The Open Door

The food was ok not good as before, staff was friendly but not managed very well. we came in with 2 person first, they gave us an tiny table. I ask if I can more to a bigger table, they said that table seat 4 and only two of you. So we sat in a tiny table, but there where table next to us that no one sat all night they would not move us what made matter worst is I had another person coming by and I told them that one more is joining us they said oh we will move you when they come how uncomfortable we were, we did not started our dinner gets dinner went by there were 2 lady’s sittingon 4 top and another couple came in and wanted the same table that we requested, they gave it to them, what made it worst was we order food for 3 and our table was too smallpox but they did not try to make us comfortably we had to eat with one had and hold the dish in our other hand. That’s bad management what made it even worst the pepper we order was just too hot to eat, we told the waitress and nothing was done she just explain to us sometime it does get hot they should have change it for us, but no nothing was done, after all that the other person came, so now we have to get up and move if they have done when we requested we would have enjoy our meal and not have this uncomfortable situation. Would I go again differently not .the situation Was not handle correctly. Would I recommended no no ow they are closed

Coming to The Open Door from La Crescenta feels like a long and arduous journey deep into the heart of Monterey Park… a pilgrimage, if you will. And what a holy pilgrimage it is! Here izakaya is the name of the game– small plates of delectable delights that are shared around the table, treating everyone to a veritable odyssey of taste-​tourism…
UPDATE: Unfortunately, this place has now been replaced with a new concept called Tokyo Fried Chicken Company. Haven’t tried it yet, but can’t wait!

Sorry, but to me, this was just okay. I recently learned that they closed down for remodeling and a menu make over, and I am almost glad this decision was made. The food just wasn’t that memorable and I feel like the problem is that it didn’t really succeed in it’s attempt of Japanese fusion. It was either too oily, or salty. My interpretation of Japanese fusion is adding the influence of elements from different culinary traditions, but still staying true to it’s Japanese roots, which in my definition is on the less salty and oily side. Sorry.
These were the menu items I tried: Crispy Tuna Rice, Truffle Tater Tots, Albacore Sashimi, Salmon with Roe, Ribeye and Garlic Rice, and more… I don’t exactly remember what else we tried, but I think my favorite part out of the entire meal was the sweet sake. It came out ice cold and it was incomparable to anything I’ve tried before, just delicious!
Overall, this meal for me was just mediocre. I pretty much just remember going there but not much more about the food.

I love tapas!
I’ve been here twice and both times I’ve found something delicious! Japanese tapas fusion. It’s very small so I’m sure the wait can be long. Dining on a Friday night, I’m surprise we didn’t wait very long. It was just myself and my date, so the wait is never that long. Travel light and you won’t have to wait.
They have a basic menu and a chalk board full of daily specials on the wall. You should definitely try a few off the board. You’ll never know what amazing dishes you’ll taste. I love that it’s a small place. Makes the food so much more appreciative. I enjoy every dish I’ve had so far. Everything is tasty; some items can be heavy and some can be light. A little bit for everyone. They are very secretive about sharing their menu with the public. They don’t even have the menu up on Unilocal or website to look them up. There’s a sign at the door that states, no photography, they want to keep this place special.
Special, it is. A gem in the San Gabriel Valley that I appreciate. The service is friendly and good. We had the same server as our first time there, and she was great. Their sashimi salad is one of my favorite dish. iIll be returning for many years.
Enjoy!

Ambiance: not very spacious inside, typical izakaya ambiance though more American style, waiting time was tolerant
Service: waitresses were patient and friendly
Food:
Spicy Wings — *** not spicy enough yet too sweet
Oil Seared Scallop — ** tasted so-​so, not recommend
Crispy Rice Tuna — **** surprisingly great, it’s one of those tasty combinations of crispy rice and tuna I’d tried, recommend
Pork Belly Donburi — *** tender and juicy, a bit too fat, rice was flavorful
Beef Tataki — **** thin sliced beef was cooked medium-​rare, rich flavor with crispy garlic slices, recommend
Asahi — *** it’s fresh to have a cold beer when it’s hot outside

Price: slightly over-​priced, considering the food quality and portion

The Open Door is a little Japanese, a little Spanish tapas, and a little… Asian fusion. It’s definitely different from most restaurants around the area. I can appreciate a place standing out and trying to do good food, without just being different for the sake of being different and giving little thought to the menu.
I really liked the oil grilled scallops with grape tomatoes. The scallops had a good fresh flavor to it. The tempura chicken was nicely fried and savory. The chicken didn’t taste like a dry block of cardboard. The beef bone marrow with toast was smooth and buttery.
The octopus risotto was well done, as the octopus was tender and the risotto was al dente. At $ 17…maybe a little pricey, but it was good. The pork belly donburi (with rice) was good, and you get a lot of pork. However, it’s not quite as good as the risotto.
The service… a little bit uneven. One waitress was a little rushy and seemed inexperienced. I heard the restaurant used to be a photo nazi when it came to taking pics of their food. I didn’t have that problem, fortunately. The restaurant is tiny and doesn’t have much lighting, but that might be advantageous to some.
(Thanks Michi and Dave)

I love the concept of tapas and creative food, so this place definitely gets a solid 4 stars in my book!
We tried a variety of things with our friend, who has been here a number of times, including:
Beef tataki — very thin slices of beef, but wish the portion size was a bit bigger
Crispy raw tuna — not bad, but not my favorite dish. I’ve definitely had better before. Think Katsuya or Kiyono in Beverly Hills.
Yellowtail salad — suuuuper good, light-​tasting, and fresh! If you like a bit of tang, definitely get this!
Karage chicken tenders w/​curry — pretty good, but how can you ever go wrong with fried chicken?
Karaage chips — absolute heaven! I love carbs and the dips that came with this were ahhhhmaazing.
Tater tots with crème fraîche — again, can’t go wrong with carbs. Tater tots bring me a sense of nostalgia cuz they remind me of my childhood!
Warm crab on shrimp chips — okay, so this wasn’t the actual name of the dish, but it was preeetty good. It’s nice how they use shrimp chips instead of crackers becaues it makes the dish feel lighter. In fact, this was a favorite amongst the peeps I went with. I personally don’t love seafood or mayo though, so this was personally my least favorite dish.
Ribeye and garlic rice — GET THIS. I was in love with it! Sure, it’s just like super good, tender ribeye steak and rice infused with garlic (which probably isn’t even that hard to make), but it’s SUPERB. Plus, it’s a bigger portion than all the other tapas, so you can definitely get more full off this dish.
Overall, this place is pretty cool! We came within 10 minutes of their kitchen closing, but they still allowed us to loiter into the night. We literally stayed there for hours after closing and the owners were beyond cool about it. Service was friendly and on point. Just wish we could have stayed for dessert… andddd, just wish the prices were a tad more friendly! ;) We ended up spending around $ 97 for all of the above, plus two beers.

The wait wasn’t too long on a Friday night. We were seated after 10 minutes of waiting.
What we ordered:
–oysters: they were kumamoto oysters so that was definitely a plus! It came in half a dozen. The oysters were fresh and you can really taste the ocean!
–tuffle tater tots: so simple and easy, yet they were addicting. It’s just tater tot hasbrowns with truffle oil. It came with ketchup and a special white sauce.
–Bacon and egg shot: it was interesting… poached egg with sauce (ponzu? not sure). The egg just comes tumbling down as you gulp the shot. There’s bacon afterwards for you to chew on like beef jerky.
–Pork Belly with rice: I liked it a lot. The pork belly was flavorfull with rice. I just didn’t like the minced ginger that came with the rice.
It was okay overall. I’ve had better Asian Fusion but I would definitely come back to try other dishes they have. The service was excellent here.

Update Review on Dishes, April 2013.
Whitefish Yuzu Pepper $ 13 — You can’t go wrong with any of their Sashimi dishes; the fish seemed a little smaller today than normal (seasonal?). The Yuzu sauce is unforgettable!
Yellowtail Capra $ 14 — Thickly sliced Yellowtail drenched with sauce and topped with a crisp garlic makes this a top dish, the bomb!!! I can eat this all to myself!
Egg Drop $ 3.50 — Beef, Pork, and Chicken in your mouth! Various flavors with various texture makes this a staple for Open Door! A must get!!!
Yellowtail Sashimi Salad $ 8 — Disappointing with only 4 pieces of Yellowtail in the salad. You’re better ordering the salad on the side and getting the full plate of Yellowtail Capra.
Oil Scallops $ 12 — Delicate and tasty! The scallops was tender with flavor. Yum!
Chicken Tenders $ 6.50 — Crispy Chicken Strip. Thin pieces, deep fried.
Beef Tataki $ 13.50 — Mini pieces of rare beef soaked in sauce. The meat seemed too small for the plate, bigger pieces please!
Pork Belly Donburi $ 10.50 — A new discovery of yum! The pork belly was marinated and tasty on top of crisp rice. There were flakes of tempura making this dish tasty with texture. Definitely something I will order again!
Overall, I discovered some new dishes. I still miss my sushi hand-​rolls, please bring it back soon!
Note: Closes on Monday and Tuesday, opens at 5:30pm on other days. No lunch!

A very cozy Japanese restaurant with a fantastic menu!
It’ll be easier if I list my favorites for the night (you can check my pictures, too!)
— roasted beet salad: red beets and gold beets plated very fancy with snap peas
— truffle butter edamame: OMG! a must-​have!
— shishito peppers: a light kick, but 1:20 chance that you’ll get a SUPER spicy one
— HH spicy wings: not spicy, more sweet
— beef tongue: a more meaty texture but soft at the same time, served with bread and chimichurri
— yellowtail sashimi: with a nice ponzu sauce
— egg and bacon: poached egg shot with candied bacon (yes, you take it like a shot, then chew on the bacon afterwards)
— mini chashu ramen: cute presentation, a little too salty for my liking
We got there early at 5:45PM and a table was very easy to get. However, I can definitely see this place get really busy later in the night and on weekends. If you end up waiting, don’t worry, it’s totally worth it!

Best pork belly in the Los Angeles and OC areas, period
If pork bellies from Gen’s BBQ (Korean BBQ, grilled style), Santouka Ramen, and Chang’s Garden (dongpo pork, basically Chinese roasted pork belly) are in the same league as Moltres, Zapdos, and Articuno (three legendary birds from Pokemon), then this pork belly from the Open Door is in the same league as Mewtwo (one of the most powerful Pokemon) and Arceus (the Pokemon God).
Pork belly donburi ($ 10.5): This is just too good to be true — tender and seared pork belly on top of seasoned rice. The moment I touched the pork belly with my chopsticks, I knew it’s gonna be one of the best pork belly I’ll ever had. Oh my goodness, these pork bellies just melt in my mouth. And even the rice tasted so good — so good that I had to refrain myself from ordering another one.
Beef Takaki ($ 13.5): Beef was cooked in medium-​rare. Texture and flavor were really good, but this dish was completely overshadowed by the pork belly.
The overall service was just as good as my last visit, no complaints here
I won’t come here everyday cause I still have a budget to consider, but I will definitely come back here whenever I want to treat myself to the good things in life.

Japanese fushion — small little restaurant maybe about 48 seats in this cozy little spot hidden in the strip mall right off Garvey and Atlantic. Plenty of parking (if the hot pot restaurant in the same strip mall isn’t busy). Usually a wait I hear — but last night there was no wait so it was all good.
Very friendly service. Cool service staff — very helpful and attentive. Cool double sided menu of small dishes of japanese fushion and some fun stuff like the truffle tater tots plus their chalkboard specials of the day including about 3 dessert selections.
The standard truffle edamame is the first item on the menu but go for the tater tots… yes they are tater tots but infused with truffle oil and accompanied by a nice mayo sauce and of course ketchup.
Good selection of sakes (Cold & Hot) and japanese beers. Plus some interesting jappy cocktails including adding flavor shots to your beer (i.e. green apple, peach, etc.).
Softshell shrimp was a good start — fried perfectly in the shell and served with a nice sauce — you can eat everything on the shrimp (head, tail, etc.). A good alternative to soft shell crab (which is also on the menu).
Nice caprese salad — served with nicely toasted bread.
Nice whitefish sashimi perfectly marinated in yuzu and also with a nice dipping sauce (unfortunately they didnt have the spicy tuna on the menu last night).
The beef bone marrow was good but you need to eat it while its hot.
So many good things to try and list. Even the desserts are great.
Worth the trip for a nice meal. Not cheap though.

Bacon & Egg Shooters! — Weird, but delicious.
— Small and intimate space
— Super friendly and helpful staff
— Menu board that is filled with specialty items not found on the normal menu.
The Food:
— Bacon & Egg shooters: Soft poached egg with a bacon chaser.
— Bone Marrow: Fatty and Delicious
— Assortment of sashimis /​sushis throughout the night were all fresh.
— Almond Pudding: My fave!
— Smores: Cute idea, but eat the marshmallows fast or they turn solid.

Finally had a chance to try this place out. When you hear good things expectations can be high. Be prepared it is not the largest place to eat. With only a handful of tables a larger table can be difficult to seat. Luckily we came toward the latter part of the day and got seated.
A note on seating, they will not seat you without your whole party present. Also no substitutions, yes its that type of place. Well OK I accept those rules if the food is excellent and an experience.
Started off with the pork belly plate, which consisted of 6 pieces of pork belly with a nice glaze, sauce on them. The pieces are about 1 inch by 1 inch in size. So if you have a large party be prepared to order more than one dish if you want more than one bite. You also have to mix egg yoke on the plate and pour it over the food. Be ready for directions on some plates in regards of how to eat it.
Also had the egg shooter, which was an egg in a glass and some other sauce on the bottom of the glass. A piece of bacon as the chaser. Since no one was brave enough at my table to have it, I took the shot. I can say it is a large amount of fluid in the mouth and per directions you have to mix it around in the mouth. On top of that once you bite that egg yoke, you get that yoke explosion in your already full mouth. Not a pretty item to eat, my mouth was full swishing around the yoke and other ingredients to fully enjoy it. Not my type of dish because it really is just egg yoke and seasoning.
Also got the mustard steak with bone morrow. Never had bone morrow, so this would be new and exciting for me. The steak pieces, about 6 slices went real quick with my group, nicely cooked. The bone marrow was something I could do without. More of a fatty substance by itself and I did not want to destroy the taste of my steak with the bone marrow.
So after over $ 50 for 3 plates and 2 drinks I was satisfied sort of. Yes it is good food, but I was still wondering if I could of enjoyed these dishes somewhere else. Without the bone marrow I can get pork belly and a nicely cooked steak, complete for $ 50 at a fine steak restaurant. At least I can say I tried it, but with all the other options in Southern Cali I don’t think I will be back.

Bottom line at the top: Loovee this place. Lots of unique options, this is definitely not like the izakaya I had in Japan. :)
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Honestly they kill it with the crispy rice. So good even though the spicy tuna on top isn’t that good.
They have truffle butter tater tots, truffle butter edamame, and a few other truffle things. I think they actually use truffle oil but I could be mistaken.
Yuzu whitefish is sooo good. I’m obsessed with yuzu so this makes my heart sing. Razor thin fish with plenty of olive oil and yuzu.
The hand rolls are really good too! Yellowtail is my favorite, and the wasabi they give you is better than most. :)
The waitresses are very nice here and they have a small TV that usually has sports games on. They even give you a comment card that thanks you for your business and requests positive comments or constructive criticism so that they can constantly improve. Love that!
I would recommend skipping dessert and grabbing Fosselmans or Twoheys instead though!

Move on over other restaurant… this restaurant is neverthelesss a yumm yumm YUmmmY in my tummy!
I came here on a friday … note to self: it might be hard to bring ppl here if u have a big party because it is kind of smalll!!!
Crispy Rice Tuna is a MUST so delicious melts in your mouth!
Braised Beef & potatoes… beef good… potatoes are okay they were a litttle too crispy texture for me!
Miso COD is like heaven really exploded in your mouth so good… the texture is soft and the flavors are amazing… i kept reaching for more haha!!!
Their drinks are amazinggggg if i wasn’t driving i probably order one of each of the flavor sake… so goodd!!! Their watermelon mint sake is amazing… doesn’t taste like alcohol so BEWARE u might get drunk before u know it!!!

I called to verify there was Happy Hour and BF and I arrive at 6:30pm. Thanks to the incomplete party in front of us, we were able to be seated at 6:51pm and order promptly.
We ordered pretty much every item on the Happy Hour menu that day:
Tater Tots were very fresh, hot, crisp, sauce hit the spot
Albacore and Salmon both with a twist (some kind of crunchy topping)
Sesame wings were tasty (just a bit small) –maybe only go for the nuggets and not both next time.
Regular Menu:
Bone Marrow –scooped straight from the bone and spread across the bread, topped with garlic and vege
Stone Pot Rice –well-​seasoned fried rice with poached egg mixed into it… but you need to wait for the rice to harden so you get the crunchy! great way to fill the stomach towards the end ;)
I wouldn’t order sushi here, it’s a beer house!

Been to Open Door about 5 times and have been impressed each time. My usual orders are:
Yellowtail Carpa (5 pieces) — really fresh slices of Yellowtail with a nice tangy and slightly spicy sauce with a piece of fried slice garlic on each piece of yellowtail
Miso Cod: really buttery fish that is broiled/​grilled with a sweet sauce similar to unagi and served with shrimp chips
Beef Tataki — perfectly cooked beef cut in slices served wit ha yuzu sauce, and radish, and garlic
Bone Marrow — fatty goodness spread on grilled bread with a vinegar-​based cilantro salsa to cut the fattiness and garlic
Duck Confit Tacos — leg of duck rendered in its own fat with crispy skin but super moist and soft meat when shredded, and put in some homemade tortillas served with some cucumbers, seaweed salsa and sweet miso.
Other things I would recommend to order are the Ribeye/​Ribeye and Unagi Stonepot Rice, Oysters, and whatever else looks good on the daily special menu.
It’s definitely on the pricy side but quality food and good to share with a group
EDIT: Totally forgot about the Watermelon Sake with Mint was delicious! Mixed well, tasted like juice and was really refreshing but you could definitely feel the sake afterwards. YUM!

Just wanted to say that this place is one of my favorite places to eat at still! Why?
Look at that ALBACORE ON CRISPY RICE. I mean, LOOK at it:
I’m obsessed with it. I want it. I crave it. And I think about it when I’m craving something in that area.
I also love their albacore and salmon sashimi. Pretty and yummy simultaneously.
I wanna eat here for my graduation dinner but not sure how that will happen on a Friday night!

4.5 Stars.
The Open Door was a pleasant surprise! Probably one of the best Japanese restaurants in Southern California and I highly recommend The Open Door to all my Socal friends and beyond! After hitting up the 626 Asian Night Market in Pasadena (which I might add is not the only Asian Night Market in Southern California and there are several in OC) which was overly crowded that my friends and I could not get one food item. So we Unilocaled a place and found The Open Door and trekked over there. It sounded interesting and I did not know what to expect since the restaurant has no website and no menu listed.
My friends and I arrived at the restaurant and there was a wait. The wait can be long if you do not arrive early. The restaurant only seats your party if everyone is there. You might also wanna take note that they do not allow photos of their menu and their food! GASP! I wish I could upload pictures of their food but I couldn’t snap any! I will someday though…
Onto the food… ordered the ribeye steak with garlic rice, truffle oil tater tots with crème fraîche for dipping, truffle butter edamame, pork belly lettuce wraps and sweet potato fries with curry aoili. Everything tasted amazing! The truffle butter edamame was so simple yet so addicting. I literally licked the pod inside and out! The sweet potato fries and tater tots are standard but that extra kick from the truffle oil and curry aoili adds that extra umphh to something you can get anywhere else. That is what sets this restaurant apart from other restaurants.
The pork belly lettuce wraps had like a tomatillo salsa with fried pork belly wrapped by lettuce. Amazing texture and flavor and who would have thought! My absolute favorite dish was the rib eye steak with garlic rice. This dish reminds me of my favorite steak from Gochi Fusion Tapas in Cupertino. This restaurant is very similar to my favorite restaurant in Silicon Valley because it is also a Japanese fusion tapas restaurant. Back to the rib eye, the rib eye steak was so tender, juicy and had so much flavor from the soy garlic that I can’t see myself eat rib eye steak any other way.
You can tell I love this place by how much I am writing but dammit, why do they ban photography! That’s why I knocked off a bit of a star. This kind of restaurant you can find in LA, SF, or San Jose/​Silicon Valley area but in Monterey Park… wow is all I can say and I will definitely be back. The staff was very nice and always apologized to us about how long the wait was to how long our food came out. It’s due to an understaffed kitchen during the day my friends and I went. The prices are very pricey but if you order correctly and come here with about 4 people, the prices don’t seem too bad. It could be about $ 25 a person average. I forgot to mention, I ended my dinner with a tangerine popsicle! So good and refreshing! But yeah, definitely worth the wait and I will be back!