250 W Valley Blvd Ste L
San Gabriel, Los Angeles CA 91776

The restaurant offers sushi, teppan yaki, and hot pot fare. I’ve partaken of the teppan yaki at their restaurant in Cupertino (Northern California) and found it was pretty similar to Benihana’s bland offerings. Lunch prices are more reasonable than those for dinner. The show isn’t quite as exciting as Benihana’s, but, seen once, the demonstration loses much of its novelty anyway.

I generally shy away from sushi prepared by Chinese proprietors, as do most discerning consumers. This is in contrast to mid-range Korean sushi restaurants which generally serve superior fare to most mid-range Japanese restaurants — at least within Los Angeles city limits. So, I cannot comment as to whether the fish was any good, but I’d wager that it probably isn’t.

If I had never eaten hot pot before, I might be tempted to say that Kingswood’s offering is not bad. However, in comparison to the food at the Little Lamb Cafe across the street, the experience is a poor second. I should specify that it is the soup base which really makes the difference. One might compare the flavors to those of German and French food. Kingswood’s soup is simple in its nature — overwhelmingly spicy or blandly basic chicken stock. Little Lamb Cafe offers a much more sophisticated taste in its medley of herbs. Since what you put into the hot pot is nearly identical between the two restaurants, it is the soup base which makes or breaks the gustatory experience.

Since Little Lamb Cafe is a better hot pot experience, the only reason to frequent Kingswood is in the case that members of your party find the herbal element disagreeable or want teppan yaki without Benihana’s prices and fanfare.