480016 Wed Jan 16 13:08:06 -0800 2008 9 2 Los Angeles Area 0 3301966 We are off to the MOCA downtown this weekend and want to have a fun dinner near by afterwards. I have researched and narrowed it down to Haru Ulala or Honda-Ya for izakaya. Which has the best food and fun atmosphere? I considered Izayoi because of all the great reviews but was a bit turned off by the fact that they close at 10:00 and it seems like more of a quiet restaurant. We really want to enjoy the bar scene as well as the food. Am I wrong about Izayoi? Any help deciding, and on any recs for what to order are appreciated. Thanks so much! Wed Jan 16 13:08:06 -0800 2008 14124 CarlieInLA 1 3302385 Haru has more mixed scene in terms of the actual diners with, IMO, better food than Honda-Ya. Less raw fish, more homely / mama style dishes. if you do go to Haru, order off the specials written on the board and of course, go for d'frent skewers. Wed Jan 16 14:43:03 -0800 2008 3301966 12458 TonyC 1 3303121 It's a toss-up... Haru Ulala gets the award for for better tasting food overall, but Honda-Ya gets the award for ambiance. Wed Jan 16 18:03:05 -0800 2008 3301966 11933 J.L. 2 3303213 "It's a toss-up..." Oh, "[i]t's a toss up," alright: both establishments are thoroughly mediocre. <smile> E.M. Wed Jan 16 18:37:24 -0800 2008 3303121 11340 Erik M 3 3303812 Original post simply asked for comparison between the 2. Agree that they are mediocre. Wed Jan 16 23:20:45 -0800 2008 3303213 11933 J.L. 4 3304851 i will third this sentiment. haru is the better of the two. izayoi much better. Thu Jan 17 09:32:20 -0800 2008 3303812 12923 modernist 5 3305451 Thanks for the info. Is Izayoi really quiet? That is my only concern, because its saturday night and we wanted to be in a fun atmosphere. But I also want to go to the best food. What do you recommend at Izayoi? Thu Jan 17 11:31:52 -0800 2008 3304851 14124 CarlieInLA 6 3305478 Izayoi has much, much better food. And no, it's not quiet on a Saturday night (how quiet can a place that sells pitchers of draft beer be?) and is indeed a lot of fun. I recommend the grilled yellowtail collar, anything with sardines (fried sardines, the sardine "burger"), braised pork with daikon, mustard green salad, fried eggplant, seafood croquettes. And I'm a fan of the nigiri sushi as well. Thu Jan 17 11:38:04 -0800 2008 3305451 27619 Hailyn 7 3306076 Thanks! I think we will head to Izayoi then, I definately would prefer to go to where the best food is. Thu Jan 17 14:27:58 -0800 2008 3305478 14124 CarlieInLA 1 3305030 Haru will be open later and if there is a wait you can put your name down and go next door to the jazz club for a quick cocktail. The small plates at Haru are more enjoyable then the menu selection at Honda ya, overall larger selection. Thu Jan 17 10:06:19 -0800 2008 3301966 20304 afs