Cafe Sushi

Doesn't Recommend

unclepedro

Joined 6 years ago

worst sushi i've ever eaten in a restaurant. My wife and I love sushi but I promise we are not sushi snobs... we've eaten at some of the top places in LA, but almost every week I also eat sushi from grocery stores and even the engineering cafe (convenience store) at UCLA (Kikka bento boxes delivered daily). I'm also not name-dropping any restaurants because that's not the point. We're not connected to any sushi or restaurant business, we're grad students. And we didn't come in here expecting anything - we were walk ins from the street.

We're kind of traditionalists, so we ordered nigiri (salmon, tuna, spanish mackerel, and yellowtail), a wild red salmon roll, miso, and hot sake. The sake and miso tasted watered down. (We know hot sake is not the best quality, but it shouldn't taste bad.) The salmon was barely edible. Then I had a piece of the tuna, which had that "hot pink foam rubber" look to it. It had such a bad, fishy aftertaste, I honestly felt sick. Then my wife tried the mackerel and literally could not swallow it. Mackerel has a strong flavor -- we know -- we eat it all the time. The yellowtail was slimy and off... like, if sushi fish could taste stale, that's what it tasted like to me. By this point we were both actually feeling pretty ill.

The wild red salmon roll was OK. I ate three of the pieces and a lot of ginger just to clean my mouth.

I have never sent food back at a restaurant, but if just one or two of the things had been obviously "off", we would have asked for something else. But almost everything was so unappetizing we just paid the bill and left ASAP. I felt bad because there was obviously a lot of food left.

The staff was all very friendly, and there were a lot of people there having a good time (and a lot of positive reviews here), so maybe we just got unlucky... but it was truly bad.

Recommends

jericsmall

Joined 7 years ago

Cozy, with good standard rolls. Stopped in for a quick lunch and was greeted and seated immediately on a Saturday afternoon. Got a seat by the window at the end of the bar, which was pretty quiet and private. I had the standard spicy tuna roll and a chicken teriyaki rolls, while my friend had a chicken teriyaki plate. The rolls tasted good though they were a bit warm and the teriyaki rolls were a bit loose. The price was average.

Recommends

grendlekitty

Joined 6 years ago

Amazing food, casual atmosphere. Probably the best sushi in town, eating there can get pricy but it's completely worth it. I've never eaten anything there I don't like. Order the crazy milky sake, spicy tuna on crispy rice cake, the double shrimp roll Iroha style, the seared tuna with crispy red onions, and anything else on the menu really...

Recommends

hiella

Joined 6 years ago

Delicious sushi, on par with Nobu in NYC. This is some of the best sushi I have ever had... really very delicious and fresh. They had a large selection of specialty rolls, some creative, some good old favorites. The baked cod, though, is really the highlight and not that expensive. It has a slightly sweet taste and really melts in oyur mouth. The service was great, very attentive, and free of the typical Los Angeles attitude that you can experience in many restaurants. The ambience is very nice and with a group of girls, we had a great time. Definitely try this place and make sure to order the baked cod... you won't be disappointed!

Recommends

agalstia

Joined 7 years ago

EXCELLENT SUSHI!. Cafe Sushi had amazing sushi, comparable to that of Katsu-ya and Katana. Although pretty casual, the originality of the sushi entrees combined with the freshness of the ingredients made us love Cafe Sushi. The service was attentive, although you must valet park since self-parking is not available on the side streets (need permit). I would definitely recommend Cafe Sushi, as their dishes were innovative and delicious. A must-try!!

Recommends

darreneminian

Joined 6 years ago

Best sushi in L.A. after 12 years of dozens of sushi experiences. Don't let anyone tell you this place is not great, my wife & I have eaten here ove 100 times over the past 12 years and every time we leave saying that was the best sushi period. The fish is always extremely fresh, the chefs are talented, service is reliable and friendly, but it is their unique rolls and wide variety of original entrees that is impressive.

We have tried dozens of sushi venues and everytime Cafe Sushi reigns supreme as the benchmark to which all the others so far look up to. This is not a dicsount or all you can eat place, it has a fun and friendly atmosphere, but once your food arrives you are going to heaven. Everyone we have taken here all agreed after eating that this is hands down the best sushi they have every had. Try the Deacon Roll, Special #3 Roll, Shrimp Tempura Roll (no one's is as clean and light!), the ForestFire Roll, and the Catepillar Roll (again no one makes it as clean and perfectly balanced). Enjoy, get spoiled!!

Doesn't Recommend

lilach1528

Joined 7 years ago

Be careful!. Check your credit card statement to see if they have charged you the right amount. I went in and they overcharged my total price. If I hadn't checked my bill, they would have gotten away with taking my money. Don't go if you want to lose your money.

Recommends

butanehi

Joined 7 years ago

Try the "WARM" chocolate cake. If you only eat one chocolate cake in your life, eat this one.

Recommends

TheKittyKat

Joined 10 years ago

Too authentic for Beverly Hills. I am a very experienced sushi eater and I must say that this place is almost too good to be true. The fish always tastes fresh and delicious, and the service is great. The astonishing factor is that the place is in Beverly Hills- about a mile from Matsuhisa, which charges almost double what you pay for at Cafe Sushi and doesn't taste nearly as good.