With 50 locations across Asia including Japan, Thailand, and Hong Kong, Karayama offers a fast-casual dining experience widely known for its famous kara-age—Japanese-style fried chicken—and specialized cooking practices and techniques. Expanding to the U.S., Karayama welcomes guests to its first location in the states, located in the Little Tokyo neighborhood of downtown Los Angeles—perfect for lunchtime take-out or a casual sit-down meal of authentic Japanese cuisine.
Calling its signature fried chicken “the kara-age of Legend”, the restaurant’s proprietary technique starts with Karayama’s signature marinade, made using a low-temperature fermentation to impart a unique umami flavor profile. Using an extremely fine proprietary potato starch, the chicken is coated and then rests for 4-6 hours before frying. Resting in potato starch.
This allows for a tender, juicy, and crispy kaya-age, sure to please those who try it in various dishes. Guests may enjoy Karayama’s kara-age in a Donburi bowl over rice, in a sandwich served atop shokupan (Japanese white bread), prepared in a Nabe or Japanese-style hot pot, wateishoku made into a set meal or ordered as a stir-fry. Upon lining up, guests will notice the shokuhin-sampuru (wax food replicas) showcasing the most popular menu items while taking in the simple Japanese décor and admiring the natural lighting and Karayama chicken supergraphic.
The Legend of Karayama
The story of Karayama and its famous kara-age begins in a tiny 100-square-foot take out-only storefront in Asakusa, Japan, in 2014. The popular shop—originally called Yukari—sold out of its kara-age each day drawing in locals and visitors. Upon expanding the brand, the owners used Karayama as the restaurant name, with a few of the small takeout-only locations still named Yukari.
Karayama brings the classic taste across the seas and into the bustling L.A. food scene, founded on an authentic recipe of kara-age, while employing secret, specially crafted sauce imported from Japan to marinate its chicken and as accompaniments to the dishes. As the newest addition to the Karayama family, the Little Tokyo location in Los Angeles welcomes guests to its first-ever U.S. location in a comfortable fast casual environment styled by simple décor.
Big enough for dinner… small enough for a snack?
Best suited for lunch, dinner, or snacking, the restaurant welcomes visitors to place their order at the counter, taking in the mural of the famed Karayama chicken while waiting for their take-out, or choosing a seat at the bar-height communal table in the center of the space. Guests can select items from the variety of kara-age dishes on the menu, including specialties such as Donburi—extreme umami sauce bowls over rice; wateishoku, complete dinner sets (available from 5 p.m. to close) made to feed two or more people; Nabe Japanese-style hot pots with curry and other sauces; stir-fries; sandwiches made with shokupan (Japanese white bread) sourced locally from Yamazaki Bakery; or a variety of a la carte dishes, such as wings, kara-age, or fried shrimp. Karayama sauces, made and imported from Japan, include Goku-Daresauce and Shio-Goku-Dare Sauce, which are umami-based sauces; Wasabi Mayo, Red Hot Sauce, and Sweet Chili Sauce. For the purist, lemon wedges are also available.
Downtown Weekly HookUp: The Karayama Set – Karayama’s signature set meal, including four pieces of the famous kara-age served with shredded cabbage salad, miso soup, rice, and choice of two dipping sauces, $8.99.
Karayama – 136 S.Central Ave.Los Angeles, CA 90012 For more info: KarayamaUSA
