Go Squared Takoyaki & Taiyaki

So what is an okonomiyaki? Think of it as a Japanese version of a savory pancake that is cooked over the grill with shredded cabbage, eggs, your choice of meat, with cheese, green onions, etc.
I ordered the beef okonomiyaki. You have the choice of ordering it with toppings like soba, cheese for $ 1 each. I made the mistake of ordering the soba but not mentioning to put it «on top» of it. So instead, they grilled it with the soba noodles inside with the pancake. It ended up tasting a bit try for me. The cheese made it very flavorful, but that meant I had a hard time finishing it.
One order of okonomiyaki is already good for sharing! Overall, it was decent, but the taste and quality did not blow me out of the water.
This place is located inside the Mitsuwa Marketplace at the food court area. Credit cards accepted.

I always stop here when I go to Mitsuwa. A first tip is to expect a longer wait time than they say!!! Overall, the food is pretty good. Be careful when eating the takoyaki because it comes out piping hot. Love the dancing flakes! The okonomiyaki has a bit too much sauce, but it is a large portion.

How to describe Takoyaki? Batter, crisped on the outside and before the middle can fully form, a piece of tender octopus is placed inside.
There are variations. You can order a simple Takoyaki. Or take it to the next level and add green onions, or cheese, or even mushrooms.
Every order is topped with some kind of dried fish or perhaps squid flakes (not sure which), green onions and a drizzle of sauces. Very beautiful presentation.
I don’t personally care for Takoyaki, but I found the one with mushrooms to be tasty. The bite of soft batter with the tender octopus and fungly mushrooms and that awesome sauce with a little bit of flake… just so good! I find it best eaten immediately!
Like I said, I’m not a huge fan, but the combination of flavors just works!
I wouldn’t be able to eat this daily, but definitely could eat once a week!
Food is good and ingredients are of good quality.

Takoyaki took way too long to make. It doesn’t even take that long to make takoyaki. Also, it was really not good at all and kind of undercooked.
Would not come here ever again.

Having been to Osaka and throughout Japan several times, this place’s cuisine is not actually that bad for a quick fix. The takoyaki is actually pretty good, not great but decent… Takoyaki is essentially octopus balls with some other sauces and fried to taste. These particular ones were a tad bit undercooked, but still good. One of my favorite Japanese dishes is Okonomiyaki, this place makes it and they make it very well. The portion was large, it was prepared well and it was pretty freaking delicious. Overall, this place is fairly no frills but the Okonomiyaki makes it worthy of a visit.
Pros–
Price
Okonomiyaki
Portions
Serving plates
Freashness
Cons–
Average service
Seating can be tough
Takoyaki a tad undercooked

The takoyaki was raw and the octopus inside was rubbery. The beef okonomiyaki was so completely drenched in a sweet sauce it was almost inedible.

Their food is decent but what I am marking them down for is their service. I know it’s just a food booth so rating them on service might be odd but the cashiers they hire are so unbelievably rude and unpleasant that I have to complain. They also look clinically depressed most of the time. I’m not sure why they even work front counter when it’s obvious they hate people. I wonder is it because they are underpaid or maybe they’re family members and are bring forced into free labor. I don’t know but they are the worst.

Heads-​up:
Unlike other restaurants in this food court, the price listed outside of this place DOES NOT include TAX.
Worst takoyaki I’ve ever had. Wish I had look at comments on Unilocal before trying.
This place makes itself stand out from every other restaurant in the food court of Mitsuwa marketplace (in a bad way). Unlike most Japanese restaurants or kiosks in this food court, the outside of the kitchen is entirely ordinary American style, which makes me start to be skeptical on the quality of food: do the takoyaki balls have some genuine Japanese taste?
Unfortunately they are not. If you know something about takoyaki, it is a very popular street food in Japan and people grab a paper plate and go, which means it should be ready very quickly. So I was very surprised to find my order takes about 15 min. And no one was waiting before me.
And it does not worth the time to wait. The takoyaki balls are too soft, and the octopus inside is sort of raw. If you touch the takoyaki balls using chopstick very lightly, the entire ball starts to collapse. Paula C. also mentioned this so this cannot just be my bad luck. I barely finished two and had to stop, since I guess they are not fully cooked.
Staff inside played very loud music while people eating outside, which makes the entire experience even worse.

Before ignoring this review as someone with picky/​ignorant tastes, please know that I’ve accepted foods that waiters have gotten wrong, forgave badly cooked foods made on busy days, and have allowed managers to see me in the wrong for the sake of other customers’ services — many, many times. I do not like making people’s days bad nor inconveniencing them for my sake.
But I could not ignore nor tolerate the service I was given here (during lunch hours on a weekday).
I had specifically asked for a beef bowl For Here, and was given a pork bowl instead.
I thought this was a minor mistake of being misheard, so I simply ordered a beef bowl To Go for later.
I was given, yet again, a pork bowl.
I had a friend attempt to return the item. I’ve been known to have bad luck when it comes to customer service, while she was known to have a great time with them. So she’s my go-​to.
She came back saddened. She had attempted to get them to correct the order, even going as far as showing them pictures and translations of the order. But they simply said she was mistaken, and that it was indeed a beef bowl.
Another friend of mine, far more confrontational than either of us, stepped up to the plate and went to clear the matter. Harsh and direct, she got them to finally change the order to an actual beef bowl.
It took three of us to get them to simply correct a single, simple order… Which is certainly not good service, and does not bode well for customers.
With none of us being of Japanese descent, I would have understood if this was simply a race disservice (it’s still common for some Japanese nationalists to do this, only as a self defense against other cultures that mistreat them and their culture)… But none of the workers during this shift were full blooded Japanese.
Because of this, I could not fathom as to why they knowingly gave us the wrong order… Outside of lazy stingy reasons (pork must be cheaper).
So… I’m sorry, restaurant, but I have to give you my first 1-​star review. I hope your workers learn and your business blooms, honestly.
Good pork bowl, nonetheless.

Do you like raw takoyaki!!!
LOOK NO FURTHER!
Go squared specializes in soppy wet takoyaki that’ll break apart with the touch of the chopstick! We also don’t have materials such as kimchi! Come to this place if you want to be left with depression from knowing that you wasted your money. You WILL REGRET IT! GUARANTEED!

I am a fan of takoyaki. I enjoy trying it from different places so I decided to try it one day when i went to Mitsuwa for lunch one day after church. I ended up ordering the Kimchi one with a side of rice. The price seemed a little steep for what I ordered but I wanted try it since my family told me it was pretty good. I waited a little bit longer than expected but I think it’s because they had to put the kimchi inside of it. Upon receiving it, it has an interesting smell of fish and tires? My sister told me it was the fish things that were on top, which apparently is what they’re known for having.
Overall this place was okay, not great but not entirely bad either. It’s not the place to go if you’re looking for amazing takoyaki but if you’re willing to try to different kinds they have then maybe it’s for you.

Ordered the negi ponzu takoyaki and they were delicious! I give this place three stars only because the service is very slow. There were only 3 people ahead of me and i probably waited over 40 mins. for them to take my order and make my takoyaki! The people ahead of me were pretty upset as well for the long wait.

Bf and I stopped here at 12:41 p.m. on Sunday, May 10, 2015. The guy who took our order was rude. We initially order mixed ika and shrimp to which he curtly replied, «we’re out of squid.» The overtone was a take it or leave it. He acted as though he was doing us a favor.
It’s unfortunate for employers that there are myriads of workers who really shouldn’t be interacting with customers. Businesses suffer at the hands of these people.
Food took longer than expected. It tasted as expected from a fast food operation.

Their takoyaki is average and their yakitori is above average but the real reason I like this place is that new dish they have… I don’t remember the name but it is steak + squash, rice, miso, several other things in one of those big meal boxes. The steak is REALLY REALLY REALLY good, especially for being $ 12 or however much it is. It is incredibly tasty and filling. Though the steak is good on it’s own that lemony sauce they provide makes it out of this world.
So, in sum, come for the yakitori or that steak plate… especially that steak plate… it never disappoints.
Only think I wish they had was non-​pepsi soda products but it’s a minor quibble.

After over a year of build-​up, I finally tried the Go Squared Ramen Burger, it was totally disappointing. The beef patty was greasy, the ramen buns were a bit mushy, and the burger was doused in a sticky teriyaki-​esque sauce. Put all that together, and the combination is cloying and sickening. I was done after two bites. The side of edamame was cute, though, kind of like a Japanese version of burger and fries.
No doubt Mitsuwa Marketplace has the best food court in town. Between Hannosuke, sushi, and Santouka, there’s a reason it took me this long to try something new. Thanks to this disappointment, I won’t be deviating again anytime soon.

One of the best Okonomiyaki in town for me! I recommend to add noodle in it!
They are within Mitsuwa market.

I came here on a weeknight at 7:50pm looking to enjoy some Takoyaki (grilled octopus balls). I walk up to the register and the guy says they are about to close. I’m like, oh, ok. Then he says they only have Takoyaki (which happens to be what I wanted anyway). I order the regular ($ 5.90) and it (sadly) ends up not being worth it at all.
Pros: they gave me 10 pieces instead of eight (maybe because they were closing).
Cons: the problem is that these 10 pieces were not good. Maybe they gave me old ones. Barely any actual octopus inside; it was mostly just breading. I don’t know if I should give them the benefit of the doubt, but they just weren’t good at all. The taste and the texture were bad, but I still decided to give two stars instead of one.
Maybe I need to try again during peak business hours in order to obtain a fresh batch of Takoyaki. Right now this ranks on the bottom of my list for restaurants inside of Torrance Mitsuwa.

Inside Mitsuwa market, in the food court.
For $ 7, you get 8 Takoyaki, freshly made… to almost uncooked dough.
Good thing i was too hungry otherwise, I would have asked them to remake it.
Cash only.
Pretty decent size but… I would like to eat cooked Takoyaki.
Just sayin…

Takoyaki AND okonomiyaki?! These are two foods that are not easy to find nowadays! So happy that Go Squared has both! Located inside the Mitsuwa Marketplace food court, Go Squared offers yakisoba, ramen burgers, and taiyaki, along with their takoyaki and okonomiyaki.
Okonomiyaki comes with either pork, squid, beef, cheese, or pork and squid mix. You can also get it «modern» which comes with soba noodles! I definitely recommend getting it with noodles! So yummy! Then it is topped off with okonomiyaki sauce, Japanese mayo, and bonito flakes! Bonito flakes really do make everything taste better! Also, just a warning, it comes out SUPER HOT… I mean burn-​yourself-​hot! So make sure to be careful! I like to ask for another plate to let it cool, since the hot iron plate it’s on will stay hot for quite a while!
The takoyaki is also very good! I like getting the traditional octopus, but they also make it with onion, kimchi, cheese, or cod roe and mayo. Topped with the same sauce that they use for the okonomiyaki, Japanese mayo, and bonito flakes. An order comes with eight delicious pieces! These also come out pretty hot, so eat with caution!
While I enjoy coming here for the good food, the time it takes between ordering and receiving your food is really long. Even when there are not many customers, the food takes forever to make! I’ve waited 30+ minutes for okonomiyaki before… so be prepared to wait!

Ramen burger!
Finally! After months of wanting to try out the ramen burger, I got to try it today! I was at Mitsuwa Marketplace to have lunch with a friend when I spotted a sign at Go Squared Takoyaki & Taiyaki that said «New! Ramen Burger!» I have wanted to try it for awhile now and the moment spotted the sign, I knew I wanted to try it.
The ramen burger here is $ 8 or you can get a combo that comes with soda for $ 9. When you order they will state that it takes 15 minutes. It truly does take that long because I watched as they fried the ramen buns, prepared the burger and fried the egg. After the wait, I was presented with a fresh cooked decent sized ramen burger.
The ramen buns themselves were to my surprise soft thus making this burger a little hard to handle and messy to eat. Tastewise the ramen itself was just ok, a little bit on the bland side. The main burger itself was decent and nicely cooked. I liked that they included a fried egg.
Was the ramen burger worth all the ramen burger hype from last year? Answer: not really. Was it worth trying for the experience? Answer: yes
I’m really glad I finally got to try the ramen burger. It is definitely unique and interesting to eat but at the same time, not something I would order again in the near future or something I would add to my faves. I’m still glad I got to try it though. At least now, I can say I am part of the crowd that has gotten to try the ever so elusive… ramen burger ;).