Miso Izakaya (DTLA)

My first taste of Miso Izakaya was one of their lunch bento sets for takeout. This lunch bento set was available for takeout only, but it sounded like a good deal!

Chicken Katsu Bento: miso chicken katsu served with rice, cabbage, Japanese omelette and pickled radish

I did not have any expectations because I was sure that by the time I get to eat it, the chicken katsu would already be soggy. It turned out to be pretty good. The portion was just right – I was worried that it would be too small and that I would still be hungry after, but I was pretty full and satisfied after eating the whole box. The chicken katsu was still crispy when I bit into it, and the sauce was very unique and didn’t taste like any sauce I’ve had before. I really liked how the bento set came with cabbage, Japanese omelette, and pickled radish too. These helped complete the meal. I do wish the dried seaweed flakes were sprinkled more evenly though since a lot of it were stuck on the side of the box. I’d order this again if I were in the area looking for lunch!


I went back to Miso Izakaya for a second time, this time for dine-in. I tried their karaage, kushiyaki, and ramen.

Chicken Karaage – crispy chicken, matcha salt, microgreens, lemon
Negima Kushiyaki – chicken thigh with green onion
Plum Chicken Breast Kushiyaki
Miso Ramen – made with 100% plant-based broth, miso sesame soup and RAKKAN noodles, original (pork, seasoned egg), bean sprouts, chive, fried onion

Both the Chicken Karaage and kushiyaki were okay. I was expecting the Chicken Karaage to be more crispy and have more flavor. The kushiyaki had two skewers per order. The Negima Kushiyaki that I got had one skewer that had a lot of sauce on it, and one skewer that had barely any sauce. I also got to try a piece of the Plum Chicken Breast, and I learned that I’m not a fan of plum. The Miso Ramen was good. The broth was thicker than I expected, but overall, I’d consider ordering it again!

Overall, I would order the Chicken Katsu Bento or the ramen again next time I come! I’ll think about giving the Chicken Karaage and kushiyaki a second try, but maybe I’ll see how it looks on other diners’ tables first!