DTLA: Japanese Robata INKO NITO Now Open in the Arts District

 

Inko Nito, the latest restaurant to open in the Arts District in Downtown Los Angeles, is serving up really delicious Japanese robata and other standout Asian dishes like kimchi rice.

At a recent friends and family party, I got to try a couple of drinks including my favorite the Inko spritz. The Nori old fashioned is also very good (and strong!).

Nori Old Fashioned–  Suntory Toki, kokuto, nori

Inko Spritz–  Aperol, watermelon, yuzu, sparkling wine

 

We had a couple of little bites but the standout was the tiger prawns. These were cooked as cliche as it sounds, to perfection. We ate them heads and all.

 

I returned to Inko Nito a week and half after the party I attended. I knew I had to try more dishes. There were plenty of reservations available online leading us to believe we wouldn’t need them when we weren’t sure on our timing. Ahahah. Make reservations! Don’t be the silly geese we were thinking we can just have our pick of spots. I do have to say we didn’t have a bad seat and actually if I turned my head just so, I could see the gigantic robata grill.

I had my fave, the Inko spritz to start and my friend ordered the Kyuri. This was a very clean drink. If you like gin, give this one a try as it features gin as well as both shochu and sake.

Kyuri– shiso shochu, gin, sake

 

Once I had time to fully look over the menu, I knew I had to have the crab miso soup. This was so good and the crab was so fresh and sweet.

 

I’d like to try the chirashi rolls next time as they were ordered approximately every 10 minutes by folks around us. I did get to try the veggie ones as well as the Dungeness crab rolls (shown above). Like the miso soup, the crab was very fresh. When you have good ingredients, it’s really easy to have a fantastic meal.

 

I have a bad problem. I can’t stop ordering chicken wings. I’m glad I got these from Inko Nito though! These are so enormous because the wing and the drummette are still loosely attached making it seem like a huge order of wings.

 

 

I loved the scallops! I even ate mine with the shiso leaf garnish. These were like everything else, cooked just right.

 

We got the curiously named “tender stemmed broccoli.” Curious as the whole broccoli was tender. I liked the sauces as well.

 

My favorite dish of the night were the beef cheeks which are meant to be shredded by you and eaten in an lettuce wrap.

Not only was the meat so tender but it was interactive and fun.

 

We had ordered a bunch of proteins and soup but no carbs. Then I got sad and mentioned I did want to try the kimchi rice and magically one appeared. It’s in a traditional Korean lunch box which is shaken in front of you to get every last bit of sauce and the egg distributed.

See! It’s so well mixed. And worth stuffing ourselves for.

 

Inko Nito

225-227 S Garey St., Los Angeles, CA 90012  —  (310) 999-0476

© 2018 The Minty