The Best Sushi Spots in Los Angeles

Sushi King

Many of the classic — and most popular — rolls at this respected Santa Monica spot have a slight twist, including spicy tuna with radish sprouts for a refreshing crisp bite, and grilled salmon skin with pickled burdock and bonito flakes that give a fun juxtaposition of textures and extra savoriness. But don’t miss Sushi King’s affordable platter known as the King Combination. It’s got sashimi-style tuna, halibut, salmon, shrimp, octopus, egg, surf clam, and mackerel, plus a mini cucumber roll and a mini tuna roll.

Haru Omakase Sushi

Don’t be spooked by the name — you don’t have to do omakase from this Westwood restaurant. Go à la carte with a wide selection of fresh fish your way, whether that’s sashimi, sushi by the piece, rolls, or bowls. Some highlights include lush chirashi bowls, often including salmon, albacore, red snapper, uni, and more, and the rainbow roll with plump snow crab and avocado. That said, you can’t go wrong with the omakase, especially the mini, with 8 pieces of sushi, a hand roll, miso soup, and a chef’s special (a deal at $60!).

Seabutter

Some of the most beautiful takeout packaging comes from Seabutter. The Beverly Hills restaurant’s crispy rice is shatteringly crisp and crunchy, with six different options for toppings, including spicy albacore, baked lobster, and simply avocado. Unique items include the 911 Roll (tuna spiced with jalapeño and sweet yuzu sauce) and the Tuna Explosion roll with triple the tuna (bluefin akami, raw toro, and seared toro). There are also great omakase options, and every order comes with a handwritten thank you note. My most recent one read: “Dear beautiful human, thank you very much for your order! Life sucks, sushi helps. With love, Seabutter Team.”

Tom’s Sushi House

The menu at this Sawtelle sushi house is vast, and the best place to start is with the impressive list of specialty rolls. All of them pack in a whole school of fish with a pleasing variety of textures and flavors. Take Tom’s Roll, which has seaweed salad on top of spicy tuna, tuna, salmon, yellowtail, albacore, and tobiko — all on top of a California roll. That’s a triple threat, Tom! Another impressive one: the Big Spider Roll that crowns fried soft shell crab on a roll of spicy tuna and shrimp tempura. Then there’s the seafood salad, a pile of shredded fish cake, kani, and avocado. Tom can do no wrong.

Kaijin Sushi

This is my go-to sushi spot in Fairfax, and it delivers fast and fresh every time. It packs an astounding amount of fish into a single roll, so there’s a lot of bang for your buck. See the signature Kaijin roll, which has deep-fried soft shell crab, spicy tuna, and cucumber inside with seared tuna, albacore, green onions, and some fried onion bits. I’m also partial to the Rock Star, which has seared salmon with smelt egg, green onion, and sesame seeds over an imitation-crab-filled roll. If you’re a fan of the iconic duo that is spicy tuna and crispy rice, you must order Kaijin’s version. It’s top-tier and always arrives shatteringly crispy.

Murakami Sushi

If you’re not an omakase person, go with the build-your-own-sushi-bowl from this Fairfax restaurant. You can choose from 30 different types of sashimi on sushi rice, which come garnished with sliced cucumbers, crispy nori, and a tangle of pickled ginger. Four sashimi choices is the smallest option and eight is the largest, and prices range from $26.50 to $40.50 (note: premium items like uni, eel, toro, and sweet shrimp are a bit more). The expansive menu also includes plenty of interesting rolls, nigiri, and loaded sushi salads with miso dressing.

Matsumoto

One of my favorite deals in L.A. for a mini tasting is the $40 special from this Beverly Grove staple. The Special Assorted Sushi includes seven pieces of nigiri (usually you’ll see bluefin tuna, yellowtail, salmon, and scallops in the mix) and a spicy tuna roll. It reels me in every time. Sometimes there’s even fatty toro or uni, which makes for a delightful surprise. If you’re really feeling yourself or want to impress someone, try the $185 18-piece omakase.

Ocean Sushi

Swim over to West Hollywood for Ocean Sushi’s chirashi bowl. The nicely balanced sweet-and-tangy sushi rice is a beautiful pile of the chef’s favorite fish of the day, such as bluefin tuna, yellowtail, salmon belly, and uni. Ocean Sushi also has many fun rolls, like the Bang Bang Roll that combines shrimp tempura and spicy tuna inside and is finished with crab, shrimp, avocado, crunchy flakes, chili oil, and spicy mayo. There’s also a wide selection of nigiri, carpaccio, and sashimi options to determine your ofFISHal favorites.

Koi

This is a pinkies-out, upscale kind of sushi spot, where everything is plated artfully — even for delivery. The restaurant flies in fish from Japan and presents everything beautifully. This includes stunning quenelle-like logs of tuna atop crispy rice; ribbons of hamachi dressed with soy yuzu sauce; and a dragon roll with shrimp tempura, eel, baked crab, and avocado covered with crispy tempura flakes and a zig-zag of decorative (and delicious) eel sauce. There’s also a vegan version of the dragon roll made with shiitake mushrooms, sweet potato, tofu, avocado, and soy paper.

Iroha Sushi

If you’re in the Valley looking for sushi, and specifically sushi with many mix-and-match options, this Sherman Oaks spot’s got you. Want something crunchy? Look no further than the spicy crunch roll, which can be filled with crab, tuna, shrimp, albacore, salmon, or yellowtail and a smattering of tempura flakes. How about crispy? It can be finished with any of those six options, or spicy scallop! All of your standard sushi faves are also on the menu, but Iroha is known for rotating specials, so you can try something new every single time.

Noshi Sushi

This legendary sushi spot has been an L.A. favorite since it opened in 1983. I’ve been a regular since I moved here, and am continually impressed by how everything is carefully packaged so no sauces or flavors accidentally mix in transit. The nigiri and sashimi options are endless, including premium “super toro” ultra fatty tuna, jumbo scallop, and excellent housemade fluffy tamago. Rolls are also great and loaded with tons of fresh seafood — snow crab packed into a California roll and spicy tuna served by the heaping mindful. (You can get it with wonton chips for dipping or as a “roll” served over soy paper–wrapped rice.)

Sogo Roll Bar

This Los Feliz sushi bar specializes in hand rolls, which are typically served in a 3-inch-long piece of nori with warm sushi rice and cold, fresh seafood on top. When eaten at SOGO, you are handed one roll at a time to savor the myriad of textures at its freshest. Even though the chef can’t be delivered to your home, this experience can be. The $47 hand roll set includes everything you need to make eight hand rolls. You can choose four types of fish from a wide range of fillings, from traditional to inventive. Play it safe with salmon or try Albacore Kare Kare, a brandy-soaked albacore topped with garlic-ginger ponzu. You can also order these popular fish fillings in maki roll sets.

Osen Izakaya

Izakaya are the toro uni bowl ($38 for tuna belly, sea urchin, and caviar over sushi rice) and yellowtail and hamachi nigiri duo (a steal at $6). If you were the kid who mixed all the sodas together in the machine, try the elevated version of that: an omakase bowl. This is a chef's choice of chopped and mixed seasonal fish, sea urchin, blue crab, and salmon roe over rice. There are also plenty of rolls (hand or cut), sashimi, nigiri, and kushiyaki if you want to complement your raw fish with grilled, skewered meats and veggies.

Hama Sushi

There’s three things to think about when ordering delivery sushi: quality, time, and value. This Venice Beach spot ticks off all three. Some menu highlights are the stuffed baked blue crab roll; the Green Devil roll (spicy tuna or yellowtail with green onions, jalapeño, masago, and chili oil); classic salmon-avocado roll; and spicy, garlicky edamame. For lobster lovers, try the Lobster Dynamite brimming with succulent lobster and tender mushrooms. Or try Kenny’s Lobster Roll, which offers fresh Maine lobster rolled in soy paper with avocado, cucumber, and tobiko served with spicy mayo and ginger dressing.

Sushi Ran

Go for the loaded rolls here, like the Super Tiger roll (shrimp tempura, crab, avocado, cucumber inside with spicy tuna, shrimp, and avocado outside); the nori- and rice-less Sexy Roll (tuna, salmon, yellowtail, avocado, and crab wrapped in thinly sliced cucumber); and Baked Lobster Roll (which also has crab and crawfish). If you’re feeling indecisive, try the Sushi Combo, which has 8 pieces of nigiri and one roll.

Kumadori

Looking for Glendale’s best sushi rolls? Kumadori is known for its loaded specialty rolls such as Popcorn Lobster (California roll topped with deep-fried langostino with spicy mayo); Lemon Roll (spicy tuna roll wrapped with avocado, fresh tuna, and lemon); and Superman Burrito (tuna, salmon, spicy crabmeat, and avocado enveloped in soy paper). There are also plenty of classic pieces, like yellowtail and scallop, and rolls to mix-and-match to your heart’s content.

Mama M Sushi

Could it be Love at First Bite for you at this Pasadena sushi joint? Mama M’s popular roll includes shrimp tempura and crab salad inside, and avocado, eel sauce, and spicy-sweet mayo on the outside. Mama M is also the rare restaurant that serves baked crab hand rolls as a two-piece set, because you can never get enough.

OJI Sushi & Sake Bar

Many classic rolls at this Pasadena restaurant ring in at $10 and under, so you can fill up on those and splurge on one of the wacky deep-fried rolls or fully loaded creations. The decadent Vegas roll features fried eel, spicy tuna, crab, cucumber, and avocado, while the Friday Roll is filled with assorted fish, crab, and avocado before the whole shebang is coated in tempura batter and fried. As soft-shell crab season approaches, make sure you get the Surf and Turf roll, which has both fried soft-shell crab and fresh crab as well as filet mignon on top that’s gently torched. Insert flame emoji here.

SushiStop

Known for affordable, accessible, and fresh sushi, SUSHISTOP has locations in Hollywood, West Adams, and Pasadena. A spectacular deal is the spicy tuna crispy rice, which comes with six pieces, instead of the more usual two to four. Other standout items include the popcorn shrimp roll (with a whole shrimp on top of each piece), baked salmon roll, and yuzu albacore roll (spicy tuna and cucumber roll topped with Sriracha, cilantro, fried onion, and garlicky ponzu).

Kanpai Japanese Sushi Bar & Grill

West Side residents can choose from three locations in Santa Monica, Playa Del Rey, and Westchester, which means more Kanpai wherever you are. Try the Otis roll (shrimp tempura, avocado, and cucumber roll topped with spicy tuna, eel sauce, and spicy mayo) if you love mixing your fish, or single out one favorite with the creamy blue crab hand roll or scallop hand roll. The lunch special is a good deal and a great midday pick-me-up; I’m partial to the three-roll combination for $30.

Katsu-Ya

There are 25 restaurants within the Katsu-Ya Group — chef Katsuya knows what he's doing when it comes to fresh sushi. At Sushi Katsu-Ya, with locations all over the Los Angeles area, you can keep it classic (California roll, yellowtail, salmon, etc.) or go for a special roll like the popcorn shrimp with spicy tuna roll (yes, please). Don't miss the crispy rice with spicy tuna — its one of the most ordered dishes for a reason.

Sushi Sasabune

From West to East — a.k.a. Brentwood to Glendale — you can get quality sushi at Sasabune. It’s known for higher-end omakase, particularly the 10-piece nigiri with a blue-crab roll that goes for $78 (and is totally worth it). But if you order at lunchtime, you can snag an even better deal: your choice of tuna, salmon, or albacore over rice along with three pieces of nigiri (tuna, salmon, and albacore), a crab roll, ginger-spiked green salad, and miso soup.