I had a great experience at Sushi Zen Toro. The moment the dishes arrived, you could tell a lot of…read morecare went into the presentation. Each plate looked like a piece of art--everything was neatly arranged, balanced in color, and visually inviting. The sushi itself was beautifully plated. The fish had a fresh, vibrant shine, and the cuts were clean and precise. Garnishes like such as microgreens, and wasabi were placed thoughtfully, not just for decoration but to complement the dish. Even the simplest rolls looked elegant, with tight, uniform shapes and a nice contrast between ingredients. Overall, Sushi Zen Toro delivers both in flavor and presentation. If you appreciate sushi that looks as good as it tastes, this place is definitely worth visiting.

1st of all the service was excellent. Our waiters went above & beyond…read more The food was good but the sashimi appetizers were unconventional... the Tai Ume was waaay too sour for me... my hubby however, loved it. The Yuzu Hirame was too creamy & weird for me, but again, my hubby liked it. I grew up with boring plain sashimi so I guess my palate is old LOL. Chicken teri lunch was a good portion & my husband enjoyed his sashimi lunch. The one downside was the miso soup. Guys, if this is an upscale restaurant you gotta COOK your miso soup. As a Japanese raised in Japan I was shocked to get re-heated soup with cold tofu & instant seaweed. I mean, what? Come on. Let's COOK all the ingredients. And no "grow-in-the-water" seaweed. Let's get the real stuff.

First time here- Excellent and affordable sushi! Everything came out fast and was flavorful. The…read moregyoza was my favorite- I ate it too fast to take a picture, it was so good. Definitely coming again!

We love Umigame. The food is always delicious and fresh and the staff is always friendly specially…read moreEmily who is the coolest server ever. Saporo is nice and chill. Happy Hr all day everyday!!!

Walked in and immediately the hostesses were so friendly and funny. Best of all though, was our…read morewaitress Sarah who did not hesitate to make our tables night with a surprise while also being flexible with making our experience as best as it could be. The staff alone makes me wants to come back, thank you again to Sarah for making a spontaneous walk-in be a memorable night Food was fantastic and loved each dish in their own ways. Walking through the space and being seated in the back was lovely and the ambience only grew as the night wore on.

Taisho has been around for a number of years now, and it still manages to maintain its cool…read moreambiance and buzzing crowd. Would I come here for authentic, truly masterful Japanese food? No. This isn't that kind of place, and Taisho doesn't have that kind of menu. However, is this a good place to listen to decent music, sip a fun cocktail, and pass around some aesthetic Asian fusion dishes? Absolutely. It's a vibe on the weekends, there's semi-patio seating in the back, and there's valet parking right out front on Ventura Blvd. Taisho is a good option for dinner before a night out, or to catch up with a friend. Seating options are plentiful, too. The bar area is nice, the seats are comfy. The interior can fill up during peak hours. The outside seating in the front is a hard pass for me because it's so close to the street and seems isolated from the rest, but some people do prefer to sit out there. Street parking is available albeit competitive. Don't forget to pay the meter and check posted signs.

Jinyoung was a great server and the food is super good top tier so many choices to chose from,…read moregreat prices

Tonight we walked the neighborhood in search for a chill dinner spot that opens past 9pm here in…read moreSherman Oaks. Seemingly not an easy task. We wandered down Woodman Ave. And Randomly walked into Kaiju. We were warmly greeted, quickly seated at a booth and the interior was cozy with wonderful lights everywhere, and packed to the gills with folks. We sat at the only booth open and ordered our two ramen bowls. The service is quick and efficient. My vege ramen was super yummy: creamy, with thick noodles, mushrooms+bok choy. I asked for spicy and they added a yummy chilli oil. My husbands was seafood ramen, but somehow the noodles were missing. He later found out our waitress mistakenly gave him the miso, seafood soup bowl. Later we were some of the last folks to depart closing out @10pm. We appreciate the later evening hours, the cozy ambience with cool tie-dyed ocean, blue curtains, lanterns strung about, and efficient service. Will wander back and try other vege rolls and the tempura ice cream, at a later time. :) Thanks guys.

I had such a great experience at UMIAI! The food was absolutely delicious, and my favorite dish was…read moredefinitely the Albacore Black Garlic. It was so good!! On top of the amazing food, the staff was incredibly kind and welcoming. Kate was especially friendly and attentive throughout the meal. She made the experience even more enjoyable.

The food was incredible! The best cucumber seaweed salad I've ever had, they make the rolls in…read morefront of you but in a unique way. I ordered the blue crab and didn't realize they put it in front of me and they remade it because they wanted it to be the freshest possible. It was the best and freshest roll I've ever had. They make an amazing ponzu sauce that they mix with their black garlic and it's not only an incredible sauce but visually stunning. They also gave us green tea ice cream that was amazing. All said and done it was a perfect find with the nicest of people and incredible food!!

We had such a fun time here. It's super super casual, but the hand rolls are next level. Perfect…read morefor date night! Yes, we loved the hand rolls but I HAVE to shout out the fish bone broth miso soup. Wow. I loved it SO much I would come back and just get a bunch of it to-go on a cold day or when I'm feeling under the weather. The broth was SO flavorful it blew my mind. I definitely recommend you try it! My husband and I both got the Xtra Medium and it was a lot of food! At first I thought it was funny that there are no plates, but it kind of works here. The chef makes your hand rolls at the bar and just walks over and hands them to you. No frills, just great fish. The Xtra Medium came with lean tuna, fatty tuna, steelhead salmon, whitefish, prawn and a special. The salmon was incredible. The whitefish was snapper and it was incredible. It might have been my favorite! The prawn handroll had a really neat sweet flavor and the special was a crunchy crab with shiso leaf. I loved how the progression of the rolls seemed so well thought out, it was like a full flavor journey. They have some alcoholic bevvys too! I was always hesitant to check this handroll bar out because it didn't seem like an actual restaurant, but it's a true hidden gem! Definitely a place to take someone you are looking to impress!

The concept is interesting and there is clearly a lot of passion behind it, but right now it is…read moresuffering from a bit of an identity crisis and it shows. You got a dry-aged fish market, handroll bar, a Japanese specialty market, and a coffee/tea shop. Two of us went around 7pm and the restaurant was nearly empty, maybe six other guests total. We both ordered from the medium or extra medium hand roll sets. The fish quality was solid, which is the most important thing, but some of the flavor combinations felt a little unbalanced. The bigger issue was how long everything took. The restaurant was practically empty and yet the wait was still really significant. The reason is simple: there is only one chef making all the hand rolls for the whole restaurant. When that is your entire menu and you only have one person executing it, the math just does not work, even on a slow night. It turns what should be a fun, relaxed dining experience into a lot of sitting around and waiting. One more thing worth mentioning, avoid the matcha. They leave it sitting out in direct sunlight which causes it to oxidize and the flavor suffers significantly for it. I think with another chef on the line and a clearer sense of direction this place could be really special. For now though it is a spot with a lot of promise that has not quite found its footing yet. Also parking sucks.

Just as good the second time. Hilla was lovely and was…read morehelpful in suggesting new things to try. The chicken yakitori was very tender and delicious. I had to get my scout hand roll again, which is just as good and the Marilyn Mon Roll was tasty as well !

I'm honestly surprised by all the great reviews because my experience was completely different…read more Maybe I came on an off night, but this was some of the most disappointing sushi I've had in a long time. The quality just wasn't there, and the food took a very very long time to come out. They only had one server working on a busy Sunday evening, which clearly wasn't her fault, she was friendly and did the best she could under the circumstances. The atmosphere also felt a bit dull and lacked the energy you'd expect from a sushi restaurant. Overall, it was a pretty disappointing experience, especially for a restaurant on Ventura Boulevard. Unfortunately, I don't see myself coming back.

Great find here, nice little sushi restaurant right off Sepulveda, just North of Ventura…read more The sushi here is tasty, tasted fresh, lots of variety. Sushi, Bentos, appetizers, etc. The place is not large inside, but you can sit at one of their tables or at the sushi bar as well. They are open from 12-2:30 for the lunch crowd and then again later for dinner. We got a ton of things, my receipt was too long, had to fold it over for the picture. Started with some spicy edamame's and shishito peppers, cooked perfectly. Miso soup, salmon, spicy tuna, spicy scallop, white fish, veggie tempura, a BSC roll, unagi, baked crab and California rolls. Enjoyed everything very much except for the baked crab roll, it was ok, but not my favorite and I would not order again. Everything else I would get again. There are a few spaces in front on Sepulveda, but you should park in the back in the large parking lot that they have. The lot is not free, just an FYI. Staff was really nice and took care of us well. Their prices are not bad for sushi, more reasonable than others, but the sushi is still high grade and very good. Keep the prices reasonable, provide great service and provide high quality tasty food is a recipe to keep your customers coming back. Check them out, support local and get some great food and service. Enjoy!

We went on Saturday night without reservations and it took about 30 min get seated. This place was…read morebusy and super packed! They did mentioned they take reservations but get full couple days in advance. Place was lively and food was excellent. We sat at the sushi bar/counter and we ordered directly with chef. We ordered bunch different cut rolls and sushi's. Everything was excellent and fish were fresh! We had really good time. Definitely give it a try.