For omakase, the quality of fish that was served to us was alright. There were a lot of hits or misses. Some of the sushi that was served had too much wasabi. The ambiance inside is nice but for $65 omakase I felt like the quality of food did not meet my expectations. I would have rather gone to sugarfish. read more

This was such a cute restaurant! I ordered bento boxes due to COVID for my anniversary dinner with my husband, and it was the perfect meal to celebrate. It was boxed up really tastefully and all of the rolls and fish were delicious. A lot of attention to detail in the presentation and also the coordination of different dipping sauces for the rolls was a fun component. Highly recommend these bento boxes! read more

Hamasaku - Bento boxes! - Japanese Near Me - Los Angeles, California

The food is good. The food is very overpriced. Is the meal bad? No. Is your check higher than it deserves to be? Oh, yes. Beware. read more

We came here for lunch. _what we ordered: - Shishito Peppers: These were great appetizers - perfect weight and a nice subtle bitter taste. - Charlize Tacos: I don't usually get spicy tuna (because more often than not, the less than par tuna will be used since it'll be masked by the spicy flavors) but combo of all the flavors and texture of the crispy shell is great! - NFL Roll: I really enjoyed this one. Everything seems really light and subtle and then the chili ponzu sneaks up with a little left hook! Delicious! - Sea Urchin (nigiri): This had a good taste; I'd give it a 7 or 8/10. There's a lot more uni there than it seems! - EA: I love the spicy aioli! - Asylum: The toro was delicious and there was a slight charred/grilled flavor embedded in there somewhere (Asparagus? Lobster?). - Bates: Liked the kick of red chili paste and the yuzu pepper. - Iced Green Tea: My coworker got this and had a sip of his as I have never had this before. It was so refreshing that I had to get one and the waitress was on the money when filling it up. _service/atmosphere: As most of the other reviews mention, you would never know that there is such a good quality restaurant in this plaza. Most of the signage is outdated and just the overall upkeep seems a bit lackluster but once you enter through the double doors, you can immediately see that it is quite a bit more upscale. Overall the service was great, very attentive, and quick. The spaces were private and well spaced apart and not too loud. _parking: There is valet in the plaza and I believe the attendant said there is no need for validation for if you stayed less than 2 hours? (Please correct me if I'm wrong) I would definitely love to come back and try more of their MANY rolls. read more

Hamasaku - Moriawase - Japanese Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Being raised in LA and having lived around various parts of LA; the Valley, Los Feliz, Mid-City, Miracle Mile, and now West LA, means that I've encountered lots of Sushi restaurants to date. Hamasaku is probably by far my favorite. It's low-key, which allows you to have an actual conversation, and comes with great food and great service. The menu isn't necessary a traditional Japanese sushi menu, but that is the beauty of this place. It offers quality, yummy food, with a creative and unique twist. This doesn't mean that they pour sauce over everything, but the chefs really do take care in creating the unique combinations of the flavors in their dishes. When I look at the menu, it looks like a combo between foodie/popular ingredients and a traditional Japanese menu, sprinkled with molecular gastronomy twists. Some of my faves are the baked crab hand roll, salmon carpaccio, yellowtail yuzu cloud, garlic soy edamame, and the very delicious steamed buns! I'll finish my review with a reminder that although the food is better than what I've found in other foodie popular restaurants, the service in this quaint location is above and beyond. The staff is friendly and there are managers walking around checking in on the tables. My experience at Hamasaku is opposite of most other busy LA restaurants, where you are always wondering why they didn't put more staff on the schedule that day. If you can't tell, I really do love this place! read more

Hamasaku - Yellowtail Yuzu Cloud - Japanese Near Me - Los Angeles, California

After years of wanting to come here, finally did tonight, very hopeful, but not WOWed enough to return. This place is a one and done for me. Yes, the fish was fresh, the rice was soft and the rolls seemed inventive. We ordered: Albacore with crispy onions - standard. Too sour for me. Charlize tacos spicy tuna with fried crisp and avocado. Interesting but nothing spectacular. Creamy rock shrimp- they don't mix the mayo in the shrimp but tempura batter was excellent Lourd roll - with jalapeño and mango, but soft and mushy. The Dray Way roll- light and refreshing Charlie roll- nice, tasty The rolls were all fine. Nothing stands out. Nothing I would crave to go back for. And the portions, compared to the prices, were really small. At $70 a person with only tea as our drink and no dessert, i don't know if I'll be back. Unfortunately there are too many sushi restaurants on the westside that I would rather go to than to come back here. read more

Hamasaku - Charlize tacos - Japanese Near Me - Los Angeles, California

This place is such a find! Loved the clean crisp decor of this restaurant embellished with a beautiful red sheer curtain in the semi private room is quiet an eye catcher. Loved the chirashi bowl, lobster shrimp on crispy rice and to top it all who can resist uni sushi! Everything was amazing! Waitstaff: friendly Ambiance: great Food: terrific Two thumbs up! Overall read more

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Went there for an Omakase meal at the sushi bar on a Friday night. The fish and seaweed quality was good, but the sushi tasted average mainly because of the type of rice used and how it was cooked. Saw a lot of typical West LA crowd ordering crunch roll, tempura roll, and spider type of rolls if you get what I mean... A little overpriced for what it was. This is the type of place where people who think Sugar Fish is really good sushi would go. read more

The place itself was very nice and the ambiance was great. The service was quick and great. The food was good but definitely overpriced. The sashimi was ok, I wouldn't go out of my way to get it again but the rolls were good. read more

Great service! The staff was all really friendly and the food was delicious for a good price.

We feel like idiots for not going here sooner! Absolutely divine Fresh fresh fresh and good service

I live SO close to this place. I have no idea how the heck I've missed this. And I'm so glad to have found it. I think it's going to be our new date night place!! The decor and food just doesn't match the location whatsoever. I was very pleasantly surprised when I walked in. The service was great. It was crowded, but not crowded. They had such great variety on their menu. Wines, beers, and other drinks too. (I'm salivating as I'm talking about this.) They have "complimentary valet parking"... but the truth is that they only cover the first 45 minutes! My parking for the lot was $12. EEK. But whatever. Next time I'll find street parking. I will be back! read more

This is one of the best sushi's I've had. Everything is so fresh and tastes uniquely wonderful. Will definitely return, and will bring along some friends read more

Hamasaku - Japanese Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Delicious sushi, wide range of specialty rolls. Great spot for lunch. Good service and ambiance.

When my boyfriend and I walked for our 8:45 reservation they weren't able to find it, 10 minutes later seated us... we each only ordered 2 starters and 2 main dishes we are just now leaving past 10pm.. the waitress dropped a plate of soy sauce on my boyfriends sneakers. I didn't even get my one hand roll because they forgot it read more

This sushi place is very unique. The set up is very aesthetic with dim lighting giving you the feelzzz. I most 100% recommend their wagyu beef, Cajun roll, Kendall roll, and matcha soba noodles. While the Cajun roll is rich and dense in flavor, the Kendall roll is full in dainty in texture. The matcha soba has a slight matcha fragrance, a bite that is both soft but chewy and is quite refreshing. The wagyu beef had a unique flavor. There was a tart sausage that was drizzled over and the wagyu was so tender and juicy. Definitely would recommend this place! read more

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A gem! Really fresh sushi, sashimi and a bunch of cooked fish dishes as well. The menu is quite extensive so it's hard to pick. However this just means that we'll have to come back! Our favorites were the spicy tuna crispy rice, the sashimi platter, Charlie roll, and the hamasaka salad. We also ordered the black cod and the baby yellowtail sashimi special. Both were pretty good but I'd rather try some of the other dishes on the menu next time. The only con was that we felt rushed ordering and finishing up our food even though we arrived 30 mins before closing. So try not to go too close to closing. read more

**3.5 stars. Have come here twice now for lunch - their lunch entrees are pretty good. I've tried both the hanger steak (which was very tender) and miso cod. All come with rice, veggies, miso soup and salad. Have yet to try their sushi so that's something I'll have to do next time. Valet parking available in the lot. read more

Sit at the sushi bar and order from the nigiri menu. I started the night with chutoro, moved on to engawa, uni, salmon, octopus. I had the (cooked) black cod appetizer. Then ended the night with otoro. Add a hot sake or a nice cold Coedo beer and you can't go wrong. Enjoy! read more

Hamasaku - otoro - Japanese Near Me - Los Angeles, California

I was looking forward to the piece by piece experience from the omakase and I felt rushed by the chef. Another thing was the other chef was eating behind the counter and for sushi, thats a little unsanitary. Other than that, the price is worth it for the sushi. read more

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Absolutely delicious omakase meal. The service was excellent too. We'll be returning for sure!

A hidden star of the LA sushi scene. Tucked away in a nondescript strip mall this is the place for a lunchtime sushi meal. They have a very good selection of saki, an imperative for a good luncheon of select sushi. Fantastic starters include a delicious rock shrimp dish. I ordered the deconstructed sushi which included uni, yellow tail and other delectable items. read more

Hamasaku - Japanese Near Me - Los Angeles, California

GET THE OMAKASE. It was such an incredible experience. All of the fish tasted so fresh and the service was really good. We want to go back soon read more

Chef Ei is hands down one of the best sushi chefs in the city. His omakase is always creative and fresh and on-point. Very good overall menu with plenty of dishes for everyone, but if you get a chance to sit at the bar with Ei, take it, and let him do his magic. read more

We had Omakase for my husband and me and some other dishes for our kid. We loved every ingredient of the chef's choice and thought it was worth the hype. The only thing we did not like was when our daughter found a bone while eating salmon sushi. read more

Good spot for authentic fresh sushi. Not a super large menu for appetizers and dinner items but I think that helps them concentrate on the sushi menu. Service is very friendly. I found the Valet Parking unnecessary but it's one of those strip mall parking lots with no choice. read more

Hamasaku has the highest quality sushi i've had in a long time. Service was attentive and the chefs were astounding. 10/10 experience

Highly suspect the restaurant paid a lot to get the best fish in the market. Pros: you get to taste lots of rare fish sashimi. Cons: regular fish will also be overpriced(salmon, tuna...) Cooked dish are good whereas raw dishes are just ok. Daily special fish highly recommended. They have aburi sushi (seared) which is a plus. But the regular sashimi is overpriced. The butino dessert is over sweet. So the only good are the cooked dishes. If you enjoy raw Japanese dishes more consider twice before coming because u can get same food cheaper elsewhere. We end up 50+ dollar before tax tips per person. Similar to the price of omakase. So it's ur choice to do omakase or not, which according to other review it's also ok but not mind lowing. read more

For those checking my profile, I don't bother to post many reviews. Having spent 5 years in customer service, I can understand that some nights are better than others and sometimes there are situations out of the company's hands that upset customers. Tonight was definitely a showcase of the incompetence of Hamasaku's management. Management 0/5 Came here on Valentine's Day 2019 for a 9:30pm reservation. Ordered 2 omakase's and was promptly informed that omakase last call was at 9:15 PM. No where did I see this policy in their online reservation process or on the Hamasaku website. I informed the manager and was told this policy makes lots of other customers angry. HOW IS THAT NOT A CLUE TO WARN PEOPLE MAKING A RESERVATION AND PUT THAT POLICY ON THE RESERVATION PAGE OF YOUR WEBSITE????!!!!!!! Even if that is somehow too hard, how can you not pick up the phone to call people making a reservation???? This is supposed to be a high end restaurant with an outstanding reputation. Wouldn't it stand to reason that people are more likely to come here specifically for omakase especially if they make a reservation and on VALENTINE'S DAY??? How is it that according to the manager on duty that night, that this has angered multiple customers, but they still cannot be bothered to make any effort to address the problem???? I can understand that the policy is there because they want to finish the omakase dinners by closing time, but there is 0 excuse or justification to let people make reservations after 9:15pm with no warning that they will not be able to order omakase. How can management do this to their staff? Leaving them to explain they can't order omakase, and that they are sorry to be the first person to mention the policy? Management is just leaving their servers in the wind wondering if a pissed off customer is going to stiff them on the tip or just walk out. Of course it's not the server's fault, so of course I tipped them. The staff deserve better management!!! To add insult to injury, I tried paying for the meal with a Discover card. The manager came out to tell me Hamasaku does not accept Discover cards. SO WHY THE F--- IS THE DISCOVER CARD STICKER ON YOUR FRONT DOOR??!!! YOU CANNOT EVEN BE BOTHERED TO CHANGE A STICKER????? Service 4/5 Service was slow until our food orders started coming out. This might be because the restaurant was full for Valentine's Day. Food 4.5/5 The seafood quality of the sushi we ordered was top quality. The lamb chops and green tea were also excellent. The chawanmushi we ordered had nice flavor, but was watery as if it had broken and started separating. I ordered a side of sushi rice as their rice display made it seem like they were proud of what they source and serve. The sushi rice was lightly seasoned with nice texture, but a little dry. We ordered sea urchin intending to get the San Diego variety. When the bill came out we saw we were charged for the Hokkaido sea urchin. Nice to see they took the opportunity to charge the $13 difference instead of clarifying which sea urchin we wanted. Atmosphere 4/5 The restaurant is nicely decorated, but the sushi bar is built in a way that obscured what the sushi chefs are doing. I really enjoy watching sushi chefs work their magic, so this is not a plus. Bottom line Would I ever come back before 9:15pm to see what I missed out on? Never ever would I come back to Hamasaku or the new restaurant in El Segundo. There are too many other high end places to try rather than come back here. Sushi Note in Sherman Oaks was wonderful. Maybe I will try Sasabune next like many other reviewers suggested. read more

Hamasaku - Manager says they don't accept Discover. THEN WHY THE F--- IS THE DISCOVER CARD STICKER ON YOUR FRONT DOOR??? - Japanese Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Loved it!! This is a special occasion place since it can get very pricey. The parking is OK if you get there right when it opens, if not then I would park on the side street. The service was great, they were very attentive. One thing that I notice is that each sushi chef will make the rolls differently. If you like you initial roll and then later you order another one, make sure that you get the same chef or it will come out differently and you will be disappointed. Overall it was very delicious and you can tell that the fish is very fresh. read more

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Had the shishito and garlic edamame as appetizers. The shishito was delicious. The sauce is was served added just the right amount of flavour. The edamame was underwhelming. Followed that with the Sunomono salad. Not bad, not great. Just so-so. The flavour of the ponzu dressing was drowned out. For the main course I did Spanish mackerel nigiri and the Spidey roll. The Spidey roll was served with some sort of mayo-based sauce. All I could taste was mayo. Also, it was rolled too loosely so that the pieces tended to fall apart as I tried to lift them. Flavour-wise, again, not bad, not amazing. The mackerel was great, super fresh, everything it should've been. The decor was nice. I appreciated the presentation of the sushi on the banana leafs. The waitstaff were nice and helpful, though a bit cold. Overall I found the meal to be fairly underwhelming and not worth the price. With so many great sushi places in LA, this place just loses out. read more

What a hidden jewel tucked away behind a door in a strip mall bordering Westwood Boulevard and the 405. Once you park and pass through that door, you'll forget where you are and instead focus on the wonderful decor, the excellent service, and the amazing food. I enjoyed the omikase for $80. For that amount, copious tasty sushi, sashimi, and other wonderful bites were constantly popped in front of me for about two hours. This was one of the top sushi experiences I've had and I've paid more than twice as much for omikase elsewhere. read more

Great sushi. Great service. Top quality. Highly recommend this place if ever in the area.

We love Hamasaku. We are big foodies and did not discover this place until a few months ago and now it is one of our favorite sushi spots in LA. The service was great and the food was even better! We tried a couple of things on the menu - shishito peppers, albacore crispy onion, salmon crudo, charlize tacos (an absolute must), DJ spider, and the NFL roll - all to die for. There wasn't one dish that we wish we could replace with something else. Next time we go, we have been told to try the crispy spicy tuna and the rock shrimp. read more

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Incredibly good and fresh sushi, and super service and staff. Love this place. One of my favs when I visit from NYC. I always make a trip here. Keep up the good work! read more

Very good food. Quality of fish was fantastic, and everything tasted like it was made with extra care. The service was also fantastic and the staff was friendly. Dray Way and DJ Spider rolls are must try dishes. You can't go wrong here! read more

Here is the belated update on the food-- it's the same. And by that I mean it's delicious wonderful amazing. Textures galore, layered flavors, really inventive combinations of ingredients. It's the quintessential nouvelle sushi experience, and yes, one that comes at a premium. Idea: skip your next two mediocre yet affordable sushi dinners and pocket the money. Stay home and make ramen. Add a few Jacksons to your money pile and then go here. Order a lot of items and enjoy. You won't look back wistfully at having missed out on that tepid surimi with blackish avocado roll. read more

Really disappointing meal. The rice was packed super tight. The head chef was working on a huge order and just throwing fish on pre-formed rice. It was like watching a sushi factory. Do not go expecting a delicious meal at the sushi bar. The green tea dessert was good though. read more

This place is over priced for what it is. Note to self, any sushi restaurant that also sells yakitori is never that great. While the Sushi wasn't bad, it's definitely not with the price. I though $15 for amaebi is not that expensive. However, when it came out it was only one piece which means it's really $30 for 2 pieces of raw shrimp which is ridiculous. Toro or Uni isn't that expensive. Service was also very slow. I had to flag my waitress down three times for water. All in all I wouldn't come back here again. I expect a lot better food and service for the price. read more

Hamasaku - Gobo root and Yzu pepper - Japanese Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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Worst sushi place for the price I've paid for. Disappointing meal except the matcha creamy dessert that came at the end read more