Karayama started as a mom-and-pop shop in Tokyo, Japan. It quickly grew into a 50+ location restaurant chain across Japan and Asia. Now they have opened the first US location right here in DTLA’s Little Tokyo. Karayama’s chicken is slowly marinated in a secret sauce, then each boneless piece is breaded and fried until crisp.
I ordered the Karayama Set ($8.99) that included 4 pieces of chicken, plus white rice, salad and a bowl of miso soup. The dish comes with your choice of two signature sauces. I loved the Sweet Chili Sauce. My husband went for the Kara-age Stir Fry Set ($9.99). It’s the fried chicken mixed with vegetables, served with white rice topped with a fried egg along with a side salad. We cleaned our plates!
Ironically, this was one of our first meals since returning from a vacation in Japan… and it was like we never left. The food was traditionally Japanese, down to the delicious sesame salad dressing and the green tea. The food was very reasonably priced and the portions were generous.
KARAYAMA JAPANESE FRIED CHICKEN 136 S. Central Avenue in Little Tokyo Karayama USA Facebook
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