Manna Japenese Grill

This place is now closed. They took down all the signs and equipment this week. UV is closing down in a month for the redevelopment project.
It was the best deal for Japanese food around campus. The portions were large and food was very consistent. My fav was the $ 8.95 tempura and chicken teriyaki combo plate. Sushi was good as well. Hopefully they found a new location nearby and will reopen.

Solid for the price — I was impressed with the shrimp and sweet potato tempura in particular. The batter is tasty and crisp if you eat it INSTANTLY. Don’t get it to go — if you get it to go you’re gonna have a bad time.
The sweet potato’s a nice change because they use the white-​purple kind, not the bright orange yam kind.
The salad (just shredded cabbage, really) has an interesting sesame-​seed-​filled dressing.

A booth in a food court has no right to be this good.
Top quality seafood at very reasonable prices. I love the salmon. I like the plentiful cabbage salad which is nicely flavored.
I would like to discuss more dishes, but after ordering the salmon the first time I’ve never felt the need to order anything else.

Not bad for the UV but don’t look for legit quality Japanese food here.
The tempura is not bad if you eat it quickly. Don’t let it get cold because then it doesn’t taste good at all. The sushi is just okay and the miso is bland but the salad they give you on the side is very good. The dressing is really yummy so I always look forward to the side salad. The portions are pretty good and the price is decently competitive, so it’s not a bad option when you are looking for a quick bite to eat at the food court.

This review is for the shitty customer service I received just now.
I’ve been working at USC for almost 6 years and have frequented many of the eateries in the area including Manna Japanese Grill. The food is descent, the price is meh. I haven’t eaten at this place in over a year, usually a lady would take my order.
It’s summer so the UV is dead for the most part. So I was really surprised to encounter such attitude from the guy at the register when I asked a question about two of the rolls. He opted to hand me a brochure and say they have A LOT of rolls so I should read what is in them. Bitch please I’ve had plenty of amazing Japanese food and real sushi. I am not unaware of what Japanese food is. I don’t need attitude because I ask you a simple question about your menu.
Regardless, I make my decision about a roll and also want to add a salad to my meal, but he informs me I can’t get two types of salad it has to only be one kind… are you fucking kidding me? Like I said I’ve eaten at this place before and this has never been an issue.
I am sorry I disrupted your day of sitting around with your finger up your ass. You should really consider hiring someone who wants to work there and has customer service skills.
Anytime I am in the UV, I opt for Thai Trio or Health Hut, the food and the customer service is excellent. I’ve noticed lines at these two places but Manna Japanese Grill is dead… now you know why.

Worst customer service ever!!! Don’t go there!!! Save your money to some other place where people treat you as a human being!!!

This review is based on the salmon bowl I just ate…
Deliciously grilled and seasoned fish. However I wish it wasn’t such a tiny piece, and came with more veggies…
But the rice was indeed tasty and the cabbage was interesting. I guess the chicken bowl might have been a better deal for this stingy student. Will try next time, perhaps.
Manna is a solid option, for the UV. Fast and affordable… seems healthier than the Korean sodium bomb food nextdoor, and you don’t have to get a scary Mongo-​Fresh quantity.
Sandwich Island still dominates this food court in the nutrition-​for-​$$$ category, but I will come back here to Manna if I get that teriyaki/​sushi craving anytime soon – beats those «real» sushi restaurant prices for sure…

After checking out both Health Hut and Sandwich Island several times, I wanted to venture out and try some other places in the UV food court.
Today, I had the #34 combo from Manna Japanese Grill! It came with chicken teriyaki, 3 pieces of gyoza, a variety of tempura (2 shrimp, carrot, zucchini, squash, sweet potato), 4 pieces of CA roll, and a portion of an Asian-​style shredded cabbage salad. The total came out to a little over $ 10, which I thought was a little pricey for the food court! However, when my food came out, I saw that the portion was HUGE! Comparable to a bento box from a restaurant, maybe even a little bigger.
THE FOOD IS GOOD! Probably not the most authentic, since I know that the owners are Korean because I overheard them speaking my native tongue. But you know… Koreans can pull of Japanese cuisine pretty well. Call me out, but I’ll think what I want!
My new go-​to when I’m craving Japanese and don’t want to travel far to get it :)

great food, great price, easy location (right by USC campus), and in my opinion, the best vendor in the food court.
While it may not be the most authentic japanese food, it will definitely satiate your craving for some asian food. my go to is the salmon teriyaki plate served with rice and a veggie kabob and two really great salads (sumi & oriental salads) The owners/​workers are pleasant and friendly and they cook your food fresh after you order it. it’s a clean place and also generous in portions.
love this place and will continue to stop by for a quick lunch or dinner.

Yummmmmm. Tha bombizzlefoshizzlenizzleteriyakichizzle aka very good food

this is not strictly speaking a 4 stars place, but… accounting for the location I’m gonna give it to them… by far the best place to eat in the UV… food is always fresh, cooked to order, fairly priced, and tastes quite good. You can’t get better bang for your buck than their chicken bowl.

The girl behind the counter is so freaking cute and she’s the reason I’m here most days (:
Number 1 roll is the business if you’re looking for a filling meal. My next choice would be the salmon with the skewers. Loves it!
Plenty of seating and free wi-​fi!

This is one of my favorite places to get food while around the USC campus. Located in the University Village food court, Manna serves your traditional Japanese food, and its good especially for those on the go. On this occasion, and basically every occasion that I am here, I got their chicken lunch box. At around $ 10 (this seems to be the average for a bento lunch box in the LA area) you get a good portion of chicken, shrimp/​vegetable tempura, 4 california rolls and cabbage salad — this is my favorite, along with miso soup. Usually, you get bowl of steamed rice, but they seemed to not include it in this order. I recommend not eating in the food court, instead, walk across the street and head over to the campus and sit in the grassy area by Leavey Library — the meal will just be that much better.

Decent place to come for lunch. It’s food-​court Japanese food so don’t expect the best tasting anything, but they give you a lot for your money and the food comes out quick. I ordered the salmon combo and it came with CA roll, tempura, soup, gyoza, and salad… it was a ginormous lunch for a good price. My fellow lunchers seemed to enjoy their order of udon and some other chicken combo. I would definitely come back again for lunch.

Ordered three bento boxes for a lunch meeting where nobody would commit to what they wanted. It included:
chicken terriyaki, which dry and not very flavorful
friend dumplings: which had a good filling to skin ratio
tempura: good variety of shrimp, carrots, string beans, broccoli, etc.
california roll: average, mostly the faux crab meat mix
salad: light fresh dressing, they put what i think are pieces of ramen noodles, which was strange.
miso soup: bland
it was a good deal for the price. all of that for under $ 10. two could easily share the bento box.

One of the most expensive places in the UV.
Customer service is ok.
Food is pretty good but not too cost effective.
If you want a lot of food the bento box is probably the way to go.
I think whoever put this place up didn’t spell grill correctly?