Bottom line: Ikka offers outstanding quality and variety. The menu changes constantly, but you might expect sashimi (served with both soy sauce and salt), tempura with dashi gravy in lieu of broth, and fruit covered with a sake jelly meant to evoke the morning mist in the wild. No la carte. The highest-end $140 omakase includes pristine fish, moderately seasoned rice, and great service. Freshness and quality: 10 I drove all the way here not even thinking to check online if they even have an omakase menu. Omakase is that Japanese tradition of putting yourself in the hands of the chef, letting him (sushi remains a male-dominated industry) prepare whatever he desires. Tables in the dining room are offered a broader menu that includes a variety of cooked fare and California-style rolls. Timing and grace: 7 Its all in the name at Ootoro Sushi, where chefs slice thick cuts of fatty tuna for nigiri and donburi and the kitchen serves luxurious dishes made with lobster, certified Kobe beef and other kinds of premium seafood (including a king crab-topped uni cream pasta). The hostess keeps a very tight rein on the dining room and is not shy about giving preferential treatment to regulars. The nigiri-forward omakasethe most expensive per head in Los Angelesclimbs past 20 courses, each bite focused on incredibly high-quality fish that's been brushed with soy, lightly tempura-battered or served in a pool of ponzu. The restaurant typically releases reservations at the start of each month, offering seatings for the following month. The numerical scores that follow are based on a scale of 1 to 10. Visiting from Florida, and I was looking for omakase recommendations that don't break the bank. Can't wait to come back. Serving a mix of classic washoku (traditional Japanese cuisine) and more modern Tokyo-style washoku, Gos four-hour dinners involve 14 courses, each painstakingly plated and explained by Go himself. Morihiro Onoderas comeback to the LA sushi scene is more than welcome, with an Atwater Village restaurant that fully emcompasses the chefs multiple passions of incredible fish, hand thrown ceramic, and stellar rice. A post shared by Mtran (@dramswithtran) on Jul 11, 2019 at 5:33pm PDT, The Essential Los Angeles Sushi Restaurants, 2017 Edition. SUGARFISH By Sushi Nozawa 4.1 (1430 reviews) Japanese Sushi Bars $$$ Sushi Noguchi 657-231-6008. Cost: Omakase starts at $120; add Japanese beef, from $180. Its a matter of taste but also respect. And while Los Angeles has always been the sushi capital of America, Orange County is right up there. LA is blessed upon high with some of the freshest fish in the country, but that doesnt mean that all Japanese omakase serves nigiri. Prices for a meal here start at $145. When he did, the chef already had a customer base, made up of friends and regulars who knew his work. Far more people come here for the poke rolls and tempura lobster rolls than for the omakase, but the balance seems to be shifting. Omakase. Variety: 8 The focus. A post shared by Sushi Tama (@sushitama_la). Cost: Omakase starts at $80 15 Essential Food Destinations on a Tour of LAs Little Tokyo, 16 Affordable Chirashi Bowls to Try in Los Angeles. Soichi and Raechel, who met when Raechels father was based in Japan for the Navy, have three daughters who work at the shop. Cost: Omakase starts at $45. Omakase is that Japanese tradition of putting yourself in the hands of the chef, letting him (sushi remains a male-dominated industry) prepare whatever he desires. Sushi here takes a decidedly modern turn. Shore Acres Lodge: The Best Group Cabin Rental In Big Bear Lake $95 per person and up, with optional beverage pairing for $60 and up. For all your restaurant recommendation needs, look no further than the Resy Hit List, our monthly list of 10 spots that should be on your radar right now. Chef Ei Hiroyoshi, formerly of Sasabune in Beverly Hills, has landed as the head chef of Hamasaku and so far the affable sushi master has brought a renewed focus on what makes LA sushi special. 75 Delightful Places to Celebrate New Years Eve in Los Angeles, The 12 Best dineLA Dinner Deals, Summer 2019. Ikko 735 Baker Street, Costa Mesa, 714-556-7822 Cost: Omakase starts at $50. Eat here at least once per week. 21 Top Stops For a Meal in the Sprawling San Fernando Valley, 17 Date-Worthy LA Restaurants That Are Actually Open on Monday Nights. Dont be surprised to see tuna topped with blue cheese and balsamic. The way warm rice is caressed and formed into an elongated disk with the palm of one hand and the index finger of the other. One of the best omakase values in Southern California - Review of If the thought of parking in K-town makes you panic, remember theres free parking out back, and free, comforting miso soup inside. Dining options: Reservations . Respect is a two-way street, after all. Bottom line: This is destination sushi. They way one fish is sliced a certain way yet another is carved in an entirely different direction. For the past two and a half years, I have dined at dozens of sushi restaurants from one end of the county to the other, searching for the best omakase. For some cocktails if you want to cut down on sweetness you can ask to submore, If you're a sushi lover, I HAVE to recommend asking for Omakase. Sawa 33 Sushi Bars Cocktail Bars Wine Bars Little Tokyo "the omakase experience. Curious about the best Omakase places in and around LA. There are a lot of other great restaurants, Raechel was quick to add, when FOX 5 called to let the couple know about their top spot on the list. A word of warning: Tock reservations here are tough to snag, but the eventual outcome is well worth the time and effort. Freshness and quality: 10 Freshness and quality: 10 If only the variety here matched that of Shunka, Tsujita or Ohshima. These are some highly rated sushi bars in Orange County, CA: What are some sushi bars with a large number of reviews in Orange County, CA? Freshness and quality: 9 and our 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. See our, By submitting your email, you agree to our, The 19 Essential Sushi Restaurants in Los Angeles, Sign up for the For anyone who loves sushi, as I do, weve got it good here. Incorporating a proper mix of prepared dishes from ankimo (monkfish liver) to Japanese hairy crab, the tastings might go through 20 courses of delicious bites, from slippery umami-rich kohada (gizzard shad) to seared anago (sea eel). Shunka Both rooms are two round seatings starting at 5:15 and 7:45. This spot offers omakase for $125 per person, and sushi a la carte. Overview: The decor at Noguchi is beautifully understated and minimal. Head here for a classic, eye-poppingly expensive no-frills omakase meal that tops out around $200 or more per person. Cost: Omakase starts at $35. Cost: Omakase starts at $85 22 Essential San Gabriel Valley Restaurants, 2022 Edition. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated. The numerical scores are based on a scale of 1 to 10. Variety: 9 Thats why most omakase is served one piece at a time, and you should eat it within 30 seconds of being served. The result is a refined-yet-relaxed omakase thats perfectly suited to southern California. Although he has yet to find a local restaurant to merit a perfect four-star rating, he remains ever hopeful as the quest continues. reporter for the Southern California News Group. Melt in your mouth delicious. Opened in January, the tiny Japanese restaurant offers three omakase-style tempura menus ($180 to $280). The Valley is no stranger to good sushi and Brothers is a fine addition to the thriving scene. 8. This beloved destination-worthy South Bay sushi bar offers one of L.A.'s most affordable omakase experiencesunless, of course, you count the always dependable SugarFish. Longtime West LA chef Shunji Nakao has moved his upscale omakase restaurant to Ocean Park Boulevard in Santa Monica, with an intimate new counter starting at $280 per person to sit in front of Shunji, and $250 to get one of the seven seats in front of chef Miki Takahiro.