KAMINARI GYOZA BAR

  4.7 – 164 reviews   • Dumpling restaurant

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KAMINARI GYOZA BAR is a restaurant specializing in Utsunomiya Gyoza. At our hometown of Utsunomiya, one can find many gyoza restaurants that only serve gyoza. We have reduced the number of non-gyoza items to preserve that culture. Our desire for customers to purely experience delicious gyoza is the reason we make them daily. Gyoza are a nutritionally well-balanced mean filled with protein, carbohydrates, fats, and fiber. Not only are delicious; they are also a healthy superfood. Gyoza as your main dish. **We only offer take out and delivery.

✔️Lunch ✔️Dinner ✔️Dine in ✔️Take out KAMINARI GYOZA BAR 90012

Hours

Friday11 AM–10 PM
Saturday11 AM–10 PM
Sunday11 AM–9 PM
Monday11 AM–9 PM
Tuesday11 AM–9 PM
Wednesday11 AM–3 PM
Thursday11 AM–9 PM

Address and Contact Information

Address: 323 1st St, Los Angeles, CA 90012

Phone: (213) 265-7351

Website: https://linktr.ee/kaminarigyoza

Menu Photos

Order and Reservations

Order: Order online

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@kaminarigyozabar | Instagram | Linktree

Get delivery or takeout from KAMINARI GYOZA at 323 East 1st Street in Los Angeles. Order online and track your order live. No delivery fee on your first order!

Kaminari Gyoza Bar (@kaminarigyozabar) – Instagram

Dine-in, Takeout & Delivery ️ LA’s first gyoza bar Authentic Gyoza by an owner from Utsunomiya, Japan 323 E. 1st St. Los Angeles, CA …

kaminari gyoza bar – Order Online

Order online from KAMINARI GYOZA BAR … KAMINARI GYOZA BAR. 323 E 1st Street, Los Angeles, CA. Pickup Only. Pickup from 323 E 1st Street, Los Angeles, CA.

Reviews

Loann
We loved everything about this place! We arrived around 5pm so were able to choose from the Happy Hour menu. We didn’t have any of the appetizers because we wanted to fill up on the gyoza. You can choose from pork, chicken (has lard), shrimp and vegan. We had the yaki pork, yaki shrimp and age chicken. Make your own dipping sauce – vinegar:shoyu ratio = 3:2 with optional chili oil. Finished everything off our plates. DELICIOUS!!!
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N J (NJ)
Walking into Kaminari Gyoza Bar, I immediately felt wrapped in a warm, industrial-Japanese atmosphere that balances comfort with edge. The focus on gyoza is clear, and it pays off—the dumplings arrive perfectly crisp on the bottom with juicy, flavorful fillings that feel carefully crafted rather than rushed. I loved how the menu keeps things concise, letting the quality of execution speak louder than sheer variety. The drinks pair effortlessly with the food, making it an easy spot to linger and enjoy the rhythm of the space. Service felt relaxed yet attentive, which matched the casual bar-style energy of the room. Overall, it’s the kind of place I’d return to specifically for cravings, not convenience. Kaminari feels intentional, cozy, and quietly confident in what it does best.
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James Lin
4.5/5 ### Kaminari Gyoza Bar: A Dumpling Devotion in Little Tokyo

Tucked away in the heart of Little Tokyo at 323 E 1st Street in Los Angeles, Kaminari Gyoza Bar is a love letter to Utsunomiya-style gyoza, the iconic Japanese dumplings hailing from the gyoza capital of Japan. Opened in 2022 by Shigemitsu “Shige” Fujii, a native of Utsunomiya who swapped his fried chicken spot for this focused haven, the restaurant channels the purity of hometown specialists—minimal menu, maximum flavor. With bright yellow noren curtains framing the entrance and a sleek, fast-casual interior featuring communal tables and booths, it’s the perfect pit stop for a quick, satisfying bite amid the bustle of downtown LA. Open daily from 11 AM, it buzzes with locals and tourists alike, especially during lunch rushes.

What elevates Kaminari to must-visit status is their obsession with fresh, tasty, made-from-scratch fillings that burst with authenticity. Every batch is prepared daily, using high-quality ingredients like ground pork, cabbage, nira chives, and onions for the classic pork gyoza, ensuring a juicy, herbaceous punch in every bite. I started with the Yaki Gyoza (pan-fried, 6 pieces for $8.50)—crispy-edged skins that tear satisfyingly when pulled apart, revealing a steamy, plump filling that’s savory without grease, laced with just enough ginger and garlic to dance on the tongue. The Age (deep-fried) version amps up the crunch, while the Sui (boiled in clear pork soup) offers a soothing, brothy embrace, the filling’s freshness shining through the light herbal broth. Don’t skip the Shrimp Gyoza, where sweet, bouncy seafood mingles with egg white and chives for a delicate, oceanic twist, or the vegan Impossible Pork option, packed with shiitake and enoki mushrooms for an umami bomb that’s impressively meaty.

Bentos make it a meal, pairing gyoza with rice, herby roasted potatoes, or even curry-spiced spaghetti—a quirky Utsunomiya nod that surprisingly works. Service is efficient and friendly, with staff eager to guide dipping sauce choices (their homemade chili oil is addictive). At around $12-15 for a full bento, it’s a steal for such quality. Yelp’s 4.5/5 from over 246 reviews echoes my sentiment: it’s the fillings’ vibrant, made-that-day magic that keeps folks coming back. Whether you’re a dumpling die-hard or just craving fresh comfort food, Kaminari delivers thunderous satisfaction. In a city of fusion spots, this one’s a grounding triumph—pure, delicious, and utterly craveable.
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Chat Sarmiento-Steinwald
We visited Kaminari Gyoza Bar in Little Tokyo after attending a ceremony at the nearby Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. We found it simply by searching for a place with great reviews, and it turned out to be a wonderful surprise.

We arrived around noon and were definitely hungry, since none of us had eaten breakfast. The gyoza immediately hit the spot. They offer them three ways… steamed… pan fried… or deep fried… and every version was well made and full of flavor. We ordered the complete meal option, which was the best value and gave us a chance to try more items. The dipping sauces were also a highlight. The chimichurri chili was excellent. The garlic aioli was just average in comparison.

The restaurant is small but very clean, organized, and efficient. Service was friendly and fast, which we really appreciated. It felt like an authentic and reliable spot for anyone who enjoys gyoza or Japanese comfort food.

Parking in the area can be challenging, but there are paid parking lots close by. Overall, this was a great find and a place I would happily return to for a casual and satisfying meal.
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Taka H
Kaminari specializes in Utsunomiya-style gyoza, a pan-fried dumpling that uses a paper-thin wrapper. In Japan, Utsunomiya is a town known for gyoza paired with experimental and non-traditional ingredients

The first gyoza bar in LA all the way from Utsunomiya Japan!

FOOD 4/5
– Yaki gyoza which is pan fried
– Sui gyoza boiled gyoza in clear pork soup w/green onions = LOVE THIS!

SERVICE 3.5/5
Kinda had a weird vibe from the staff members here. Just wasn’t the friendliest or authentic.

PARKING 4/5
Parking in the perimeter of J-twn
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Gina Aldape
An absolute pleasure! This is not just a meal but a true food experience! The gyoza here is delicious! They are flavorful and cooked to perfection. They were crispy and delicate. And the sauces!! Amazing! We had the meals which have a delightful soup, veggies, and a tasty pasta. The staff are very friendly and attentive. The restaurant is immaculate, including the restroom. A must!
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Elten Friday
Fast service and Vegan gyoza!!! The food is good and the sake selection is fun. Its a fast spot for a quick bite. It kinda feels like a wing stop for gyoza. I absolutely love the vegan options.
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Ashley Penn
I would drive the 2 and half 3 hours from where I live to la just to eat here again! The soup was my fav hubs loved the fried! …went during happy hour good deals!
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Nicole Bertsch
When I first found this restaurant and saw it was a gyoza bar, I was instantly going there. It’s such a cool concept to get different flavors of gyoza cooked different ways with multiple sauces.
We had the pork gyoza both deep and pan fried, we both liked the pan fried ones the best. You must try to soup or get the meal option so you get a bit of everything, it’s really worth it.
Excellent flavors, plenty of parking nearby, great service…truly you can’t go wrong. The next time we are in Down Town LA, we will be back.
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Aria
The gyoza here are great, but be honest with yourself – have you ever had a bad gyoza? No, the reason to come here is everything around that experience. The unique and delicious sauces (try the Yuzu, it’s so incredible!) or the spicy cold tofu.

Great food, good atmosphere, and a friendly staff. It’s everything I would want in a restaurant.
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