Kagura Gardena

Oh, Takoyaki, why are you so incredibly delicious?! Unfortunately, I don't know many places in Orange County that serve great takoyaki, which means I often have to drive to either Gardena or Little Tokyo to satisfy my cravings. Luckily, this particular location is inside Tokyo Central, so I can do my usual grocery shopping and indulge in some takoyaki at the same time (Farewell, wallet!). You really can't go wrong with any of the options, but if it's your first visit, I recommend trying the Original. I also love cheese and anything creamy, so I usually order the Cheese Mentaiko as well. Just a heads up: it's made fresh to order, so you might want to rethink putting the whole thing in your mouth at once—it’ll be hot! The clear displays give you a great view of them preparing your order, and I've never had a bad experience here. Despite its popularity, I've never waited more than 10 minutes for my food.

Bit pricey but it was good! 16 balls for almost 20 dollars.

The takoyaki here is so addicting. It's made fresh and sometimes there can be a long wait when they're busy. It reminds me of what I had in Japan where the shell is crispy on the outside and the inside has a generous sized piece of octopus. An order of eight pieces is pretty filling. The mentaiko mayo topping is delicious! They offer a stamp card rewards program. Gindaco is located inside the Tokyo Central food court at the entrance with indoor and outdoor seating.

I've heard of Gindaco from social media. Interestingly, I knew of it as a very popular Japanese takoyaki establishment in Japan. I saw a few shops in Japan, but knowing it existed in LA, I decided to wait until my return to try Gindaco here. The takoyaki portions are larger than I would normally expect from a restaurant. Most restaurants serve takoyaki in portions of 6, but Gindaco serves portions of 8. It was just a little bit too much takoyaki for me, so I instead ordered the yakisoba with egg on top, large portion. The large portion was incredibly generous. I shared a large with my parents and we could not finish it. The yakisoba was super tasty and the egg blended well with the yakisoba sauce. The ginger also added some balance to everything. Next time I will try to come with more people to try the takoyaki, especially given what this restaurant is known for.

I had takoyaki at many places in LA and this is the best so far. Crispy shell and soft delicious filling. Can really taste the pickled ginger inside. Had the Original for lunch, $8 for 8 pieces, and got completely full.