An amazing meal in this cool little restaurant.
Libations are fabul
Great value with the prix fix menu. Each of the 4 courses had three(3) choices. We opted to select our own instead of taking one of each to sample all 12 dishes. Some of the group couldn’t/didn’t want to partake in one or two items. Which was fine. We also added sides of bread (sourdough covered in sesame seed) with Classic butter(which was fermented slightly which added a different profile than straight butter). The fried chicken was an add in too. If you like fried chicken get this as well. Super crunchy coating. Quick dipped in a savory sweet tart glaze. Really yummy. Side of pickled daikon & cucumber reminiscent of a Tokyo zuke Japanese style pickle was a nice contrast.
Every course offered was SOOO DELICIOUS! Kampachi crudo has an all white zen presentation. Lightly sauced. Could’ve had a bit more of the grated horseradish topper though. Duck sausage 2nd was different than expected. More of a terrine sliced than a sausage round shape. The taste didn’t disappoint though. Demi glaze & grape gastrique provided balance. My fav of the proteins was the short rib. Tender melt in your mouth. If you like braised beef, this one’s for you.
My buddy is a dessert lover. Getting all three(?) desserts was perfect. Baked maple custard topped with a lace cookie, persimmon jam on the side. Sabayon with butter mochi was heavenly, soft cookie topped with a whipped something. Crispy popped rice a nice and different crunch.
They’ve added Yelp Best New Restaurant 2026 to their accolades. So hurry on down while you can still get a reservation in a reasonable timeline.
Originally made reservations from an Eater LA article. So happy we came! Since menu items appear seasonally based, the next visit will be entirely different.
Parking available just north of the place. Look for the parking next to the pizza place $5. Small so weekends may be a no go.
Oh yeah, Phoenix Bakery is across the street but closes at 4pm 😫.
As a Chinese American, I was mildly skeptical before trying Kar Son. After visiting, I can say that the food was authentic, delicious, and of higher quality than your average SGV establishment. My favorite dishes were the fried chicken, eggplant, and Chinese sausage fried rice.