(Hotel restaurants are not eligible in this category)
Teriyaki
MIKADO EXPRESS
845 S. Rainbow Blvd.
Teriyaki must be the small business restaurant phenomenon of the late '90s. It seems you see one in every shopping center, although voters were slow to jump on the bandwagon. The MSG-free Mikado, with its sunny view of cars passing within a chopstick's length on Rainbow Boulevard, is almost a fixture by now and topped Teriyaki Bowl in a light-response category where product may exceed demand.
Our Pick:
MIKADO EXPRESS
And we thought we were being different by getting back to a staff pick from 1994, after putting the spotlight on different places the past two years. Who can argue with a varied menu that peaks at $5.25 for the Phad Thai noodles, and offers teriyaki chicken for $2.95 and sushi for $3.45?