This spot is a to-go specialty store that seemed to have just opened recently. It's a cozy little interior where you can pick and choose your ready to go items such as sushi and yakisoba, or you can also order "hot" items like the curry fried chicken and rice that I ordered. All were so good - I especially liked the Yakisoba noodles and the fried chicken + curry rice!! The rice grains were so tender and soft and felt very fresh - just awesome. Fried chicken and dipping it in the curry was awesome too. The curry was definitely different from the usual "curry" served at other japanese restaurants - try dunking the fried chicken into the curry and eat it with some of that fresh rice - it's a great combo. The yakisoba I failed to heat up enough - I did about 1 minute and 30 seconds - maybe people should try 2 minutes to get it piping hot. Overall - I'll be coming back to this place again! read more

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Love the quality of this grab and go sushi spot, it was all I ate for two days while staying in DTLA

Wow this place rocks! Fresh sushi, kind owners, and an easy place to go. They do not skimp on the fish! This sushi is fresh, reasonably priced, and delicious. This is a truly a downtown gem! read more

Anyone reviewing this place at 1 star is just a hater. I absolutely love this spot for a quick bite and good quality fish. It definitely gets packed at lunchtime but the wait is never that long. The staff is super friendly and if you want your roll made fresh just let them know they will do it on the spot. read more

Uobei is our spot for delicious fresh sushi on the go. For sushi Chef Hiro's samplers are always great choices but don't stress everything and anything will be oh so satisfying. Don't sleep on their hit items namely their bowls which are as good as it gets. 20%off after 6 but selection will be slim and regular prices are not bad at all for the location. Let them know Mario sent you. Enjoy downtown's best to go sushi at Uobei Sushi. read more

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Uobei outdoes themselves every time I go. I have been here about 4x now and I always leave happy. I have had their Gyoza, sushi, Wagyu Beef Bowl, and a few a la carte items and they have all been fantastic! This time I had the Wagyu Beef Bowl (which I tried for the first time my previous visit) and HOLY SWEET BABY JESUS is it delicious. Not only was it good the first time but the second time really sealed the deal. I was nervous that since it was my second time eating it, the novelty of the dish would be dulled and I wouldn't enjoy it as much but I was happily proved wrong. The meat melts in your mouth and the flavor of the sauce, which has just a tinge of sweetness, sent me on a euphoric trip. The sauce only lightly coated the meat so as not to overwhelm it and my goodness. *chef's kiss* Perfection. Thank you Kaz-san for your hospitality and sharing your mastery of cuisine. I look forward to visiting soon! read more

UOBEI - Wagyu Beef Bowl - Japanese Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Cute little Japanese deli shop that carries pre-made sushi. For the price in DTLA, it's affordable. They also carry beef or chicken teriyaki bowls and small sides. Love their $2 miso soup. Very authentic. Would go back again. read more

Love UOBEI! Tried this spot due to the reviews and love the convenience and freshness of all the dishes. Kazu is so nice and awesome too which adds to the experience. I want to try some more of the hot foods, once you order they can heat anything up for you. It really does taste like something you would have in Japan and sort of like you took a little trip every time you go in there! Go and grab a few things you won't be disappointed! read more

I love their chicken teriyaki and udon noodle soup! Lovely spot in DTLA and the most polite staff!

SO YUMMY! They have a huge selection too. Tasted fresh and expensive! I definitely recommend if you're in the area. Their matcha green tea drink was also super delish. read more

UOBEI - Rolls - Japanese Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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It used to be my favorite takeout sushi place but not since it changed ownership. Everything changed... food, service, quality and ambiance. I don't go there anymore and I gave them 3 tries. Each time I was greatly disappointed. If you didn't know what it was like before you don't know what you've missed. This is not it. read more

Quality, speed, price. Pick two, right? Wrong. Uobei provides all three. Uobei styles itself as a grab and go type deli. However, they do provide hot foods such as curry that's made to order, and will custom-made sushi before 3PM. For sushi, only order if you don't see it sitting in the refrigerated section--having had both grab 'n' go style sushi and freshly ordered stuff, the quality is literally the same. I'm assuming this is due to a high turnover. They also have a hot section to the deli that contains karaage, gyoza, and similar foods. The refrigerated section contains seaweed salad, cooked brussels sprouts, and other not-sushi dishes. They also have some ice cream bar-type desserts and snacks. Uobei specifically prides itself on their quality of ingredients. This is particularly noted in their salmon and rice. For salmon, they only use fish from the Faroe Islands. Read the history of how the Faroe Islands penetrated the Japanese market for fish for an incredibly interesting story. Yes, that's right, salmon is not a "traditional" fish used. Regardless, the salmon is fresh, fatty, and cut generously. The rice they use is hitomebore ("love at first sight") short grain. The rice is somewhat loosely packed, but not falling apart, and remains soft regardless of it being made fresh or having been in the refrigerated section for an hour and carried around in the Los Angeles heat for 10 minutes. The rice is very proudly advertised as "from Japan" and bags can be bought from them if you desire. Here's a fun fact: Uobei in Japan is a conveyor belt-style sushi chain in Japan. That's right, a sushi deli in DTLA beats out all of the conveyor belt sushi restaurants in LA and is at least as good as "medium" quality sit down restaurants, all for great prices. Whenever I come here, I get sushi, and something always has salmon. My favorite is the salmon nigiri sampler, which was described by one worker as "the best." It's salmon nigiri done 8-ways. Two are aburi style; they got kissed by a blowtorch. Each one has a different topping, although sometimes you get a virgin salmon nigiri as a control piece (usually it's a "plain" aburi sushi). I've seen different toppings each time I come, although a Kewpie mayo blend on an aburi piece is pretty common, as is a piece with a delicate drop of plum sauce, or with a tiny dollop of grated ginger. The salmon avocado cut rolls are also pretty great. They're fairly squat in shape and contains a good portion of salmon, sometimes even including some fatty belly. The spicy tuna is also flavorful. Like most spicy tuna, it's an almost blended (or scraped with a spoon, if you've ever seen a tuna cutting demonstration) bunch of meat with spiciness that seems a bit higher than general Japanese fare. Notably, they don't seem to use a mayonnaise sauce. Make no mistake, Uobei does cater to American tastes. You can see this from the spicy tuna, to the salmon avocado, to whatever "special" rolls out there that are either topped California rolls or something named "Chef Hiro's" roll but are drastically different in size, shape, and ingredient on any given day. This is perhaps the only flaw in Uobei. Because the bulk of their purchases here are prepackaged, that also means the ingredient list is also pre-made. The list has the "common" ingredients followed by certain stuff such as the fish used or rice used (including brown and quinoa) along with checkboxes that are never checked. Usually visual cues give you a good idea of what's going on, but with saucy sushi, it becomes murky, and if you have a food allergy, outright dangerous. Luckily the staff are very helpful and friendly and are happy to help you in any way. For packaging, you get a bag with your food and some napkins, chopsticks, and packages of soy sauce. Inside the sushi plate are wasabi and gari (pickled ginger). Sometimes the gari is packaged and sometimes it's arranged, touching the wasabi. I prefer the latter since you get bigger ginger slices and the quality seems better overall (a spicier ginger flavor and a less processed texture). The sushi lays on a couple banana leaves. Overall, Uobei works perfectly for an everyday sushi lunch. They absolutely beat any sort of supermarket sushi. Parking is absolutely abysmal, but anyone living in DTLA knows that already. They close at 7PM which makes having an Uobei dinner difficult. Uobei also provides catering if you inquire. read more

There's something magical about this place! Everyone who works here is awesome and super friendly, and the food is fantastic! They have a bunch of pre-made sushi, noodles, chirashi, and lil snacks that all look great. I went here a few times while staying in a nearby hotel and was floored by the quality of the fish and preparation. Also in addition to the pre-made options, they will whip up any of their sushi options fresh to order (and even made some substitution for my allergies). Will definitely come here next time I'm close by! read more

Upgrade from what whole foods calls sushi and grab a quick bite at Uobei. This hole in the wall place has some surprisingly good sushi, especially for a pre-prepared place. Honestly a better experience than some eat in restaurant sushi. read more

UOBEI - Japanese Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Quite delicious and fresh Sushi and sashimi. Can be a bit pricey but you're paying for quality, obvs. Come after 6pm for 20% off. Delish and lovely read more

Ridiculous...ly good!!! This is my second time coming here, less then 1 week after my first time dining here. I was getting off of work and hear about the happy hour prices. It's 20% off after 5pm and 30% off after 6pm. At 5:30pm, the selection was still good, maybe half empty from when it's fully stocked. I got the chef's nigiri sampler, salmon nigiri sampler, shrimp tempura roll, salmon avocado roll and the California roll. My favorite had to be the shrimp tempura roll. I'm not sure why but the crab was extra good in that roll. Just as delicious as the first time. The tuna in the nigiri roll was really really mindblowing and usually tuna is not my favorite. I honestly think I'm going to eat here at least once a week. read more

Omg ! I found a fresh sushi deli in DTLA today. They Literally make everything fresh. Highly highly recommend this little deli for absolutely the freshest sushi. Most definitely will be making the drive to come back for my sushi cravings. read more

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Such good service and the guy who works at the front is so nice! Theres a lot of options for sushi and bowls and the pieces of fish are super generous! The prices are really good as well! read more

Moving back from Japan I am always on the hunt for a great bento at a reasonable price... Quick, delicious, and of high quality i recommend Uobei for a great lunch! とてもおいしいお弁当だと思いました read more

UOBEI - Delicious sushi Bento お弁当がとてもおいしい - Japanese Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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This place is slightly above average. Overall, there is basically no taste in their chicken teriyaki bowl, beef bowl, and most of their food. read more

The perfect grab and go spot. Super nice people. Quality is a+. 10/10 would recommend read more

UOBEI - Crunchy spicy tuna, chicken fried rice, karaage chicken - Japanese Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Quick and easy take out sushi spot. If you are craving quick sushi on your busy day but don't wanna get Supermarket one. You will be happy to get here. Literally takes 5 mins. Small appetizer box are $3. Yakisoba tasted just like my mother used to make. Brought me back to my weekend lunch in japan. everything tastes homemade. Sushi taste fresh and better than some sitting down restaurant. Oishikatta desu! read more

Great spot! Service was amazing. Quick and easy place for sushi. Love that they have brown rice as a healthy alternative and vegetarian options as well! read more

i love this place! it's run by the same older people i see when i come buy food here during lunch at work. i love the homey feel the whole place has, too. super genuine, affordable place in this corner of downtown. if you're craving sushi, i highly highly suggest eating here. it's not a sit down place, but i love giving this place my business because it's affordable and the quality of their fish is reaalll good. read more

OPEN AT 11...PLEASE!!! Sushi is the best , very easy...walk in and walk out. yum yum. open at 11 read more

I work in dt and was just walking around and passed by this little gem!! It's definitely new because I've never seen it before. But I was so shocked at how fresh their sushi was and the person who serviced me was so nice and recommended other items from the selection I already had, without a doubt switched over to his recommendation!! Got a nigiri set, a roll, yakisoba and mochi ice cream. Highly recommend. Such a cute little store!!! read more

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The ratings do not reflect how average this place is. The studio was dry, tasteless, falling apart and over priced considering. If you're in the area, head over to Sushi Nabeeya just around the corner for infinitely better sushi. read more

I was craving sushi like crazy and didn't want to do delivery so I googled places I could walk to and found this little gem literally 5 minutes down the street from me! It's a ready to go type of place, which I like! All seemed perfectly fresh. I got the crunchy california roll and the mini spicy tuna. Both very good, but I wish they had the spicy tuna in the full size version! It was incredible for being ready to go. In summary, great place to go and grab a quick lunch, and especially convenient during Covid read more

UOBEI - Mini Spicy tuna roll. I already ate half - Japanese Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Owner is super nice; however, the most important aspect of sushi was lacking- rice. Wasnt the airy and fluffy rice you'd expect, but rather very hard almost like rice cakes. Wouldve loved to like this place but I wont be returning again unless they improve their quality read more

I came by and checked out this place. It's very convenient and fast to get your sushi food. If you are a fan of sushi or would like to try sushi and mochi ice cream, come check this place out. Scrumptious! read more

UOBEI - Sushi chefs special - Japanese Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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Got the 15 dollar chef's special sushi. Quality reminds me of sushi bar served at Whole Foods. Perhaps supermarket sushi bars is slight better with much greater foot traffic that generate fresher sushi. The one I got tasted like refrigerated as sushi rice is solid rock. Flavors are okay. Nothing that blows you away to make the trek here. There's better options in Little Tokyo and Arts Districts read more

Delicious freshly made sushi with very friendly staff They give huge pieces of sushi and were quick to make them Will definitely be back! read more

I liked the sushi roll , very good , friendly staff and very helpful . Good prices and fresh seafood !

Hello! DTLA This hidden Gem is clean, friendly, and warm; they pay close attention to Covid regulations. UOBEI incredible food makes me want to go back every day! I recommend everyone in downtown LA to check this place out on Broadway and ninth! read more

Good for something quick - I could eat here every week for months if I choose to.

AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING! Have gone almost every single day since they have opened and have yet to regret it. Everything tastes so fresh and is prepared daily, prices are also amazing. Great for a quick lunch and there's even outdoor seating. I definitely will become a consistent regular of this spot. read more

used to be really good. Portions have gotten smaller and smaller to the point a rice bowl can't fill you up. Rice is soggy as seen in the picture. Will be considering other alternatives if quality doesn't improve. Hope the owner sees this and works on it cuz the shop has potential to make quality food. read more

UOBEI - Teriyaki Chicken Bowl - Japanese Near Me - Los Angeles, California

I called in an order and took out today to celebrate a birthday dinner with my family. The Primier Nigiri Mix was the best ever - wonderful ikura and the scallops were a great surprise in the mix. So sweet! I ordered from Uobei specifically for their Saba sushi. I used to go to Gardena for Saba sushi but Uobei's was so much better - a thick slice of wonderfully seasoned Saba atop a nigiri sushi rice filled with ginger! Delicious!!! Their tempura roll was great too. I will definitely order from here again! read more

Delicious and always super fresh! I work next door and frequent this place a lot, not only because it's super tasty and conveniently located, but because the owner (Kaz) is incredibly friendly AND they have killer end of day specials-20% off after 5pm and 30% off after 6pm. Their commitment to fresh means everything must be sold that day . Thank you Kaz and team for being so awesome! See you soon! read more

its fresh and clean but its boring and bleh- nothing amazing about it but CLEAN and FRESH A++