Totoyama Sushi & Ramen Hollywood

Totoyama Sushi and Ramen invites in customers with a smile to enjoy delish Japanese cuisine. Upon entering the restaurant, which conveniently sits in downtown West Hollywood, customers are cheerily greeted by both the sushi bar chef and the hostess. The restaurant’s chef, Chef Yukinari Yamamoto, began professionally preparing sushi in 1988. He has since championed a legacy of creating authentic, delicious Japanese food. We did a little research before arriving to eat my meal, and we were excited to taste his edible creations. He recommended delectable dishes such as the Albacore Ponzu Sashimi, Salmon Truffle Oil Sashimi, or the Omakase. (among others) One of the most notable, specialty dishes Totoyama serves is their Aburi (“flame seared”) sushi. Totoyama also has several vegan and gluten free ramen options as well. Diners have the option to sit at the sushi bar, which is bottom lit by blue LED lights and positioned behind chic bamboo partitions. Customers can watch as their sushi is expertly prepared by the chef. Totoyama’s sushi bar extends into a fine dining room. Outside, the dining establishment also has a shaded patio with trendy string light decorations and bamboo plants. No matter where you choose to dine, the ambiance of Totoyama is classy but relaxed. To start, we ordered the Ramune Japanese soda. Totoyama only carried the original flavor of the beverage, which tasted reminiscent of fresca soda. Totoyama also offers alcoholic drinks–such as sake, award-winning wine, draft beers, Japanese craft beers, cocktails, shochu and wine– as well as a variety of teas. To pair with the drinks, we ordered the creamy vegan ramen. Upon ordering, my server asked how spicy we would like the dish. Treading the fine line between challenging my taste buds and burning them off, we decided to order my ramen with a medium spice level. When it came out, my ramen bowl was topped with radishes, cabbage, kaiware sprouts, red peppers, green onions, and carrots. The broth, accentuated by lemon juice, was strikingly zesty and rich. The noodles were made of kale, but tasted much like regular ramen noodles. The ramen had a scrumptiously subtle kick of heat. The broth created the perfect ramen base, and chef Yamamoto filled the bowl with crisp, garden-fresh vegetables that complemented the hearty kale noodles. We enjoyed my meal at Totoyama and will be back soon to try to Aburi sushi rolls.

Nice if you're don't have a gluten allergy. I went with a friend who CANNOT eat gluten and we were told her meal was going to be prepared gluten free. It wasn't, she got sick. For everyone else, the place is fine but the sushi is overpriced in my opinion.