At Boyle Heights’ Otomisan, A New Owner Continues The Legacy Of Homestyle Japanese Cooking

Stepping wrong nan slender, ray yellowish edifice that is Otomisan, you’re instantly transported to a clip erstwhile streetcars and Jewish delis lined a multicultural Boyle Heights. Four reddish booths and a Formica antagonistic for 5 shake hands you arsenic you participate this mini clip capsule, which has been a fixture connected First Street for 69 years.

“It’s a vicinity institution,” said Carlos Lazatin, a regular customer who lives downtown and eats astatine nan edifice erstwhile a week. “Folks extremity by conscionable to opportunity hi. This is not a fancy sushi aliases ramen joint. It’s Japanese location cooking, and it’s delicious.”

The oldest continuously operating Japanese edifice successful L.A., Otomisan was primitively named Otemo Sushi Cafe erstwhile it first opened successful 1956. After a alteration successful ownership, it was renamed Otomisan successful nan 1970s.

When Yayoi Watanabe and her adjacent friend took complete nan business successful 2005, their extremity was to support live nan Japanese ties to Boyle Heights. Last year, Watanabe was fresh to walk nan baton to personification else. Now nether nan ownership of Jeffrey Ige, nan tiny, nostalgic eatery continues to service homestyle Japanese dishes while preserving its rich | taste legacy.

“They wanted it to spell to personification who’s not going to alteration it,” said Ige, who took complete nan edifice successful July.

Ige met Watanabe, who he calls “Yaya,” successful 2016 while surviving successful his grandmother’s flat building down nan thoroughfare from nan restaurant. Working 2 jobs, he ate astatine Otomisan daily, often ordering oyakodon — chickenhearted and ovum simmered successful a dashi broth and served complete a vessel of rice.

Jeffrey Ige took complete arsenic Otomisan’s proprietor successful July 2024.

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Andrew Lopez

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Boyle Heights Beat

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Ready to retire, Watanabe was eager to find personification conscionable arsenic passionate astir preserving Japanese civilization successful Boyle Heights. Located conscionable 2 miles from Little Tokyo successful downtown L.A., Otomisan symbolizes a clip erstwhile working-class Japanese, Mexican, Armenian, Italian, Russian and African-American residents coexisted successful an affordable vicinity free of racist lodging covenants.

Ige grew up successful Rowland Heights but has roots successful Boyle Heights. His grandmother, Harumi Aoki, owned a convenience shop connected 4th and Mott streets adjacent Roosevelt High School and frequented Otomisan. She sold nan store, bought a crippled of onshore connected 3rd Street and built an flat complex, wherever Ige’s mother grew up.

In municipality for his grandmother’s ceremonial successful 2023, Ige stopped by Otomisan, and Watanabe asked if he wanted to return over.

“I’m very comfortable pinch nan caller owner. ... His cooking is very good, truthful I decided he’s OK,” Watanabe said, chuckling betwixt bites.

Having worked successful restaurants since he was 19 and honing his skills arsenic a cook astatine Sushi Ten successful Chino Hills, LDH Kitchen, nan Robata successful Santa Monica and kitchens successful Huntington Gardens and Little Tokyo, Ige finds comfortableness successful homestyle cooking.

“It feels for illustration you’re astatine grandma’s house,” Ige said. “My grandma utilized to navigator a mostly of nan nutrient that Yaya cooks, for illustration tempura, teriyaki chicken, katsudon, a batch of katsudon, tonkatsu. You’re not going to time off hungry.”

Running a edifice while keeping Otomisan’s bequest live is nary mini task. Regulars trust connected old-school dishes for illustration panko-covered fried pork cutlet tonkatsu, tender teriyaki chicken, flavorful udon and ray and crispy tempura, which is Ige’s sister’s favorite.

“My brother’s tempura is amended than our grandparents’,” said Kristine Ige, 42, who’s been moving arsenic a big and server astatine Otomisan since October and exudes Watanabe’s aforesaid warmth. “They made it good, but he makes it better.”

Ige enlisted friends pinch edifice acquisition for nan first transition. He hired a sous cook to thief him successful nan room and 2 servers for nan beforehand of nan house.

As for nan food: “I haven’t changed anything,” said Ige. “The only alteration I want to make is to reconstruct nan tile floors and hole nan neon motion retired front.”

Keeping prices nan aforesaid successful a gentrifying vicinity is nan biggest challenge.

“I consciousness bad raising prices, but ostentation skyrocketed this year,” said Ige. “I’m very fortunate and fortunate that Yaya built specified a awesome clientele that continues to support us.”

Although technically retired, Watanabe, who lives nearby, comes successful erstwhile a week to sojourn aged customers and person luncheon pinch nan caller crew. A mini pinkish mailbox sits adjacent nan beforehand doorway for customers to time off her notes. A Polaroid camera is kept down nan antagonistic for regulars to threat photos of themselves and constitute their names truthful Watanabe, who conscionable turned 73, tin retrieve them.

“I don’t want her to consciousness for illustration she’s not welcome,” said Ige. “This is still her home.”

Committed to honoring its designation arsenic a historic-cultural monument, Ige meets play pinch Mariko Lochridge, a mini business counsellor pinch Little Tokyo Service Center, which preserves Japanese civilization successful L.A. and is readying Otomisan’s 70th day adjacent year. Ige besides useful pinch Vivian Escalante, CEO of Boyle Heights Community Partners, which created nan Otomisan history poster hanging connected nan freezer wrong nan restaurant. Together, they’re trying to get much accusation astir nan Nishiyama residence wherever Otomisan is located and talk to Arctic Hotspot owners Christina and Jonathan Mora, who grew up successful nan houses down nan restaurant.

“I want it to support going for different generation,” said Ige.

In mentation for Otomisan’s 70th anniversary, nan Little Tokyo Service Center is successful hunt of aged menus, photos, records aliases individual memories related to nan restaurant. If you’d for illustration to contribute, nan group asks you telephone (323) 526-1150, email jeff@otomisanrestaurant.com aliases extremity by nan restaurant.