Daichan

Daichan was recommended by my Japanese colleagues as “authentic” so I was very excited to try it. Absolutely loved everything about the place. The food and service were fantastic. I love eating at unassuming restaurants that focus on food and service vs trying to be fancy. It’s a small restaurant that gets very busy so you will need to be patient. Can’t wait to go back and try all the other dishes.

An amazing, cozy family-owned restaurant in the valley. What makes Daichan so special is the character inside; a mix between the thoughful decoration and the care that has kept this place alive. One of my favorite spots for a family dinner! Everything here is delicious and the service/prices are great. I recommend making a reservation in advance to ensure seating. As for the menu, the sushi is delicious but my favorite has to be the Pork Katsu-Don. Melts in the mouth. Will continue to support this place, must go-to gem in LA area.

So much delicious Japanese Comfort Food, YUM! I'd heard of this spot before and the yummy Japanese food here, and finally got around to giving it a try - I most certainly feel glad that I did! I grew up with many of the staples here being favorites of mine from my Japanese grandmother whenever we would visit her. From the House Udon to the Daichan Special, I thought the prices were great for a variety of tasty and flavorful plates and bowls of udon to enjoy! Something to keep in mind - it fills up quite fast inside! The space is packed with a good amount of tables, but it's still a bit small. While we arrived before 6PM and were able to be seated right away, I soon noticed a line of people forming outside, waiting for tables to open up. Speaking of the interior, it's so quirky and cozy inside, with scores of beautiful and colorful Japanese artwork and decor lining all the walls and hanging from the ceiling. Such a fun and unique dining space to enjoy! Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed my experience at Daichan, and highly recommend giving it a visit - at least once, even if you're not a huge fan of Japanese cuisine!

This place is sooo good I had the pork katsu with curry. Cleaned the whole plate! It comes with rice. My friend got the Hawaiian roll and tried one you can never go wrong with spam. Of course I had to get some sehmi salmon fresh and very tasty. One of the best thing about this place is the look they have all shorts of cool stuff on the walls.

Moe El Emam

Loooove this place so much. One of our favorite neighborhood places. Laid back, with delicious food and wonderful staff. We love the steamed chicken gyoza, the cut sushi rolls, and the sashimi bowls. The chicken katsu Don is AMAZING, as is the zaru soba and the curry katsu rice bowl. Much easier to get in for lunch, though we usually go for dinner. It’s a small space and you put your name on a list for a table upon arrival, so show up with your whole party to be seated. Street parking is usually easier than trying to valet.

John Moon

This is an authentic Japanese restaurant in the Studio City area. They offer a wide variety of food from sushi, sashimi, soba noodles, to curry with a lot of other things. They also have a sake flight, for you booze lovers. The restaurant is also filled with small trinkets, creating a fun eating environment. Staff are incredibly friendly and warm. Since the restaurant is petite, you may have to queue for a bit, but definitely worth it if you’re in the valley and you’re craving good Japanese food.

Chris K

The delicious! We had the Hot Pot and Shrimp Tempura Udon, both had amazing flavors. Interior was very cozy, worn in style. Well worth the revisit! Friendly staff!

Erick Tseng

Delicious Japanese izakaya food in a super cute setting with fantastic, extraordinarily friendly service. I can't wait to come back. We ordered the agadashi tofu, tempura udon noodles, and Daichan beef teriyaki special bento box. Everything was well prepared. The tempura was perfectly crispy, the beef was tender and flavorful, the udon was clean and filling. Pricing was also super reasonable. Definitely worth a visit!

Kayla Valencia

Been on my list forever and did not disappoint! The decor and environment were very charming. Quick service and all of our food was delicious. Love a miso soup (nailed it), the chicken/tofu meatballs were slightly sweet and filling, the crispy tuna rice starters were huge and had the perfect crunch. All the fish we tried was perfection, melted in your mouth good. Will definitely be coming back and would highly recommend for a lunch or dinner.

Grace Sims

Ok I need to start by saying I wish I got a better photo but everytime I come here I get so excited to eat I don’t get a photo ahead of eating. I absolutely love this place. The food is nourishing and so good. It doesn’t feel like they ever try to be something they’re not. The staff is super friendly and the decor is so amazing I notice something new everytime.

Annie Shao

Amazing food. Not photographed was the chicken katsu curry - everything is 10/10. There is a guaranteed wait if you get there after 6P.

cEvin Key

one of my favorite restraunts in LA for almost 30 years. Today they told me they have Tempura Soba. I didnt know. so OISHI !

Hailey Baldridge

The food here was so delicious and comforting and the decor makes it extra cozy! Tried the chirashi bowl, cucumber bonito, and negitoro bowl with seaweed rice.

Reggie Brown

I’ve always been intrigued by the sign that reads “Japanese Soul Food “. I ventured in tonight, and was pleasantly surprised at the charm and vibe of the restaurant. Service was attentive and consistent. I asked for my server’s recommendation, and she told me to go with the combination pole bowl. It did not disappoint, the flavors were subtle yet bold and the sake selection was great. I will be back for sure and recommend this to anyone who is willing to stroll off the beaten path and have an amazing meal at a moderate price point.

wook kim

Daichan was recommended by my Japanese colleagues as “authentic” so I was very excited to try it. Absolutely loved everything about the place. The food and service were fantastic. I love eating at unassuming restaurants that focus on food and service vs trying to be fancy. It’s a small restaurant that gets very busy so you will need to be patient. Can’t wait to go back and try all the other dishes.

sofi

An amazing, cozy family-owned restaurant in the valley. What makes Daichan so special is the character inside; a mix between the thoughful decoration and the care that has kept this place alive. One of my favorite spots for a family dinner! Everything here is delicious and the service/prices are great. I recommend making a reservation in advance to ensure seating. As for the menu, the sushi is delicious but my favorite has to be the Pork Katsu-Don. Melts in the mouth. Will continue to support this place, must go-to gem in LA area.

Parker Green

So much delicious Japanese Comfort Food, YUM! I'd heard of this spot before and the yummy Japanese food here, and finally got around to giving it a try - I most certainly feel glad that I did! I grew up with many of the staples here being favorites of mine from my Japanese grandmother whenever we would visit her. From the House Udon to the Daichan Special, I thought the prices were great for a variety of tasty and flavorful plates and bowls of udon to enjoy! Something to keep in mind - it fills up quite fast inside! The space is packed with a good amount of tables, but it's still a bit small. While we arrived before 6PM and were able to be seated right away, I soon noticed a line of people forming outside, waiting for tables to open up. Speaking of the interior, it's so quirky and cozy inside, with scores of beautiful and colorful Japanese artwork and decor lining all the walls and hanging from the ceiling. Such a fun and unique dining space to enjoy! Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed my experience at Daichan, and highly recommend giving it a visit - at least once, even if you're not a huge fan of Japanese cuisine!

We had a longer wait, but it was well worth it! My sister, her kids, my boyfriend, and I all had great food after a long day at Universal Studioes. The food was authentic and the service was so friendly 🥰 my sister and I are always looking for a good Japanese spot as we get homesick for the food!

Rachael Richmond

We had a longer wait, but it was well worth it! My sister, her kids, my boyfriend, and I all had great food after a long day at Universal Studioes. The food was authentic and the service was so friendly 🥰 my sister and I are always looking for a good Japanese spot as we get homesick for the food!

Judy Waters

Love the food here, been going for years. The ginger drink is very special, all the dishes are really good. Warning: it's a very small dining space with a consistent wait list. Make a reservation when you can.

J S

This place was great and the food was excellent. Our server was also good and she played along with my brother's crazy jokes. I had a chicken Katsu and my wife had the udon and both were authentic like what I would get in Japan. I would happily go here again. Note the parking here is tight because they share a small parking lot with several businesses, and you may have a difficult time getting parking unless you use the valet which cost $4.

Good place to eat Japanese food. It’s small but service is pretty quick, food is delicious. I wish it will be more variety of rolls.

Валерия Хоттингер

Good place to eat Japanese food. It’s small but service is pretty quick, food is delicious. I wish it will be more variety of rolls.

Pretty and unique decoration for a restaurant, but that's all they really offered. The food was not impressive enough

It felt like very deliberate misleading with the Japanese speaking waitresses and clearly non Japanese chefs. No idea why this place is so highly rated. We waited like an hour only to see the most unappetizing looking food. “Spicy” chicken had no seasoning (not spicy at all either) whatsoever other than super ultra salty sauce at the bottom, and was not cut fully at all — just a clump of sussy meat. The rice was room temperature, the promised accompanied “fruits” was a single slice of watermelon. The sukiyaki was so weird and gray looking but at least tasted not as horrid as the chicken segment. On top of that it was expensive too. Only props is the decoration felt cool.

Em

It felt like very deliberate misleading with the Japanese speaking waitresses and clearly non Japanese chefs. No idea why this place is so highly rated. We waited like an hour only to see the most unappetizing looking food. “Spicy” chicken had no seasoning (not spicy at all either) whatsoever other than super ultra salty sauce at the bottom, and was not cut fully at all — just a clump of sussy meat. The rice was room temperature, the promised accompanied “fruits” was a single slice of watermelon. The sukiyaki was so weird and gray looking but at least tasted not as horrid as the chicken segment. On top of that it was expensive too. Only props is the decoration felt cool.

Unfortunately, Daichan has fallen. I made Wed. dinner reservations and despite that it took over 45 minutes to get seated. There was no apology about the wait. They are visibly overwhelmed. The restaurant and its staff are unable to keep up with growth and use antiquated methods for take out, reservations and payment. The servers were stressed out and rude. The food was only OK. Daichan's better days are behind them.

The food was lukewarm, and the chicken was way too salty. All the spices were just dumped and piled on top of the meat!! There was no care put into plating arrangements. Everything was overpriced, and aside from the decorations in the restaurant and the two Japanese waitresses, nothing about the meal felt like an authentic Japanese experience. The rice was hard, and it felt like my palets were being abused. My stomach started hurting mid-meal. Even fast food tasted better than this! Extremely unsatisfied. Never coming back again!!!

Helen Wang

The food was lukewarm, and the chicken was way too salty. All the spices were just dumped and piled on top of the meat!! There was no care put into plating arrangements. Everything was overpriced, and aside from the decorations in the restaurant and the two Japanese waitresses, nothing about the meal felt like an authentic Japanese experience. The rice was hard, and it felt like my palets were being abused. My stomach started hurting mid-meal. Even fast food tasted better than this! Extremely unsatisfied. Never coming back again!!!

Marivi V

Unfortunately, Daichan has fallen. I made Wed. dinner reservations and despite that it took over 45 minutes to get seated. There was no apology about the wait. They are visibly overwhelmed. The restaurant and its staff are unable to keep up with growth and use antiquated methods for take out, reservations and payment. The servers were stressed out and rude. The food was only OK. Daichan's better days are behind them.