Zip Fusion

*This review is only for the happy hour (5PM-​7PM).*
During happy hour, the appetizers are 50% off. With the discount, I don’t think there is anything over $ 4. I usually order the spicy tuna on crispy rice and the fried calamari. The food is pretty good and a great deal at the happy hour prices.
The drinks are discounted ($ 3 beers on tap, not sure on other drinks).
The service is inconsistent. Sometimes the staff is on point and sometimes not so much. They’ve been trending toward better the last couple times I’ve gone, but your mileage may vary on that.
All in all, it’s a good place to watch sports. With the 09 – 10 NBA season about to start, I’ll be here more frequently.

A few years ago, we were regulars at Zip Fusion. We’re vegetarians, so I can’t comment on the full range of their menu, but we had our veggie-​friendly favorites, including their seaweed salad, and a tofu/​kimchi dish. At some point, a couple years back, though, the menu changed a little bit, and they got rid of the tofu/​kimchi. The seaweed salad remained at the same price, but got much smaller in size. Our visits to Zip Fusion trailed off.
Last night, we realized we hadn’t been back in over a year, and we decided to give them another shot. I can safely say that it was our last time. When we arrived, the hostess told us that sushi was half price. We ordered some avocado rolls, cucumber rolls, and vegetable rolls, as well as our old seaweed salad favorite.
The seaweed salad was still good, but the rolls were not all that great. The cucumber and avocado rolls were all right — hard to mess those up, really, although they were too heavy on the rice. The vegetable rolls were ridiculous, big wheels of rice with what amounted to a bland salad inside. A touch of pickled gourd, but definitely missing one or two of the ingredients promised on the menu. Basically, they were big, flavorless slices of meh, made with cheaper ingredients than promised, with LOTS of lettuce. Some of you sushi lovers may be thinking, well, that’s what vegetable rolls inevitably are, but we’ve had our share of veggie rolls from other places, and they can actually be pretty tasty! We felt lucky that the sushi was half price, because the veggie roll was not worth the $ 8 menu price.
So imagine our surprise when we went to pay the bill, and everything was full price. When we asked, the waiter told us that only the nigiri sushi was half price, not the rolls. We were clearly not happy, but he just ignored that and went on his way.
So, bottom line: yummy seaweed salad, check. Mediocre, overpriced rolls, check. Pricing confusion (or outright deception?), check. We’re done with Zip Fusion.

Okay before I give my review I should warn you that I don’t like real sushi or sashimi… I only eat tempura rolls. So while I can’t speak for the more authentic stuff, I can say that the tempura rolls are delicious. I especially like the Spicy Tuna Tempura Roll. The texture and flavor are right on. The Las Vegas Roll is also very good and is one of the only non-​tempura rolls that I will eat. They have a really yummy alcohol called soju that comes in a lot of different flavors. And the best part: «We can make stronger Cocktails at no extra cost, just ask!» Who wouldn’t ask? haha.
The service here can vary. Sometimes I feel well attended to and other times I feel forgotten. I feel like the service and food has gone down a little since they changed owners a while back but I will still go out of my way to eat here.
The atmosphere is really nice… modern, chic, and clean. They tend to play really random concert DVDs though which I could do without.
The karaōke rooms are fun. We had a birthday party here once so we rented out a private room for about 20 people. I used my UCLA student ID to get a discount. The only problem with the karaōke is that the songs aren’t very high quality… they sound more like polyphonic ring tones. But drink enough of their sake or soju and you won’t notice anyway ;-)

RESTAURANT CLOSED AS OF DECEMBER 2009
the food here is pretty good, and it hits the spot a little better than the place upstairs, but the service is notoriously horrible. we tend to go there at lunch time with larger groups, and they just can’t handle it. it might be better in a small group — i’m not sure.
they always mess up at least one person’s order. it takes forever to get drink refills or a fork. usually the food will come out in a trickle: one person gets their food and then we wait another half an hour as other orders slowly come to the table. i understand that it’s japanese tradition to serve food as it’s prepared, but it doesn’t make sense for a business lunch, particularly when the cooked bento boxes and baked rolls come out way before the raw sushi rolls.

Friends and I have been inside and passed this restaurant several times, but never dined here. So, last night we decided to dine here for the first time. We arrived a little after 7pm, and was a little shocked that there was only one table occupied. Presumably, the crowd was to build shortly. We were immediately seated in this restaurant, which has an casual urban feel. The décor appears to be a throwback to the ‘80s, but it’s tasteful.
I ordered the Simmering Beef, which was brought to the table simmering, popping, and sizzling. There was so much steam from this dish that, if I had hair, whatever hairstyle I would’ve had would’ve easily become a flop. My Simmering Beef was complemented with a side of sticky white rice and, since I don’t eat salad, I was given tuna sushi, which is another food I don’t care for. Though my dish was sizzling, the taste wasn’t tantalizing to my palate. The beef was good, and hot, just not a culinary delight, in my opinion. My friend ordered the Chicken Teriyaki, which appeared highly presentable but I was told it was only passable, in terms of taste. The sporadic attention from our waiter didn’t help our dining experience, as we had to physically walk over to request the bill. Also, we weren’t pleased with the loud club-​style music, as it just didn’t seem to complement this caliber of restaurant. In addition, the crowd really never picked up in this restaurant, which is odd for a Saturday night. Though we didn’t experience any thrilling culinary creations, I’ll say this restaurant still has an appeal, as it offers karaōke (in a private area), outdoor dining, flat screen televisions, and reasonable prices.

This review is for the karaōke portion only:
The karaōke at Zip Fusion is … decent. The rooms are clean and relatively nice (i.e., they have a flat screen tv in them). The English song selection, however, is not very good, especially if you want to sing some of the more recent songs. Also, their selection of hard alcohol is pretty pathetic, so you might want to consider sneaking your own alcohol in.
If you’re on the westside and looking for Asian-​style karaōke in well-​kept rooms, Zip Fusion just might be your place. But if you’re a hard core singer that cares a lot about song selection, I wouldn’t waste my time.
2.5 stars for Zip Fusion.

This review is solely for it’s karaōke bar, not the restaurant itself. I found the place lacking in music selection and the remote difficult to use (if you are not a fluent Japanese speaker, as I am not). I’m not sure what the prices are, since we knew someone who worked there, and got hooked up with a cheaper deal and free beer. There are only a few rooms, like 4 or 5 i think. And they aren’t very roomy either. The only reason I thought it was ok was because we got hooked up, but even then, I’d go across the street to Max Karaōke next time I’m in the area.

Went here for dinner last night because I had a
certificate. I did the usual Unilocal check before trying a new place. I went in semi-​low expectations so I was pleasantly surprised with the food. I liked the ambiance, the wait staff was very nice and attentive, and the food was yummy. I asked for a modified version of the chirashi bowl and my husband got the sushi. Right now they’re having some deal where it’s 50% off of some sushi and sakes all day. It’s not a bad place to go on a quiet week night! Also, it’s close to my favorite bakery. Cake Town. Yum.

We went there with 8 people. We all ordered a sushi roll and then a few hot dishes and share everything. The service was good as they were prompt and responsive. The rolls were good, not great, but the first was good and they had a pretty large selection. The hot food was pretty average too. It was pretty average but not a bad place to go if you want to sing or want to sit outdoors. The décor and atmosphere is pretty nice.
Pros:Decent prices, decent food.
Cons:Nothing bad about the place

This was our Valentine’s Day destination. First things first: don’t make a reservation on their website: you’ll arrive and they’ll have no idea what you’re talking about.
The best part was when we got there. Of course, we had a reservation that they didn’t know about and this is what happens: the waiter says, «let me see if we have a table.» Cue 20 EMPTY TABLES AND HE’S LOOKING FOR A SEAT FOR US. We were there for a little over an hour and there were only 4 tables occupied at any given time, so it wasn’t like there were a ton of reservations coming up. Are they trying to appear that they’re popular and exclusive? Who knows…
Anyway, the sushi was actually pretty great. If you’re not that into fusion, don’t worry They still have the traditional stuff and lots of yummy appetizers.
Even though the place was almost empty, the service was spotty at best. It took us forever to get our food which should not be the case on a slow night. I’d probably go here again since the prices are decent, but I’m not expecting anything fantastic.

We’ve been here a few times. It’s close to Jackie’s house, so it’s pretty convenient. It’s decent, not great. The price is not bad, and they have a wide selection of rolls. Service is generally pretty quick, and they have some sort of happy hour deal that we have not been for, but sounds like a good idea.
The spicy tuna on crispy rice is really great, but it is most places you go! Who could pass it up? Lots of rolls with interesting names like «sex roll» and «love roll».
There are a bunch of places I would go to eat before I went here, but it’s way better than whatever that place is upstairs.

This is only a review for the happy hour. Goes from 5 – 7 pm, then starts again at 9 pm.
Yay for $ 3 cocktails! Yep, 3 bucks.
We ordered 2 drinks each and the total bill was $ 12.99.
I had a mango and a plum soju. Both were pretty tasty, but the plum had a sweeter flavor. I didn’t really care for the mango, but hey, it did the trick.
Buzzzzinnnn.
$ 3 alcoholic drinks in LA? Word.

Zip Fusion Sushi is only OK.
I ordered the Salmon skin roll (very tiny roll), the Hollywood roll, and the Ninja roll.
My favorite of the 3 was the Ninja roll.
I ordered those 3 rolls for 2 people thinking it was enough food. Unfortunately, $ 37 poorer, we were both still hungry.
Small portions at high prices is not my cup of tea.
Also, beware of parking.
We parked in the underground parking, which is $ 2 for every 30 minutes (pricey!). When we entered the parking garage, it was self parking.
However, 1 hour later, when we returned to the car, our car was boxed in a ton of other cars! Apparently, sometime during our meal, the parking lot changed from self parking to valet parking.
It was very difficult to find valet guys to help us out.
Once we did find some valet guys, they could not speak English. Trust me – it is very difficult maneuvering the car out with directions in another language.
There is 1 entrance/​exit for the parking garage. Usually, there is 1 lane for people entering, and 1 lane for people leaving the garage.
However, because this was valet time, there were cars parked all along the exit lane, so the only way for people to enter/​exit the garage is to use the entrance lane.
On our way out of the parking lot, using the entrance lane, a valet car was entering.
The valet guy screamed in his foreign tongue, I assumed, telling us to get the hell out of his way so he can get in. So rude!
All we could do, was reverse all the way to the back of the parking lot, so he can get in.
He should have reversed, to let us out, since we already spent 20 minutes trying to get the hell out of there, and he actually *just *entered the garage. It would be easier for him to just reverse back 10 feet and let us out, than to have us reverse 100 feet to let him in and park.
I don’t intend on returning to Zip Fusion or any other stores in this shopping center, unless I am arriving on foot or via public transportation. (Don’t count on that happening).
All the stores and restaurants in this shopping center can thank their Valet guys for having getting my business.

Zippidy do dah.
I’m not so sure I like this place. The inside was a little too contrived and looks kinda cheap. The service is a bit «stoner-​ish».
I will say that I have not done the karaōke there. People say that they like it there.
Not much to report.
Don’t half step. Hit another place on Sawtelle.

Come here for the outdoor patio
Not the food — food is a 3
Not the service — service can be anywhere from a 2 to 4
I love their outdoor patio with fire pits
Great for group settings

Overpriced rolls that are not all that impressive. Think Kabuki but more expensive.
Only redeeming quality here are the karaōke rooms. Small and semi ghetto but they are $ 15 an hour on the weekdays. Sound system is lacking and the song books are not as updated as Ktown, but good enough for a random night of singing and drinking on the west side. $ 8 beers which is more than Ktown. Highway Robbery.

Zip is pretty good for a low key sushi joint. There is a location downtown too, but i think the general consensus is that we like the one on Sawtelle better. Plus, the location downtown, doesn’t have LOVE ROLL on their menu, which is our favorite!
FYI — My friend is a vegetarian and RAVES about their tofu/​seaweed salad. Tasty.
In addition to decent roll prices, this place is convenient because parking is easy (steps away from the parking garage) and because there is never a wait. Thumbs up to that.
(we have never tried their sashimi, so i can only speak for their yummy rolls!)

I like Zip Fusion a lot, but then again I like white people sushi a lot :) They have a lot of interesting rolls. It’s also really close to me.
Sunshine Roll — Awesome. I get it almost every time
Alba-​Cado — Pretty good. It’s a specialty here. Try it.
Baked Salmon Roll — Pretty good.

Karaōke and sushi are the best combination ever. I recently had a birthday party at Zip Fusion and chose the place for two reasons. First, a friend recommended it. Secondly, I needed a place that was friendly to my under-​21 friends, but also fun for the drinkers.
I rented the large karaōke room for two hours, and was told the rate was $ 50 an hour. I must say that the karaōke selection was the best I had ever seen, with songs by everyone from Radiohead to Laura Branigan. My party of nine had a blast butchering the likes of «Hangin Tough», «Roxanne», and even «Du Hast» in the privacy of our own room. I was told the room held up to fifteen, but I could not imagine more than eleven fitting inside comfortably.
My only problem with Zip Fusion was the price. $ 100 might be a lot for a room for two hours, or it might be the standard rate. I don’t know because I never rented one before. What I do know is that when the bill came the room fee came to almost $ 130 after tax and 18% gratuity. Yeah, apparently mandatory-​tipping is not just for food and drink, but for the room itself.
The food was good, but expensive. My unagi bowl could have used more unagi and less rice, but the bento boxes offered a good portion of food for a reasonable price.
I highly recommend entering random numbers at the end of your stay just to watch all the Korean songs that have unique videos. Fun stuff.
Zip Fusion is located inside a shopping center, and you cannot see it from the street. Almost everyone got lost on the way there.

[Review after only 1 visit]
Zip Fusion Sushi is very difficult to find and even if you regularly visit the area, you might not know it’s there. The restaurant is hidden in a back corner of the Olympic Conference center on Olympic and Sawtelle.
The food is very attractively prepared and tastes good. The service is inobtrusive and the restaurant had a very relaxing, almost «Palm Springs» feel to it (at least on the patio where we ate – the indoors music was a bit too loud for an almost empty restaurant).
If you’re looking for sushi in this area (and there are a lot of choices), I would recommend Kiriko a few doors North on Sawtelle. However, Zip Fusion has a lot of other dishes that I’m looking forward to trying. The bento box looked like it had a lot of food for a reasonable $ 10.
Update: We’ve eaten indoors a few times now and the music was just fine. All the food selections we’ve tried have been very good, too. Upping my rating from 3 to 4 stars.