Best Japanese Food in El Monte, CA

If you love Japanese food, there’s no shortage of places to find it in El Monte, California. We’re lucky to have a variety of restaurants serving authentic, high-quality Japanese cuisine, from sushi and ramen to tempura and teriyaki. The next time you have a craving for miso soup, sashimi, or grilled unagi, use this guide to find some of the best Japanese food in El Monte.

TOMO Sushi and Teriyaki

When you’re in the mood for an authentic Japanese meal, look no further than TOMO Sushi and Teriyaki. While known for its sushi, the restaurant serves a variety of Japanese dishes, all made with fresh ingredients. The extensive menu features appetizers, tempura, salads, bowls, and teriyaki plates. Try the grilled unagi bowl, featuring grilled eel in eel sauce with avocado, cucumber, gobo, and masago, or the kalbi barbecue short ribs, which come with steamed rice and cabbage.

Of course, the restaurant offers dozens of sushi options, ranging from hand rolls to sushi and maki combinations. Choose from classic favorites, such as the California and spicy tuna hand rolls, or special rolls like the hot night roll, featuring crab meat, shrimp tempura, cucumber, avocado, gobo, and spicy tuna. The restaurant offers party platters for large groups, including a 64-piece California roll platter and a 56-piece special roll platter.

TOMO Sushi and Teriyaki is at 10910 Rush St. #5 in South El Monte. It’s open from 10:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and it’s closed on Sunday. Online ordering is available.

Daikokuya

For classic Japanese cuisine, visit Daikokuya in El Monte. It’s part of the Bishamon Group, which operates 15 Japanese restaurants in the greater Los Angeles area. The group’s founder, Takaaki Kohyama, strives to promote Japanese culture and cuisine in each restaurant, including the El Monte location.

The Daikokuya menu features a range of delectable dishes. Start with an appetizer, such as the homemade gyoza, made fresh daily. For an entree, try one of the restaurant’s specialty dishes. The Daikoku ramen features the restaurant’s famous tonkotsu soup and secret blended soy sauce. Other favorites include the chashu pork bowl, the spicy miso ramen, and the vegan white creamy ramen.

Daikokuya is at 9911 Garvey Ave. in El Monte. It’s open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. The restaurant offers indoor and outdoor dining, to-go orders, and online delivery.

Sakura Grill

A favorite among El Monte locals, Sakura Grill offers a modern take on traditional Japanese dishes. The restaurant uses high-quality, fresh ingredients in its dishes. The menu features a range of options, including appetizers, fried rice, and hibachi.

Start your meal with one of the restaurant’s appetizers, such as harumaki, a fried Japanese spring roll. For a main course, try the restaurant’s specialty entrée, the super chicken katsu. The dish features deep-fried chicken served with homemade katsu sauce and comes with fried rice and a house green salad. If you prefer hibachi, you can’t go wrong with any of the options at Sakura Grill. Each hibachi dish comes prepared with the restaurant’s homemade teriyaki sauce or the house special hibachi sauce.

Sakura Grill is at 2534 Tyler Ave. in El Monte. It’s open daily from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. The restaurant offers online ordering for takeout.

Ramen Ichiraku

Satisfy your taste buds with a trip to Ramen Ichiraku for lunch or dinner. The menu features a wide range of classic and contemporary Japanese dishes. While it’s a favorite spot for ramen, the restaurant also serves a variety of rice dishes and other cuisines.

As an appetizer or side dish, choose the pork or chicken gyoza or shrimp tempura. If you’re craving hot pot, try the naruto chasu ramen, featuring sliced flavored pork and fish cake with pork broth, or the seafood ramen, made with grilled salmon, shrimp, and mussel squid with pork broth. The restaurant also serves a variety of jasmine green teas, with flavors ranging from mango to honey to lychee.

Ramen Ichiraku is at 10343 Garvey Ave. in El Monte. It’s open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Online ordering is available for pickup and delivery.

Tasty Bowl

You’d be remiss to pass up an opportunity to eat at Tasty Bowl. The restaurant features a wide-ranging menu with traditional Japanese favorites, including steamed rice bowls and seafood plates. With high-quality food and hefty portions, you’ll leave Tasty Bowl fed and happy.

For an entrée, try the shrimp tempura plate, served with cabbage, broccoli, and carrots, or a classic bowl, featuring chicken, beef, salmon, shrimp, or veggies over a bed of steamed rice. On a rainy day, nothing beats the restaurant’s ramen noodle soup, available with chicken, beef, shrimp, or tempura. Pair your meal with a bubble tea, known as boba. Tasty Bowl offers a variety of boba, including milk tea, strawberry green tea, and watermelon green tea.

Tasty Bowl is at 2603 Tyler Ave. in El Monte. It’s open daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. The restaurant offers online ordering for pickup, curbside, and delivery.

Sushi Ajiwa

For some of the best sushi in town, make plans to visit Sushi Ajiwa. With an extensive sushi and sashimi menu, everyone in your party is sure to find something they like. The menu also features appetizers, salads, and omakase for one or two people.

Start your meal at Sushi Ajiwa with a mouthwatering appetizer, such as the wasabi octopus, marinated with kizami wasabi. The salads are a meal in themselves and come served with house dressing or Japanese dressing. For a main course, try one of the restaurant’s most popular dishes, which include the mango crunch roll with spicy crab meat and mango, the Baja roll with spicy tuna and cucumber, and the dragon roll with crab meat, cucumber, and avocado.

Sushi Ajiwa is at 10627 Main St. in El Monte. It’s open from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday. It’s closed on Monday. The restaurant offers online ordering for pickup.

Now you know where to find some of the best Japanese food in El Monte, California. Have you ever been to one of these restaurants? What’s your favorite dish to order? If we didn’t include your favorite Japanese restaurant on our list, make sure to send a message to Longo Toyota and let us know. We love showcasing some of the best places to visit in our hometown — especially when they involve food.

Tags: California Rolls, Japanese Food, Ramen, Sushi
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