Kotohira Restaurant

This restaurant is small and yet it has wooden stalls and booths which is nice. Parking is easy even on weekends if you are willing to park a little further away in the parking lot. Service is friendly, they bring you potato salad after you order. The potato salad is very smooth and creamy. The food portion is just right. Big eaters might find the portion underwhelming. This is a Japanese teishoku style restaurant, Japanese set menu with the option to substitute the udon, soba or seimen if you prefer.

I definitely recommend this place. Everything we tried was excellent. Prices are on the lower side which is great. Service is excellent.
Atmosphere is cozy.

Perfect location and service, the food is equally good too.

I couldn't have asked for a better Japanese place - our waitress was extremely friendly and our food was delicious!

My buddy and I were in the mood for some Asian food. He particularly was in the mood for some noodles and we're glad we came here. The atmosphere was relaxing and there wasn't a long wait. The food was extremely good and supersedes my expectations (see photos below). All and all the experience was great and will certainly come back again.

Solid udon spot with great Japanese dishes. Enjoyed the appetizers as well such as the agedashi tofu and takoyaki. We had the salmon and udon set as well as the katsudon and udon set. All of it was great and prices were reasonable for the quality and amount of food. The service was very friendly and came out at great times throughout the service. Place had a good spacing for seating. We ate around 2pm so we had basically the place to ourselves. Definitely worth making it out here.

The best bento I’ve had in SoCal. Drove 45min for the food, would do it again.

Unassuming Japanese spot with various udon options. Came here for dinner on a Thursday around 6:30 and there was no wait. Indoor dining and takeout available. It’s located in a strip mall with parking. Credit cards are accepted. They have bathrooms in the back by the kitchen. It’s a small space so it’s best for groups of 2-4. They provided cold barley tea in lieu of water. The employees were sweet and efficient.

We got an order of takoyaki, which came in 6 and come out super hot (so wait a beat before digging in!). The takoyaki was flavorful and just the right amount of moist without being soggy. We split a couple of bowls of udon to try more out. The Chikara udon came with three mochis on top which reminded me of a neutrally flavored toasted marshmallow; the texture of the noodles were chewy and the broth was mild. I preferred the spicy udon which came with thinly sliced pieces of beef and a slightly spicy red broth.

Very delicious udon and tempura. Nice, calming vibes and atmosphere for lunch.

Amazing Udon place, definitely has the feel of a small local udon shop. The curry udon was delicious and super filling. The food takes time, but is worth the weight as every bite was delicious and I will gladly go back to try the other udon/soba dishes.

Great Japanese comfort food shop here in Gardena, specializing in udon. They also serve Okinawa soba noodles, that are thicker in texture. They have a nice chew to them and come in a nice hearty broth and braised slices of pork belly. Also had sliced bell peppers topped, which I’ve never really had before in a Japanese noodle bowl, but it worked. Comes with two rice musubi’s too. Also got age mochi, tempura fried, which was nice.

The atmosphere is very warm and homelike. Feels like you’re eating in a small shop in Japan.

Wow.... this place is such a great example of an authentic, classic Japanese restaurant in South Bay!!! The ambiance, service, food quality and portion, pricing.... I felt like I was in a traditional family-owned restaurant in Japan!

The pricing was pretty reasonable, and honestly cheap for the portion you get. Their complimentary potato salad and ice cream were so pleasing as well! The staff were uber kind, attentive, and polite.

I went there specifically for the Kakuni udon and the noodle was super chewy and fresh..!! The broth tasted homemade and I love the simplicity and authenticity of their food! I could feel their selection of food is focused on their specialty and they do really good job with their food quality.

The pictures of food may not look as appealing or fancy, but I respect that their food has this minimalistic look, as it should for traditional Japanese food (as far as I know). Each ingredients’ flavor comes out better this way :)

Seriously, I like everything about this restaurant!

This place has great food and big portions. It's a small place so it gets packed. I ordered the sukiyaki don and my brother got the beef cury set comes with udon soup. Most of their item has udon that comes with. Service is good but when I was there it's just one person working, but she handles it like a pro.

I brought my kids here since my oldest has been begging for Soba noodles. This restaurant popped up in my searches so I took a risk (since I don't typically go to places that haven't been recommended by friends/family) and we loved it! Service was friendly and prompt.

The food was delicious. We got the Gyoza (pork dumplings) appetizer and for main course, I got the Grilled BBQ Beef Set, and my kids got the Chahan (Fried Rice)[not pictured], Zaru Soba, and Salmon Set. They all loved their dishes.

We will definitely come back in the future.

For 3 years I have visited this complex and ignored Kotohira Restaurant because of how overwhelmingly famous boiling point is, this is a CRIME! I should have noticed this restaurant long ago. 😥

I love Kotohira because their udon is really good! 🍜🤤 It's definitely on par with some of the best udon I have ever tasted (Marugame Udon included). Customer service was top notch, food were served quickly and I like the way the restaurant is set up. It feels like you are in Japan and each table feels private (because of how the section each table) which is a bonus!

Anyhow, let's discuss the food. I ordered the spicy beef udon and fried squid legs and they were both delicious! Starting off with the squid legs, I like how the "seafood smell" wasn't there. Even though it is fried, I didn't feel like they were oily, the portion was also just right, give more than that and I would have started feeling full. Moving on to the main dish, I chose the spicy beef udon with ham sushi combo 🍣 (yes, I thought this was a very good deal and surely enough it didn't disappoint). The sushi was great, rice texture was chewy and fragrant. The ham was alright, I thought it was a little salty for my taste. As for the spicy beef udon, the broth was delightful and I thought the portion was huge (not complaining, because I eat a lot when it comes to the main dish 😁). The beef were tender and juicy!

Overall, I really enjoyed my lunch here and will be coming back again.

P.S., If you came to this complex to eat boiling point but the waitlist gets too long, please give this restaurant a chance to impress you! 👍

A treasure trove of Japanese gastronomy and aura awaits past the entrance of this enchanting mom and pop restaurant. You will feel as if you were whisked away into Japan when dining inside this restaurant. The food delivers the goods. The restaurant specializes in Udon noodles, a style of Japanese soups. Aside from the selection of upon noodles (very fresh noodles), take delight in other goodies such as gyoza (dumplings) Katsu (fried and breaded protein), Japanese style curry, and many other choices including combination plates that include a variety of dishes based on your mood. All cooked with authenticity and precision. I can't recommend this restaurant enough.

Place is amazing. Super traditional and really cute owners. Got the spicy beef udon and will definitely be coming back for more

Went here twice , and I saw some good reviews on the place so I gave it a shot. Had some oodon and some sweet curry. Boy was it good. Especially when it's on a cold rainy afternoon. Soo good!! Definitely give it a try

One of my favorite places for Nabeyaki Udon noodles 🍜. Delicious 😋

Ordered the Sukiyakidon, would recommend. I’ll be back to try more.

I love this restaurant for multiple reasons. One being is that it feels like I'm in Okinawa. Not only is the food amazing, but the server, Megumi, recognizes me as a regular and knows what I always want.