Yamashiro, Hollywood

4 more images

Well I finally got to go to Yamasiros. I had been wanting to come here for sometime now but something always came up. I had heard that this is a very nice restaurant, very romantic with great views of the city. Most of my friends had already been here and my sisters had too. As a matter of fact one of my sisters even got engaged here.
So finally i came but I forgot my camera. The pictures you see here are from the website. First you drive up the hill, looks like there is no way theres a restaurant here because its in a residential area. Once you get to the top you go to vallet park. Its about $6 and i think its mandatory because they dont want you to block the residents homes/parking. As soon as I got out of the car you see this beautiful view of the city. There is also a Japanese garden in the middle of the restaurant, Koi fish pond and small waterfall. Toward the side of the restaurat there is a pagoda that you can walk to. You can strol the garden before or after your meal. They also cater to big groups.
I would definitely come back here.

Favorite Dish: There is alot of seafood on the menu. As a matter of fact, theres just a few things on the menu that isnt seafood. I had the filet mignon with baked potato and broccoli. The Chinese chicken salad was very good too.
The food wasnt bad but it wasnt as good as I thought it would be. I also had a few drinks (martinis with malibu rum, I forgot what they called them) They were very very good. I did expect it to be much more expensive here but surprisingly it was resonable.
I also had the warm chocolate souffle cake. That was excellent.

4 more images

For 88 years Yamashiro has watched over the history of Hollywood. It has witnessed the birth of the film industry, the glamour of Hollywood’s “Golden Age”, the difficult times of war with Japan, and the current period of intense interest in Eastern cultures. Yamashiro started as a fabulous private estate and is now open to the public as a unique restaurant and public gardens.

Yamashiro means “Mountain Palace” in Japanese. It was the dream of the Bernheimer brothers in 1911 to build a hilltop mansion 250 feet above Hollywood Boulevard to house their priceless collection of Asian treasures. Hundreds of skilled craftsmen were brought from the Orient to recreate an exact replica of a palace located in the “Yamashiro” mountains near Kyoto, Japan. This dream became a reality in 1914.

Landscaping at Yamashiro was a $2 million effort and resulted in California’s foremost Japanese gardens. Hillside terraces were filled with 30,000 varieties of trees and shrubs, waterfalls, hundreds of goldfish, and even a private zoo of exotic birds and monkeys. Miniature bronze houseboats floated along a maze of tiny canals through a miniature Japanese village.

For three decades, guests have enjoyed Yamashiro’s gracious Japanese ambience, with its award-winning Japanese menu. Two years ago, a complete management change instituted renovations inside the building and an elegant yet contemporary new direction in service and food, resulting in the creation of the restaurant’s highly praised CalAsian cuisine, complementing classic Japanese favorites. Now the complete dining experience is unmatched in Los Angeles, enhanced by the spectacular view that originally drew the Bernheimer brothers, and later the Glover family, to this Hollywood hilltop to build Yamashiro, Hollywood’s own “Mountain Palace”.

By Thomas Y. Glover (shortened version)

Favorite Dish: Appetizers: Yamashiro Crispy Chicken - rice cracker coating, apple-cabbage slaw, crispy potato ribbons.

Sushi and Sashimi: Crunchy - crab, avocado, shrimp tempura, cucumber, kaiware, yamagobo, tempura flakes.

Entrées: Miso Salmon - grilled asparagus, fingerling potato-persimmon-arugula hash, salmon roe, miso-cream

Yamashiro is a replica of an Oriental palace, it was built as a private mansion in 1913. But since the 1960's it has been serving the public as a grand Japanese restaurant. Located high in the Hollywood hills the view is breathtaking. Pricey but well worth the visit. Here you will find twelve acres of lushly landscaped gardens, waterfalls, a 14th century pagoda and a spectacular view of the city below, the Yamashiro is a Hollywood legend which preserves some of the Old Hollywood glamour. An interesting bit of trivia: the pagoda is 600-years old, imported from Japan in 1914, ranks as the oldest building in Los Angeles! For more information please click on YAMASHIRO

Favorite Dish: Green Tea Ice Cream.