Rokusho — Restaurant in Los Angeles

Rokusho claims to be a new, innovative spot for fine dining Japanese cuisine in Hollywood. It may be new, but it is anything but innovative.

Now, I have several reasons for my decision to only give one star to this new LA restaurant, all of which I will share in this review.

To start, there's an aura of pomposity and arrogance when approaching and entering the space, which is located within an apartment building, despite their attempts to claim being located within the Sunset Sound Recording Studio, which is actually down the block from this restaurant.

Nevertheless, upon entering, it does contain a certain sense of intrigue (even if the brutalist, minimalist, concrete aesthetic is not really my favorite). Service started out decently - our waitress was very friendly and gave a few recommendations. My favorability towards the service would wane as time went on, however (more on that later).

So, the food. It started out well! The Avocado Garden appetizer was flavorful & fresh with unique textures...although worth $21 for what was basically half of an avocado...? Not so sure about that. For the rest of the food menu items, it was pretty much downhill from there. Next up, the Wagyu Sando: $38, surprisingly tough to bite into for Wagyu, and overall disappointing. Gindara Nigiri: $10 each, honestly gave me no strong impression other than....bland. Namero Hand Roll: $20 each, similarly to the Nigiri, just....didn't leave an impression. Smoke Otoro Aburi Skewer: $21 (the cheaper of the other very pricey option), was brought to the table with a very smoky, showy presentation, but the taste itself was....flavorless. With a pair of cocktails, the cost ended up being $250+ (including tip).

I honestly have never been more underwhelmed and more disappointed in my life at a place that I spent $200+ at. Despite ordering 5+ food items, this is the only time I have left a restaurant STILL feeling hungry. Most menu items were low quality, meager in portion, and basically flavorless.

Also, when you consider the VERY overpriced costs of the underwhelming food here (before getting into some of the other issues), that is honestly just a travesty.

Now, let's talk about a few other issues about this place. First of all, I'd like to warn you before using valet here: they charge $10 for it, but all they do is LITERALLY use street parking (which in non-gridlock hours of 4-7pm is technically illegal) to park your car. A friend of mine dining with me was shocked at where they were parking her vehicle!!

As for my waning favorability towards the service - they kept taking away drinks and food items that we weren't finished with yet!! She would just come by and swipe it while we were in the middle of talking and not even ask us if we were finished! There was still half of the Avocado Garden appetizer left and a third of my friend's drink when she took each of them on separate occasions!!

And one more warning: Most of their food/storage is contained within the fitness center of the apartment building in which they are located...so do with that information what you will when it comes to potential health issues..

Considering all of that, I'm sure it's no surprise that I DO NOT recommend dining at Rokusho. I'd instead advise enjoying one of the numerous other excellent Japanese...

Loved trying Roshuko!!!! I was initially drawn to the Japanese restaurant after reading about its opening on Eater. Plus, Roshuko's Instagram painted the picture of a modern, moody atmosphere that would be perfect for a Sunday night date.

In terms of parking, there's plenty available on the street! Valet is also an option. I believe it's $10.

Upon entering, we were greeted by an extremely friendly staff that seemed eager to be of service. We were seated immediately and dove right into the cocktail list. We ordered two cocktails: 1) House Of The Rising Sun: orange, grenadine, reposado tequila, and lichiko special 2) Midorita: a Mal Bien Espadin, Midori, fresh lime, and ichimi salt. Both cocktails were exceptional.

In terms of food, we ordered both fish and beef skewers, wagyu carpaccio, wagyu warayako, and plenty of sushi. All of it was amazing, but our favorite was definitely the wagyu warayako. The presentation of this dish was also impressive as it is served beneath a smoky glass dome.

We ended the meal with matcha tiramisu. I don't even like matcha, but this was SO GOOD. We almost ordered a second order!

Overall, would (and will)...

This was my second visit since the restaurant opened, and it’s easily the most captivating new spot in Hollywood! The food was absolutely extraordinary, with flavors I had never experienced before. Unsure of what to order, I entrusted our server to curate a dining experience for us—and both times, he exceeded expectations. Our waiter, Scotty, orchestrated the courses beautifully, making each meal a true culinary journey. I highly recommend asking for him.

But keep in mind this is not the place to visit if you’re in a rush. The dishes take some time to come out, but the wait is well worth it for such a memorable dining experience. It’s the perfect spot for a date. The best dish in the menu is the Sukiyaki...