Irori Sushi — Restaurant in Los Angeles

Omg this was amazing. You definitely get what you paid for - and more! You take your shoes off at the door, which was cool for us to do with our 3-year old who likes to take her shoes off anyway. You sit on the floor, but have a huge leg space below the table to set your feet if you want.

We had sushi, miso soup, dumplings, and rice. Miso soup was something I’m used to (we’re from Georgia, btw), dumplings were so-so with me but my husband and daughter loved them, sauce was not my fave - but I think that’s the normal sauce it comes with, rice was super sticky and our daughter actually ate it! Back home she doesn’t like it - I guess because they don’t make it there like they did here - super sticky and soft. Even our 7mo old ate a decent bit because it was soft enough for him to gum!

The sushi..I mean wow. Bravo. So fresh. Accommodating (I don’t care for cucumber in my rolls, but like cream cheese). And the eel sauce was perfect for me. It’s so thick at the restaurants I go to back home, but here it had a slightly thick consistency and was fabulous. The rolls? I was expecting like the ones back home where they’re kind of small. Oh no. These are massive. Philly Roll, for example, I’m used to being just one sliver of salmon and a small slice of either cream cheese, avocado, or both. I was a little hesitant when I ordered as it’s about $8(?), but wow. Dare I say I feel I was slightly under charged for what I got?? I even have a side, like in another roll, where the meat spilled out the back side, too! Very generous.

We got the Rainbow Roll ($20) and the Spicy Tuna ($8.5?) as well. Rainbow roll was absolutely amazing, and the spicy tuna - well, that’s a ton of spicy in a ton of tuna. If you like it hot - that’s what you want to order. But, I’m not much of a spicy food person, so I could be whimping that a bit.

(Sorry I can only add the pictures I can - it was all so good we ate it too fast!)

All the servers are so nice and loved talking to our two kids. It was beyond cute. (Thank God our baby was in a good mood because it was way past his normal bedtime, though it was only 7 here - 10 back home.)

Go! The sushi, omg. I had to order one more philly roll to go! So good.

Can y’all move...

I am very sad to have to write this review, but I cannot keep my mouth shut after what happened. My girlfriend and I are two broke students (loan debts and high rent, big surprise..), and we almost never go out: movies, drinks, shopping, none of that. We always save up all month to be able to come and eat here, because the food and the atmosphere are usually amazing.

Today though on our way out, one of the waitresses (I believe her name is Mia) walked up to us and asked us if we were satisfied with the service/food today. We honestly told her that we are usually very pleased but today for some reason, the food wasn't up to our expectations. She then openly criticized our tip, telling us that it should be a lot more, and in front of other customers. When we wanted to explain that we save up all month and that we literally put all our money here (bill+tip), she told us (passive-aggressively) that we must tip at least 15% before turning around and leaving the hosting area as we were trying to explain.

This behavior is unacceptable, and I will not tolerate such disrespect.

Eventually, I asked to speak to a manager but I have been told they were in a "meeting", what a coincidence since I saw them having a snack break a few tables away from us right before walking out.

I work as a server in a high-end restaurant not too far from here, and if I (or one of my coworkers) decide to criticize a customer on the way they tip, I can only tell you how immediately unemployed I would be.

I wanted to put just 1 star, but the second one is for the food, usually good.

Disappointment is what I feel right now, and disrespect comes by right behind it.

Unfortunately, I do not recommend this place and will not be coming...

Irori is a bit of a Westside locals go-to, at least for folks who live in the area. Tucked in a corner (ok, actually a circle) of the Pavillion's retail plaza it hasn't a pretentious address to brag about.

Now, I'm not a costal native—I've only been in town about twelve years as I write this—but this has always seemed to be a reliable, friendly joint. Irori features well-prepared, traditional sushi, sashimi, rolls and bowls. Let's call it a good plate of fish at a decent price (for a sit down in this zip code).

They remodeled in the past two years or so and now it's darker and more intimate. The lighting is subdued save for the chef's counter and coolers.

The tables are inset, so your feet sit in a open space below the table with your bottom on the floor. It provides a traditional Japanese seating arrangement while being orthopedically typical for Western folks (and I am one.)

It appears their front of house staff has grown with their recent success. And they have some lovelys, I'll just say that. This is LA, so I am not surprising anyone reading this. Just saying it's like that, which is fine with me if you don't screw up the order.

On the last visit I recall our dishes were all as ordered and table service was painless. Additionally, we were a hard case with a nine yr in the table (my boy) who's not shoveling down sashimi by a long shot, let's say. So no points deducted. All good.

Long story short, Irori is a bit of a local gem with what I'll call a 'university town vibe' to it. It almost appears it slid down from Westwood and stopped in this frumpy plaza in MdR and took root. Try it out. I suspect you'll like it if my description is of any...