The History of Omakase in Los Angeles, As Told Through 10 Restaurants

Kawafuku was arguably the first sushi restaurant to open in the United States, opening in 1923 and unveiling a sushi bar in the 1960s. Owner Nakajima Tokijiro partnered with importer Noritoshi Kanai and sushi chef Shigeo Saito to serve nigiri-style sushi to an audience of mostly Japanese immigrants. While little is known of what was actually served here, there was counter service and nigiri-style sushi, which means that it did play an early, formative role in the evolution of omakase in Los Angeles. The restaurant led to spin-off concepts like restaurant Tokyo Kaikan (where later the California roll was supposedly invented) and kickstarted the sushi trend in America.

Read more about Kawafuku’s rich history here.

Ginza Sushi-Ko laid the groundwork for the archetypal L.A. omakase restaurant most of us associate with the genre today: expensive, authentic, and exclusive. After immigrating from Japan to L.A. in the 1970s, Masa Takayama opened Ginza inside a strip mall on Wilshire Boulevard in 1987. Originally the restaurant wasn’t exactly looking to attract a fanbase: they didn’t advertise and had an unlisted phone number. Chef Takayama kept careful notes on each diner to make sure that next time they dined there, they would never eat the same thing twice. He served nigiri style pieces that were carefully curated by the chef’s mood and taste (flying in much of the fish from Tokyo’s Tsukiji Market), with a hefty price tag of $125-$250 per meal (prices increased/varied over the years). 

The restaurant relocated to Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills in 1992 and was known for being a celebrity-friendly, members-only hotspot (the going rate for a seven-year “membership” was $5000). Ruth Reichl blew the lid off of the insider eatery after reviewing the restaurant for the New York Times in 1994. After gaining more widespread popularity and media attention, a decade later, Masa moved to New York, selling the restaurant to former sous chef Hiroyuki Urasawa, who renamed it Urasawa (more on that in a minute). Masa, of course, then opened his eponymous eatery in New York in 2004, which to date serves one of the most expensive omakase menus in the country with a current price tag of $750 per person.

Also originally opened in 1987, this no-frills Studio City strip-mall eatery was founded by Kazunori Nozawa, who spent years apprenticing under a Japanese sushi master back home. Nozawa was known for innovating the “trust me” menu, inspired by Edo-style sushi, which he enforced via strict standards, and his refusal to serve customers who didn’t adhere to his code of conduct. His sushi was simple and traditional, with a focus on the quality of the fish. 

Nozawa’s gruff demeanor and stringent rules (no cell phones, no switching seats) earned him the nickname “the sushi Nazi” (he once allegedly kicked out actress Charlize Theron for disagreeing with his menu selections). After Jonathan Gold reviewed the restaurant in 1988, the spot gained widespread popularity. The affordable yet high-quality omakase meal was Nozawa’s trademark, and at the core of what made this restaurant significant. A meal for two was only $30-40 in 1988 (compare that to the VIP-only policy and prices at Ginza). That legacy would be carried on later by Nozawa’s son Tom with his uber-popular chainlet, Sugarfish (see below). 

After running an Edo-style sushi restaurant in Tarzana in the 1980s, chef Nobi Kusuhara opened Sasabune on Sawtelle in West L.A. in 1991, which quickly gained a following for its unique take on omakase sushi. Building on Nozawa’s legacy, which included signs stating “no California rolls” and adherence to the  “trust me” style, there were a few things that set Kusuhara’s sushi apart. He served his sushi warm and didn’t use soy sauce or wasabi, instead relying on the natural flavors of the fish. Prices also leaned more affordable as well (under $100).

Sasabune’s approach to omakase helped make it one of the most influential sushi restaurants in Los Angeles. While the restaurant moved from its original location and now includes a spot in Beverly Hills, the legacy of the original Sawtelle location remains at their newer West L.A. spot. Kusuhara’s protégé Kenji Takahashi eventually opened a restaurant with the same name in New York as well.

The disciple of sushi legend Masa Takayama (see Ginza Sushi-Ko, above), Hiroyuki Urasawa opened his eponymous restaurant in Beverly Hills in 2003 in the former Ginza space and immediately became one of the most expensive and exclusive sushi restaurants in the world. He carried on the legacy of his teacher by using high-quality and often rare ingredients flown in from Japan (and accordingly charged a premium for them). He also famously instituted a “10-second rule,” in which he commanded patrons to eat each bite of sushi within ten seconds of it being served. Although currently closed, the restaurant’s reputation as the most expensive sushi restaurant in L.A. lives on.

After stints at legendary sushi spots like Katsu and Matsuhisa, chef Mori Onodera opened his namesake restaurant in Los Angeles in 2007, which quickly became an omakase hotspot. Onodera was a protégé of the famed sushi master Jiro Ono (whose Tokyo subway station restaurant was immortalized in the documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi), and carried on his legacy of perfectionism. Mori Sushi’s dedication to quality and tradition helped make it one of the most respected sushi restaurants in Los Angeles. After closing Mori in 2011, Onodera popped up again at Beverly Hills spot Shiki in 2017 and at Inn Ann in 2019, before opening the equally well-regarded Morihiro in Atwater Village in 2021.

To many Angelenos, Sugarfish is sushi; its popularity is nothing short of a phenomenon. Founded by chef Kazunori Nozawa’s son, Tom Nozawa, and sushi chef Kiyoshiro Yamamoto, Sugarfish innovated an affordable and streamlined approach to omakase sushi designed to appeal to the masses. The “Trust Me” omakase, priced at just $30-$59, nods to the legacy of Nozawa, including a variety of nigiri sushi, hand rolls, and sashimi. 

Thanks to said affordability, Sugarfishes across Los Angeles are frequently slammed, with longer wait times and a shorter eating experience than a traditional omakase meal. Even the pandemic could not dull Angelenos appetite for Sugarfish: during Covid, the restaurant devised a takeaway version of its “Trust Me” menu, packaged in a highly Instagrammable to-go box. Since opening in 2008, the chainlet now boasts 10 locations in L.A. alone (and a few in New York), as well as a hand roll-focused spinoff, KazuNori.

Female sushi chefs are rare both in Japan and the U.S., so when chef Niki Nakayama opened her namesake restaurant in Palms in 2008, the L.A. dining world quickly took note. After having worked for both sushi legend Morihiro Onodera and at a Japanese ryokan, Nakayama was inspired to open a restaurant with a seasonal kaiseki approach, leaning into local ingredients.

Kaiseki menus are stylistically similar to omakase in their tasting menu format and often include nigiri style sushi or hand rolls, though they typically include non-sushi dishes as well. N/Naka is known for its artistic 13-course menu which garnered widespread acclaim, two Michelin stars, and inevitably, months-long waits for reservations. 15 years in, it remains one of the toughest tables in L.A. After the success of N/Naka, Nakayama and sous-chef and partner Carole Iida recently expanded with N/Soto, which focuses on izakaya fare, and is (slightly) easier to get into. More info here.

Founded by brothers Toshi and Yasu Kawabata in the early 2000s, this Woodland Hills-based standby was taken over by chef Mark Okuda in 2018 and since has become known for its freewheeling Cal-Japanese style of sushi and an emphasis on dry-aging fish. Their omakase menu, for $140 per person, includes appetizers and desserts, or you can select a more purist omakase menu for $200 (the restaurant also offers a la carte ordering). Notably, Okuda is at the forefront of the red-hot dry-aged fish trend in L.A., a technique known as jukusei in Japanese. Last year, the restaurant expanded to Santa Monica, and both locations are consistently packed with a younger crowd who revel in the street-smart sensibility of the place. More info here.

Chef Daisuke Nakazawa, who trained under sushi master Sukiyrabashi Jiro in Tokyo (he was the chef struggling with his tamago in Jiro Dreams of Sushi), will bring his popular New York-based restaurant to L.A. this spring. Previously staged as a WeHo pop-up, the new location will open on Robertson in coming months. Known for taking inspiration from the Edomae style of sushi, the omakase experience at Nakazawa will follow the traditional course of individual pieces of nigiri served in succession — watch this space for more details.