marinated for my taste, but I think it is a popular choice, so really just a matter of taste for me.
One thing that is disappointing but understood is that they are closed on Sundays. The owners are there everyday, and well, probably need a day off once a week.
Owners Utako and Jose have a great story on how their establishment was started and I am happy that Little Tokyo has seemed to weathered the ups and downs of our current economy. You can read how the restaurant got started here:

I lived in Japan for a long time and I always find it hard to find an authentic Japanese restaurant here in the south. As soon as I saw the menu at Little Tokyo I felt like I was back in Japan. Offerings like cold tofu with bonito flakes and scallions don’t appear on psuedo-​Japanese sushi bars, but they have it here. The owners and waitstaff are Japanese and it shows. Everything about the food and service took me back to being in Japan. Natsukashii! Plus, everything tasted phenomenal. I tried the sashimi and tempura set. The sashimi was cut in nice thick slices and was perfect. The tempura was a nice mix of shrimp, zuchini, and assorted veggies. All cooked just right. My kids devoured some chicken yakitori (skewers). They were dipped in a great teriyaki sauce with sesame seeds. The nice smoky BBQ taste showed they had been grilled like they are supposed to be. I can’t wait to go back to try the gyudon (beef bowl). I plan on coming back a lot.

Excellent service! Excellent food! Decent menu selection! Regular specials to encourage you to try their variety of offerings. Just a great experience every time we’ve been. Highly recommend for either lunch or dinner.

Only checked 1 star because it would not allow me to write a review unless I did. Worst experience ever in a Japanese restaurant. The restaurant was not busy but service was slow & manager was very rude. There were 5 of us who could not eat any of our hibachi chicken (if it was chicken). Tried to discuss with the manager who talked about us in Japanese to other patrons & made no attempt to rectify the situation. Would not recommend to anyone & will never ever return to this restaurant!

If you’re looking for real Japanese food, this is the place to go. Absolutely amazing food from Tempura to Donburi. Great service and you cant beat the price.