This would be an automatic entry into the regular rotation IF the prices felt more reasonable. Everything was delicious, but too expensive while portion sizes were also too small. Oshizushi-- MUST GET! The yellowtail especially was the star for me; delightfully buttery with a bright, citrusy taste. It even seemed like there was crema in there somewhere but I'm not positive there was. The salmon had a sharper taste with the zingy serano pepper on top. Melt in your mouth deliciousness. The other highlight was the Naem--it was not at all what I expected from the menu description, but so delicious and homey! The pork sausage reminded me of something my mom would bring back from the Asian market & the slaw was perfectly vinegar-y. In the good-to-just-OK range were the tuna handrolls, (served in a bowl so you can make it yourself... seemed gimmicky; why not just roll it for me?), chicken wings, and the braised egg plant. We did need these dishes in order to eat enough and not leave hungry, but they weren't especially noteworthy. I won't be dreaming about the strawberry milk soft serve either. Drinks were pretty and tasty, but also a little too expensive & rather watery/weak. The pressed sushi though, I'd eat that for lunch every day!

Loved the place, really cool spot for drinks and apps. Service was super attentive, however everything was super salty as mentioned in a lot of the reviews. Will go again but will stay away from some items. Overall very chill spot .

Solid fusion dishes covering new American, Japanese, Vietnamese, and Korean blends. We had about 10 items and 9 of them were spectacular. Really great flavors but be warned- it's a bit heavier on the salt. Top notch service and the waiter even replaced my mother's sake without us asking as he noticed some food had gotten into it.

Came here with a group of 6 girls on a silly little Wednesday and we had the best girls night! It wasn't the easiest street parking as it's in a pretty residential area, but I was able to find a spot after circling the block. The place was still pretty busy for a later dinner The cocktails were yummy, a few of us got the Girls Night Out which came in these adorabl handmade mugs. The dishes were meant to be shared and everything we got was delicious. My favorite items were the Wings, Seafood Pancake The service was excellent, every member of the staff we interacted with was so friendly and the food was brought out so quickly. Thank you Budonoki!

New spot for all occasions... from girls' night to date night to dinner with your mom. Current favorites include: grilled pork jowl, yellowtail oshizushi, and snap pea asparagus salad... but honestly anything this team is making is amazing.

TLDR: absolutely fantastic! Budonoki was such a treat and we already can't wait to return. The atmosphere is very cool, crisp, clean, some neon signs creating a cool vibe, comfy seats. Even the bar area looked like a great spot to sit, no bad seat in the house. Our server was so friendly, attentive, explained the menu well and provided advice on our order which was super helpful. The staff was friendly and was very good about clearing plates once dishes were done. Drinks: Matini (Martini) was delicious, I'm a dirty martini lover, and this was a crisp, light version of a martini - highly recommend Girls Night Out was really lovely, not too sweet - recommend Food: We ordered 5 plates to share, it was the perfect amount and we literally LOVED every dish! Chicken Wings had a savory, crispy skin, juicy chicken meat Japanese Sweet Potatoes were AMAZING, savory miso butter Yakisoba was excellent, even my husband who doesn't order noodle dishes loved it Budo-Gnocchi the rice cakes were savory goodness in an amazing sauce Wagyu Zabuton was cooked perfectly medium rare, really tender, perfect to share Only thing to note, it's recommended to order everything at once, but the dishes aren't coursed out. We realized that between arriving and receiving our final dish (wagyu zabuton) before ordering dessert, it was a super quick 25 minutes. Some might prefer this, but it would be nice to space out the dishes a bit. Anyway, can't wait to return and try more of their amazing food! Beyond recommend!

Budonoki is a modern Japanese Izakaya in LA and has been popular since it's opened. Located in LA, the only parking available is street parking and valet. There's usually a good amount of street parking available somewhere along Virgil avenue, but during peak hours I'd imagine it being difficult. I luckily had a reservation for my group of 4 and we were seated pretty quickly. But when we walked in, we noticed there were many people waiting for a table still, as it was a Saturday night. The interior of the restaurant gives off slightly retro izakaya vibes, with it's very dim lit ambiance and multiple neon signs. It's also pretty small/cramped inside of the restaurant, so it might be difficult if you plan to bring a huge party! Our server was so kind the entire time and she was more than happy to provide any recommendations, made sure our waters were always filled, and checked in on us a reasonable amount of time. Our food was spaced out so that we finished each plate before receiving the next one, although this was not the case for the table next to us. We weren't sure if one of our dishes were forgotten as it took an unexpectedly longer amount of time for it to arrive, but it was nothing alarming! For a party of 4, we ordered the Curry Pan, wings, Budo-Gnocchi, and Aburi Salmon. For drinks we got Joshikai and Tokyo Vice Slushie. This is definitely more of a small plates type of restaurant, so don't expect their portions to be huge. The Curry Pan was one of my favorites, as it's their take on an empanada but filled with Japanese curry inside and topped with a side of aji verde. It was so light and fluffy, but when you split it in half, you can see the curry oozing out. It was the perfect amount of flavor, heat, and lightness! Ths wings were also so delicious! I loved how it came with a bengal BBQ sauce, so it added an extra smokey and tangy feeling to it. The Budo-Gnocchi was probably the most underwhelming of the four dishes, but it was still delicious. It was their take on a cacio e pepe, but they mixed it with dashi. The rice cakes were slightly fried to add a crisp to the bottom and you could really taste the added dashi! Finally, the Aburi Salmon was soo delicious! It comes with 6 pieces and it was a pressed sushi with ora king salmon on top and shiro miso as a filling inside of the rice! For drinks, the Joshikai was definitely a fun and fruity drink. It has a milky consistency/flavor due to the added rice milk, which made it more unique! I also love how it came with the cutest mugs as well (it's the only drink that comes with it!). My friend got the Tokyo Vice Slushie and it was a very tropical and fruity drink! I don't typically see blood orange mixed with these types of tropical fruits, but it worked soo well! Overall, I recommend checking out Budonoki if you're looking for a unique Asian fusion tapas experience in LA!

Great spot for date nights! Very fun ambiance with even better food. Valet is available on most days otherwise it's street parking. Naem sausage is home made with a family recipe. Not afraid to use flavors and spices and play around with southeast asian cuisine in an izakaya setting. We were a table of 2 and ordered 6 dishes and felt full enough. Don't miss out on the grilled pork jowl- so delicious I feel like they need to charge more The drinks menu is fun spins as well just like the food menu. There's a drink in particular that serves with a cute grammable animal mug.

Had a really fun night out here last Friday. Made a reso early in the week as this place is currently hard to get a table at. They have valet on the weekends but we found a great spot on Virgil and headed in. We were seated at the bar (though I'm definite I made a reso for a table, but there were just 2 of us), and the bar turned out to be pretty fun. This space is on the loud side blasting late 90's music which was a fun throwback. Some dishes I'm still dreaming about, while a few were forgettable. Below is what we tried: Naem - 2 1/2 stars. This dish was hyped and didn't work for me. The rice balls were crisp and tasty, the pork tasted like spam and was not my thing. I wouldn't recommend! (Yes, I added the slaw as recommended) Charred Sweet Potato - 5+ Stars. Amazing! So delicious and buttery with hints of miso. I could eat this everyday! Negima (2 Chicken Skewers) - 5+ Stars. This is a must get item, the chicken melts in your mouth and is cooked perfectly! Aburi Salmon - 5 Stars. Pressed salmon sushi roll?! Yes please! This was so tender and rich with flavor. Budo-Gnocchi - 3 1/2 Stars. Their take on gnocchi, but with rice cakes. I didn't love the texture of the "gnocchi," it was way too al dente and didn't work for me, but the flavor was good. Strawberry Milk Soft Serve - 5+ Stars. Delicious way to end the meal! This tasted like strawberry nesquick you have as a kid. Rich in flavor, and perfect soft serve texture -- so good! (Served w two little shovels, so cute) This is a beer/wine/sake/soju spot only, no hard liquor. The cocktails we got were inventive and tasty and totally worked for me! The overall vibe is electric and fun, this is a great weekend spot that I'd happily go back to!

I have to say that I liked this place. The host and waitstaff were SUPER friendly and nice. Nick, our server, was handsome and very cool. This is like a sleek and cooler izakaya than the traditional ones. I liked that their menu doesn't contain like 50+ items like the OG izakayas so they can focus on honing their dishes. The venue is dim, whimsical, and moody, which I like. I was able to make a reservation a week in advance for a Thursday night at 6:30pm. I had a 2nd date here and arrived first. I was super curious about their Girl's Night Out drink because there's a $150 stolen cup fee to prevent cup theft. Yes, I got the NARWHAL and was super happy about it. The cocktail itself was okay. It had it's flavors, but it wasn't strong enough for me. However, I didn't regret ordering it and most likely will try another one next time. What we ordered: (1) Naem - this was super good. I didn't think it would be that interesting, but their Thai sausage was GOOD, paired well with their falafel looking fried rice cakes and their fresh slaw. It was hardy, refreshing, and different. (2) Braised Fish Collar - I honestly thought it would be nothing special, since I've had it at many izakayas before. I didn't even bother with taking a photo of it. However, this was done so beautifully. The daikon had no bitter flavors and wasn't obliterated in the cooking process (mushy). The fish was not fishy at all and parts of it tasted like tofu at first, which was heavenly. It definitely absorbed all of the dashi in the braising fluid. (3) Negima - They made this skewer beautifully. The chicken was cooked to perfection. Crisp on the outside, but super tender and flavorful on the inside. The accompanying green onion and other vegetable was smoky and tender as well. (4) Scallop Carpaccio - It had a lot of clean flavors. I loved the citrus and the sauce that was in it. The scallops were beautifully tender, SWEET, and fresh. (5) Pork Jowl - I liked this one the least. It was cooked beautifully, but it was a tad too salty for my taste. The sauce was nice but it was over seasoned so I didn't care for it. (6) Pandan Coconut Soft Serve - This reminded me of more a sorbet, but I think if they added too much cream into this, it would have muted the flavors and taste like those Melona bars. The pandan and coconut shone brightly. It wasn't cloyingly sweet or overwhelming. It was a clean Overall, I give this place 4+ and wouldn't mind returning again.