Arthur E.

Vegas like ambiance, with a good introduction to handrolls and yakitori. Went for a Saturday dinner. Was a full house and wasn't greeted at the door until about 5 minutes later - was definitely busy. Had an RSVP and was sat shortly after being seen. The menu is pretty standard handroll and yakitori fare, with a few specialty handrolls. Ordered a crispy rice, a few handrolls as well as the pork belly skewers. The crispy rice was pretty spot on and the pork belly skewers were on point. Wish I actually tried a few more of the other meat skewers. The handrolls were fine, but a little over-seasoned. I think others may like it as there's different flavors going on, but I was hoping to taste more of the fish. Another plus of this place is the price is reasonable for being in that Beverly Hills-ish area. I'd recommend if you're wanting to get into sushi and handrolls, as well as if you're looking for a nice ambiance without the sticker price that comes with it around the BH area.

Food was okay, fish was fresh, beautiful atmosphere but the service was extremely horrible. I walked in last Tuesday, but was told that the restaurant only accepts reservations. That was fine, so I made a reservation one week in advance to celebrate my birthday with three friends, for a total of four people. I chose Mutsu because I had seen the beautiful bar area and was looking forward to sitting there. I didn't realize at the time that parties of three or more would be seated at the private dining tables in the back. That part was my misunderstanding, and I completely understand the restaurant's seating policy. However, when my friend asked if we could sit at the bar instead, the server immediately refused without really offering any explanation or trying to accommodate us. We eventually sat at a table in the back. While we were sitting there, ordering and waiting for our food for over 30 minutes, I noticed several tables were still empty, even though they weren't all next to each other. The food took a very long time to arrive. The first thing we received was the spicy edamame, and honestly, I was shocked when it arrived. It was basically edamame sitting in a soup-like sauce. The flavor was not good at all -- very sour and tasted like mostly sambal. The edamame was also slightly overcooked. The server then came over and asked, "Everything okay?" -- while we had only one dish on the table, which was the edamame. That was also the only time during the entire meal that the server checked on our table. After that, we repeatedly had to ask about our food and when it would arrive. When the sashimi platter finally came, the fish itself was fresh and tasted good, but the slicing and presentation were extremely disappointing. Some pieces were extremely thin, unevenly cut, and some looked like square pieces that had simply been cut off and placed on the plate. The thickness was inconsistent from piece to piece 0 skills of cutting and presentation. The handrolls were another disappointment. The nori was extremely chewy, even though we ate them right after they were served. That said, I will give credit where it's due: most of the fish was fresh and delicious. The only exception was the uni, which had a noticeably slightly fishy. The service continued to be frustrating. At one point, our water pitcher was empty. We placed it at the end of the table where the staff could clearly see it. Servers walked past our table multiple times without looking over or asking if we needed anything. Eventually, I had to call out to a runner and ask for water before anyone noticed. There were also two handrolls that my friends had to repeatedly follow up on because they had never arrived. Then the bill came We noticed a 20% "Large Party Service Charge." We were extremely confused because there were only four of us, and I did not see any clear statement on the menu saying that a party of four would automatically be charged a 20% service charge. The only notice we saw on the menu was that 3% is added to the bill and is not gratuity. When I asked the server about the 20% charge, he told that because we were using that particular table, which had been reserved, the restaurant automatically charged the service fee. When I questioned it and said I did not agree with the 20% charge, the server removed it almost immediately. That honestly left me wondering: If the restaurant can simply add a 20% service charge and then remove it when the customer questions it, how is this charge being determined in the first place? I also told the server that if the restaurant intends to charge a mandatory 20% service charge, it should be clearly disclosed to customers in advance and on the menu, especially given California's requirements regarding mandatory fees. The response I received was extremely dismissive and unprofessional: "I just work here. I'm not the one who made it." That response was particularly disappointing. I have no problem paying a service charge when it is clearly disclosed and when the service justifies it. But in this case, the service was extremely inattentive, our food was very slow, we had to repeatedly ask about missing dishes and water, and then we were presented with a 20% "large party" service charge despite being a party of only four. Overall: the fish was fresh and some of the food was good, but the service was far below what I expected, and the way the service charge was handled left a very bad impression. If the owner or management would like to speak with me about this experience, I'd be happy to discuss it. Please feel free to contact me.

Stefany W.

Absolutely stunning interior. Unfortunately the food was a hit or miss. We got their set that came with yakitori and sushi. We didn't really love any of the yakitori. However the sushi were all delicious so if you come, try the sushi but skip the yakitori.

Sari S.

I came to Mutsu with a friend right as they opened at 5pm. Luckily, she lives walking distance so we walked over from her home. The restaurant is a few doors down from the Largo, near the Beverly Connection & Center. Parking can be tough if you're looking on La Cienega, but plenty of paid lots to go into and walk over from. The inside is beautiful. Minimalist with a gorgeous bar. Minimal staff - it was only the one waiter who I believe may have been the owner, and one sushi chef out on the floor. They were extremely nice and gracious, overall great service. They have a smaller menu, mostly handrolls and yakitori options. Seemed promising truthfully. My disappointment with this restaurant came when we took our first bites of the handrolls. We were the first customers of the day and the nori was tough. It was chewy, hard to bite through, tasted a little stale. The actual fish was good, nothing incredible but not bad. It was just really hard to get through anything without unraveling it with your chopsticks and eating the inside. The yakitori was okay - we did not order meatballs but that is what came. For such a beautiful restaurant I really had hoped the food would be up to the same standard. However, with so many other amazing sushi options near by, I'm not sure I'd be running back.

Raya M.

With the hype around Mutsu, I had to make a reservation a full month in advance just to snag a weekend spot (ended up going on a Sunday). It's definitely busy, but overall I'd say it's worth trying. They really specialize in yakitori and hand rolls, so if you're coming in craving specialty rolls, this isn't the place. That said, it's actually refreshing to switch things up, and we did enjoy our meal. The space itself is beautifully designed. It's very small and intimate, but they did a great job with the ambiance. The light up marble counter is stunning visually, though not the most practical for dining. Because of how bright it is, everything placed on top ends up looking darker than it actually is (you can see this in photos). The bar seats about 8 to 10 people and they have one private table for a group. Service wise, Chef Oscar was a highlight. His energy and craftsmanship really stood out, and honestly I'd come back just for that experience alone. As for the food, it was good, especially the sashimi, where the quality of the fish was excellent. But overall, nothing felt particularly memorable or wow. A lot of the dishes felt like they were missing a bit of flavor, salt, ponzu, or something to bring more depth. We found ourselves relying on spicy mayo or soy sauce more than we should have. One standout, surprisingly, was the miso soup. It was genuinely the best I've ever had. Also worth noting, we spent about $300 for two people with no alcohol, just water, which felt pretty steep for what we got in terms of both quality and quantity. Overall, a solid experience with great ambiance and service, but for the price, it's hard to justify as a go to spot. I'd come back, but not regularly.

Alex Y.

Saw this restaurant in a social media promotion and I had to try it! I made a reservation for lunch on a Friday. The vibe and ambiance are insane, in a good way. We were greeted by the host and seated immediately. The restaurant is not big at all but the environment and the entire atmosphere made me just want to take everything in and enjoy every minute before ordering food. We order the Mutsu Lunch Box, which includes miso soup, two crispy rice (must be the same), one hand roll, and one donburi bowl. I ordered snow crab crispy rice, salmon handroll, and miso salmon donburi. My wife ordered the salmon crispy rice, snow crab handroll, and beef donburi. The soup came out first and it was pretty good. Then the hand rolls arrived and they were amazing but make sure you eat it ASAP while the seaweed is still crunchy. The meat for my wife's beef donburi and my miso salmon donburi were very tasty, but I have to say the rice was a little hard and undercooked. The rice cakes were well-flavored but I think they were over-fried so the rice was very hard and difficult to chew on. Aside from these minor issues, I think this is an overall excellent experience.

Nicole B.

What an incredible experience at Mutsu. From the moment you step in, you see how beautiful this space is in person. Small, intimate, but full of warmth and charm. The staff are kind and humble, ensuring you're getting the best experience. On to the food - the seafood is insanely fresh! The scallop and shrimp skewers were absolutely delicious. The spicy tuna, crab, and sweet shrimp hand rolls were fantastic. The scallop hand roll was fresh but had a little too much mayo for me (but I'm just really picky with mayo in general). Each piece in the sashimi platter melts in your mouth although they're all different in texture and flavor - truly a masterpiece. We also tried the Negroni and Moscow mule and both were great compliments to the meal. Parking can be a bit tricky but considering the area, it's to be expected. Mutsu can be a bit pricey, because things obviously add up, but you get what you pay for with the quality and attention to detail. Mutsu is a tucked away gem perfect for when you want an intimate dining experience with high quality food. We'll definitely be back :)

Kathy X.

Finally had the opportunity to check out Mutsu, their reservations are fully booked every weekend for the next month, and I definitely get why. The vibes in here are so unique, that marble under lit counter is the centerpiece, and the music is all a vibe. I like the concept of this restaurant, and all of the food is really good. My only (big) qualm is that they are on the pricier side, especially given the size of the portions. Service is really great, everyone that works there is so friendly. The standout bites for me were the tsukune, and my husband loved the sweet shrimp and caviar handroll.

Elsa W.

Beautifully designed, nice and cozy ambience for date night. We came here on a Sunday night and was wowed by the design. Took many many pictures and enjoyed the handrolls, yakitori, and sake. The chef, general mgr, and server were suuuuuper nice and friendly. Loved that they were French, I love seeing my bf be able to converse with them. The handrolls were good and I really liked having a combo of raw fish and yakitori skewers. We will be coming back to visit the team and try other things!

Will X.

Mutsu is a neat concept that brings together Handrolls and yakitori in a fine dining setting but at an approachable price. Vibes are definitely nice and sleek where you have a happening bar and a pretty private table at the end where you are walled off from the bar - no view of the chefs but you def have your own space. Handrolls are tasty. Good quality fish. A bit more seaweed heavy than Kazunori given the sheet and layered wrapping but I like it and doesn't take away from the fish. Yakitori was tasty and the egg dip was a nice tough. Good chew and flavor on the meatball and chicken. Shrimp had a good cook and chew but would've liked a bit more glaze. Good sake list. On the pricier end but fitting the setting. Street parking (metered) right outside -- Note: for food and dining experience 4 stars. But knocking 2 off for billing experience. I had to put a deposit down on OpenTable for a reservation. When I saw it wasn't credited on my bill at the end, I was assured by staff I'd get a refund. 1 week later nothing. I called multiple times but got a voicemail box is full msg every thing. No response to email or direct yelp message despite them being active responding to reviews. So warning is to only use the no-deposit reservation for a good experience, and never the paid one because they will pilfer that

Bella S.

My bestie and I were excited all week after making a reservation in advance for a dinner experience at this picturesque restaurant. Unfortunately, we were extremely disappointed by the food and overall experience. First, the restaurant is kind of a hole-in-the-wall with a small storefront, so it is easy to miss. Upon arriving, the restaurant was completely empty. We were promptly seated, but we were seated right by the entrance, so it was kind of cold every time the door opened/closed. Next, we were brought a paper menu to mark the quantity of the items we wanted to order, and 1/3rd of the menu were all crossed out as "out of stock." 1. Sashimi Platter (3/5) I am not a huge sashimi person as I am very picky about that "iodine seafood taste." As such, after taking 1 bite, I can immediately tell the sashimi was NOT FRESH. My friend who ate the majority of this platter initially said it was "pretty good" until she got sick from it. 2. Snow Crab Handroll (3/5) Again, not the freshest. As soon as they handed the plate over to us, we smelled the pungent crabbiness. In terms of flavor, it was crabby, but creamy. 3. Wagyu & Uni Signature Temaki (1/5) Not sure how this is their "signature" as the wagyu was super chewy, NOT tender at all. You literally had to put the whole thing in your mouth in 1 bite in order to eat it as there's no ripping that piece of meat with your teeth. The uni was not buttery/melty, which indicates it is not fresh. The seaweed was soggy and also difficult to bite/rip apart 4. Toro & Takuan Temaki (3/5) OK tuna, but nothing special. Seaweed again was soggy. 5. Salmon Skin Handroll (4/5): Of everything we ordered, this was the best. The salmon skin was perfectly crispy and was not fishy. It maintained its fatty oils. The seaweed for this roll was far fresher and crispier than the other rolls we've gotten 6. A5 Miyazaki Wagyu Yakitori OK meat, but I really wouldn't call this "wagyu." It was not tender and didn't have that rich wagyu flavor that you'd expect to get. This seemed like a cheap, knock-off version that's priced 3xs more than the quality ones you'd get in Japan. 7. Tsukune with Egg Yolk Yakitori (3/5) Sounded cool, but it was just a chicken meatball skewer served with a side of raw egg yolk to dip it in. The egg yolk gave it a bit of creaminess and extra protein, but that's about it. Interesting concept, but nothing special about the flavor. 8. Jumbo Scallops Yakitori (3/5) OK scallops. Again, not the "melt-in-your mouth" type, but likely cause it is cooked 9. Matcha Pistachio Cake (3/5) If you like frozen cake, then this is for you. It was served to us still completely frozen. We had to wait at least 15 minutes for it defrost a bit to be edible. It had a pleasant Yuzu citrus flavor with a subtle matcha flavor. It was not too sweat slight. I liked the crispy bits of pistachio in it. The aesthetics of the place is nice, modern and minimalist, but we did not get the vibe of the place. The music that was playing in the background did not match the visual aesthetics and it was playing too loud. We were struggling to hear each other's conversation and eventually had to ask them to turn down the volume. Lastly, we found the waiter to be dressed in an off-putting way. He had this tattoo on his chest and wore a very low-cut shirt to show off his tattoo. We honestly did not find it to be quite appropriate for a restaurant setting of this sort. Maybe I am just not getting the vibe or point here. Final note, we left feeling hungry still after dropping almost $300, feeling dissatisfied with our experience overall, and ended up having to go somewhere else for a 2nd dinner to make up for it. This place is so NOT WORTH IT. You are just paying for the aesthetics, not quality food. Most importantly, we both ended up with food-poisoning after eating here. Severe diarrhea and nausea that began within 1-2 hours of eating here and lasted for days. We noticed the chief who prepares the sushi didn't wear gloves while preparing our meal - yuck! On top of that, there were no paper towels in the restroom to dry your hands, so I can only imagine him touching the restroom doorknob with his bare hands then going to go make sushi/sashimi that you are going to consume = never again will we be coming back!

Margel L.

First time coming here and it was amazing. The ambience was spectacular along with the service! My friend and I both got the 8pc set. If you like spicy, the yuzu sauce is a must try. We also tried their yuzu spicy margarita, which was okay (sorry lol). Their yuzu cheesecake was my favorite! Highly recommend trying this place at least once. Can't wait to come back.

Xochilt S.

Came here to have dinner with a friend. Got very lucky that we didn't have to wait a long time for a reservation. Came here hungry and left full! Food is delicious, place is so gorgeous! Tomas took care of us and was very kind and attentive. Definitely recommend this place. If you get a chance to swing by! You won't regret!