Sushi Restaurants in Los Angeles: Top 10

4. Kiyokawa

Omakase meals at Kiyokawa often involve a gorgeous, six-section plate, roughly the size of the cafeteria tray, filled with intricate appetizers: steamed lobster on a square of fried wonton; uni soaked in white miso; or maybe a foie gras torchon studded with grains of truffle salt. Chef Satoshi Kiyokawa, even though his undecorated storefront might not suggest it, is something of a one-man orchestra. He hangs over his plates with intense focus and arranges them with the kind of intricacy and creativity you'd see in the kitchen of Thomas Keller or Grant Achatz — all taking place no more than a few feet from your chair. He might serve a rudimentary matzo ball of sorts, made from bits of scallop and tofu, swimming in bottarga broth, or maybe a simple vegetable soup scented with braised daikon and taro. Both evoke the efforts of Kiyokawa perfectly: layers of flavor and texture woven together to produce a single, symphonic result. 265 S. Robertson Blvd., Beverly Hills. (310) 358-1900.

PHOTO BY ANNE FISHBEIN

Sushi at Kiyokawa

Location Info

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Sushi Kimagure Ike

220 S. Raymond Ave.
Pasadena, CA 91105

Category: Restaurant > Sushi

Region: Pasadena and vicinity

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Hiko Sushi

11275 National Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90064

Category: Restaurant > Japanese

Region: West L.A.

Photos

Nozomi

1757 W. Carson St.
Torrance, CA 90501

Category: Restaurant > Asian

Region: South Bay

Shibucho

3114 Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90057

Category: Restaurant > Japanese

Region: Westlake

Photos

Go's Mart

22330 Sherman Way
Los Angeles, CA 91303

Category: Restaurant > Sushi

Region: San Fernando Valley

Sushi Zo

9824 National Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90034

Category: Restaurant > Sushi

Region: West L.A.

Photos

Kiyokawa Restaurant

265 S. Robertson Blvd.
Beverly Hills, CA 90211

Category: Restaurant > Japanese

Region: Beverly Hills

Photos

Mori Sushi

11500 W. Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90064

Category: Restaurant > Japanese

Region: West L.A.

Photos

Kiriko Sushi

11301 W. Olympic Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90064

Category: Restaurant > Asian

Region: West L.A.

Menu Photos

Urasawa

218 N. Rodeo Drive
Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Category: Restaurant > Japanese

Region: Beverly Hills

Photos

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3. Mori Sushi

When Morihiro Onodera sold his namesake restaurant to an assistant chef one year ago, the reaction among sushi gurus was something akin to Black Friday. Could a Michelin-starred restaurant whose excellence rested upon meticulous quality control continue its ways once its founder had retired? Breathe easy, sushinistas — the answer is an unequivocal yes. The charred, giant prawns still arrive looking like a prop from a Japanese sci-fi flick, the strips of scale-on baby barracuda are still marked with a gentle sear, and your meal still ends with a dainty bowl of green tea ice cream churned, naturally, from scratch. 11500 W. Pico Blvd., L.A. (310) 479-3939.

2. Kiriko Sushi

Few itamae balance the stylings of modern and classic sushi with the flair of Kiriko's Ken Namba. Some nights there will be plump tomato geleé or squares of bright orange king salmon that Namba smokes himself in the back kitchen. Other times it's pale lozenges of skipjack topped with yuzu rind and shaved pink sea salt. He might even surprise you with a bowl of cooked tuna mashed with bits of okra, green onion and grated yamaimo, a dish that would be well received at any PTA potluck. Kiriko is a place where it pays to be a regular — that albacore sashimi with ponzu jelly from one night might transform into a seared filet dusted with fried garlic the next. Of course, sitting at the gorgeously rough-hewn sushi bar with Namba calmly doting overhead is reason enough to inspire regular visits. 11301 W. Olympic Blvd., L.A. (310) 478-7769.

1. Urasawa

When discussing Urasawa, it's probably best to address the elephant in the room first. This is unequivocally the most expensive restaurant in the city (too high for publication expense budgets). It's the kind of commodity, along with courtside Lakers tickets, that most people spend years squirreling away toward. The real question — is it worth it? Chef Hiro Urasawa trained under Masa Takayama, a man who is almost unanimously agreed upon to be the best sushi chef in the country (Takayama left Los Angeles a few years ago to open Masa in New York, where dinners often command even more astronomical prices). Urasawa speaks the delicate language of kaiseki with a level of fluidity most chefs can only dream of, teasing out the nuances of Japan's most prized delicacies: Kobe beef sashimi, foie gras shabu-shabu, and, if the season is right, sweet filaments of hairy crab imbued with layers of creamy shirako. The bill might become more bearable if you think of it as a first-class Japanese vacation that lasts only a few hours — imagine the money you saved on airfare. 218 N. Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills. (310) 247-8939.