Furaibo...

[kevin]

What do youguyss think of of this joint???

[Ashibi]

Well, I wish I have read this thread before we went. My husband and I decided to try this place for the first time last night, and the food was mediocre at best.

Especially we were unimpressed with their “signature” tebasaki or any of kara-age (deep fried) or kushiyaki (skewered) dishes. All chicken dishes we ordered seemed lacking attention during prep before the meat hits the heat: meat was very dry and flavorless. Flavor is from the sauce or the batter, not from the meat. Dashi was too sweet and lacking umami. Even a simple dish like skewered shiitake mushroom was salted too much.

However, I must say that I was happy with shishamo (Japanese smelt) and sanma (mackerel pike). I am Japanese, and shishamo and sanma were served just like how my mother used to cook at home.

[A5 KOBE]

I love the flavor of sanma but really hate all those little bones everywhere. My Grandma loves it though, so I with have to inform her.

[Ashibi]

I agree about the little bones, but I am so used to eat them along with the fish. I carefully got them all out to create a bit for my husband, though :)

[catbert]

i've only been to their rowland heights/city of industry branch. years ago. NEVER GOING BACK! NEVER GONE BACK! AND NEVER WILL BE BACK!!!

horrible, horrible, horrible treatment and service. if you eat rice *beware* they charged everyone in our party saying we shared. really? it matters when you don't ask for seconds? why can't a person do whatever they want with their own food??? following that, they further treated us like we were robbing the place when we got to-go boxes for our left overs. usually it's the customer who voices their disappointment and disgruntlement, but this time it was the female server/in-charge who was quite vocal and overbearing.

that being said, it's a fry place. the food easily comes out dried out and salty. the fried whole fish was extremely lacking in meat. although it's neat to see a fish fried in a curved stance. i remember i had the yaki onigari and it wasn't that good. the portions were on the small side overall.

[liu]

Sawtelle Furaibo in West LA...we have been dozens of times over the years and have ALWAYS been treated extremely well -- with a warm welcome and with a sincere thanks when leaving. Also, the service is attentive and gracious...never a problem.

[Mattapoisett in LA]

I will say the thing to get there is the Hanpen Cheese. It is the best Filet-o-Fish type of dish I have ever had. Other than that the rest of the menu is ehhhhh.

[kevin]

file o fish? gussied up gourmet version of the mc d's dish ? i'm so down.

[liu]

Ooooooh, Furaibo's Hanpen Cheese...amazing!

We also like their miso eggplant. Their chilled tofu with red plum is quite good, too.

We go early and sit at the bar. Although we do like their chicken wings, we try to order most items that are not fried and have found some delicious things on their menu.

[AAQjr]

I guess it really depends on what you are looking for out of an izakaya. I prefer Izakayas that have more of a pub like atmosphere rather than be too sterilized and gastro-pub-y.

Furaibo is loud, boozy and fun. The food is good if you order carefully. But if you are looking for haut-cuisine go somewhere else because you are in for a disappointment.

[andytseng]

My experience has generally been that big fans of Furaibo also happen to have gone to UCLA. I think sometimes people let nostalgia, or the memory of the good ol' college days, cloud their impressions of food. I am personally not a fan of Furaibo

[J.L.]

Agree - Kinda like Diddy Riese, and Hide Sushi, Furaibo is a cheap local student option...

[m3tan]

Musha on 4th and Wilshire is better. My wife and all her friends are Japanese so I speak with experience. The best izakaya though is in Gardena and Torrance. The original Furaibo and Musha are down there. Heck if you want to know how much better the Japanese food is down there - even the Benihana in Torrance is decent...

[flylice2x]

It wasn't great 5 years ago...

[Johnny L]

Furaibo wasn't that great, lunch is good value but dinner not so much. At least the Puente Hills location.

Plenty of other izakayas.

[J.L.]

More of a drinking place with buddies with some food. Not really a destination restaurant, BUT I'm glad it's there, because sometimes I do just wanna drink some beer and eat some wings.

Speak Japanese or bring Japanese-speaking friends for better experience. The teba saki is good, as are their mushroom-based izakaya dishes.

[Peripatetic]

The one time I went here the fried chicken was so dry and overcooked that I thought I might have been "whited". It was almost as if they had re-fried an old serving of fried chicken..

[foodiemahoodie]

That was precisely my experience.

[foodiemahoodie]

I found some good reviews online - and I tried it and wow. Underwhelming? I kinda thought it sucked. Maybe I didn't get the right things - but the menu came with a lot of fried chicken. I love fried chicken but this might be the worst fried chicken I've ever had. Too dry. Nothing about the seasoning was memorable. Cheap. Will never return. I would consider this place one of the Dogs of Osaka.

[AAQjr]

I think its a fun place to go with a group, drink and pass around some good pub food. It's not fine dining but I go there more than any other Izakaya because of the atmosphere.

[jessejames]

great value on katsu, katsu curry, fried chicken, yakitori bowl...dishes in 6-8 dollar range usually including soup and salad and rice. if really hungry the katsu plates in chicken or pork are massive.

[A5 KOBE]

ehhhhh

[kevin]

a5 kobe, where would you go for this type of homestyle izakaya?

Thanks.

[A5 KOBE]

I usually go to Kokekokko in Little Tokyo. It is about ten times better than Furaibo, yet mostly every place is tens times better than Furaibo as far as food goes. I think the ribeye steak was the only thing I like at it was pretty pricey for the portion. Fried rice is okay. Basically everything there is just ehhhhhh.