Katana

Ok this is an updated review, but I have to say the management tandem Robert and Lisa at this place is amazing. I got a hug from. Orth of them when I walked in I was here Friday with a huge client, I received amazing service. Last time I came under different management with a client, my celebrity client was treated horribly and this is a very welcome change. I also see that they have upgraded their staff in the service area as well. One of the best servers in the town Halle works there and if you are lucky to get her than you can’t go wrong .
I am back again tonight… it just keeps getting better !!
Thanks guys, don’t change a thing

+one star for wifi
Aggressively average. Formulaic knock off of Nobu and Tao but without the quality or the scene, just going through the motions.
I’ve resisted coming here for two years. Everytime I’m in LA, hotels push it on me like demented car salesmen. This time I explicitly asked «this isn’t some rip off tourist trap bs where they just serve spicy tuna rolls with all kinds of syrup and mayo is it?» And to that I received a chorus of «no!!! It’s extremely good. If you like traditional sushi you will like it. Obviously it’s a bit pricey, but it’s very high quality».
Well, based on the number of stars I gave, I think you can infer it was exactly what I expected. What I didn’t expect was that the décor wasn’t that cool and there was no scene. It’s like if Tao in NYC had a lame décor, was smaller, more expensive, and if the food was actually not that good.
Spoiler alert, salon carpaccio with truffle oil! Uh oh, watch out folks. Tuna tartar with crispy rice! Nobu look out! Well the carpaccio was like a ¾s an inch thick and covered in truffle OIL (emphasis on the oil part) and the crispy rice was not very crispy, like the fryer was on low heat and they just decided to let the rice absorb the oil and become hard.
If you have ever eaten at a good restaurant, then you will not be impressed. If you have never had fusion or Japanese food before, you will be amazed. I am not a sushi snob– I like fusion– I like Tao and a bunch of places like that. This is just an utterly mediocre sushi roll place that you can find anywhere but three times the price.

As you walk up the steps of the restaurant you dont really even feel like your going into a restaurant but more like a club. There is a bouncer outside and a dj on the steps of the patio.
Dont get me wrong i loved it. This West Hollywood Vibe got me very intrigue of what is going to be my dinner like. I came here because they had what seem to be a very good Dine LA menu. Which it was. Kind of able to try a bit of everything
Ambiance and the décor of the restaurant is amazing. They also have a full service bar while you wait for your table.
The Dine LA menu consisted of Japanese Fried Chicken and Kimchee Pot stickers. These were just okay.
The 2^nd course was the main course. I had the Robata (a type of way to bbq a piece of meat) the Robata came with 6 or 7 different kind of meat. I forgot which ones they were but i really really enjoyed the flavor each one had. There is this smokeyness taste to it. The pork belly one especially melted in my mouth.
We also got the sushi sampler which consisted of 7 different fishes with a side order of the spicy tuna roll. Each sushi was very fresh, and the rice they use was sweet so it was good. But it seemed to taste like any other sushi place.
I will definetly come back here and try their regular menu

The food is beyond amazing, but it takes ages to bring your food on the table!
Their sushi rolls was so so so delicious, so were their main foods and sashimis.

I was struggling with choosing ⁴⁄₅ star for this review.
We came to celebrate our 5^th anniversary, I reserved a table 3 days ahead for Saturday 9:30pm. I get there on 9:28 (my first time) and I see a f**** jungle in front of me, I waited, standing, an hour to get a table when every body are going crazy, it felt like AVALON! The host was horrible, couldn’t take control and no body got his reservation on time. To the good part, the alcohol was great, the food was amazing and the service we got from our Waiter was unbelievable, Thank you Sam I’ll be back!

The ambiance is really great here! With its super hip location on the sunset strip it’s a must for anyone visiting LA. The food is great! We went here on a Thursday night for my birthday and we order:
Spicy tuna rice cakes (so amazing!!)
Albacore sashimi with crispy rice (they melt in your mouth)
Yellowtail Serrano sashimi (very delicious)
Spicy tuna tempura roll (ehh bit that best)
The chocolate volcano cake was delicious!
The only reason I am giving katana 4 stars is because of the service. Our waiter hardly came by our table. He was no where to be seen so trying to put an order in was a struggle.

My favorite place! I can’t stop! I lot of delicious seafood, fish, sushi, sashimi! Nice and friendly service!

I expected all hype and no delivery but this was def a winner winner dinner.
Drinks:
Meh. Had some punch thing and then switched to vodka soda because this is clearly not a cocktail bar.
Foods:
Grill — yes.
Sides — yes.
Raw — Yes.
Everything was fresh and tons of flavor. A super welcome surprise.
End notes:
If I was 24 and lived in LA — this is where I would make all my friends take me for my birthday dinner. Good food and adult enough but with a little bit of that feeling like you are faking it still.

If you find yourself on the Sunset Strip and are in the mood for a great Japanese spot, Katana is a great spot to dine. Most people come here to check out the beautiful people while immersing in some fantastic Japanese cuisine consisting of grilled meats and veggies grilled on a stick. I am not sure whether it is the grill or the marinade on the food, but you can taste the bbq charcoal flavor as you take each bite.
There is valet parking downstairs for $ 10. For the Strip, that’s quite a bargain for parking. Katana is a great place to take in the Hollywood atmosphere and enjoy some wonderful food.

Had an excellent early New Year’s Dinner here with my honey. It was Thursday, Dec. 30^th and I couldn’t believe how busy it got late in the evening here! Figured everyone would be waiting for the bigger night.
We chose the pre-​fixe menu for $ 50 each which we found to be filling and very well priced for the quality. The plates were brought out one at a time so we were able to enjoy about 5 courses. «The truffle mashed potatoes are topped with pan-​fried Japanese scallops and yuzu gravy» –Food Network. So good! This was served as a little taster, but I would order it as the full meal they offer. Also loved the seared albacore sashimi and the lobster roll. The sushi was great as well. From the Robata Bar, my boyfriend loved the beef. I found the chicken and cooked salmon skewers a little dry and bland.
Service was great. Every time we finished a plate it was immediately replaced, and our own plates were refreshed regularly. Katana is a fun place to try for a nice occasion.

This place is wonderful! We were here on a Saturday night a few weeks ago and loved it. It was a 7:30pm reservation and we got seated promptly inside. FYI the scene is outside with heat lamps all around and a DJ spinning music. I did hear the waitress say that they are strict on the timing of outside reservations where people are allowed 2 hours max for the outside part. Noted for my next visit.
We started with some aggressive specialty cocktails which I cannot recall the names. My friend got a really sweet, fruity one and I got a tart one. Barely finished those drinks and then moved on to an excellent bottle of Pinot noir.
The first dish ordered was the edamame. Then we got the Maguro Carpaccio which was amazing blend of tuna, truffle oil, and avocado. My favorite dish of the night. Then the steak wrapped asparagus on skewers arrived which was one of the tastiest, most inventive foods I have ever tried. Next the Hanabi was ordered which was tasty, spicy tuna on crispy rice… another fun, inventive food choice. Next we got the white lotus sushi roll which was one of the best sushi rolls I ever had. The crispy texture of the rock shrimp and onions along with the tuna, avocado, asparagus, and truffle soy flavors were amazing. I was stuffed.
Of course, my friend wanted dessert. Twist my arm :) So we enjoyed the chocolate volcano cake which takes about 15 minutes to prepare. Decadent and delicious though we only ate about, half since we were getting full.
Our waitress Laura was super sweet, knowledgable, and attentive. All her food recommendations and great service made this a memorable dining experience.

What a place !! Not only the food is amazing the energy was great!
You have to get a reservation cause the vibes on the outside tables are amazing.
I had the sea bass & the whole fish !! In one word — delicious !!! Omg they have the best cold sake everrrrrrrr!
Anyway if you’re in LA it’s definitely a must!
Cheers !

HONESTLY PLEASE READ:
I am so sadden by the experience I had today at this restaurant, I have never in my life been treated the way I was at this place, by the staff, the waitress was the biggest asshole I’ve ever experience in my life, from not taking out order right, treating my blind friend like an idiot, and not letting us leave the restaurant until she counted the money before we left making us feel like criminals and finally not letting us leave the premises until we tipped her more. What was even worse is that we talked to another asshole who I think was the manager and he said «Well maybe you shouldn’t be moving stuff to accommodate your guest». SERIOUSLY this isn’t a restaurant I would recommend my worse enemy. I hope you make a wise decision by not entering this place. It was HORRIBLE!!!

Beautiful place with a very nice ambiance, and prime location right on Sunset blvd. I have eaten here a few times but I don’t seem to get TOO crazy about anything I eat here. It’s pretty over priced and the food is just above average. The portions are also not that big compared to the price you are paying for it. I am not a fan on the sushi at all, but I love their whole deep fried fish and this mushroom plate appetizer that they have. It is definitely a good place to bring someone on a date, as I said before the environment is very romantic.
The service is great as well. The waiters are very nice and come often to check up on you to make sure you have everything you need. Overall, a great place to come to once in a while.

The real birthday dinner of the trip! The restaurant wasn’t planned out so we weren’t as dressed up as everyone else.
The ambiance inside was very romantic and dark. The hostess wasn’t that friendly, but the waitress was phenomenal. She was very sweet, attentive, and very helpful when it came to food and drinks.
Katana doesn’t have a menu I can actually look up, so I can’t remember what we ordered, but I can describe them. We also didn’t order much because we weren’t that hungry, but it was a great expensive snack I had. (:
–Scallops w/​Fried Onions on Truffled Mashed Potatoes (⁴⁄₅) It tastes exactly how it sounds. A bed of mashed potatoes, which I did not taste the truffle whatsoever topped with seared scallop topped with fried onions. It was pretty good, but I just wish I tasted the truffle. Scallop was cooked perfectly, not overly cooked and the mashed potatoes weren’t bland. Came in 3 pieces.
–Wrapped Yellowtail topped w/​Foie Gras (⁴⁄₅) Fish was great, along with the sauce. Topped it off with foie gras which was pretty small to even taste it anything. Very small dish came in 3 pieces as well.
–Skewer (wagyu beef, lobster, onion, and asparagus) (⁴⁄₅) The meat was a bit tough and flavorless, but the lobster was super good! It was nicely marinated with truffle galore! The onions and asparagus went well with the combination.
–Hotate Nigiri (⁴⁄₅) Super fresh scallop, nicely cut into a thick piece. I asked for spicy scallop and they basically put sriracha across the sushi piece. I probably wouldn’t get it with sriracha next time, its too basic.
I wasn’t super impressed, but I would like to come back and actually try the other dishes and the rolls next time, so far so good!

Ambiance/​Décor: Dark & romantic inside. Outdoor seating with heat lamps available in patio area.
Service: Waitress was friendly and helpful when it came to deciding on what to order. But a little forgetful and we had to repeatedly ask for a few things.
Food: Ordered a variety of dishes ranging from OK to good. Nothing special and definitely expected better. For the price we paid, I would have preferred Sugarfish or Nobu instead.
Overall not impressed and probably would not choose to come back.

A trek by Über to reach this famous landmark building on the Strip, that gained notoriety during the 1^st ½ of the 1900’s as a famous brothel (aka House of Francis). Those must have been the days, as to our chagrin, the locale is now a bit of a tacky-​chic tourist spot.
Katana feels a bit tired & worn but cool when you enter the space. The sushi bar /​counter is a good spot to watch the 15 or so crew cutting and cooking away.
Our sushi was fresh and delish, for the most part, but very pricey indeed. The starter portions were slivers and at $ 36 for 6 very thinly sliced itty bitty portions of toro, I wish I’d gone elsewhere. The robata choices — a mixed review (stick with fish — cod, salmon & shrimp vs hard and chewy meat and chicken). The display though, was very appetising and inviting. Nice service, extensive sake list; albeit, pricey… and we are very-​very far from being cheapos.
The place is lively but verrrry touristy and the crowd a bit reminiscent of a combo of a trio: Jersey Shore, Housewives of Somewhere in Mid-​West USA and Chuck E Cheese family groups.
I think this place may have had its day and I don’t think I really fancy another visit /​/​too many other great spots in L.A. to choose from, no doubt…

I struggled between being generous and giving 3 stars and rounding down to 2, but i had to go with the latter and here’s why. Let me preface this review by saying I am no stranger to paying high prices for more ritzy dinners having dined in NYC many a time throughout my life. That being said, if I’m paying the high prices, I want to feel like it lived up to the expectation on all fronts. The experience, the service, and of course the food and drink. Katana simply did not deliver for me and in the end I felt like I got ripped off and was not happy about it. Ya live and learn.
My girlfriends and I checked in for our 7:30 reservation on time and were asked by the hostess before being seated «the next table is coming in at 9:30, does that give you enough time?» Really? I have to have a time limit set on my dining experience on a Thursday night when the place is not even remotely busy? Strike one.
The service was fine. Our model type waitress was nice enough and prompt with her service. Nothing exceptional, but nothing negative to say either.
The food was just what really underwhelmed me. I’ve had such excellent sushi elsewhere for considerably less. Yes, I get it, it’s in west hollywood so you have to expect you’re going to get charged handsomely, but I also expect to be really impressed too. Which, I was not. The green beans were super salty and the edemame was edemame. Borderline cold by the time it got to us. The salmon appetizer with truffle oil was yummy and worth noting. The specialty rolls were pretty small for the prices and nothing mindblowing.
The ambiance was nice, as were the heat lamps outside that we sat under. that being said, when the bill came and i was still borderline hungry, i was displeased to say the least. All that money and hardly a drop of satisfaction? Meh. I’d skip this place next time.

Decided to have my birthday dinner here because of the high ratings, and this restaurant has been on Sunset for so long. It must be good enough to attract so many dining patrons over the years.
We got a big table in the center of the main dining room, I know so many ppl like patio area but I prefer inside really, it’s not like there is much to see on Sunset strip these days. Brought our own Perrier, had a Goose vodka Moscow mule too, it was very tasty and strong, great pour. Bottle of sparkling water as always. It’s better to order bottle water because of the water shortage in California!
Menu is definitely Asian fusion /​Japanese food, along with traditional Japanese grill Robata-​yaki, HUGE menu, lots to choose from. I recommend look at the specials first, the dishes are more creative and interesting.
Starters:
Shishito peppers with dry fish flakes on top: I just love Shishito pepers, this one was so flavorful and yummy.
Special Toro & Spanish Mackerel sashimi: I suppose the Toro is sustainable at restaurants nowadays right? I am not a fan of Toro anyways but hubby loves it. Raw fish was very fresh and tasty.
Premium uni sushi: it was so good, one of the freshest sea urchin I have ever tasted!
Lobster medallion, lobster sashimi with truffle oil: OhMy, a MUST try, just order it!
Robata-​yaki:
Miso marinated cod: very well marinated and so tender, loved it.
Pork belly: hubby said it was so flavorful and melted in his mouth.
Chicken heart and some beef: tender and yummy according to hubby.
Sushi rolls:
Spicy tuna jalapeño roll, Crab and avocado topped with eel: huge rolls with generous amount of stuffings, very thin rice outside, they were very delicious.
Noodle:
Spicy chicken udon soup: hubby only wanted the soup, a little spicy with nice flavors, he loved it.
Birthday dessert with firework candle show:
It was FANTASTIC! I’v never seen a candle worked like firework before, a little scary but so much fun! The mini soufflé was very tasty too.
A lot of food for my birthday, everything was so delicious, service was one of the best, birthday dessert was definitely the very best!
Katana worked for us, BIG time! Did I mention that I loved their other sister restaurants too? Sushi Roku and BOA are great places too!
Ps. Valet, $ 10 first 3 hours, $ 20 after that. Don’t move the car if you plan a night out on Sunset.
Birthday dessert is NOT free, they will tell you in advance though.

Katana is delicious.
The menu is not only sushi, its more of a super power Asian fusion menu.
(Wow, that’ a mouth full. Did I just create my own genre of Asian cuisine?)
Here’s what we ordered:
filet mignon asparagus wraps, crab rolls, eggplant with Buk choy, and spicy peppers.
We were NOT disappointed.
The food was a solid 5 Stars!
The ambiance was quite delightful itself.
The inside seems to be a lot more mellow, and dark. Perhaps a good spot for a sweet first date, or schmoozing with clients.
My girlfriend and I were seated outside facing The House of Blues underneath two heated gas lamps. The weather was great and so was the setup.
To be fair this restaurant deserves five stars but minus two stars for the service provided.
Our blonde server wasn’t necessarily the nicest of the batch. She may have had a bad day but her behavior threw us off quite a bit.. . Definitely enough to take two stars from dining experience. We still tipped her well hoping it would brighten her mood, I guess only time will tell when we see her next time.
So there you have it Unilocalers– good food, nice ambiance, bad service. Will I go back? Heck yes I will! Just hoping for better service. Get on it Katana! I like your food =)
Here’s to good eats and great days Unilocalers! Cheers*