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Head chef Osamu Fujita plays fast and loose with tradition, delivering a transcendent array of generously portioned pieces over approximately two hours—a quicker meal, so to speak, in fine dining terms. In that time frame, you’ll find yourself immersed in a cornucopia of flavors and textures, starting with something like a rich, solid piece of sweet freshwater eel and a sashimi trio consisting of Japanese octopus, New Zealand shrimp and succulent bluefin tuna. This unassuming spot in Arcadia has a versatile lunch sushi set from chef Hiro Yamada (Sushi Gen, Shiki).
LA's Best Japanese Restaurants
Think strawberry XO-sauce and basil-bud olive oil over namahotate (day boat scallop) over rice. Longtime West LA chef Shunji Nakao moved his upscale omakase restaurant to Ocean Park Boulevard in Santa Monica, with an intimate counter starting at $280 per person to sit in front of Shunji, and $250 to get one of seven seats in front of chef Takahiro Miki. Expect near-perfect quality nigiri and Nakao’s careful construction and proper balance between fish and rice at these prices.
Sushi Note Omakase
The sub-$40 lunch special comes with nine pieces of nigiri, a cut roll, miso soup, and a few small bites. The price jumps up at dinner, where most opt for the more elaborate, Edomae-style omakase. Three decades in, Tetsuya Nakao’s strip mall sushi bar in the Valley—and its wonderfully nontraditional omakase—has stood the test of time and become veritable L.A.
Los Angeles, CA 90064
The toro here is some of the best I’ve ever tasted, but the appetizers and rotating specials, such as dry-aged salmon flown in from New Zealand, are worth consideration as well. By contrast, the omakase offers a mostly cooked, Asanebo-like omakase experience without the time-tested flavors and hot dishes of the Studio City original. Like most other omakase restaurants, there’s no need to pour your own soy sauce—each glistening slice of fish is already lightly brushed by the chef. Los Angeles has a plethora of culinary strong suits, like regional Chinese and tacos of all stripes, but the city’s variety and quality of sushi are nearly as impressive. Nearly every corner of the city — the Valley, the Westside, the San Gabriel Valley, and the South Bay — lays claim to an incredible sushi counter with a veritable master at the helm. There are also casual experiences like hand rolls and old-school takeout spots that reflect the breadth of LA’s sushi culture.
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Springtime also invites us to seize the sunlight with midday meals. Weekday lunch is a great way to shake up your work routine and to try a popular restaurant that’s typically booked for dinner — don’t miss our staff guide with some of our favorite lunch menus ranging from prix-fixe power picks to casual taco spots. Thankfully, we have Addison to guide us toward the best of the best. In possibly a first for LA, an Austin-based Japanese restaurant splashes on the West Coast as a notable sushi opening. Inspired by LA’s own Nobu and Katsuya, among others, chef Tyson Cole opens a suave and already bustling lounge in the heart of West Hollywood serving a tightly edited array of Japanese dishes. Sushi remains an important part of Uchi, and the preparations offer a thoughtful departure from classic Edo-style sushi that still preserves the restaurant’s high-quality fish.
Yunomi Handroll
Delivered to each patron three to four pieces at a time, it’s one of the best L.A.-style omakases. Just be sure to tell your chef when to stop—otherwise they’ll keep the sushi coming. Silver Lake is now home to surprisingly great sushi, all thanks to this tiny Japanese strip mall joint and its sushi-focused sibling, Omakase by Osen, just down Sunset Boulevard. Both perpetually busy restaurants are led by seasoned chef Damon Cho, who's worked at Matsuhisa and Tao. If you're in the mood for actual nigiri and hand rolls, Izakaya Osen has those too—and while they're not the cheapest around, the fish quality and craftsmanship definitely make for tasty à la carte sushi that doesn't break the bank. Also, I definitely recommend reservations, since the restaurant is quite small.
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Note that this sushi list is numbered, but consider the ranking relative; it mixes everyday and special-occasion restaurants. When it comes to ultra-premium sushi, however, know that any one of these places will deliver an experience worthy of special occasions. Shin Sushi brings a refined omakase experience from chef Taketoshi Azumi, whom patrons refer to as Take-san. The Michelin-starred omakase includes an appetizer, miso soup, and 14 pieces of sushi. Head to Michelin-starred counter Inaba for chef Yasuhiro Hirano’s impeccable array of sushi served at a six-seat counter within I-naba.
Though it’s hard to turn down freshly pressed Edomae-style sushi, I’m still fond of a good spicy tuna crispy rice once in a while, and I’ve even sampled a few of the city’s vegan sushi options. Omakase menus, and I'm still scouting, since there’s at least a half-dozen more I’ve yet to try. These days, most of L.A.’s very best Edomae-style omakase meals require setting an alarm to snag a difficult Tock reservation, plus the willingness to dine early or on a random, often inconvenient weekday. Not so at Sushi Takeda, which, as of writing, remains surprisingly easy to walk into on any given day for an amazing nigiri-only omakase ($140 per head). Hidden away on the third floor of Little Tokyo’s Weller Court, Hideyuki Takeda’s tiny counter-and-table operation remains somewhat overlooked—even after a recent shout-out in the L.A.
Andaz West Hollywood
But I have been eating a lot of sushi lately, so I have many fresh opinions. The current generation of omakase chefs in Los Angeles are returning to the essence of the cuisine. A trip to Tokyo confirms what’s been driving their pursuit for excellence.
Despite its greenhorn status, I would already rank Son’s menu among my top five omakases in L.A. If that’s the case, just imagine the heights Sushi Sonagi could reach in a year or two. This iconic sushi restaurant in Little Tokyo is consistently packed at the bar and in the dining room. Most come for the unbelievably priced lunch sashimi special, but order directly from the menu or at the bar for an even better experience. The expansive selection of nigiri sushi and sashimi never fails to please.
Run by Katsu Sando’s Daniel Son, the omakase ($200) at Sushi Sonagi dazzles with Korean influences, California seasonality and thoughtful, warm service that justifies setting a reminder for the sought-after Tock reservation and paying the steep cost of entry. Bites like rainbow trout garnished with delicate, nutty-tasting sesame seeds and miso butter-topped tamago will leave you on cloud nine. The Korean American chef sources most of his fish from the same supplier used by the veterans at Morihiro and Shunji, yet Son fuses traditional technique with hints of bold Korean flavors and farmers’ market produce in a way that feels fresh and memorable.
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