Sushi Zo

The sushi was really really really really really tasty. Probably worth the money. I wasn’t full at all after eating the omakase, probably could’ve had another course. But still, really good sushi.

Still one of the best omakases (Yamakase is still my favorite so far) I’ve had. Super fresh and super tasty. No menu, just chef’s selection at $ 165 per person (20+) dishes. Mostly traditional sushi, 1 handroll, 1 soup, 1 chawanmushi. Second trip to Sushi Zo, still just as good as it was last time almost a year ago. Menu was about the same as last time, with small variations. I always request no wasabi and the chef was more than happy to accommodate me (no sushi nazi’s here haha).
Favorite of the day was definitely the chu toro. I also really liked the blue crab handroll and the salmon roe. Uni (from San Diego) was good, but Sushi Ota still takes the cake. Kumamoto oysters are super sweet (prefer the ponzu one over the yuzu). Honestly, I can’t remember & keep track of all the sushi we were served, but majority were the soft, melt-​in-​your-​mouth goodness type… soooo good!
They like to use truffle salt quite a bit, which I think is a nice twist (don’t see it much elsewhere). Sushi rice is warm and a bit softer than what I’m used to, but I liked it. Not stuffed after the meal, but rather filling. We requested some extra toro (+$ 12) at the end and the chef served it seared this time. Mmmmm.
Sushi chef was so nice throughout the meal. He ended up giving us free homemade ice cream since we were celebrating a birthday woohoo.
Service is attentive and flawless. Place is small, clean, and pretty quiet. You don’t need to dress up at all (unless you want to). Sit at the sushi bar! It’s more fun and the sushi chefs are interactive & nice. A bit pricey yes, but that’s kind of how it is now, isn’t it haha. $ 6 parking lot right after u pass the restaurant, so you won’t need to worry about parking.

The chef is young– but still able to provide great quality sushi.
Their Toro was the best I’ve had anywhere and the chilled yuzu shot in the end is just magical.

Best omakase experience in LA! The restaurant is very low key and quiet and only serve omakase totaling about 15 different dishes each in perfect size. I have never tried this many different kinds of fishes in one omakase setting. Service was great and it truly was the ultimate sushi experience!

Celebrated my fiancées birthday here. I enjoyed every dish that was brought out from Uni to cod brains. I have never had sushi so good in my life!
This restaurant is no joke with price. I will probably never come here again due to the fact that the bill cleaned out my credit card. Worth it? Yes!

Wow this place is amazing! Very high quality and staff are amazing!!! It is worth the price :)
Sit at the bar!

I have long heard about this place but never had a chance to try it until last Friday night. To preface, my sushi experience is not terribly extensive. My favorite place thus far is Oshima in Tustin. I had called about 2 – 3 days ahead of time and was easily about to make a bar reservation for 4 at 6:30pm on friday night. I was told that any thing about 4 people would only be offered a table. We arrived at 6:20pm and found the place empty. I was not concerned and we ended up having a phenomenal dining experience. By the time we left (around 8pm) the place was filling up and bustling.
Location/​Ambience: This place was not hard to find. There were ample parking within a short walk. The ambience was nice and modern. Very clean and simple. We were relatively loud and no one gave us a second look. Would definitely be a great place for a date or casual get together. No loud music.
Service: Phenomenal from start to finish. Best service without being snooty. Everyone from the wait staff to the chefs were friendly and warm. The head sushi chef, although young, was very knowledgable and was willing to share with us. Our glass was never half empty. Plates were cleared right away. Recommendations were on point. By far, the best service i have received at a sushi restaurant.
Food: This was what we came for and we were not disappointed. I lost track of the dishes but here were some highlights. I enjoyed having the oysters (with two different vinaigrettes). I also like the sashimi at the beginning. Oshima did not offer that. Then came the plethora of sushi. I really loved their rice. It was warm and soft. Perfect combo with the seafood. The bonita and toro were awesome. They had a number of different mackerels that all tasted different. The Scallops were amazing. I didn’t really care for the abalone or giant clams. The Uni was lucious. Monk fish liver was also very good. I enjoyed the salmon roe, it was kinda different. There was a egg custard dish in the middle that was also pretty good. Some of my friends did not enjoy the uni pasta (with squid). I thought it was really really good. I had to request salmon (new zealand), otherwise he would not have brought it out. The toro hand roll was awesome. I had to get another one. One of the best hand rolls ever. Simple yet great. Big disappoints was the lack of sweet shrimp and blue crab hand rolls (not avail). My only slight comment towards the food was I felt the pieces were on the smaller side. Maybe that is the way it is suppose to be, but it felt a little lacking. Oshima had bigger bites and were more satisfying. They recommended a sake and i thought that was the best one i have ever had ($ 100 bottle).
All in all, it was a great experience tasting all the variety of top notch seafood. However, with that said, I think I would be just as happy eating at Oshima (knowing that I may forfeit the service).

Wow, this was quite an experience. Really fortunate to have tried to this place as it has been on my list for awhile. This is definitely a spot for sushi purists as most of the 25ish courses were nigiri only. The fish is pristine, my favorites were the seasonal specials from Japan served towards the end. Only a few kitchen items were included, and most of them were very traditional in preparation, such as the chawanmushi and abalone. The uni squid pasta is the only thing on the «creative» side. We did not get tamago and I can’t help wonder if they forgot or ran out (we were one of the last ones to leave). I think Zo is rightfully considered amongst top sushi restaurants in LA but I’m not sure if it is my favorite. Unlike Tsujita, they dont ask you at all about preferences and so we got mackerel or something very similar to it which I dislike. Also, I felt like there wasnt as much variety as I would expect over so many courses. It could have been the season, but many of the fish were fairly similar. But I’m nitpicking here because of the price — everything was fresh and delicious :)
Ambiance here is industrial and steel. It doesnt feel like a sushi restaurant at all. Service here is very good, as they are friendly and will explain each course to you. The place wasnt packed but the pacing was a bit off, pretty slow at some points and faster during others. Also, if you order tea here they are fanatical about not letting it get cool. They were constantly feeling our cups and then taking them away and bringing us fresh cups of tea. It was a bit much cause most of the time it was too hot to drink. first world problems…

If your definition of sushi is something that comes rolled with seaweed and rice then please save yourself the $ and look elsewhere. However for the raw fish enthusiasts this is a place I would recommend you try. Make a reservation, enjoy the omakase menu and savor in the excellent quality of sushi they serve.
ONLY reason I gave it 4 instead of 5 stars is because I’m not sure if this is the best bang for your buck when it comes to what I refer to as top-​shelf sushi.
Would I recommend you try this? yes
Do I plan on coming back? yes
Am I willing to drive out of my way to eat here? yes

Sushi Zo has always been my favorite restaurant of all time. I met a girlfriend for lunch there yesterday. We meet about twice a year because we can’t afford much more than that without having to take a second on our respective homes. She drives up from Laguna Beach just for Sushi Zo. She claims to come for me too but I know what’s really going on. I only saw her like once every couple years before we went to Zo for the first time. We had been going to Sasabune but now have been ruined for anything else. We usually go to the National location but we met at the newish downtown location since it’s three blocks away from my office. It’s a beautiful space. Some of the staff is the same and they remember us as «regulars» of the Beverlywood location (they are probably too expensive to have true regulars.) They are always so nice to us and treat us like VIPs. When we see Keizo-​san he is so, so nice. He’s not the Sushi Nazi that he at used to be many years ago.
The serve only omakase. They served a la carte for a very brief time when the National location opened up maybe six or seven years ago. We loved it because it helped do bill damage control. But I’m really glad we’ve been required to do omakase because if we hadn’t, we wouldn’t have been introduced to so many glorious and uncommon types of fish. That’s really the point of the omakase. The chef chooses solely because he knows it’s especially wonderful that day. They always ask beforehand if there’s anything you don’t like, and we always say nothing chewy like clam, no sea urchin (divine but way too rich for me) or salmon roe. We had about 18 courses with 19 different types of seafood. Most of each course is just one piece of fish but the king salmon is two, and sashimi came with six pieces. I got pics of all except the sea perch, which is always my favorite so I usually inhale it before I remember to take the food porn picture. Nothing is bad, everything is at least really good. And the otoro, sea perch, albacore and skipjack are IMHO nothing short of umami. If you’ve ever seen Jiro Dreams of Sushi, I’m pretty sure this is along those lines, but this way you’re spared having to make a reservation years in advance, having to take a transpacific flight and shelling out the yen equivalent of about $ 500/​pp. I just can’t imagine Jiro’s place being much better than Sushi Zo. It’s just melts-​in-​your-​mouth, makes-your-eyes-cross-because-you-can’t-believe-anything-could-be-so-ridiculously-sublime pure awesomeness, and they take great pride in that. For instance, the chef explained that they picked the 20 best pounds of otoro from a 450-​lb. tuna. That’s an example of how not all sushi is the same, even if picked up from the same market at the same time, and even from the same fish.
But you really have to prepare yourself for the price tag. This omakase was $ 140 pp, which works out to about $ 7 per piece of fish, before tax and tip. Pure heaven comes at a price.

Incredible Omakase dinner at this modern downtown sushi restaurant. What an experience! Sushi bar is the way to go. No menu as the chef will just give you whatever they serve you for the night. We had about 25 dishes per person and it was amazing.
The uni squid pasta is the best and because they gave you only a tiny little amount, it makes you want more! Sashimi were fresh and they only give you a very small amount of rice. They instructed you to eat sushi with your hands and no chopsticks, which is fine with me. Chef doesn’t put any shoyu and there’s no shoyu for you at all, so you can taste the true flavor of each fish. I was afraid it will be blend without shoyu but oh boy, it’s the best sushi I’ve had!
It’s definitely an expensive meal but if you are sushi fanatic and don’t mind paying for the experience, I would highly recommend to everyone!

My hubby took me here for my birthday recently and it was such a special treat! I never had true omakase style before, except Sugar Fish, which to me isn’t that true because you already know what you’re ordering. The servers were very friendly and told us the name of each dish and where it was caught from. My husband and I enjoyed this meal very much. At the end they even served us yuzu sorbet, which they said was special because they don’t always serve it, but made an exception since it was my birthday! Sweet! :)

I’ve always been a firm believer that food brings people together. In my case it did, literally.
Before my visit to Sushi Zo, I was checking out the Unilocal page and came across an excellent photo collage. I sent the Unilocaler a compliment and friend request. She replied, «You look familiar, did you go to UCR?» After a few minutes, I realized that I had stumbled upon the photos of Kat C, my old college friend. We lived in the same dorm! The story doesn’t end there — I soon discovered that Kat is in an athletic club with none other than one of my favorite Unilocalers, Olin C! What a small world. Two long lost friends, destined to be reunited, were brought together by a zest for sushi.
Sushi Zo was very good, but it did not blow my mind like I was expecting. Some of the pieces fell short and were mediocre.
Bestia vs Sushi Zo:
I know this sounds like an odd comparison. It’s not the food, but the expectations that are similar. Both places were super hyped up for me. Both were good, but not spectacular as expected. Sushi Zo had the best uni, salmon roe, and blue crab hand roll I’ve ever had. Bestia had the best pasta dish I’ve ever had. But both fell short on other items.
Sugarfish vs Sushi Zo:
Sushi Zo is significantly better quality than Sugarfish (and the significantly higher price tag).
Tamon Sushi vs Sushi Zo:
Tamon has larger cuts of fish that are just as fresh, soft, and succulent as Sushi Zo. I was really impressed by Tamon Sushi, and it’s a fraction of the price of Sushi Zo.
After dining here, I’m left wondering if places like Urasawa and Yamakase can possibly live up to the ginormous expectations surrounding them — especially since they are more than double the price.
Ink vs Sushi Zo:
I had ultra high expectations for Ink, and Ink was even better than I had hoped. So, my expectations are not always unrealistic. Furthermore, they can be exceeded.
There were about 8 people dining at the sushi bar, in addition to us. I found it interesting that no one elected to sit at the regular tables. All of the diners that night knew that the best way to enjoy omakase is right in front of the sushi chef. Toshi was our chef.
Sushi was originally eaten by hand, and is still acceptable these days (contrary to popular belief in America). In addition to ginger to cleanse your palate in between bites, the staff brings you a small hand towel to freshen up between finger style pickups. (You can still opt for chopsticks, of course.) The chef applies sauce (when he deems necessary) to each piece, so there’s no need to ask for extra soy sauce, which will overpower the natural flavor of the fish.
Please refer to my photo collages for the corresponding pictures of each course.
The pieces without commentary ranged from okay to good.
1 Kumamoto oysters, Washington, two ways — ponzu and yuzu. The ponzu was the better of the two, but both were magnificent. The Yuzu was like a light lemonade.
2 blue nose, bluefin tuna, ocean trout — none of these blew me away. They were alright. I recently enjoyed an astounding, breathtaking piece of bluefin tuna at Tamon Sushi; the bluefin here was not even close to being as good.
3 sea urchin and squid noodles — I was really looking forward to this dish, but it was disappointing. There was an overwhelming saltiness. Chef Toshi said they added truffle salt, but I think they added too much. I could not taste the natural flavors of the squid or uni.
4 halibut, Boston — This was good.
5 skipjack, Japan — This was stellar. It melted on my tongue like toro, but it wasn’t fatty. This was unique and memorable.
6 wild horse mackerel from Japan
7 chutoro — we were lucky enough to receive two pieces of this medium fatty tuna belly. It was classic, beautiful, melt in your mouth goodness.
8 sweet shrimp from Santa Barbara — this was fresh, meaty, and had a slight chew to it. It was very good.
9 black snapper — contained a natural heat (spice) from the fish.
10 braised baby abalone — I was not a fan of this. It was too chewy.
11 chawanmushi
12 amberjack, Japan
13 goldeneye snapper, Japan
14 sea bass, east coast
15 pomfret
16 yellow striped jack mackerel
17 sea urchin, San Diego. Best I’ve ever had. Delicate, light creaminess.
18 salmon roe Alaska. Best I’ve ever had. Soft, bursted on my tongue.
19 seared Japanese barracuda
20 scallop, Boston
21 red snapper
22 sea eel (anago)
23 blue crab handroll — best hand roll I’ve ever had. So succulent, meaty, with perfectly crisp seaweed.
24 clear soup with white fish
25 sweet egg
26 toro handroll — At the end Toshi asked if we had any requests; I asked for this. It wasn’t as good as the blue crab handroll. It was actually mediocre.
27 yuzu juice
My closing thoughts are a mixed bag of emotions. Sushi Zo was a good experience. If this meal cost $ 120, I’d say it’s a great deal. I cannot justify the $ 165 price tag. I was still a little hungry afterwards (granted, I can eat a lot). I want to try the original west LA location, in order to compare the two. Enjoy!

Not having sushi for a few days causes major lapses in my judgement… makes me start obsessing about fresh uni and toro to the point where I forget about things as mundane as going to work. This evening, knowing I hadn’t had sushi since last week, and out of fear of losing my job, I knew I had to get back on track and consume some fresh fish – STAT!
Having recently heard about Zo, I decided to give it a shot. I walked in and noticed that the place was empty, save for the restaurant staff, which made me kind of happy as I was in a quiet mood. I grabbed a seat at the bar and politely told the chef I didn’t have any food allergies (be warned – this place is omakase only, and it will run you $ 160, before tax and tip).
The chef presented me with plate after plate of high-​quality fish – some of the staples of top-​notch sushi bars (toro, orange clam…) and some that are more arcane (San Diego uni as opposed to Santa Barbara uni, a variety of fish from Japan…). All of the items were very fresh and the cuts were a bit on the smaller side, but the overall experience was good. In my opinion, it was priced a little on the high side (my thought is that the omakase should run – and be a fair value at – $ 100-​$ 120).
The interior space was different from most local sushi spots (even for downtown LA) – the ambiance is more akin to a NY sushi bar – somewhat industrial and Spartan.
The polite and attentive staff were there to fill my beer (they stock my favorite Japanese beer: Orion) when the glass was running low and were only one second behind to remove the plate after I finished each bite of fish.
My favorite items of the evening were the uni sushi on a bed of rice (sans nori); toro handroll (with a unique, two-​blend soy sauce for dipping – the only time soy sauce was provided during the entire meal); Alaskan salmon eggs on top of warm rice with micro shreds of nori; Japanese scallop from Hokkaido; and a small serving of white fish soup – the broth had a wonderful woodsy and smoky tint to it that brought to mind Japan in the wintertime.
If I don’t get fired from my job and have enough hours on the clock, I will definitely consider making another run to this place – or if I win the lottery (fingers crossed)!

5 stars for first time /​3.5 for the second time
I was tired of trying new places and be disappointed. Was so craving for some great sushi, so decided to go back to Sushi Zo.
Sushi Zo has super fresh ingredients. My first visit was great, that’s why I decided to come back for the second one. The first half of my recent visit was a little disappointing. It, of course, was still better than a lot of places, but definitely did not live to Zo’s high standard. The variety of fresh ingredients were still great, but the rice seem a little soft and soggy, tastes like the rice seem to be steamed for too long with too much water. It also fell apart when we picked up our sushi.
Second half of our meal was better after they got a new batch of rice. and that’s when the meal became much more enjoyable.
Do I feel like the meal is worth the $$$$ price tag? Well. I think I’ve had a more enjoyable meal the time before and at other places. But I would totally give it another try. Maybe go to Zo’s first restaurant in culver city.

Wow! One of top sushi places in Los Angeles. I was in the area and craving sushi. Thanks to Unilocal I found this place. First class sushi from A to Z. The customer service is outstanding. You appreciate beautiful décor this place has. If you are coming here with somebody special or just friends you will enjoy every minute spend here.
No matter what kind of sushi you are craving you will not go wrong. As we all know LA has a lot of sushi places. If you are craving real sushi this is a must. I highly recommend the yellow tail and tuna sushi.
This place is not cheap. It’s worth every dollar. Hands down top sushi places in town.

The omakase is totally worth every single penny!
Excellent service.
Great sake selection.
I made the mistake of having a little too much sake during dinner (we ordered two bottles between two people) but I’m 100% sure that dinner was spectacular despite the amount of alcohol consumed.

I was vacationing in LA from the east coast, and fantastic sushi was a must. Sushi Zo is an enigmatic omakase style restaurant, meaning it forces you to trust the palate and sensibilities of the masters preparing your food.
I’m sort of struggling to write this review because everything about this evening was so perfect… I am literally beyond words. Many, many courses of the best fish from all over the world served over a 2.5 hour seating. Impeccable, beautifully presented fish; A restaurant like this in Boston would be a dream come true.
This was the highlight of my trip, and Sushi Zo has the number 1 spot on my list of all-​time favorite restaurants.

Let’s start off by making it clear that this sushi restaurant isn’t for those who consider California Rolls as sushi or even Japanese food. You must truly love the art of sushi to even appreciate this restaurant. Sushi Zo only serves Omakase and it is an memorable sushi foodie experience, but it isn’t the best I’ve had. Closed for years now for selling illegal whale meat, The Hump in Santa Monica delivered outrageously incredible Omakase experience. Moans and groans at The Hump were louder than one would imagine at an orgy.
Where was I?!? Oh, Sushi Zo. I was beyond impressed by my Omakase experience here. I was seated at the sushi bar. My sushi chef explained every dish served, including origins of each fish. Everything was fresh. Flavors were right on the spot. Texture of sushi rice were just right. Every bite brought delight to my mouth; however, no «wow» factor.
The wait staff went above and beyond for me. My iPhone’s battery was dying, so their waitress lend me her portable battery to recharge while I ate. Empty plates were promptly removed and my sake cup never felt lonely until the jar became empty. I had a ticket to Dido & Aeneas/Bluebeard’s Castle that evening and had to cut my Omakase experience short a little after one hour.
This place isn’t cheap… Reservation is required and they mean business. Credit card is required for reservation and a hefty penalty is charged for no show or last minute cancellation.
Nearest Metro Location: Red and Purple Lines at Pershing Square Location

The original location in Culver City is one of my very fave sushi restaurants, so I was super excited to try this new location. Parking thankfully was easy in the big lot right racross the street.
They don’t mess around with their resies here — a credit card is required, & they will charge a hefty fee if you late cancel or don’t show up. We had a reservation for 6pm on a Saturday, which is their opening hour, & the doors remained locked til the very minute it turned 6. But once they opened the door for us, it was all graciousness & warm, Japanese-​proper vibes throughout dinner, right up to them opening the door for us as we left.
We sat at the sushi bar, & after explaining that they are all omakase & asking if we had any dietary restrictions (we did not), amazing & pristine dishes, perfectly minimally sauced, came out steadily:
Kumamoto oysters, 2 ways
*Octopus, Snapper, Bigeye Tuna sashimis
Halibut sushi
Mackerel sushi
King Mackerel sushi
*Med Fatty Tuna sushi
Ankimo sushi
Black Snapper sushi
Amberjack sushi
*Squid «pasta» with Uni
Chawanmushi
Scallop sushi
Wild Yellowtail sushi
Barracuda sushi
*Uni (from San Diego) sushi
*Ikura w/​rice & seaweed
Orange Snapper sushi
Giant Clam sushi
Sweet Shrimp sushi
Sheep Perch sushi
*Blue Crab handroll
Soup w/​white fish
Tamago
After the last dish, the sushi chef asked if we wanted to repeat anything. Every bite was delicious & beautiful, but the asterisked items were my faves. We ended up repeating the Toro sushi & the Blue Crab handrolls. Amazing!
At the very end, they brought us tiny chilled liqueur glasses of sweetened yuzu juice, like they do in Culver City. It looks and tastes so lovely, refreshing & palate cleansing.
With 3 Asahi and a sparkling water, this dinner with tip came to $ 500. Totally worth it for the experience, service, & level of amazing quality sushi, but definitely a high end experience.
If you want to impress a descriminating sushi lover, this is the way to go.