Ami Japanese Restaurant

Go-​to restaurant for me and my friends. Friendly staff and fast service. Whether you are going on a date or eating out with family, this place is great. The baked salmon role is awesome!

If you’re coming here, do the all you can eat. For the price, quality, and what you get, it is well worth it. Pace yourself, it’s all you can eat and you will be charged for extra. The quality is insanely good. It isn’t like a buffet but rather you check what you want for each round. Definitely will be back

COCKROACH CRAWLING ACROSS SUSHI BAR when i was eating my sushi.
i stopped eating, paid the check and got out of there.
Later I got sick, not sure if it was out of disgust or bad food.

This review is strictly for their Happy Hour which is 3PM thru 6PM on weekdays. They have a set value menu where you can get a choice from Menu A (appetizer) plus a choice from Menu B (rolls) AND a 16oz beer for $ 12! It’s an amazing deal along with $ 4 large hot sake. My friend and I came here and were very happy and full when we left. I would definitely come back here for Happy Hour because it’s a great deal.
I am a huge fan of onion rings and i loooved their tempura onion ring batter here, which was an option from Menu A. It may not sound like it pairs well with sushi, but hey — as a fan of onion rings, I couldn’t resist it AND it complemented by Asahi quite nicely paired with sriracha mayo sauce.

Mark rox! Amazing service. Seriously tho, great date spot. ¹⁰⁄₁₀ will come here again

Why is it that so many sushi places in Westwood start out great and then change for the worst ?
We used to come here often great food great service. But went there last week the service was just ok and the food honestly was not good. The soup tasted like dirty water and the teriyaki chicken was chewy and cold. Hope they get back on track soon

Update: 15% off for student hasn’t existed for like 6 years now according to a staff member?!

I’ll start off by saying the food is good. The issue I had is the shit service. I would expect this from some small place in a crummy neighborhood but not Westwood. Stopped by for my lunch break with 5 chefs behind the sushi bar and servers. We were not tended to until 20 min after being seated. Didn’t receive drinks after 15 min. then by the time I ordered, I received my food by the time my lunch ended.
I had to wave my arms for service. I had to literally get up from my seat to ask to order. The servers intentionally didn’t make eye contact and pretended to not see me. To top it off my food order was incomplete.
The table next to us left because no one took their order and the table to the left got their main course but not the appetizers. No apologies, no compensation and really not worth a return.

This place is an absolute RUDE joke. First of all, I called and made a reservation for 20 THREE DAYS IN ADVANCE, and when my party got there in time for the reservation they told us to wait 30 more minutes. What’s the point of trying to make a reservation then?
Secondly, they were extremely unprofessional at splitting the check at the end. We had all of the money completely counted up, and the waiter took the money, stuffed it into the cash register, then claimed we were short $ 100. Are you kidding? They made us wait around for 45 minutes to «check security cameras of us counting money» and charged us $ 100 extra!
I will never EVER come back here again. Please just take a few extra steps and go to Yamato down the street, because ami is the absolute WORST hands down. Worst, most stressful birthday dinner I have ever had in my entire life!

We opted for the AYCE option for lunch which ended up being $ 22 per person before tax and tip. You get three rounds to order, and you do get charged for uneaten food so plan accordingly.
The fish was decent quality, but there was definitely a larger rice to fish ratio, which makes you feel full faster. The nigiri was tasty, especially the yellowtail! The only menu item that I really hated were the Crispy Rice with Spicy Tuna, which was very oily, and the Tornado Roll, which was drenched in heavy sauce.
We had a really hard time trying to get a server’s attention for anything. We got fed up with waiting, so we only ended up getting one round of sushi.
Probably wouldn’t come here again, but it’s a convenient spot to get your sushi fix for UCLA students.

3 stars for food, plus 1 for service. We decided to eat non-​AYCE at an AYCE restaurant, and it was actually not bad at all! Not sure if it was because my expectations were low, but my friends and I thought the rolls were decent! They are more on the expensive side at around $ 13-​$ 17 each, but they are HUGE. Presentation is also different, and it is plated pretty nicely for a sushi roll.
I also got salmon and scallop nigiri, and the cuts are so big. In my opinion, its too little rice to fish ratio, but for AYCE it makes sense. The nigiri was surprisingly very fresh and they even gave me two extra pieces of salmon sashimi!
Not bad for lunch– although it is a little pricey. Our server was so enthusiastic on serving us and was very informational which was funny. The manager even came to check up on us which was nice but unnecessary. We left full and satisfied!

The food is 4 STARS but the service is 1 STAR.
Good location and clean place.

Last week was my second time coming here (first time was a few years ago). Can’t beat Happy Hour! $ 12 for one appetizer, one special roll, and a tall beer! $ 4 for hot sake. I got the croquette and Spicy Tuna Tempura yum. Came with my gf and she got the Rainbow Roll and then we just shared. Back when I ate meat I had the Kobe Sliders and I remember them being super good. She ended up getting some to go for her BF.
WILL BE BACK!
PS. They do have AYCE if that’s more your style.

It’s billed as all you can eat but in reality you only get to order 3x. Which should be enough for the hungriest person as you have a good variety to order from (although less of a selection for lunch) and the portions are really big. Even a la carte it’s cheap. But the all you can eat limits your regular menu choices to mostly appetizers and sushi/​rolls.
But that’s pretty much the only value to this joint. Everything pretty much tastes the same: the rolls all have the same spicy red mayo type sauce all over them, the appetizers seem to as well and although everything looks nice on the plate it’s just too much of the same taste and underneath that sauce is a very average kitchen capability.
Lunch is $ 20. I’ve been 2x and the second time I realized the first time was no fluke — it’s a un-​tasty bore.

My friend and I came for the $ 25 AYCE sushi special. Apparently you can only order 3 rounds and you will be charged for leftover food, so you gotta be strategic about how much and what items you order. But to be honest, one round did it for my friend and I. I would suggest stocking up your appetite for the more expensive sushi instead of the rolls, so you can get your money’s worth XD
The service here was okay. Overall the food was good but nothing too special.
We parked in the parking lot across the street.

This restaurant is slightly unique because of their selection of rolls, including **black rice and rice-​less rolls (so you low carb people can still enjoy sushi)!** The website’s menu is not updated, but the menu on Unilocal is.
Dynamite California roll: BAKED SCALLOP. Each piece comes with 2 small tender scallops. Very creamy and flavorful
Seafood yakisoba: Salty, but huge portion and filled with tons of seafood. TONS of scallops!
Mountain Ami (black rice roll): Highly recommend! Very unique because it’s wrapped with SOY PAPER rather than traditional seaweed. Definitely felt «healthier» compared to the baked scallop roll and is filled with good chunks of tuna sashimi.
Prices are decent. I wouldn’t waste your money on the appetizers, though. 4 gyozas for $ 6 (plus tax/​tip)?! No thanks.
Good service. I noticed that we had 3 different waiters. haha!

I have serious college nostalgia going on as I write this review. I have been to Ami dozens of time during my undergrad career (mostly before I brought my car to LA). For anyone wanting to do sake bombs at a pretty good sushi spot by campus, this is pretty much it. Yamato can’t compare. It’s the go-​to spot. (How many birthday dinners have I gone to here?!)
Biggest tip: if you want to come here for sashimi, don’t. Ami is good for the rolls. That’s the expectation you should walk in with, or rather, ROLL with. The baked rolls are what Ami does best. Come in, get a roll, do some sake bombs. Don’t expect Michelin-​quality sushi here.
Biggest warning for anyone that wants to come to Ami: this is a hyper local spot. The people that you see here are students, people who work within walking distance of the area, and/​or visitors touring UCLA. If you’re visiting Los Angeles for something not Bruin-​related/​looking for a sushi spot and you’re not in walking distance of Ami, I don’t recommend coming here. Ami is the vortex for sushi lovers in the area but if you have to drive to get here, you’re better off going somewhere else.

I came in around 3 PM on the day after Christmas. My friend and I were hoping to dine at another sushi spot nearby but they were closed.
Ami was empty however having a happy hour and usually that would be a red flag however it being the day after Christmas I chose not to second-​guess it assuming most people were still enjoying and gone on holiday.
We decided to do the happy hour option which included a beer or soft drink, one appetizer, and one entrée. I chose the fried sesame chicken, the rainbow roll with a beer. I also added the firecracker which was a jalapeño stuffed with cream cheese and spicy tuna. I also had mixed sashimi from the regular menu to my order. My friend had the same happy hour three item choice. She chose a beer and for her appetizer she chose the fried onion rings and Tempura California roll.
Sadly, neither of us enjoyed our meal. The service wasn’t good despite being an empty massive restaurant with upstairs and downstairs dining and only two tables being served. We got the check with 90% of our food still on our plates and I must say it’s been a long time since that has happened for me, I usually tough it out but, I just could not stomach what was served to me.
If sushi really isn’t your thing and you like fried foods or you consider a California roll «sushi» than you may like this restaurant… Otherwise I highly do not recommend it.

I’ve been here so many times! The sushi is just too damn delicious. Since my last review I’ve seen some consistent improvement. Some of the new waiters are very attentive, which I appreciate. That was my biggest complaint from my last two reviews. I’m glad they took attention to this problem.
My new favorite roll is the Fire Dragon Roll. It is so delicious!!! Please try. Also, I found out today that there is a secret menu??? Waaaaaaaa. I need to know more about this!

EAT THIS: ex girlfriend roll
The Ex Girlfriend Roll is one of the best specialty rolls I’ve ever had! It’s spicy tuna and crab meat wrapped around soy paper topped with tuna, salmon, and yellowtail. I’m also a fan of their Calamari Tempura Roll and Baby Lobster Roll. Their specialty rolls range from 7.95 to 13.95. Their regular rolls range from 3.95 to 5.75, which is a good price for the cut rolls. I’ve come here for a caterpillar roll more than once for a quick sushi fix.
Their upstairs dining area is a fun place to host an event. I’ve gone to a birthday party and a club banquet there (the Daily Bruin bought platters on platters of sushi and I lost it for a second). It’s great for group dinners, intimate dates, and sake bombs. I’ve never had to wait for more than five minutes to be seated. There’s free parking for 2 hours if you get in before 6PM in the broxton garage across the street and street parking after.
I wouldn’t go out of my way to have Ami EXCEPT to try their $ 20 ALL YOU CAN EAT DEAL FOR LUNCH!!!