Tamon Sushi
Company Details
Tuesday: 11:30AM-2:30PM,5:30-10PM
Wednesday: Closed
Thursday: 11:30AM-2:30PM,5:30-10PM
Friday: 11:30AM-2:30PM,5:30-10PM
Saturday: 11:30AM-2:30PM,5:30-10PM
Sunday: 11:30AM-2:30PM
Contact Information
Los Angeles, California, 90012
United States
Tamon Sushi Reviews
Submitted by Lily Li on 09/08/2022
Lily Li 5 stars rating.
This place has the best chirashi hands down! The quality and presentation is top-notch, every piece of fish down to the rice was so so good. For $40, it was filled generously with very nice pieces, and even the pickled vegetables were amazing! We also had tempura, otoro nigiri and the ice cream dessert and it was all delicious! Service was great and fast!
Definitely coming back next time im back in LA!
Submitted by Jordan Hassay on 08/19/2022
Jordan Hassay 5 stars rating.
From the moment I arrived and throughout the meal, I was left with one impression: that the chef and the staff at Tamon are reaching for distinction—and honestly, they deserve it.
Come to this place. The food is not just prepared and served; it is prepared with excellent choices, technical and artistic decisions that demand both your attention and appreciation.
And, look, I'm no food critic. I'm a filthy casual—but one who's patronized ridiculously fine dining establishments all over the world. I've got enough perspective to know that this is more than what you're paying for.
There's a lot of sushi options in Little Tokyo, but don't sleep on Tamon; go out of your way to eat here as soon as possible.
Submitted by Adrian on 12/06/2020
Adrian 5 stars rating.
Consistently excellent. If you're considering whether or not to order food from here / dine here, don't second guess it. Do it! Their food is top notch, as is their service, and their portions are fantastic. Plenty of veggies included with any item, for example, and great value. And this isn't coming from an American perspective of Japanese food - their food is top notch by Japanese standards. If that sounds doubtful, then at the very least, they are above average, especially compared to some of the other restaurants in the area. And everything on their menu is great, not just sushi!
I've had:
- chirashi (excellent)
- beef curry (excellent)
- garlic ramen (great, comes with a lot of toppings and perfectly cooked noodles)
- katsudon (great)
Also, they make this salad dressing that is really really good!
Submitted by Mick Shimada on 08/28/2020
Mick Shimada 5 stars rating.
Visited this restaurant recently and dined in the patio space they had created outside, facing 1st street in Little Tokyo. This area is bustling with foot-traffic with its numerous restaurants and ramen shops. We ordered several dishes from their diverse menu, and enjoyed the fried pork dumplings in particular. They were crispy on the outside, juicy and flavorful on the inside. The ramen was very good as well. The noodles were firm, and the broth was just right. The staff was courteous and attentive, and wore masks at all times. Definitely not your ordinary sushi joint.
Submitted by Torakichi on 08/24/2020
Torakichi 5 stars rating.
TAMON is such a cozy Japanese restaurant in Downtown, Los Angeles!
Staffs were very friendly and courteous.
I had the Wonton Shio(Salt) Ramen, with the Garlic Butter Pork Gyoza(dumpling). Super authentic quality and great price.
I will definitely go back there to try other Ramen (Garlic Tonkotsu Ramen) next time!
I highly recommend tthis restaurant. : )
Submitted by Hiro K on 08/17/2020
Hiro K 5 stars rating.
We ordered the Garlic Tonkotsu Ramen, the Wonton Salt Ramen and the Garlic Butter Pork Gyoza. The food was delicious and pretty big portion.
Outdoor seating is limited, so be sure to come early or call to see if there's a long wait.
Submitted by Candice Cromwell on 06/02/2020
Candice Cromwell 4 stars rating.
This place doesn't skimp on the meat and portions. I normally put down three rolls on my own but here I could barely manage two. The food is fresh and the place is very clean. The first time our waiter didn't realize we were there to take drinks and disappeared when we asked for the check BUT I'll overlook that. The sushi is great.
Submitted by Simone Sello on 08/04/2019
Simone Sello 5 stars rating.
A great authentic Japanese restaurant “hidden” on the second floor of the New Otani Hotel in Little Tokyo, Downtown Los Angeles. Omakase sushi is my favorite, but they also serve great cooked food. Their breakfast buffet is the closest you can get in LA to the Japanese style. Great sake selection, and Sapporo or Asahi on tap.
Submitted by Bill Poon on 01/18/2019
Bill Poon 5 stars rating.
Went to the $30.00 ayce lunch buffet and it is worth it for the sushi alone. But they have an assortment of other items as well including remember, tempura and dumplings.
Submitted by Gary I. on 08/25/2018
Gary I. 5 stars rating.
Tamon means "wide knowledge" in Japanese to imply that this Sushi restaurant provides many different portals of opportunities to try a wide spectrum of cooked & raw foods. Tamon is a hidden jewel of a restaurant on the second floor of the Miyako Hotel on 1st Street in downtown Little Tokyo.
Tamon shares the entrance w/ Ohjah, a fun bar/karaoke (kah rah oh keh) venue which is to the left. A giant picture of a dragon in gold & green depicting it controlling thunder & lightning is on the back wall of the Sushi bar for dramatic effect.
The Sushi chef recognized me from over 10 years ago when I used to go to a comfortable, Shitamachi/old town, down home Sushi restaurant called Fujiyoshi in Little Tokyo run by a stern yet kind hearted old school Sushi master, who has since passed away.
1) Chef To-ma proffered me the rarest part of the halibut called the Engawa (en gah wah) which is the muscle circling the ventral as well as the dorsal fin. The texture is more meaty, dense, heavier textured than the body meat.
Engawa was enriched w/ a natural infusion of clean fatty richness. Chef To-ma was astute in putting a Shiso/O-ba leaf under one of the cuts of Engawa since he felt added herbal flavouring would enhance that section of the Engawa.
Also to tenderize the Engawa further, he scored the meat which also allowed the bright green of the Shiso to shine through. It was a great exercise in adding aesthetic form & practical function all in one fell swoop.
2) Kurodai is similar to Tai/red snapper, sea bream, but the meat is firmer, more dense, & the flavour is less delicate.
3) Hokkaido Hotate Gai was amazingly velvety soft, smooth, luscious w/ the sweet freshness of sea minerality. A touch of the chef made Yuzukosho-, which is usually a puree of Yuzu/Japanese Citrus zest, green chile peppers, sea salt, touch of Japanese vinegar, was applied. However, this elegant Yuzukosho- was finely chopped so that individual micro small pieces could be discerned.
4) Kanpachi has meat that is firm yet silky on the surface w/ a light flavour of red meat fish. The meat is slightly al dente with a nice to-the-teeth texture.
5) Saba is usually not my favorite fish since many Sushi restaurants over marinate the Saba with overly sweet and strong Japanese vinegar. Here, the Saba is only lightly marinated to emphasize the cured taste of the Saba, which becomes a good counter to its own distinctive fatty oily taste. This was a good exercise in restraint. Sometimes less is more.
6) Hon Maguro was a deeper crimson, the teeth sank into the meat as though it were "Yo-kan", a type of Japanese candy gelatin. A bit of aging gave the Hon Maguro a slight beefy aged quality. I used their hybrid Wasabi/horse radish mixture that had bits of horseradish to provide a contrast of graininess w/ the Wasabi inflecting a more aromatic, spiciness.
7) Chu-toro is less fatty. The chef made specially flavoured Tamari Sho-yu/soy sauce which is more viscous, sweet w/ a taste of Umami filled Dashi (dah shee) or bonito broth & sea salt. This special Sho-yu was excellent for the heavier tasting, fattier fish meats.
All the above was paired w/ Otoko Yama, Michinoku, Cho-karakuchi/extremely dry, Junmai/pure rice Sake (sah keh). It is slightly sweet w/ a good astringency, touch of chalkiness, hint of Sugi (soo ghee)/Japanese cedar. Good palate cleanser for all the Sushi.
What puts Tamon over the top to 5 stars is the care, culinary competence, expertise of the masterful Sushi chefs who are very aware of the needs of customers who are treated w/ courtesy & grace when the customer reciprocates the kindness.
Incredible old school, classic Èdoaè Sushi that is treated w/ a fine hand & many hours of tender loving care in its preparation. Tamon is definitely a better choice than going to the over-hyped Gen, Komasa, Hama which are good, but not worth the long wait.
Summer 2015: Meister Sushi Chef, Kennny Yamada w/ many culinary awards, is the talented successor to Wunderkind Chef To-ma.
Since 2017: Quietly masterful Chef Nakai takes over.
