I can't imagine having meal at a 400 per person omakase place that serves tempura full of fish bones ridiculous. Chef saw that, and did nothing and he knew this is a failed dish due to lack of bone cut(骨切り) he said that to the kitchen stuff, but nothing to the customer. Why do I know, cause I speaks japanese. Additionally, their so called signature dish has to be paid separate as an add-on, very funny. read more

See all

Shunji was extremely delicious and such an enjoyable experience. Came here on reservation and upon entering we were seated along with another party. Since it's on a reservation based system, there's very limited seatings each day. Total of 4 us we were able to enjoy this Omakase experience for roughly an hour and a half. The different types of food and fishes that came out were all delicious and perfected by the chef. Hard to detail what type of stuff came out, but it is pretty typical if you have been to other Omakase experiences. Everyone, including the staff were very tentative and nice with everyone and explain, explained in detail the dishes that came out. It's definitely worth the experience. It is pricey, but it's perfect for those special occasions like a birthday or an anniversary. I would definitely recommend it to other people if they have a special day coming up. Street parking is the only viable option here. read more

See all

Delicious, creative fresh and most of all FUN night at Shunji Chef Shunji and his wife want people to relax, talk and have a good time! They are amazing genuinely loving people. It can be intimidating to dine at these experiences but Chef has a lovely friendly smile on his face. With only 6 seats per room in two rooms we chose Chef SHUNJI But next door David Chang & wife were dining with Chef Miki - too cool! Michelin star for good reason Will be back LOVED it! Street parking at meter was easy to find read more

See all

One of the most refined sushi experiences on the Westside. Shunji delivers high-end omakase with a quiet confidence--no flash, just top-tier ingredients and technique. Every piece is delicately balanced and thoughtfully plated. You can tell the chef puts real care into every course. The atmosphere is intimate and calm, perfect for a special night out or a serious sushi experience. Service is precise but never stiff--very welcoming. Pro tip: Go with the omakase and trust the process. And if they offer the Hokkaido uni that day, don't skip it. read more

Visited on my birthday on a Wednesday night. We drove across town from Alhambra to Santa Monica after work, I can feel my energy was drained to 50% capacity at 7:45pm. GUESS what?! Chef Shunji and Yuko lifted our energy right back up to 100%! No! Chef did not serve us crack, only good food and laughter. Please refer to photo for food as I am only going to write about dining experience. When looking to book on Tock, there are two omakase experiences, Chef Shunji (himself - 6 seats) and Chef Miki (7 seats). Mucho Gracious to my wife who booked the surprised dinner (the day of) for me at Chef Shunji's experience. My evening was beyond 5* on Yelp. I can't wait to try Chef Miki's as well. This is a rather unusual dinner setting. A table of 6 consists of three couples seems normal. However, one of the couple do not drink (alcohol) and nothing wrong with that, but they also requested no wasabi, which I start to empathize, Chef grated fresh wasabi and it was honestly one of the best highlight I had (to name a few), the couple also requested low carb diet, namely half portion of rice on nigiri. Furthermore, it was intended to be a 3 hr meal and they bailed out at 2 hr mark claiming they are already fed and need to go home to attend their baby. I am so sorry to both Chef Shunji and the two customers for such blunt requests and leave the dining experience to now only four customers. The birthday party pretty much only get started for me. I got to enjoy countless (ok, just 4) sakes, and rotate back and forth based on the course. It was so much fun! The two others are literally my new brother and sister, and we have scheduled our next meal together already, to simply have more good food and wine. Chef Shunji and Yuko, who I believe is already good friends with our common friend. He is a great tempered, kind individual with exceptional skill that I felt is the best sushi chef in town. Yuko is so approachable and I really enjoyed seeing how she serve dishes in the traditional manner. Hence, on what appeared to be an exhausted Wednesday night. We left Shunji high in spirit and ready for next culinary adventure with new friends. Thank you so much! read more

See all

Delicious omakase experience! Very fresh and great quality fish. A lot of appetizers mixed in like soup and hot dishes. Great wine and sake selection. There are 6 seats in this room which make it a very personal experience. Chef shunji was very accommodating and friendly. Good price point if you don't go crazy on alcohol ;) read more

See all

Going to an omakase experience can be a little intimidating, especially if there are six seats but my husband and I are the only ones that evening. Usually the omakase chef is serious, the space is quiet and you eat the food exactly how the chef presents it to you. On this occasion the chef was friendly and talkative as well as the host. They made us feel welcome right the moment we stepped in. We like unfiltered sake so they bought us a bottle called "Snowman" that we have had before and really loved. Bubbly nigori with sweet notes. The nigiri pieces were outstanding. The fish tasted super fresh, it melted in your mouth. On the other hand, there were some dishes that we were not so crazy about. For example the baby squid, not a fan. I give it a tried but it was just not to my liking. There was also another dish, the fried little fishes, that my husband had mixed feelings about. It was a little uncomfortable because we were the only ones in the restaurant that evening and we felt it was rude not to eat it or at least tried it. Overall, fantastic service but at $250-$300 per person I don't think we'll come back. We have had better omakase experiences in LA. read more

See all

From 2012-2020 the Michelin starred Shunji could be found off Pico blvd in an old 1930s building but in 2022 relocated to its current location off Ocean Park Blvd. It's a small nondescript restaurant from the outside but inside is modern, simplistic, and comfortable which cannot always be said of high end omakase restaurants. The owner Nakao-san runs one room and the other is overseen by Takahiro-San. For omakase historical reference Nakao-San and his brother helped open Matsuhisa and their previous collaboration Asanebo. The ambience is calm, cozy, and soothing with the service being patient, efficient, and descriptive. Chef Nakao-San also is armed with a subtle but fun sense of humor. ***For the purpose of this review it should be noted was accompanied by a few regulars which include omakase chefs so this experience will vary from the normal visit. === Cold Chanomushi with corn asparagus shrimp (creamy, refreshing, savory) Kochi (trout) - chewy, light, delicate Kaiseki grunt fish with dashi mirin vinegar - smoky tart sour floral Hamade with japanese spinach - smoky bitter and simple Squid - soft buttery spicy Flounder - light fatty clean Baby snapper - melts in your mouth. Savory. Tuna from spain - savory and fatty Sweetfish - comfort food. Grilled, tender and flaky Steamed abalone with spinach and Santa Barbara uni - briny earthy soothing creamy Sweet shrimp - sweet rich bold flavor Spanish mackerel - mild and delicate Homemade sesame tofu - warm indulgent nutty and bitter Kohaha - gizzard shad or silverfish Takabe - yellow butterfish - fatty rich savory salty Chutoro - fatty rich buttery Kohada - sour briny salty vinegar Hokkaido uni - peanut butter of the sea Cherry blossom shrimp with soba - comfort food. Salty earthy satisfying. Unago (sea eel) - rich buttery creamy Negi toro - citrus, rich and strong flavor Tamago - mild and creamy texture === As a complement to the meal would highly recommend their tea tasting sampler which accompanies and elevates the dining experience. Cold brewed 10 hour hojicha - smooth finish and subtle with prominent nutty flavor Uchi tea from kyoko - yellowish in color with mild and bitter finish Gyukudo tea - high caffeine level. Bitter and robust flavor. Can also eat the tea leaf like kale Fukoka cold brew tea - mild and sweet finish Miyakyushu tea - light and gentle === Overall would rate the food at 4 of 5, beverage at 5/5, service at 5/5, and ambience at 5/5. read more

See all

I visited for the first time since the shop moved to its new location. There is no signboard for the shop. About five minutes before the reservation time, we were allowed to enter the shop. The interior felt like a very traditional Japanese sushi restaurant, with wooden decor. There are six seats for each chef, and we enjoyed our meal while having pleasant conversations with the chef and other customers. We chose a course that included sake tasting, featuring quite rare Japanese sake, which made it feel very special. The sushi's flavor was incredibly authentic, with about 90% of the ingredients sourced from Japan, and we were extremely satisfied with it. Since it was a reservation for a special occasion, we also received a message card from the staff, which made the day very heartwarming. The atmosphere, the taste, and the hospitality were all top-notch, making it a first-class restaurant in every aspect. read more

See all

I live in Seattle but whenever I'm about to go visit LA I always check to see if there's a reservation open at Shunji! To me this might be my happiest place on earth. Not just a huge fan of the food and the sake but both Chef Shunji and Yuko are very sweet and warm making it feel like you are family. I have been to Shunji multiple times over the past 2 years and every time I'm impressed by the presentation, quality, and how good the food tastes. Another thing I like a lot is that each Omakase only seats about 5-6 people at a time so it's a very intimate environment. It makes it very easy to ask questions about the food you are being served. And from my experiences even the other parties that have sat next to me have always been very friendly. If you go during the summer months they have a Agedashi Tomato Tofu that is out of this world! To the untrained eye it's just a slice of Tomato, and maybe that's all it really is, but trust me the flavors are to dream about. Probably the best tomato I will ever eat in my life. And yes, Tomato maybe isn't considered sushi to most people but what matters here is that the ingredients are from Japan, it's straightforward, simple, yet beautiful; isn't that what true Sushi is about? read more

See all

Overall this omakase was a good experience, but being in LA, there is definitely a ton of competition. Super fresh fish with a modern and intimate ambiance as expected. Some highlights from the meal: + Chef Miki was super sweet and our waitress was also very on top of it! + The best sake recommendations + Unique non-sushi/sashimi dishes read more

See all

Shunji might be the only restaurant I know of where the cost of your meal depends on which chef is slicing the fish. If you're looking for an incredible special occasion meal, the sushi counter is divided into two rooms with a handful of seats on each side: one where you can book an omakase with chef Shunji for $280, and another where chef Miko (Shunji's longtime co-chef) serves you for $250 a pop. For the most part, the 16-or-so pieces of nigiri are presented very simply ~ relying on the quality and freshness of the fish: there's lean marinated tuna that's been aged two weeks, warm black throat perch that's barely seared, and beautifully plump sweet uni from Santa Barbara. As to which chef you book, they're both excellent, so go with whoever is available first--reservations tend to fill out a week or so in advance. read more

See all

[1 Michelin Star ] 1/ Seasonal Bamboo and Sugar Pea in cherry stone clam soup The first dish of Shunj's Omakase. The soup is very sweet from clams and bamboo shoot. Also, the bamboo shoot still retains its crunchiness, giving a little sound when chewing it! Soup is not hot, but warm. A very nice touch to the tongue to start the dinner. I love the simple set up. I'm so ready for the upcoming dishes. 2/ Dreams Come True sake This is a great pick of sake in 1L size. Japanese name is Born Yume Wa Masayume. This sake has a cleanly cut finish, despite the richness. Very smooth and silky touch that pair greatly with the amazing dishes offered by chef Shunji Nakao. Finished the bottle! 1L for 2 people is a bit. But the sake is so good, really hard to stop! Rice-polishing ratio: 35% Brewery: Fukui 3/ Surinagashi (vegetable puree with spring cabbage and cauliflower) topped with fried Shirauo icefish This is a very interesting dish with the soft texture from the vegetable puree combined with the crunchiness of the fried icefish! It will make you want to have the next bite as soon as you finished! 4/ Noresore, baby sea eel, in dashi topped with yamaimo and shiso flower Noresore is a white and transparent eel that is about 2 inch long. They appear in very short season and available only during the first 2 weeks of March. Slowly they become a rarity, people travel to Japan for the experience of this eel. A jelly texture which is very interesting! A light dish! 5/ Renkon mochi, lotus roots and shrimp ball with clear dashi gravy Isn't this look like a piece of art? The dashi gravy is holding on top like the beautiful flower arrangement for the dish. The flavors are really enriched and go well together flower 6/ Sawara, king mackerel sashimi With the grilled skin, mackerel is in its firmest texture. So good! The most interesting twist of this dish is pairing the mackerel with salt and pepper, instead of soy sauce. And after all this, a touch of freshly made wasabi is just awesome. 7/ Assorted sashimi: bluefin toro, scallop, and black snapper How can an assorted sashimi dish be this cute! The pieces are smoothly cut and placed with radish and fresh wasabi. The colors of the dish and the sashimi cut are the same color tone, so aesthetic! 8/ Grilled black cod with sweet potato and broccolini The black cod is sweet and very tender. The simple flavor yet you can taste clearly the grilled and fresh taste in the fish. Simple dishes don't mean they're easy to make. 9/ Ichigoni: steamed abalone, uni sea urchin, wakame seaweed, and kabu First impression, this bowl broth is super sweet and warm, not hot. I love warm food. Then, the ingredients go so well together giving a little tender touch, a little crunchy, and super fresh. This is also the first time I eat steamed uni sea urchin since we usually eat it raw. The size of the uni sea urchi is big. Spectacular! SUSHI: 10/ Sayori, needle fish 11/ Ikura, salmon egg 12/ Nodoguro, black throughout sea pearch 13/ Ankimo, monkfish liver 14/ Hon Maguro, bluefin tuna 15/ Amaebi, sweet shrimp 16/ Aji, Spanish mackerel 17/ O-toro, bluefin otoro 18/ Tamago, egg Super fresh and spectacular is the word to describe. These pieces are made carefully by chef Shunji Nakao that is like eating pieces of arts. 19/ Miso soup Simple miso soup yet not simple in flavor since it's enriched with the sweetness of fish and shrimp. The green onions are cut small and uniformly, the level of delication. 20/ Itoyori dai, thredfin seabream 21/ Hotaru ika, firefly squid 22/ Bluefin toro hand roll 23/ Anago, sea ell After the raw fish sushi pieces, a little touch of sea eel with sauce and hand roll are necessary to keep the excitement going on. You can taste clearly the freshness of the ocean through these pieces. 24/ Ice cream, Asian pears topped with Shunji Sake jello I always love ice cream for dessert. The crunchiness of the Asian pear going well with the sour jello is the perfect end for this art show. 10 year anniversary for Shunji. Congratulations! read more

See all

First you have to find it, but once you do, you'll want to find it over and over again. The dining is intimate, right at the sushi bar, and the omakase here features beautiful sushi but also seasonal vegetables expertly prepared for maximum flavor. Highlights include snappy fiddlehead ferns, bold brussels sprouts, white asparagus topped with caviar, and some beautiful sweet ramps with bonito. There's an onion soup that is literally the richest soup you'll ever taste, and a fried Oyster ball that captures the perfect balance between butter and brine. Nigiri includes cuts of snapper, tuna, a seasonal trout, etc. There is a Sea Perch that will blow your mind, and Shunji makes an Ankimo that will turn even the pickiest eater into a liver-lover. Abalone slices are a sea-steak, on a bed of uni rice. The liver sauce is understated yet bold and bitter, and it makes the subtle sweetness pop. Abalone, Anago, and Tamago for the finish. It's an amazing meal, but to say that does it no justice. What you get here is an entire journey in all these courses, and the chef is a master of everything. He even brews his own sake and it's the smoothest I've ever had. They only seat four at a time so there's some pressure to socialize, but Shunji is the kindest person there is, and we ended up next to absolutely lovely regulars. If you're ever lucky enough to snag a reservation, be prepared for one of the best meals you'll have all year! read more

See all

The food here was mediocre and so expensive. I dropped almost $600 here (including tax and tip) for omakase + sake tasting. The quality of this omakase isn't even worth half that, maybe $200 max (including tip and tax) for food only. The sake pairing was good but also too expensive for what you get. To give you some context, I recently moved from Seattle, WA, where they have some excellent sushi chefs: Shiro Kashiba (and his protégés), Taneda, Keiji of LTD Edition Sushi, Wataru. I would visit Taneda or LTD once a month for omakase and sake pairing as long as I was able to get reservations. Taneda and LTD sushi rezos on Tock are so coveted they sell out within a minute. People came from out of state to go to Taneda. Seattle doesn't have Michelin rating but having tried Sushi Ginza Onodera here in LA which is a 2 Michelin star omakase restaurant, I would say Taneda is on the same level but less expensive and more intimate. To further set some context and give you a comparison of the level I expect, Sushi by Scratch moved into Seattle from Encino, CA. They even brought the original team to train new staff and start the restaurant. All of my Seattle foodie friends trashed talked that place and put it at the very bottom of our list of "high end" sushi places and never went back there again. Anyway, I was looking for something similar to Taneda, my new omakase haunt now that I've moved to LA. Shunji had the right vibes, an intimate chef's counter with a small seating and a sake pairing. I was so disappointed though! The quality and taste is so bad for the price! I immediately felt something was off starting from the moment I walked in! So many things were just so wrong: --When I walked into the restaurant, I was greeted with the funky smell of what seemed like an old musty sauna. The walls were covered in I think cedar which looked cool and fit the minimalistic Japanese sushi bar decor but it smelled musty for some reason! --The vegetables served at the beginning tasted mid AF, bland and not cooked soft enough to show case the flavor, dressed with a very basic vinegar. --The clams in the clam noodle appetizer had grit in it! The broth did not taste like it was simmered with effort, no clam or fish flavor. The noodles had the texture of store bought dry package noodles. --The raw sweet shrimp from Japan was gummy and slimy textured, didn't seem very fresh, like it's been dead for a while. --Most good omakase places I go serve top grade sea urchin from Hokkaido. Here they served basic cheaper Santa Barbara sea urchin and undercooked rubbery Santa barbara abalone. --Two pieces of fish had hard pieces of sinew/gristle in it! That's so gross. I hate biting into a piece of fish and experiencing a "crunch" texture. It's something I've only ever dealt with at mid tier sushi places. --The anago had hard bones in it! I've never had anago where I could detect the bones at a fancy sushi place! The chef usually picks it out or cook it properly so the bones are softer where it's undetectable. --Some pieces of nigiri was at the wrong temperature, some were too cold. --The vinegar used in the rice was brown/red instead of more clear/white and had a funk to it (although this is a matter of preference) --The chef's home made ginger was good but he did not refill my ginger, didn't seem to notice. --The dessert was a truffle ice cream but the truffle chunks were hard and it tasted like fake truffle oil was added. The texture was icy and not consistently creamy. Most pieces of fish were 5-6/10 with the exception of the kohada, the akami, and the tomato tofu upgrade. The tomato tofu was 9/10 in quality, worth the $12 upgrade. It absolutely met my standard but the rest of the meal did not compare at all. What gives? The sake pairing had 7 special edition sakes from Japan but for $150, not including tax or tip, it was slightly too expensive. Most were also mid shelf, $50/bottle sakes and not even one over $100 a bottle Junmai Daiginjo I would expect for such an expensive tasting. The tasting is good, but I would not come here just to get that since the food is mid. The service was good. I liked that the waitress introduced every sake to me and let me take photos of the bottles and savor the sake. They had black bean tea on the menu and the waitress helped me with 3 steepings. I've never tried black bean tea before, thought that was cool. They even let me charge my phone because it was dead. It's a shame because Shunji and the wait staff seemed very kind and hospitable. Again, I love the intimate setting where you get to talk to the chef and talk about fish, the sake, and Japan. Update: after talking to another local foodie, I realize Shunji is a well respected chef from the past. He seems to be kind of coasting at this point and his sous chefs are not well trained. No shade to him but his restaurants have gone down hill. It seems his restaurant is purely relying on his reputation to charge crazy prices at this point. read more

Driving through the LA area, I really wanted to find a Michelin restaurant to grab dinner from. Being an omakase lover, the moment I saw this, I knew I had to to get it. Currently, Shunji is operating at a pop up location in West LA at 11901 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025. It's tucked away in a discreet little strip mall. They only have one food item on the menu, available for pickup, and that is the Premium Sushi Box. This box is a chef's premium selection of fish consisting of 15 pieces of omakase sushi and one cut roll. We picked up the box and it was HEFTY! The chef was very generous with the amount of fish and at $103, a steal in my opinion. For our selection, we were fortunate enough to receive multiple different cuts of toro and even our roll was stuffed with toro. In addition to the nigiri and roll, we also received a ramekin of roe on rice and a ramekin of hose made soy sauce, which was exceptional. The entire experience, even as a pickup, was incredibly worth it! read more

Shunji - Premium Sushi Box - Japanese Near Me - Santa Monica, California

I was thinking about a good Omakase and after they opened up outdoor dining, it was the first place i thought about trying. Especially after their takeout sushi boxes. Omakase meal did not disappoint, the outdoor dining space is underwhelming, but that's not why I was there. Hot dishes and sushi were on point. I couldn't be happier and thats not bc live been cooked up in the house. I've also gone to brothers sushi and tried their Omakase and if I have to choose this is by far way more delicious read more

See all

Decided to come here with my friend since they started outdoor dining. All the tables are at a safe distance apart from each other and all the staff wear face masks. We made the reservation ahead online and paid deposits to secure the spot. Every dish is amazingly curated according to what's in season. The tiny crab on hotate and more crab was super cute and yummy. The grilled ebi was surprisingly buttery, definitely one of my favorites. The wagyu with sansho pepper was delicious. All the nigiris were the best, I do miss eating by the bar so each nigiri was fresh. I definitely want to come back once indoor seating is open again! read more

See all

Sushi by chef Miki was phenomenal. Everything was so tasty and delicious. My only complaint here was around the service. While Miki was very friendly, I expected more in terms of the waitstaff for the amount we're paying. I had to ask the waitress to refill my tea multiple times (she didn't check in on me) amongst other requests because she was emerged in flirtatious conversation the whole night with the gentleman at the end who was clearly a regular. Totally get that you have to cater to special clientele, but for $200/pp I don't think I should have to remind you of my requests, especially when there are just seven people at the bar total. read more

We really craved sushi during the pandemic lock down and decided to try the one star Michelin Shunji. We ordered the take out boxes via tock and had a nice picnic at a nearby park to devour our food. We sure gave Shunji good try ordering the bento, sushi and the king crab chirashi boxes on two separate occasions. I liked the king crab chirashi the most and the sushi box did not disappoint either. The rice was the star in the chirashi box. It has such a perfect substantial texture and the right balance of vinegar and salt. Don't get me wrong, the crab was delicious too. The sushi was top quality but can't say it was the best I've had but it did the trick in satisfying our craving! Unfortunately I wasn't a big fan of the bento box. The cheese tofu really shocked me with its intense blue cheesy flavor and I really didn't enjoy that. The shrimp was cooked well and probably the one item I enjoyed. Everything else in the bento did not shine in my palate. read more

See all

Kaiseki style with sushi that i was actually full with! I highly recommend this place and we had great conversations with the other guest and sushi chef. The theme was mushrooms so we had a lot of mushrooms in most of the dishes! I exceptionally liked the home made truffle icecream! 1. Red snapper sashimi 2. Fresh salmon eggs 3. Chawan mushi and trumpet mushroom and crab 4. Halibut and tuna 5. Abalone with abalone liver 6. Lotus root mochi with enoki mushroom 7. Golden eye snapper 8. Amber Jack kanpachi 9. Saba. Pike mackeral 10. Scallop 11. Salmon 12. Japanese barracuda 13. Aged tuna for 3 weeks for Boston tuna 14. Belt fish 15. Otorro 16. Sea perch - toro white fish 17. Cod melt fish roe risotto 18. Uni 19. Unagi 20. fatty tuna handroll 21. egg 22. Truffle icecream read more

We were able to grab a table with Chef Miki on short notice because our reservation at Ginza Onodera was cancelled because of their staff having COVID exposure. Anyways, I really enjoyed the edomae sushi here. Chef Miki has great technique and seasons the rice very well with Yokoi akazu. The shari dispersed in the mouth well and each grain is individually seasoned while having a superb taste. The personal standouts for me were the suzuki, nodoguro, bluefin akami, otoro, and Santa Barbara uni. However, I had to reduce a star due to two factors: 1) Service didn't start on time. We were seated in a counter of 7 but unfortunately the gaggle of older single Chinese women arrived well past the reservation time. We shouldn't have been penalized for the other party being disrespectful to the chef and our party being punctual. Michelin meals that cost over $700 should start on time at the scheduled reservation time. 2) We felt that the appetizers were a bit weak and lacking. The chawanmushi was served cold when ideally it should be served warm and was lacking proper seasoning. A tomato tofu was served which overall was a bit odd and didn't fit into the flow of the meal; it was a bit too clever and a normal silken tofu would have sufficed. The one appetizer that was impactful was the blue shrimp and scallop with a viscous vinegar sauce; it captured the natural flavors of the proteins and was enhanced by the sharp vinegar bite of the sauce. I think once these issues are addressed and the menu is solidified from top to bottom (inclusive of the dessert which was decent but not something to write home about), this establishment can gain a 5 star review. read more

See all

Opted for the Deluxe Sushi Bento for pickup that includes 10 pieces of omakase sushi and an assorted Japanese appetizer box for $76.65 total sans tip and thought it was a great deal for the quality of the food and adorable presentation. Glad to have experienced Chef Shunji Nakao's Michelin taste and quality. To order for pickup, you can call the restaurant directly. I do want to preface that you shouldn't compare this bento to Sugarfish. Different experiences and I feel that Shunji places more emphasis on traditional omakase and sublimates of Japanese cuisine opposed to just the cut of the fish. For my bento, I received a diverse set of nigri including salmon, yellowtail, and more. Each piece featured a generous cut of fish on an equally generous portion of their sushi rice. Note that the roe nigri was housed in plastic cup, which was my favorite piece next to the salmon. However, I found each piece was delightful to eat. In addition to the nigri, the bento featured 6 pieces of hosomaki sushi which really complemented the nigri. I liked the diversity of the sushi pieces in this bento. The Japanese appetizer box was lovely and I found it personally overshadowed the sushi box. The appetizers included shrimp, pickled veggies, tamago, and much more. The box features such a beautiful presentation of all the appetizers and each little dish was satisfying and exciting to taste. Great experience to have all in the comfort of your home. I highly recommend adding on the appetizer box. In regards to takeout, I recommend you call when you arrive and park in one of their few spots in their small parking lot, and one of the employees will deliver the food to your car. If you can, you support these small businesses in LA that compose our amazing culinary scene. read more

See all

Sushi is top notch, but at this price point, I would go to Sushi Zo. Other dishes are solid, but not as strong. I would do a cheaper lunch special here if it's still offered over the expense of an omakase dinner. Still, it's very high quality sushi. read more

I went there twice for omakase dinner in two month, and some dishes expressed me a lot. Pros: 1 the skin seared sashimi with salt is one of the best bite of sashimi I ever had before, the flavor of fish and salt perfectly balanced. 2 the monkfish liver with toasted bread tastes like heaven. I need a cup of sake for this dish itself. 3. Their vegetables and wasabi are super fresh, juicy and delicious. I still couldn't figure out how they can make wasabi taste that good, none of those Michelin sushi bars I visited had such fresh taste wasabi. Cons: Their fish tasted more jelly(sticky) instead of juicy and soft compared with other sushi bars. I don't know if it's done purposely or it's just because the fish was unfrozen to tasted like this. I like the jelly feeling somehow but it repeated too many times in several different dishes that my tongue feels glutinous and dryafter. read more

Shunji - Monkfish liver - Japanese Near Me - Santa Monica, California

See all

Had the pleasure of dining at Shunji for their remarkable, elegant omakase this last week (Feb 2022) and we were very impressed. However, word of warning...the price tag for omakase is exceedingly high at $250/person, and for the value...is not worth it. Unique experience, great food, extravagant dining...but a bit outrageously priced. And the atmosphere is a bit sterile and impersonal. Shunji is a Toykyo style, Michelin rated restaurant, which you enter through an unmarked wooden door on Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica (easy to miss and easily walk right by the restaurant). The service was outstanding, and the food was delicate, tasty, creative and unique. The dishes kept coming and each was elegant and beautiful and unusual. Just beware the price tag. The entire experience is unique and worth a special visit for a special occasion. But only if you are willing to spend $700+ for a couple once you factor in drinks, omakase, service charge etc. read more

My friend and I were curious about this place and thought to try it as takeout (via Tock app) since covid and all is happening. We got there a little early to pick up and then came out of with our order. This very much surprised us cause we were planning to go back in to pick up the order. Super nice of them to do that. For the price of what we got, it was great selection. The amount given is pretty filling. We got both boxes and shared what we could. If I were to order again, I would just get sushi box. Bento box was worthing trying one time for me. read more

Shunji - Bento box to go. So good! - Japanese Near Me - Santa Monica, California

See all

invited here as a plus one. super intimate and exclusive experience. each course is perfection agedashi tomato is a must! read more

Fantastic sushi omakase experience. Quality of fish was excellent and dishes were all immaculately prepared in front of you. Place looks non-descript from the outside but inside, the decor is very nice and quiet. The chef who prepared our sushi wqs friendly and made us feel very comfortable. What else is there to say? Price is on par with other high end sushi places. Give them a try, you won't be disappointed. Menu is seasonal and changes every few months or so. Probably the best ankimo(monkfish liver pate) I've ever had, which is saying alot because it's not my favorite. There is metered street parking. read more

See all

The appetizers are all light, seasonal vegetable salad, sashimi with dashi jelly are very delicious, and the sesame seeds are very good and fragrant. Then came the pickled Atlantic Bonito, which was served with something that looked like garlic moss and was said to be very seasonal. The roots were also deep-fried. I didn't like this very much because I don't like anything related to garlic. Manju is delicious. It feels like mashed taro and radish. It has a glutinous texture but is refreshing. Then the sushi started! They use red vinegar for their sushi. I can't remember the fish clearly, probably sea bass, golden eye sea bream, isaki first, and I don't know the remaining two. This is the first part, they are all refreshing fish. read more

See all

Picked up to go sushi from their pop up location during covid in March 2021. Mr Shunji & his staff personally came outside and handed me the bag, I saw them waiting til we drove off - my heart melted to see the traditional Japanese gesture. The food was top notch.... Every detail was made with love, beautiful and high quality - best sushi I had in the US. It made me even more homesick.... Lol Can't wait to visit their new location once it opens! read more

Shunji - Japanese Near Me - Santa Monica, California

Exquisite dining experience. Appreciated the variety in the course, and the attention to detail and precision of flavors were remarkable. Shima aji and kanpachi were my favorites. Shunji San's sake is also a must try. read more

Shunji - Shrimp - Japanese Near Me - Santa Monica, California

See all

Came here during COVID-19 to get take out for my husband's bday. We ordered 4 orders of their most expensive sets, they were not good, not fresh, and the quality of the fish was low, they did not worth $400. My orders had a pick up time of 7PM. I arrived right before 7, I was told my order wasn't ready and they would bring it outside when it's ready. I stood outside for over 15 minutes. People who had their reservation after me at 7:15 were able to pick up their food before me. I had to keep on going inside of the restaurant to check. Finally my food was done at a little after 7:15. Inside of the restaurant was hot, not sure If the staffs were cold or they were too cheap to turn on the a/c, how could raw fish stay fresh in such environment. The box of appetizer was filled with unappetizing low quality food, they didn't taste fresh. The one piece of shrimp was the most expensive thing inside, it was not fresh. We tried less than one box out of the four, and didn't touch the rest. It was wasteful but nothing was really good in there. As for the box of sushi, it was filled with mainly inexpensive fish. The best pieces were a piece of toro (not o-toro), a piece of salmon, and a piece of scallop. One of the boxes has a piece of engawa. The rest were chewy cheap white fish. A small sauce container of salmon roe sushi, countable amount of salmon roes with mostly rice in that small container. The crab roll barely had any crabs. When placing order on Tock, they make you select the tip amount before checking out. Since it's take out and you definitely don't want your food to be messed around with so you are obligated to tip blindly in hoping you would receive a decent order. The dining in experience here was already not outstanding, this take out experience was definitely disappointing. I was super surprised when I found out this place received a one Michelin Star. Spend your money elsewhere. Came here awhile back. It's been awhile, I just remember I was slightly disappointed with the meal, but now looking at the pictures they looked ok. Let's just say i was happy to come here and try for the first time but I won't come here again. The best thing was uni with truffle on top of steamed egg, toro sashimi, and the most fun was to debone the whole fish. Sushi were good, fish was fresh, but they served too many dishes before the sushi so by the time sushi came out I was already full. Nothing really stood out to me but also nothing was very bad, the sashimi platter in the beginning was a waste of space in my stomach. read more

See all

I realized early on that I don't enjoy eating sushi to go. I think the overall ambiance as well as pacing plays a huge part in how I enjoy eating it. When Shunji opened up their outdoor space, my husband and I gave it a shot and we really loved it. Staff was great, very sweet and cautious. What was even sweeter was that they were setting up a Nest cam so the chefs can see everyone enjoying their meal. I can't wait to return. read more

See all

This review is purely for Shunji's COVID takeout menu (via Tock). I don't think you can beat the price for the quality of fish you're getting. The sushi box ends up only costing $10 more per person that Sugarshi for similar sized portions, but way better sushi. I thought the quality was on par with Sasabune BH before they changed management. I've also tried the appetizer box but wasn't a huge fan. At the start of quarantine, it was a PITA to secure a time to do takeout from Shunji due to high demand. Now you can pretty readily reserve a meal 24 hours in advance. It's a great option for a date night at home or just to feed a sushi craving. This is by far my favorite takeout option right now. read more

See all

Got the to go sushi box and sushi bento. The sushi box has 9 nigiri and 1 blue crab roll. The fish was mostly very good, not the best. Didn't care for the low flavor dark rice (black vinegar?), but give it 4+ stars. The bento box was fun to read the description and try each of the many items. For me it was more interesting than tasty. Very Japanese to have the assorted small delicacies to savor the tastes of each. I see why the gourmet style is Michelin and Jonathan Gold rated, but there are other better or comparable places with better value. read more

Shunji - To Go Sushi Box - Japanese Near Me - Santa Monica, California

See all

An incredible hidden gem. I visited their old location and it was a shock to walk inside. The slightly rough appearance of the area melts away when you enter the building. The lunch omakase is a fantastic deal and is some of the best sushi I have had outside of Japan. This restaurant should be considered among the highest quality classic sushi restaurants in LA, along with Sushi Gen. read more

Really terrific all around - service, food, ambiance etc. Highly recommended and we will certainly be back!

***Jonathan Gold's #19 of LA (2016): Shunji*** Top notch sushi restaurant in Sawtelle! Having recently got back from Japan, my standards for sushi have never been higher. While no sushi I've had in California can really compare to some of the places I went to in Japan, I've been on a mission to find something that comes close. Shunji does a pretty good job doing so. You can definitely find the same quality for half the price in Japan, but Shunji figures to be one of the best in LA, which is why I'm giving them an easy 5 stars. Came here this past Friday night (10/13/17) for my first time. We actually tried to eat at Mori Sushi, but were turned away by a Closed sign when we arrived. It was a Friday night around 9:30pm, and I do understand that many of these places require advanced reservations. We ended up at Shunji down the street, which has also been on my bucket list for quite a while. We didn't have reservations, but they were able to accommodate us. It did not disappoint. Shunji has a couple options for omakase. Their special one (~$140-170 I think), which includes more seasonal and cooked dishes, and a sushi-only one (MP - market price). We both went for the sushi-only one, which didn't have a price. We were told it depends on what the chef gives you, any special requests, and how many pieces you wish to try. Our meal came to ~$115 each for 20 courses, which I found to be a pretty good deal considering other similar restaurants in Los Angeles, and considering all that we got to try. Our omakase included the following (in order): 1. Red snapper with sea salt and lime zest 2. Ruby snapper with wasabi 3. Baby yellowtail 4. Black sea bream or black salmon? 5. Japanese grouper 6. Kampachi 7. Bonito 8. Bluefin tuna 9. Jack mackerel 10. Santa Barbara live shrimp 11. Golden eye snapper 12. Belt fish - seared 13. Japanese scallop 14. Japanese barracuda - seared 15. Scottish salmon 16. Salmon Roe 17. Ootoro 18. Santa Barbara Uni 19. Miso soup with live shrimp head 20. Albacore I really enjoyed the first few pieces of the night. It started strong and kept a great pace. The bluefin tuna was extremely good, and the Ootoro tasted like butter. The golden eye snapper was smoky, warm, and melted in my mouth. The Santa Barbara shrimp was beyond fresh, as they killed it on the spot and it was still moving when served. The salmon, barracuda, uni, albacore, and scallop all impressed. The cuts of fish were on the smaller side, but it was on par with a lot of the places we went to in Japan. Just not American jumbo size. All of the fish were undoubtedly fresh. If looking for a top notch, authentic Japanese restaurant, this is your spot. Shunji is featured on a lot of the top sushi restaurant lists in Los Angeles for good reason. Shunji Nakao is a sushi legend, having founded Michelin-star restaurant Asanebo, and being one of the founding chefs of Matsuhisa. The restaurant itself is admittedly strange and almost run-down looking, but don't let that deter you. Inside this circular restaurant lies mouth-watering dishes and a true fine dining experience. I cannot wait to return. read more

See all

I ate at Shunji several years ago when they still had a Michelin star, but I believe the food is likely still worth trying for a special occasion. I recall them giving generous portions and many different courses both hot and cold. The cuts of fish were perfectly portioned. Two-thirds of the way through, the chef wisely asked if I'd like less rice per sushi otherwise I'd be too stuffed to go on. Very good service and ambiance befitting of a high end omakase restaurant. read more