Osen Izakaya Delivers Japanese Luxury from a Silver Lake Strip Mall

Silver Lake’s newest dinnertime dining addition is Osen Izakaya , a casual strip mall replacement for what once was the quiet but long-running Italian restaurant Aroma. Now the address, in the same long retail run as Silverlake Ramen, has been completely remodeled in anticipation of a Saturday unveiling.

Osen is the work of Damon Min Cho, a chef who most recently helped open TAO in Hollywood but has been behind the bar at places like Nobu in Hawaii as well. That is to say, he’s been a veteran of different levels of the Japanese food scene in Los Angeles for a while now, and looks to marry much of what he’s found into one new menu at Osen.

Cho doesn’t want to give away the official full food lineup just yet (“It’s better to be surprised,” he tells Eater), but the Instagram page for the place does show a bit of quiet luxury on the plate, from uni on down. Diners can also expect fresh raw oysters, udon, yakitori, and beer/wine/sake to boot.

The official opening for Osen Izakaya is Saturday, though friends and family service kicked off yesterday. Hours will be evening only to start, with valet parking at dinnertime.

Osen Izakaya
2903 W. Sunset
Los Angeles, CA

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Farley Elliott