Fabulous, let the chef decide what you eat, they will take good care of you! read more

Echigo - So delicious - Sushi Bars Near Me - Los Angeles, California

I ate at Echigo today for the first time and my mind was blown. This is by far the best sushi I've ever had. Period. UPDATE: I'm dropping 1 star. I went to Echigo a few more times and, while the food remains fantastic, the prices are definitely quite steep. I guess you pay for what you get, but I can't quite give it 5 stars with these prices. read more

Been to many sushi spots in my life. This might be the best. Ambiance might be average but the quality of fish is so frickin good that it doesn't matter. No rolls, just really good sushi. read more

BEST SUSHI in LA. It's real Japanese Sushi. Not an American style. Rice(Shari) is warm and soft. Neta(Fish) is fresh. Amaging* read more

Absolutely delicious sushi. My trick was to go one night with the bf and get Omakase, then write down all my favorites and order them again next time at a table. The fish is impecable, the only reason it doesn't get 5 stars is cuz I'm a sucker for a handroll or two. I love the bluecrab handroll but its my only option. Omakase is really the most fun and best way to go as an experience. read more

Over priced, bland, uncreative, limited fish choice contrary to the rave reviews which I just don't get!

First, you must know that they serve only original sushi and sashimi, nothing fancy like california rolls, spicy rolls etc. If you're into rolls or any fusion/modern Japanese cuisine, you're in the wrong place. The quality is great. Fish was fresh and juicy. Rice was just right, not wet, and clump as it should be. That makes it easy for you to bite, not to embarrass yourself in front of your gang when Sushi rice fall and spread out around you. Sushi comes in 2 pieces. Overcharged .. yes I think it's too expensive. Totally, I had 4 pieces of sushi and 2 sashimi for $25 .. My stomach was still empty that I needed to dine out in another place later. They do have a combo of chef's choices for $40 OMG .. The place looks so dim and old. It's on the second floor of the plaza. Parking is good. I would definitely not return as there are so many other places in the same area with similar quality. read more

I had the Chef's Special at Echigo last night and it was so good. The fish was super fresh and tasted so clean. We had things like white fish, albacore, butter fish, baby tuna and blue crab. The server comes out and serves you each piece one by one, and will continue this process until you get to your finale of the blue crab roll. She/he will tell you when to use soy sauce and when to not - because certain pieces come out with sauce on them already and would "ruin" the roll if you added soy sauce (salt) to them. Overall, it was a great experience. It was a bit pricey, but definitely worth the money. read more

My girl and I decided to go out for sushi on Valentines Day! We decided to go to our usual spot, "Sushi King." Traffic was off the chain! V Day fell on a Monday! What Monday! As we're almost there I realize, "Arggghhhh Sushi King is closed Mondays! (as many Japanese restaurants are). We Yelp locations, fight traffic and end up at Echigo due to reviews. The decor is minimal and reminds me of a smaller "Sasabune" on Wilshire Blvd. We sit at the bar, which is "Omakase" only. Their Omakase is a little different, since it is already set on what you will get.....it consisted of one sashimi dish, 7 sushi, and a blue crab handroll. We stayed and order several additional sushi after that. Obviously, whenever you go "Omakase," expect to shell out at least a C-Note each. Not sure if I'd go back, but it was great dining experience. TIP: try the Albacore belly sushi! 1st time I eva' tried it and it was D-Lish!! Trust me on that one! read more

After getting a Thai massage across the street, my friend & I were ready for some sushi. We looked up & saw the glowing "Sushi" & "Open" signs...good enough, we'll give it a try! Not much to write about, it's a small restaurant with sushi the way it's meant to be eaten, nothing fancy or special. We ordered albacore & salmon - both had delicious flavors served on warm rice. Delicious! Then time for the rolls! The spicy tuna roll was perfect & the blue crab roll hit the spot! If this is the way sushi is meant to be, sign me up!! I may never go back to the "fancy" rolls again!! The prices were good for the amount & quality. read more

The chef makes all the pieces himself. This would be impressive if the sushi was good. Everything tastes like mush and all seasonings are put on in a hurry by a helper. The soy sauce is not brushed on but poured onto each piece. A total disaster. read more

I have mixed feelings about Echigo. Zero ambiance, high prices: bad. Fresh fish, fresh fish: good. I flew in from Vegas and went straight there on a Thursday night. The place was 73% empty. That surprised me because the reviews I read from Urbanspoon, Yelp, and Eater were pretty impressive. But whatever. I sat down at the sushi bar and ordered omakase. First dish, yelllowtail sashimi. What? Not good! Mealy, mushy strips of fishy tasteless flesh. I immediately started regretting coming here and even considered cancelling the whole thing. But good thing I didn't. What followed was a succession of about 15 truly sublime servings of the freshest fish imaginable. Scallop, toro, bonito, butterfiah, sea bass, and on and on. I was stunned. How could a chef who could get his hands on such high quality product serve that first dish that was so disappointing? These guys do the warm rice thing popularized by Nozawa, and I admit to having a soft spot for it. And BTW, this isWAAAAAY better than Sugarfish, which is just a money machine at this point. Overall, excellent. Except for the first thing! $80 for the omakase and $22 for a carafe of excellent sake. Recommend. read more

Warning spoiler alert! If you are alright with crappy sushi generally the all you can eat, fake crab, California roll etc. don't come. If you do after one visit you will both hooked on this master chef and unable to ever eat sushi for $30. Or less. Quality and pride of the creation of all that is great in sushi is what separates this place from all others. Don't be fooled by the location and I dare you to sit at the bar and talk in your phone or ruin your sashimi by dipping a pre-sauced fish into soy (think soup nazi) no joke. Nothing to go, no spicy tuna and their crab rolls could power the economy of small island nation. Be prepared to drop some dinero and wish you had spent more. read more

At first I thought this little place in a small shopping on Santa Monica would be ill-suited to a date, but it was magnificent. Rather than a platter, each selection is served in courses with a polite recommendation as to soy sauce. The service and the sushi are amazing and keep me coming back. Be sure to begin with the oyster. The flavors are not to be missed. read more

I feel like echigo is the best sushi in LA and also the best kept secret. It's sometimes not as busy as u would expect but that's fine by me... Just sit at the bar and get chefs choice. U will notregret it. read more

I love sushi from the school of Nozawa, namely that trademark warm, vinegary rice. His proteges, Sasabune and Toshi (at Echigo), have followed suit. I could not be more delighted. This style should spread like wildfire. My mainstays, mirugai and toro, are unbelievable here. You can also get butterfish here, which is not available everywhere. Just heaven in a bite. And their handrolls are just on point scrumptious. I will perform circus acts for the blue crab handroll. For some reason, this place, like Sushi Nozawa and Asanebo, are located in heinous strip malls. Strange Los Angeles trend, vestiges of the '90s. But, the fish is to-die-for fresh. Just try to keep me away. read more

We end up coming back a couple times a month and the quality is just top-notch. The decor is simple but the staff is friendly and I've discovered they carry a rice beer called Echigo Beer that pairs perfectly with their sushi! I have yet to find a better blue crab handroll anywhere. read more

Extraordinary. This is a local neighborhood place for me that I happened upon by accident. Every time I come here, I am even more pleasantly surprised. The food here is exceptional. The blue crab roll and toro are my favorites, but everything is amazing. If you are looking for a traditional roll place that is commercial, this is not the place for you. It is very traditional & delicious sushi. I highly recommend it. read more

Wow. I forgot how much I love Echigo. (Although it's in an ugly strip mall, I really don't care) I am a huge fan of super fresh, brilliant sushi with warm rice (like Sasabune style, sans the obnoxious pricing) I'm up for this place any day. If you're a fan of innovative funky rolls drenched with a sweet sauce, this place is not for you. The sashimis & nigiris are heaven in your mouth. Hands down, my favorite sushi place outside of Japan. And I suggest the omakase @ the counter. Mwah! read more

is it possible to leave a restaurant more hungry then when you sat down to eat? well, lets put it this way. i'm now eating a turkey sandwich as i type this. this is my second and final visit to echigo for the 12 dollar lunch special. the first time was several years ago, when i went with a friend who said it was "the best". the rice was minutes away from being vinegar porrige. ok. i've enjoyed warm rice at sushi zo. but this takes it too far. i had to run an errand to graphaids and was craving sushi so i thought, i'll give it one more shot, it couldnt be as bad as the first time. WRONG-O! the fish is all B grade and precut factory/sasabune style (another restaurant i'll never get). if you cut the fish any thinner it would lose its entire structure and would lose its ability to be handled. the result is that every piece tastes like vinegared rice as there isn't enough fish to hold flavor over the rice. the blue crab hand roll was fine if a bit stringy. if you mix enough mayonaise with anything it will taste good. i attribute echigo's popularity to westside culinary ignorance. my last gig in beverly hills i enjoyed weekly lunches at sushi sushi which is a phenomenal restaurant. their premium chirashi leaves me teary eyed sometimes. i dont like to write negative reviews but i couldnt resist. this place shoud not be taken as a serious sushi restaurant. sorry echigo! read more

The best Sushi you can get in LA. Trust me. You cannot get better Toro in LA, in fact when you compare their toro to Sugarfish's Chu-toro (supposedly a higher grade of fish) the Echigo Toro wins out, it's that much better. They add the perfect amount of wasabi to increase the flavor of the fish and the rice is perfect. About the only thing i can fault Echigo for is their location in a strip mall and the disgusting look of their roof. Don't let those deter you though, this place is amazing. I went for the first time today, planning to just try their Toro, I ended up getting two orders and some halibut. It was that good. Don't come here expecting cut rolls (aka super market sushi) but do come here for an amazing gastronomical experience. The staff is really friendly so long as you obey their guidelines and.....holy crap...writing this review i just want another piece of toro.....when I went there was no wait, but I also arrived just minutes after they opened for dinner. Short and sweet: Best real deal japanese sushi that is within reach, because I doubt I'll ever be trying Urasawa. INSTURCTIONS: If you want to order by the piece sit at a table not the bar. When you order on the sheet 1 order is 2 pieces. Do not use chopsticks or mix ginger or add wasabi to anything you are served. Eat each piece in one shot using the chopsticks, do not take multiple bites, it is intended to be enjoyed in one go. Savor it. If you'd like to clear your palette after trying one fish you may use the ginger to do so. Don't be an idiot and dip it in soy sauce, the fish has already been perfectly sauced by the sushi chef. ENJOY! read more

Really tasty sushi. Echigo is best experienced omakase style at the bar and given the flavors to the palate, they are extremely well priced. This place is no frills, just great sushi. read more

First time tonight with five other sushi-lovers. Great sushi, okay price but... HORRIFIC service. It's stricltly sushi. No edamame, soup or salad. That's fine, but not when the sushi hardly makes it to the table. Terribly inefficient and agonizingly slow service. Sushi served one piece at a time. Okay, it's good to eat slow, but not one piece every ten minutes. The time between my boyfriend's first order and second order was 20 minutes! He gnawed on ginger. (There were only three other seated tables.) They don't refill your water or tea or ask if you want more beer or sake. We wanted to order a second round. They ignored us until I walked up and asked for our bill instead. I chose to go to Echigo based on reviews from Yelp. However, it seems that the trend in Los Angeles restaurants is that good food and bad/disrespectful service go hand-in-hand and people put up with it. read more

hmm... this was a tough one, as i sat there comparing Echigo to Sushi Zo (my all time fave sushi restaurant), Echigo did not disappoint. we got the Omakase (which included 1 sashimi plate, 8 pieces of sushi and 1 blue crab roll). the sashimi was red snapper with ponzu sauce (5 pieces, placed in a starlike formation), with daikon, and thinly sliced scallions. This dish was fair. Did not wow me, because i tasted a SLIGHT fishiness. Next came the 8 sushi--EVERY single piece was extremely fresh and of high quality cuts. The 8 pieces were kanpachi, scallop, shima aji, toro, bonito, halibut, black snapper and butterfish. NONE of them were fishy at all, and many of them gave me the melt- in- ur- mouth , buttery texture that Zo gives to every single piece. The fish is also served on top of warm sushi rice. The rice itself, i'd have to say was excellent. Seasoned and sticky in just the right amount. You can also taste that they were using the best quality grains. After our omakase, we had a few other pieces. We got 2 more blue crab rolls, 2 Kinme snappers, 1 sea trout, 1 skip jack , 1 shima aji, and 1 sayori fish. OMG, the Kinme Snapper is to DIE FOR. i could have eaten 5 more kinme snappers, if it weren't for the fear of a monstrous bill. They LITERALLY had the toro texture (buttery, fatty consistency). That was my favorite fish, along with the toro and the butterfish. The blue crab roll was also very good--generous portion of crab meat wrapped in crisp nori. Overall, here is my analysis compared to Zo. **minus the fact that the first dish (red snapper was a lil lil fishy), the quality and freshness of fish were equal. **The rice at Echigo is better than the rice in Zo's. (didn't think this made much of a difference, until i tasted echigo's. The rice REALLY does make a big difference) **size of the sushi about the same in both locations **price range, about equivalent, THO, in my honest opinion, Zo provides more pieces, more variation, and more selections of exotic fish(about 19 pieces at echigo could give u about 23 pieces at zo). **Zo dresses and styles the fish more creatively whereas most of the Echigo pieces are topped with similar dressings (sea salt, pink daikon, scallions, and ponzu OR sea salt, yuzu koshou, and a squeeze of lemon). **service is friendly and attentive in both locations. Overall, I would most definitely come back to Echigo. I still place Zo as my # 1 sushi place, but Echigo follows right after. Maybe a 5 star for Zo and a 4.75 star for Echigo. read more

The fish is excellent, yes. Everyone is definitely telling the truth. And the warm rice was very nice. So, why 2 starts? Way to expensive. After spending $70 a person I was not at all full! (My husband came home and ate pizza after.) Way too small portions. You have to be kidding me! So tiny! The hand towels they gave us at the start of the meal smelled terrible! I had a mold smell on my hands that I could not get off. That made the meal a lot less appetizing. Also, an important piece of information: Definitely authentic sushi--no salad, no soup, no edamame, no cooked things. And, 0 ambiance. Not a date place. read more

Legend has it that Echigo was started by the understudy from Sasabune, which in turn was started by the understudy from Nozawa. I don't know if that's true but it does explain why Echigo is a faded copy of a faded copy... meaning it's still excellent! Food: There are three separate approaches to a meal at Echigo: dinner, lunch special, and omakase lunch. 1. Dinner with a drink will run you about $60 per person. The sushi is good but for the price, there are much better choices. Echigo is close to the bottom of the top tier, but not quite there (and because of the cost, I rank it below Hide and Nagao). If you're going to spend $120 on a meal for two, go to Sasabune, Katsu-Ya (by which I clearly mean the Katsu-Ya on Ventura in Studio City), or Nozawa. Or even Katsuya Brentwood or Hamasaku. 2. The lunch special costs about $20 ($13 but ends up closer to $20 with tea, tax, and tip) and includes five very small cuts on tasty warm rice, followed by an amazing blue crab handroll. It's definitely a light lunch, and not entirely satisfying, but still quite good. 3. If you sit at the sushi bar for lunch, you are required to get the omakase ($45...but you get more food including stellar toro and butterfish and the great blue crab handroll). Of the three options, I'd recommend #2 or #3. 3.5 stars. Service: The staff is friendly and good with water/tea refills. The downside is that the food comes out a bit too quickly. They definitely put the "go" in Echigo. But I've never had to wait and there's an underground parking lot in the strip mall. 2.5 stars. Decor: Typical sushi restaurant set up: wooden tables or seats at the sushi bar. Too spacious to have any ambiance. 2.5 stars. Summary: Food (60% weight for Overall): 3.5 stars. Service (20% weight for Overall): 2.5 stars. Decor (20% weight for Overall): 2.5 stars. Overall: 3.1 stars. Excellent lunch deal and even more great surprises if you're willing to spend twice as much! read more

Came here last night to try their relatively cheap omakase! I say relatively, because, come on, $45pp a meal is not cheap. But considering how much omakase can run at other places ($100+ is not uncommon), this was a steal. Came around 8pm and the place had a couple tables occupied, but the the sushi bar was completely empty. Perhaps it's the location (they're on the 2nd floor of a small plaza, rather unnoticeable unless you are specifically looking for them like we were). So the bf and I sat at the sushi bar, which is reserved for omakase only, and things got started. They are really quick to serve here, but not in a sense that they are trying to rush you. It's not like they are hovering over you to swipe your plates away and push the next dish to you right away. But you don't have to wait around for them to serve you. Which was nice. The bf and I both agreed, we like how we were served our food quickly and at a pace that basically went with how fast we ate. The omakase here isn't very extensive, but it's pretty good for the price. I don't remember exactly everything we had, but I'll name what I do recall. We started with I think was a snapper sashimi that was absolutely delightful. Then we had several different types of nigiri sushi (they only serve nigiri and hand rolls here, nothing else) and I remember from that baby tuna, medai snapper, butterfish, scallop, fatty tuna...that's all I remember.. The medai snapper was paired with yuzu which was deliciousss, and the butterfish with a dollop of sweet miso paste on top - I think my favorite way of eating butterfish so far! The meal ended with the classic blue crab handroll, which was tasty as well. I liked how the rice was served mildly warm in all of it - yummy. The staff here were friendly and the sushi chef even more so. They aren't the extremely talkative type, and they don't push for conversation here like some other sushi chefs can make you feel, which is nice. I'll definitely be back again! read more

The Omakase was very good, I would go as far as saying "to-die-for"! Being in LA for vacation, I was easily persuaded to go anywhere. I am truly a sushi fiend and Echigo is now on my top 3! All the fish was fresh and delicious. I will definitely make this a must go to everytime I visit LA. read more

I remember when their lunch special was only $10 and 2 orders of them would get us super full. That was oh around 6 years ago. Yes now prices have gone up and the portions are definitely smaller. But I can't really blame them. Everyone has to make ends meet and it's not their fault if their own costs have gone up. I'd say the price is still pretty fair considering how many different types of fish you are getting. Fish that you wouldn't be able to get at most other sushi restaurants. Unless you live in this area and can take your pick of GREAT sushi joints. I'd say you can be pretty satisfied spending about $150 for 2 ppl unless you're a real fatass. In that case, I'd suggest you go somewhere else where you can stuff your face with rolls...try Kabuki...I hear they have "50% off" all day everyday as long as you don't mind the bathroom smell while you eat. read more

THE. BEST. SUSHI. IN. LOS. ANGELES. PERIOD. (this review has the worst punctuation in los angeles however, question mark?)

Sorry but I've had at least 1,000 Omakase meals in the last decade & this place is average at best for the $100 - $120 price range. Sasabune all day obvi & if you're looking for scale, Echigo is below Sugarfish. read more

The sushi was good, but if you're going to sit at the bar, prepared to leave hungry. The 8 or so tiny rolls was definitely not worth the 50 bucks. This place FAILS based on bang for your buck. The rice is tiny and the fish barely covers the rice. read more

The fish was delicious, very fresh, but i did not get full from the regular omasake. =( Some of the other reviews are right....the portions are WAY TINY!! The people who get full off this must eat like birds. I came home and had a sandwich. read more

Similar to Sugarfish, but you get more variety and interesting fish (albeit at a modest premium). Still, one of my favorite sushi places in LA! The crab hand roll is amazing. read more

To make a long story short, pricey but great, and when I say great I do mean great sushi. The quality of fish will speak for itself. Definitely try to sit at sushi bar so you can sample the awesome chef's menu. read more

I came here on a Friday night with a friend, both craving sushi. So we sat at the bar and ordered the Omakase. The fish tasted fresh and appetizing. The only problem is that after 8 dishes, we were pretty much hungrier than before. So we ordered some yellow tail sashimi to top off the meal. Sit at the bar for the omakase, otherwise, the tables will do. Would I come back here? As long as it's not a date. You guessed it. read more

Except to pay a lot for lunch if you come here. Their sushi lunch special literally comes with 5 pieces of sushi and nothing else. It's more like a sushi appetizer. i had to order another roll and still wasn't full. But the sushi was really good. I especially liked their blue crab hand roll, which was fresh and not extremely fishy tasting like blue crab can be. read more

Located upstairs in a strip mall. This place is almost as good as Sasabune. I got the $14 lunch special which consists of 5 pieces of sashimi and a crab roll. Their sashimi was uber fresh and the crab roll was exceptional. It was really good but not very filling. I almost ordered another special, but I was not about to pay $30 for lunch! read more

Agree with Helen, it's comparable to Sushi Sasabune, but it's less crowded and bit cheaper too. Sushi was fresh and delicious, the monk fish liver was still warm when it was served to me... read more

i remember when the lunch special was $10. we sometimes have to order two/person, but now we just come here to "snack" so one order will do. warm rice sushi. just the way i like it. another perfector of rice : ingredient. i don't think there's ever been a visit where it's super crowded. go for lunch, it's most economical. their Blue Crab roll is on par w/ Sushi Sasabune's. Don't come here for ambiance. You're paying $12 for small but artfully, mouth pleasing sushi lunch special (or a snack in our case). read more