Rike: Award-Winning Rice Bar Opens Up In Little Tokyo

DTLA residents familiar with the booming scene from Little Tokyo and Japanese restaurants know that rice is a big, gigantic deal. The grain has been Japan’s most important crop for well over 2000 years and the quality is unmatched. A recent boom in rice-focused cuisines in DTLA has been on the rise in popularity. A new player is in town and they have some serious game.

Rike is the brainchild of co-founders of Nana-Nana, an accessory/fashion brand from Tokyo, Japan. They expanded to Los Angeles where Hisato Takenouchi and Kenji Sunaga were inspired to pursue a different venture in cuisine, and thus was born Rike. The menu offers a variety of bite-sized items that are packed with quality and flavor, all made to highlight the main ingredient: Yukitsubaki rice.

Sourced all the way from the Uonuma region, much credit is given to its cultivators and the process is sacred. According to Hisato and Kenji, only Michelin grade restaurants use this rice but thanks to Hisato’s many connections, Rike’s menu offers it for a more than reasonable price. Rike is nestled right on the edge of Little Tokyo and the Civic Center, where the locale alone sets it apart from other Little Tokyo staples. Having opened on November 1st, Rike already has loyal patrons who come everyday for lunch—and you know us Downtowners, once we find a good thing, we stick to it. 

At Rike, you’re welcomed by a simple concept: you order at the counter greeted by Chef Christopher and his friendly staff and have a seat along the bar that is surrounded by Rike’s minimally accented decorations of gold. Everything is part of the concept; Hisato and Kenji even hired a music director to have specially curated music playing at Rike. Traits of rare quality and simplicity are continually echoed from their menu, to the art on their walls, and even Rike’s logo. 

They’ve collaborated with giants from the Tokyo art and fashion scene to one of the biggest

French graphic designers in the world, So Me and Cali Thornhill Dewitt, thanks to their connections through Nana-Nana. “We’ve been very fortunate,” Hisato says, as their pride is reflected in everything about Rike.

You will fall in love with the quality of the rice, that is a guarantee. You can take some home with you (Rike sells it by the bag), but it’s the surprising attention to care and quality of the menu that’ll have you coming back. Trust us, there’s no way you can make Chef Christopher’s delicacies at home. Not many people can boast about their rice the way Rike can. They’ve turned a high-end product into an approachable, affordable, and well-thought out concept, and that’s why it is a dining opportunity that can’t be missed.

instagram.com/rike_losangeles | 228 E 1st St, Los Angeles, CA 90012

Written by Mariana Ramos | Photography by Jack Strutz | Prop Stylist Casha Doemland