Anzu Japanese Gourmet picks up where its predecessor (Ketchy’s II) left off - Providing quick but tasty Japanese-style casual street fare to all in Sawtelle J-town. I did takeout of 2 random items:
Keema Curry (with ground beef, curry spice stew, sunny side egg)… Tasty, with good quality rice, beefy curry (not really spicy, but definitely enough curriness for the dish to shine) - Winner!
Teriyaki Dog (green onion, dry nori, mayo)… Pretty good! It’s just a tiny notch below the Terimayo Dog from Japadog at the Santa Monica Pier (but this isn’t truly a fair comparison, since Japadog uses kurobuta sausages) - Now, if they would only grill the bun a bit, then that would also elevate this dog.
Anzu Japanese Gourmet
11270 La Grange Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90025
310.231.1033 anzu-usa.com (note: as of the time of submission of this thread, their website hasn’t been updated yet to reflect their opening)
The application of the appellation “Gourmet” to a place that serves rice bowls, burgers and dogs should not be lost on any would-be branding professionals in our midst. It is too hard for me to decipher what is Sicilian about Sicilian Rice: did you notice?
Hit Anzu the other night and really enjoyed my meal! Got the karaage combo, which comes with chicken, rice, fries, salad, and a drink. It was $12 and came with a good amount of food. I was also pleased that they offered Martinelli’s apple juice as a drink option.
The restaurant itself is small – just a takeout window with a handful of tables under an awning outside. So, if you go with a group, plan on getting the food to go. Still, the chicken was freshly fried and quite juicy. I could see this place being a real hit, especially at this price point.
Sorry for the delay in answering. Do the Teri-Mayo for sure. Japadogs are tasty but clock in on the smaller side, so buy another dog of a different flavor, like okonomiyaki.
And some fried chicken. We had had some disappointing fried chicken from Popcorn chicken, so I was a little worried, but husband loved this chicken! I realized, though, that I prefer bone in. In small amounts, karage is good, but for a meal, I need the crunch of bones and cartilage.
In case the chicken was not yummy, I ordered this ginger pork. It was good but we only had one taste. Will make as leftovers with the french fries for dinner tonight. We ended up with two order of fries since I didn’t realize that the ginger pork came with an order of fries. At least I think it did. Not sure how we ended up with two, otherwise.
Husband definitely wants to order the chicken here again. I just wish we had a good fried chicken, bone-in, joint on the westside. Or I may have to make some again, but it’s such a greasy mess!
You just enter in the “@” symbol and type in the first few letters of the member’s name you want to link to, then select it from the list that shows up.
If you’re looking for bone in chicken. Try honey kettle in culver city or Louies in mar vista.
Honey kettle does your standard fried chicken. I like Gus’s more but, honey kettle is definitely pretty solid in a pinch. Louie’s does of sort of a korean inspired style of fried chicken. Super crunchy exterior drenched in a very good honey sricracha sauce (i personally wish it was a little spicier). The honey comes from the owner’s mom who is a beekeeper I guess, so that’s always a plus.
Pro tip re Honey’s Kettle: They now accept online orders. You skip the line and head straight to the pickup counter.
For my money, however, the most consistent bone-in fried chicken on the Westside is at BBQ Chicken in Westwood. The dry-spiced BB Wings, in particular, are great. Everything is fried fresh to order, though that means there’s sometimes a wait for your food.
Thanks for the heads up on this place! Culver City is more of a destination place since it’s farther. This place is close and from the photos on Yelps, looks like you can call in an order ahead of time!
I’ve done takeout many times, and I always call ahead. Unfortunately, there’s sometimes still a brief wait and parking is brutal, so it’s best to have someone wait in the car in case you have to move. If I go alone, I usually just pay the Whole Foods tax and park in their upstairs lot.
I made Japanese curry, the kind you buy premade in the grocery stores, with the leftover fries and ginger pork from Anzu. It was delicious!! A Japanese friend taught me to use leftover french fries like this!
