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Masakazu

4.1 (128 reviews)
Ultra High-EndSushi Bars, Japanese, Noodles
Closed • 12:00 pm - 3:30 PM, 5:30 PM - 12:00 am (Next day)
Updated 2 months ago

Order Masakazu Takeout or Delivery

Masakazu Photos

MASAKAZU ATMOSPHERE

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Quiet
Trendy
Intimate
Romantic

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Recommended Reviews - Masakazu

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Ashley V.

It was our anniversary and I really wanted to try the Japanese omakase. I have tried a few omakase experiences, but not the Japanese style. Let me walk you through what to expect, what I liked, and what I think needs to be improved. How to get there: The restaurant is located in Westwood near the I-405, in a strip mall surrounded by Persian market and eateries. Parking: You can use meter parking or pay at the parking lot. The price for the lot of $5 flat rate after 5 pm. The meter charges $1 an hour and you have to pay to park unless it's after 8 pm. Reservation: Resy is required, I made the reservation through Chase dining experience and they do have cancellation policies. - Cancelled within 72-48 Hours of reservation date: cancellation fee of 25% per person + Tax - Cancelled within 48-24 hours of reservation date: cancellation fee of 50% per person + Tax - Cancellations within 24 hours will be charged 100% - You can always transfer your reservation to another person. Ambiance: it is a very small restaurant. Sitting at the bar may be for maximum of 8 people. The interior decor was simple. Our dinner was at 6 pm and it was just the 2 of us. It was extremely intimate and quiet. Staff: The chef did not talk much, but he was very attentive to what you're saying. The server, dressed in a beautiful traditional kimono, was extremely diligent at cleaning our plate and serve water and tea. The omakase experience: At the time of reservation, the menu is unknown. The menu at the Chef's choice at the time of your reservation. You'll be served 12-14 pieces of nigiris for the entire experience. Food: The chef has been doing this for over 20 years and his skills truly shined through the food he curated. There was 1 cooked dish and 12 raw dishes. Each nigiri piece was uniquely crafted with different flavors. You do not need additional sauces to eat the nigiri. Overall, I thought the food was spectacular. My favorite pieces were the toro, yellowtail, albacore, and uni (best). I thought the ginger was amazing. It has a unique pickled taste compared to the typical gingers we have at sushi restaurant. I wished the chef gave us more gingers. Pricing: It is $140 per person, but please do note that there are hidden fees. I will explain this below. What I think needs improvement: I generously deducted 1 star because I thought the food quality was excellent. 1. I think the restaurant should be more clear about the price people pay up front. I thought the $140 price comes with 13-14 pieces since the website stated Masakazu's Omakase experience comes 13-14 pieces of sushi per person. It was not the case. I just want to put it out there that the price you pay comes with 12 pieces and the 2 remaining pieces (scallop and shrimp) come with additional fees. I ordered the additional scallop. I honestly think the restaurant should just increase the upfront prices to $150-$160 to include everything, so there are no additional fees 2. Because I already pre-paid the omakase, they wanted to adjust the printed tipping to reflex actual subtotal amount that I have already paid. I thought it was a bit funny why they did it and perhaps a bit untrusting of the restaurant since customers are under no obligation to tip a certain amount. I believe if you focus in doing your best to serve the customers, you'll get great tips. 3. The chef was extremely quiet through the entire omakase experience, but I know he was actively listening since we talked about ginger. It might be because of the language barrier, but it would have been nice if he can try to provide a bit of information about each piece. Toward the end, he did talked to us a bit about the omakase/sushi industry, which I thought was wonderful. 4. Also, the website states you need to showed up early. We showed up 15 minutes early, and have to wait outside until 5:55 pm to come in. It might be better etiquette to let customers come in and wait inside. Tip people interested in Japanese omakase: this is a Japanese omakase experience, a tasting experience. Please don't expect lots of food if you're looking for quantity. Overall: It was a great dinner for us. It was extremely intimate and one of a kind. The restaurant is not perfect, and it needs a bit of improvement when it comes to service. But Masakuza is a definitely place to be if you want to experience great quality fish. I do love supporting local businesses and Masakazu is one. You can tell the owner works hard to continue running it.

Justine H.

Came for dinner to celebrate Valentine's Day and unfortunately, left unimpressed. The portion sizes are small - even after the 13 courses my boyfriend and I had to get a second dinner at Tsujita because we felt like we only ate an appetizer (and an expensive one at that!) I thought it was off-putting that for the price, the omakase didn't come with any uni or scallop. Those were available at an additional cost (even a small appetizer course mid-meal was up-charged when it really should've been included). The interior is really modern with an intimate 8 person seating, but the sushi bar was built in a way so that you can't see what the chef is doing unless you are standing. Most of the fun of omakase is to enjoy the experience of watching the chef create the dishes in front of you. I also realized that the chef had pre-cut most of the fish and wrapped them in paper towels beforehand, which explained why the fish wasn't as fresh and didn't have as much flavor. The sushi rice was seasoned but kept falling apart when placed on the serving plate. The chef also was really dry and didn't say a word besides the name of the fish when he placed it in front of us. Not sure if it was a language barrier but it did dampen the experience. +1 star because the server kept refilling my Barley Tea, which was really good. Overall, wouldn't recommend coming back as there are definitely better options in this price range elsewhere in LA.

Bianca V.

Intimate date night spot. I've never had such lovely uni. Usually I'm not a huge fan (texture eater) but the uni served at the omakase was was light fragrant buttery like if bone marrow was chilled, smooth, and not greasy. Our chef did not speak a lot, but he did a great job telling us about the fish and where it was from. There were extra alacart items he offered to add on if you did not want your experience to end.

Uni
Kameron G.

Came here on a quiet Sunday evening as we were the only 2 customers in the already intimate dining setting. The quality of the fish was outstanding as the chef takes his time making sure that every bite is made to perfection. My favorite dishes of the night were the abalone, chu-toro, snapper, and scallop. Definitely a spot I would recommend as the prices are reasonable considering you're getting 13-14 pieces of sushi.

Austin C.

This was my first sushi omakase experience in the US, as all my other times had been in Japan. My girlfriend and I came a few days before Christmas in 2021, so this review is extremely delayed but I did jot notes down. It was a very intimate setting with only the chef and one server attending to 4-5 groups of patrons and no music playing in the background. The fish were all fresh and our favorite was the black snapper - we even ordered a 2nd bite at the end! During our brief conversations with the chef, I found him to be friendly, kind, and attentive. He said he'd love to only serve 4-6 people at a time, but to cover costs due to the pandemic he has to serve more. This cuts down on his ability to provide a "true" omakase experience to each person because he can't conversate as much as he'd like to. His insight resonated with me since the back and forth chitchat is what I liked so much in Japan. Regardless, dining at Masakazu was a pleasant experience and the food was great!

Yuki I.

My friend found this place, so I called to make a reservation a few weeks ahead. We got the 6pm seating on a Saturday - that day, they had 6pm or 8pm seatings available. The restaurant was locked until 6pm, and they require masks to enter (they will give you one if you don't have your own!). They took our drink orders (I opted for hot tea), and our omakase started around 6:15. This is a quaint, intimate space - our seating had 8 people at the sushi bar. I spoke with Chef Shinichi a little bit, who seemed a little flustered and rushed. He explained to me later that he usually didn't have 8 people in a seating - perhaps they usually seat 6 people? Regardless, we had an excellent experience. Our omakase menu consisted of 3 small dishes and 13 nigiri. We then opted to add on the hotate at the end. The omakase here is $125 per person before tax/tip, which is quite reasonable for the experience. My favorite of the night was the john dory with pesto topping, as well as the black snapper. I had never had the john dory before, but I love when pesto is added as a topping to nigiri - went very well with the fish! The shari was perfect texture, flavor, and size. The chef worked meticulously and quickly, but it was sometimes hard to hear him as he named each fish and put it before us. Also, the chef counter had a little raised ledge, so he would drop the fish onto the plate before us, which I thought was a little strange. I'm sure the chef didn't mean to, he was just in a rush, and it is the nature of how the sushi bar was constructed. I didn't catch the name of our server, but he was very attentive and made sure my tea was never too cooled down or empty. Overall, we had a wonderful experience here and would recommended it for sushi lovers!

Sweet shrimp
Ben R.

This is the BEST sushi experience I have had in years!!!! I found this place randomly, and chose it purely off the reviews. I'm so glad I did. The restaurant is very intimate, small, and there's only a sushi bar. This means that you can only order the $120 omakase. Which is reasonable for what you get. The fish quality was incredible, but what really stood out what the chef's own creative way of preparing each piece. I mean, the toro was just insane... Service was also realllly good. They constantly check to make sure your dish is clean and that there isn't any soy sauce on the table in front of you. Cleanliness. I mean this is a 5 star restaurant. So the place is perfect, no issues. Even the bathrooms were nice haha. Really nice Sake menu too!! I'm so glad I went here...

Blanca T.

Fresh, quality, original sushi, minimalistic interior, small-business owner from Japan. You are going to spend money here, but if you care about quality sushi then it's well worth it. The owner/sushi chef will ask you to confirm the DAY OF your reservation from 1-2pm because many people cancel without notice. Keep in mind that this is about an 8-10 seater traditional Japanese-style restaurant, so if no-shows take up empty spaces, the owner loses that business. Note that everyone has their own idea of what warrants good sushi. Some like the whole mayonnaise-topped, stuffed with avocado or cream cheese, drizzled in sauce, with at least 2 kinds of seafood. Some like the experience of going somewhere with ambiance. I like all of these experiences, but it is quite rare to go somewhere with fresh fish. It is quite rare to go somewhere that doesn't offer soy sauce. The sushi is that good. The sake is also very good. The one that we got was from the brand Shichida. It was light and refreshing but still has about 15-17% alcohol. Again, you are going to spend a lot of money, but you get what you pay for. (I've been to Japan, and I'm from Gardena, so I hope that gives you an idea of my familiarity with sushi.) You're not necessarily going to be stuffed after eating here, but you won't necessarily be hungry. Unless you're looking for AYCE sushi. The Japanese truly believe in quality over quantity. Keep that in mind as well.

Shrimp
Alex C.

Went with 7 people for bar seating after reserving about two weeks beforehand. It ended up being around 200 per person since we added the scallop and uni as well as a wine to pair with the meal. All the dishes were really good and I think every person had a different favorite so you know all of the dishes were up to par. I don't think the scallop and uni were particularly worth it but the wine pairing is always super nice when you have fatty fish. One downside in my opinion was that the chef didn't really explain all of the dishes fully. He just explained what the fish was instead of describing the whole thing. So we didn't really have any kind of conversation or back and forth until the end.

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Ask the Community - Masakazu

Does anyone know if the drinks are included or are they separate from the charge they take for the reservation?

When we went to dinner in May, drinks were separate. Completely worth it. A superb, intimate omakase experience.

What's the difference between a sushi only omakase and a full one?

There's a notice on their door explaining it actually :) It says: - Full omakase: 13-14 pcs sushi… Read more

How do you make reservations? I keep calling and emailed and can't get through to anyone.

Reservations can be made at https://www.exploretock.com/masakazu/

How much is omakase?

$120-$160 (after December 2021) Reservation only

Do you need to make a reservation for omasake dinner?

You don't have to since it's not a reservation only place, but it doesn't hurt to make a reservation to guarantee that time slot for you and your party.

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Torisoba Sumiya - 3. Rich Spicy Chicken Ramen

Torisoba Sumiya

4.4(227 reviews)
0.7 mi•Sawtelle
•$$
Kid friendly
Large group friendly

It's pretty rare to find a spot that specializes in chicken-based ramen, so this was a nice change…read morefrom the usual lineup. Came on a Saturday around 4:30 PM and there was no line. I tried their signature Rich Chicken ramen (torisoba), and it was delicious, the broth had that creamy, concentrated depth you'd normally expect from pork, but felt a bit cleaner. If it's your first time trying chicken-based ramen, this is a solid introduction. We also got the ground chicken rice bowl, which was a standout. Super flavorful, slightly sweet savory, and honestly something I'd come back for on its own. I also tried their Japanese BBQ chicken ramen (charcoal style), and while it was good, I personally preferred the Rich Chicken ramen. The charcoal flavor on the chicken definitely added a unique edge you don't usually get in ramen, in a GOOD way. Overall, this place feels different*in a good way. It's not trying to compete with traditional pork ramen, it does its own thing, and does it well. Definitely a unique spot in LA and worth trying if you want something outside the norm.

Torisoba Sumiya was a hit for us and one of the most memorable meals we had in Sawtelle Japantown…read more It's rare to find a restaurant focused on charcoal chicken, and they do it really well. I went with my parents while they were visiting LA, and they actually said this was their favorite restaurant of the whole trip. The ramen broth had such a rich, deep flavor from the charcoal chicken, and the noodles and toppings all worked perfectly together. Another nice bonus was that the large and regular ramen sizes were the same price, which made the meal feel like a great value. We also added the fried chicken bowl and BBQ chicken bowl, and both were tasty and delicious. Everything had great flavor and felt satisfying without being too heavy. We went during Friday lunch, and by the time we finished and left, a line had started forming -- which made sense after eating there. Highly recommend Torisoba Sumiya if you're in Sawtelle and looking for something a little different from the usual ramen spots.

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Torisoba Sumiya - #3 rich spicy chicken ramen

#3 rich spicy chicken ramen

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Midoh Sawtelle - Spicy Curry with Menchi

Midoh Sawtelle

4.3(290 reviews)
0.7 mi•Sawtelle
•$$

If you like tonkatsu (pork cutlet), this is the place to go! I am not a fan of tonkatsu, but for…read moresome reason, I really like the tonkatsu here. Sometimes, I even have a craving for it. My sister was INCREDULOUS when I said I wanted to eat tonkatsu here again. haha I always eat the pork loin which is not dry, is tender, and has some fatty bits to it. I really like the texture of their pork. And the tonkatsu sauce flavor is SPOT ON, which is very important! My sister LOVES the corn soup. It IS tasty, and so is the miso soup. I also like the salad dressing that comes with the side salad for an entree. For me, tasty salad dressing is a must or I won't eat salad! My sister always eats the shabu shabu salad, which I have also tasted and like, but I only eat salad occasionally when I have a craving, so I haven't had the salad as a meal. Unfortunately, I tend to eat the same thing over and over, so I can't comment on the rest of the menu. We also only do takeout, so I cannot comment on service, but the tonkatsu here is definitely the best I have had thus far, and like I said, I am not a tonkatsu fan, so that's saying A LOT!!!

Midoh is a casual Japanese comfort-food spot with fun beach-town vibes. We ordered the Mixed Fried…read moreKatsu Meal, Fish & Chips, corn soup, and curry. The katsu combo (chicken, pork, shrimp, and mackerel) was very crunchy, and the chicken and pork were especially tender. The proteins were a bit bland on their own, but the dipping sauces were solid and helped a lot. The Fish & Chips were a highlight--the fish was soft inside and crispy outside, and the fries were very good. The corn soup was naturally sweet and mild but surprisingly flavorful. The curry had a good level of spice and came out in a fun gravy boat since we ordered it as a side for dipping. The vibe is relaxed and beachy, with surfboards and a cool blue sky ceiling feature. Service was friendly and fast. Unlimited rice and grinding your own sesame seeds were nice touches. I'd come back to try their creamy udon dishes.

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Midoh Sawtelle
Midoh Sawtelle - Special appetizer-- kalbi (limited time only)

Special appetizer-- kalbi (limited time only)

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Chinchikurin - Sawtelle - Demiglace Sauce Omu Rice

Chinchikurin - Sawtelle

4.3(924 reviews)
0.7 mi•Sawtelle
•$$

Went for the Ikura omurice pop-up and left feeling happy and fulfilled. I actually had Ikura…read morebookmarked during my trip to Japan, but I never got the chance to go, so when I saw they were coming to LA, I knew I just had to make the drive from OC to try it! You physically have to stand in line here which is a little excruciating but I came here at noon on a Saturday during the first few weeks of their pop-up announcement so I really did that to myself. It was probably a 1.5 hour wait, but I'll do anything for a good bite The demiglaze omurice delivered exactly what I wanted- the most silky melt in your mouth eggs ever, a rich savory sauce, and hamburg all on top of a bed of fluffy rice. The egg really was the star of this dish, I've never had eggs with this texture in the US. Ikura has really nailed their recipes and training of chefs here, I've tried to make eggs like this at home and it's just never the same! I will say the hamburg was a little thin and dry, but I was very willing to overlook that because of how perfect all the other components of this dish were. We also ordered the Ika Ika okonomiyaki, which comes with squid. I don't think I've ever had this type of Hiroshima style okonomiyaki, which has all the ingredients layered instead of mixed (they also do serve the Osaka mixed style mixed though). I probably wouldn't get the squid topping again, but the okonomiyaki itself is enough to keep me coming back. You get the option of soft of crispy noodles, and we got what our server recommended, the crispy, and she definitely knew what was up- the slight crunch added a great texture contrast. On the topic of our server I have to give her a shoutout for being so kind and attentive towards us. I wish I got her name, but she was a young girl server and she was just so sweet in giving us order recommendations, as well as giving us a tip that there really aren't any lines here if you come on weekdays during early lunchtime. But what really topped it off was that we remained in the Sawtelle area after we finished dining here for about two hours and ended up really needed a bathroom. No restaurants were letting us use their restroom so we went back to check Chinchikurin around 4 pm which is when they close for lunch. One of the other servers was about to send us away, but our server from over two hours ago remembered us and let us use their bathroom she's a real one

For a dish as famous and popularized by anime as omurice, it is a surprisingly scarce menu item in…read moreSouthern California. Until now! And I guess... only right now because this pop-up collaboration between Chinchikurin - Sawtelle and Ikura goes away on June 1st! From now until June 1st, Chinchikurin - Sawtelle has replaced their entire okonomiyaki menu with 4 types of omurice: demi-glace (classic), mentaiko, black curry, and tomato ketchup. You have the option of adding a hamburg steak as well. The shop is a bit on the small side as it sits in one of the more crowded plazas in Sawtelle. Service is also a bit on the slow side. I have visited Chinchikurin twice during this pop up event and tried all 4 omurices! The egg is cooked perfectly and oh so jiggly. They flop neatly blanketing the rice when you slice them down the middle. The hamburger steak is good too - I would get it. Now here is the Cody run-down on each of the different sauce options: Demi-Glacé: Classic. Very good! If this is your first time trying omurice, you should probably start here. I would describe it as a dark, elegant gravy that's savory with a touch of sweetness. Mentaiko: Unexpectedly, this was my favorite! The mentaiko flavor was rich and full of umami. The sauce was creamy and delicious. Black Curry: The curry was ok and did not have as much depth of flavor as I would have liked aside from strong notes of garlic. I would pass on this one as there are better places to get Japanese curry. Tomato Ketchup: This was my least favorite. I was actually excited for this one, but the sauce was more akin to a marinara than ketchup. I love ketchup. I was hoping for something tangy and sweet and childish, but this sauce was leaning more savory and, honestly, a bit watered down. Some appetizers, such as Takoyaki by Takoyaki Tanota, are still available. Overall, great pop up! The omurice is delicious. I've already been twice and plan to go more times before the pop up ends. If y'all see my Yelp check-ins, y'all know what's up. I highly recommend you visit before the pop up ends, and I hope the omurice ends up sticking around longer.

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Chinchikurin - Sawtelle - Inside

Inside

Chinchikurin - Sawtelle - Chinchikurinyaki

Chinchikurinyaki

Chinchikurin - Sawtelle - Demiglace Sauce Omu Rice

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Demiglace Sauce Omu Rice

Masakazu - sushi - Updated May 2026

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