Budonoki

A good izakaya is hard to find in L.A.—and while we can always count on Little Tokyo’s Kinjiro and Echo Park’s Tsubaki for an excellent booze-centric Japanese meal, this moody addition to Virgil Village is a worthy newcomer to the scene with excellent sake-based cocktails, a selection of pressed sushi and other chef-driven drinking fare. Think chef’s salad brimming with country ham and lemon-miso vinaigrette, Thai-style pork sausage alongside a refreshing herb slaw and yakisoba topped with drizzles of kewpie mayo and a shower of dried seaweed flakes. Look to the daily specials to see where executive chef Justin Rabilwongse (Tsubaki, Urasawa) and chef de cuisine Justin Vu (previously of Morihiro) are getting creative.