Hi @Clyde,
We went last month (when they had their new chef) and were just re-opening again. Posted it above in this thread.
any new dishes to report?
Yes, but unfortunately you’ll have to ask someone who drank a lot less than I did.
All I can tell you is all 4 of us thought it was our favorite visit
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My advice: If you’re thinking about going to Kinjiro, do it ASAP.
We had a fantastic dinner there last night, perhaps the best ever (and we’ve eaten there 6-8 times). But when I asked Jun about his recent closing, he said that they’re trying to figure out future directions; in the meantime they’re offering only limited seating as it’s just him, the chef, and the dishwasher. The restaurant was never more than half full, and Jun turned away walk-ins. So they seem to be in some sort of trouble/transition.
There’s not much change in the regular menu, and there were maybe half a dozen off-menu specials.
We ate a lot, and not one dish disappointed; these were the standouts (no photos, sorry):
We started with the trio of chinmi to pair with sake by the glass (one of Otokoyama and one of the Cowboy). The katsuo shutou–“tuna guts”–is gone (too few people ordered it), replaced by a very savory marinated ikura. The firefly squid and squid marinated in ink both remain and are bowl-scrapingly good.
Marinated mackerel with yuzu kosho–always one of our favorites, the mackerel is “marinated” by being sandwiched between pieces of kombu (“kobu-jime”), with a touch of vinegar. The kelp draws away some of the moisture from the fish, firming it up, but also lends a sweet brininess and incredible umami to the dish. Sometimes we repeat this order, we like it so much, but we restrained ourselves this time.
Uni risotto, which was one of the specials–In less skilled hands, this could be an ugly, mushy mess of a dish. But this was sublime. Creamy, yet each grain of rice was separate and toothsome. Smokiness from the dashi it was cooked in combined beautifully with the rich sweetness of the fresh uni. I wouldn’t call the uni flavor “bright”–not sure I expect that in a coked uni dish–but it was soulful and deep-tasting.
Grade A5 Miyazaki Wagyu, grilled over bincho charcoal–this was on the specials menu, and it was amazing. My husband eats almost no meat, so I was surprised he wanted to order this, but glad we did. We were getting full at this point, so shared an order of mozuku seaweed as a palate cleanser; this worked very well. The beef had been cut into log shapes before grilling, so that more of the surface area was exposed to the heat than in a standard steak preparation. We ordered 5 oz. ($100, in case you wonder) to share, and were served a plate of 20 square slices, maybe 1 inch on each side, seared well around the edges and raw in the center. The meat was grilled without seasoning, and served with sides of sea salt, wasabi, and an especially rich ponzu sauce. We dipped each slice in the ponzu, then topped with a tiny dab of wasabi and a few grains of salt. Phenomenal flavor, and each bite gave just a bit of resistance before dissolving into juicy fattiness that, paradoxically, seemed light and clean and even refreshing, without a hint of greasiness. This was one of the best things I’ve eaten in a long time.
Since we don’t like sweets, we ended the meal with ume chazuke, and tea, and shared a glass of Nanbu Bijin unsweetened plum wine (sake-based). Jun said it’s hard to find unsweetened ume-shu even in Japan, and that’s a shame. It was very refreshing; dry with a hint of sweetness, somewhat like a good cider. Rather too easy to drink!
Kinjiro is one of my favorite restaurants in Los Angeles, and I sure hope it can find a way to survive. I’m not going to wait too long before going back, though, just in case…
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Wow thanks for the intel, that’s surprising as the place has always been full when I’ve been there.
Yeah, makes you wonder–what does it take for a restaurant like that to survive?
+1
Jun is great. I don’t know if they are on the ropes. He turns away so much business intentionally it appears to me.
It’s seemed like that to me too. Even the first time I went, he allowed one party in for walk in, but it was really early. I’ve never seen him do that again, and he turned away everyone else after that even when there were empty tables the entire time I was there (we’ve eaten there early quite often). People would also pop in wanting to just drink (must have been waiting for sushi gen) and he would say no to them also.
Really weird question, but maybe someone knows… what brand of toilet paper is in the bathroom? It’s REALLY soft stuff. Just wondering. I’ve always been too embarrassed to ask Jun.
Old Japanese trick to keep the quality high. Especially when short-staffed. This is a main difference in business philosophy between Chinese and Japanese restaurants. No sacrificing quality, for that would be dishonorable.
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Another great meal at kinjiro.
Seared uni, nori
saba, yuzu kosho
Fresh and clean, really good.
grilled saba
uni risotto
Still great
foie gras #inbeforetheban
cold green tea soba
The soba is probably the most underrated item on the menu but it is outstanding. So refreshing with the perfect flavor and chew. @Chowseeker1999 you should give this a try next time.
toto
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Thanks for the recommendation @PorkyBelly. Sounds like you had a great meal! 
So as others have mentioned, are the menu prices marked up dramatically? Curious what you felt about it, having dined there.
For the soba, that looks wonderful! But do they make theirs in-house? I thought on one of my earliest visits, I asked about it, and at that time (this was 1.5 years ago? Really early on…) they said it wasn’t. Just curious.
Thanks for the reminder; I definitely need to go back soon.
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No sake? 
Yes, the menu prices are up dramtically, I would guess prices are up 30-50% just from a year ago. Quality and portions are still the same, but apparently they’ve been running at half capacity - only taking reservations for half the restaurant - since January when one of their two chefs left. Not sure if that has anything to do with the steep price increases.
I don’t think they make their own soba, when i asked Jun where he gets his soba he said it was a “secret”, whatever that means. Wherever it’s from, it’s one of the best items on the menu and also the cheapest at $12.
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Thanks @PorkyBelly. Yah during our last visit (after their 2nd chef left), we also saw the strange situation: Dining room was half full at most, and when a couple walked in, Jun turned them away saying “Reservation only.” The remaining empty tables were never taken the entire time we were there.
par for the course(s)
No sake, as in, no sake with your meal?
Correct
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Warrior: I like Kinjiro. It is the best “izakaya” I’ve tried in LA. For the moderate price, the quality is high (particularly given the large portion sizes). Regardless of price, Kinjiro has dishes that are worth tasting. Surprisingly, the baby spinach and mushroom salad was my favorite dish tonight. This umami-rich salad, which has been on the menu for years, just tastes completely right. Also good was the uni risotto, which was so rich with uni that I thought it had too much uni (seriously), but that’s a forgivable flaw. The oysters in ponzu sauce was basic but successful. The grilled octopus was too rubbery, but the slimy takowasa was splendid. Miso-glazed cod and marinated mackerel were both good, but ordinary. The raw salmon, raw scallop, and blue crab salad (with lots of lettuce), while solid, was not a great combination. But we are obviously pretty spoiled not to be singing this restaurant’s praises.
Peony: This is the first time we have visited Kinjiro after Covid. We noticed they were understaffed today, but we were seated in timely fashion, and the food was served at a reasonable speed. The flavors of the food today were still as rich and bright as they were previously. The wasabi octopus, marinated mackerel, black cod, and mushroom salad were the most memorable dishes tonight due to their bold flavors and perfect textures. We have visited Kinjiro so many times, and we have enjoyed every time we visited. I consider it my favorite restaurant in Little Tokyo.
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