R-23 Japanese Cuisine and Art Gallery

05/29/09

Interesting venue, good food.

by losangelessake

Once you are inside R-23 it's a nice venue, but the ambiance outside leaves a bit to be desired--it's in an industrial complex in what used to be railroad warehouses. This probably isn't an issue on a busy night with lots of other diners, but when we went late night the entire area was deserted and doesn't exactly inspire confidence walking from your car.

Having said that though, R-23 does offer some very tasty food and sake. We'll definitely go back there and give it another go.

• Pros: Nice venue, generally good food
• Cons: Not in a very nice area

12/23/08

Best sushi in Downtown LA. Hard to find but well worth it once you do!

by lasdbest

We went there for the first time on Friday, December 20th. My wife and I were so pleased with the service and food. We first thought to keep this little place a secret from all our friends. We wanted to surprise them all for each of their b-days and bring them there ourselves. But we decided to to be selfish. WE LOVE IT and would recommend it to those who are serious about their sushi :) Love it!

• Pros: Great place
• Cons: Hard to find

08/23/08

Great date place, awesome dining experience

by MikeD2008

This is one of my favorite restaurants, period. It's fantastic for a date, as it's very much out of the way but very classy and high-quality. I've also had business lunches and dinners here, and taken out-of-town guests here. The decor just oozes coolness without feeling pretentious at all. The sushi chefs are all the real deal and know what they're doing. I equally enjoy sitting at the counter or at a table, each has its own benefits. Their cooked dishes are great, as is their yellowtail carpaccio. It's not cheap, but for a special occasion or a date, it's definitely worth it. MAKE SURE you make a reservation, it's always packed.

• Pros: Amazing sushi, authentic and knowledgeable staff, excellent service
• Cons: Must have a reservation, not walking distance to anything

03/27/08

Great sushi in hard to find olace

by ktron

Love the atmosphere and the food. Make sure you try the crab salad as it is out of this world. If you can find it that is ;-)

11/02/07

Great sushi for the loft crowd

by famousblueraincoat

This is what downtown, loft-living, hip artist space with great sushi should be. I've been here a few times over the past five years, and I've been really impressed each one. This is one of my favorite spots to take out-of-towners who say LA isn't a real city and there's nothing really "cool" about our city. They do really nice, fresh sushi, but they are probably better known for specialty dishes from the kitchen liked crab salad, pine mushroom soup and lobster tempura. The wine list is impressive as well, with selections that were selected to actually pair with the food. The art on the walls is cool, the staff friendly and then there's the famous Gehry cardboard-looking chairs! It's kind of hard to find, down a small street off East Third, but that's part of the charm. They have a valet now.

• Pros: funky location and design, great food, nice wine list
• Cons: neighborhood still coming up, valet parking only now

10/27/07

Try the fresh water eel and the non-sushi items.

by chudjr

Let's see, we ordered steak with ponzu sauce, soft shell crab, black cod, and 26 pieces of sushi for $116.

Make sure you ask the prices on the items without prices. The lobster tempura was $55 so we passed.

The fresh water eel is some of the best around. The other sushi is very good, maybe not the best in LA, but definitely excellent.

Yup, the location is not the best, but I have been coming here for years and have not had any problems.

04/27/07

Fresh but not Spectacular Sashimi--Awesome Fusion-ish Cooked Japanese Food!

by tommygrl1327

I've been a semi-regular here for several years. Yes, it is overpriced and yes the sashimi and sushi is fresh, but not spectacular, but it's still worth going. I especially enjoy the cooked kitchen food, which is less Japanese and more fusion--there is beautiful presentation AND it is something special and out of the ordinary. I've never had a problem with the service--even when I went with a friend and clearly we were "out-of-towners" and non-LA people at that point. They've always been quite friendly and helpful--the owner once even came out to greet a party I had there and chatted up our table! So it's worth going if you've got the bucks to fund your sushi craving here! :-D

• Pros: Fresh sashimi, and awesome cooked kitchen food
• Cons: Overpriced!

02/18/07

Beautiful place, expensive sushi

by ritzk

sushi is good and fresh but all the food seems overpriced for what you get, and not outstanding. We asked for omakase but they didn't really seem to understand what we wanted. The kitchen dishes are beautifully presented. The restaurant has a beautiful interior. But not the best sushi in LA.

• Pros: beautiful place and food
• Cons: too expensive

02/16/07

Best Japanese food in LA hands-down

by dpnu35

The tempura was delectable (even though our waiter initially told us that they would not serve my vegetarian girlfriend a veggie only version. After several pleas, the manager helped us out). Beware that even the few dishes marked "veggie" contain fish stock. If you are fine with that, then you will love this place! I sure did. The rolls were excellent and the dishes were extremely tasty. Even the wasabi was particularly potent!

• Pros: Amazing food, cool chairs/atmos.
• Cons: The wait staff were hesitant to make alterations to their menu even to fit dietary needs

12/22/06

Awesome Sushi, spooky alley

by soondubu

I first visited R-23 four years ago and was amazed. I've been back regularly since then and love it every time. I think i've covered practically all the items on the chef's menu, from the dungeoness crab salad, lobster tempura, fried sawa crabs, even to the ginko nuts(yum). We go primarily for the sushi, which are fresh, and of generous cuts... even the finicky uni is unfailingly fresh. The gallery is attached next door, and i didn't even know about it until one friday night when we showed up without reservations and we were seated out back amidst the artwork. It was a private gallery style dinner.

• Pros: great food, ambience, furniture
• Cons: scary alley, limited seating