Tensho (Los Angeles, CA)

Tensho Shabu-Shabu
418 E 2nd St, Los Angeles, CA 90012
213-617-1016
www.isedining.com/tensho-english/
Thu 05/07/2026, 08:35p-10:45p





If you were to ask me what the best shabu-shabu spot in LA has been over the past 30 or so years, I'd probably have to go with Kagaya (かがや) in Little Tokyo. The restaurant was opened in the mid-1990s by Chef/Owner Masato Kagaya (加賀谷マサさん), and was supposedly one of the first places to serve real-deal Japanese beef in Southern California. Kagaya soon established a reputation for its commitment to quality, and enjoyed a good run of 26 years before finally shuttering in April 2022 due to Masa-san's retirement.

In its place comes Tenshō (天照 or てんしょう), which grand-opened on May 3rd, 2022 as Kagaya's direct successor. The new business is the creation of Ise Dining, a hospitality company founded by Ryuichiro Ise (伊勢隆一郎) that also operates a branch of Warabimochi Kamakura (甘味処鎌倉) at The Shops at Santa Anita.

Initially, helming the kitchen at Tensho was Takumi Kawano, a 20-year restaurant vet who came over from Shiki in Sydney, Australia. However, he decamped in July 2023 and was seemingly replaced by a Tetsu-san, and then a Michi-san. On my visit, the taisho was Takashi Ota (a.k.a. Stan Ota), who's French-trained and cut his teeth at Chaya Brasserie before becoming EC at Takami. Taka-san, though, will only be here through this month, and will be replaced by a Kasa-san, who appeared to be training this evening. Meanwhile, longtime Kagaya cook Alfred is still around (I believe he started in '04), though former second-in-command Victor isn't, having left the industry altogether. And fortunately, we still have Ayumi-san handling okami duties and taking charge of the FOH.


As mentioned earlier, Tensho takes over Kagaya's former storefront at Downtown's Honda Plaza strip mall, and decor-wise, very little has been changed. Pictured above is my view from the leftmost position at the counter. Note that the photo was captured at the end of the night, with everyone cleared out.


Here we see Tensho's menu, which retains the shabu-shabu kaiseki (しゃぶしゃぶ 懐石) format of its predecessor. To drink, you'll find a small selection of sake, wine, beer, and shochu, though I'd recommend BYOB-ing and making use of the $25 corkage fee. Click for larger versions.


The place setting, replete with the chilled oshibori I was handed after I sat down.


A nabe filled with chicken broth was then placed before me, and the burner switched on.


A meal at Tensho begins with three sakizuke courses, and this first was based on briny slices of salmon augmented by pinpricks of salt. The tartness of sudachi and kumquat provided balance, while even more crucial was the brightness from all that greenery on top.


My second appetizer was a comfy bowl of celery root soup, its earthy, nutty flavors setting the stage for a zucchini flower stuffed with sweet-n-springy shrimp cake.


This evening's twentieth anniversary tipple was the 2006 Château Cos d'Estournel, arguably the top wine hailing from Bordeaux's Saint-Estèphe appellation. This particular vintage of the Second Growth was composed of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, and 2% Cabernet Franc.

• Initial Impressions: Dusty, musty nose rife with stewed plum, sous bois, and herbed meats. On the palate, I found a pleasant grippiness and acidity, with loads of purple fruit alongside agreeable notes of earth and bouquet garni.
• After 30 Minutes: Aromas highlighted even more of that aforementioned forest floor, while the fruit went in a nearly candied direction. The claret was silkier on the tongue by this point, with its soil- and fruit-driven characteristics in harmony.
• After 60 Minutes: Classic bouquet of matured Bordeaux, accented by elements of herb, blood, and barnyard. In the mouth, think minty and meaty, but with bountiful amounts of cassis. A good showing overall for the wine, which didn't get in the way of the food.

Our final zensai was Chilean sea bass, marinated in soy sauce, mirin, and sake, then grilled, resulting in a fish that was as fatty, flaky, and flavorful as you'd want.


Deluxe A5 Wagyu & Seafood [$166.00]
And now we come to the main event, my platter of A5 ribeye and sundry seafood.

• I began with a slice of the Japanese beef, swished in bare broth for four seconds. This method of cooking really seemed to emphasize the meat's sweetness and delicacy. Of course, the level of tenderness and fattiness I expected was there as well.
• Getting into the seafood now, I kicked things off with a freshly-shucked oyster, which I was advised I could've eaten raw. However, I chose to briefly submerge it in stock, which made for a nice temperature contrast.
• The crab meatballs were fun, plopped from their bamboo enclosure directly into the soup.
• As for the actual crab, its sweetness was appropriately conveyed, and matched up swimmingly with green onion. However, the legs tended to overcook easily, so be vigilant.
• Lastly, we have the clams, which you drop in the pot and cook until they open up.

Dipping sauces included your traditional duo of zingy ponzu and nutty-sweet gomadare.



Naturally, a variety of veggie-centric accoutrements was also provided: napa cabbage (hakusai), tofu, glass noodles (harusame), shiitake, green onion, and chrysanthemum leaves (shungiku). I especially appreciated the bitterness of the crown daisy, which served as a welcomed foil to the beef, while the mushrooms mixed things up in terms of texture and umami.


Tensho Signature Wagyu Sushi [$14.00]
At this point, I supplemented my dinner with a completely different preparation of Japanese beef, one that was all about in-your-face char, smoke, fat, and savor, tempered just a tad by a base of rice and an undercurrent of sweetness.


Next came a serving of homemade oshinko (cucumber and takuan), which of course made sense with the rice below.



Shime duty was handled by this zosui, a rice soup made from leftover liquid from my cooking pot. It was certainly a cozy closer, one with a delectable mélange of sour, gingery, and bitter nuances.


It was now time to pick my dessert course, or courses more accurately, since I ended up tacking on a second. Click for a larger version.


Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream | チョコレートケーキのバ二ラアイス添え
First was a pretty prototypical marriage of chocolate and vanilla.


Complimentary green tea and water arrived with dessert.


Banana Pie with Vanilla Ice Cream [$10.00] | バナナパイのバ二ラアイス添え
The restaurant's most well-known dessert is this tasty, not-too-sweet take on a banana pie.

Food-wise, what's served as Tensho looks to be largely indistinguishable from what we're all used to from the Kagaya days, which is a good thing in my book. This is a pretty classic, straightforward interpretation of the cuisine we're talking about, which is exactly what I want from this place, and I had no complaints about the hospitality I received, either. All in all, Tensho appears to be doing an admirable job continuing the legacy of its oft-revered predecessor, so hopefully it can stick around for a while as well.