Katsuya L.A. Live

If the food wasn’t super tasty and the fish super fresh, I’d give one star. Despite it being super empty, service was horrible. We hardly saw our waitress and drinks took 30 mins. We got our food before or drinks. We ordered a group, shared sample menu and each of the items were small plates. While we were surprised how small they were for the price, what bothered us more was that half of them came out at once only minutes after ordering. I’m not complaining about speedy service; it was just annoying that it all came at once and then we sat there for 20 minutes without food after we’d finished it. Finally the rest came, minus one item. The waitress was ready to close us out until we told her it hadn’t come. Meanwhile, our drinks weren’t being replenished, I was served the wrong drink and we rarely saw the waitress.
This isn’t the first time I’ve been disappointed by service at Katsuya. I’ve never been to the DTLA location, but its poor service is consistent with the Brentwood location.
I feel like they just bank on the name and the food, and so bad service isn’t a big deal because customers will keep coming. Needless to say I won’t be back. There are just too many good restaurants in DTLA to waste your time here.

This particular Katsuya location is not spectacular but is also not amazing… Located within the very touristy, yet lively LA Live, this place actually gets quite a bit of foot traffic. The sushi here is literally average as the rolls are presented nicely and taste ok, just nothing that will really knock your socks off. However, what is really cool about this particular location is the ambiance and ability to people watch from the outdoor patio. It’s literally an interesting site especially after a concert, game or awards show. Overall, average spot to dine but a cool spot to chill.
Pros–
Friendly service
Great location
Nice menu
Outdoor seating
Ambiance
People watch-​ability
Cons–
Average food
Pricey for what you get
Colder than normal miso soup

Went here before The Who concert and had a good time. Had to sit out side because of no reservation and they were booked.
The drinks were good. Service was very good and our food came out fast. Bathrooms were clean. We parked ($ 25) in a lot across the street just behind L.A. Live and it was an easy walk.

The crispy rice tuna — soooo good!
The baked scallop roll was on point too.
Their drinks choices are awesome too!
I love the atmosphere and the décor here. The only thing that stopped me from giving it a five star was the slow service. It took forever — it was super crowded and it almost felt like they were understaffed.

I think it was pretty good sashimi. I had the salmon and albacore. Both were fresh and well presented. They have a pretty good happy hour ½ off selected drink and food menu. Good if you are heading over to Staples — which I was. Service was nice and friendly. BUT Next to me came three woman, one of whom I think was an employee on her time off. She kept saying «Irasshaimase!» When the other servers would say it and other servers came to hang around her and talk. The servers kept bringing them special sushi. I was there first and ordered and her food arrived much earlier than mine. More sashimi… Announcing «we made this special sampler for you.» Seemed all free of cost because they never ordered… except drinks. Yellowtail, tuna, salmon… ponsu, white fish on and on… You know who you all are and know what I saw if you are reading this…
THEN: I asked for my bill which took a long time to get… and when I got it, I was charged full price. So I asked and the tender and he said let me ask manager… seemingly to understand it was a miss reading on the menu. Happy hour was only random two parts of the menu. The manager came over. About that time I heard another lady ask the same question I did… As she stared at her bill… she said «this the happy hour price?» The manager proceeded to ask me if i knew the happy hour menu was in the box (like asking me… do you know how to read) if the tender explained it to me. I wasn’t totally sure so we had to get the menu which she reviewed with me. And we agreed now I was learned. She cut my bill in half and provided bad attempt to kill me with kindness. They killed a returning customer. She also forgot that I can write too.

This place was great!
The service was friendly and informative. Have us a good run down of suggested items.
All the food was fantastic.
Only complaint was 1 item coming out super late… like they had to fish for the salmon… and refills… but I think that may just be an LA thing.

THIS KATSUYA ESTABLISHMENT is terrible.
Few things that happened on my fiancé’s last visit.
We had tickets to go see Pentatonix at The Microsoft theater at 7:30pm and we wanted to have dinner before, so we hear Some thing about this place.
BEWARE.
You check in, your supposed to get a free crispy roll.
(Check your bill, they «forget» to take it off)
The server will greet you (if you look Mexican) and ask you if you want a «cervesa» … UH last time I checked we were at a Japanese restaurant. Oh, btw, my fiancé is Filipino.
I ordered a tequila shot and asked for top shelf. The server said her FORGOT, «ok we’re busy» and. «I’ll tell the bartender again». EXCUSES. And on top of that … Are you ready for this… I GOT A SHOT OF VODKA. Yup. Salted pre shot lick, a shot of some low ball vodka and a lime. Woah, outstanding job guys!
Anyhow, besides getting overcharged, terrible service and a less than «okay» service experience… I must admit the food was great. But. That isn’t enough. Had I gotten a tequila shot (like I had ordered) I could have easily given 2 – 3 stars but no.
Cheers to exercising other options when coming to LA live!
I also tried to remedy the situation by calling a day later while on my lunch hour, I was told by the sweet lady that answered «manager will call you back» … It’s been two weeks.

My family and I came here for dinner on a Sunday evening a little after 6:00. We were here for a concert at the MS Theater, and most of the restaurants around the area were kind of packed already. This place had no wait.
This was my first time at any Katsuya chain. I really didn’t know what to expect, but was still a bit surprised at the hipster «like, tohhhdaleee elllayyy» environment. Made up hostesses greeted us as we entered. The one who lead us to our table as well as our server were attractive twenty-​somethings. It was actually tortuous for me to hear the chefs and servers yell «Irasshaimasehhh» with a thick accent every time a party walked in. I also didn’t like that the table was set higher than a standard one, but I guess it helped my younger one not spill her food as it was closer to her face (we sat at one of the tables against the wall).
I started with a cocktail called Geisha Lips ($ 15) — ughhh, the name, which was recommended by our server. It was sweet and not bad, but definitely felt it quickly because I was hungry. As for the menu, we all couldn’t tell whether the items were for sharing or individual servings, but I guess it’s really up to how you want it to be (according to our server). I ordered the corn crunch roll ($ 18), and the rest of the fam got the shrimp tobanyaki ($ 16), nabeyaki udon ($ 15), miso-​marinated black cod ($ 25), Katsuya roll ($ 16), King crab legs ($ 25), and shared a side of asparagus ($ 6). The tobanyaki and miso cod were just that and nothing else, so we added a side of rice ($ 4) to each dish to kind of make it into a set. Oh, we were able to get a complimentary crispy rice with spicy tuna with a Unilocal check-​in, which is normally $ 14.
The food overall was pretty good, but the portions on some of the dishes were not enough, and I felt that everything was overpriced. Also, the order that our food came out was weird. Like for instance, the nabeyaki udon came with 2 tempura shrimp, but the shrimp didn’t come out for another 10 minutes after the udon came (my kid finished most of the udon by the time the shrimp arrived). Then, there was an automatic 20% tip added to the bill because we had 6 people (restaurant policy for party of 6 or more).
Food and service were not bad so gave it 3 stars, but most likely won’t be back here or any other Katsuya chain.

Overpriced for mediocre sushi, dried and overcooked teriyaki chicken, poor service and noisy atmosphere! Visiting from out of town and came here to eat randomly the night before my son’s graduation from USC and was truly disappointed. Server dropped off food and just left without clearing away dishes piled up on table. My kids finished their food before my Katsuya Roll even came out and it wasn’t even fresh with small portion of 5 pieces for $ 19!
Try Other sushi places if you must have Sushi!

Great food. Our waiter Daniel was excellent very attentive and recommended some great dishes I never tried at Katsuya, Corn Crunch roll, Sunset Roll and crispy rice with spicy tuna are to die for !! Great ambience and everyone is so friendly .
One of my favorite LA restaurants

A huge sushi lover, I was very excited to go to Katsuya for the first time. The LA Live location is very trendy and hip, with colorful mood lighting, clean white furniture, and several cushiony booths along the walls.
I went with a group of 4 for dinner before the Shen Yun show at the Microsoft Theater also at LA Live.
To start, we had the crispy rice and spicy tuna, the mushroom salad, and baked crab hand roll appetizer. The crispy rice was perfectly crispy on the outside and soft on the middle. The mushroom salad was nicely seasoned as well. All were very good, especially the baked crab, which was real crab (not imitation)! I highly recommend these appetizers that we had!
For our main meal, I had the sunset roll, and while it was good, I wish there were more eel in the roll. It was mainly cucumber inside the roll and just a small sliver of eel. Our table also had the chicken teryaki, striped «baze», spider roll, and shrimp roll. I particularly enjoyed the striped bass/“baze” dish, which came with a LOT of fish. It was cooked perfectly, tender and juicy with a nice marinade.
For dessert, our table shared the chocolate miso lava cake and the bread pudding. Both were great, but I loved loved loved the sweet and salty chocolate miso cake. The addition of the miso was a genius touch — chocolate with a subtle salty note is a fantastic combination.
My first Katsuya experience was very positive. The staff was super friendly, and our waitress was very kind and answered all of our questions. Thank you so much for such great service!

Kale gave us such great service!!! Best customer service and gave great suggestions! Loved the special Katsuya roll! It was amazing! Plus the spicy tuna! LA LIVE is such a great location too! Central and so convenient! If you ever come ask to be seated with kale!

Food was delicious! Service was very slow. Not sure if it was the waiter or the kitchen. If you’re on the patio be prepared to be on top of the people around you.

Went here before the justin bieber concert. Everyone in my group had been to the Vegas location. I hadn’t been to either. Great service especially for such a busy night with the concert. Good was excellent, fresh fish, we especially loved the octopus carpaccio. Also I tried the cocktail named geisha lips and it was fabulous. The only bad thing was the girls at the front weren’t very friendly and seemed a bit unorganized.

I’ve been waiting for almost an hour just to get some drinks. They said it was going to be 30 min. Every time the wife asked them they said «it would be a few minutes». Ridiculous, they should tell you the truth so you can make arrangements to other place. Can’t comment on the food because I only have 15 minutes for my drink and to go the event I needed to attend

Really nothing special. I feel like the name katsuya is more famous than the food itself.
Sashimi was fresh, but not buttery enough for me and no sweetness from the seafood really.
Had a bite of someones california roll, it just tastes really basic.
Brussel sprouts is good though, they roast it and add oil and seasoning to it.
The black cod is also really good, might be a favorite dish here, it has light miso seasoning on it and the quality of the cod is great.
Overall, I enjoyed the cooked more than the raw on the menu, which shouldn’t be the case if im going to a higher end japanese restaurant is LA.
Expensive for the quality that it offers. I’d say this restaurant is for the rich white population who doesn’t care for the authenticity in japanese cuisine.

this place was absolute trash.
we had a reservation, and were sat outside at a random plastic table in the middle of their patio, instead of in a lounge table, like everyone else. our waiter literally greeted us with, «hold on» and then when he finally came back, said «are you ready?» as if getting our chairs bumped every time someone walked by because we were so awkwardly placed wasn’t enough, we also had to deal with a rude, negligent waiter. we even moved our table back out of the way ourselves to create a walkway, and workers still insisted on squeezing behind us, knocking our backs every time.
our first appetizer came out, and we had to ask twice for small plates. our drinks came out after our entrees. we had to ask repeatedly for refills of water. i’m not normally a person who automatically assumes racial prejudice, but since everyone else who wasn’t a minority was seemingly being serviced with urgent and diligent care, so it’s hard not to wonder what was different about our group besides being racially diverse.
the food itself was decent. the rock shrimp roll was flavored with a tasty sauce, and was probably the best thing about that place. the corn crunch roll was an interesting combo that i’ve never experienced with sushi. i felt like even though the lobster roll was advertised as being cajun, it still didn’t prepare me for the violation of seasoning that accompanied the first bite. that aggressively got pushed to the side after that.
as we were finishing our food, it started to rain. literally no one came to help us move, or ask if we wanted any dessert. so we got up ourselves, and stood inside to get our check, since otherwise we would’ve been left to rot outside in the drizzle.
BUT we still gave a 15% tip because we’re not stingy, and hope they have a blessed day. –_–

I read some of the reviews and still decided I wanted to give this place a try. Glad I chose to sit outside as the weather was perfect. I ordered the creamy rock shrimp and it was cooked PERFECTLY! I could have ordered this and been completely satisfied. For my main course, I had the miso marinated cod. The cod like the shrimp
were cooked to perfection. Since I was pleased with everything so far, I splurged for dessert and the molten chocolate cake hit the spot. The cocktail selection didn’t disappoint and I went for the Vitamin A and it was delicious. Next time I’m in the LA Live area I’ll definitely go again.
*some mentioned slow service, which I did experience, but the quality and taste of food overshadowed how long it took to get refills of water. Other than being slow, my server was very friendly.

Totally a fan of the Brentwood location and can rave about them for days. However, this location is a poor man’s Katsuya. Where do I even begin???
Being the location is across from Microsoft Theatre and Staples Center the people that work here should be well adjusted to crowds that come before/​after a game or to attend a concert. The hostesses were unprofessional, rude, and obnoxious. My boyfriend and I were starving or we would have gone to another place. After a few parties were getting seated before us, I asked the hostess what was the hold up and the response was attitude rather than attentiveness.
Finally, when seated she decided to be sarcastic and open my seat and go «Tada are you happy now?» — Like who raised you honey???
Afterwards, service was mediocre as well as the food. The busboys were better at attending to my boyfriend and I; they should have gotten the tip because our waiter was a dud.
You get a crispy rice and tuna with a Unilocal check-​in, but the crispy rice was really gross.
Never coming back, Brentwood location all the way.
Two stars for the shishito peppers and the busboy who got my eel sauce and poured my water since the salty food was gross.

I am a big fan of Katsuya and I am very thankful they have a gluten free menu; however, after my last experience at the LA Live location, I am very disappointed due to poor service. When we were seated, our waiter took our order mentally, aware that we were in a bit of a hurry to make it to a game at the Staples Center. The waiter forgot many details, including my dads sushi roll. When we asked about the roll, he admitted his forgetfulness and reminded the kitchen. He then returned defensive to my family and said «the kitchen is rushing for you and I’d really appreciate if you didn’t cancel the roll».
Also, when my «gluten free» sushi came it was paired with soy sauce, which is NOT gluten free. I understand now that the restaurant was currently out of Tamari; however, why would they give a gluten free order, non gluten free sauce? This makes no sense to me. I am very disappointed with my experience at Katsuya.

Great stop for dinner if you’re looking for a trendy night life. Clean and modern sushi restaurant at LA Live. Food was great. I started off with the «Burning Mandarin Martini and the best Brussels sprouts I have had. Sushi sampler and Kiwi Scallops were alright. Nothing too special. Plate presentations were fancy but I have had fresher tasting sushi. Overall a nice stop for sushi prior to a hockey at the Staples Center. The place was full and service was good. Food runners did not clear empty plates while piling more on our table. Our server Holli was friendly and sweet.

Overpriced for tiny portions of fish. Came here before the Lakers game and was left disappointed. The price for each entrée is well overpriced and the portions are too small. I was in shock of how unbelievable it was to order entrees and leave hungry and with a broken wallet.
Not only was the food options limited and unproportional to their price, the food itself was not that great nor fresh. I had ordered a chicken teriyaki because I was not in the mood for fish after the smell of old fish upon arrival. My date insisted on staying, which was why I did, or else I was ready to jolt out the restaurant. He had ordered a sashimi set to share and a California roll on the side. My date is a small, picky eater so that much food was enough. Mind you, I eat very light, so me complaining about small portions means there is an evident problem with the establishment.
Please, Katsuya management, work on creating a great restaurant by providing normal sized food options with at least decently priced prices.

I LOVE this place! Super convenient, walking distance from the staples center. I probably wouldn’t go out of my way to eat here, but it’s a good option for before or after the game.
We ordered:
Yellowtail sashimi with jalapeño AWESOME! 8 pieces of yellowtail rolled, topped with ponzu sauce and a slice of jalapeño. Perfection.
Baked crab hand rolls– shredded baked snow crab wrapped with soy paper. Delicious for your non raw fish eating friends.
Crispy rice with spicy tuna– CRISPY RICE, literally. It’s so flavorful and delicious!!! Topped with the most delicious spicy tuna ever. (CHECK IN WITH Unilocal TO GET THIS FOR FREE!)
SBC roll– baked scallops in dynamite sauce over California roll (also yummy for your non-​raw-​fish eating friends)
Stripped baze– striped bass Szechuan style, spicyish, soy sauced based sauce in fillets. My entire party loved this dish, but I thought it was just okay. Super saucy, which is good since I love sauce, but even I thought there was a little too much. Probably must eat it with rice.
The most awesome part of the meal was definitely our server. He was probably the coolest, nicest, down to earth server we’ve ever had. I don’t remember his name, but he was a handsome, tall, Caucasian man. I’ll forgive him for forgetting to give me the crispy rice spicy tuna for free. He charged us for it, and we paid for it anyways because we were in a hurry to get outta there.

Overpriced and mediocre sushi. Plain and simple. Katsuya is all about the ambiance and presentation, and I believe they focus less on the quality and taste of their dishes. Located in LA Live, everything seems to be a tad overpriced but if you’re looking for something convenient before attending a function at Staples or Nokia, you may stop by. To be perfectly honest, Katsuya was the only restaurant without a crazy line at LA Live before we went to the Lakers game that night. I wasn’t trying to wait in line at other places and jeopardize the start of the Lakers game.
Before you order anything, be sure to check in via the Unilocal app to receive a free crispy rice with spicy tuna appetizer. The dish isn’t bad and I enjoyed the nice chunk of spicy tuna that they give you.
Since we ordered a bunch of stuff, here’s a little recap:
–halibut usuzukuri ($ 16): not too bad! There are about 10 slices of halibut which were verrry thinly sliced. I liked how they put the wasabi right on the slice itself to add a nice kick to the fish.
–spicy tuna roll ($ 9): There’s a good amount of spicy tuna in the roll and it was good. I wouldn’t say it’s the best spicy tuna roll I’ve ever had but then again, it did its job.
–spider roll ($ 15): nice big piece of soft shell crab planted on the ends of the roll. The crab was crispy, just the way it should be. I just wish there was less rice.
–nabeyaki udon soup ($ 15): it comes with 2 pieces of tempura shrimp and the udon noodles are cooked well. The soup itself was flavorful. To me, the chicken in my udon tasted a bit weird… The chicken was really bland but other that that, the udon soup wasn’t too bad. It comes in a neat little pot too. Good presentation.
–sushi sampler ($ 32): not worth it. period. For $ 32, you get 9 pieces of sushi and a california roll. I would rather order my favorite pieces of sushi separately. There was a healthy amount of rice underneath each piece of fish and a california roll is as basic as can be for the amount that I am paying. Don’t get me wrong, the fish is fine but I would not order this based on value alone.
Service was friendly and attentive. But you can see how the bill adds up. Each dish isn’t filling so you have to order multiple dishes in order to get full. For the price that I paid, I would much rather go to Little Tokyo (which is pretty close) and get my sushi fix there.

Eh I like nobu better. Food is mediocre and pricey. There’s only garage parking by the way. Weekends it gets mad crowded as everyone and their mom are trying to find a decent spot to eat at before the game or just around in general.

The food is good, but a bit on the pricey side. I feel like Katsuya is more of a toned down, basic version of sushi, and it’s all about ambiance and presentation here.
We started out with drinks from the cocktail list, and everything was a bit on the sweet side, but it was pretty good. The three of us ordered several dishes to share. Don’t forget to check in for a free crispy rice with tuna on top! This dish was really good!
Rock shrimp roll– the rock shrimp was sweet and creamy, and it went well with the sushi roll.
Yellowtail carpaccio– The jalapeño added a nice kick to the fish, and it was nice and fresh. Good cut. Cute presentation on this dish, and it coems with 8 pieces.
Octopus carpaccio– This was my friend’s favorite as it was seasoned and marinated very well. We loved the toppings that came on this, and the octopus was great.
Salmon with caviar and cucumber– I liked it better without the cucumber, and this was one of my favorites. Salmon and caviar is always a great combination, and it helps that the salmon was fresh and tasty too!
Corn crunch roll– this was okay, we expected more but it was decent. The roll was plain without the crispy corn, and the corn itself was okay. Would not order again.
Yellowtail collar– the fish was extremely fresh and melted in our mouths. this was another favorite of the night, and it was a nice hot dish compared to all the sushi we got.
Special roll of the day– Alaskan crab– this roll was great, but nothing special.
We spent $ 200 in total for these dishes, which is overpriced for what you get. Service was great, he was very friendly and was always there when we needed him. Can’t decide between a 3 and 4 stars, but I will have to go with 3 as the price is a bit ridiculous for average sushi.

Ambience is great.
Food is okay.
It is so expensive for what you get. I love sushi. And it’s just not my type.
For 2 people, we ordered Yellowtail Ponzu, Albacore with Crispy Onions on top, Udon, and with a check in on Unilocal,I received crispy rice with tuna.
Let’s start off with the Yellowtail. The fish was cut thin, which I liked. I wish there was more ponzu. Albacore with crispy onions were pretty good. I am not a fan of Albacore, but I liked the taste of the fish and the crispy onions were so crispy! Udon’s soup base was so bland, there was no flavor to the dish. I was quite disappointed. Finally, the crispy rice with tuna. It is what it is.
Service was excellent. I wish my experience with food was better.

I have problems with Japanese restaurants, especially Japanese restaurants with a huge American tinge, so if you don’t want that type of review you may want to move on…
I had the spicy tuna with crispy rice and it was HORRIBLE. The rice was VERY VERY oily, and I guess that’s what it takes to make the rice crispy, but I would suggest just getting a spicy tuna hand roll instead. It made me feel sick. Perhaps cause I got it in a to-​go box so the oils had the chance to simmer in the rice, whereas fresh and straight to your table, you’ll probably never taste the oil cause it’s still all hot and crispy. As for the tuna itself. I’ve tasted much better concoctions of spicy tuna and this was first of all, not spicy. The only thing that made it kick was the jalapeño they put on top…
I did have their Brussels sprouts, and admittedly I thoroughly enjoyed them, although as you venture towards the bottom of the plate it gets increasingly liquidy because the sauce is what makes it. I do like how they peeled the sprouts, it’s better that way rather than being cut in halves… Kudos for that.
As for the service, our waiter SUCKED! Not only was it obvious he didn’t want to be there, it was obvious he didn’t really want to be serving. For a high-​end sushi place, I’d expect better service, and better food.

Not sure why this place only has 3 stars. While 4 stars is not a big big difference, if I could give a half rating to 4.5, I would.
I’m no sushi junkie, but I’ve been to my fair share of sashimi and sushi bars over the years, and this would easily be on my list of the top three. The fish is very fresh, and the chefs get creative with their ingredients. Don’t go with the standard california rolls or spicy tuna rolls, try something that sounds interesting. There are some jalapeño rolls that I couldn’t get enough of, and the breaded rock shrimp, we had three rounds of it.
Then there are the drinks. I had to go with some type of jalapeño cocktail they had there to go with my rolls. It’s a classy place, with really good sushi that pushes the price of $ 13 to $ 16 per roll, but very much worth it.

Of course the first thing I did was use my free crispy tuna appetizer on Unilocal.Katsuya has always had a prestigious front to me by the way it’s presented most of the time. It’s usually at an upscale hotel in destination areas. But this location is at the L.A. Live with more of a shopping plaza vibe. It really took away from its normal atmosphere and made me focus on the food itself because I wasn’t all fancy this location was a lot more casual than most. Even though the ambiance inside was still romantic and sexy with dim lighting. A few alarms went off to me when I arrived. Why was it dead on a Thursday night at 9? And why do they have a FREE appetizer at an upscale restaurant? I started searching for my answers in the food.
I started off with a miso soup that was very average. Then we ordered the Brussel sprouts which were fantastic. They were crispy, hot, and a perfect portion for 2. The crispy tuna was also very good. It came with 5 pieces and it’s not cheap. I’m still in disbelief they offer it and I repeat for FREE. lol. When we got all of our appetizers situated we ordered our entrees but everything came out super fast. Too fast. I felt like we were in an out of an expensive restaurant quickly. No one wants to be rushed when they are spending a lot of money. It was probably a 20 minute meal. Which is crazy when you’re in no rush at all and the place is dead.
My friend and I were satisfied with our entrees but it was nothing unbelievable. The food is good but it felt over priced here. I felt rushed and it didn’t feel like that 5-​star experience. My experience didn’t match those prices. If you do go I recommend trying the red mochi for dessert. One of the best I’ve had! I do have to say our waiter made a large effort to make sure we were happy with our food that came out. My friends sushi was cold and it’s a hot dish so he came back with an entire new plate for her. Replacing the one she already ate.
Make sure to get your parking validated it will be free when you leave the LA LIVE parking garage.

Repas délicieux du début à la fin, j’ai adoré ! Jolie découverte ;-) Propre, ingrédients frais, goûts délicieux, le tout dégusté sur la terrasse confortable en bonne compagnie. A tester !

Beautiful restaurant with stylish dining rooms beautified with white tufted couches, rich red tones and billboard-​size geisha paintings gracing the walls. I’ve been wanting to try out one of the Katsuya locations for years and finally made it inside last week. When I found myself in the LA Live district last week, craving sushi, I thought it was an oppotune time to finally make my way into Katsuya. Katsuya takes a modern American approach to Japanese cuisine and features a nouveau Japanese sushi and steakhouse menu.
I started with the Crispy Rice with Spicy Tuna, which was free with my Unilocal check-​in ($ 14 value). The lightly seared tuna had a nice texture and flavor but the texture of the crispy rice just didn’t do it for me; it tasted like stale rice that’s been sitting in a rice cooker for a week.
The Lobster Roll was probably my favorite of the rolls I ordered. A California roll topped with Cajun-​spiced lobster and a drizzle of dynamite sauce and wasabi aioli. A nice assemblage of flavors and quite filling too.
The Katsuya Roll is a like a reinterpreted rainbow roll with tuna, yellowtail, scallop, crab, avocado and salmon wrapped in rice, soy paper and cucumber. This namesake roll is a very beautiful roll with a fresh kaleidoscope of colors. The flavors compliment each other well. If you’re not a fan of cucumbers you might want to pass or shed a layer or two because it does overtake the other flavors. The Burning Mandarin martini was a warm evening libation. This sweet-​and-​savory cocktail features Absolut Mandarin vodka, serrano chilies, fresh-​squeezed lemon and orange juice and a splash of cranberry juice.
The lava cake was very good. This dessert was definitely one of the highlights of my meal. Warm, rich and moist chocolate cake oozing with molten chocolate and finished with fresh berries and fruit.
The service was very spotty during my visit. My server started off really well (very attentive, gave me a rundown of the menu) and then she completely vanished for close to an hour without so much as a check-​in or a refill. When I’m spending $ 25 for a sushi roll, I minimally expect to be checked on and offered a refill. I read a few other reviews and apparently this restaurant wasn’t just having an off night.
It was nice to finally dine at Katsuya. I love the décor, the outdoor terrace and the atmosphere. I must say this meal was about 3x the price of my other LA Live meals but probably ranks more towards the bottom in taste and impression.

This review is for their special menu that they have during Dark Nights LA Live.
Dark Nights are events held at LA Live when no other major events are happening. These are great nights for locals to enjoy a different scene. Multiple restaurants participate in offering special $ 5 menus. It’s basically happy hour all night from 6−10PM.
Katsuya offers select cocktails and wine as well as limited appetizers for $ 5. Bar staff is friendly enough but a bit aloof. The general vibe of the place is a bit sterile and uptight.
The cocktails are made well. The signature crispy rice with spicy tuna was fresh. There are 2 tiny pieces to an order. The crispy brussel sprouts were quite delicious.
There was nothing special about this place, in my opinion. With better places for food, drinks, and atmosphere, I’m not sure I would return.
parking — garage, metered street, or limited free street parking several blocks away