Sushi omakase was amazing. Traditional, yet they get creative with some sushi pieces. Need to return and try the tasting course. read more

Simply the best......Fish, food, presentation, service, and all things Asanebo!!! Tetsu has created a fantastic dining experience with a fantastic atmosphere and staff. read more

a michelins guide restaurant! the service, careful explanation of each dishes, atmosphere and the quality def earns this place a spot on the michelins guide. every fish was great quality and buttery, even this sea bass miso soup (not pictured) was sooo rich. definitely pricy but i think it is worth the experience, the omakase set sounded like a hefty amount for its price too! read more

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***Michelin Plate (2019)*** **Omakase Dinner Review: 8/9/2019** Asanebo has been on my "to try" sushi list for a long time. Having earned a Michelin star back in 2008 and 2009, this sushi bar certainly used to be one of the best back in the day. Some predicted it would be awarded a Michelin star once the guide returned earlier this year (2019), but they were indeed left off the list. To their credit, however, they still earned a plate mention in the guide. Background: My friend and I have been to nearly all of the best, high-end sushi restaurants in LA, many of them multiple times, as well as high-end omakase restaurants across Japan. The LA list includes Sushi Ginza Onodera, Mori Sushi, Inn Ann, Shunji, Sushi Tsujita, Nozawa Bar, Shin Sushi, Sushi Zo, Go's Mart, Shiki Beverly Hills, Matsumoto, Sushi Inaba, Kiriko, and much more. Needless to say, we know our way around good sushi, and don't mind spending a premium for top quality. That being said, Asanebo was unfortunately a bit of a let down. Not due to their service, nor their price point, but rather how they serve their food. When paying $100+ for a dinner omakase at a well respected sushi bar, one would expect the nigiri to be served piece by piece like any other top tier sushi restaurant in town. Especially if you are sitting AT the sushi bar, not at a table. Despite others around us at the bar being served that way, I guess they didn't respect us or want to put in the effort. I can see why Michelin didn't grant them a star this year. When asked, the server said it was because they were "busy." This excuse did not sit well with me. Looking around the small restaurant with a total of 4 sushi chefs behind the counter, this was simply not valid or acceptable. The real reason was either laziness on their end, or the sushi chef simply wasn't talented enough to handle more than a few people at once. I believe it was the laziness and lack of customer respect. I've been to much busier sushi bars, with fewer sushi chefs behind the counter, who still manage to serve piece by piece omakase with ease. This is expected at a place such as Asanebo. Those that are into real sushi know how important the rice is. Master sushi chefs will always tell you it's the most important ingredient in sushi, even more so than the fish (neta) itself. From the temperature, texture, density, and seasoning, good sushi rice takes a lot of effort to make, and very few pull it off in LA. That's one of the reasons why top tier sushi restaurants tend to serve nigiri piece by piece. If you make and serve them all at once, the rice loses its freshness and temperature. Seeing all of our pieces made in advance and sit for a good while before being served was a devastating blow to the night, and undoubtedly brought down our experience. Aside from the loss in freshness and ideal temperature, it's also pretty difficult to retain all of the information the servers say about each piece as they rattle it all off one by one rapid speed. I can tell which fish is which, but with their use of extra adornments and toppings, it got a little hard to follow and remember. I was also a little off-put about them serving the miso soup at the same time as the sushi. It would have been nice to enjoy the soup hot and fresh either before or after the nigiri, but that wasn't in the cards, either. This was definitely an oddly paced meal leaving a lot to be desired. Aside from the disappointing and distracting serving of our food, I did find the sushi to taste pretty decent. We ordered the Sushi "A" Omakase Course, priced at $95, which came with 12 pieces of sushi, 2 appetizers, a soup, and dessert. Most of the fish was fresh and of good quality, aside from the Akagai. The appetizers were very delicious, as well. My favorites of the night were the Sea Perch, Kohada, Skipjack, and Toro. It was a pleasant surprise to be served Shiro Ebi (White shrimp, but they call it Silver shrimp here), as it had been a while since I had it. The Kohada was braided beautifully and prepared well. Sorry if this review comes off a little snobby, but I tend to review well respected, high-end sushi bars on a different spectrum than the cheaper, casual neighborhood sushi restaurants. When comparing Asanebo to places like Mori, Inn Ann, Sushi Zo, Sushi Tsujita, and Sushi Inaba, Asanebo doesn't come anywhere close. Asanebo is a quality restaurant with great ingredients, but for sushi, I'd recommend any of the above mentioned places way before here for proper serving, tastier fish, and better rice. read more

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Loved the food. There were a lot of unique items on the menu. Got the uni chawanmushi both hot and cold. I preferred the hot, husband preferred the cold. Grilled conch came with a little fire roasting the shell underneath. Very instagrammable and delicious. Came with a little quail egg and broth. Steamed clams were good, the broth was buttery and soul-soothing. The white fish tempura and uni tempura were also very yummy. White fish tempura came in a ponzu broth, which was perfect. Uni tempura was wrapped in a sesame leaf and fried. Toro cut sushi was flavorful and no soy sauce needed. Best part was dessert ... got to meet King Bach! ;) Some street parking available on the side, if you're willing to walk. Otherwise, the small parking lot has a valet. Docked a star because servings were so small for the high price. Left still a little hungry, after paying almost $200 for 2 ppl. read more

Superior service. Amazing sushi. We always get the omakase because, well, it's perfect... every time!

Amazing sushi! Super friendly server as well! I had the best carpaccio as well. The entire restaurant was super clean and welcoming. read more

Asanebo - Carpaccio - Sushi Bars Near Me - Studio City, California

Good quality fish and nice location, but small parking lot and could use some extended opening hours.

I just discovered that I have a "too exotic" limit. I had the omakase and while it was all fresh and some of the fish were tasty, I think I prefer the basics like salmon, yellowtail, albacore, uni. This place has those things so I'm sticking with them. The omakase had amazing appetizers, I would definitely recommend trying the appetizers on their menu. Service was good. When I ordered the omakase, the gentleman asked if I had any food allergies or anything he should know. Well, I guess you don't have an opinion until you try. Can not wait to go back to try my more pedestrian sushis, which are still simply fresh and delicious here. read more

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Great food!!! I recommend it to all lovers of delicious food I will definitely bring my friends here !!! read more

Wow, Hand down best fresh sashimi, small but high class place. Service top notch. Food was expensive but worth it. Must try. Hidden gem. read more

Well deserved Michelin star restaurant, and the consumer does pay the price. Quality fresh cuts, delicious and unique signature dishes and presentation. Service with a smile and enthusiasm with pride for menu choices led us in the right direction for choosing the best items for our finicky palates. The wagyu practically melted in our mouth along with the jumbo scallop sushi. Most memorable is the halibut sashimi with white truffle. The oyster shooter was the most unique I have ever experienced and probably on the bottom of my list of favorites. read more

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Very grateful they seated me during last call. They didn't have to, but they did. some great options from Asanebo: Sawara/Ono Anago/sea eel Saba mackerel Aji mackerel Fanny Bay Oysters Sea perch/mullet/nodoguro Snow crab hand roll--excellent quality crisp Seaweed paper!!! Halibut/hirame Positives: Friendly service Clean bathrooms Bidet toilet Clean restaurant void of dirty fish rag smell Downside: Pricey read more

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Never disappoints. We had the omakase A and Included a generous amount of various sushi and 2 fabulous appetizers. My favorite was the scallop on a bed of spinach. The dressing was very delicious. The filtered sake Was perfection but also the reason for my hangover headache this morning lol it was worth it though. Most of all I really enjoyed our server named Mai. She had a fabulous sense of humor, checked on us Often and had great suggestions on the menu. I definitely will ask for her Next time read more

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The omakase was outstanding! I loved the meticulous attention to detail in both the sushi and the pairings.

Wow, wow, wow! Coming from the midwest sushi consists mostly of small rolls with so many ingredients and flavors you can't even tell there is fish in them. Which is probably their goal! This place does not hide from the fish and it's easy to see why! We got there early, around 5:30 and didn't have a reservation. We were able to still be seated, though. The entire staff took care of us. We were never wanting for a thing, but not in an overbearing way. Our main server gave us amazing recommendations and told us how to eat each thing we ordered. For example, we were politely asked to only dip the rolls in soy sauce and to enjoy the other options soy sauce free. Let me tell you, none of them needed soy sauce! Will definitely be back! read more

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I have been dining at Asanebo since it first opened. Chef Tetsuya trained under Nobu. Him & his brother Shunji opened this little place in 1991. The food is always super fresh, presented beautifully & so, so tasty. I usually let Tetsu decide what I'm eating so it's always a variety of things I probably would never try! I just love the vibe of this place, always such a treat walking through the doors. The last time I was there I was presented with the chawanmushi but instead of uni, they subbed ikura. What a creamy, light concoction of egg custard that is so delicate & flavorful, served in a tiny dish. I highly recommend starting with this dish. The rest of the courses were a delicious blur of sushi, sashimi & a cooked shrimp dish. 31 years is my longest relationship with a restaurant. 31 years is an exceptional record, especially in Studio City/Los Angeles area. I don't visit LA very often, but this is a must-visit place every time. read more

Delicious, high end food with amazing service!! My boyfriend and I visited for his birthday and ordered the omakase B for $160/person. The staff were nice enough to explain the different options and ask if we wanted to include any entrees as part of our omakase. Omakase B included ten dishes and we were absolutely stuffed by the end. Would definitely recommend sitting by the bar so you can see the chefs work their magic. FOOD: 1. Homemade tofu with snow crab - Sooo good. Tofu was light and silky smooth. 2. Slippery seaweed in a vinegar sauce with mackerel 3. Seafood stick - Thai basil snapper butter lettuce - Just ok. Kind of tasted like a fancier Vietnamese egg roll. 4. Brussels sprouts, seared Hokkaido scallops, dried fish eggs, dried lava salt - Not sure if I've seen a prettier dish! Scallops were cooked perfectly. 5. Baby yellowtail with miso paste - Bite sized pieces of heaven. The miso paste and jalapeño add so many different flavors to the yellowtail. 6. Japanese halibut, sweet ponzu, crushed truffle, vinegar cherry tomato 7. Wild Japanese yellowtail, sweet soy sauce, black lava salt 8. Grilled conch with quail egg, shimeji mushrooms, broth, pickled ginger - The conch is lit up with a small flame making for a super cool presentation. Broth was very flavorful. 9. Wagyu beef, octopus, caramelized tomato and onion - Beef was juicy and tender like butter. The tomato added some nice sweetness and acidity. 10. Eel, Spanish mackerel, octopus with sour plum, medium fatty toro, snapper At the end, the staff also brought out a complimentary dessert of fruit, mochi brownie, and ice cream. A great first time omakase experience. read more

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Everything here is amazing!! Definitely the best sushi I've had in and around Los Angeles.

Ordering take-out from Asanebo was easy and relatively affordable.  Bento box was $40 and the sushi omakase was $120.  Parking was readily available, and there was little street traffic.  The food was available on time.  I appreciate that they included utensils. Bento Goma tofu: smooth and nutty Miso soup: still warm in the container after an hour. Lots of soft tofu. Miso fish: Smokey, sweet-savory flavor.  Great smooth texture. Rice: I wish they had brown rice. Karaage: our favorite.  Thankfully light on the batter.   Shrimp wrapped in egg shreds: I liked the novelty.   Omakase: This was advertised as having an original value of $160, discounted to $120.  It included 24 pieces and is meant for 2 people.  However, if you have a large appetite, this might be enough for only one person. read more

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Food was ok, service was contrived and hurried, ambiance was busy, tight bordering on pretentious. Sushi was very expensive and hyped.

Yes, believe the hype as the fish and dishes are delicious. We did the omakase and it was pricey! As amazing as it was, not sure it was worth the price and definitely don't think I can justify doing more than once. read more

One of the best sushi I ate! The sushi melts in your mouth, the fish is amazing, just like in Tokyo. The service is top-notch, and the atmosphere is great! Now one of my favorite sushi restaurants. read more

Hands down best food I ever had in my life. Everyone is kind, funny and helpful. Its a small place but perfect for a shared experience with a partner. I believe everyone should try their food at least once in their lifetime. Its outstanding and memorable. read more

Absolutely recommend this spot for high quality sushi at a very reasonable price. Their omakase is a steal in terms of value as you get multiple, expensive fish along with some side dishes. Parking can be tough depending on when you go as its mostly street read more

i highly recommend the omakase. scallop salad was refreshing, sea bass miso soup was savory and hearty. quality of fish, service, ambiance were too notch. 10/10 recommend and will return read more

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My tock order was overall tasty. My two grievances: - generally overpriced for quality compared to other sushi takeout. - four large bones in the cod. I didn't expect a Michelin-rated restaurant with a $45 bento box to be the first sushi place I've ever ordered from which is unable to properly debone their fish. read more

Asanebo - Miso Grilled Black Cod - Sushi Bars Near Me - Studio City, California

I've been to many sushi restaurants/bars in the valley. Asanebo from my experience is hands down the best sushi you can get. The service is immaculate, the best I've ever had at a sushi spot. I wouldn't be able to tell you something bad I've had there. Been going for a while now and everything is great. read more

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Food was Ok. Rice of sushi was too dry . I had to say the server was really rude. We ordered the set menu, so they serve us one dish a time, so they actually controls the flow of us eating. We were asked to pay the bill in the middle of eating the last dish- ice cream. And right after we paid , we were asked to leave, two times . And one of us was literally working on the last few bites of the ice cream at the second time they asked. We had to leave before finishing the last bite of the ice cream. read more

Best sushi experience I've ever had, every piece was outstanding, dessert was perfect! Highly recommended 10/10. Will come again. Popular for a good reason! read more

My favorite sushi place on a street with at least 40 other choices. The evening I was here last Ed Sheeran was there with his crew (I guess he was playing at the Hollywood bowl the next evening). It's not cheap but the toro with caviar topped with gold is epic. read more

Yes it's pricey for sure. Omakase for two people are almost $500. The atmosphere and taste ate very traditional Japanese (I was born and raised in Japan). There're many sushi places around here such like Katsuya, Teru Sushi, Sushi Stop, and Kazunori, but Asanebonis the most high end place among these. I feel a bit unapproachable but the waiters and chefs there are all so friendly and polite. I can tell the relationship between workers is good unlike many other traditional Japanese restaurants. Second time, we got shishito(very spicy) mirugai nigiri and some other rolls, and they were all fresh and sophisticated. Their Asanebo sake glasses were super good too! Well chilled, well balanced, and enhance the sushi flavors read more

We made reservations for a Friday night. It was easy to just valet park versus finding parking on Ventura Blvd esp on a Friday night. Servers were very attentive, omakase Asanebo style was delicious. There was one fish that I don't think I ever hand before that was divine. The texture was unique and as you keep chewing the flavor comes out. I should have asked for the name of that fish. The people were so nice, we were able to take a picture with Chef Nakao who was so humble. Overall, great atmosphere. read more

Sometimes you bookmark a place almost knowing you're gonna like it and sometimes after a visit the hype and anticipation doesn't live up to the reality l. Sadly my experience at Asanebo was the former. The service was great and the sushi chef was nice but I did feel at times that we were being rushed. Nobody really told us anything about the dish except for the ingredients that went into it. No background, no insights which is kind of a standard I've experienced with any omakase sushi meal I've had. For an omakase price of $160, which was recently raised from $140 per person, I was expecting more than we got. While what we got was good for the most part. I can honestly say I've had better for less. I bookmarked, I came and experienced, but that will be it for me at Asanebo. It's was good but not great and overpriced. Time to go explore elsewhere. read more

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Asanebo- meaning "sleep in late" is an absolute culinary gem in a lackluster strip mall. The interior is a folksy homey Japanese run Sushiya where seating is tight with many Japanese speaking chefs to accommodate the restaurant filling crowd. What makes Asanebo- distinct is in its mastery of Kappo-/high Japanese cuisine which is so rare in L.A., land of outrageous, ingredient clashing, outré combination "rolls". 1) Jikasei Goma To-fu/house made To-fu w/ roasted white sesame paste which is rubbery, creamy, smooth, nutty. The addition of Kuzu/kudzu is what gives it a rubbery gelatinous feel. Concentrated smoked Katsuo/bonito Dashi/broth, & Sta. Barbara Uni is slightly sea mineral funky. Fresh grated Wasabi root adds acidity, sharp aromatic piquancy. 2) Seared Hokkaido- Hotategai/scallops; Portobello mushroom for meaty, forest musty texture; pickled rose & gold colored carrots for salty, fermented tones; sweet-sour Ponzu sauce. 3) Soft, velvety Hirame/halibut: seared skin, Asatsuki/chives, sweet, vinegary blanched cherry tomato. Extremely sweet Sho-yu/soy sauce. 4) Blanched tiny Hotaru Ika/firefly squid w/ sweetened Shiro/white Miso Wasabi, yellow mustard dressing. Rose dawn Kanburi/ yellow tail w/ light blood minerality. Serrano chile, fine chiffonade of radish. 1-4a) Kaga no Tori Sakè (sah keh): Junmai Daiginjo class which was full of fruit, strawberry, ripe Japanese Pear, but also acidic to counter the sweet. Dry, bitter pear finish. 5) Sazaè (sah zah eh)/horned turban shell is flame cooked in its own shell w/ Katsuo dashi for meaty texure & flavor. Raw Uzura/quail egg cooking slowly in the hot juices. Pellet of flaming gel adds to the drama. A flaming Sake Tiki drink would have been ideal. 6) 1/2 Florida soft shell crab fried in batter. Even the legs are meaty. Ponzu lightly inflected w/ red chile flakes. 7) Tako/octopus: bacony, fried to a chewy crisp; mild yellow tomato; sweet beefy broth. 8) Miso Shiru/soup: Shiro Miso, fresh Ao Nori/green seaweed. Refreshing, salty, sea fresh palate cleanser to many of the previous dishes that were rather sweet. 9) Melange of Nigiri Sushi: Tai/Japanese Red Snapper; Chu- Toro Maguro/blue fin tuna/ Aji/Spanish Mackerel w/ grated green onion, ginger, Dashi gel; Zukè (zoo keh), aged Maguro marinated in seasoned Sho-yu. 5-9a) Suigei (soo ee geh ee)/drunken whale Sakè: Light nose of ripe Japanese pear, and tastes of refreshing, acidic, clean Chardonnay from Bourgogne, France w/ a nice minerality, apple/pear nuances. Finish is what is so impressive about Suigei Tokubetsu Junmai. The strong lingering flavour is full of extra ripened Japanese Nashi/pear 10) Matcha/powdered green tea, smooth mousse w/ sweet Azuki bean paste, Kuro Mitsu/ acidic dark brown sugar sauce. Added bonus (so kind of the chefs): Scoop of Kuro Goma/roasted, chunky, toasty black sesame seed ice cream. Chefs here are personable & hospitable, but they are so busy cranking out food to a full house that it's difficult to have a decent conversation. That was on a Wednesday night. Manutaro-, friendly, outgoing, very Cantinflas-like waiter, kept us entertained. Muchas Gracias! Asanebo- Omakase "B" was $140. Well worth the price of admission. 4+ Yelp stars. BTW, Asanebo- has a Guide Michelin 1 star as of 2009, the last year GM rated LA restaurants so, effectively, all restaurants "lost" their stars. PS Their parking is a zoo. Better to find street parking on a side street. read more

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Sometimes a guy has a reason to celebrate. Sometimes his friend has a reason to celebrate. And so, to properly celebrate, sometimes one must find a Michelin star restaurant (well, former, since L.A. doesn't have the Michelin Guide anymore) to celebrate at. And so that's how we found ourselves at Asanebo, for what I must say was one of the best meals of my life. Finding ourselves in celebratory mood, we had a Sunday night reservation set at 5:30 PM. I'm not sure if it was entirely necessary since it was only half full when we got there, but better to be safe than sorry. Ended up sitting at the bar, although we could've probably sat at a table if we wanted to. Reason for that? I figured if we're getting Omakase B, we might as well sit at the bar. Except it wasn't quite the omakase I was expecting. It was more of the chef makes it, the waitress takes the dish, and we STILL get served by the waitress even at the bar. Plus on top of that, it was the waitress mostly explaining what the dish was, but sometimes the chef would chime in as well. A bit confusing because I wasn't sure who to talk to at times. Not quite what I was expecting for omakase as I figured it was going to be us being chummy with the chefs, but it is what it is. Anyways, I'll provide a quick rundown of the food we had. Might be slightly incorrect since I couldn't really hear exactly what they were saying that well, but I tried: Omakase B main course: - Uni with baby abalone and tofu - Oysters (from Seattle) - King mackerel with Japanese salad - Baby yellowtail, octopus, monk fish liver, and baby sardine tip - Clam with seafood and liver (ON FIRE I might add) - Halibut sashimi topped with Italian winter truffle - Live soft shell crab (from Florida) - Wagyu beef - Bluefin toro, sea bream, Spanish mackerel, and salmon nigiri I don't want to really rate any of them individually because I know that the meal was intended to be judged as a whole. They know how to mix and match different flavors for sure. Felt like every dish was a new flavor explosion in my mouth. It didn't seem like it at the time, but after reminiscing on the meal...that was REALLY REALLY good. Hard to think straight when your stomach is trying to figure how full it actually is LOL. Like I said, one of the best meals I've ever had! I'll also throw in that for some reason I was still hungry for some sushi, so had some red snapper and king crab nigiri. Yeah, excellent. That strawberry crepe we had at the end definitely did us over, but if you're gonna celebrate then CELEBRATE PROPERLY! Parking situation here is uhhh...well, good thing we got here when the restaurant opened. Left the restaurant and I was like errrr glad we came here at 5:30 PM. Glad I came here to celebrate. Definitely a fan, would come back. Probably to try Omakase A next time. read more

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Very tasty, clean and quality sushi! Great service & clean environment. I love coming here!

AMAZINGGGG! we ordered for pickup. Had the omakase for 2 special for $120 - 24 pcs as well as toro scallion cut roll and a toro pickled radish cut roll. delicious! The uni was divine! never had better but got to say my favorite was the toro scallion roll. read more

Asanebo - toro scallion and toro pickled radish - Sushi Bars Near Me - Studio City, California

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One of the two best sushi spots I've ever been to and sushi is my favorite cuisine. Honestly, if you end up here you can't go wrong. Everything you get will be incredibly fresh, unique and a satisfying dish. I recommend getting simple fresh sashimi or the steak that they prepare on the hot stones. Absolutely phenomenal! read more

The entire experience was heavenly. Make sure to order the Asanebou sake. It's so smooth and tasteful you're going to want seconds We started off with the goma tofu and it was a goma explosion in our mouths, I can eat this all day everyday. The next dish was the baby spinach salad with portabello mushroom and a side of Dungeness crab and shredded fried potatoes. It was a good medley of ingredients. The third dish was a combo of momotaro tomatoes, snow crab, garnished with baby shiso. The dressing had their homemade broth mixed into it, be sure to drink every last drop Our fourth and last appetizer was the halibut and truffles. Aurgh this dish was so good. Even the pickled tomato on the side was so flavorful. Don't forget to eat the tomato, it's not just any tomato. Every piece of sushi on the platter was fresh. Make sure to close your eyes and savor every bite. The mega dessert platter. I almost started to cry. Make sure to order the mascarpone cheese ice cream it's to die for. Last but not least the service. Our waiter Reggie was top notch and so attentive. You'll be lucky to have him as your waiter. read more

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