SUGARFISH by sushi nozawa — Restaurant in Los Angeles

I’ve recently visited Sugarfish on La Brea for both lunch and dinner, and I have to say, the lunch experience was definitely better. It made me wonder if they serve lower-quality fish or products in the evening, as there was a noticeable difference. At dinner, it feels like you’re eating in the dark—almost as if you’re dining in pitch black, which is odd. I assume they’re going for a cozy, intimate vibe, but it ends up feeling strange and disorienting.

For example, the eel we had for dinner tasted quite off, whereas it was just fine during lunch. The biggest issue, though, was with the nigiri. The rice served with the nigiri was constantly crumbling and falling apart, making it impossible to eat properly. It felt like a mess on the plate. I’m not sure why this happens—maybe they’re using a machine to form the nigiri quickly, rather than by hand—but I’d recommend they update their process. Properly made sushi should hold together, and this just didn’t.

We opted for the $59 premium menu, which offers high-quality fish, and I have to give credit to the knowledgeable staff, who are great at explaining the origins and quality of the fish. However, I also think they could improve their soft drink options—tea is fine, but a more modern and varied selection would be a welcome upgrade.

One positive is that service is included, so you get an honest deal in the end. Overall, I’d definitely recommend going for lunch rather than dinner. The food and experience just seem to be better in...

This is probably the best sushi I've ever had!

My first visit here was with coworkers for DineLA 2016. We arrived 10 minutes before opening and there was already a long queue to get in the door. It looked like they were crowd controlling to lessen the orders and the wait time. It took us approximately 20 minutes to get inside with a party of 6.

Inside the restaurant, they took our orders pretty quickly. I was the only one in my party to get the DineLA lunch special, because I also wanted to try the Oyster Shooters. The rest of my party got the Trust Me. Waiters were attentive on refilling our water and taking away our plates. However, there were some logistical issues because our food all came at separate times even though most of use ordered the same items. They also brought us some items that we didn't order -- we ended up sending some back to the kitchen when they confirmed with us. The ones that they simply placed on our table ended up being on the house.

Aside from some order issues, I really enjoyed my lunch here. I was told that Sugarfish is known for serving their fish with warm rice and thought it sounded a bit weird. However, upon having my first bite of the sushi, I can see why this restaurant is always so crowded! The sushi/sashimi really melted in my mouth!

Although this is a pretty pricey sushi joint, I definitely look forward to returning! The sushi is fresh, delicious, and is definite well worth the...

Be aware if you are going to take out sushi at this location. There is a parking enforcement trap in front of the sushi restaurant, and I got $163 tickets. I went there last Friday at 6 pm for takeout, not well knowing about the strict parking rule in LA, and I've seen a few cars park in front of restaurants and wait for their takeout order outside of the restaurant. It was totally my mistake, I went outside to wait for my food for literally a few minutes, and I saw the PE in front of my car. I apologized to him that I hadn't acknowledged the parking enforcement and asked him with the understanding that my food was ready right now, so I would bring the food and come back right away. He said he would tow my car if I'm not get away with my car, so I failed to take out my food(there was no parking lot around, and I was messed out at that time) and get back home w/o the food ordered. I didn't call the restaurant on my way back, but they also didn't call me about the sudden disappearance. Of course, it's not the restaurant's fault and my mistake to make this happen, but it was too risky for me to take out my food at this location. I saw the guy parked behind my car who was lucky successfully take out his food and run away before the PE came to him. But be aware you could not find any parking lot, especially at dinner on Fridays...