Great Omakase restaurant with Italian fusion. Every dish was a surprise and chefs provided us 3…read moreextra dishes for free. We also had the wine pairing which was great, although I didn't care for the sake as I didn't think it paired well with the dish. Only 7 tables so reservations are mandatory. Very tricky to find but use the Address and you'll find it. Service is Michelin star rated...

We went there to celebrate a friend's bday. We did their tasting menu. The price point is little…read morehigh for vegetarian/vegan people but I liked that they accommodate allergies and restrictions so I'll say it's worth the $$$. Our server was nice but I wish they gave us the same attention he gave others. The place isn't super fancy but it's perfect for intimate celebrations. I just wish they could do more for veg/vegan options in future. Overall I'd give this place 4/5 Service: 3/5 Food: 4/5

Love love loved our dining experience here. For the price point and what you get, this is an…read moreabsolutely a high quality and value experience. (For reference, I have 30+ Michelin starred restaurants that I've dined at) Food: 5/5 Alternating between innovative flavor combinations and elegantly upleveled classic. My favorite was the mini burger with fatty tuna and shiso. It was a French twist on nigiri and instantly recognizable. Service: representative of fine dining. Attentive and respectful. The chefs explain the courses and finish plating and cooking the dishes live in front of the bar seating style counter. Ambiance: clean, simple and traditional

french-thai-japanese is not a combo i've ever heard or thought of before.. but i think maison…read morekanatha has created something really special! all the dishes had high quality ingredients with expert textures, prepared with beautiful precision and detail - something you expect from an upscale tasting menu. but what was unexpected were the flavors - the sourness and spices of southeast asian food - combined with the high quality preparation. RESERVATIONS i went to restaurant ki with two of my friends, and our host told us that maison kanatha had recently opened in the same location under the same restaurant group. we looked into reservations on the spot and booked one about a month out. it wasn't hard since they are newer. PARKING/GETTING IN the default option the restaurants here give you is parking in the garage, which i heard is $10. but i've been able to find free parking on the street nearby. the restaurant will send instructions on how to get inside. it's on the basement level of the building attached to the garage. SERVICE/AMBIANCE everything feels very calm, clean, and respectful. i felt very taken care of by all the hosts, servers, and chefs. we were seated a bar so we got to watch the chefs prepare everything, and they put in so much care and attention to detail to everything. overall, the hospitality we experienced was a 10/10. FOOD some overall notes: my friends and i liked everything we got, but there were definitely some things that stood out. my menu excluded shrimp items because i am allergic. there were 4 items on the menu that were different due to my allergy, which felt like a lot.. but i still liked my replacements so i'm not complaining. my friend has an aversion to cilantro, and it seemed like a lot of dishes had cilantro. sometimes i wouldn't even really notice the flavor of cilantro but my friend did because she's sensitive to it. if you don't like cilantro i would let them know when making a reservation, and maybe they can accommodate. now for specific dishes: - crispy salmon w/ soy butter sauce: well cooked salmon, i loved the light crunch and the sweet sauce - caviar w/ white sesame mousse: all of us loved this! perfect balance of salty, creamy, nutty, and light - charcoal grilled black cod w/ holy basil sauce: the fish was SO SOFT. softer than miso black cod anywhere. combined with a crackly skin and mushrooms? i don't think you could design a more perfect dish for me. i will say the skin felt a biit burnt to a crisp for me, but i didn't care as i was just obsessed with the texture of the fish itself - cold asparagus soup w/ crystal salmon: DELICIOUS. the salmon was perfect and fatty. my only note was that the crispy bit was super thin and delicate, but i could have done with a more hefty crunch to go with this dish. - crispy tart w/ squid and uni: similar to the soup, i felt that the tart was so delicate and thin, and i would have wanted just a bit more. i enjoyed the fishiness of this, with the textures of the squishy squid and soft uni. but one of my friends felt it was a bit too fishy for them. personal preference! - tomato and flounder w/ mozuku seaweed: there was a tartness and sourness that i really enjoyed. the flounder was the perfect texture (i think it was shrimp for everyone else). - mini burger w/ charcoal seared bluefin tuna: my friend's favorite dish of the night. the seared tuna was a 10/10 for me. i just felt that mine tasted a bit strongly of shiso, and i couldn't really taste the cream cheese. but still good and you get two fat pieces of tuna which felt generous. - green curry in pani puri with hokkaido scallop: this dish was interesting. i loved the flavor of the green curry. the scallop on top tasted and felt more like crab, but it was still good. there was rice at the bottom but i couldn't really notice it unless i specifically looked for it. - chawanmushi w/ french onion soup: unique dish, a combo i've never seen before. i was skeptical of the flavors working together but they really did! perfectly soft egg custard, overall delicious. - sea bream beignet w/ yuzu sake cream sauce: this dish was the only thing on the menu that i kind of had a hard time with. the sake cream sauce was sour in a slightly unpleasant way, like when you want yogurt to be sweet but it's unsweetened greek yogurt. the texture of the sea bream was just ok - wagyu shabu shabu w/ tamarind ponzu sauce: big fan of the ponzu suace. perfect, balanced bites with meat, veggies, and sauce. - somen noodles in tom yum soup: sour, warm, delicious - passion fruits coconut: yummy, though the passionfruit was a bit too strong for me - pudding w/ blackberry sauce: the perfect dessert, tbh. i could eat this every day. finally there was a good amount of crunch if you like thai food and upscale asian food, especially seafood, maison kanatha is the place to go! i don't think i've seen anything like this anywhere else in LA. try it before it gets too popular :)

Possibly one of the best Sushiyas in LA. I'm a regular at some of their sister locations in Arcadia…read more(tonchinkan, sushi kisen, etc) and was excited to try this spot knowing the chef's stacked background in Japanese culinary arts. I went right before the Michelin Ceremony which awarded them 1 star. It started off with kaiseki style appetizers: kegani, grilled ocean trout, aichi tairagai, and Iwate A5 wagyu sukiyaki. Incredibly strong start with the appetizers. Kegani was my favorite with its gooey chewy roe in contrast to the kegani meat. Nigiri followed and I got a supplement of kohada. The standout was definitely the shari, which is probably some of the best I've had in LA. I love how strong the vinegar in the rice is, which other locations are way too light handed with. The grain, starchiness, and temperature were perfectly paired with each shari. Of course kohada was my favorite. Nice firmness and salinity. Dessert was a koji rice ice cream with berries. Very unique flavor and balance between the slightest hints of saltiness from the cherry salt and boosts of sweetness from the berries. Overall, one of the best sushi omakase meals I've had in LA. My biggest gripe with most spots is their shari falling apart, grain isnt the rice size or texture, or just not seasoned enough. Chef Derek Wilcox is truly a master at his craft and I'm eager to come back.

Amazing 18 course omakase in a small, intimate, minimalistic and refined space on the second floor…read moreof via rodeo. The vibe, service, and food quality and presentation were all executed with perfection. Had an incredible time. Some standouts for me were the bluefin tuna sashimi (fresh, buttery, and luxuriously marbled) served with egg yolk (loved the egg yolk); spot prawn (juicy with a hint of sweetness that just melts), cuttlefish, and Aji Shamine (horse mackerel, but learned it's not a mackerel), the last which was my favorite. Fantastic experience. Hope to come back soon

This review is long overdue but what I can tell you is that dining here is not only a beautiful…read moreculinary experience but could easily be one of, if not: THE BEST MEAL OF YOUR LIFE (at least that is how I felt at the end of the meal). Everything was perfectly curated, the staff was trained to notice all the little details (including the fact that I am a lefty) and the ambiance was modern, with clean lines and minimalistic decor. The best part is that you can see your food being prepared before your eyes. It is immaculately clean. I appreciated the presentation and explanation of each dish. The menu includes 11 courses, but there were a few surprises included throughout the meal. While there are generally highs and lows when you dine omakase/prix fixe style, I can honestly say every dish was SO DELICIOUS and perfectly plated. I even had a hard time telling the chef which dish was my favorite (though it might've been the first one haha). I mean a tartlet of spiny lobster.. what's not to love. It was "amuse"-ing for sure. I was left so flabbergasted by the meal that I immediately recommended this restaurant to my good friend who subsequently dined there two weeks later. Suffice it to say, she loved it and my foodie score legitimacy went up in her book ;) With these types of high end restaurants (i.e. French Laundry, Alinea etc), the likelihood of returning tend to be low since its more of a one and done experience.. However, this is the first restaurant where I definitely know I will be back. I'll just need to work on getting a side hustle to afford it lol. I have no doubt this is definitely going to be at least a 2-star Michelin restaurant. Give Chef Brian his stars!

Came here a while back when they were test kitchen phase. The meal was superb so was excited to be…read moreable to come and experience the dishes at the new location. Street parking is tight but it's $5 at Bank of America on Melrose. The restaurant is an open kitchen concept with L shape counter for 10 seats. The dinner started a bit late while waiting for the last 2 diners. 4 of the dishes were similar to what we had last time but were very good so understandable to bring them back. There were 2 dishes where you have to use your hands so it can get a bit sticky. Might be nice to have a wet napkin/towel set next to utensils. Overall the dishes were well balanced, flavorful and thoughtful in preparation and presentation. There were a few dishes that were a bit too salty for me but I think it was just my palate preference. The dinner took about 2 hours, so not too long. Staff is A+++. Very warm, friendly and attentive. Definitely has a great potential once it opens fully and a must for try.

Loved the service. Savior was knowledgeable, friendly and made our dining experience enjoyable. We…read morehave the crab croquette appetizer - don't be fooled it is delicious but the portion is HUGE. Much bigger than you would expect from most places We also had the black cod (very tasty and buttery) and the pork shoulder. The latter was flavorful and extremely tender. We went on a Tuesday evening for "late" happy hour and got a BOGO draft beer. Definitely worth a visit and we will be returning!

Bengara is a relatively new restaurant that took over the Taberu space in April. We had high hopes…read morebecause apparently the chef worked at Angler previously. The meal began with a small cup of dashi, which was made with kombu and dried bonito. I guess it served as a liquid amuse bouche. Not really my cup of tea (punt intended). Most of the dishes we ordered while decent didn't really blow us away. Our favorite was the enoki tempura. The trout was bit over cooked and slightly dry. The avocado salad kinda reminded me of the Ding Tai Fung cucumbers. Hambagu steak don was one of my favorite comfort foods growing up. Unfortunately, this dish was the biggest fail of our meal. Both the burger party and the mushrooms were so salty that none of us finished our portions. The interior texture of the patty was also kinda mushy; probably due to too much panko. I was also expecting a sauce with a hint of Worcestershire sauce; instead it was sort of a very salty wine reduction. Very disappointing.

My Friend invited me here! One of her Favorite restaurants & Bar…read more I didnt know it was so close to the Nate Holden Theater! Now I have a restaurant i can go to prenthe pre theater! The outside is inconspicuous with outside covered with ivy. We had a 730pm reservation on a Wednesday. Theres a Valet so we didnt even look for street parking. It's an Intimate setting inside & a covered patio. The staff were Nice & helpful. We ordered many items to share. And we had PLENTY! Edamame, cucumber salad,Grilled pork belly & Mushroom skewers, negi Toro, Mackerel, Ochazuke, Black Cod, Japanese waygu roll, tori negi..whew! There were 3 of us! Lol! Everything was Fr we sh Well flavored & Delicious! And the Drinks were also Fabulous! I'll be back

My husband and I came here for dinner last night. We got the Milk Bread Toast, Sweet Soy Chili…read moreWings, Toro Nigiri, Blue Crab Handroll, Wagyu Strip Hand Roll, Soto Roll, Tori Negi Kushiyaki, Shiitake Mushroom Kishiyaki, Agedashi Mochi and Lamb Chops. Overall, the food was good! The only miss was really the agedashi mochi. I liked the mochi texture but we felt like the flavor overall was just not great here. Our favorites were the chili wings, soto roll and lamb chops. The wings were soo juicy and flavorful. The chili on the soto roll was a great addition and the lamb chops were soft/tender. Personally, I wouldn't order the tori nigiri again because it was very small/didn't feel worth the cost.

I took my boyfriend here for his birthday and we had a great experience!…read more I made the reservation online and paid upfront the cost of 2 people which was about $500 total. My fear of going to omakase places is that I will pay a lot of money to still be hungry at the end, but I didn't leave Nozawa Bar hungry at the end! The location was located inside Sugarfish in Beverly Hills and since they do a 6pm and 8pm time slot, arrive on time! We were greeted by the chef as we enter in the back of Sugarfish and seated intimately in front of the chef as he prepared every dish in front of us and explained what we're eating. Everything prepared was fresh and flawless and the chef was super nice to talk to. I definitely had favorites and some were definitely things that I've never tried before so it was a pleasant experience to try new things! Overall, I would recommend this place as a date night. It's highly rated for a reason!

Best omakase!!!…read more I've been to plenty of top omakase spots, but Nozawa Bar in Beverly Hills is on another level. The ultra-fresh fish, perfectly seasoned rice, and thoughtful courses make every bite unforgettable. Warm hospitality, intimate counter setting, and flawless execution. My fiancée and I will be back soon!

N/Naka is incredible. Chef Niki and her staff have honestly given my partner and I the best fine…read moredining experience we have ever had and we have had many omakases/kaisekis including some in Japan. I've been eyeing n/naka for 4 years and each year we would try to snatch up a reservation but they would disappear within minutes and when we finally were so lucky to get a reservation (I literally cheered) I could absolutely see why eating at this establishment is highly desired. There was parking down the street toward the neighborhood and upon showing up at the front doors there was a line of people waiting for their time slot, we were checked in one by one and seated. This restaurant is pretty small but it has a great calming ambience and feels intimate. The staff is very attentive and friendly and I loved learning about n/naka's history since we came during their anniversary and got to taste some of their creations throughout the years. We loved that with each dish there was a meaning behind each one, and honestly most course meal places we've been to are very similar but n/naka's courses were unique and we tasted a good amount of items that were very new to us. It's so hard to describe each dish that we had, because we were so pleasantly surprised by their unique flavors and techniques. Plating of the food was so pleasing to the eye and done with meticulous care. All the food was cooked perfectly and even the simplest dishes such as clam soup warmed the heart. Some standouts I noted was the fish dish on if I remember correctly a bed of Kambu (seaweed) and these home grown peas, supremely the best peas I've ever had in my life. The ice cream/sorbet with the side crumble was so so good. The opening dish (the one with the flower cracker laid on top) and the carrot cake looking item was very unique and tasty. I also was very impressed by their I believe it was some sort of freeze dried soy sauce if I can remember, that was so unique to the palate. This may sound silly, but my partner and I were absolutely amazed by the palate cleanser halfway through the meal, we have had many palate cleansers at fine dining restaurants, but none like this one. Generally palate cleansers are tart and I would say help reset the palate at 50-60%. But this tapioca and fruit palate cleanser was the best we've ever had. It was light, crisp, refreshing and it literally eliminated the taste of everything we had previously eaten at a 100% efficacy rate. I've never felt my mouth feel that clean and pure--it was astounding. We both were truly in awe. The staff were really so polite and attentive. At the end of the meal we saw Chef Niki walking around to the tables and felt so special when she dropped by. Our conversation was short but wow, you can tell Chef Niki is a very genuine and humble person. She makes you feel so comfortable in conversation and with her extraordinary gesture, she just makes you feel so special and appreciated. It was hard to explain this experience because the euphoria just lasted for days, weeks, if not months. We told all our friends about n/naka and I hope they'll one day be able to have that experience as well. We thank Chef Niki and her team so much for making our 4th anniversary the best one! And hopes she can take breaks when she can, she deserves it and more!

Japanese Kaiseki which has been on my list for months and finally the universe answered with an…read moreinvite! The venue is small and does not have a bar or indoor waiting area so plan to arrive right on time. The guest waited outdoors until our exact time of seating (and they are right on time). N/Naka is a very intimate 28 course seasonal modern kaiseki that serves a combination of both fresh sashimi and warm courses to satiate your palate (heavier on the warm dishes). Seasonal ingredients from Japan and California are used to curate the finest delicacies. Therefore you're likely to try various specials with the changing seasons. I loved the Zensai which presented 7 small palate warming appetizer bites. Comes in a cute bento box like format. The creamy potato puree and tempura bites were my favorites. For the main course, I absolutely loved the Uni and Dungeness crab....so exceptional. Served in an actual Uni shell and filled with warm Dungeness crab meat and broth, egg white soufflé, and topped with a whole Uni. This should be their top dish. Another phenomenal course was the Rockfish. The fish complimented very well with the snap peas and kelp which brought out the flavor of the rockfish. Perfect!!! Shiizakana is their signature dish which made its debut on chef's table and served year round. An abalone truffle pasta. This was good but for me personally wasn't a highlight. Overall a good experience. At dinners end, chef Niki Nakayama came out personally to share our experiences. We got to meet the artist that curated this amazing dinner. Thank you Chef! Loved the experience. Get on that wait list ASAP!