A Walking Tour of Sawtelle Japantown

Start your walking tour of Sawtelle Japantown with a house-roasted coffee, honey butter bread, and a specialty pretzel from the Korean-Japanese inspired Coffee Tomo. Their intricate knots are baked fresh daily, which you can enjoy with a drip coffee in the clean, warm ambiance that's informed by the owner’s background as a landscape architect. The honey butter bread comes dusted with cinnamon and topped with whipped cream, while your oven-hot pretzel might be filled with sweet potato or Asian red beans and mozzarella. Now you’re ready for the rest of your day.

Work off your morning joe by taking a short walk a couple of blocks west to the Janss Family House on Purdue. The architectural gem was built by the late Edwin Janss Jr. and is the first individual residential design by acclaimed architect Frank Gehry. Janss Jr. was an enthusiast of Pop Art, and this residence was expressly designed to show off his impressive collection. He was the chairman of Janss Investment Corp Over and the third generation of L.A. real estate developers. Over the years, the Janss family developed communities such as Westwood Village, Holmby Hills, East Los Angeles, Thousand Oaks and out-of-state ski resorts. UCLA was built on land donated by Janss Jr.’s father, Edwin Janss Sr. and his uncle Harold.

From the Janss House, walk east on La Grange back to Sawtelle, go right and you'll arrive at Giant Robot, the shop that helped jumpstart today’s Sawtelle Japantown scene. What began as an Asian pop culture magazine became an online store and then a brick and mortar retailer in 2001. More than 20 years since its opening, GR continues to be on the cutting edge of cool with its eclectic collection of t-shirts, toys, graphic novels and more.

GR2 Art Gallery opened down the street two years after the original Giant Robot, and has become well-known for its rotating exhibits of up-and-coming underground artists.

After your morning of custom coffee, architecture appreciation and Asian pop culture, it's time for lunch at the neighborhood's most popular restaurant, Tsujita LA Artisan Noodle.

As a sign of the respect garnered by Takehiro Tsujita, ramen wasn’t offered for months after he opened his eponymous restaurant on Sawtelle in August 2011. But as soon as Tsujita started serving tsukemen (dipping ramen), ramen fanatics immediately flocked to Sawtelle Japantown in droves. The lunch-only limited availability added to the mystique. The tonkotsu (pork bone) broth is simmered for 60 hours before bonito is added for additional depth of flavor. Thick, chewy noodles are dipped into the dense, syrupy broth and slurped for maximum umami enjoyment.

The Tsujita tsukemen experience is a three-step process. First, enjoy one third of the noodles dipped in the broth. Next, squeeze lime juice over the noodles for a much different flavor profile. Customize the ramen with condiments like sesame, karashi takana (spicy pickled mustard greens) and beni shoga (red pickled ginger). Finally, when you’ve finished the noodles, a server adds hot water to the broth so you can enjoy it like a soup. Besides the basic tsukemen, optional toppings include char siu (barbecued pork), ajitama (seasoned soft boiled egg), nori (seaweed) and men-ma (bamboo shoot).

In April 2013, Tsujita Annex opened across the street, featuring an even porkier version of the signature ramen. This broth is simmered not only with pork bones but also fat, and the results are not for the light-hearted. A mountain of bean sprouts, thick-cut char siu and optional heaps of chopped garlic and/or onikasu (red spice) also differentiate the Annex from the original.

A welcome addition to the Sawtelle dining scene when it opened in 2012, the family-owned and operated Nong Lá Vietnamese Cafe is a neighborhood favorite known for its delicious Vietnamese comfort food. Named after the Vietnamese word for "straw hat," Nong Lá uses only the freshest ingredients - including free range chicken, cage-free eggs, prime cuts of hormone-free beef - in traditional dishes such as hearty bowls of pho, refreshing bun noodle salads, and banh mi (available 8"/12"). Worth a visit in its own right, Nong Lá's location next door to Tsujita is convenient for those who don't want to wait in the inevitable lines.

Burgeoning local chain Dan Modern Chinese opened its original location in Pasadena in 2018, and has since expanded to Sawtelle Japantown, Topanga Village, Playa Vista, Manhattan Beach, Santa Monica and Long Beach.

Veg-friendly starters include the Scallion Pancake, Seaweed & Tofu Salad and Pickled Cucumber. Dan's standout xiao long bao can give Din Tai Fung a run for its money - fillings include pork, pork & Dungeness crab, pork & shrimp, spicy pork, chicken and chicken & shrimp. Served with snow pea leaves, shiitake mushrooms and garlic sauce, the excellent Dan Mien (thick, house-made noodles) offers several options, including the bestselling Short Rib and a veggie option. Groups can dig into dishes like the Dungeness Crab Fried Rice, Three Cup Chicken (soy sauce, sesame oil, chili, Thai basil) and gluten-free Mapo Tofu with a choice of shiitake mushrooms, pork or crab.

Taiwan-based Odd One Out opened its first U.S. location at Sawtelle Japantown in November 2023 and has since expanded to the Third Street Promenade and Old Town Pasadena. OOO is renowned for its small-batch boba and creative blends from a team of "flavorsmiths" that includes mixologists, tea experts and pastry chefs.

Highlights include the Signature Silk Boba and the aptly named Champion Milk Tea, made with red oolong, fresh milk, cream foam and winner of the 2022 Milk Tea Festival in Taiwan. Sip your way to health with the Blue Matcha, which features the superfood blue spirulina mixed with fresh milk, handcrafted lavender syrup and topped with Uji Matcha.

After lunch, it's time for some retail therapy. But don’t expect any ordinary shopping at the little lifestyle boutique known as BlackMarketLA, located next door to Tsujita Annex. For the friend who has everything, that perfect gift might be one of several kitschy graphic tees from the racks, and you'll have plenty of cards to choose from to accompany your gift. You can also shop for yourself by picking up a pair of stylish sunglasses for your daily wear.

Walk a couple of blocks south on Sawtelle and shop Daiso, the Japanese version of "the dollar store." (Not everything is a dollar, but it’s pretty close.) The selection of things you never knew you needed is more than enough to keep you coming back for more. Take care of your convenience needs with sake sets, bento lunch boxes, and everything else portable and pretty.

Nijiya Market is conveniently located in the same shopping center, so you can pick up produce, meat, dry goods and oh-so-yummy Japanese snacks.

Shopping is thirsty work, so head back up Sawtelle to Hermanito, the bar-forward Mexican restaurant that boasts one of West LA's best patios. Unwind with a classic Margarita or signature cocktails like the Hermanito Milkshake (rye, coconut, spices), Mezcalero (mezcal, Aperol, Vermouth Royal Blanc), Japanese Old Fashioned, and the Little Osaka Manhattan, made with rye, sweet vermouth, Yellow Chartreuse and bitters.

Snack on Tajin Kale Chips, Avocado Fries, "Fish Stix" (fried smelt) and the Mushroom Mulita - an elevated quesadilla with foraged Japanese mushrooms sandwiched between two handmade blue tortillas; avocado crema, Oaxacan and Chihuahua cheeses.

Cocktails can easily segue into dinner, which could include Hamachi Tempura, Miso Cod, Hangar Steak Rice Bowl (great for sharing), or their most popular dish, Birria Tacos with Guerrero-style braised beef.

The Tsujita group opened Killer Noodle in October 2017, serving up customizable bowls of Tantanmen, the Japanese version of fiery Sichuan Dan Dan Mian. Start by selecting one of three styles, available with or without soup: Tokyo (peanut and sesame flavor, rich/creamy), Downtown (vinegar and chili oil, tangy/acidic), and Original (white mabo topped with Thai chili and black pepper).

The heat levels range from zero to six. In his 2018 LA Times review, beloved food critic Jonathan Gold described accepting the Level 6 challenge: "Servers hover around you, making sure that you are not in too much physical distress, offering you towels, refilling the ice water. And then you are done, floating on a sea of endorphins, feeling perhaps the level of distress that you might after a Guisados chiles toreados taco or two but no worse for the experience. Still, the next time around you are thinking you’ll go back to three."

Located on the northern end of Sawtelle, Tuk Tuk Thai is a vibrant and inviting restaurant that explores the culinary traditions of Thailand, with a focus on Thai street food. Led by sisters Katy Noochlaor and Chef Amanda Maneesilassan, the restaurant's contemporary and stylish decor combines traditional Thai elements with modern touches, and a large mural inspired by Bangkok is painted over the rose-colored walls. After 23 years on Pico Boulevard, Tuk Tuk relocated to its current home on Sawtelle in 2022, making it one of the only Thai restaurants on the street known for its many Japanese establishments.

Of course you'll want dessert after dinner, and SomiSomi will hit the spot. Founded in 2016 by Matt Kim, the Koreatown hotspot quickly gained a cult following for its ah-boong - an ornate goldfish waffle cone with your choice of soft serve and filling. The cone (taiyaki) tastes like a pancake with a chewy texture.

Start your order with a soft serve selection, such as milk, matcha, ube, Thai tea or a swirl. Next, pick a style - the signature ah-boong, upside down ah-boong, or soft serve in a cup. Finally, choose a filling like red bean, taro, custard or Nutella. You can opt to order the taiyaki stuffed with just fillings.

Married co-founders Adrienne Borlongan and Jon-Patrick Lopez opened their first Wanderlust Creamery in Tarzana in August 2015, and have since expanded to six locations across LA. Their Sawtelle Japantown ice cream shop debuted in April 2022, located in the same bustling strip mall as Volcano Tea House and Tokyo Japanese Lifestyle. As its name suggests, Wanderlust features a global menu inspired by travel - "places we've been, the places we long to visit, and childhood memories."

Signature flavors include Japanese Neapolitan, Pandan Tres Leches and Ube Malted Crunch ("inspired by an American-Filipino upbringing") made with malted milk, sweet purple yams and crunchy malted milk pieces.

Seasonal flavors rotate monthly, like the Hawaii-inspired Lilikoi Li Hing Pineapple - a dairy-free and vegan sorbet with passionfruit, fresh pressed pineapple, and Hawaiian salted preserved plum.