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Tomato and Egg Stir-Fry

10 min prep · 10 min cook

Los Angeles · Japanese

Tsubaki

Echo Park California izakaya for shared plates, charcoal skewers, and a serious sake list from Charles Namba and Courtney Kaplan.

Price
$$$
Opened
2017
Neighborhood
Echo Park1356 Allison Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90026

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About

Chef Charles Namba and sake sommelier Courtney Kaplan opened Tsubaki in February 2017 in a small Echo Park room on Allison Avenue, framing a California-minded izakaya around shared plates and jizake. Namba grew up in Los Angeles with Japanese parents and cooked at EN Japanese Brasserie and Chanterelle in New York before Bouchon in Beverly Hills; Kaplan built the beverage program after Decibel, EN, Domaine LA, and Bestia. Expect chawanmushi, tempura, charcoal skewers (chicken oysters, scallops), crudos, and vegetable plates meant for two, with French-leaning wine beside craft sake and shochu. Michelin lists the restaurant as a Bib Gourmand; The Infatuation, Time Out, and Eater treat it as a date-scale izakaya rather than a smoke-filled late-night tavern. Sibling Ototo sake bar opened next door in 2019 for a walk-in drink-first stop. Reservations help; Dodger Stadium nights crowd the hill. Soft hours run evenings only.

Menu highlights

  • Charcoal-grilled skewers (chicken oyster, scallop, and rotating cuts)
  • Chawanmushi; tempura; crudos when offered
  • Vegetable and tofu plates; seasonal specials
  • Jizake, shochu, Japanese beer, and French wine

Diners say

Public reviews praise the food finesse, sake guidance, intimate brick room, and Ototo next door. Recurring friction includes a bill that climbs once small plates and sake stack up, limited seating, and parking or traffic near Sunset and Dodger Stadium. Diners who like it usually book two for a shared izakaya dinner, not a quick ramen stop.

Review synthesis as of 2026-07-31. Synthesis of recurring themes in public Yelp and Google Maps reviews sampled July 2026; not a rating or ranking. Cross-checked against tsubakila.com, Michelin Guide (live Bib Gourmand), The Infatuation, Eater LA opening (Feb 2017), and Time Out. Soft Dodger-night parking note from Michelin.