The quality of the sushi here is impeccable. Just noticeably fresh and delicate. I don't want to put down any other sushi restaurants--I love sushi at all price points, from the relatively inexpensive and...let's say non-traditional rolls piled with crazy textures and sauces to the high end omakase experiences. WAKABA has the quality of the latter with a more upscale-casual feel and at a more affordable price point. I came in solo on a weeknight for a light dinner and after asking the waiter for some recs I said "yes, ok!" We're talking yellowtail, bluefin tuna, unagi with a nice peppery note, the sweet shrimp with the fried head. Everything was great. I ended up ordering a couple more things (the tofu, the tempura) and they also did not disappoint. I've lived in the area for over a decade and this is hands down the best sushi around for miles. Run don't walk! read more

The food was tasty. The service very kind and the ambiance was relaxing. We arrived at Happy Hour. Had the chicken, spicy tuna guacamole, Wakabago sushi plate, spicy tuna temaki, yellow tail temaki, and a salmon temaki. All were delicious read more

WAKABA - Chicken jindori - Izakaya Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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I kept passing through the Miracle Mile area and finally decided to check out Wakaba after noticing a new sushi spot had popped up and seeing all the great reviews online. I made a Yelp reservation, and before our visit the restaurant thoughtfully reached out via text to let us know they were still in the process of securing their liquor license and asked if we wanted to proceed. I really appreciated the transparency, and I'm so glad we kept the reservation. Parking around here isn't the easiest, but there is a small lot right next door where you can pay via QR code, which made things much simpler. The restaurant itself is small, intimate, and moody with a great vibe for a sushi night. It feels cozy and intentional without being cramped. Now the food. So good. I ordered the 7 piece set menu while my friend went the à la carte route. We also started with the skirt steak and tempura, and everything was absolutely delicious. The fish tasted incredibly fresh, the flavors were clean and well balanced, and even the green tea stood out. Overall, Wakaba exceeded expectations. Warm communication, great atmosphere, and genuinely excellent food. I'll definitely be back and highly recommend checking it out if you're in the area. read more

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It's only going to be a matter of time before this place is poppin'. They're located on La Brea with a ton of metered parking spots and a paid parking lot right next door. Everything we ordered was excellent and the service was impeccable. Our server was so kind and anticipated our every needs. -Wakaba Plus: what a great deal! Fresh fish, perfectly sliced and delicious -Jidori Chicken: the JUICIEST chicken thigh with a really great chimichurri sauce on top -Agedashi Tofu: This is hands down the best agedashi tofu ever. The broth is rich and savory. It comes with mushrooms and eggplant - so hearty and warming. -Miso Eggplant: Eggplant is tender and that sauce is sweet, a little thick and DELICIOUS. -Vegetable Tempura: the lightest, crispiest batter with perfectly cooked vegetables. The tempura dipping sauce is drinkable. Their lunch menu also looks like a great deal. Highly recommend visiting Wakaba! read more

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Food 5/5: hidden gem, they had soft openings and everything was super tasty even sautéd mushroom. Fatty seared salmon belly #chefskiss. Service 5/5: my water was never empty once lol great service! Ambiance 5/5: quiet, dimmed, nice date spots. Street parking, wasn't too hard. Highly recommend! read more

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Came for lunch, this place is a gem, fresh delicious sushi served and very cold beer. Service is excellent, loved their miso soup [is good different]. Definitely will come for dinner. *Marinated wasabi root? Goes amazingly delicious with the fish. Brian is great, well knowledge of sakes. read more

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Absolutely my favorite sushi spot in LA. The fish quality is incredibly fresh, and you can really tell they care about the details. Even the miso soup comes with soft tofu, and the seaweed salad comes with scored cucumber. But the best part of this place is definitely the fish quality I wish this spot getting more popular!!!! read more

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All you need to know is that the food is great. The price is not low, but it is certainly not unreasonable, particularly for the high quality of the nigiri and sashimi on offer. The lunch specials are, in true Japanese fashion, quite affordable, so that may be the best time to go! read more

Definitely a cut above all the local izakayas. Exquisite sushi. Beautiful space. Doesn't need 85 characters to describe.

Excellent happy hour! Nice ambience and great service. We had the sunomono, the takoyaki, the eggplant miso, the fries, and sausage, and everything was delicious. Wish we lived closer so we could come back more often! read more

WAKABA - Fries, eggplant miso, and takoyaki. - Izakaya Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Great new sushi spot off of La Brea. Fish was fresh and everything we ordered for two tasted phenomenal. Service was also great! Ordered the following: Started off with the vegetable mushroom soup (5/5). Salmon yuzu sashimi (4.25/5) Had a yellowtail hand roll (4.8/5) Shared the yellow tail collar (5/5) Shared the rainbow & California rolls (4.5/5). They use real snow crab for their rolls. Was satisfied with the meal and plan to come back once they get their liquor license! read more

Highly recommend supporting this new small biz. Everything is really high quality, the service was excellent and vibes are so relaxing. Would come regularly if I lived nearby. read more

WAKABA - Great lunch special (not shown is the miso and edamame that comes with it) all delicious - Izakaya Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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Came here for an early dinner and was *very* pleasantly surprised! I'm a little bit of a sushi snob coming from working at different sushi restaurants and eating the entirety of LA's choice places. First off, I don't think there was anything I didn't like. Food is fresh and there is a level of finesse and care that you can see and taste! All the sauces are also very good.. the Miso Eggplant.. my god. If you slapped some noodles or rice on that, I would go back for more hands down. Also, I could eat a boat load of the Hamachi Carpaccio. The jalapeño ponzu the chef makes is incredibly fresh!! And I'm suuuper picky with ponzu :') I absolutely love the Izakaya/tapas style of Wakaba, and also enjoy their lovely ambiance too. The interior is rustic and clean. It's a great spot for a quick lunch, or a nice dinner date with your friends and loved ones. Service is kind, friendly, and attentive. It's upscale but without it being in your face if that makes sense? I've been to Nobu, and don't get me wrong, service is great, but sometimes you just want a nice quiet dinner without being interrupted too much, and Wakaba does a great job that. I really appreciate that great level of service. Anyway, I know that was long. I hope this place gains attraction because it's definitely something special! THANKS FOR READING Y'ALL. read more

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Overall sushi was amazing.... Especially yellowtail sushi with radish ponzu on top was so delish, it melted on my tongue. Chicken was good too with the garlic sauce on the side. And omg the fries...... the best fries I've ever had in my life. Perfectly crisp and the mayo sauce(i think truffle in it) was soooooo yummy read more

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This place is terrific. Friendly staff. Excellent flavors. Sushi chef is a legend. Eggplant was a 10/10. The thick cut sashimi was fresh and generous. Sake selection is fire. Tender albacore. All around a win. read more

Hands down the best sushi experience in California This place is on a completely different level. From the moment you walk in, the service is warm, attentive, and genuinely welcoming -- the kind of hospitality that makes you feel like a regular even on your first visit. Every staff member clearly cares about the experience and it shows in every detail. Now let's talk about the food -- absolutely unreal. The raw shrimp alone deserves its own paragraph. Incredibly fresh, sweet, clean, and delicate -- easily the best raw shrimp I've ever had. Perfect texture, perfect flavor, and prepared with real respect for the ingredient. The Australian Wagyu was nothing short of spectacular. Melt-in-your-mouth tender, rich without being overwhelming, and cooked flawlessly. It's rare to find a sushi spot that handles Wagyu this well -- this was world-class quality. Every single piece of sushi we had was impeccably fresh, beautifully presented, and balanced. You can tell the fish is top-tier and the chefs know exactly what they're doing. No unnecessary gimmicks -- just pure, high-quality ingredients executed perfectly. This is not just a meal, it's an experience. Thoughtful pacing, knowledgeable staff, and food that genuinely blows you away. We left already planning our next visit. I've eaten sushi all over California, and I can confidently say this is the best sushi in the state. If you appreciate incredible service, pristine fish, and unforgettable flavors, this place is a must. Can't recommend it enough -- purely amazing from start to finish. read more

Excellent quality. Some of the best fish I've had in LA by far! Amazing service + ambiance is lovely. This restaurant just opened. Do yourself a favor and swing by before word gets out! Brian (one of the owners) provided amazing service and was warm and welcoming. Will definitely be coming back! :) read more

WAKABA - Hosomakis - Izakaya Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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Not special menus but taste was excellent! Nice area. Atmosphere was fantastic I will come back definitely . read more

Had a truly excellent meal there this week. Each dish was superb! Salad was very fresh, and miso soup was perfect. Then had an outstanding sashimi platter. Really top notch quality, generous portions and very nicely put together. My difficult to please sons both ordered steak and were very happy with the quality and the seasoning. Very warm attentive service and just excellent dining experience all around. Enthusiastically recommend! read more

The food at WAKABA is outstanding. We got there on a Friday early enough to try their happy hour menu and left very full and happy. The mixed tempura was so delicately battered and crisp, it really stood out. The hoisin eggplant, green beans and mushrooms all had excellent balance of flavors and umami. The nigiri was good. Service was prompt and friendly, too. It was quiet, with mellow music- a nice place to chat and chill over great food. Wish we lived closer and could visit more often. read more

Absolutely amazing - Brian was a fabulous host and graciously helped us navigate the menu - chef yoshi is a total master - the flavors and freshness were out of this world - some of the best sashimi, sushi and tempura I've had outside of Tokyo - plus an amazing sake and beverage selection - will be back again soon - perhaps tomorrows!! A+++ read more

Ordered one of the lunch sashimi specials to go from here and they didn't even include the miso soup & edamame that supposedly included with the dish. The food was horrible and the fish is not fresh. Don't waste your time here. Before I tried the food I also asked them if I could do 5-6 people reservation for a work lunch next week and they turned down my business. Not sure what kind of restaurant does that but whatever, not planning on going back. read more

Excellent! Top quality sushi with lovely service. Recommend the tuna crispy rice, yellowtail and salmon belly nigiri. Tempura was delicious too. Highly recommend for fresh sushi!!! read more

Really nice interior that's super comfortable and the wait staff is very friendly and attentive. Had the teppanyaki and the scallops and shrimp were top notch. Cooked perfectly and the sauce was great. All the food was presented with care and you could tell everything was quality ingredients. Great value for what you pay. read more

Excellent food! We had a variety of dishes from steak, sushi, eggplant and all were amazing!! Great addition to the neighborhood, Great service and ambiance . Definitely recommend! read more

New place in this area for Japanese food! Every ordered I made it's so good! Specially, chicken, so tender and juicy and tasty!! Highly recommended!!! read more

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Truly a 5 star experience! The food was fantastic, specifically loved the miso eggplant and garlic butter yuzu salmon. For dessert, the cheese cake is sooo worth it. The space was beautiful and the service was fantastic. Brian was so knowledgeable, kind and helpful! read more

Finally! A great, really great, Izakaya in the neighborhood. Every dish was excellent, soft shell crab, the sashimi, sushi, hand rolls, all nailed it. Top quality. The service was attentive, knowledgeable, and courteous. The space is beautiful, well executed, and all this will get even better because having a beer (once the alcohol license arrives) with this food is going to elevate the experience. I will be back and plan on making this my local sushi spot... Finally! A note on parking, a little tough before 7pm due to no parking on La Brea. No big deal, I found a spot and walked half a block. Also, no photos because I ate the gorgeous food as soon as it hit the table. Can't wait to explore the menu further. read more

Fantastic food and overall great vibe. And all the staff here really seemed like they cared about us. Great addition to the neighborhood

Loved the interior and ambience of the restaurant, great recommendations, friendly service, even the house salad was amazing. Will be back to try other dishes next time. read more

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Much needed sushi restaurant in the neighborhood! The fish was amazing quality and the staff is awesome. Love this place :)

This sushi is great Sushi and tempura is on other level.. I've tried many include Nobu but this is far the best sushi I've ever had. Excellent service and a very clean place.. read more

Amazing place! The food was really good. I went there with my besties, and we had such a great time because the atmosphere was so nice. The food was amazing--especially the tempura, steak, and all kinds of fish! I'll definitely bring my whole family next time :) read more

New spot opened up! The tempura/fried dishes are soooo good. Sushi, hand/rolls are sooo fresh. There's garish and toppings that enhance the sushi! Love it. Would recommend! Can't wait for their alcohol license it come through. This place will be a regular. read more

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Really great vegetarian/vegan options. Though my husband is not, I am vegetarian so nice to have lots of great options for both of us.

Fish was high quality and overall tasty. Some of the best sushi I've had in a while. Environment and vibe was enjoyable as well. Service was great and helpful. Overall a positive experience and would definitely continue to come back. read more

The food is amazing with probably the best sashimi in Los Angeles. Fish you will want to taste at least once in your lifetime. The ambiance is delightful with comfortable elegance. And the service is very attentive. read more

This is totally our new neighborhood sushi spot. we had been waiting for them to open and tried it as soon as we got the chance. The owner was so kind, the restaurant was so clean and the food tasted AMAZING. Prices were completely reasonable and we can't believe we have this new spot to go to!! read more

Wakaba was such an incredible find! We sampled a bunch of different dishes off the menu, and honestly, it was hard to pick a favorite. Sometimes restaurants have specialities or particular dishes you go back for, but this is one of those places where you can confidently order anything off the menu and know it's going to be delicious. Really cozy ambiance as well - a perfect dinner date spot. read more

everything tasted so fresh and amazing!! the yuzu cheesecake was delicious will be returning soon