Fukagawa - Gardena

I wanted so badly to love this place, but I was so disappointed. My husband and I came here on Sunday for lunch. We met a friendly older couple who were visitin... read more I wanted so badly to love this place, but I was so disappointed. My husband and I came here on Sunday for lunch. We met a friendly older couple who were visiting for the first time since the pandemic. It was our first time, so we were excited to try this place out based on the reviews. The older couple was upset that another couple who arrived after them was seated earlier than them. That couple was on the Yelp waitlist. It 's unfortunate to see that the restaurant does not cater to older customers, who are unfamiliar with using Yelp, nor do they try to resolve (seat them earlier) the situation either or even show them how to use the Yelp waitlist so they know for next time. After waiting 15 minutes, we finally got seated. Based on the available seating, we were seated at the same table as the older couple. After we ordered, we were chatting. Then chatting some more. And finally, I kept thinking gosh, we 've been chatting for a while, but the food has not come out .... It took at least an HOUR for our food to come out. I started to look around, and other customers were asking where their food was. One customer in particular asked the server, How about our edamame? Or anything?? Just give us something!! Everyone in that restaurant was waiting for their food, with no indication of when the food would arrive.After an hour of waiting, food started to slowly come out. I ordered the combo with fish, and my husband ordered hot soba with tempura. I was shocked at how little his meal was compared to mine, given how much more expensive his meal was. The cherry on the top was that my husband 's hot soba was SO soggy. Gosh, I don 't think I 've had worse soba. The tempura on the side was so medicore and not crispy. My meal was better, but the fish was dry. Overall, our meals tasted overcooked and disappointing. The one star is really to our server for giving us a 20% discount. However, I think that if I weren 't conversing with the older couple, we would have left after 30 or 45 minutes and cancelled the order to walk over to Tokyo Central next door to buy some to-go Japanese food. I actually wish we had done that instead. We spent almost $50 on subpar food and spent a total of 2 hours at this restaurant, with most of that time just waiting. Safe to say, we will definitely not be back.

**Service: 5/5** The service was prompt, and the waitstaff were incredibly friendly. We arrived right as they opened, and we were seated and served compliment... read more **Service: 5/5** The service was prompt, and the waitstaff were incredibly friendly. We arrived right as they opened, and we were seated and served complimentary tea almost immediately. Our food arrived within 10 to 15 minutes. **Food: 4/5** My favorite part of the special croquette combo was the udon soup. The noodles were fresh and perfectly cooked, while the light soup complemented the other dishes beautifully. The California rolls were a bit underwhelming, as they featured pretty standard ingredients, but the croquettes were crispy, and the miso soup was flavorful. Overall, it was a very hearty meal, and I appreciated the opportunity to savor so many small dishes.

Went to our favorite udon shop and found out they were closed for renovation for a few weeks. So we went in search of what to eat. Happened upon Fukagawa. We wa... read more Went to our favorite udon shop and found out they were closed for renovation for a few weeks. So we went in search of what to eat. Happened upon Fukagawa. We walked in and waited... and waited for a table. It took a little bit of time to be seated. Service is a tad slow, but I'm more about the food. We ordered 3 different kinds udon. The mushroom udon, niku udon (beef), and the nabeyaki udon. The udon noodles were good, nice and springy when you bite into them. My wife said the mushroom udon broth was a little bland. The beef udon and nabeyaki udon broth was flavorful but lacked the depth. The tempura that came with the nabeyaki was ok. Wish the tempura coating was thinner and crispy. I did appreciate that they used a larger shrimp so that I can taste the shrimp. Overall the food was good, but it was a lot more expensive than our usual udon place.

Very good japanese restaurant. The food is quite a lot, but it was all delicious and felt quite homely. I got the pork ginger plate and it had a delicious ginge... read more Very good japanese restaurant. The food is quite a lot, but it was all delicious and felt quite homely. I got the pork ginger plate and it had a delicious ginger taste and exactly what I was missing from Japanese food.

This charming Japanese breakfast restaurant in Gardena is absolutely perfect! I always enjoy visiting here. The food is delicious, and the staff is wonderful! read more This charming Japanese breakfast restaurant in Gardena is absolutely perfect! I always enjoy visiting here. The food is delicious, and the staff is wonderful!