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Otomi-san Restaurant

Otomi-san Restaurant is a Japanese culinary jewel located in the middle of Boyle Heights. I call it a jewel because it is unlike other Japanese restaurants in nearby Little Tokyo. The place is tiny but the feel of the atmosphere mimics the tiny restaurants that you can find throughout the countryside of Japan and the quality of food is just as similar.

I get a little nostalgic of Japan whenever I eat here. The owners are very hospitable and nice, the way Japanese businesses are traditionally run. You feel like you're eating in their house because of the intimacy and the fact that the wife runs the business while her husband cooks your order in the kitchen. Their refrigerator is behind the counter next to the TV which also gives you the feeling that you're eating in their house. They are known for their sukiyaki so I ordered it with my friend and ended up taking the leftovers home to enjoy the next day. It was perfect for two people and the quality was good.

They close pretty early during the week, 9pm to be exact, and they don't serve alcohol. That's the only small downfall. With Japanese food, especially in the summer, a nice beer would be a great compliment to your meal. But since they close early, your best bet is to drive to the nearby Artist District or Little Tokyo to wash your meal down with an added buzz.

Otomi-san is located in an unexpected place, Boyle Heights, where you don't see too many other Japanese restaurants near by but apparently they've been there since the early 1900s. The couple that owns it now is originally from Hiroshima. Boyle Heights was one of the neighborhoods that opened up its doors to Japanese Americans after the internment camps. It's nice to still see that this community is still supported and embraced by the local residents who eat there and continue to keep it alive.