Mori Sushi

The is the best sushi in Los Angeles by far. I am a total sushi snob and will only eat at Mori Sushi and Hirozen. The sushi is so fresh it’s almost still moving. No Fried dishes like tempura or anything u traditional.
Authentic Japanese sushi made by authentic Japanese chefs! Go… But bring your wallet — worth every sickest mouthful!

Some people argue that Mori Sushi is better than Sushi Zo, and while I can understand that perspective, I still give a slight edge to Sushi Zo due to greater QPR.
We opted for the Premium Nigiri Omakase, which came out to a little over $ 250 per person. The sushi here is right up there with Sushi Zo and the sushi I’ve had in Japan. Even though you get many traditional and classic cuts of fish (snapper, hamachi, salmon roe, squid, uni, etc), there’s a distinct difference between having them here versus any other high-​end establishment. My favorites were the chutoro, bluefin tuna, Hokkaido uni, and crab. Those dishes were flavor explosions that made me wish I could just buy an entire plateful of each. If only.
While the food was incredible, the service lacked that edge that Sushi Zo had. At Sushi Zo, they treated you like a special guest. At Mori Sushi, you feel somewhat appreciated, but you feel like you should be the one giving appreciation instead. While it’s not as snooty as other LA restaurants like Animal or small hipster coffee shops, it could still use some improvement.
I have to give the nod to Sushi Zo for being a much better value. However, world-​class sushi here, no doubt. My friends are generally split between Mori Sushi and Sushi Zo. You’ll have to find out for yourself! And for my few friends who have ventured to Urasawa, they still maintain that Urasawa does it best. That might be true, but I’m not eager to spend $ 600 on a meal (before wine) to find out! For now, Sushi Zo and Mori Sushi are my two favorite omakase spots in LA.
Tip: The parking lot is tiny, so consider street parking. It shouldn’t be a problem.

Ok, soooo, this place, not sure why they have the crazy great reviews. Maybe we went on a bad night or something but the sushi was not anything special whatsoever and completely forgettable. It wasn’t garbage but I’ve been to cheap sushi places that had way better sushi than this place. I feel like I just got ripped off completely. The sushi was bland and had no flavor. Aside from that, I may have given the 3 stars but the I have not ever been so hovered over by waiters in my life. There’s a difference between being attentive and obnoxious. I was trying to have a conversation with my friend and they came by literally every 2 minutes, I actually timed them once so I felt like I wasn’t over exaggerating. I couldn’t get through a half a conversation without them coming by. It was extremely annoying and even if the sushi was good that would have bugged the hell out of me and lost them a few stars. Not saying it’s not nice to have an attentive waiter, absolutely! But as I said there is a difference between attentive and obnoxious. They made us feel like they wanted us to hurry the fuck up and get out the second it was last call and it was even more downhill from there with that. Just saying I won’t go there again. They meant well but I’m not going back and wasting my money over boring sushi and nice but annoying service.

I love this sushi place because of their fishes coming from all over Japan and they have got these kinds that we can’t find in LA. Ex) nodoguro, sakuramasu etc.
sushi counters are only for omakase course, they’ve got plum wine that have no sugar added and it tasted just like strawberry preserve! I like it
Their sushi might be relatively small size and cute

Total bill for premium omakase for two with one sake and one beer totalled a little over $ 500 so I am going to nitpick a little. I feel that’s allowed due to the substantial cost and advance notice with which I placed reservations.
This review is a few months late. We dined the last week of January. I placed reservations in early December. The gentleman on the phone was clearly astonished and repeated the date but booked it and noted the special occasion: boyfriend’s birthday. He asked that I please cancel in advance if I needed to; I felt like he meant «you’re calling so early in don’t want you to forget about it.» Of course we didn’t. Come January I called three times whether to confirm or ask a question to make sure everything was perfect.
Taste-​wise the choices were stellar. Fresh and delicious. Cuttlefish was a new fun one! The housemade tofu was the best I’ve ever had. My boyfriend who would never claim to like tofu actually loved it. I believe he called it soft, creamy and «nicely wheaty.» The aesthetic was lovely. Artisan ceramics gave it a unique and dignified vibe without coming off as ostentatious.
We loved the progression of our meal. It started with the velvet tofu and «special soy sauce,» also housemade. Then came a seasonal appetizer assortment with various veggies picked in-​house, small fruits that were new to us, and of few pieces of sashimi. The plating was acheived with acute attention to detail.
Early in the meal we received a lovely «winter soup» with monkfish, veggies, and 5 different types of mushroom. Very authentic, our chef informed us, a hundred year old traditional soup that is part of everyday life in Japanese culture. It was another new, impressive item.
Then the nigiri and a lot of it! It went from raw to lightly seared to the last piece of freshly cooked unagi. We also received a lovely dessert that was created for our occasion: a small scoop of ice cream and sweet red bean with mochi.
Lots of good but now for the ugly: I feel I paid for the top notch meal and therefore top notch service is part of that price tag, right? Well it didn’t feel like we had the chef’s attention for the majority of the night. I know we didn’t.
It was quite irritating that a couple of guys sitting at the sushi bar next to us having the most basic omakase got so much of the chef’s time. They were very young and new to sushi. They constantly asked questions as if they thought the chef was there for a private lesson. «What is nori?» «What type of fish is toro?» «I didn’t realize that there was more than one type of uni, what’s the difference?» «Why are some pieces cooked?» Relentless.
That was in part their fault; tasteless not to realize he was making sushi for two parties and they further annoyed me by taking their phones out to snapchat every single item. Really?! Not at a nice place like Mori.
However, they didn’t know I placed reservations over a month in advance, that it was a special occasion, or that we were paying for top tier omakase. Our sushi chef knew that but he didn’t properly divide his time.
We’ve had the pleasure and good fortune to dine at Shunji, Sushi Zo, and Sushi Kimagure to name a few favorites. These places all made us feel special, as if we were the only couple there. That wasn’t the case at all but the service gave off that impression. At Mori we didn’t feel adequately appreciated until the last 20 minutes of our meal when the chef finally warmed up to us and engaged because the guys had left. Prior to that he even rushed descriptions of our items to get back to the non-​stop interrogation.
I’d recommend the food without hesitancy but the service could be improved.

A+ sushi with A+ service and A+ ambiance. on par with some of the best sushi in tokyo.

I remember nothing of that first day I arrived, but I’m sure it didn’t matter where it came from. Be it from my mother’s breast, a plastic bottle, or even from one of the eight teats of a wolf, I would have eagerly suckled just the same.
Years passed and I became more and more discerning. Eventually, too discerning. No longer content just to be nourished, I developed a pathological view of food. So… I find myself sitting here tonight willing to drop an ungodly amount of cash for dead fish on rice.
We order the «regular» omakase. My sweetie starts chatting and joking with the chef in Japanese, and I just sit there smiling and nodding, feeling as relevant to the conversation as a wooden chair. Her looks can sway any man, and before I knew it, the chef makes us complimentary nodoguro sushi from the «premium» omakase. Actually, he gladly makes it for her, while my piece is just conciliatory-​nodoguro.
Nodoguro is a fish also known as blackthroat perch. I go spearfishing and the perch from our California waters is meh. But this is BLACKTHROAT perch, brought in from the Sea of Japan. A rare, highly prized delicacy. It’s a small white fish with a deceptively mundane appearance. Yet, because it’s a deep fish that lives in cold waters, the meat is deliciously fatty like o-​toro. I know only a handful of places in LA that serve nodoguro. My thought soon turns to how to score the next hit.
The check comes and I glance at it. The numbers remind me of my disease. There was a time when I was happy with the $ 5 California roll from Sushi Boy…

Traditional style Japanese sushi spot with the freshest ingredients I’ve had in a while! Had the white fish carpaccio and the appetizer with scallops atop an open eggplant. Both yummy, had an assorted amount of nigiri sushi following– and everything was light and full of flavor. Also had two types of sake the waiter recommended. They can heat up any of the cold sakes upon request FYI!

This is as good as it gets in LA for traditional edomae sushi. The rice is perfect. The fish is exotic and exquisite.
The Hokkaido Uni vs Santa Barbara uni is reason alone to come here.
Not cheap but this is the best of the best. Sushi is better than Urasawa.

great fresh sushi and good service. A bit on the pricy side but you get what you pay for. It is so worth the splurge.

After eating at incredible restaurants like Sugarfish, I have to say I was very disappointed. The fish was good quality but nothing in comparison to other sushi restaurants. The waitresses and waiters were nice but it was outrageous in price for what it was.

The tofu mousse dessert is like heaven. Came in for lunch, excellent service, decent sushi, definitely prepare to spend $$$.

Very good sushi, most of fish imported fresh from Japan. Everything is carefully prepared and presented. The chef is very friendly and helpful. We ended up paying $ 400 for 2 including tip, after getting nigiri omakase, 16 pieces ($ 100) each, additional 3 sushi pieces each (because they are on the small side, we could eat more), beer, sake, miso soup.

It’s very good! I love sushi and I think it’s a good option for an Omakase. Fish is not as fresh as other places I’ve been to, but it’s combination is really good. The ambiance is not so great and price is a bit high, but I recommend a try. Totally worth it.

$ 150 Premium Nigiri Omakase, 24 courses:
Subtle, vanilla-​ish tofu with house-​made malty, magical soy sauce
22 pieces of nigiri, on par with the best I’ve had in Tokyo. Uniquely, a few pieces were kissed by the grill, imbued with a smoky, nuttier aroma. Rice is wonderfully al dente. The mindblowingly excellent highlights were:
squid, ocean trout, toro, saba, uni (fun to compare the big fat sweet Santa Barbara to the little salty umami Hokkaido), toro touched by the grill (unbeliavably fruity and smoky, like kobe beef)
Tofu ice cream (subtly sweet, like soft-​serve ricotta) + persimmon jelly + hojicha to finish,

sushi restaurants like Mori make my heart pump.
Traditional, clean, high quality, and excellent in every way.
The service is always kind and fast. The atmosphere unpretentious or modern.
Everything about this place is what sushi restaurants are traditionally meant to be.
I go here for lunch once a week. Their lunch specials are an affordable way to enjoy their high quality offerings.
The bento box in particular is very special. The last box I had featured fish collar, a small sampling of perfect tempura, rice, sashimi, and a vegetable appetizer (this day was cucumber sunomonu). preceded by a simple leaf salad with a wonderful ginger dressing and a perfect miso soup.
even the green onion in the miso soup seemed to be 50x my flavorful than green onion i’ve had elsewhere. the ginger in the salad dressing is fantastic. every inch of anything on your plate will always be top notch, and that’s why I respect this place so much.
excited to go in for omakase soon.

A quiet Saturday night in LA found us gazing at the sunset then Ubering off to dinner at Mori. As we approached down Pico — we see that the lights are off in the restaurants. Sudden anxiety grips us as we wonder if they were closed (since most of the street had power outage). This would dash our birthday dinner plans. .. But wait, what soft light in yonder doorway glows? Flickering LED tea candles! They were open! Yet, the power was definitely out and the kitchen down — luckily — sushi is served cold and that they could do.
Sushi omakase you say? DONE. We dined in the dark using cell phones as flashlights to see the delicately prepared cuts of Nigiri. Homemade tofu — so silky soft — Black drum, Needlefish, never frozen Hokkaido scallop, Ahi, Bonito, Buri (so good), Akami, Pike Mackerel, Baby barracuda, Saba, Fresh octopus (tenderly massaged for no less than 20min), Boston bluefin toro, Amaebi — Santa Barbara, Cod glazed with kelp, Tasmanian trout, Kinmadai, Uni (both Santa Barbara and Japanese). A light dessert and free beer for our troubles.
Until the next time. .. lights on and a bigger omakase!

Mori Sushi is a church where I have had many religious experiences.
Don’t be a sinner. Eat at Mori.
(Otherwise you will burn in hell and suffer unrelenting agony and misery. Consider yourself warned)

I’ve actually been here over 20 times now — I was first recommended to Mori Sushi by one of my really close friends who used to live here. He’s a big eater so naturally I trusted his restaurant recommendations.
Honestly to say, I would have given this place a 5 stars a year or so ago, but the food quality has been slowly deteriorating. It is quite disappointing really. The only thing that has remained consistently delicious are the chef’s creative dessert creations, he has different specials every week so watch out for that. I personally love his tofu mousse, miso crème brûlée and yuzu jelly puddings.
I pretty much come here because it’s one of the closer and best japanese restaurants that I know of, and also to get my fair share of abalone (except their abalone tempura is slowly falling too, sadly enough). This is also one of the few stores that serve uni all the way from Hokkaido, which I reassure you is ten times better and sweeter than the Santa Monica ones that they offer — so I definitely recommend paying the higher price for the japanese unis rather than just have a fishy and bitter aftertaste with the american ones.
Overall, this is my «safety» japanese pick, although it is quite pricey, it’s one of the more traditional japanese ones, and I personally do prefer that to americanised japanese food such as in Nobu, not to say that Nobu is bad since that’s one of my regular to go restaurants too.

Mori Sushi, much like Sushi Zo, was good, but did not «wow» me like I was hoping it would. I’m a fan, but considering the outrageous price, it could have been better. I give Sushi Zo a slight edge over Mori. (Sushi Zo is $ 165 omakase; I ordered the premium nigiri omakase for market price [$ 180] at Mori.)
There are four choices on the menu.
1. Nigiri omakase $ 80 lunch, $ 100 dinner.
2. Premium nigiri omakase, market price (which I found out was $ 180 for dinner).
3. Omakase $ 120
4. Premium omakase market price (my guess would be $ ²⁰⁰⁄₂₂₀).
Although I am a fan of appetizers and other omakase items as well, I was really in a nigiri mood and therefore elected for the premium nigiri omakase. (I also wanted to make a direct comparison to Sushi Zo.)
Premium nigiri omakase: most items were good, some were ok. Most had a soft body and did not require much chewing effort.
1-​homemade tofu and soy sauce — simply outstanding. If all of the nigiri were as good as the tofu, this would have been a five stars plus meal. The tofu indeed tasted homemade. It was the perfect consistency and flavor.
2-​wild snapper
3-​scallop
4-​sayori (needlefish)
5-​bonito
6-​wild Spanish mackerel
7-​flounder (engawa) — not chewy like engawa usually is, but actually very good. beautiful presentation and flavor.
8-​wild bluefin tuna
9-​hamachi (wild yellowtail)
10-​sea pike
11-​wild bluefin chutoro — simply outstanding.
12-​barracuda — the smoky sear on the outside of the fish was excellent
13-​gizzard shad — I’ve always wanted to try this. It looks unique, especially with the skin on. I thought it would taste strong/​fishy, but it didn’t. It did not impress. It was not flavorful, but maybe that’s just my expectations?
14-​giant crab — this was the single best bite of the entire meal. It contained a natural ocean burst, with succulent meat.
15-​squid — soft and delicate, not chewy at all.
16-​ocean trout — very good
17-​clam — this looked pretty and unique, but there wasn’t any wow factor while eating it.
18-​live sweet shrimp
19-​salmon roe — very good, but not as good as Sushi Zo’s salmon roe
20-​goldeneye snapper
21-​bluefin tuna, hagashi — contained both meaty and fatty qualities. Melted in my mouth.
22-​uni from Santa Barbara — this was very good
23-​uni from Hokkaido — even better than the Santa Barbara uni. A flavor explosion on my tongue. This contained a greater depth of flavor, a more pronounced natural ocean lightness than its Santa Barbara counterpart.
24-​abalone
25-​sea perch
26-​sea eel
27-​hagashi (extra request), bluefin tuna, super tender and fatty, so delicious, and I know it’s a cliché but it melts in your mouth.
28-​dessert, green tea Panna cotta, tofu mousse, green tea ice cream, green tea — these were impeccable.
Mori was good, but I’ll try Urasawa, Yamakase, Q, and others on my sushi hitlist before returning to Mori. The true test will be when I one day fly to Japan to try Sukiyabashi Jiro (anyone want to take me?).

This is NOT Omakase！This is Not worth $ 288 for 2 people! !! Don’t go to this place. I went to Kyoto in 2013, I had a really good Omakase before. But this one is totally NOT! First dish is Tofu, second one looks like salad… third one is Soup. That’s all! and some sushi. The most dishonest restaurant in town! The first time that I give one star for the restaurant! Should be zero star!

YOLO = you only live once.
Started off and often used by those who specialize in mindless Vegas style partying any weekend chance they get, holding frou frou cocktails with their BFFs, and puking on the dance floor. Also instagramming various body parts at the swimming pool or lounge chair while another hotel nearby goes up in flames. Yes, let what happened in Vegas stay there please.
But, when you combine Mori Sushi Premium Omakase with the YOLO attitude, you get
YOLOmakase™.
Sure beats #PhoodPorn, #TrustDatChef, #HolyF**KToroUniWagyu, #MeltInYourMouth, #OMaGase
It’s pretty simple here, come during dinner and go big, before you go home. Even if you are visiting.
Owner Maru-​san (Masanori «Maru» Nagano) is not your typical sushi chef, and the level of skill he has for not only nigiri, but kappo ryori/​kaiseki-​esque cooked dishes, are truly astounding, provided you have a discerning taste for them.
Started off the meal with a small bottle of Tasuriki «Kome No Sasayaki» Daiginjo from Hyogo Prefecture, a sake I have never seen before (Mori’s sake selection is obscurely eclectic in a very intriguing way), and apparently has won awards. Bold, dry, and smooth refreshing is how I would put it. A bit more affordable than their super high end obscure bottles. From a glance at the sake menu, the owner or sake somm must really like sake brewed with Yamadanishiki rice.
The signature tofu had the texture and smoothness of a ridiculously wonderful Japanese soymilk custard (also reminded me texture wise of Taiwanese almond tofu 杏仁豆腐). A little seasoned soy sauce, and sharkskin grated fresh wasabi, made it far more delightful.
Next up, a awesome earthenware platter of beautiful arranged delectable bites (zensai 前菜) with an aesthically pleasing kaiseki style presentation:
— Simmered mini horned turban shell from New Zealand (sazae-​ni), probably with a little soy sauce, sake, in its own juices. The texture was similar to bagai 梅貝煮 from the nicer Japanese restaurants in Hong Kong. Fantastic.
— Takuan (pickled daikon) smoked with cherry wood (iburi gakko いぶりがっこ), and house made non smoked marinated tsukemono (pickles basically), and cherry wood smoked bluefin neck/​cheek (kama). Heavenly!
— Hotaru-​ika (firefly squid) with su-​miso sauce. Daaayum…
— Rapini — chilled greens were refreshing to have
— Wakasagi ワカサギ【公魚】- Japanese smelt, tempura. Insane frying skill, not a drop of oil left behind. So good.
— some delectable house prepped bamboo shoot slices
— baby Mandarin quat and «special baby peach» (若桃の甘露煮 marinated in syrup and maybe some liquor)…so bloody good!
There was a bowl of dashi with abalone slices and a truly wonderful light egg that had seaweed inside, amongst the courses somewhere.
Nigiri time followed:
Madai no konbu jime — kelp marinated sea bream
Sayori — halfbeak
Hokkaido scallop
Kurodai (Japan)
Sakura Masu (cherry trout from Hokkaido)
Hiramasa
Sawara (I believe also smoked with cherry wood)
Gindara no konbu jime (Canadian black cod, marinated it in kelp firmed up the texture and imparted the wicked flavors into the fish).
Wild boston bluefin (akami)
Buri belly (wild Japanese adult yellowtail)
Kohada (gizzard shad)
Chutoro (wild Boston bluefin)
Kamasu (baby barracuda)
Ma-​saba
Akagai (from Japan)
Mirugai (Geoduck)
Nodoguro (blackthroat seaperch, seared)
Santa Barbara fresh spot prawn (ama ebi)
Legendary side by side tasting of Hokkaido bafun and Santa Barbara uni
Steamed abalone with raw liver on top, with a brushed reduction sauce cooked with abalone
Ikura (strong katsuo dashi presence)
Seared kinmedai (alfosino)
Otoro
Anago
Desert: a delectable tofu mousse (tofu blancmange) with brown («black») sugar syrup (kuromitsu), and a very fine gelee made with yuzu juice! Finished the meal off with a beautiful roasted green tea (Hoji Cha) via Shizuoka.
From start to finish, an extremely smooth operation and execution by waitstaff. Chef «Maru”-san was engaging and very friendly, laser focused, yet very personable, down to earth and made us feel at ease. The décor may be a bit minimalist or somewhat bare bones, but the food truly spoke volumes.
The sushi rice here, is not the red vinegared version used by many top places in Hong Kong, Taipei, Japan, but works so well here. The rice, if retaining the style and prep of original owner Mori Onodera, is sourced to a farm in Sacramento area, and is polished prior to cooking. It’s hard to describe how great the sushi rice really is until you try it, from the temperature during serving to the texture (down to the flavor and the taste of the individual grains), moisture, stickiness level, and «mouth feel». After having this, you start to doubt your tastes in the past…
For those who appreciate the finer details of preparation, thoughtfulness, washoku, will truly get it and have a blast in here.
Bring your like minded loved one here and experience YOLOmakase™, the way to go.
(You can soothe your crying wallet later).

One of my favorite omakase experiences! Everything was delicious and service was on point.
Mori is easy to miss, it’s on the corner and isolated from other restaurants. There is a free parking lot behind the restaurant and also lots of street parking.
Yes, this place is not cheap but like a lot of people have said, don’t come here expecting cheap sushi. Come here ready to drop some money but for an amazing melt-​in-​your-​mouth sushi experience. Well worth the value!
Omakase started off with this incredible homemade cold tofu appetizer. It was unreal and has now ruined store bought tofu for me… Then came the nigiri. Loved that each piece was unique and unusual. No hamachi or salmon or regular tuna here. The fatty toro was bomb, the golden eye snapper and baby barracuda were delicious. Seriously every piece was drool worthy but can’t remember all or even half the names… Server was great about explaining each piece and where it was flown in from. The dinner ended with one of the best desserts I’ve had. It was a set of toasted rice? Ice cream that looked deceivingly like green tea ice cream and a tofu custard-​like dessert, both homemade. The flavors are hard to eloquently explain but both were just so well executed! The perfect consistency and sweetness and the two went well with each other. Only wish that I could have had three times as much hehe.

It’s quite difficult for me to try other sushi restaurants living in the Valley. Just 10 minutes away is a destination sushi restaurant where I’m a regular. Mori Sushi has been on my radar for so many years now and made the decision to finally visit for lunch.
I knew immediately that this would be a restaurant fit for food nerds. When taking my order I said no fried and NO spicy tuna. He looked at me and said that they don’t do spicy tuna there. I was quite delighted to hear that. I hate spicy tuna.
Mori Sushi is what I would consider one of best sushi restaurants in Los Angeles. If you’re a sushi connoisseur, this is a must. The original chef has retired and the new chef was his right hand man. When Michelin came to visit, Mori Sushi is one of the few restaurants that earned a Michelin star.
Chef Niki from Chef’s Table trained with original chef out of culinary school.
They source their rice from a farm in Northern California. The tofu and soy sauce is all housemade, and the ceramic flatware are all custom made by the original chef. That level of detail here is very rare even at some of the best restaurants in the city. If Urasawa is the #1 sushi experience in LA, this could be easily considered #2.
From the moment I walked in, service was top notch and what I would expect at a fine dining restaurant — even better than some the fine dining restaurants in LA. They were professional and extremely attentive. Even the chef looked at me at the end of my meal nodding as if to see if I was satisfied with the experience.
I ordered the chirashi omakase which was said to be the best value on the lunch menu. It came with the omakase soup and a salad. On a bed of their special rice, was the chef’s selection of fresh fish, uni, and tamago. Mostly exotic fish from Japan, Boston, Alaska, and Tasmania. The wasabi is fresh in the bowl. I completely cleaned that up which is rare when most sushi places give me the artificial stuff.
I can’t wait to return again! Easily one of the top restaurants in LA.

My life is a constant pursuit of the freshest sushi I could find. That being said, Mori Sushi definitely satisfied my craving. The quality was exceptional. My girlfriend and I ordered the premium omakase, in which we started with the homemade tofu. I have never been particularly fond of tofu, but this one was out of this world. We also ordered a bottle of saki that was recommended by our waiter, and it was the best saki I’ve ever had. It was described as the «dry saki lover’s paradise.» We then proceeded with the chef’s selection of sushi. We sat at the counter, so we had the opportunity to tell our chef what we didn’t particularly like, and also what we loved.
Most notable about our meal was Chef Yoshi’s attentiveness. We enjoyed conversation with him throughout our meal, and he even gave us a complimentary dessert at the end of our meal. Chef Yoshi truly made this meal a complete experience for us, and Mori Sushi most definitely impressed me with their quality and service. New favorite LA sushi restaurant FOR SURE.

We came here with colleagues from work and ordered off the lunch menu. I was quite happy with the sashimi and sushi I got. Small portion though (especially the sashimi) so be warned if you have big appetites.
I understand this place at one point had received one Michelin star (before the Michelin abandoned Los Angeles in 2009). While the lunch menu is pretty affordable (with most items around $ 20 and omakase [chef’s choice] for $ 80), the items on the regular menu can be pretty pricy (estimating $ 100+ a head for a decent meal). They are known for, among other things, the quality of their fish. I heard people raving about their homemade tofu as well.
We arrived right when the restaurant opened. It always worries me to visit a sushi restaurant right around the opening time because the fish tends to be too cold (hate biting into ice crystal when I eat my sashimi). And I was not expecting much because I ordered the sashimi off the set lunch menu. I was actually impressed with the quality of the sashimi and sushi. Perfect temperature and perfect cut. The quality of the fish was very good although the portions were small (but makes a nice light lunch and I really shouldn’t be eating so much anyway). The octopus in my sashimi plate actually reminded me of the octopus I had at Yamazaki at Tsukiji Market; talk about being fresh! The ikura sushi I got on the side had a nice rice/​roe ratio, nice sushi rice, good nori wrap and very tasty.
The services was fine but not outstanding. I had to waive people down for more tea and water, which is not a big deal but unexpected for a place like this.
It’s not bad. And I really didn’t try the omakase to make a full and fair assessment. But for now I am not really sure if this place is for me. I think I still prefer to go to Little Tokyo (Sushi Zo for omakase or Sushi Gen generally) largely due to geography since I live on the east side. But if I were to live on the west side and the cost is not an issue, I wouldn’t mind eating here at all.

So far there are only 4 Japanese restaurant/​sushi bar in LA that I am willing to pop a DRC wine in there, and I am glad I find Mori to be the 5^th one because they meet my criteria of outstanding sushi.
One advantage Mori has is their connection with Tsukiji fish market in Japan where they get their fish directly from. This gives us diner a wide variety of fresh fish to enjoy. Together with a fine choice of rice and a well prepared awasezu (vinegar mixture), the sushi has the perfect stickiness and taste.
The omakase course begins with the spring themed appetizers with pickles, berries, grapes, bamboo shoots, grill black cod, and etc. My 04 DRC Montrachet was the perfect wine to pair with.
The second bottle I brought is the 2012 vintage of Kakunko which has a real nice floral character and is an elegant way to begin with the nigiri course. The last bottle is the Dassai Beyond which is extremely smooth and soft on the palate, I like it with shellfish such as abalone and clams.
I order 2 more rounds of sashimi after the nigiri course end because I need to refresh my memory on the very creamy Bafun Uni, it also gives me a reason to try the Kokuryu Ishidaya sake Maru san recommended.
Mori sushi is no doubt on my list of top 5 sushi bar in LA.

Mori Sushi, I wronged you in the past! How could I have called you… four-​star boring? The attention to detail, the wonderful flavors, the perfect rice, expertly cut fish (in front of you), artistry, textures, exoticism, the list goes on… and I’m not sake drunk!
From the moment I sat down, I realized that the bar was oh so much higher than other sushi restaurants, not literally! The chopsticks were the high-​end kind where both sides are curved. The little pieces of pottery/​plates were like tiny works of art. The service was sophisticated. I can see how they have a Michelin star. I like the presentation of all the fish in the sushi bar, since I am a stickler for freshness and could see how each fish was not pre-​cut, and very fresh and/​or well marinated.
This was my favorite sushi rice, although I’m not a connoisseur by any means. I’d describe it as light, so as not to overpower the fish, yet ever present providing a soft-​to-​firm underbelly with a nice touch of vinegar/​sugar. Stickiness and formation was perfect, maybe one bead of rice fell off my nigiri throughout the entire meal. The temperature was a touch above room, if I would venture a guess, which is ideal for me.
I had so many items that I can’t pretend to recall all their names.
Here’s an abbreviated and likely botched list of some highlights:
* Homemade tofu with homemade soy sauce and a touch of freshly grated wasabi — immediately I knew this was going to be good, everything was tasty, light and flavorful. The soy sauce was particularly outstanding
* Kaiseki plate — I made up the name here (Tsunami plate might be better) but its essentially, assorted mini bites of goodness. We had ankimo, vegetables, a lightly fried summer fish, marinated peanuts, a fried giant oyster from Japan, mountain potato, marinated tuna, and other various treats
* Matsutake mushroom soup — this is a classic that I have only had once before (Kihachi in Columbus OH). The broth is delicious, and it was served with a special Japanese citrus. Of course, digging into the sea bass, shrimp, and mushrooms afterward is half the fun!
* Hokkaido scallop — Oh wow, so tender, juicy, but somehow keeping its unique texture. Think of butter without butter
* Akami — wild tuna from Boston
* Chu-​toro — same fish, just better cut (IMO)!
* Seared barracuda (–like fish) — apparently, a staple at Mori. So delicious
* Marinated Saba — loved this, at this juncture I was really blown away by the combo of cuts, textures, tastes, and marinating techniques
* Abalone — steamed, never had as nigiri before. Wish I had more. Out of this world tender, yet meaty
* Sardine — this was a barrel of taste from the oiliness of the fish to the ginger on top
* Kohada — outstanding, very flavorful. They explained that each kohada is a little different, so they use various marinating techniques depending on the size and type of shad
* Tako — as one might expect, über tender, and a touch sweet
* Tiger shrimp — prepped in front of me, so much more flavor than Ebi almost anywhere else
* Double uni — Santa Barbara, largish portion, served nigiri style. Sweet
* Uni from Japan — not Hokkaido, but a small type of uni, with one-​inch spines. I loved this even more than Santa Barbara
* Anago — perfect way to end, until I asked for a couple more bites
* Ocean trout — very juicy tasty fish that probably appeals more to the Western palette
* Tamago — this was an interesting take on the egg omelet, as it was served with rice, shiso leaf, and tart-​plum paste. I don’t think the chef was feeling the tamago, as I had to ask for it, he caveated it by saying he usually makes two kinds, and while the shiso leaf and plum were interesting, they masked the flavor of the tamago itself
I’ll see if I can update this list with all the other items, but I didn’t catch all the names of the fish.
Needless to say, Mori was a ⁵⁄₅.