Fukuno Restaurant
About
Japanese, Sushi Bars
Price Range : $11-30 ($$)
Location
Adress: 15915 S Western Ave, Gardena, CA 90247
Phone: (310) 719-1640
Work Hours
Business info
- turned_in_notHealth ScoreA
- list_altTakes ReservationsYes
- directions_carDeliveryNo
- move_to_inboxTake-outNo
- credit_cardAccepts Credit CardsYes
- thumb_upGood ForDinner
- local_parkingParkingPrivate Lot
- directions_bikeBike ParkingNo
- accessibilityGood for KidsNo
- groupGood for GroupsNo
- new_releasesAttireCasual
- insert_emoticonAmbienceIntimate
- volume_upNoise LevelAverage
- local_barAlcoholBeer & Wine Only
- transit_enterexitOutdoor SeatingNo
- wifiWi-FiNo
- tvHas TVYes
- turned_in_notWaiter ServiceYes
- fastfoodCatersNo
Reviews
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Jina M.
I always judge the rice first.
The rice here was perfect! Perfectly washed, cooked, seasoned and served at the perfect temperature.
Tried the fancier nigiri set. The fish was cut beautifully, and each mound of rice shaped perfectly. The sushi chef makes the pieces with much care and love!
The place was quite empty around 6p on a Tuesday. Hope more people check this place out!
There is also a small parking lot out front so parking is not an issue.
A 4.25/5 sushi, rounding up to 5/5 overall for great service, ambience (cute little shop) and care that was put into the food!! And rather affordable too!
Also, something special is in the soy sauce...it is tastier then usual! Bonito?! -
Maruko X.
Ambiance: mama and papa style Japanese restaurant, small and limited seats inside, private parking lot, and better to make reservation for large group
Service: very friendly and fast, refilled water attentively
Food: simple menu items, overall great taste
Maguro Dongo Nanbanzuke - **** tuna meat balls, served cold, sour bold taste, special dish here, recommend
Fukuno Tokusen Chirashi - **** special select sashimi on top of sushi rice, one of the most popular sushi order, recommend
Hakosushi - *** pressed sushi rice & boiled sea eel with sweet sauce on top, average taste
Price: decent portions and reasonable prices, about $30 per person -
Emily T.
Love this restaurant. I have been going here since I was a teenager with my parents (over 20 years). It may be difficult to order if you can't read Japanese, since all their daily specials are in Japanese. This is the best local sushi restaurant as far as I know. If you want sushi rolls etc, probably should not be dining here. Price is also very reasonable. Dinner for 2 with a couple of bottles of beer and sake came out to be roughly $80 before tip.
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Julie D.
If I could the rating would actually be 3.5. Our hostess/ waitress was very accommodating and the Chef was able to grill some mushrooms and eggplant for me sans the bonito soy sauce. The restaurant itself is very clean and the prices are beyond reasonable. However, the sushi rice was not sticky and fell apart and the sushi itself was just meh. Because of my dietary restrictions, I probably won't be back as they do not serve edamame except for in the Summer and no avocado or cucumber rolls as they seem to be old school.
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Akiko I.
- Locale Destination -
It's S Western Ave and between W 162nd St and W Redondo Beach Blvd in Gardena.
It's located in the back side of small strip mall. The strip mall is NOT visible from Western. Next to "Nagomi Cake House", across street from "Gardena Terrace Inn". The same side but one block from "Azuma". They need to put a big sign!! Unless you knew the place, it's hard to find this spot. They said they've been in the business +20 years or so, quite long.
Ambiance: Nostalgic, very old school, simple "kappo" pop & mom restaurant. Very small. 8 seats at sushi bar and several tables. Make a reservation! Kinda quiet because all the clientele were Japanese?!
Menu: Only half of them are in English (ask for the English menu, which has some pictures). It's really difficult for non Japanese clientele to understand the menu. 99.9 % of clientele was Japanese. Half of them don't even have pricing.. Bring your Japanese friend!
Service: The owner chef was a bit intimidating. No picture of him! He gets mad if you did. I think his wife is the only server and can speak English. Not so much for the chef. If you needed something, ask for her.
Price: Half of the menu don't even have pricing, so I guess it's a bit more expensive side than usual (in South Bay). But the quality is high.
Parking: Plenty
- Gluttony Expedition -
Raw octopus sashimi with yuzu: It's a complimentary appetizer (1 bite size). Raw octopus is so much better than boiled one. I always order when it's served raw. Yuzu got a nice kick to it.
Tuna balls: It was ok. Sweet and served cold.
Ohitashi: Boiled spinach with dried bonito flakes (served cold). Ok. Nothing special. Very small portion, but was good for me.
Half shell oysters: 1 order 2 pieces. Decent.
Pumpkin: It was a bit undercooked, but tasty. 3 pieces.
Aji tataki: Very good. Spanish mackerels were very fresh. It was supposed to be "tataki" (chopped hard and grounded in Japanese), but the fish was just cut very small pieces. Still good.
Kohada: I think it was cured with vinegar. Simple yet good.
Cod with sake lees: Great. Grilled perfectly.
Snapper "Kabuto" yaki: "Kabuto" literally means a helmet that samurai wore in the war. But it also means "Head" in this case in Japanese. You could choose either grill or braised one. This place can grill so well, so I highly recommend for grill. I'm sure braised one is good. It was grilled so perfectly - nicely crisp outside and moist inside. Only salt for seasoning - perfect in this case. You got to deconstruct the head, so be careful on little bones and all that. Eye got a weird texture - FYI. $18. Great dish.
- Conqueror's Deduction -
Hidden gem.
However, if you didn't know much about the essence of Japanese cuisine and/or Japanese dishes in Japan, you wouldn't understand or appreciate this place.
Japanese take the food so seriously because we love to eat good food.
We are the rare Asians who always go for quality, never on quantity. We enjoy the food with all the senses: Tasting good isn't enough. It has to look great, too. Quality ingredients, careful & thoughtful cooking, simple seasoning to make the ingredient flavor stand out, presentation to accentuate the dish even in your eyes etc. - the flavor could be bold or subtle. But the focus is always on the main ingredient. Less is more. Simple is the best. It's very simple, so cooking skills would stand out. It's hard to find the place that grills perfectly like this. If you loved "Dragon roll" type of the stuff or enjoyed "Shinsengumi", you might think "bland" unfortunately.
If you would like to know what's true Japanese food in Japan about, try here. You must bring your Japanese friend. Otherwise, it can't be enjoyable. I wanna try more.