Sushi Zo

This was the most amazing experience I have ever had at a restaurant. The food was out of this world and the service was unbelievable. I would highly recommend Sushi Zo. Just make sure you are ready for the bill when it comes.

This place has the best sushi I’ve had stateside. It’s reservation and omakase only, and the price changes based off of that day’s selection (when I went it ended up being $ 165 pre-​tip). Also, while it’s omakase, they let you order any additional sushi you want to at the end of the meal (though since the omakase is usually 20+ courses, most people are pretty full at that point). Overall, every piece of fish we ate was outstanding. The fish was fresh and flavorful, and expertly handled. Personal favorites were the signature squid noodles in uni sauce, the blue crab hand roll, and the sweet shrimp. The service was also outstanding, as the waitresses were super helpful and attentive.

When coming here, you’ve got to be enthusiastic and open to trying many different kinds of raw fish, otherwise I don’t think you’ll appreciate the experience as much!
I took my bf here for his birthday and like noObs we didn’t read the Unilocal reviews and realize it was only omakase (chef’s choice) style, which we were going to order anyways, but thought there were other options too. We also didn’t realize the price. LoL
Upon entering, the restaurant is in a strip mall area next to Taco Plus and you really don’t expect them to be serving 5 star quality nigiri! We got seated and got offered a drink menu, which btw has crazy expensive sake on there… haha I thought the price was in Yen instead of USD… We were wondering why they don’t hand you an actual menu and then realized that the meal is prepared in its entirely by whatever the chef chooses (aka you have no choice).
For dinner, it includes about 31 courses (including the miso soup and small non-​alcoholic drink at the end). Counting the varieties of fish itself, I think it was 33 different types of cut! And each piece was ABSOLUTELY amazing!!! They aren’t big pieces though, bite sized but the chef prepares each piece with the right seasoning or sauce that you don’t need anything additional added to it. I can’t remember everything, some of the items that you got are:
uni mixed with squid
baby squid
perch
halibut
some fish from greece with truffle salt (sooo good)
anago
uni
golden eye snapper
a fish from new zealand
3 cuts from different parts of an octopus (muscle, suction cup…)
abalone
raw clam
salmon with kelp paper
salmon roe
choice of a hand roll — either king crap or toro. Both were delicious, especially the filling inside of the rice, reminds me of an onigiri
monkfish liver?
tamago and sesame seed flavour tofu dessert
Seating at the bar is the one and only way to eat here. It was almost like a show, we were extremely entertained by the chef and his nigiri making skillz and he explained every kind of fish that he plated for us. The staff was very polite and quick to refill our green tea and take away plates once we ate the fish. I even brought my dslr to take pictures of each piece, and the waitress was so nice when one of the arrangements fell over, she asked the chef to redo it so i could get a good picture! It wasn’t a big place and they only take reservations so the place didn’t have a lot of people either so the experience felt really intimate. You forget that when you step out that door, you’re back in old weird LA and not a cute trendy area in tokyo.
Overall, the entire dinner took about 2.5 hours. They didn’t rush us and each course was prepared by the chef right in front of us. We aren’t ballers so if it wasn’t for the price we would come back here ALL the time.
The price? ~ 185 $/​person not including tip/​tax/​drinks

This place decided that it would be funny to not serve me the tomago when the table next to me got it in their omakase. They also put too much wasabi they should just close the restaurant. Worst omakase ever.

Wow wow wow! Best omakase everrrrrr! (Despite it also being one of the most expensive I’ve been to in the US, we spent over $ 200 per person).
Highly recommend it if you love good traditional omakase. The flow of each dish was so amazing, only continued to make me want more after each bite. I usually don’t love uni, but they had the kind of uni I truly enjoy which is more crisp in taste and not gooey and ocean tasting.
I asked the chef how they get such great fish and he said the owner actually has someone in Japan picking all the fish that will be flown to the US. I guess you gotta know the right people in Japan to get the good stuff!
Will come back next time I’m in la!

Quality: Hands down the best sushi omakase I’ve had to date. Worth every dollar.
Scope of omakase: We had 27 courses, all prepared to perfection.
Service: Service is flawless. The staff is attentive and sensitive to the pace of your dining.
Parking: Parking is in the Rite aid and Subway parking lot on National. Shop is just next door to a taco shop and Starbucks.
Price: Definitely $$$$
Treat yourself or treat your loved one for a special, particularly memorable dining experience!

This is by far the most delicious and fresh sushi in LA. Any time I have a special lunch or dinner that I want to book, Sushi Zo is a no brainier.

INSANE fish quality that will melt in your mouth! Unbelievable experience. The omakase had about 18+ sushi pieces per person and I couldn’t finish to my dismay. But I will be going back!!!
Omakase and reservation only.

Overall, all sushi was very good. We had about 20+ sushi each. There was a couple of items that was average. Some sushi required using soy sauce. Hand roll is amazing

28 dish omakase and appreciated all of the fishes served on their purest form. The dishes served are from Japan and never had before. What i was surprised to find on some of the dishes they used truffle. I would not think it would go together but pleasantly surprised it did. Elevated the palette and enjoyed my time there that much more. Loved that the place was small minimal and un assuming.

HANDS DOWN BEST SUSHI IN L.A.
I have searched long and hard for the best sushi in Los Angeles… I have been to at least 100 different places that I was told were worth going to for good sushi and none of them even come close to what I had last night. I don’t say this lightly, but this is the best sushi I’ve ever had.
Omakase & reservation only.
Was about 20 courses & there wasn’t a single thing I didn’t like. I wish I could afford to eat here regularly but it is a bit expensive. However, not an experience to be missed for the true sushi lover. If you don’t really care about quality fish and flavors, then you won’t get as much out of this as I did. I truly loved it & can’t wait to go back!!!
The restaurant is not pretty or fancy. It’s all about the food. This fish is flown in from around the world every day. You will not get to try a lot of these offerings at other sushi spots.

OMAKASE ONLY & RESERVATIONS REQUIRED!
I’m no sushi expert/​connoisseur, but dang! YUM! Just know the sushi served here changes daily and I’ve yet to try sushi in Japan. No two palates are alike so please take (read) my review with a grain of salt, but my experience here was the best sushi I’ve had thus far.
With so many courses and it varying daily, I’ll just touch on a few items I loved and a few that were just ok.
After being seated and given our miso soup, the chef presented us with a Kumamoto oyster. I’ve had many of these the past couple of years as it’s one of my favorites for its mildly sweet taste and small size, but this, THIS oyster was the BEST I’ve had yet. It was dressed in a simple house ponzu sauce, but nothing about it was simple. Right as I slurped this sweet, briny bounty provided by the waters of the Pacific Northwest I immediately thought, please, please let the rest of this meal be just as good. The rest of the meal wasn’t just «good» it was freakin fantastic!
After the oyster, we were blessed with a sashimi platter, their famous squid with uni (sea urchin) then piece after piece of nigiri so perfectly crafted and utterly mouthwatering, I wanted more before I could even swallow each bite. If this is what real sushi is, what garbage have I been consuming until now?! I’ve been to many of the «top sushi» restaurants in OC, but none come close to the taste, quality, and freshness I experienced at Sushi Zo! I need to get out of the OC bubble more often.
Whenever I have an omakase (chef’s choice) meal, I usually tell the chef, please, no uni or ankimo (monkfish liver) because I’ve yet to have one I liked, but at Zo I purposely said no such thing. I wanted to experience anything and everything they were willing to offer me and I’m so glad I did. The uni I received was simply laid over a small bed of rice without any nori. This made a HUGE difference in taste and texture. Every other time I’ve had uni nigiri it’s been the kind with rice wrapped in nori with the uni placed on top. I’ve never liked the chewy, slimy texture of the nori when mixed with uni. It creates such a nasty mouthfeel I had always attributed to uni. I stand corrected. Uni is WONDERFUL! As for the ankimo, my gawd. I now understand the foie gras of the sea analogy. Every ankimo I’ve had thus far had been somewhat cold, crumbly, and just plain disgusting. The ankimo served at Zo was room temp and so soft, so creamy, and easily melted in your mouth. I could’ve had a dozen!
The only piece of nigiri I didn’t think was up to par with the rest we tried was the sweet shrimp. I’ve actually had better in OC, ouch. And I thought the «dessert plate» of tamago (egg) and black sesame «gummy» was only ok.
All in all, a delicious meal with a wonderful chef who delightfully explained each dish. Can’t wait to go back, but first a sushi eating tour of LA is needed because I’ve clearly been missing out. Darn you OC and your wonderfully smooth roads that are so easy to drive on. You’ve kept me from leaving (Kidding. I get out of OC almost daily ;p) your black hole for far too long.

I’d reserved the restaurant and hyped myself up three weeks before I actually went. Lived up to all my expectations and beyond. Even more so, I just barely convinced my mom to try out a new sushi eating experience with me, and was a little worried beforehand. Within ten minutes, we were both so blown away by just the starter course dishes they gave us. And then the sushi! Each piece more beautiful than the one before. It was an incredible experience and I wish I could do it all over again tomorrow. Well worth the $$, would definitely recommend for a special event or night. Or if you just want a wide array of the most effin delicious fish in the world.

If you like sushi and you never been to Sushi Zo you better go there NOW!
This is by far the best sushi I have ever been to.
Yes it is expensive but its so worth the price.

This is the place to be if you’re looking for one of the finest dining experience of your life. It’s only for your die hard nigiri purist and not for your typical fans of fancy rolls or sashimi with sauces. You must make reservations early in advance as they get fully booked quite often. It’s omakase only, but if you love fish, monkfish liver, and uni, you’ll think you’re in heaven. While Zo may lack a large selection of toro and or kobe/​wagu like some of the other super high end places, you will have plenty variety of exotic import fish that won’t leave you disappointed.

Ambience of the restaurant and location of the restaurant was surprising. For the high cost of the food, I thought it would be in a better neighborhood. like smack in the middle of Beverly hills and expected a dark fancy restaurant. Haha so was a little disappointed with that, however the quality of their sushi made up for it times a million. Omg. Ive never had such soft and fatty sushi that just melted in my mouth. No fishy smell and no weird after taste. It was exquisite! The restaurant ambience was just simple and kind of a blank slate. literally this place focuses on their service and quality and taste of their sushi. And I guess thats all that really matters.
I dont remember exactly how many courses it was. or how many sushi plates came out. but it was over 20. We dont choose the sushi, the chef chooses and theyre brought out one by one.
Went with 2 other people. And it was over $ 200 per person. Not sure if I would ever come back unless I was ballin out of control. I think they should def make the restaurant atmosphere a little nicer and decorated and. fancy (?) I mean after all its over $ 200 per person, it would be nice if the ambiance was nice as well as the food.

Went here two weeks ago on a Friday night as part of a weekend long sushi extravaganza in LA. Have seen this listed on many top sushi lists and it had an excellent rating on Unilocal.We sat at the sushi bar and did the Omakase. Let me start off by saying that I really love omakase sushi and have been to many of the top sushi spots in LA and around the world. This was very middle of the road for me. If it wasn’t for the price, I would probably give it 4 stars. This is a very traditional omakase meal with lots of nigiri.
Here are my main complaints:
They served us a squid with uni dish. It was really, really fishy and I thought I was going to be sick. I put a massive amount of ginger in my mouth to try and cleanse my palate.
The cuts of fish were somewhat small compared to other comparable places I have been.
Ambiance– the cheviot hills location doesn’t look like much. Located in a strip mall and the interior is very much lacking sophistication.
#1 complaint– value. This place was ~$ 200/​person for omakase. Not a big deal, but this place was not as good as Sushi Sasabune which is less expensive. Additionally, on this same trip, we went to Nozawa Bar which was about the same price and blew this place out of the water.
Good sushi, bad value. In the ultra-​competitive LA sushi landscape, we probably will not be back.

Thought this place had gone downhill. The sushi wasn’t right — rice was bland, temperature was off and the menu had gotten monotonous. However, this last weekend, I decided to try it one more time as it used to be one of my favorite sushi places and it was back to what I remembered… the BEST sushi ever!
The fish, rice and overall flavor was perfect! They also added a few new things to their menu, like the baby squid, but I mostly enjoyed that it was different and their black tofu with sesame seed was uniquely creamy with a nutty flavor.

How is this fantastic high end restaurant next to taco plus in a little strip mall? Only in culver city can you find these gems in such unassuming locations. When you walk in, the feel was also very casual. Not romantic by any means.
You can only get omakase here ($ 150) — definitely one of the pricier meals we’ve had but boy is it worth it.
Every course we had was amazing. Such a unique blend of flavors and fish. Only highlights from this meal, no low lights — including uni and squid soaked in truffle oil, seared cod drizzled with some mustard/​miso/​honey concoction, mouthwatering albacore and saba, creamy monkfish, best toro hand roll of my life. We got to try so many things! 25 in total. Added on a blue crab hand roll at the end.
Definitely one of the most memorable sushi meals I’ve had. Hope I can come back some day!

We had high expectations for Sushi Zo, and it did not disappoint. I first thought that we would have about 13 – 14 courses of Omakase, it turned out to be a 24 course treat! Studying each course, we discovered that Sushi Zo is unique because of 3 things: marination, freshness, and cut.
Being an avid Sushi fan, I actually never had sushi that were so perfectly marinated. Different ingredients made the fishes taste so different than other places. A simple dish such as Pompano delivered a great surprise. Uni, usually already good if its sweet, had a burst of flavor in our mouths. Uni mixed with squid showcased how masterful the chefs were when it comes to using the knife. The squids were cut so thin that they resembled noodles. Mackerel, notoriously fishy, tasted so fresh…
You have to try it for yourself. Without drinks, our full Omakase dinner came out to be 150 – 160 dollars per person. Adding tip, the bill was around $ 430. Not cheap, but definitely worth it.