Budonoki - Los Angeles, California

M.V. Barbaran

Hoy fui atacada por un empleado, el cual por enojo y vi su expresión es un peligro. Deben tener cuidado con el personal que trabaja allí.

Scot Fishman

Budonoki is an excellent new-ish (summer 2023) izakaya in Virgil Village, and it did not disappoint.

The host graciously gave me a seat at the bar after arriving without a res, and that worked to my advantage. The bar had plenty of space, and the bartenders are friendly and knowledgeable. The place is also a vibe - darkly lit and trendy without being pretentious.

The menu is creative, and they executed everything well. I opted for the grilled pork jowl and rice cakes (budo-gnocchi), and both were unique and outstanding. They were also a good balance for each other. I also tried the soft serve but was relatively unimpressed.

I'd return to try other items on the menu. Note: parking is limited in the neighborhood, and valet is a steep $14.

YK Chung

It is hard to get me excited to go back to a restaurant repeatedly, but Budonoki keeps bringing us back to try the whole menu.

Don’t miss the Crying Tiger Pork Jowl. You will not stop thinking about how delicious it was.

Marie Lee

Great service here. We got agedashi tofu, salad, yellow tail crudo, beef tartare, naem and yakisoba. All were great but tofu and tartare were the most memorable. I’d skip naem if you’re not a fan of spam texture.

Matthew Chan

The sauces are amazing for all these dishes. Also: don’t take the mug cuz they will charge you $150! See the pic

yousef

Forget the tired trope of "trendy" restaurants; Budonoki feels like a vibrant house party thrown by a world-traveled chef. The place hums with a Friday night energy that's infectious – great lighting, a neon sign, and a head-bobbing soundtrack. My waiter was an absolute gem, deftly guiding me through the menu with spot-on recommendations.

The food is a dazzling fusion of Japanese and Californian influences. Let's start with the scallop crudo. A delicate ballet on a plate, with translucent hokkaido scallops bathed in a bright, citrusy vinaigrette. Next up, the negima skewers featured juicy chicken oysters (the most decadent part of the bird, fyi) threaded with green onions and topped with an earthy, slightly sweet sauce. Then followed by the naem, a funky pork sausage (suspiciously resembling spam but tasted infinitely better) paired with crispy rice herby slaw as its refreshing sidekick. The textural interplay balanced the pork’s richness with the crunch and freshness of the slaw.

The charred sweet potato is autumn on a plate. A seemingly simple dish was elevated by a miso butter that’ll make you scrape the plate for every last morsel. It's the kind of side dish that deserves a starring role. The pressed salmon sushi, their signature dish, is a refined take on a classic, with miso and a touch of serrano adding a spicy kick. It’s like a sushi roll went to a fine art gallery, learned a thing or two, and came back more cultured and refined. The budo-gnocchi failed to impress with its cheesy, rubbery consistency— avoid it. Finally, the wagyu steak. It's a carnivore's dream and the crown jewel. Cooked to a perfect medium-rare with melt-in-your-mouth tenderness. Lastly, finish with the strawberry milk or pandan soft serve – the perfect way to cool down your palate after all the flavors.

Budonoki is a celebration of flavors, textures, and culinary creativity. Dishes are thoughtfully crafted and innovative, making Budonoki a must-visit for passionate foodies.

Vlad Burca

This is an ok place to hang out with friends, especially if you want to try multiple plates of small food. Overall it was good, but nothing too special for our taste.

The Aburi Salmon dish was our favorite - very tasty and the salmon was fresh.

Naem was an interesting dish - the crispy rice is definitely amazing but the pork sausage felt a bit bland.

The Budo Gnocchi was delicious though! Definitely recommend.

For dessert, we went with the Pandan Coconut Vanilla - very tasty and cool presentation with the shovel spoons!

Their drinks are definitely worth trying - some of them come in special and cute animal mugs.

Joey Backs

Really good food and great value for LA. Service was helpful and made sure we had a great experience. Cocktails were a highlight, as was the unique pressed sushi!

Update: returned to Budonoki on a Saturday night and was blown away! The service was friendly and on-point again, despite the place absolutely BUZZING (there wasn't an open seat in the entire place during our service, and they even mentioned being down two servers for the night). They've also added a few things to the menu, which was nice to see. The brussel sprouts, pork jowl, naem sausage, and miso sweet potato are not to be missed!