Reviews & Ratings for Sushi Sasabune

Best Sushi in Town

by markmoran70

The best place I ate in. sit at the sushi bar

Best Salmon Sushi

by SupraTT

They have the best salmon sushi I have ever tried. It is even better than the sushi I had in Tokyo. The place is never packed so reservations are not needed unless you want to sit at the sushi bar (requires you order the set menu).

I have tried their lunch, but in my opinion ordering off the menu is better.

Welcome ! Sit down, eat fast, pay and leave please... :(

by JdFievet

My wife and I recently started to try out other sushi places than our regular one (Kiriko, that is) and try to find a place we like as much. Tonight we were hesitating between suzhi Zo and Sasabune. Both had good reviews as far as the food, but wedecided to give the latter one a try, mostly because of the huge amount of bad reviews toward the unfriendly service and rudeness at Zo.

We were aware of the "no california rolls, tempura, or teriyaki" policy, and we didn't mind so much. Actually, we kind of agree with that. Good sushi deserves respect, and it's kind of stupid for us to mix a good cut of fish with avocado, cream cheese, mayo, and what not. We like the real thing.

The sushi bar is omakase only, which we didn't mind, as it's our favorite way to discover a japanese restaurant. When we arrived and sat down, it was only a matter of seconds before we had our first plate. We didn't even have time to order drinks, and had to work hard in order to get the waitress's attention so that we could ask her for the sake list.

We soon felt like we were in a factory, more than a restaurant. Some kind of upscale fast "quality" food, which we didn't like so much. All the fish is already pre-cut, which for me is a big no-no. the sushi guys behind the bar just work in an assembly line, one guy molding the rice ball and sometimes (but not always) assembling the sushi, some other guy topping it with sauce or scallions and whatnot, another one tending to the "grilled" cuts. They were all very nice, but in a constant rush, and it felt like they couldn't really practice their art in good conditions. As SOON as we were done with a serving of sushi, the not-so-smily waitress would get the empty plates off the table, and we would be handed a new serving within the next 20 seconds. We couldn't even take the time to enjoy the after taste of each bite. Towards the end of the meal, we had to ask the sushi man for a break, just for the sake of being able to make conversation.I would have somehow understood if the restaurant was packed, but it was not.

Now, for the sushi itself : Don't get me wrong, every fish we tasted was of exceptionnal quality. Very fresh, melt in the mouth, all that you can expect for the price. BUT !!! I had not one (which could be almost forgivable), but TWO BITS OF BONE in my fish. Hey, that's what you get when you cut all the fish in advance ! I also got a bit of hard and crunchy stuff in my uni - probably a piece of shell ?

when we told the sushi man that we were full, we soon got handed the check, without even being asked if we wanted to look at the desserts menu (which looked really good, from what we saw at other tables).

We had about 10 piece each (can't remember exactly) and 3 big glasses of very decent sake, all for under $100 per person w/o tip.

To sum it all up, I think Sasabune has the good fish, but should REALLY work on taking care of their clients.

A simple smile and nice attitude from the waitresses would be a good start, as well as making their patrons feel more welcomed and not so much "sit down, eat fast, here's your check now get out".

I'm not the type of rude and obnoxious patron who's going to give a terrible review to a restaurant because he had to wait more than 5 minutes for a water refill, I'm usually quite tolerant and forgiving. But I must say that I had a mediocre experience at Sasabune.

Soooooooooooo overated, had no good experience

by niceandcute

Went there with my boyfriend on a Friday night. I made reservation ahead. But still got a bad spot. Maybe it's just they are too popular so they are running out of nice spots. Each customer must order at least 4 items. Food is good, but it's not beyond my expectation. IAnd each came in a tiny portion, only 2pcs for each order. And there's nothing other than sushi on the menu which means my boyfriend and I have spend more than $50 on sushi and still feel starving. And the waiters are not friendly.

• Pros: food is ok
• Cons: overated, bad service, expensive

Good food

by vivaciousdivah

Little Tokyo has the bomb sushi for realz...a great spot. Club Sushi is the best in Hollywood. It really depends on where you want to drive for good food.

Sasabune

by TrealTalk

I was impressed. This doesn't look like a great sushi place, but it surprised me. Best sushi I've had since Club Sushi in Hollywood

• Pros: Great Food
• Cons: Price

Best Sushi in Los Angeles

by theTick

Sushi Sasabune is the best sushi restaurant ever! The fish is all super fresh. Nobi, the owner, wakes up before dawn to go to the fish market. In fact, one of the reasons that Sushi Sasabune is closed on the weekends is that the fish market is closed and Nobi only wants to serve the freshest, yummiest fish. Other sushi restaurant owners follow Nobi around the fish market, trying to figure out how he is able to select out the best fish. The albacore sashimi appetizer is amazing, and way better than another sushi restaurant a few blocks away that tries to copy it. I highly recommend the American omakase. The blue fin tuna and toro are amazing, as is the butterfish. The list goes on and on. If the scallop with yuzu paste is available (but not part of the omakase), make sure you get it! The same goes for the lobster! Sushi Sasabune certainly isn't cheap, but it is so worth it! My wife lived in Japan for 6 1/2 years, and she says that it is the best sushi she has had outside of Japan (and possibly even better than the sushi she had in Japan). I cannot recommend this place highly enough!

• Pros: Best sushi in town
• Cons: None

An absolute must...

by inahuff

Hands down the best sushi in LA. This place knocks Nobu and Koi completely out of the game. Also, at $65 per person, an incredible value for the amount of food and the quality of the fish. I am completely baffled by the negative reviews on here. Clearly, some of those folks should stick to california rolls.

• Pros: value, quality and unique dishes
• Cons: slightly lacking in ambiance

Best sushi in town..hands down!

by JanieDee

The best sushi in town, hands down. It's not cheap, but it's totally worth it. When I had a larger disposable income I used to frequent it once a month. If you're a foodie, you'll love it. So the ambiance is not that of Nobu's, who needs it with food this good!

• Pros: Freshest sushi
• Cons: Price

variety of sushi

by pearline

Went with a group of 7, and sat at a table for Omakase. There was a lot of interesting sushi/raw seafood that you can't get at a typical sushi place. Such as raw abalone (can't say I like it though). My favorite was the monk fish liver, chilled toro, spanish makeral. Our omakase included albacore sashimi, abalone, some shell seafood type of thing cut in slices(didn't catch what it was), small oyster, salmon roe, uni, yellowtail, salmon, toro, tuna, ell, monkfish liver, spanish makeral, makeral, snapper, halibut, and blue crab hand roll. We also ordered some miso soup, chilled toro, a few beer, and a couple lychee ice cream(highly recommended). The bill after tip and tax was $110/person. The omakase was a good experience to try different stuff. But if i go back next time, probably will just order a la carte, my favorite ones only. :)

• Pros: fresh seafood
• Cons: Omakase can be pricey