Tengu

Went by Tengu and was bummed! Man I loved the dancers they had in the end. They transformed this place into a weird but sort of cool hang out. more

I dropped by Tengu and discovered it was closed. I tried calling and then tried the westwood location. It is still open and they said they are not owned by the same people. more

We absolutely loved it! We would recommend it to all our friends. The sushi is so fresh and high quality. The best toro we have ever tasted.... more

Wow, what an uncomfortable experience. Where to begin? First of all, this restaurant suffers worse than most from the classic LA botch - they hire their staff for their idiocy, I mean looks, not thier resume. Our waiter was a brash, pretty, poney who coould have cared less about us. She brought our drinks AFTER we were done with our appetizers, which were themselves served after 30 min. While I was looking at the menu to order anther roll, she walked up, grabbed it out of my hands, all-cute, and said she needed it, then walked away!!! What?! Then the food. Oy! Not special at all. And the specialty sushi, the Japenes conch, was tough and tasteless - it was $25! The place looked pretty but was not taken care of. Kind of gross, really. There was just a sense that the place was under seriouslt bad management. Our bill for three people was over $350. What a waste. I felt like I wanted to go home and take a shower to wash off the filth. Pros: None Cons: Slow, rude service, dirty floor, expensive more

I am in the restaurant business, and have been since I was a little kid. I am very familiar with every aspect of the business. What I found most appalling about my experience at Tengu Santa Monica wasn't the usual gripes; service, food, etc...everyone has an off night. What got me was the evident lack of concern from just about all the staff that my guest and I were leaving hungry and dissatisfied, even after we voiced our concerns. In the end, we left after "eating" at Tengu and went across the street to The Lobster and had a nice dinner. The issues: 1. I ordered a "tengucumber," which initially came out as a straight vodka with lemon; the waitress proceeded to smell the drink and agree with me that it was undrinkable. They were kind enough to remake the drink for me, which came out over 20 minutes later. 2. Our food took over 45 minutes after ordering to be served. Our waitress didn't dodge the table and gave us regular status updates, kudos to her, but at one point I asked to cancel our order and mentioned that it had been long enough we couldn't wait anymore. It wasn't until that complaint that our food was served. Even our seafood miso soup, which I didn't want but ordered figuring it would at least come out fast, took over 25 minutes post order. 3. I'm not one to complain, but I felt that the management should at least have a chance to repair the situation and know that we were leaving unhappy. The tone of voice from the manager during her "apology" made my date cringe so heavily, that we left hungry after over an hour with a $100 dollar bill. In short, this was one of the worst dining experiences I have had a restaurant charging premium prices. Thank you to The Lobster for accommodating us last minute after our snafu at Tengu. Pros: Waitress, Ambience Cons: Food Timing, Drinks, Drink Timing more

This restaurant does not deserve even a star. We had a horrible experience at Tengu. By the time, I had received my food, I would have probably finished a lap around the world. It took Tengu about 40 minutes to bring our food to the table and the restaurant was not even busy. I am an easy-going customer and I rarely get upset about a restaurant. The management team should re-evaluate the way they are running the restaurant. It was poorly managed. After voicing our concerns to the manager, she had asked us if we wanted a free meal?! How offensive! If the management wanted to express their apologies, they should take the experience as their own and take care of the check without even asking. I didn't come for a free meal. I came to spend a nice evening with my guest. Don't waste your time and money. Pros: the food was decent Cons: poor management more

i would definitely recommend tengu, i just checked it out for lunch. they have amazing lunch specials, each are $10 but could easily be $20+. i tried the sushi plate and the salmon. the quality of the fish and the vegetables are great, not to mention the beautiful presentation of the food. it's a relaxed atmosphere, but also has a great party vibe. it's also a fun place to drop by if you're hoping to spot a celeb. matthew mcconaughey and his people were hanging out when i was there. the staff is super-friendly and ready to make any accomodation to make your experience an awesome one. definitely drop by then take a walk down beautiful ocean avenue! more

I was here about six months ago and I thought the place was allright, but not great. The food was OK but our waiter was inattentive and the hip-hop music was way too loud and inappropriate for dining. But, I decided to give the place another shot, so I came here with my date last night, and there was a dramatic difference. Good service, the place looked better, and the food was wonderful. The music was also much better. A place to see and be seen. more

I was so tired of the same old Japanese restuarants in LA...so a friend told me about this great place on the water called Tengu Santa Monica. So, I went there with a date about a week ago and had such a blast! First, I made the reservation and the host was really accomodating...they spoke to me like we were already buddies...then when we got there...it was so much fun. We had a great dinner. The waiter was really friendly and had his own favorites on the menu. The waiters all seemed to really like each other and so they'd all talk to us. I HIGHLY recommend this sashimi dish with yellowtail and peppers, the Subarashi Roll, and the Misore (Sp?) roll. Then we had a lot of great sake...and before I knew it, we had finished our meal and we were at the bar for the LATE NIGHT HAPPY HOUR...even more sushi at ridiculous prices. I didn't even know places had late night happy hours. We listened to the cool music playing from the live DJ they had spinning and had a great time. I wish more places in LA had a vibe like this. More welcoming, less stuffy!!!! Pros: Great Food, Great Service, Amazing VIbe Cons: There is construction on Colorado right now...but that's about it! more

Great food, Great atmosphere, Great service! Tengu is one of my favorite restaurants off of Ocean Ave. I prefer Tengu over Sushi Roku any day! Pros: Live Shrimp more

This week, the food but less than good, the all too common miso-seabass was overcooked and hard, the sashimi did not melt in my mouth, the service was not great, the noise from the back room where a DJ is was too loud for the restaurant to handle. The decor was okay but Viceroy's been doing that for years. The whole vibe in there was really weird, its seems as though Tengu is lost and confused. It also seemed that the ones partying most were the ones that worked there. What a waste of a location. more

pretty good, not too well run but nice people. the food is overpriced and it seemed a bit dirty. the workers seemed drunk . someone needs to take more care more

When we decided we'd finally had enough of the strip mall sushi mediocrity, we went to Tengu for an amazing dinner. It was the kind of meal where every bite is memorable and every dish becomes a topic of conversation for later on. The vibe was super shwanky ... like being at a cool house party with a famous private sushi chef and DJ (and fun good looking people). Service was fantastic, quick and attentive. Overall, a really fun night which was worth the cost. Pros: FISH, service, music more

We had the omakasa (sp?) and it was amazing! The food was delicious and the surroundings were gorgeous...including the wait staff ;-) I highly recommend it! Food was priced for the ingredients and decor but definitely well worth it. Pros: delicious food, fresh sushi, great decor, good looking staff, cheap parking in the SM parking garages more

You just cant beat the location. Right on Ocean Ave, overlooking the Beach. If your feeling a little daring I would definately reccomend the Omakase. The Yakihama was amazing, so was the live fish. The elegant selection of sake was great, and I love that they give you samples for tasting. Overall a great experience and I highly reccomend it. Also had one of the best looking staffs I have ever seen. Pros: Food, Ambiance, Staff Cons: A little crowded and loud at times more

We have mixed emotions about this place. The decor gave that typical "Hollywood" (fresh, cool, modern... but pretentious) vibe, the food was mediocre, and there was a point in the meal where we thought that forgot about us entirely. ?However, unlike the typical ?Hollywood? clubs, they totally made up for it by giving everyone on the table a complimentary glass of wine and dessert. more

Loved the ambiance of Tengu SM!!! Food was fabulous, our waitress was such a delight. Will definitely go back for more. A must if ever visiting Santa Monica! Pros: food, ambiance, service more

The service and staff at this restaurant are terribly rude. They were like Heckle & Jeckle. Nice when they seat you but then they turn on you. Even though the food and decor is very good, I rather spend my money at a place that will treat me with respect. Definitely not worth it! Pros: Food Cons: Service and mannerism more

I was dining by myself which seemed to be a weird crime at this restaurant. I was not very welcomed as a solo diner. I was seated at the sushi bar. The chef wasn't really friendly and he ignored me. I looked at the fish on display and I thought it didn't look that great. I just left. I was prepared to spend a lot of money there since I was on an expense account. Oh well. Pros: Cool Location Cons: Wannabes Dining Here more

i have know the chef for quite a while , and enjoy the food at least one a month ....the seating area in the dj station is the best and open to the outdoor .it very crowded on the weekend , sunday night is the best night ..please no more French Tuesdays more