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For a more personalized experience, take a seat at the bar and order the excellent L.A.-style omakase ($165), which makes fried shallots and ponzu sauce feel brand new again. Native who enjoyed my first set of tekka maki at Hide Sushi on Sawtelle (which is still around, by the way) and cycled through love affairs with unagi (freshwater eel), saba (mackerel) and SushiStop’s famous dynamite rolls in adolescence and college. 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.
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The expansive selection of nigiri sushi and sashimi never fails to please. Awarded a Michelin star within a few months of opening, this rarefied omakase counter from chef Seigo Tamura is one of the top sushi restaurants to open in Los Angeles in the past few years. The 20-course tastings that cost $350 per person include a proper mix of prepared dishes, such as ankimo (monkfish liver) and Japanese hairy crab, and sushi, like umami-rich kohada (gizzard shad) and seared anago (sea eel).
Sushi Sonagi
Expect near-perfect quality nigiri and Nakao’s careful construction and proper balance between fish and rice at these prices. Our pick for the best Japanese steakhouse in LA goes to none other than Niku X in DTLA. Whether you're celebrating a birthday or anniversary, everything from the service to the quality of the meats makes dining at Niku X a top-tier experience. While you can order a la carte, it's best to opt for one of the tasting menus. The interactive Yakiniku Tasting Menu is 14 courses of pure decadence, featuring some of the most luxe seafood and steak options available. The Hikari Omakase BBQ is priced at $90 per person, at the time of publication.
Okumura Restaurant
Though steak is definitely the star of the show, guests can also expect to enjoy everything from sashimi to foie gras. When it comes to the meat, at least the kind that isn't intended to be consumed raw, you'll cook it yourself over old-school grills. Also, Totoraku is BYOB, so bring your favorite bottle of wine and get ready for one of the most coveted dining experiences in LA. Each entrée ordered for the teppan grill comes with soup, a small shrimp appetizer, steamed rice, and a variety of grilled veggies. Since Mori Teppan has a full bar to work with, sip on everything from wine to sake to beer while you watch your food cook to perfection right in front of you.
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However, if you're wanting total freedom to order what and how much you want, this might not be the place for you since Hikari Japanese BBQ & Grill exclusively serves a prix fixe menu. Located in Torrance, RedRock is a strip mall eatery that serves American beef in a very relaxed and laid-back atmosphere. Despite the very casual counter-ordering service and simple interior, the food at RedRock is consistently impressive.
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Priced at just $75 per person, the omakase from Hirofumi “Gen” Sakamoto offers one of the best deals in town. Settle into 15 pieces of terrific sushi that impress even the snobbiest of sushi-goers — the varieties of fish range from familiar cuts to more obscure ones. Sushi chef Morihiro Onodera founded the celebrated Mori in West LA before helming the counters at Inn Ann and Shiki over the past few years. Onodera finally has his own omakase restaurant in Atwater Village, with masterful preparations and world-class sushi. The price tag to see Onodera in action is $400 per person at the counter though dinners are a more approachable $250 at a table. As the name suggests, Sakura Japanese Steak & Seafood House is one of the ultimate LA eateries for premium sushi and steak.
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If you're looking to branch out and try a cut that you never have such as beef tongue or large intestines, Yamaya is ideal. The most luxe steak on the menu is definitely the A5 Miyazaki Wagyu steak cut, but if you're celebrating something special, it is a splurge that you won't soon forget. Though the meats are pretty pricey, the appetizers are all under $10 and range from edamame to soy-marinated cabbage. Leona’s Sushi House in Sherman Oaks goes into the former La Loggia space with proprietor Frank Leon and sushi pro Shigenori Fujimoto, previously of Asanebo and Shiki. Head to Michelin-starred counter Inaba for chef Yasuhiro Hirano’s impeccable array of sushi served at a six-seat counter within I-naba.
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. As with most outstanding sushi restaurants in the Valley, Okumura can be found in a sizable strip mall, tucked into a back corner. Chef Ryota Okumura previously worked at Sushi Zo before opening his namesake restaurant, where affordable sushi, sashimi and rolls are composed with the utmost care. Amberjack sushi is treated to a beautiful lime and salt crust, while creamy, custardy chawanmushi lies under tenderly placed uni and ikura. Hand rolls include a black-cod option, as well as a negitoro version where a mixture of fatty tuna and spring onion get wrapped in a crisp seaweed sheath.
For $30 less, you can also experience the same menu prepared by Takahiro Miki, Nakao’s right hand, in the room next door. Has likely quadrupled, but I still think this Michelin-starred sushi counter in the back of Sugarfish Beverly Hills delivers the best mix of fun, quality and value. 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.
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. 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.
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. Currently operating out of sister restaurant Inaba in Torrance, Yasuhiro Hirano’s intimate sushi counter offers an ultra-premium omakase ($280) that deftly incorporates dry-aged fish and exotic ingredients like mantis shrimp and plump Japanese oysters. This is the kind of place where you can expect a crash course in the art of sushi from the chef himself, plus the appropriate tuition and fees to match. If you’ve got a lighter appetite, ask Yasu-san to halve the amount of rice—of the 37 different L.A. Omakase options I’ve tried, the only place where I worried I’d have to stop the meal early is Inaba.
The Joint Seafood founder Liwei Liao opened this casual handroll counter modeled after Kazunori serving high-grade fish in a parade of seaweed-wrapped creations. Liao’s market in Sherman Oaks specializes in dry-aged fish, though the offerings at Uoichiba aren’t necessarily of that style. Instead, cuts like tuna, kanpachi, steelhead trout, and blue crab salad are served with seasoned rice either a la carte or as lunch-sized omakase meals. This unassuming spot in Arcadia has a versatile lunch sushi set from chef Hiro Yamada (Sushi Gen, Shiki).
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. Each carefully made piece of warm rice nigiri at this Tarzana restaurant comes simply, and elegantly, seasoned—no truffle shavings, black caviar or gold flakes here. For the more budget-conscious, the $60 chef’s set course includes a sashimi course, a dozen or so pieces of sushi and a handroll. What I recommend, however, is the market priced omakase, which starts at around $100.
Located in the foodie haven of Sawtelle, Manpuku offers indoor and outdoor yakiniku experiences. Each table comes with its own grill, allowing patrons to cook their meats and veggies to their liking. The massive menu features everything from sushi to ramen to tempura dishes, but Manpuku's signature dish is none other than beef tongue with green onion (specifically, Tokyo Negi). Patrons are able to choose between a teppan steak and seafood dinner or the sakura sushi dinner. If you're craving both seafood and steak, order the filet and shrimp or filet and scallops. Don't miss out on the side of sautéed mushrooms and the sakura fried rice, especially if you're ordering steak.
Owned by the same group behind some of L.A.’s best ramen bowls, the restaurant was famous for its pre-pandemic lunch specials. The less expensive sets ($49 and $69 respectively) swap out premium ingredients like Wagyu and toro out for less pricey cuts, but you’ll still leave here feeling satisfied regardless of which set you order. 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. In a similar style as Nobu (and the chain’s original restaurant, Matsuhisa), Asanebo offers a selection of fusion-style seafood dishes, as well as traditional nigiri—but the right order here always leans towards the former. Where else can you find a deep-fried tempura “seafood stick” served in a martini glass, a flaming conch filled with bubbling hot broth and pieces of tender A5 Wagyu and juicy red onion in sweet soy?
Omakase menus, and I'm still scouting, since there’s at least a half-dozen more I’ve yet to try. This neighborhood sushi restaurant in Toluca Lake flies under the radar, but the reasonable prices and top-notch L.A. Style sushi make Sushi Yuzu a top choice in my book whenever you’d like to choose your own adventure. The crowd-pleasing menu includes some seriously delicious rolls, hot appetizers and sampler plates, many of which come with truffle salt or freshly shaved truffles (not exactly a bonus in my book, but reflective of Yuzu’s overall culinary slant). The lime roll is a study in pure balance with albacore, avocado, black pepper and yuzu-based ponzu dressing drizzled over the entire dish.
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