Daichan

Home style Japanese cooking! Seems like owner is Japanese. I enjoy Japanese food but everywhere you go its like rolls rolls and rolls! I don’t want rolls anymore. It tastes similar with all those sauces and what not. At Daichan I got the seafood soup and Katsu don — both really good. I will definitely return!

Delicious hole in the wall place that I decided to check out because Sugarfish was too full. Everything tasted superb and the service was the best.

I may possibly be the first customer that walked in the front door on their first day of business many years ago. I thought it was a juice bar that I had gone to a few times before but as I walked in, I quickly noticed that it was under new ownership and was now a Japanese restaurant. I decided to stay. I’m so glad I did! The food is very good and very consistent. Over the years I have introduced many people to this Japanese Soul Food menu … EVERYONE has become a repeat customer. The owners are the nicest people and their staff, although has changed many times throughout the years, is very good. This resturant has my highest recommendation!

This is my favorite Japanese restaurant, I live in Fullerton it is in orange county my friends and I will drive all the way down to Studio City for this amazing Japanese restaurant! They have the best shrimp tempura I ever had!

I think I could probably just sit at a table and look at all the little knick knack in this restaurant. They cover the entirety of the restaurant. From wall to wall, floor to ceiling, there isn’t a spot that isn’t decorated with a sketch, doll, or poster. It’s almost as if the perfect tschotske collector met with the perfect interior desginer.
Enough about the decoration and environment. Let’s talk about food. They advertise it as Japanese soul food. I’m not sure what Japanese soul food is but my bento is what I call comfort food. Teriyaki and tempura. Everything tasted delicious.
The service is really nice and the waitresses all were very responsive. Parking is a little tough as it’s valet only with the lot shared by Sugarfish. But there is street parking and I only had to park about a block away.
Super cute restaurant that would probably be good for a casual date!

Great food. Ate the appetizers which were amazing!
Will be back!
Service and environment just great!

Definitely my favorite Japanese restaurant. I live in San Francisco and I’ve driven to studio city just for the miso butterfish and the poke bowl twice. I love this place.

I can’t believe I have not reviewed this place!
Been coming here for over 13 years!!!
Its time!
This is my secret get away! I would rate it 1 star to keep people away from here and keep it to myself… But I have a big heart and I like to share…
You have to try…
EVERYTHING!
My favs…
Octopus appetizer, Samurai bowl, and 10 other things I can’t remember the names of… Udon soup, pokes, you name it. All very good.
The inside décor itself is a work of art!
I love how food is consumed here… Not getting all loud, yet focusing on your presence. Its like a yoga class for your stomach.
From the handwriting on the menus and walls, to the trickle water sounds and the (hang in there for this explanation…)…the forced entry that mentally sets you at ease as you walk through the hanging clothes… I don’t know what it is… but once you walk through that, you feel like you walked into a safe place that truly cares about your soul, your food… This is soul food!
EnJoy!

Yum Yum Yum!
Nothing can make me feel more at home then Japanese Soul Food. I’ve been going to Daichan since 2011 and have never been disappointed. The service is great and food always on point. Thursday and Fridays can get really busy in the evenings, so be sure to show up early.
My recommendations are:
Stuffed Pumpkin, Yaki Soba, Hawaiian Garlic Chicken.
Everything is delicious, so you can never go wrong.

I have been coming to Daichan for over a decade. This family owned restaurant is quality! The service is impeccable. They are so organized and efficient, so true to their Japanese culture. Yuko, the main woman is kind and wonderful and always remembers my name! And I finally just met her son, DAICHAN! The place is named after him. Isn’t that the cutest thing you’ve ever heard?
The food is perfection. I usually order the Mixed Poki bowl with hijiki seaweed rice. Bomb dot com. They have a delicious Kalbi beef that is well marinated and tender. Katsu curry rice is also amazing. Everything on the menu feels very authentic and homey. It’s like all the best dishes a Japanese grandmother would make.
If not for the food, you have to experience the amazing decoration. It’s like a Japanese tourist shop exploded and everything landed perfectly into its place in this restaurant. Please patron this family owned hole in the wall. This place must live on forever!!!

So delicious! There sashimi plate and noodles left us wanting more.
The staff was also super friendly, fast and attentive!
They also have a good sake section.

It was a chilly LA night when my friends and I decided that ramen would be a very good idea… then we didn’t get any ramen… BUT WHAT WE DID GET was some delish Japanese food.
The dish of choice this night was the Nabayaki Udon noodles. Lots of meat and toppings. Cooked to perfection. It was a massive portion, at a great price. Even the presentation of the noodles was very nice. It was a little difficult to eat, but I loved it.
Everything I had that night was delicious. The service wasn’t incredibly fast, but I think that made things taste just a little bit better. Definitely a cozy spot in Studio City with an eclectic menu and warm vibes.

Solid. It’s a cluttered, home-​style «Japanese soul food» restaurant with a full menu and decent service. The food is authentic, but unfortunately, so are the portions. They have beer and sake, which is a bonus. Good place for families, couples who are past the impressing each other stage, and weeknight dinners with old friends!

We did not like the food or the service. We sat down at an empty table to order food to go. Then a white man walked in and said he also wanted to order to go. So the cashier bowed her head and asked us to move aside and sit on a low bench instead. I was surprised by that. Then the man ordered and decided to stay since he now had a table. By the time we got our lackluster poke bowls to go, this man had slurped up his last udon. Seriously WTF. Let’s talk internalized racism. I hate to write that kind of review but it was pretty blatant what was going on here. Ironically, while we were crammed on the bench waiting, we read People magazine’s feature on Shonda Rhimes and her stars. They talked about internalized racism of blacks in Hollywood but not with Rhimes.
Anyhow, we wanted to like this homemade Japanese soul food but the bowls were $ 15 each and did not taste like anything but sea water and were skimpy at that. We hate to waste leftovers but most likely will with this place. Bleck.

What a well rounded Japanese restaurant located in Studio City! I made it out here for lunch one time as a friend recommended it, and I fell in love with the interior! There were so many cultural items that are used as décor in the restaurant, and it really reminded me of a little Japan. The menu extremely expansive, ranging from sashimi and poke to curry, ramen, and katsu don. There’s so much to try!
I’ve tried the mix poke bowl, spam masubi, and the pork katsu don with vegetable and egg so far. The poke bowl consists of salmon, tuna, and red snapper, and theres an option of white rice, brown rice, and their special rice with soy sauce mixed with brown sugar which I got. The rice was really yummy, and the poke was more traditional as it was mixed with seaweed. The poke bowl was delicious! Totally different from Hawaiian poke, but it was a nice change from all the poke spots out there. The fish was fresh, and I heard the sashimi was even better. Must get that next time!
The pork is cooked with the egg, and paired with the vegetables and rice, the katsu don really reminds me of Japan. What I love about the bowl is that it comes super hot, and it really reminds me of comfort food at home, but better. It hit the spot!
I love how there’s such a huge variety of Japanese food here, I plan on coming back almost every day and eventually trying everything on the menu! The quality of food is great and the servers are very friendly and attentive. Their service is similar to the type of service I received in Japan, which only added more to my nostalgia of my time in Japan. Maybe the sukiyaki or curry next… the options are endless! :)

I came here because my friend was visiting from Norcal and wanted to grab dinner somewhere in between where he was working and I was working.
I would normally give this place 4 stars, but a fly fell into my food (GROSS). I ordered the House Udon. Although very delicious, I could’ve made it at home. My friend ordered the chirachi bowl, which looked pretty decent. We also ordered two rolls on the side: unagi and yellowtail. Both rolls were considerably smaller than I expected. But they were still delicious. Considering the portions and taste, this place gets 3 stars.

I ordered a salmon poke and was surprised by how great it was! There wasn’t that much meat but it was a good ratio! The food was delicious and the seaweed addition was also perfect.
Parking was a little hard to find.

This place is amazing! They have traditional food and soul food. So if you like sushi and your date wants fried chicken this is the place to go.
I had the mixed poki bowl, comes with rice, 4 types of raw fish, seaweed, ginger and scallions.
My boyfriend had the fried chicken with brown rice, pasta salad, cabbage, string beans, carrots and watermelon. He loved it, past salad was not your typical but still very yummy!
We went around 8 so it was really busy for dinner time, took long to seat us. I have to say it was worth it. The reason I take a star away is that they where not turning tables over fast enough. I watched empty tables for 10 –14min while people where waiting.

Restaurant au top, personnel d’une très grande gentillesse. Le meilleur Katsu Don de ma vie.

Every time I crave for Japanese cuisine, this place always pops up on Unilocal.I’ve always been discouraged because of all the complaints about the crappy parking. Well today I found out they were absolutely correct! They have a small lot that fits about 15 cars, they do offer Valet though. Now due to this situation I parked in the 15 minute area. (now the cars parked here were parked for more than 15 minutes so don’t expect for someone to leave within the time frame.)
I decided to do a pick up order.
Pork Katsu Don: Pork Katsu over white rice. Very simple yet very tasty. Must try if you’re not into the raw fish and noodles. This is your safe bet.
Seafood Poke Bowl: Very delicious. Fresh! It is mixed with seaweed and rice. Simple and Satisfying. Do not let the picture fool you because this looked small but it will fill you up.
Unagi Cut Roll (sushi): Exactly what you would expect in those very expensive Japanese restaurants. Although a little small, but still very good.
Do not let the parking situation discourage you from trying this place out.

This place is still bringing fire with it’s take on Japanese soul food. Essentially, you’re getting Japanese home cookin’. The real comfort food like mom used to make. This time I tried the mixed poki bowl, and it was fantastic. My girlfriend’s uni bowl was also bomb. Love their rice dishes.
Oh, and it’s neat that if you’re in the mood for some sake, they give you a little primer so you can walk away feeling like a sake champ. Unless you’re like me and have a terrible memory. Then you’ll constantly forget what the difference is between junmai and ginjo and daijinjo.