KazuNori: The Original Hand Roll Bar — Restaurant in Santa Monica

Short version: they really could care less about your to go order. Sushi is great, parking is awful, and the lack of effort of this location makes it absolutely not worth placing a take out order here.

Longer version: you absolutely cannot speak with anyone on the phone here. Which honestly is fine, if everything goes well. But on busy nights, the systems in place are nearly useless. The only way to ensure your order will be ready is to arrive well after the estimated time provided to you via email, which defeats most of the point of dining here, as the sushi is truly outstanding when fresh. The labyrinthine phone prompts just waste your time, only to give you an email address to contact in the event of order issues (which you won't know your order has until you've already navigated the awful traffic and parked far afield of the location, since there is none even for picking up orders). If this location cares at all about to go orders, the procedures in place do not indicate that's the case whatsoever.

I really don't want to blame the staff, because it's incredibly clear that the issue is the planning and staffing above them. I only note the following because it demonstrates the impossible position the overworked staff are placed in because there aren't enough of them: when I arrived after the initial estimate, and it was obvious a lot of orders had swamped the place, the staff asked me THREE TIMES if I was sure I had the right location. While I'm sure that happens, it shouldn't be the first and repeated response to a customer with a confirmation email. But again, it's clear that this avoidable issue could be headed off with better staffing and procedures.

Just don't get takeout here. We've had the same issue at Sugarfish, part of the same company with the same attendant issues. They've earned a deserved reputation for great sushi, and as such could probably care less about some order issues. And by the way, you can't even get hand rolls to go, which defeats the purpose of coming to this location as well.

Find somewhere else for your to go sushi, and check out another location if you're looking to...

I liked it. Great hand rolls that didn't break the bank. Definitely a cut above the normal neighborhood sushi joint. The fish is chopped up so don't expect the texture you would get with nigiri but excellent clean and fresh tasting rolls. The rolls are made to order and brought to you one at a time. Loved that touch. They also automatically add a 16% "tip" to your bill so no additional tip is needed.

Toro roll was smooth and very fresh tasting. Not your normal smashed up left overs from the previous day. Lol. The nori (seaweed wrap) used had a flavor to it that was pleasant. The rice flavoring was subtle and didn't over power the fish.

The yellowtail roll was also nicely done with a good 1:1 fish to rice ratio. The fish was sweet tasting and not strong. There was chopped chives added to the roll but didn't seem to add much to the taste if eaten with soy sauce. It was just noticeable if eaten plain.

The salmon roll had some sesame seeds added that was a nice addition. The freshness of this was excellent as well.

The scallop roll is made with scallop pieces, mayonnaise and some tobiko added on for texture. The mayonnaise was not my favorite and slightly overpowered the scallops natural sweetness when eaten plain. With soy sauce it was better.

The crab roll was made with real blue crab with the same mayonnaise the the scallop roll used. This time it melded quite well together and tempered the fishiness of the crab.

The second to the last roll I tried was the lobster roll. It was good with lobster and mayonnaise mixed. Similar to the crab with a mix of claw and tail meat.

The LAST roll was the eel roll. Lol. I was pretty stuffed by this time but I took one for the team for this review.....it was good but the flavored rice did not complement the eel. The sauce added to the roll was spot on and didn't drown the eel like some places do.

Overall a great place but I would personally stick with the fish choices rather than...

One of my go-to spots for reasonably priced handrolls. It’s by the same owners as Sugarfish and HiHo Burgers so you know the quality is up there. I’ve been here about seven or eight times already, which for me is a big deal because I don’t like repeating restaurants, but for Kazu Nori, I make an exception. The lines might get long on Friday evenings and weekends for dinner - try coming early to beat the crowd. If you get there by 11:45 on a weekday you can beat the lunchtime crowd, and if you’re there before 6:30/7 you usually won’t have to wait for a dinner. The restaurant is shaped like an oval and the kitchen is inside of it so you can watch them roll your food. You grab a menu from the stack and write down what you want with the pencils provided. There are stools to sit and you’ll be seated next to strangers as seats open up. I recommend the four hand-roll set although you can order a la carte as well. The blue crab hand roll is my favorite although the salmon comes as a close second. There are bathrooms available and they even have a soap for pre-dinner, and one for post-dinner. Park in one of the garages for free 90 minute parking. It’s a little dark and you can’t linger for too long but it’s a great meal for a solo experience or to catch up with a friend. Big groups might find it hard to get seated. No need to tip as 16% is automatically added. They give you your receipt at your seat and you pay at the counter. They do take credit card. Overall, I love Kazu Nori -...