There are over 2,000 Japanese restaurants in Los Angeles County, the San Fernando Valley being the area with the most Japanese restaurants in the US.
If you drive around the Valley, you’re bound to find at least one Japanese restaurant in every strip mall.
After all, Japanese food first made its way to the US through Los Angeles.
Today, we’re going to talk about Sugarfish, LA’s most famous sushi chain. For those who don’t know, Sugarfish has a very loyal cult following in Los Angeles.
Here’s the backstory:
The sushi chef’s eponymous restaurant Kazunori Nozawa had been on a strip in Studio City for over 15 years, attracting some of the most renowned celebrities. Actress Charlize Theron was scorned by Kazunori because apparently, she made way too many requests on how the fish should be served. Nonetheless, she kept going back.
In 2007, Kazunori, his longtime friend Jerry Greenberg, and four more business partners, founded Sushi Nozawa Group. The first location opened in Marina del Rey in 2008. In 2016, Sugarfish opened their first location in New York City, causing a buzz among New Yorkers and drawing hour-long waits. Today, there are four locations in NYC. With 11 locations in Los Angeles, there’s no doubt that we’re very spoiled. In January 2023, it was announced that Sugarfish will be expanding into Orange County.
In the last five months, I’ve had the chance to dine at most of the Sugarfish locations: Marina del Rey, Manhattan Beach, Hollywood, La Brea and Studio City. Before the pandemic I went to the Pasadena location, and I had been to the Calabasas location many years ago.
All the locations are in high socioeconomic areas and they have the same streamlined approach. They’re not big and the aesthetic is dark. There are a few chairs inside where guests can lounge around while they wait. Most LA Japanese restaurants that pride themselves on offering a true sushi experience have a sushi chef behind the counter. At Sugarfish, behind the counters it’s just an empty space where waiters store the plates and grab their orders from the kitchen.
At some of the locations I’ve been, their wait time could be up to an hour. There are no reservations, and it’s first come, first served. “There are nine parties ahead of you,” said the host at the Marina del Rey location. Going to different locations also allowed me to see the different fashion choices in the LA area. In Marina del Rey and Manhattan Beach, it was very common to see people dressed down in sweatpants, cozy sweatshirts and Birkenstocks with socks. At the Hollywood location, people were more dressed up.
With the amount of Japanese restaurants in Los Angeles, what is it about Sugarfish that other restaurants do not have?
There are other Japanese restaurants that are known among the elite, like Sushi Park, located in an unassuming strip mall on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood. A quick Google search will let you in on the celebrities that love frequenting the place: Hailey and Justin Bieber, Jeff Bezos, Charlize Theron, Beyonce and Jay-Z… the list goes on and on.
A few celebrities that are fans of Sugarfish are TV host Conan O’Brien and actress Charlize Theron. Hilary Duff, who was my childhood idol, has professed her love of Sugarfish many times. She even mentioned that she craved it all the time after she gave birth to her third child in 2021.It was reported on DeuxMoi that actress Megan Fox walked into the Calabasas location, but, apparently, she walked away because there was an hour and a half wait. Also, according to DeuxMoi, TV host Conan O’Brien is always spotted at the Brentwood location.Given the success of Kazunori’s original restaurant in Studio City, it’s no surprise that Sugarfish has a cult following among celebrities.
Kristin Cavallari is a very well-known TV personality, fashion entrepreneur and author. She was recently featured on the Harper’s BAZAAR “What I Eat In A Day” series. She splits her time between LA and Nashville. On the episode, she said that Nashville doesn’t have great sushi, and that whenever she arrives to LA, the first thing she always gets is Sugarfish.
So, why would people that could easily afford an authentic Japanese food experience in LA go to Sugarfish over and over again? After going to these locations and getting a feel for the atmosphere and the food, I narrowed it down to two reasons: the great price point and their warm signature rice. The latter, combined with the cold fish, make for a unique combination that tantalized my taste buds every time I went. Although I don’t think wealthy celebrities go to Sugarfish specifically for the great price point, it is one of the biggest draws for the general public.
An authentic Japanese restaurant in LA would blow Sugarfish out of the water, starting with the presentation. The nirigi slices at Sugarfish are very sloppy, and flavor-wise, some fish are a hit or miss for me. For example, I love their toro, salmon, albacore belly and crab.
However, I can’t get into the tuna, albacore and tuna sashimi. In most places, the sashimi is served on its own, without the sauce. At Sugarfish, the tuna sashimi is coated with their ponzu sauce, which flavor-wise, I find way too overpowering. Later, I found out that they also have the option to serve the tuna sashimi without the ponzu sauce, so I ordered it one time. But it was worse! The texture was mushy and the flavor was too fishy. Next time, I’ll make sure to definitely order it with the sauce. A few times, while I was dining at the bar, I heard people raving about it… Different strokes for different folks!
The sashimi is included on all their prix fixe menus. If you don’t like the tuna sashimi, you have the option to swap it for the salmon sashimi.
Although the tuna sashimi is a pass for me, their unique rice and crispy seaweed are by far their strongest suits that position Sugarfish above the average sushi joint in an LA strip mall.
Before this post went live, I went to the Marina del Rey location straight after work and had an early dinner. I sat at the bar, next to a guy who had brought his luggage and was on his way to LAX. “I hope you’re in for a treat because this is absolutely fantastic”, he said to me. As he was leaving, the waitress wished him a safe flight. Then, she asked a girl, who was in a business suit, “Will that be everything for you?” She replied, “Ugh, It was amazing. I wish I could eat everything on the menu. It’s so good!”
In this video, founder Kazunori, his son, Tom Nozawa and co-founder Jerry, talk about the huge role the rice plays at Sugarfish.
Tom: “Every time you put a nigiri or roll into your mouth, you’re going to have 50 or 60 % of that dish in the rice. The warm loosely packed rice is a signature of my dad’s style sushi. He wanted to serve rice that was as fresh as possible: warm, fluffy, great separation with good seasoning of the vinegar. When all those elements come together and are served with various fishes, people will have a great experience.”
Kazunori said that when he lived in Japan, he didn’t have any air conditioning or heater. He recalled eating sushi in the midwinter with the cold fish and cold, untasty rice. As a rice lover myself, I can tell you that you will not find that exact vinegar rice in other places.
The first thing that struck me about Sugarfish was the fish order limit. If you love salmon nigiri as much as I do, it’s kind of a bummer because you’re only able to have three orders, which is six pieces. At all the locations I went to, the servers told me that this is to ensure that the salmon doesn’t run out given the extremely high demand at each restaurant.
Price-wise, my total was usually between $50 and $60, which is not that much higher than other sushi places — and I was fully satisfied.
When you sit down, besides the regular menu, you’ll also be given another menu with their omakase and daily specials. Surprisingly, everything is at an affordable price. Before I wrote this post, I always wondered how people that went to Sugarfish in large groups were able to eat enough food and not leave hungry. That’s because they order one of their four prix fixe menus.
The “Trust Me” special goes back to Kazunori’s omakase at the Studio City location, where guests would leave it up to him to choose what to eat. Depending on how many pieces you want, their menus range between $22 and $39. Their “Don’t Think, Just Eat” menu has a wider fish selection and is $59. Compared to other Japanese places, the price-quality ratio surpasses the average sushi joint.
I asked the waiter which one was their most popular. He pointed to the “Nozawa Trust Me” and “Trust Me” and said both were equally popular. The quantity of fish, he said, is bigger in the “Nozawa Trust Me”. It all depends on how hungry you are.
I usually order a la carte. My go-to order at Sugarfish is: three orders of salmon nigiri, a split hand-cut roll of salmon and toro, and either a handroll, or another sushi order of a different fish. However, in order to get the full Sugarfish experience, ordering one of the menus is a must! I decided to go with the “Nozawa Trust Me”. Once I let the waiter know, he pulled out Sugarfish’s ubiquitous edamame.
My favorite fish was the salmon and the toro. But I liked venturing out of my comfort zone and trying out other fish, like the crab and the yellowtail. Once they’re done giving you the dishes, the waiter will let you know.
I really enjoyed the “Trust Me” eating experience and was able to finally find out why this was one of their most popular orders.
Another thing I have to add is that whenever I sat at the bar, there were other solo diners who were either watching a TV show on their phones or reading on their iPads. Just like in Japan.
As a sushi lover, would I prefer going to Sushi Gen in DTLA or Go’s Mart in the Valley? Absolutely, but given the steeper prices, those are rare occasions. If you compare the impressive cuts of fish and the presentation from those places to Sugarfish, the latter is somewhat laughable. In the first two places, they pull out the fish from the display case and cut it right in front of you. However, the salmon nigiri at those places is $6 and you only get one piece instead of two pieces…
At Go’s Mart, the sushi chef was born and raised in Japan, and the omakase is said to be one of the best in Los Angeles. But, be prepared to shell out at least $100 minimum.
It’s interesting that at Sugarfish, the fish is either drenched in their ponzu sauce, served with their vinegar rice, or their seaweed. You’ll never get to taste the fish on its own and appreciate its nuances, as you would at another high-end Japanese restaurant.
Most people aren’t looking to spend an arm and a leg for an authentic Japanese dining experience, which abound in LA anyway. They just want good sushi at a reasonable price. And Sugarfish checks that box.
The service at all the locations is consistently good. You also don’t have to worry about tipping because there’s already a 16% fee added to your bill. On the website, it states that this is not a gratuity or tip, but a mandatory state law fee.
About a week after I went to Sugarfish, I went to a random sushi joint in the Valley that I haphazardly picked. The seaweed in the rolls was average, the rice was cold and the fish, although the cuts were more generous, were also forgettable. At Sugarfish, although the standard nigiri fish doesn’t have that buttery texture in contrast to places like Sushi Gen or Go Mart, the warm signature rice makes up for it. Also, the seaweed they use is harvested in Japan, hence the stellar quality of it.
A few days before this post went live, I was casually driving through Atwater Village, and I noticed a restaurant with no name, only the number signage. Inside, people were formally dressed. I pulled up and looked up the address on my phone. The restaurant is a Michelin-star sushi bar called Morihiro. For $400, you can sit at the bar and be personally served by chef Morihiro himself, who’s one of the biggest names in the sushi scene. Do you want to sit at the table instead? Then it’s down to $250 per person. That’s the great thing about LA — so many options for different budgets!!
Overall, if you’re looking to have an LA sushi experience, you have to try Sugarfish at least once! If you do, I highly recommend eating at the bar, where you’ll be able to feel the temperature of the rice right after it’s made. I also recommend ordering one of their hand rolls to taste the amazing quality of the seaweed. I don’t recommend getting Sugarfish for takeout. The first time I had it was with their famous takeout box, but it didn’t make a lasting impression on me. Not only do they take a while to prepare the takeout orders (especially if you’re ordering through Postmates), but the rice is cold by the time you eat it.The presentation of the boxes is very nice, but the eating experience is vastly different from eating at the restaurant. However, these are extremely popular and at one point, they flooded my Instagram feed.
If you happen to love Sugarfish’s seaweed as much as I do, then their sister restaurant, KazuNori is another place you should add to your list. I wrote about it here.
Sugarfish: Website and Instagram
LA Locations: Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Calabasas, Downtown LA, Hollywood, La Brea (Miracle Mile), Manhattan Beach, Marina del Rey, Pasadena, Santa Monica, Studio City.
