The Backhouse

Can’t get anyone to answer the phone to make a reservation.
Ate there once and will obviously go back but if I can’t get a reservation or even leave a message, I’m not going to chance my visit w/​out a reservation. VOICE MAIL BOX IS FULL… how does a customer speak to anybody about anything…

Came here on a Saturday night for HH at around 10PM. The hostess seemed very uncomfortable and her mood and tone seemed very annoyed as a result. There is no waiting area if you have to wait so either you freeze outside or stand awkwardly in the middle of the restaurant. There is NO energy or positive vibe in the restaurant. The music is at an awkward level, the bar itself again has no energy or fun personalities behind it. The service is not as attentive as you would need considering you have to constantly order since portions are super small. It was just not fun.
As for the food, not good at all. It has good presentation but for example the spicy tiny roll is just typical. Super market sushi typical. The spicy tuna was too spicy which didn’t allow you to taste the sushi. The shrimp tempura roll was good but not Amazing. As for the skewers they were super small, just one stick per skewer. I don’t even know if there was more than 1oz of beef or chicken or vegetables on each. Terrible value and the flavor was very average. The fried garlic Brussel sprouts was pure salt and it just seemed like there were leaves of Brussel sprouts and not actual Brussel sprouts inside. The chicken wing appetizer was extremely over cooked and leathery. Totally a fail.
I don’t know how or why this place has 4 stars. I think the place has great potential, they just have to put more attention to the preparation of their food and there service and atmosphere. Oh and be a little bit more generous with your portions and not your salt.

Does everyone working here hate their jobs? It sure did seem that way because all employees had a pretty bitter attitude except for the sushi chefs. First off, you can not make reservations during happy hour (which is from 10-​closing) and that is the times most people go to dinner on a Saturday night. Fine, understandable considering their happy hour is only $ 1 difference it doesn’t really matter. We ordered A LOT of different things to try. The brussel sprouts were extremely salty and most of it was just leaves; barely any actual brussels inside of the dish. The shrimp tempura roll was my favorite thing I ate, that was pretty good. The chicken meatballs were so small literally one bite and it was done. The meat filet was super chewy and not tasty at all. The tongue wasn’t bad but I have definitely had better. The eggplant is literally the smallest piece I’ve ever seen for what they charge. And the chicken wings– nightmare. Overcooked and all skin and bones.
The conclusion is: they charge too much for the amount of food they give. It’s literally one bite per dish which are about $ 3 each. For 3 people we spend $ 100 and still weren’t that full at the end of the meal. It’s a good place to come if you just want to snack and have a couple of drinks. If you’re looking for a delicious and filling dinner, this isn’t the place for you.

Dinner party of 10 for my birthday. Delicious food and good vibes. The waitresses here are very attentive. Kept my Lady M birthday cake in the fridge to keep it freshwill definitely come back for the happy hour everyone is talking about too!

Best happy hour in LA! Yakitori and $ 1 oysters along with a delicious Sangria, this is a go to happy hour spot for both excellent food and drinks.
There’s space for groups but best for 2 to 4 people.

Another place with $ 1 Happy Hour oysters? Sign me up! Backhouse is owned by the same people as EMC, so I know I won’t be disappointed. But in addition to that, they also have yakitori! I’ve been here a few times already, as well as the Ktown location, and never had a bad experience.
Always came for late night happy hour (10pm-​close). No wait time, and service is good. There is a parking lot nearby, but read the signs carefully! It is free after a certain time, but unfortunately my friend got a ticket there once.
For yakitori, I love the meatballs, chicken cartilage, chicken heart, beef tongue, bacon wrapped anything, and my all-​time favorite is the braised pork belly. Oysters are plump and decently sized. The only item I wasn’t too fond of was the uni risotto. The risotto wasn’t as lush and creamy as I would have liked, and the one slice of uni on top was not fresh at all. This isn’t on the HH menu so really no reason to order again.
For drinks, beer, wine, sake and sangria are all great choices for $ 5 – 7. The sangria literally tastes like fruit juice but got a good buzz after two glasses.

I love the oyster happy hour of this place, especially since they have a regular AND a LATE NIGHT happy hour! The most recent time I went there, they gave me a pretty generous pour of red wine, which I was psyched about.
I got the Happy Hour oysters for $ 1. They were super small, and didn’t really quench my craving for oysters. So I got some Happy Hour Fanny Bay oysters for $ 1.75. Bigger and plumper. If you have a preference of oysters, you should just get the kind of oysters you like instead of the $ 1 ones for happy hour.
Husband does not eat seafood, but he does like the chicken meatball w/​cheese yakitori. He fully enjoys that with a happy hour blue moon!

I love this place. It is poppin with great food, 2 happy hours (regular time and LATE NIGHT), as well as a very kind, cool and hospitable staff.
I come here ALL the time and often by myself.
I can’t help it, but I crave the happy hour oysters, sushi, shiitake l mushrooms and BOMB truffle edamame. It’s my treat for myself sometimes as much as ONCE A WEEK!!! I sit at the bar and get amazing service.
The vibe totally reminds me of New York. There is LIFE here and the background music is great always.
Don’t wanna tell too many folks about this place as it’s my little secret but I guess it’s too late and I do hope that they stay in business for a long time.
Thanks Backhouse. Love you guys!!!

1 $ oysters at happy hour can’t be beat!
I’ve tried pretty much everything on the happy hour menu here, so I’ll just list off a few of my favourites:
— Chicken livers: I don’t know what sauce they use, but it’s good
— Chicken cartilage: Delightfully crunchy
— Bacon wrapped tomatoes: Rich and flavorful, with a nice crispy texture on the outside
— Bacon wrapped okra: ^
— House oysters: Briny, which is how I like them, I guess. Also $ 1!
— Salmon carpaccio: raw salmon and truffle oil, where can you go wrong?
Other stuff: chicken hearts, beef tongue, pork belly, shishito peppers, and hand rolls are all very good and worth trying! Also there are a lot of fruity drinks that I vaguely remember being quite tasty.

I am a fan of late night happy hours because my work schedule makes it tough to get to some places by 6 or even 7pm. The Backhouse is right across from the Westside Pavilion and is always busy at night, 10pm to be exact. Night owls rejoice, there is a happy hour for you. Granted, the hh only saves you a few dollars. I end up ordering so many things it ends up being pretty expensive anyway.
Backhouse is known for their oysters, which are $ 1 off during happy hour. I had the kushi once and was not a huge fan… it was slightly fishy for me but I also haven’t had oysters in a while so maybe my palette was in shock. I heard the normal house oyster is pretty good.
Some of the items I really enjoy are:
— Baked crab handroll, prob one of the tastiest crab rolls ever. This one is super popular and I can see why. I might just come here and eat only baked crab next time. The crab is flavorful and hearty. It isn’t shredded like a lot of other crab rolls, it is big chunks wrapped in soy paper.
— Spicy salmon handroll, basically anything salmon I’ll order, the baked crab is better though.
— Backhouse chicken wings, two to an order, very small but tasty.
— Bacon wrapped veggies are always a good addition to all the meat you can order here.
There is still a ton more to the menu but I kinda order what I feel on the given day I go. Most dishes are small so be careful when ordering. Even though it’s happy hour, that doesn’t mean it’s gonna be cheap haha.

Pretty good for take out but damn I’m expensive LOL!
So I was back on The Westside yet again and I wanted something good to take back home. So I stalked Backhouses Unilocal pictures and I knew I had to try!
I came, I scooped out the menu and they sat me even though it was take out :) I liked the vibe of this place, nice and dark. I’m not one to take forever on ordering take-​out, so I ordered Lamb chops off their specials menu, I wanted something else on the specials but they ran out, which was fair since it was close to closing. I also ordered some spicy yellowtail on spicy tuna roll topped with jalapeño and dabs of aioli on each piece. I forget the signature name of that dish. I ordered spicy scallop hand roll, blue crab hand roll and salmon with truffle oil nigiri.
As I waited they gave me water. I appreciate places that still serve you in some sort of way while you wait :) So food was packed up, I was served the check and I was on my merry way. Got home to OC and tartd plating. The food held up. I know it’s Blasphemy to have take out sushi but oh well! The lamb chops were VERY good, it wasn’t just lamb chops in foil, they were on a bed of rice and sautéed spinach onion and corn. The lamb chops were cooked perfectly, not overcooked at all but not undercooked as well. The sushi roll was gooooood. I’m not even a maki roll kinda girl but this was packed with Hamachi and topped with spicy tuna. I’m a sauce girl so I could have used more sauce :) The salmon with truffle oil was sooooo good. I love truffle in a subtle way so this wasn’t overwhelming at all. Fish was fresh. As for the hand rolls, they were quite tasty just wish they were packed with more scallops and or blue crab.
Overall, I had a very satisfying meal and I can’t wait to come back with Mr. WestLa. He can eat a bunch of veggie options with his vegetarian ass LOL.

Okay. Happy hour after 10 pm is awesome.
Beware of portion sizes. What I ordered was a good portion, good flavor, and a good price: miso soup, edamame, and shrimp tempura roll. However not all dishes were a good size.
Atmosphere is pleasant. The restaurant is clean.
It is a great place for groups and a first date place.
They also split checks no problem.

My favorite happy hour sushi on the westside!
I am a FIEND for OYSTERs. I think the Backhouse has the best oysters for the value. House oysters are $ 1/​each, and they a variety of other choices varying from $ 1.50-$ 3 during happy hour. I usually stick with the house oysters, which are always fresh, perfectly briny and meaty.
Happy hour is from 4 – 6 and 10-​closing. They have an awesome selection of yakitori and rolls, and everything is in the $ 5 or range or less, so you can order a diverse spread of dishes and try a little bit of everything. I get into trouble here with Sarah B. and Rogelio G. because we keep ordering and ordering, $ 5 here and $ 5 there, and before we know it, we’ve spent over $ 100 at happy hour. My favorites are the chicken sea salt yakitori, baked crab roll and tuna sashimi, though everything I’ve tried has been good for the value.
Drinks are also in the $ 3 – 7 range, and include beers, wine, sangria and a very sweet lychee martini. Again, as with the food, it’s a dangerous game because it’s so easy to order more and more. And before you know it, you can’t drive home and need to call an Über.
Parking can be a mess in this area. They usually have a valet out front for $ 5 and there is always 3hrs of free parking across the street at the Westside Pavillion.

Fell in love. Then fell out of love. But it looks like this shop is back on point!
Wish they would do something about the dry shiso-​pork (shiso is my FAVE), but the duck breast, sake selection and oysters on tap are superb.
Bonus: The clients are always good fun, and a couple of the bartenders here absolutely rock!

Happy hour here is always off the charts!
I’ve been here a couple times and they are usually better in food quality, but my last visit I was a little disappointed.
oysters– definitely aren’t as good as they used to be. Not sure what happened here, but quality of the oysters went down. They are now a little fishy and more slimy.
spicy tuna cut roll– the rice was harder this time around. Every time it is usually soft rice filled with spicy tuna, but not this time around.
baked crab hand roll– this is and will always be one of my faves. With every bite, you get a nice bite of soft lump of crab. It is very moist and so delicious.
garlic truffle edamame– I love this. Dipped in soy and truffle oil and with every edamame you get a blast of flavor and savoriness.
salmon carpaccio– salivating flavor on these bad boys. Salmon slices weren’t amazing, but doable for a carpaccio.
albacore carpaccio– I like the salmon better, but try this too.
brussel sprouts– can I say whoot hoot? These veggies are BOMB!
yakitoris are simple and just a cute little staple here. Nothing too special.
I will definitely come back and see how the spicy tuna roll and oysters are. I hope that this was a one time fluke! I mean you never want bad oysters…

Really nicely and dimly lit place but I have mixed feelings about the food although I am definitely down to come back and taste out everything more.
Ordered the albacore carpaccio which wasn’t as well seasoned as I had hoped. Goood but not WHOA– MIND BLOWING good. Next had the edamame (regular but definitely want to try the garlic one next time) and the house oysters which were to DIE for — they had the best cocktail sauce pairing that had a hint of wasabi that was just so delightful and had the perfect amount of a spicy kick. For rolls, ordered the baked salmon and baked lobster and a side order of salmon. The salmon was BOMB and super fresh. The baked lobster roll were a little unconventional to me because I’m so used to them being covered in mayo and literally coming out piping hot on some sort of aluminum foil. Although surprised, I was mildly refreshed by how «unbaked» and nonsmothered the roll was in sauce. Same with the baked salmon — definitely more of a fresh tuna roll then a traditional baked salmon roll.
Definitely down to come here for $ 1 happy hour oysters as well as try out the blue crab handroll!

New go-​to place for $ 1 oysters (during happy hour) since I live in West LA and this place is much closer than EMC in k-​town! My friend thinks the oysters weren’t very fresh but I honestly couldn’t tell.
Definitely recommend the *baked crab handroll*. Lots of crab meat on a bed of warm rice wrapped with soy paper and sprinkled with black sesame seeds. I thought this roll was very unique because I’ve never even tried soy paper before.
Not sure if the Yakitori is worth it at all even for happy hour. (minimum $ 1.75). Tasty but very small portions.
I’ll definitely come back when I shop at Westside Pavilion: P

Party of 2
Total Bill: ~$ 76
Favorite dishes: pork belly, cha siu bowl, brussel sprouts, lychee martini
The $ 1 house oysters are definitely a great deal, but I prefer going to EMC even if they charge a few cents more.
Everything was delicious. My favorite was the pork belly but sadly the portion was small. I wish they offered a monster plate of the pork belly, it was just so good a skewer wasn’t enough.
I normally don’t go out to dinner thinking about Brussel sprouts, but THIS would be the place to go. I’m absolutely obsessed! And I have so much respect for a restaurant that can pull off delicious Brussel sprouts– it’s a difficult vegetable to perfect.
And finally, get the lychee martini if you’re like me… I don’t like alcohol unless it tastes like fruit juice!

Fresh $ 1 oysters always bring a smile to my face, so I love coming to The Backhouse for happy hour! You can stop by from 4 – 6:30 PM or 10 PM-​12 AM for discounted small plates, yakitori, and drinks.
They offer several types of oysters, listed on the board with different prices. During happy hour, the house special oysters are only $ 1 each, so you can really have a field day. I’ve also tried a few of the other happy hour items (pork belly yakitori — $ 1.75, salmon carpaccio — $ 10, shishito peppers — $ 3.95), and they were absolutely delicious!
Since the Westside Pavilion is just across the street, finding free parking (3 hours) is a breeze, which is so rare for LA. :D Really, they make this too convenient to say no. If you want to treat yourself to a semi-​classy snack, The Backhouse is worth a visit.

My college friends and I decided to do happy hour here on a Wednesday. Happy hour runs from 4 – 6:30 PM and again at 10-​closing. We arrived around 5:30−6 and got seated immediately, with no wait.
Between four people, we got a round of $ 1 house special oysters (they offer various types of oysters at different prices), multiple rolls of the HH sushi (Shrimp Tempura Roll, California Roll, and Spicy Tuna Roll ($ 5/​$ 5.50)), various skewers of yakitori, and the seared salmon truffles. Overall, everything was yummy and cheap but since we orders so much, it still came out to about $ 20/​person after tax and tip.
Service was great, our waiter was very attentive and he even made last calls for happy hour.
I loved the seared salmon truffles, the pork belly, and the ribeye. Everything was good, too but those 3 were my faves.
Great place for happy hour! Park across the street at the mall and it’s free parking for the first three hours.