Furaibo

The food here is really fun and not what you'd expect. It's an Izakaya restaurant, so everything comes in small portions. Everything tasted great. The only downside is that it gets crowded and the seating is kind of tight. more

The food was good, but not fantastic; the service was acceptable, but not stellar. It was nice to go to a Japanese restaurant that offers something other than sushi (not that there's anything wrong with that!) and teriyaki. \r \r If you want to try more traditional Japanese foods, this might be a great little joint to check out. Plus, because everything's served pu pu style, you can afford to walk on the gastrointestinal wild side. Pros: Interesting Menu Cons: Nasty Restrooms more

Great food. But they use tons of MSG. This place is not for people who have reactions to MSG. \r \r Service was fair. Pros: Food is very tasty. Dreamt about it for days afterwards. Cons: Tons of MSG in their food. more

Furaibo We had 15 people in our group. When we arrived we were taken into a private Japanese-style tatami... more

Furaibo We had 15 people in our group. When we arrived we were taken into a private Japanese-style tatami mat dining room. Our table was set up ... more

The chicken wings are sooooo delicious here!!!! I ordered other yummy stuff too, but it's the wings that's going to keep bringing me back.\r \r The parking is kinda weird in the back though... what's with the ""pull fwd"", so other cars can park behind you and block you in? ekkk. Cons: can get crowded w/ a wait later in the evening. more

This place is great. I've been going there for a couple of years now pretty regularly. What I like best about it is the fact that you get to sample a number of dishes during one sitting. I think the staff are usually a pretty decent bunch and, contrary to what some other reviewer states, the chef is Japanese. The cooks aren't, but I don't see how that's a big problem. This is L.A. and that's the beauty of it.\r \r My personal favorites:\r * Beef sashimi (a bit pricey, but good)\r * Chicken liver skewers!\r * Chicken wings\r * Squid calamari style (don't even think about getting the broiled one)\r \r Usually get some beer and the grilled rice-balls (yaki onigiri) as side dish.\r \r You won't be disappointed. more

I?ve gone to lunch here twice and the wait staff is the worst I?ve ever experienced ? the guys who serve food are rude and empty headed. The fist time I went, I got my salad at the end of the meal after reminding him three times. He gave me attitude when I complained so I vowed not to go again. I went back a second time with a group of co-workers thinking it may have changed after a year. Unfortunately, the staff is still bad.\r \r \r We were a group of ten and called ahead to make sure we could get a table. We were told there was plenty of space in the tatami room, but when we got there, we were told the tatami room is only available at dinner. They wouldn?t let us push the tables together so our group had to sit separate.\r \r \r When I ordered the Sanma (Mackerel), I was cautioned that American people can?t tolerate this bony fish which is served whole, intestines included. I let the comment slide because I understand he was just trying to be considerate, but it?s annoying to be treated like I don?t know what I?m doing when I never asked. \r \r \r Other signs of bad service are that two people in our group got their plates almost ten minutes before everyone else. One person had to ask twice to get his bowl of rice halfway through his meal. Five of us ordered the same dish, but only one of us got the side of pickles. Getting a glass of water is a task and the general attitude is poor. We were there before the lunch rush and it wasn?t even that busy.\r \r \r Bad service aside, there?s nothing special about the food. The chicken wings are pretty good, but not good enough to salvage the rest of the mediocre menu. Pros: Good, social ambience Cons: Terrible service more

Sorry to be writing a review that's going to bring down the star average. But, what's the hype??? I don't get it. Seats are small and uncomfortable. Cost of each dish is low, but that's matched by the quantity. If you like your food deep fried or soaked in oil, then this is the restaurant for you. And BTW, don't think the chefs are Japanese. That's the number one sign if a Japanese restaurant is good or not. When the chef is not Japanese, he's not putting his heart into making the food. Food is no longer an art form for him. Just a way to pay the bills. It's like going to a fast food chinese place and all the people in the kitchen are not Chinese. Cons: long wait, oily food, small quantity more

The Sawtelle Furaibo is just as good as the Gardena one I reviewed earlier, entitled "the lesser known side... more

The Sawtelle Furaibo is just as good as the Gardena one I reviewed earlier, entitled "the lesser known side of japanese food". Please see that rev... more

Are you looking for tapas but feel like japanese? Maybe you'd like some tapanese! Growing up in Calfornia,... more

Are you looking for tapas but feel like japanese? Maybe you'd like some tapanese! Growing up in Calfornia, I thought I knew what japanese food was... more

I'm not Japanese so I'm not sure if this is traditional Japanese bar food/ tapas but I do know that the food here is really great regardless if its traditional or not. Try the chicken wings and also the spinach with bacon. Very tasty. Be prepared for a wait though on weekend nights and the parking lot is pretty treacherous too. Look for parking in the surround neighborhood. Pros: food,service,ambience Cons: parking, wait more

Definetely try the chicken wings. You'll be instantly hooked. This is the default restaurant my boyfriend and I go to when we can't decide where to eat. Pros: good food, fast service, cute area (Sawtelle) Cons: parking, sometimes long wait for seats more

Fun place to sample a variety of Japanese Foods. Small portions with small prices. The chicken tanuki is great with its white pepper spice. The veggies are very flavorful and sweet. Gets crowded so expect to wait. The seating is a bit uncomfortable w/its small wooden furniture. Pros: food, price Cons: seating, parking more

I've been here 7 or 8 times now and I've never been disappointed with my experience. The food is good and priced rather well... for how much you eat, you'd expect to pay 1.5x to twice more... I've found the perfect group size to be around 5-6 people to split 1-3 orders of anything. With a fair amount of beer/sake and a lot of items ordered, the bill will be only about 30 per person. The beer is priced very well; especially for LA, the Saporro and Kirin pitchers are a bargain. And the sake menu is limited, but what they have is good enough and inexpensive. There are also some tasty shochu drinks, but I stay away from them. The food is perfect for meat lovers... the various beef and chicken items are all worth trying, and everyone seems to have their personal favorites. The pork skewer is really good too. I am a big fan of chicken hearts and gizzards and FuRaiBo does them REALLY well... the house special Tebasaki wings are a must... and you should get them at least regular spicy (which is practically not spicy at all) although I prefer extra spice. This is a good place to try new things, and a lot of their items are definitely worth having... I would have to say that their seafood is not quite as good as the land varieties, but they definitely have a few grilled fishes, squid and scallops that are delicious.\r \r Overall, I would recommend this place for an unpretentious good time, with friends that just want to get together, be vicious carnivores, and drink beer... a solid manly place that's good for family and ladies too. And for your info, they DO have parking in the back (though they tow non-diners) and they only take reservations until 7pm. Pros: Good food, great prices, fun time for a group to chat and drink at Cons: Not a date place... sake menu small... some seafood could be better... can get BUSY. Minor things though! more

I've been going here off and on for years around 9 to 10 pm. I love the agadashi tofu. Great sauce. It is getting more and more crowded. Long waits. Slow service. Small cramped seating. Don't get the pickled squid. more

I love to go to this place for the small dishes and beer, especially the tebasaki chicken wings. The food is always delicious, and it's fun to go with a small group of people. The downside is that service can be really slow and it's hard to get anyone's attention if you need something. Also, sometimes the wait can be long. Otherwise, the parking lot in the back is nice as parking on Sawtelle is hard to find. Pros: great food, fun Cons: slow service, long wait at times more

They have a nice variety of tapa dishes and it's a fun place to eat in a small to medium size group. You should definately get the chicken wings here. A good place to drink beer and sample many of their small dishes. I avoid spinach dishes here because there have a been a few occasions when it's crunchy due to the dirt but all other dishes I have tried are good. A great place for variety. more