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    Umaya LA - Kaiseki & Sushi

    4.3 (205 reviews)
    Closed 11:30 am - 2:00 pm, 5:30 PM - 10:00 PM

    Order Umaya LA - Kaiseki & Sushi Takeout or Delivery

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    UMAYA LA - KAISEKI & SUSHI ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Trendy
    Intimate

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    Inside
    Sakol M.

    This sushi restaurant is located in a busy, corporate location on the ground floor of several tall buildings. The neighborhood is a little bit sketchy. Finding parking is tough. My reservation is at 5:30pm for dinner and there is valet parking with a discount if you dine here. The interior was very upscale and elegant. Being among the first, there weren't that many customers yet. The service was a bit slow, but sufficient. When it comes to sushi, everything was top notch. From the preparation to the first bite, I was impressed. The toro nigiri was melt in your mouth good. The rainbow roll was beautifully created and delicious, too. Overall, the experience was worth the drive to the middle of LA.

    Julie Y.

    My friend & I came here for dinner couple of weekends ago on a Saturday evening. I was very surprised that the place was empty for a weekend considering all the good reviews. The environment was spacious & the interior was nice & modern. We sat at the bar & the service was professional, amicable, & attentive. We both had the omakase & it did not disappoint! Price was reasonable too. Quality of fish was fresh & rice to fish ratio was perfect. We both demolished the plate pretty quickly & we ordered an extra handroll to end our meal. I just wished the seaweed on the handroll was more crispy but the fish & rice was up to par. I loved the cold sake that our server recommended to pair with our meal. It tasted clean, crisp, & not sweet. We don't live nearby so we took Lyft here & then walking distance to a live show afterwards. It was a perfect GNO :)

    Mailani S.

    This was our first time here and we loved it! The interior was really nicely done. The food was incredibly yummy. We stopped by here for dinner before our concert at the Presbyterian church and things worked out perfectly. I definitely recommend Umaya!

    Angel C.

    I still can't say enough great things about Umaya!! Still after all these years, Umaya remains my favorite Japanese restaurant in LA. The chef maintains his Japanese heritage in his cooking, and doesn't fluff or change anything to match the palettes of Americans (by making fusion dishes or dishes with overpowering flavors). Although, i truly believe he cares so much about his patrons that he ensures u have the best experience having the best Japanese food he has to offer! The fish quality is always perfect, sushi rice is always perfect, everything else is always perfect. Everyone from the kitchen to the servers pay close attention to all details. I really hope Umaya stays in business forever!

    Premium Sushi Set ($75)
    Megan L.

    Adorable dishes and all yummy dishes, but slow and bad experience. Were served all our sets an hour after sitting, and messed up our check twice. But appreciated the on the house yuzu edamame, which was quite refreshing. + Uni nigiri ($24 MP for 2 pieces): not fishy, but not sweet (7/10) + Tamago nigiri ($8 for 2 pieces): denser but rolled up style rather than fluffy. Nice and slightly sweet (7.5/10) + Premium Sushi Set ($75): this set took the longest to arrive, and some nigiri didn't match the menu (no amaebi). But enjoyed the different textures and flavors. Some were citrusy, others Smokey. Salmon and toro were tops, handrolls were ok (8.3/10) Mango dessert was sweet and delicious

    Ezra Ann Grace S.

    visited for the first time doing the 5 course dine LA menu. Everything was delicious and the fish was so fresh. I did really enjoy the starters especially the little scallop fish! The dessert was nice and creamy some sort of pudding. On a Friday night we scored some street parking and with a reservation the wait was only 10 min. I'd definitely come back to try from the regular menu.

    Engawa - Halibut fin
    Valerie P.

    I saw that Umaya LA had a Happy Hour from 5:30 - 7 and 9 pm - close, and wanted to give it a try. Their Happy Hour menu had a nice selection of Sushi nigiri, hand and cut rolls, hot dishes and sashimi. I didn't order any of the hot dishes and stuck with the raw fish. I'm usually a little skeptical when it comes to Happy Hour menus, but I thoroughly enjoyed everything I ordered. The fish was extremely fresh and the nigiri was well crafted. I also ordered a few pieces off the regular menu as well, that was recommended by my server; Engawa (seared halibut fin) and albacore belly. Both were great and tasty. The restaurant is a nice modern space. They offer valet parking, but since I was there early, I found street parking. The sushi chef that served me (not the owner), wasn't very talkative nor did he ever check on me. However, I did see the owner on the other side of the sushi bar, and he seemed very friendly. My server was very efficient, friendly and attentive. I enjoyed the Happy Hour, but now would like to try their Kaiseki or Omakase sets. Definitely worth going to for Happy Hour and more.

    Erica C.

    Umaya has been on my list to try for a while, so I was super excited when I finally got the chance to go. The environment is super spacious and chic, which is the complete opposite of the neighborhood it's in. Unfortunately the food and the service was mediocre. Food came out extremely slowly even though the restaurant was pretty empty. For the price and quality, I'd recommend trying another sushi spot in the area.

    Sashimi
    Tin R.

    Tried the DineLA set meal from here on a weekday night, and it was great! The set meal came with an appetizer platter with a bunch of small bites, sashimi, salad, entree, and a pudding dessert. For me, it was just the right amount of food and I enjoyed that they served each component one at a time. At other places, I have often felt rushed to finish what I was eating as they served the next thing, but here I felt like the staff was very attentive to the timing and waited for us to finish our food before they removed anything from the table. They also refilled our water consistently without it ever staying empty. It's a small detail, but really helped make the experience enjoyable. We both really enjoyed the appetizer platter as it came with some delicious bites like the tofu with lotus seeds and the baby peach in jelly palate cleanser. Never have had lotus seeds or a baby peach and we liked both! The sashimi was amazing. The pieces were a bit thin, but it tasted delicious and so fresh that I still enjoyed every bite. We chose the steak and the sukiyaki entrees and liked the sukiyaki more because of the full flavor of the dish and the raw dipping egg it was served with. We absolutely loved the Japanese purin served at the end, so much so that we had to order one a la carte because it was so tasty. The place had plenty of room, and overall had darker lighting, which made for a more intimate feel that would be nice for a date night or a small celebration. Parking: We did the $5 valet right in front of the restaurant because I didn't want to stress about parking, but I believe there is street parking available around the area.

    Our table settings
    Herrick D.

    My wife and I decided to have our date night here last night to try out their Dine LA menu. We were first greeted by the friendly hostess and seated without a reservation for dinner around 6:15-30PM. My wife took a couple of pictures of the interior of the restaurant which was imbued with an artistic take on modern Japanese and especially loved the hanging umbrellas that adorned the ceiling of the dining area. We were allowed a couple of minutes to look over the DineLA menu ($55/person) offerings which included a 6 course prefixed tasting menu. After we decided which entree to go with since the other parts of the menu were the same per person, I also went ahead and ordered myself a Westside cocktail (Vodka, green chartreuse, cucumber, lime). The drink is fairly reminiscent of a cucumber collins and was light and refreshing which paired well with the food that we ordered. As far as the courses and meals go, I will say the standouts were the Sakizuke at the very beginning and the 7oz ribeye steak. The Sakizuke consists of an assortment of small bites which the server carefully explained to us and also how to properly enjoy each one. The jelly that we were told to enjoy at the very end was definitely one of the best palette cleansers I've had for a meal. My wife had the same course but went with the sukiyaki meal which I found extremely flavorful and well seasoned. I was all smiles ear to ear at the conclusion of the meal as I thought this would definitely be a location I will re-visit to try their other offerings. The staff was quick, courteous and very attentive and did not make us feel rushed throughout the course. I anticipated parking with valet ($5) at the front of the restaurant but was able to find free street parking nearby and had a lovely stroll to the restaurant.

    Pudding
    Carlo G.

    Came here for Dine LA and my friend and I were super impressed with the grand prix menu!! Walking in, I was enamored by the modern yet traditional ambiance of the restaurant. Everything was clean and upscale from the marble tables to the ceiling umbrella decor. I appreciated how the server explained each of the dishes upon serving them. For $55 a person, we had the following: - Sakizuke: A beautiful array of traditional seasonal appetizers. I loved them all and they were healthy and fresh. - Tsukuri: The assorted sashimi was yummy and fresh. The fish paired well with the dipping sauce. - Salad: Loved the fresh mixed greens, but wish the fried lotus chip was crispier and crunchier. Loved the dressing. - 7oz Ribeye Steak: The star of the meal. I got it done at medium per the server's recommendation and it was so delicious. The steak was cooked well and was covered in this wasabi butter which was so umami and flavorful. Combined with the steak juices, I could literally drink it all up. - Pudding dessert: A nice sweet finish. Nothing special, but still good. I especially liked how hospitable and attentive the servers were. They were quick to remove our finished dishes and refill our water cups. Overall, a great experience here! I would come back and recommend trying out the Dine LA experience here.

    Yum eel, yellowtail, scallops, salmon roe and crab hand roll!!!
    Arby R.B. K.

    Food was amazing . . . Order the traditional style Japanese dining of kaiseki where every course you get will excite your palate and expand your dining horizons. The chef is from. Japan and the kaiseki dining experience is reminiscent of the luxury onsen retreat type of vacation in Japan where fine dining, elegance, and leisure all come together. This will take your taste buds on a vacation to the other side of the world. The service was great and each member of the staff was welcoming and attentive. They have a wonderfully curated wine collection to satisfy a wide range of wine lovers. Random... Did you know champagne goes well with sushi? If you want authentic, though, try some Japanese sake. The ambience is modern, stylish, yet adorable. The Japanese umbrellas painted on the wall, with the velvety seats and little table lamps create a cozy mini universe where you can go on a flavor adventure. It's a gem we keep going back to again and again. Highly recommend!

    Stephanie O.

    Stopped by for dinner on a Saturday night and the place was not too busy. Which was a surprise because the food was absolutely delicious! Service was good and the place itself had lots of seating at the tables or at the bar where you can see the sushi chefs working hard. We started with cocktails which were very good then I had an assortment of nigiri (they even had uni! My fave) and I had tempuras too. The tempura was very crisp and light and the nigiri all tasted great. My friend got one of their bento type meals and she lived it too. It came with generous amount of food including a miso soup, salad, tempura, sashimi and miso sea-bass! Will definitely be coming back for more sushi!

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    Umaya LA - Kaiseki & Sushi Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Umaya LA - Kaiseki & Sushi

    Is valet parking available? Where do I park if it's not possible?

    i didn't see valet parking during the day. Found street parking in the neighborhood.

    Happy hour? Menu?

    Hello, our drink happy hour is Monday-Friday from 12pm-6pm. Also, our menu is located on our website: www.umayala.com.… Read more

    View All 4 Questions

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    Umaya LA - Kaiseki & Sushi - japanese - Updated June 2026

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