Sushi King — Restaurant in Santa Monica

Before the pandemic this place was one of the best sushi restaurants in LA. I recently went there on a Saturday (9:30PM) with my family and ordered Uni, Unagi, Maguro, Sake, Sweet Shrimp, Tataki, and Halibut. The first bite I had was the uni, which is my favorite sushi, and when I took a bite of the uni, I tasted a slimy old fishy and trashy taste which made me gag, it was impossible to swallow. It was an over powering fishy taste. I took many swigs of beer and a few shots of sake to get rid of the foul rotten fish taste. I had $3 uni in low-end revolving sushi places that tasted better than this $20 uni.

Further tasting revealed the Maguro also lacked freshness, evident in both taste and appearance, deviating from its characteristic deep red color. The sake (salmon) was ok and the halibut was pretty bland. The only items that managed to meet expectations were the tataki, unagi and the sweet shrimp.

I conveyed my concerns about the uni to our waitress, hoping for a constructive response, but it was unfortunately disregarded. This, coupled with a rush to clear our table before we had finished our evening, including removing my son's drink, significantly impacted our overall satisfaction. The evening concluded with a bill of over $240, which did not reflect the value or service expected based on prior visits.

For those seeking a superior sushi experience in Santa Monica, I now find myself recommending Yabu on Pico, where the quality of fish and customer service more closely align with my expectations for...

I almost do not want to Yelp about this spot. It's the only authentic sushi spot I know in Santa Monica. They are a little hole in the wall shop that is family run and delicious. Yes, there are plenty of sushi spots in Santa Monica, including Sugarfish. But if you're looking for an authentic Japanese sushi restaurant with the sushi counter, great food, service, etc. This is really the only spot. I'm aware there are other sushi restaurants and I've been to them. They are not as good.

I've had the sashimi, the sushi, the chirashi bowl and other items. What I did notice is that I believe they put a smaller portion of rice in the sushi than normal. Is it because Angelinos don't like carbs? I think it is but I've not usually seen this at other sushi spots or it is not as noticeable.

If you want an excellent sushi experience come here and make a reservation. Don't believe me that's fine. Will be better for me to get...

I think this is the best sushi I’ve ever had. Suuuper cute, unassuming hole-in-the-wall sushi bar with an awesome, no-frills menu and some seriously excellent chefs. shoutout @chef shinji.

Yellowtail sushi was the most buttery and tender i’d ever had. The seaweed salad was superb, with nice thick strands of seaweed almost like dinosaur kale, thinly sliced cucumber, and a perfect rice vinegary dressing. Soft shell crab app was perfectly crispy. Yellowtail collar was meltinyinurmouth bangin. and the purple pear dessert was unlike anything i had ever had. might have to go back 2 days in a row.

edit: been back 3 times now with an equally riveting...