The best sushi restaurants in Los Angeles

For all the warm sushi rice and dragon rolls, L.A. boasts plenty of excellent Edomae-style sushi bar , with no better example than this relative newcomer hidden away in the basement of a Little Tokyo office building. Run by veteran sushi chef Yoshiyuki Inoue, Sushi Kaneyoshi tops out in luxury, refinement and overall wow factor. The exact seafood used in Kaneyoshi’s approximately 20 courses changes seasonally, but diners are likely to dig into a delicate Hokkaido crab chawanmushi, along with one of the city’s best preparations of ankimo (monkfish liver) and nodoguro (blackthroat sea perch). A word of warning: Tock reservations here are tough to snag, but the eventual outcome is well worth the time and effort.

There are many excellent omakases in Los Angeles, but none deliver as much excellence, fun and value as this Michelin-starred sushi counter hidden in the back of Sugarfish Beverly Hills. The menu plays fast and loose with tradition, but you're still left dumbfounded at the end of the meal, which typically clocks in at just over 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.

At this point, Edomae-style sushi isn't particularly hard to come by, but you'd be hard pressed to find it at the same level of renown as this West Hollywood sushi bar named for (and originating from) the most exclusive neighborhood in Tokyo. The nigiri-forward omakase—the most expensive per head in Los Angeles—climbs 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. Of course, all this raw fish mastery doesn't come cheap: An omakase here will set you back $400—a splurge worth making for some of the finest sushi in L.A.

With its long-running, all-caps set of rules detailing the likes of "NO CALIFORNIA ROLL, NO SPICY TUNA ROLL, NO TERIYAKI," this West Hollywood strip mall spot is the beloved curmudgeon of the L.A. sushi scene. Head here for a classic, eye-poppingly expensive no-frills omakase meal that tops out around $200 or more per person. In return, you'll receive several courses of nigiri, sashimi and small plates you'll still be thinking about weeks later—plus the bragging rights to having dined at one of the city's greats.

Now relocated to Santa Monica from its longtime chili bowl-shaped home on Pico Boulevard, this Westside sushi bar run by the eponymous chef and his wife Yuko Sakurai offers a streamlined, exclusive approach to top-notch sushi in the form of a $250 omakase—one of the best in the city's upper sushi echelons. Every night of service, after a brief selection of kaiseki-style appetizers, Nakao breaks out a wood block of sliced fish, each brilliant, shining row ready to be prepared for each guest. The luxurious selection always satisfies, as does Sakurai's ultra-refined sake selection.

This Little Tokyo sushi restaurant has been a cult favorite among L.A.'s diehard sushi fans for years. The main draw? A $23 weekday lunch special, complete with a rainbow of sashimi, soup, salad and rice. For a quicker table, head here during the evening, when you'll be rewarded for waiting with fresh halibut, fatty tuna, sea urchin, monkfish liver, scallops and oysters, all in a wonderfully serene, wood paneled sushi bar setting. Just mind the rules: no personal device usage while dining, and make sure your whole party is present to get seated.

This omakase-only Michelin-starred sushi bar in Atwater Village is the latest eponymous venture of esteemed local chef Morihiro Onodera, whose previous time at Mori Sushi on Pico Boulevard also helped propel the latter toward one star in 2019. With nearly four decades of experience and full control over every aspect of the sushi-making process at Morihiro, Onodera’s legendary craftwork shines at this tiny space—which has just six seats at the counter and a handful of tables. With a sushi bar omakase that tops out at $400 per person (and a $250 experience at tables), this isn't your everyday sushi meal, but the serene ambience, artisanry and diverse array of fish make a meal at Morihiro absolutely unforgettable.

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. sushi royalty. 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? Plenty of other cheaper places around town might riff on the legacy of Matsuhisa's signature yellowtail jalapeño sashimi, but none of them execute new-school sushi as well as this gloriously no-frills L.A. classic.

​​With locations all over Los Angeles—Brentwood, Marina del Rey, Hollywood, Studio City, Beverly Hills, Pasadena and Downtown—Kazunori Nozawa's mini-empire favors straightforward, no-nonsense sushi over dragon and rainbow rolls. The emphasis is on trust here, as exemplified by Nozawa's trademark omakase-style menus, of which there are four: Trust Me, Trust Me/Lite, Nozawa and the Don't Think Just Eat, ranging from $30 to $59—aln absolute deal by sushi standards. Each menu features the best fish of the day, accompanied by perfectly warm rice and some of the best house-made ponzu sauce in L.A. You can order à la carte, though you'd be in the minority. Better to just trust Nozawa's instinct, and give yourself over to top-notch sushi at one of the city's more affordable price points.

Sugarfish fans who like to get hands-on, this one's for you. Brought to us by the same Kazunori Nozawa, this casual sushi spot with locations in Westwood, Santa Monica, Downtown, Koreatown and Mid-Wilshire specializes in hand rolls and speedy service. Simply walk in, take a seat at the U-shaped sushi bar, and pick your meal—you're choosing three to six hand rolls, priced $12 to $24 per set—or opt for a limited menu of sashimi or a range of à la carte hand rolls. Or, hey, a mix of it all. After all, these hand rolls and the sashimi are so good, why not get a little of everything? Just beware: This spot is no-reservations, and fills up fast.

This newer Valley sushi spot run by Asanebo vet Mark Okuda  (with a second outpost in Santa Monica) offers a unique fusion-forward tasting menu and some of the freshest, most buttery and flavorful nigiri available. The pricing certainly reflects this—though we'd skip their nontraditional omakase featuring foie gras and caviar starting $200—but Brothers is still well worth the splurge for à la carte sushi and sashimi. The toro here is some of the best we've ever tasted, but the appetizers and rotating specials, such as dry-aged salmon flown in from New Zealand, are always worth an order, too.

Sugarfish might have made loosely packed warm rice a citywide phenomenon, but this L.A. omakase classic with locations in West L.A., Beverly Hills and Glendale first popularized warm rice sushi back in the '90s—and still delivers the same quality and no-frills ambience today. Starting around $100, with plenty of variety and wiggle room for those willing to spend a bit more, Sasabune offers a pricey, but immaculate build-your-own sushi adventure that might include amaebi (sweet shrimp), anago (seawater eel), unagi (freshwater eel) and not one, but two kinds of mackerel of the Japanese and Spanish variety. Similar to other omakase restaurants, there's no need for a side of soy sauce—each glistening slice of fish is already lightly brushed by the chef.

This beloved destination-worthy South Bay sushi bar offers one of L.A.'s most affordable omakase experiences—unless, of course, you count the always dependable SugarFish. With somewhere around 15 courses, including miso soup and dessert, this $65 set meal in Redondo Beach lets you indulge in high-end sushi without completely breaking the bank. Note: Make sure to call ahead for a reservation—given the reasonable prices and old-school Japanese ambience, Sushi Chitose books up quickly.

It’s 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). Inside, you’ll find a stylish pale wood interior with mood lighting at night, as well as a small outdoor patio. Relatively new compared to other area sushi restaurants, most meals don’t come cheap at Ootoro Sushi, which also has locations in the eastern San Gabriel Valley and Orange County. At dinner, omakase prices start at $300, though they also offer an á la carte menu with items hovering around $40 on average, plus more moderately priced two-item combo plates at lunch.

Trips to Koreatown for dinner may be mostly reserved for KBBQ, but consider Noshi Sushi the next time you find yourself hungry in the neighborhood. Chef Shogo Noshi opened a small, 30-seat restaurant in 1983, gained a considerable following and moved to his current location to accommodate a growing clientele. While traditional sushi is offered here, the occasional spider roll or California roll is also available. Don’t let that turn you off, though—buttery pieces of salmon, rich eel, plump scallop and more are just as good as the more expensive spots around town. If the thought of parking in K-town makes you panic, remember there’s free parking out back, and free, comforting miso soup inside.

Get here early, or at least be prepared for a wait, because this tiny restaurant is a Little Tokyo mainstay and only has around 20 seats—and they fill up fast. Once you're seated, dive in and start ordering: Eel and Santa Barbara uni are two excellent choices, while the blue crab hand roll avoids some common pitfalls (too much mayonnaise, soggy seaweed) and is instead light, crisp and filling. It can be slightly intimidating for newbies here—the service isn't exactly warm—but order with confidence, always keep an eye on the specials board, take your time and enjoy the chefs' handiwork.