Sushi Zo — Restaurant in Los Angeles

I wish there were more stars to give. This place is a little Los Angeles treat. Little definitely, as it seats maybe 20 people total. So make a reservation.

I LOVE sushi, and LA has a good scene for it. Love Sugarfish as an affordable regular go-to. And Uzumaki never disappoints. We enjoy Sushi Ginza Onadera, and Sasabune. All beautiful!

But this place is different, and really something special. It's an intimate experience without any frills.They only offer one option, which is an elaborate omakase that takes more than two hours. We had ~ 24 courses, 20 of which were simply one small piece of nigiri. The nigiri are smaller than average and delicate, so you don't get too full. Satisfied, yes - but you don't leave feeling uncomfortable. The courses were paced perfectly, allowing 3 to 5 minutes between each piece. And each piece literally made us close our eyes and smile as we enjoyed them. Just wow.

Some things to note about dining here:

It's a little hard to find if you're following Google maps. So allow some extra time to find it and park if you're driving. It's on the edge of a shopping center, but the front door is actually right on busy National Blvd. It's next to a brightly- lit Mexican place. The name escapes me.

For alcohol, they only serve sake and a couple of beers - no wine or sparkling wine. We were not drinking that night, so we didn't care. But if we had been drinking, I would have been surprised they don't serve wine.

It's pricey at $220 per person before alcohol and gratuity. Well worth the splurge, but I definitely put it in the special occasion category at that cost. For dinner for 2 people with several sparkling waters, it was $500 + $100 (gratuity) = $600. 💸It was my birthday, don't judge.

Lastly, come prepared to enjoy a nice, long experience. It's not for anyone who's in a rush. Plan to settle in for 2.5 hours of ✨pure sushi bliss. ✨

👏🏻Arigato, Sushi Zo!...

Sushi Zo is a standard omakase-only sushi restaurant. The restaurant is small yet manned by 3-4 sushi chefs. Sitting at the bar is definitely better, but the chefs aren't that conversational. Each bite comes as its promptly made. For your omakase, you'll get something around 20-25 courses. Sushi Zo swings on the small side, as you can see by the pictures. When you get your check, you'll see that the price is adjusted for the smaller bites. Two people will land you around $250-$300 without alcohol, which is pretty standard for omakase.

I was slightly disappointed by Sushi Zo, to be honest. On one hand, they had a great variety of fish - some fish I've never had before! - and all of their produce is very VERY fresh.

However, Sushi Zo does lack some finesse. There was a general overuse of condiments. You'll be surprised by the uni and squid dish (4th course) because that's the first time you'll taste the truffle salt that they use. But they use it a few more times thereafter. They have a "special" soy sauce, which has great umami flavor and is a little sweet. The first time, it's delicious. But they use it a lot. Also, they like to drown each piece in soy sauce. I usually like to do my own soy sauce-ing and I only dip the corner of the fish in it. I like to taste the natural flavors of the fish.

One other fault I found in Sushi Zo is that some of the pieces were not cut very well. You'll see in some of my pictures that there were jagged edges. This is actually pretty egregious in ranks of elite sushi making.

Don't get me wrong, Sushi Zo is a delicious meal. But when omakase gets to this quality and price level, I hold very high expectations. Thus, my harsh review. For the less discerning, Sushi Zo is a great adventure. You'll get to taste some very...

There are sushi places, and there is the mother of all sushi places. A Michelin starred experience with fish flowing in from Japan and other famed destinations.

This all omakase place has the ambience of a dentist office, located in a strip mall, but let that not fool you. At 3-4 tables plus bar, you begin to understand why its reservation only. Also its all about service - shoutouts to Yoko for explaining each of the 19+ courses and making excellent recommendations for sake pairing, and ramen places to hit in LA.

Skip the $1,100 sake bottles, esp. if you are driving, and opt for the by-the-glass options - $30-$40.

At $175/pp, omakase is a gastronomical treat. The server first asks you your allergy and preferences, and boom, then you are in for a 2-3 hour treat. Appetizers and intro small plates, followed by 19 courses of a curated meal. The blue-fin toro melts in your month. This one has truffle salt, and that one has uni (which I am not a fan at lesser restaurants) blended with truffle oil. None of the 19+ courses disappointed. This is a place for a special celebration with that special someone or if you want to impress a Client and have them talk about the meal for days.

Hands down the best sushi place I have experienced in the US,...