Sawtelle has a new main attraction, and it is not subtle about it. Kyoto-born katsu shop Ten No Meshi has turned the neighborhood into a kind of dinner-theater zone, where servers shout, scoop gleaming salmon roe over thick, panko-crusted cutlets, and send the small dining room into a low-key frenzy. Diners say the rowdy vibe and hands-on cooking are just as much the draw as the food.
Ten No Meshi, which translates to “food from heaven,” opened its first Los Angeles location on Sawtelle Boulevard, centering its menu on thick Kurobuta pork and Japanese wagyu cutlets served with miso, runny egg, and a spread of side dishes. Manager Takeshi Yamamura told a reporter that “we want to showcase Japanese quality and our style.” The snug space seats roughly 40 guests, and on weekends, waits have stretched to about two hours, as reported by the Los Angeles Times.
Tableside theatrics and the menu
The wagyu arrives thinly sliced and is seared by diners on a small hot stone at the table, while the pork cutlet shows up as a hearty set or rice bowl that often gets crowned with ikura. Plates come with a sampler of house sauces and a scallop katsu appetizer that many guests single out for praise. The big show, though, is the performance: staff rushing over to spoon on the roe and shouting the house call, a ritual that has become central to the experience, according to The Infatuation.
Hours, prices, and what to expect
On its official site, Ten No Meshi lists hours from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., with set meals running from about $27 for a pork bowl up to $57 for an A5 wagyu set. The site includes the restaurant’s phone number for reservations and lays out suggested ways to enjoy the cutlets with specialty salts and sauces. That mix of splurge-worthy wagyu and relatively wallet-friendly Kurobuta options is part of why people are willing to queue up, according to the menu details and notes on Ten No Meshi.
Other openings around town
The same round-up that spotlighted Ten No Meshi also flagged a Bangladeshi quick-casual spot from chef Abul Ibrahim, a smashburger project backed by Phillip Frankland Lee and pro skater Neen Williams, and a Parisian-style bistro in Beverly Grove. All of them land in the middle of a particularly busy stretch for new restaurant openings across the city, as reported by the Los Angeles Times.
For anyone planning a visit to Ten No Meshi, weekday lunch or an early-in-the-week dinner is your best bet if you want to dodge the longest lines. The restaurant takes reservations by phone and uses a Yelp waitlist to handle crowds. Opening details and timing advice, including the suggestion to call ahead for busy nights since peak hours still see hefty waits, were noted by WestsideToday.
