By and large my favorite sushi place in LA. Sure I like Katsuya and Blowfish and all those modern places, but nothing can beat Hama. It just feels authentic LA sushi joint. I take all of my out of town guests here because they would never know to go here otherwise, the restaurant for sure has a local vibe. I've been going here since I was a kid and I'm pretty sure had my first brave encounter with Eel here. We've been best buds ever since...its pretty hard for me to leave a sushi place without a little Unagi in my belly. Hama fuses all my favorite things about home: beach culture, sushi, and laid back locals. read more

I've been hearing for years about Hama and finally decided to give it a try while I was in Venice Beach. The restaurant is pretty large and has 2 sides. One is the sushi bar and the other I guess is just a bar. I've ordered a few things to try from the menu and was not very impressed. We ordered the Venice Volcano, Salmon Sushi, Kenny's Lobster Roll, and Spicy Tuna on Crispy Rice. The Venice Volcano was a variety of sashimi accompanied with a Hawaiian Poke dressing. I thought the fish was good but not spectacular. I think the sauce pretty much saved it. I also thought some of the pieces were a little chewy for my taste. The salmon sushi I didn't like at all. The cut of fish was way to big and it kind of ruined the taste because it was hard to eat. Kenny's Lobster Roll was nothing special. I was waiting for a creamy lobster roll in soy paper which is my favorite. What I got was a bad lobster and no taste at all. The last is Spicy Tuna which I actually LOVED. This dish was amazing and I highly recommend to get it! We didn't get drinks, but it looked like that's what they're known for. I think this place would be good for a nice happy hour, but I'm not rushing back anytime soon! read more

We wrapped a long Saturday at Hama. Did a great job with the sushi and we had lots of sake. A great meal to end a fun day.

Hama - how you have changed over the years. A long long time ago Hama was a neighborhood spot in Venice. Not the best sushi in the world but not too expensive either and the crowd was what you might call traditional Venice eclectic. a decade later prices are sky high and the crowd is blonder and tanner (granted this could be the same crowd but they just got richer and more successful than me in the intervening years). seriously this place is shockingly expensive for what it is, but i guess you are paying for the scene which is admittedly attractive. But the question I'd pose to you is: is there anything attractive about a person of the opposite sex seemingly throwing money away at mediocre fair? imagine what they will do when they have access to your wallet? it is kinda the sushi equivalent of someone that would buy something from Jacob the Jeweler - sure its expensive and we all know it - but those are low quality ingredients that have no class or style. Harsh i know. Hama is also advantaged by the fact that there aren't really any good sushi options south of the 10 and west of the 405. If you are going to be spending this kind of money go to Sushi Roku (it isn't TONS better but you won't feel cheated like you do at Hama) On the up side the service was good - we showed up here at the last minute for a dinner for a friend's bday and they shuffled some things and got us a table for 6 on a Fri night so thanks for that. if you sit at the patio bar you have a pretty good view of the crowd if you want to people watch. read more

Sushi was fairly good, nothing great for the price, but was enjoyable. Leaving one star for the TERRIBLE service. We were out celebrating a big day and had a great time until coming here for dinner. Server took our drink order and we also ordered an app. Didn't see her again until we had ordered several things at the sushi bar, finished them, and then sat there waiting. We would have definitely ordered more drinks, another appetizer or 2, but completely just got aggravated after sitting there with empty drinks and plates. The waitress even walked by several times without a word, she was busy, but not so much to ignore someone. Overall so disappointed. We love sushi and would live to come often. Ruined what should have been a special night. read more

Hmmm... the sushi was really great quality but everything was very overpriced. Also, I asked for a quiet table and was seated next to a family with three very young, noisy kids. The hostess even called me to ask what I meant by the quiet corner table request I put on my open-table reservation. Isn't that a little self explanatory? I've been to much fancier sushi restaurants and don't think I've ever spent more than $20 for a fairly standard roll. The ambiance is a little strange too. I don't think I'll be back. read more

Reference Kellee's review. I would just mimic hers. Fast friendly service, good vibe(if you like hustle and bustle), good sushi. What I will say is the Red Devil Roll turned out to be hot. If I would have bet my "manliness" on how little I THOUGHT I'd be affected, it(my manhood) would have dropped to the floor under the table after the first bite. It was the kind of hot that rearranges your priorities. You don't think about bills, or what you did that day, or what you'll you do later. You stare forward and try to talk yourself down. There is no other goal in the world than to deal with the hot. Like an acid trip where you have to remind yourself that your heart is not exploding the cops are not outside, your brain is not melting. That's what it does. It was a good roll, that I will get in the future, but split.... I am a fish snob in the sense that I only like a few types of fish and if it is evenly remotely off my mouth will not let me swallow . It's not because I am an expert, it's because I am a pussy. It's a very childish reaction....none the less it usually steers me right. Having said all that, the sashimi here was good. We had the Venice Volcano as mentioned below. It was a mix, and it was all goooood. It was covered in a potentially disguising sauce, but I don't think it hid that much. read more

My gf and I got Food Poisoning last night! I have been to this place a couple times and the food has been okay. We ordered the spicy tuna, spider roll, and salmon Kama the night we got food poisoning. I used to like this sushi place as they do have a pretty good happy hour, but I don't think I will be returning here again. I have heard that the sushi has gone down over time and I'm afraid that's true. read more

I just returned from meeting a friend for Happy hour at Hama. The nice thing is that they actually have a pretty extensive menu of both hot items and rolls at close to half price from 5-7pm. Just wished we got to try everything at the Happy Hour price. The sucky part about Hama is that they only serve Happy hour items at the bar - which consists of 10-12 seats. We got there in plenty of time, but all the seats were taken with a line to boot. The hostess informed us that we'd have to show up at 5pm, and there's often a line at the door. Given that, we sat at the table anyway. We sucked it up and paid twice as much for the same stuff that people were eating 5 ft away from us. Sushi at Hama is definitely pricey, ordinarily I wouldn't have an issue with that if we got outstanding fish and generous/creative rolls. My friend and I paid $13 for each of our rolls and they were on the small side. For $13, I'd expect some decently size pieces....my friend didn't particularly enjoy her philly roll either. We paid $40 a person for an appetizer, one roll and one drink (soda/tea). We won't come here again, there's plenty of better sushi to be had in LA for far less the price. Chaya has a decent happy hour with more seats to go around (even if the menu isn't as extensive). read more

The food is absolutely delicious! The flavors are unique. I had the strawberry roll, which might sound off at first to have fruit on sushi. But it was so refreshing. The green devil with yellowtail is a must try. If you know me, I'm a big sushi lover. But the dishes at Hama are guaranteed special and unique! read more

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Sometimes the stars align and everything just seems to come together. Last night was one of those nights at Hama. It was my first visit there and I must say that it was WONDERFUL, dare I say orgasmic? (figuratively, NOT literally, you foodie perverts!) So, 1 wife, 2 bottles of sake (small ones of course), 1 Kirin Light (large, of course), a Super Veggie Roll, a Caterpillar Roll and a Spicy Tuna Roll for desert and all was good in the hood! G-DAMN! Besides the food, the service was beyond exceptional. For some reason business owners, especially restaurant owners, seem to be attracted to me. Last night (Wednesday night) was no exception. Ester, the owner, came over and made sure that everything was to our liking, which it was, however, she did seem slightly annoyed that I had never been there before. (I cannot change the past, but I sure can change the future!) Ester came over at the end of our meal, once again, to check in on us. Not only did Ester check in on us but so did the manager(?), David Munyon (I think). He was also nice enough to recommend a place for us to dine today, on Thanksgiving Day, since my wife and I are L.A. orphans. But please don't worry about us, we had a great time being with each other all day today. Maybe the best Turkey Day ever! Oh, and for the record, the host was very nice and professional, and our server could not have been more attentive, professional and nicer. I cannot wait to go back for a second, third, fourth, and fifth visit. I'll keep you all posted. read more

I've had mixed experiences here. my best sushi night potentially ever was at the bar to the far left when I went omakase. I had incredibly interesting sushi here. but outside of that night - not going omakase that is - it's just been good and somewhat lacking in creativity. but it's a good safe bet with a fun vibe! read more

I've been looking for a good sushi place in the area for awhile, and I just found Hama and absolutely loved it. It's a great place if you like spicy sushi; it's probably also great even if you don't, but I've been looking specifically for that. Their jalapeno yellowtail was heavenly (about$17 if I remember correctly), as was their Red Devil roll (spicy tuna or yellowtail, with a bunch of other spicy stuff added to it). They also have a great surf & turf roll that's wrapped in delicious thinly-sliced beef ($25). And the sake that they pour out of the huge bamboo holders until your glass overflows and also fills the square box holding it -- definitely worth it. Loved it and would definitely come back. read more

Hama Sushi is good, but not the best sushi by far. It's a good place to go if you'll have a big group or you want some place that has a lot of energy. Usually I get the green devil and the strawberry roll. If I could pick, I would definitely pick Sugarfish over this place, but it's a good option if you need to meet someone in Venice. read more

The water was nasty and should have been filtered. The warm towel smelled like mildew and left a smell on my hands. Miso soup was thick and pretty good. The fish on the sashimi platter looked great but for some reason they were bland and lacking richness. I don't know enough about sashimi to explain--I do know that when I go to a top sushi place the fish taste better. The rice was bland---not very high quality grains. The food was about average, but it was clearly overpriced--this sashimi platter should have been under $30 but it was $38 I think. I had similar not-so-great impressions when I went for a second time. Honestly I'd rather have Asakuma. Highly overpriced and overrated. read more

VERY Disappointing for the price .. mediocre food .. poor value for money .. Nathalie is a super nice waitress, polite, patient, and likable .. will not go there again .. once was too many .. read more

The first thing that struck me about this place was the smell of fish when you walk in. But I suppose that's the way a sushi restaurant is supposed to smell... like fish! I wanted to compare their hamachi carpaccio's with tengu's. Hama's was also solid with a citrus based vinaigrette and baby arugula. Habanero roll was interesting to say the least and had lots of oily hot habanero flavor - as it should! I also enjoyed their mochi ice cream selection. It'd be cool if they made theirs in house, but i doubt it. Decent street parking outside. read more

Sushi was pretty good, with the exception of the baked crab that was suggested by the waitress. It smelled like feet and tasted just as bad. My favorite was the crunchy roll. Restaurant is pretty loud, but they have a great happy hour. read more

Came here on a whim while out on the town. Great find! Ambience & staff were great. Prices are reasonable. The sushi is absolutely delicious. All the slices were hearty and just melted in my mouth. Rice was the perfect consistency. The avocados that they use were perfectly ripe. Definitely going to come back. :) read more

Took a party of 5 to Hama and ate on the patio for dinner on a Thursday night. I actually read the Yelp reviews before going, for once, and was slightly alarmed at the comments about sushi quality, but I had eaten there before and had liked the sushi and sashimi. I benchmark sushi and sashimi against what I eat in Kyoto and Tokyo and it's ok that few places outside of Japan match up to that, but my point is, I do know what good sushi tastes like. Hama serves perfectly good sushi for their price range (mid-upper) and their ambience is fun and casual without being clueless or careless. If you like surfing footage you will appreciate the old footage of big wave riders projected against the sailcloth and wall. read more

FAVORITE SUSHI IN VENICE. The sushi is quite satisfying and the patio ambiance is killer. Order the house bamboo sake for a festive bev. Go go go! read more

Great hole in the wall spot to grab sushi. Nice retro environment with a nice ambiance. Will be back!

3 of us strolled in at 9p.m. on a saturday night and were seated promptly at the sushibar. The server greeted us pretty quickly and the sushichef took our order after a little bit. We ordered toro nigiri, jumbo clam, salmon, albacore, yellowtail belly,unagi, their baked lobster roll, a specialty roll with yellowtail inside, wasabi tobiko on the outside, and spicy sauce, as well as salmon skin handrolls...My faves were the yellowtail belly, and the baked lobster roll. The quality of fish is commendable. Their tempura fried ice cream is pretty friggin good! Note: The restaurant is swarming with cute boys! read more

I'm a long time fan of the crab cake roll at Hama. It destroys. This was an old school haunt of mine from back in the days when my sushi tastes were far less adventurous than they are now and I used to always get the same thing, so I can't speak about most of the menu. But I repeat, their crab cake roll is an excellent roll, well executed, borderline gourmet sushi roll. A good place to consume many large Asahi's as well. Good date spot. If you don't like Hama, you're a communist. read more

I had a really nice time here recently. I went with friends and sat at the bar. We let the sushi chef order for us and she did not let us down. She presented an incredible variety, which allowed me to taste things I would not normally order at a sushi bar. It's hard to say what five star is when talking sushi in California but I definitely had a five star experience this time. read more

Very disappointed in overall experience at Sushi Hama in Venice. I took my mom there on a Monday night for Happy Hour and, for some reason, the waitress informed us they were not doing HH that day. Something about the roof being damaged, but I have no idea what that has to do with them keeping with their advertised promise. We would have gone somewhere if they were not honoring HH... The decor inside was very drab and the service was slow at best. I hate to feel like I am chasing down servers when my water glass has been empty for more than 10 minutes. The sushi is not good at all...especially when they charge $18 - $20 per roll. For those prices there are MANY other restaurants I would prefer to spend my hard earned money. The baked scallop roll was cold when it finally arrived and the scallops did not taste fresh. The best thing we had was a Baked Crab Handroll, not even on the menu I just asked if they could make it and they were very nice about that. The WORST part was I gave them an AMEX gift card for $100 of the bill and my visa for the remaining...they came back and said my gift card did not work and charged the total on my visa, no problem...until I got home and called AMEX and learned they DID charge the entire $100 on my AMEX and charged the total $134 on my visa, hence double charging my check. AMEX agreed that it was fraud since I never signed for it so they replaced the funds. Very shady and not worth your money with so many yummy sushi options on the West Side. read more

The happy hour used to be great... But now its only at the bar. Which means the entire patio is empty with everyone jostling for the limited seats at the bar. We walked over to Wabi-Sabi and enjoyed our happy hour at a table. read more

Amazing sushi! If you like spice I highly recommend the spicy edamame and the small peppers. I loved the Temptation Roll and the Strawberry Roll ( if you like a little sweetness to do your dishes this is your roll! ) We made a reservation on a Tuesday or else we would have waited. The food was great and worth the prices. Our waitress was a little slow but totally friendly and nice! The mango martini didn't taste like mango but hey it's still a drink! read more

Hama Sushi - Strawberry Roll: photo by instagram- dining_with_dee - Sushi Bars Near Me - Venice, California

Server Margaret was a bitch. Sushi could be comparable to store bought sushi and the gyoza took about 30 minutes and it tasted undercooked and under seasoned. Thank god we came during happy hour because regular prices are ridiculous expensive and no way I would want to pay that much for a mediocre roll. Margaret was making conversation with other customers but was rude to us from the beginning and did not ask the bare minimum "how are you" or "how can I help you," nothing. After not tipping for her terrible service, she opened up the check book in front of us and asked why we didn't leave a tip and we explained, she told us to get out and never come again. Thanks Margaret, we won't be coming back. (-: (I put one star because the soy sauce was good) read more

This place is beyond over priced for the amount and quality that you get. I got three 9 to 10 dollar rolls and received next to nothing. The quality is so subpar, honestly might as well go to a fast food sushi joint. I live across the street from this place, love sushi, and would do another person's taxes before I ordered from here again. read more

Hama Sushi - This is 30 dollars of sushi. Go elsewhere. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Venice, California

just had dinner there tonight. Food was good as always and the service was... Well this poor guy had to put up with 3 adult women and 4 kids. And I must say he was a trouper. I even spilled a glass of lemonade and the kids miss ordered things on the menu and they were very accommodating about the mistake. That place hasn't changed in years and it's still great. read more

Amazing sushi here! The sashimi is absolutely delicious. Every time I want to try something new, I come to Hama to try it because I know I'm getting the best cut of whatever I decide to get. First experience with monk fish liver sashimi was here...definitely a fan of it. Giant clam was a bit crunchy for my liking, but I'm still glad I tried it. Head Chef Jason is extremely talented and welcoming. He's always working on something new and mind blowing. read more

I have been going here for years. Located near the Venice circle, this low key from the outside restaurant is one of the best sushi houses in Los Angeles. I once met a lawyer who said he used to spend thousands of dollars here a year, because he liked the place so much. Once you get inside, the place opens up and is actually bigger than it looks from the outside. You can either dine inside if you walk into the left where the sushi bar is located, or you can dine to the right where the bar is located. Depending if you want a more quiet romantic, or more of a party atmosphere you can either go left or right. The sushi here is absolutely fabulous. The yellowtail, salmon, California roll, sea urchin, you name they got it and it is excellent and fresh. Every time you come to dine on the Sushi bar side the sushi chefs say hello in Japanese when your coming and going, which I think is pretty cool. read more

By myself willing to tip well, the restaurant has many costumers inside that haven't been served yet and wouldn't sit me with plenty of seats available. Been there before...never again!!! read more

Lived in Venice for years. There's MUCH better sushi in LA area AND this place is WAY over-priced for average sushi.

I'm a sushi idiot, but I think this place is pretty good. They have some interesting rolls that I've never seen before (I know, not real sushi!). Kind of ridiculously expensive though. Shiso Lemon Roll for the win. read more

A pretty typical japanese joint. Menu had sushi and udon and some rice dishes. HUGE portions. Their rolls are beyond gigantic. We over ordered by a lot. We had three specialty rolls including their famous strawberry roll, and an extra eel avocado roll. Plus we had a sashimi salad, some edamame, and miso cod. The miso cod was great. Nicely done and a really healthy cut of it. The sashimi salad was really large, but it could have still done with a few more extra pieces of sashimi. The specialty rolls were great. especially the one with the lobster. I'm forgetting what it was called, but it was delicious and came with a creamy mayo based sauce. I wanted that on my rice for breakfast! The prices were reasonable especially for their portions! read more

Great pricing in the sashimi sampler , too bad miso soup is not included . Venice Roll and Hama roll are a must ... read more

Hama Sushi - Sushi Bars Near Me - Venice, California

I'll be kind, though I usually tend to be one of those "sushi snobs." A group of us came here to cry over our friend's departure from LA and try a new place at the same time. It's cute. Deceiving from the outside, like entering the door might lead you into some crackhouse (I think there was construction next door, which lends itself to the crackhouse effect). But never fear! The outdoor patio where we sat was covered over with lots of heat lamps to keep us warm, and it was pretty chilly that night in Venice. The sake was good (for me, it's got to be cold all the way!) and we tried some unfiltered that was very tasty. I very much enjoyed my seared albacore sashimi, unagi sushi and spicy tuna roll. The prices weren't terrible and they have tons on the menu, from specialty rolls to hot dishes. I'm all about tasty fish or rolls without fluff (i.e. fake crabmeat or avocado) and from what I had it scored some points. We were here on a weeknight and it wasn't insanely busy, but I've heard the place can squishy. Reservations are accepted! read more

i was a bit put off about the outside appearance of this restaurant, but after reading the reviews, I wanted to try it out for myself. We sat in the "outdoor patio" area, which was cool and not as stuffy as inside the restaurant. Our server was very friendly and attentive. The food was very fresh and delicious, but pricey. We shared: Ponzu Oysters - Very fresh and love the fresh horseradish Green Salad - Simple and standard green salad w/ ginger dressing Edamame - Standard Veggie Tempura - Standard. Fresh, doesn't taste like it was fried hours ago. Green Devil - really good, could be a little spicier Strawberry Roll - WOW. Who would have known that strawberry can go so well with sushi? I loved this!!! Bill was rather pricey for 2 people, but the food was very good. read more