Mitsuru Cafe

My family's favorite imagawayaki place for 45 years! I don't have enough words to describe this place. My parents took me to this cafe ever since I was little and the way they make and sell it has never changed. If I take a bite of their imagawayaki, it takes right back to my childhood. The texture and flavor is exactly the same. Also, their service is incredible.

So sad that I can't go inside anymore and have to order from outside of the store but I'm so happy that they are still there as many of the stores in the Japanese Village Plaza has dramatically changed or no longer exist. I still see their old cash register inside through the window, which shows how old this place has been there. Please stay there forever and keep up the great work!

Chicken Karaage - would taste better warm but it was cold when we got it. batter perfectly seasoned (not too salty) but chicken was a bit soggy.

Pork Shumai - comes as 3 deep fried shumai with decent savory meat filling

Takoyaki - comes as 3 balls with more dough to octopus ratio

Service - I came at 1PM on a Sunday and was second in line though the line does varies throughout the day but moves relatively quick! Staff was friendly and quick :D

Overall, perfect for snacking and trying with friends!

Came on a Sunday around 1:30 pm. There were about 5 people in line before us but the line went pretty fast.

This is my second time coming to Mitsuru Cafe and I really love the mitarashi dango ($3). The first time I had a dango was in SF Japan town and I thought it was amazing until I tried the dango at this cafe. I realized I was naive for liking the SF one. The Mitarashi dango at this cafe has a nice soft and chewy dango and a perfect sauce that is sweet and salty. The only thing I wished was it be a bit warmer.

This time I also decided to try the chicken karaage ($3) and was honestly surprised how delicious it was. It was crispy and juicy even though it was not made to order; however, it could have a bit more flavor. I still enjoyed eating it as I walked around little Tokyo.

Mitsuru Cafe is one of spots I always stop by when visiting little tokyo

For $3 a skewer, this place is a quick stop to try all things fried. My family always come here whenever we visited Little Tokyo. Our go tos are: takoyaki and shrimp balls. Occasionally we'll get more skewers to try. Their red bean buns are also delicious by the way.
There is a line that they set up on the front, so you won't be entering the restaurant. You order on the window, tell the staff what you want and how much you want, pay them and you get your goodies. You enjoy the delicious-ness outside wherever there is an open spot :)

Staff:
They were okay but nothing particularly friendly.

Quality:
We got the Imagawayaki (red bean cake) which was really good. The best places to get it. Also, got Takoyaki (Octopus balls) was good but unfortunately not made to order. Due to this it was barely warm so this was a big disappointment.

Value:
It seemed fair. Cash preferred or minimum $10 if you use credit card.

Overall:
I'd return for the Imagawayaki only.

Great food, service and ambiance! Came back after a few months because I love the staff and sense of community. Grilled Salmon was flavorful and not dry. Will be coming back soon! :)

Cash only unless you hit $10 min! I tried the Imagawayaki and dango - first time trying dango, and it was perfectly chewy and savory. The red bean cake was delicious as well, and I also got an iced oolong tea. Overall very quick service, and delicious treats.

The red bean custard was incredibly delicious, and the cute little window in Little Tokyo adds to the charm.

Affordable bento lunch.
Friendly, nice and efficient service.
Good selection. Hearty portions.
They validate parking at one of the lots for up to 2 hours. The red bean pancake pastry is made fresh and really good - sweeter than normal but just the right amount of red bean - more pastry than red bean.

I had the veggie Don - good size, lots of rice, good flavor - not too sweet. But maybe too many onions. Mostly cabbage and carrots are the veggie content. My daughter had bento B. She liked it - just not the shrimp tempura - too much batter - not much shrimp.

Had 2 drinks, mac salad, plus what's mentioned above and it was $34.

This is my first time trying a red bean cake so I can't compare it to anything else. They are made fresh and served hot. You can watch them pour, fill, and bake them through a display window front.

The pastry is made of a waffle cake batter and has red bean paste filling. The outside has a consistency of a waffle with a slight cakiness as you get towards the generously filled red bean paste center. They have a very good ratio of cake to red bean filling.

The price has risen recently in the past few years but still very reasonable at $2.50 per bun. I'm glad that I was able to try them as I heard rumors a few years back that they might need to close due to the low cost they were selling at previously.