The One Who Keeps the Book Los Angeles
How to Get Into Budonoki, Virgil Village’s Electric Neighborhood Izakaya
We dare you to dine at Budonoki and not have a great time: from its bumping late ‘90s R&B soundtrack to its vibey neon lighting, to the colorful bear-shaped mugs filled with craft cocktails on every table, dining here feels like a celebration every night of the week. Accordingly, it’s been wildly popular since opening in Virgil Village in late 2023.
The creative pan-Asian izakaya comes from college friends and hospitality veterans Eric Bedroussian and Josh Hartley. It started out as a roving pop-up in 2021 after the duo met chef Dan Rabilwongse (an alum of Tsubaki and Hayato) via a mutual friend. Rabilwongse, who grew up in nearby Historic Filipinotown, put together the cuisine-melding menu, filled with signature dishes like pressed sushi, naem (a funky Thai fermented pork sausage), “budo-gnocchi” (Korean rice cakes with mushroom and black truffle), and charred Japanese sweet potatoes with miso butter. But if you want a taste of any of his delicious (and highly Instagrammable) creations, get ready to hit that Notify button.
Luckily, there are a few tips and tricks to help you secure your seat. We sat down with co-founder Eric Bedroussian to get the inside track on the best ways to snag a table.
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How many seats are in the house?
Eric Bedroussian: There are 55 seats inside and another 36 on the patio (which isn’t open every day).
How many seats are bookable on Resy versus walk-ins?
Of the 55 indoors, 14 of them are walk-in-only and the rest are bookable.
When do reservations go live on Resy?
At 12 p.m., seven days out. So if today is Tuesday, reservations for next Wednesday night will go live tomorrow at noon.
How quickly do primetime weekend reservations get snatched up?
Weekend nights get booked within the first 20-30 minutes — pretty much all of the slots.
How long is your Notify list?
This Saturday, it’s 143 people long.
When is a guest most likely to get a Notify alert?
The day before at 4 p.m., because that’s when Resy sends the automated booking confirmation and inevitably a bunch of people cancel. That’s typically when you’re going to get a lot of openings, especially for the weekend. Day-of as well if you’re on Notify, there’s usually 20-30 same-day cancellations.
What is your most popular time? Are there certain days where there’s a better chance to get a prime-time reservation?
7-9 p.m. on weekends is the most popular window. Sunday is a good night to get a primetime reservation. On Sundays, people tend to want to dine earlier. They’re out of there by 7-7:15 p.m. Coming in on the second turn on a Sunday is always smart.
Is the full menu available at the bar?
Yup!
Are there any other tricks to getting seated? (What if we DM you?)
I’m pretty good at responding to DMs. However, I won’t treat them any differently than emails or calls. If we have the table, we have it; if we don’t, we don’t. Notify is the best way to go. Also if you’re trying to book for a group larger than six people, you have to do it by calling or emailing. Oftentimes those big tables, especially if you plan far in advance, are more readily available.
Since it’s such a small restaurant, what is the maximum party size you can book?
A party of six is the maximum you can book on Resy. 35% of our business comes from parties of eight or more. We actually make it really easy for people to book large parties. You just email me (hello@budonoki.la) and give your requirements and all you have to do is coordinate a set menu with us. It’s about eight of our most popular dishes served in an abundant family style for $65 per person, which is pretty reasonable. No beverage minimum. We can do that for groups of up to 30; after that, it becomes a buyout situation.
In your opinion, what’s the best seat in the house?
It’s the two tables in the corner right of the restaurant (if you’re looking into the house from the entrance). If not there, I think any seat at the bar is the best seat. You’re in the center and you have a bird’s eye view. You’re closest to the kitchen.
Can guests request specific tables?
A lot of people do in their Resy notes and we do our best to accommodate.
If I were here on a date or with a friend, how would you suggest ordering for two people?
I suggest ordering six dishes if you’re hungry. I would order at least one thing off the daily specials card. I would order one raw bar dish, whether that’s the scallop crudo or the hand rolls, and I would focus on the middle section of the menu, which is all the grilled items and the fried snacks, like skewers, curry pan, wings, etc. I’d get one carb-y entry at the bottom left of the menu, and one sushi. So, focus on the grilled and fried stuff, get one special, one carb, one sushi, one raw bar. I think that’s the best way to navigate the menu.
How often does the menu change?
The actual main menu probably changes once a quarter. The daily specials change more frequently — that’s where we experiment and try new things. Certain days of the week, we try new specials. On Wednesday, we have our grilled salmon collar. On Thursday, we have a hamachi collar. Pretty soon, we’re going to start doing a kind of fried hamachi ribs. This weekend, we ran a grilled squid salad special with pomelo with toasted cashew and fish sauce caramel that was really good. The specials are where things change the most.
If it’s someone’s first time at Budonoki, what should they definitely order?
They should get the naem (Thai pork sausage) for sure, the negima (aka the chicken oysters), and the curry pan. Those three for sure, then whatever your preferences are. Oh, and also get the budo-gnocchi and the grilled sweet potatoes.
It’s Saturday night at 8 p.m. at Budonoki. Can you set the scene?
The energy in the room is palpable and very high. Guests are sitting shoulder to shoulder. We have a tight dining room, and the lighting is very warm, so it’s intimate, but it’s convivial and a little loud. The music is set at an above average volume and there’s some Missy Elliott or Ja Rule or TLC some kind of late ‘90s/early 2000s R&B playing, filling the room with nostalgia for many. You’ll look around and see every table full of an abundance of colors and textures and so many different things. We don’t really course things out so there will be many plates on each table. There will be a pretty strong aroma in the dining room of wood-kissed flame-grilled proteins. I think that’s the first thing you smell. And you’ll see a bunch of guests, but also servers, hosts, managers, and cooks that just look like they’re having a lot of fun.
What do you love about this space?
I just marvel at the fact that this space used to be a coffee shop and when we got it, it was hard to imagine turning it into this vibrant, bustling restaurant from what it was. I always take a lot of pride in what we did to the space, and how we were able to transform it so quickly.
Ed. note: Budonoki recently opened for service seven days a week, so you’ll have an even better chance of snagging a table on Mondays and Tuesdays, which were previously dark.
