Ro's Recz

Address: 2125 Sawtelle Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025

Korean BBQ is the most popular type of Asian BBQ, but I personally prefer yakiniku (Japanese BBQ). One of my favorite places for yakiniku outside of Japan is called Manpuku.

Manpuku has multiple locations, and I have been to ones in both Costa Mesa and Sawtelle. I prefer the Costa Mesa location in terms of quality of food and diversity of menu options, but the Sawtelle location is much more convenient if you live in downtown Los Angeles.

Manpuku has so many great food options, and my personal favorites are the garlic fried rice, the harami, and the rosu. The harami and the rosu are different cuts of the beef, and it really just depends what type of fat ratio you want in your meat. Manpuku also has some higher end meats, such as Kobe beef, so if you are looking for a really high-end meal you can get that at Manpuku as well. You can take a look at their full menu here (it looks like they are doing takeout options as well!)

While Manpuku is not quite as good as yakiniku restaurants in Japan such as Jojoen, it is still really good (especially for the US). Depending on how much and what types of meat you order, a typical meal can cost anywhere from around $30-100. If you are looking for a change of pace from the typical Korean BBQ that is popular in Los Angeles, Manpuku is one of my favorite options!

Manpuku Recommendation Rating: 4

This post has now been updated to reflect a new ratings system that I have implemented, which is scored as follows:

1: Something worth checking out if you have time

2: Something that is a hit for some people, but not a must for everyone

3: Something worth prioritizing if interested

4: Something worth making time to check out

5: An absolute home run, worth going out of your way for