Unico Tokyo Pasta: Where Japanese Flavors Meet Italian Comfort in Redondo Beach, CA

Unico Tokyo Pasta Introduce

For those in Redondo Beach, California, seeking a truly unique and delicious culinary adventure, Unico Tokyo Pasta offers an innovative fusion concept that's capturing the hearts (and taste buds) of locals. This isn't just another Japanese or Italian restaurant; it's a creative blend where traditional Japanese flavors and techniques gracefully meet the comforting familiarity of Italian pasta. This intriguing "wafu-pasta" style, which has evolved in Japan, brings something fresh and exciting to the Southern California dining scene.

Unico Tokyo Pasta has quickly established itself as a must-visit spot for its distinctive approach to pasta. Diners rave about signature dishes like the Uni Yasai, featuring a rich and creamy sea urchin sauce that leaves you craving more, and the Curry Bolognese, where the curry perfectly complements without overpowering the classic bolognese. It's a concept that seamlessly blends umami-rich Japanese ingredients with perfectly al dente pasta, creating a memorable dining experience that's both familiar and delightfully new.

Beyond the exceptional food, Unico Tokyo Pasta provides a welcoming and casual atmosphere. Whether you're dining solo and quickly finding a comfortable booth or enjoying a meal with friends, the service is noted for being "great" and the staff "pretty welcoming." The thoughtful design of the restaurant, from its signage to its menu, also adds to the overall positive impression, making it clear that every detail contributes to a pleasant and satisfying visit. It's no wonder many locals are already marking Unico Tokyo Pasta as a "new regular spot" in Redondo Beach.

Location and Accessibility

Unico Tokyo Pasta is conveniently located at 1310 S Pacific Coast Hwy, Redondo Beach, CA 90277, USA. This prime location on a major thoroughfare in Redondo Beach ensures easy access for residents throughout the South Bay area, including Hermosa Beach, Torrance, and other nearby communities. Its prominent position means it's straightforward to find, whether you're coming for a quick lunch or a relaxed dinner.

The restaurant's location offers the benefit of a parking lot in the rear, as well as street parking options, making it convenient for patrons arriving by car. Unico Tokyo Pasta is also noted for being wheelchair accessible, ensuring that the dining experience is enjoyable and comfortable for all guests. Its strategic placement within a bustling part of Redondo Beach contributes significantly to its appeal as a local favorite.

Services Offered

Unico Tokyo Pasta provides a range of services focused on delivering a unique and convenient dining experience:

Dine-In Experience: Enjoy their innovative Japanese-Italian fusion pasta in a comfortable, clean, and welcoming setting, with options for booth seating.
Takeout and Pickup: Customers can place orders for convenient pickup, allowing them to enjoy Unico Tokyo Pasta's unique dishes from the comfort of their home.
Delivery Services: Unico Tokyo Pasta partners with major third-party delivery platforms like Uber Eats, bringing their delicious menu directly to your doorstep.
Lunch and Dinner Service: The restaurant is open daily, accommodating both lunch and dinner crowds. Hours are typically Sunday-Thursday from 11 AM - 9 PM, and Friday-Saturday from 11 AM - 10 PM.
Online Ordering: Streamlined online ordering is available through their website and various delivery platforms, making it easy to browse the menu and place an order.
Reservations: While not explicitly stated as required, it's often advisable to check for reservation options, especially during peak hours, to minimize wait times.

Features / Highlights

Unico Tokyo Pasta distinguishes itself with several key features and highlights that make it a compelling choice for locals:

Innovative Japanese-Italian Fusion Cuisine ("Wafu Pasta"): The core highlight is their unique concept of "wafu-pasta," blending traditional Japanese flavors and ingredients (like uni, shiso, mentaiko, koji) with Italian pasta dishes. This creates an exciting and memorable taste experience.
Standout Pasta Dishes:
- Uni Yasai: Highly praised for its "very tasty" and creamy sea urchin sauce with mushrooms and asparagus, often leaving diners wanting "some more before I finished my dish."
- Curry Bolognese: A unique twist on a classic, noted for its perfectly balanced curry flavor that is "not overpowering," featuring Unico wagyu and pancetta bolognese with mushrooms, asparagus, and onion.
- Unico Bolognese: An "Umami Boosted Original Bolognese" made with Unico wagyu and pancetta, showcasing their commitment to rich flavors.
- Mentaiko Pasta: A signature Japanese-style pasta with spicy cod caviar, cream, and shiso, highlighting authentic "wafu" flavors.
- Garlic Salmon/Shrimp/Chicken: A variety of garlic-infused pasta dishes featuring fresh seafood or chicken, showcasing their diverse offerings.
Premium Ingredients: The use of quality ingredients like "Unico wagyu and pancetta bolognese" and "premium sea urchin cream" elevates the dining experience.
Delicious Sides: Even sides like the garlic bread, though noted as "little pricy," are described as "tasted good." Other appetizers include Burrata Caprese and Koji Cauliflower Soup.
Welcoming and Comfortable Ambiance: The dining environment is described as clean, with a "cool concept," good design, and a welcoming atmosphere, making it a pleasant place for a casual meal.
Efficient Service: Reviewers appreciate that dishes, like the Curry Bolognese and Yuzu Honey Lemon Drop, come out "pretty quick," ensuring "no time wasted."
Unique Drink Options: The mention of a "Yuzu Honey Lemon Drop" suggests creative and refreshing beverage choices that complement the food.
Regular Spot Potential: The highly positive experiences lead customers to declare it a "new regular spot" for them, indicating strong local loyalty.

Promotions or Special Offers

Based on the provided information, specific, ongoing promotional offers for Unico Tokyo Pasta are not explicitly detailed. However, the consistent positive feedback regarding their "reasonably priced" dishes, especially considering the unique concept and quality ingredients like wagyu beef and uni, suggests that the restaurant offers good value year-round. It's always advisable for local patrons to inquire directly with Unico Tokyo Pasta or check their online platforms for any current specials, seasonal menu additions, or potential lunch deals that might be available. As a popular and relatively new concept, they may introduce promotions to reward their growing local customer base.

Contact Information

To experience the delightful fusion cuisine at Unico Tokyo Pasta, you can reach them through the following contact details:

Address: 1310 S Pacific Coast Hwy, Redondo Beach, CA 90277, USA
Phone: (424) 766-1841

Conclusion: Why this place is suitable for locals

For the discerning diners of Redondo Beach and across the wider California region, Unico Tokyo Pasta is an exceptionally suitable and exciting addition to the local culinary landscape. Its prime location on South Pacific Coast Highway ensures easy accessibility, making it a convenient choice for residents seeking a fresh and delicious meal. What truly makes it a perfect fit for locals is its innovative "wafu-pasta" concept, offering a unique blend of Japanese flavors and Italian comfort that stands out from typical offerings.

The consistent praise for their pasta dishes, particularly the incredibly "tasty" Uni Yasai and the balanced Curry Bolognese, highlights the restaurant's commitment to high-quality ingredients and creative culinary execution. This ensures that every visit is a flavorful adventure. The inviting and clean dining environment, coupled with welcoming and efficient service, contributes to a pleasant experience whether you're dining alone or with company. For Californians eager to explore new tastes and enjoy a comfortable meal in a cool, well-designed setting, Unico Tokyo Pasta offers a "cool concept mixing up Japanese flavors with pasta" that will undoubtedly become a "new regular spot." It's a testament to how local restaurants can innovate and deliver exceptional dining experiences right in our neighborhoods.

Unico Tokyo Pasta Photos

Unico Tokyo Pasta Location

Unico Tokyo Pasta

California Los Angeles County Redondo Beach South Redondo South Pacific Coast Highway

1310 S Pacific Coast Hwy, Redondo Beach, CA 90277, USA

Unico Tokyo Pasta Reviews

We went on a Thursday night around 7:45pm. We waited around 10 mins so it was not bad. We ordered garlic bread, uni yasai and curry bolognese. I thought the garlic bread is little pricy but they tasted good. Uni yasai is made with creamy uni sauce, the uni sauce was very tasty. I already wanted some more before i finished my dish. The curry in Curry bolognese was not overpowering. Both pasta dishes were delicious. We will definitely come back soon.
Mar 21, 2025 · Wai Chan
Hopped over to Unico for a casual meal by myself. Got a booth at the high seats. Service was great and everyone was pretty welcoming. I ordered a Curry Bolognese with a Yuzu Honey Lemon Drop and both came out pretty quick. No time wasted and was able to grub out shortly after I was seated. Overall, cool concept mixing up Japanese flavors with pasta. I liked the design of the signage, menu, and restaurant. The place looks good and the food tastes great. Unico will definitely be a new regular spot for me down in Redondo.
Jan 30, 2025 · Aarón
I was really excited to hear that another Japanese pasta spot was opening up—ever since I tried pasta in Japan, I’ve been a fan. So, we decided to check it out on a Saturday night. We added our names to the waitlist on Yelp around 4:50 PM while heading to the restaurant and were seated in just five minutes. The parking lot was a bit crowded, but there’s probably some street parking available.The restaurant has a cute and casual vibe, which I really liked. We ordered the garlic bread, Unico salad, Neapolitan pasta, and the Unico Bolognese pasta. The salad came out first—fresh, crisp, and had a lot of dressing. The garlic bread smelled amazing, so I had high hopes, but unfortunately, the flavor didn’t live up to the aroma. It was surprisingly mild, lacking that rich, garlicky-buttery punch.I was especially excited for the Neapolitan pasta since it’s not something you see on many menus. The sauce was decent but felt like it was missing something, and the pasta itself I don’t think was cooked properly—it wasn’t really al dente, possibly due to its thicker texture, but maybe that’s a personal preference. My husband ordered the Bolognese, which is usually his go-to, but this one was not great. While the sauce coated the pasta, it was on the dry side and the flavor was definitely lacking.Overall, I love that Redondo Beach has a new Japanese pasta spot, but I think I’ll stick to Pasta e Pasta and Spoon House for my pasta cravings.
Mar 13, 2025 · Jennifer L
Cut to the chase. I've had Japanese pasta. This is not it.Portions were large, but mostly noodles, and doesn't taste like the good kind. Also it's not cooked right. I ordered wagyu and pork bolognese. Meat was scarce, some pork is visible, I couldn't taste the waygyu, didn't even taste the beef. I knew it was not wagyu, I had some unrealistic hopes that if they used the name, they must have figured out a way to infuse somebody the flavores into thendish. Didnt happen, please don't use that word casually.Same with the other dishes, different color sauce, but they all somewhat taste the same. Bland, lack flavor, lacks punch, most importantly, not salted properly. Portion should be half, with some decent flavored meat. Most expensive YouTube recipe cooking I've ever paid for. Not good, not nearly as bad, but confused, disappointing and underwhelming.Interior was cute though.
Apr 21, 2025 · Will H
Unico opened up recently in Redondo beach and we were very satisfied with our first visit. It definitely won’t be our last visitBeautiful place, love the atmosphere. We came on a Friday night and there was plenty of staff, All well trained and very friendly. Parking can be difficult with the small lot but that’s to be expected in the redondo beach area.For food, we tried the garlic bread, yasai uni cream, and curry bolognese. Both pasta dishes had good portionsGarlic bread is nice to have with soup or your pasta. Lots of garlic, crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside. It pairs well with the uni cream pasta, I loved using the bread to absorb the cream sauce.Yasai uni cream is delicious. Portions are very generous. With how rich and creamy it is, I can’t finish a dish by myself. I do wish there was some actual uni in the dish though and not just in the creamCurry bolognese was delicious. Excellent take on a bolognese. Has the essence of a bolognese sauce with the curry flavor. Not too spicy and plenty of flavor. Add in some pepper flakes and it’s perfect.Oh the pasta in both dishes were cooked al dente and perfect.One complaint, I wish when we ordered hot tea, it wasn’t just a cup of hot water with a tea bag thrown in. Maybe serve “house” tea made in the back so the presentation is better?
Apr 13, 2025 · Felix G