Izakaya Tonchinkan

This shockingly affordable, high-quality izakaya lies deep in the San Gabriel Valley. While you will almost certainly need a reservation, the excellent cooking and even better price point ensure that Izakaya Tonchinkan deserves a spot in your destination dining line-up. Run by the same team as nearby Sushi Kisen and Sumibiyakitori Kidori, this small Arcadia izakaya serves a wide array of genre classics with a particular emphasis on sashimi. On my last visit, I enjoyed boiled baby sardines with grated daikon and yuzu, plus grilled beef tongue, monkfish liver with ponzu sauce and a delightful appetizer sampler that included fatty tuna with pickled radish, fermented firefly squid and wasabi-seasoned octopus—a funky trio best enjoyed with a bright, clean glass of sake. My favorite item of the night, however, was the yellowtail and sansho peppercorn donabe. In Los Angeles, most donabe dishes are only offered at high-end kaiseki restaurants, so this more casual option is quite a treat indeed. Be sure to at least glance at the specials menu, which has been known to include market-priced rare delicacies like hairy crab.