SUGARFISH by sushi nozawa in Los Angeles - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

Three words: bastardized American sushi. Poor presentation, hot rice sushi (proper: room temperature), quarter sized sashimi, hand roll is not even made into a cone (laziness)? I’ve seen better quality at “common” and “all you can eat” sushi restaurants. This place is ridiculously overpriced for a set menu ”prix fixe” and supposed quality dining experience. “No tipping establishment” is meaningless when they’ve automatically added a “16% fee” to the bill. Icing on the cake: a fruit fly landed in my sake cup and drowned.

I don’t usually post reviews but this was so disappointing that I had to write one. My husband and I got the $59 “Don’t Think Just Eat” each. We might as well have gotten the $39 “Nozawa Trust Me”. It’s the same thing but they just swapped 2 nigiris (hamachi and hirame) with pink lobster and Unagi and just gave 2 pc each for those. They also swapped the blue and Dungeness crab hand roll with a lobster roll. The taste of the food was okay, but not great. The unagi was mushy - it didn’t taste fresh. The rice paper with sesame seeds that they paired with the salmon took away from the natural taste of the salmon. All I tasted was sesame seeds. The cut of the fish was small compared to other omakase places I’ve been at. The “sashimi course” was tuna scraps in ponzu sauce. I can’t believe they had the audacity to call that the “sashimi course”. Overall, I would not come back here. I was skeptical about the negative reviews since there are SO MUCH MORE more positive reviews. I wholeheartedly agree with all the negative reviews now. Not worth it, please save your money and go to another legit omakase restaurant.

- not worth the high price - this is NOT an omakase experience, it’s just a set menu - the rice in the nigiri is hot, why? - the rice in the nigiri falls apart, why? - sashimi is not sashimi, it’s just marinated off cuts of tuna - eel was mushy - thinnest fish slices, lol - layer of visible dust on the waiter’s counters right in front of my eyes while eating - pink lobster was good though

Didn’t give Jake Shane his well deserved rice👎👎

Best sushi I've had in a long time.

Always great food and great service.

Food is amazing. I went with the "Nazawa trust me" and it was the correct choice. Fish is of great quality and the overall flavor is fantastic. Would def recommend for the sushi and rolls. The only thing that was lacking was service. Our waiter would forget things that we'd ask for (water, sweetener, ginger) and did not know what was on the plates that was being served. Two of us had remaining items on our selection but had already been told we were done. We pointed out we were missing at least 4-5 items and then apologized for his mistake. (kind of embarrassing to have to ask).

sushi rice fell apart - not compacted. fish pieces were very good.

Best place to enjoy a nice dinner

Its good. Not great Sushi wise, for this price there are better

I've had sugar fish twice. Once eating in, and the other delivery. Both have a been great experiences. Eating in, the staff are knowledgeabl, helpful and friendly. With delivery, the food comes packaged in a nice box, designed for the meal you ordered. As for the food, everything has been wonderful. One of my favorite places in LA in my short time.

I have loved Sugarfish since the day I first tasted it. This is a great location and may be my favorite. The fish is always fresh! The ginger was perfect, and the water is good as well. Love the service here also.

Great sushi!!! And great service

I’ll put this in the top 3 sushi spots in all of LA! What a pleasant surprise to find this kind of culinary artistry in the heart of downtown.

Me and my girl were about to hit up a 400$ per person omakase sushi restaurant in LA and we decided to go here instead and the quality in our opinion is just as good but you pay A LOT less because it's a little more casual. Definitely one of my go to spots when I go back to LA for vacation.

We ordered from the menu which had food stains on my menu.. After ordering our dinners, service was very scarce. Lots of waiters/hosts but none made eye contact with us nor were able to pick up trash off the floor. The food was mediocre, RICE WAS HOT! Why is it hot? All our dishes came out of the kitchen very slowly, one at a time and no one told us what the dishes were? Just placed them on the table and walked away. To add insult to injury, a “16% fee” of $17.00 was added to my check. I guess that’s the tip, because I would have left much less. No impressed at all.

I had the "Nozawa Trust Me." What a fun way to design a menu and have people try things they normally wouldn't order. The pacing of the meal was perfect, even with so many courses you did not feel rushed nor did you feel as if you were sitting around waiting between courses. The restaurant is also a no tipping establishment and they build that into the price, I was confused at first asking how to tip and they had to explain it to me. The sauces were great and the fish was fresh. Would definitely go again.

The fish is fresh and high quality. The rice is fresh sushi rice that's still a little warm. The flavored pieces are seasoned to perfection.

Fun modern take on the modern omakase experience. Service was fast and on point. The rice was looser than what I am accustomed to and served hot. This in turn heats up the fish which was a different experience. Quality is acceptable, but not something you would rave about. If you are looking for a good lower priced omakase experience, would recommend going. If you are looking for true Japanese omakase, there are better.

Well, food is awesome but their delivery aspects is subpar. When ordered largest box and two additional things they put how many sets of chopsticks? Just one! We ordered same stuff 4 times and it’s a pattern. Can you guess this might involve more than one person to eat? That’s lots of food ordered! Greedy to put extra chopsticks? Another thing is they stick to Postmates only which makes my DoorDash or Grubhub free delivery memberships useless. Postmates is now UberEats which is notorious for awful customer service. Guess, there is no way to add note to the restaurant to add another set of chopsticks!! So, last time we tried to call to face IVR that doesn’t connect to humans. Is tells you to order from Postmates or reads their address and says “there is no way to transfer your call”. Really? Awful delivery service, exceptionally awful. Best sushi I ever had but absolutely awful delivery experience.

Delicious food. Lovely service. Great experience.

The staff is amazing and so helpful. The food was absolutely spectacular and reasonably priced, especially the Just Eat boxes. It’s also completely peanut-allergy friendly for those who deal with allergies. Can’t wait to come back for more.

Really nice traditional sushi joint. Very good quality fish, great service. 16% gratuity included in bill, which makes things easy. Loved it!

We rolled in 10 deep before a concert on 4/4 and while they were clearly a little shocked at us they were great sports, gave us great service, and of course the food was on point! Even the price was good! Loved it. Will be back.

This was a well paced meal that was perfect for conversation. Sugarfish primarily does pre-set tasting menus/ omakase that are in the $30-40 range. You can probably get a better deal somewhere else if you just want to eat a bunch of fish, but overall, the food was great, and the environment was intimate. Perfect spot for a date.

If you are Japanese, you should not go. I'm surprised by the number of positive reviews. Since I live in Canada, I have eaten a lot of sushi in North America, but this sushi was shocking. The sushi rice was crumbly and didn't have the shape of a sushi rice. The sushi rice was triangular, probably because I just squeezed it tightly. If you put soy sauce on it, it will fall apart. It will fall apart just by holding it with chopsticks. My friend's sushi rice was piping hot.

Amazing. Don’t think, just go and order an omakase. They’ll bring you the good stuff.

Have had lunch at least 1 day a week for the past 2 months. Always amazing sushi. You can't go wrong

Very busy during lunch today, but they delivered a great experience!!! It’s so good a review it’s not enough to explain how good it is.

Incredible, everything they put in front of you is amazing. This is simple sushi done absolutely perfectly and at the highest quality.

The food is amazing and the staff is terrible. We arrived at the Resturant and no one was there. Not one table occupied. We asked to be seated because I have a leg injury and they said “No” not until your other person arrives. I asked for the manager and she said it is the Resturant policy not to seat incomplete parties. I explained the situation and finally she agreed to let us sit but qualified “this time only”! We felt rushed by the server and not at all welcomed. Again the food is great but we won’t go back because of the attitude and staff.

I’ve never been to Japan, but out of all the sushi places I know, this is the best!

First time at Sugarfish and was disappointed by ... the sushi rice. Before I start, the service was great, the atmosphere inviting, and the fish served was very good. However, the sushi is served with warm rice and it was unpacked, loose. This made it impossible to pick up without crumbling. It was impossible to pick up with chopsticks. Each dish had promise, but ended up being a sloppy affair. When I asked the server, he said the warm rice was intentional as a contrast to the cold fish. The loose rice? No response. At $70 per person, it was disappointing.

Sushi is ok, the restaurant is dark and in general doesn't look very clean. Absurd rules, you can't seat till all the guests on your table are not in the place. I arrived 20 minutes earlier than my friend and even tho the restaurant was almost empty I couldn't seat before the arrival of the other person I was having dinner with. There are definitely better places in downtown LA for a good sushi. Good note it is a freetip restaurant so at least you won't be forced to leave 15/20% tip as usual in US.

Can't go wrong with any of the sugarfish locations - always fresh, great service, gratuity is included and fast!

The pretentiousness of this place is definitely unwarranted. Poorly cut, ice cold and slightly too old fish served over HOT rice. Why?

Exceptional. Food is all raw but amazing. Served almost 'course style'. Staff was respectful and courteous. The food was served quickly. The fish was delicious. If my eyes didn't see it I wouldn't know for sure I was having raw fish. Also the rice alone was divine. This place will likely ruin me for other sushi spots but I think my palate is just poor($) enough to appreciate the mediocre sushi of other locations and the amazing sushi here. 2-3 individual bathrooms available with amazing lighting. A few booths and tables. I wouldn't believe it fits more than 40 patrons. The wait area has 2 chairs so expect to wait outside but the wait wasn't long. Paid parking all around with a parking garage close by. Close to a lovely coffee/dessert spot and a mall. It is downtown LA though so expect the typical crowding, millionaires walking around the homeless, people watching you eat through the window, etc.

The Benihana of this generation. Overrated, overpriced,underwhelming, sad, etc. The sushi is mediocre and made secretly behind a wall somewhere. Having been to 3 of their locations and been disappointed every time, I felt compelled to throw in my two cents. The only thing pure and authentic about Sugarfish is its Hollywood style branding. It was designed for hipsters/rich people who care more about clout and not the quality or art of crafting a sushi meal experience. The fish is usually just OK but prepared strangely. An example is the salmon, which comes as a "mash", as opposed to a traditional style nigiri. Also there is no sushi bar. Everything is prepared in the kitchen(I'm guessing). Kudos to the people who marketed this place. It's developed into a huge chain to become the CHESECAKE FACTORY of sushi restaurants.

Best sugarfish out there. Idk if I’ve been in nyc too long or what but the fish at this particular sugarfish was slapping SO hard & is making me consider moving back to LA so fresh & no wait with no one there it was perfect<3

Always and enjoyable experience here. Love the easy of ordering and the simple checkout process. And of course the freshest sushi around. Closest to authentic sushi from Japan I’ve had.

Great sushi spot, always blows me away. The sushi literally melts in your mouth, and the service is always warm and friendly, Highly recommend!

Really nice place, great service, the food was good and the ambiance as well as.

I’ve had Sugarfish in Pasadena and it was as pretty good and this spot is just as good or better. I ordered “Don’t think, just eat” option and added about three different dishes that weren’t in my meal option. All the sushi pieces were ever fresh and delicious. The proportions are on point and the flavors are phenomenal. I’d definitely come back here again and try their other menu items. Overall it was we a solid dining experience. Parking is very limited & you’d be lucky to find some on the street or you can get nearby paid parking.

We ate at Sugarfish, and the food is amazing. The sashimi is incredibly fresh, and every dish is delicious. A huge shoutout to Zen for his attentiveness and overall great service. Thanks for a wonderful last meal in LA!

Stumbled upon this place just looking for a sushi restaurant near me, and WOW so glad I did. I don't mean to sound hyperbolic, but this was the best sushi I've ever had. The fish just seemed to melt in your mouth. The menu is small but it's because they've perfected their limited items. Such an unexpectedly amazing experience. Highly recommend.

Solid sugar fish food and service.

food was great, i love sugarfish. staff was a little odd though. there was some unusual glances shot in my direction and the server was stuffy, borderline unwelcoming. makes me think management puts some weird pressure or stipulations on the working staff. also wish it was a bit easier to order for pick up

Incredibly rude and non honest staff

If you are looking for an omakase experience, this is the way to go. Great value quality fish Very much highlights the fish instead of sauces.

The best sushi we ever had! The food and the service was top notch.

Best sushi I’ve ever tried in the States

Best sushi I've ever had. I got the Nozawa Trust Me. Every plate was fantastic, the flavors, the preparation, the presentation. Perfect. Every time I travel near LA I will seriously consider going here.

First time trying sushi out and it was incredible. Very delicious and the service is was great too by the way. They had a great menu selection and their prices reasonable too.

On my walk back home from the gym I decided to stop at Sugarfish to try this establishment out for the first time. When I walked in, I was not acknowledged immediately. Once I was acknowledged, I told the waitress that I wanted to place a order to go. I placed my order and then asked to use the restrooms. On my way back from the restroom she asked me do I mind paying for my food beforehand. I said sure why not and then I ask where can I sit to wait for my food and she said you can sit but the door with another young lady waiting for her to go order. she said that she would bring out a chair for me to sit down because the lady was occupying both chairs. She never brought the chairs out, asked if I need any water or anything. There was only three customers in the entire establishment as well. I just politely waited by the cash register and while waiting there, the lady that was there waiting for her to go order, her food was ready and the young gentleman behind the bar checked her out. While checking her out, he asked her if she would like to pay by credit card or cash which was kind of strange to me because she didn’t have to pay for her to go order before hand, and I did. With that being said, I just wanted to say we shouldn’t judge people of what they’re wearing or look like beforehand because that does not make the customer feel great. The food was wonderful but I don’t know if I will be back at that establishment again.

Came here as we heard great things about this place, however the experience itself was a little disappointing. The sushi and food itself is great, however at such a price point we would’ve expected better presentation. Overall the experience was fine, food was good, service was decent. The restaurant itself is also kept very dark so we couldn’t really read the menus properly.

This is a five star sushi experience and the price to prove it. Sushi was of excellent quality prepared to perfection. If you’re not too hungry the Nozawa Trust Me is enough to feed two people. I’d recommend this place as long as you’re willing to eat the price.

I have only ever heard of Sugarfish and everyone I've talked to have different reviews of this place. Finally, we had a girls date night and we ended up here. They have set menus and a la carte as well. We went with a set menu and also ordered a few additional from a la carte. The flavors, freshness of the fish, hand rolls, even the rice was all so good!! My favorite was the toro hand roll and the salmon nigiri. Parking was easy, as I found meter parking, but there are also several lots around that you can park at. Overall, great sushi place and can't wait to go back!

An absolutely spectacular sushi experience at SUGARFISH. This was sincerely one of the most enjoyable dining experiences I’ve had in recent memory, and I have dined across the globe. The space is hard to find at night—very discreet signage, if you blink, you miss it. I actually like this about the place. It feels very much like a contemporary, serene hole in the wall. We got the “don’t think, just eat” omakasen as well as a bottle of unfiltered sake, and everything was phenomenal. What an interesting amalgamation of flavor profiles and textures. The highlight of the meal for me was a special scallop with ponzu. The pricing is also extremely reasonable. I very much enjoyed my experience here, and cannot wait to come back!

Food were exquisite, great service and ambiance. Would definitely come back and highly recommend this restaurant!

March 2023 Update: ordered don’t think just eat option. I highly recommend this option, can’t go wrong with this if you are hungry,l. Best sushi in DTLA. I am a repeat client and go there once a month. Highly recommend! Stopped by again for sushi. Awesome experience and yummy sushi as always!

Great place, the set menu is where it's at.

Our service, food & ambiance were amazing! Highly recommended

La comida es exquisite Dan muy buena atencion es un lugar muy relajado donde puedes disfrutar tu comida agusto.

Tasty sushi, very high quality fish and rice. It’s all traditional Japanese maki and nigiri, no Americanized BS.

Wonderful tasting menu. A little tight seating but fun nonetheless

get the TRUST ME dinners! So good!

Fantastic little sushi place. The omikasi choices are the best. Sushi was great, but they also use fantastic seaweed. I usually don’t like handrolls because of that but here, they were great!

best sushi at a great price! could eat here every day!

Fish was very fresh and extremely flavorful, my only complaint was the rice balls with the Nigiri were lose and fell apart while picking up.

Would be nice if someone would answer the phone instead of letting the IVR do the talking.

Enjoyed the everything from the Trust Me option. So delicious with warm sushi rice.

We are totally embracing the final days of our Birthday month with dinner at Sugar Fish by Sushi Nozawa. An interesting chain restaurant in L.A.'s downtown Financial District, which was bustling at 7 pm on a Saturday. The restaurant features a "very" limited menu dedicated to only sushi prepared with fresh herbs, seasonings and sauces. I missed the miso, salads, noodles, etc., but the sushi was stellar. Also, it was serve with purposely warmed flavorful sticky rice. (Is that a thing? If so, I can dig it!). They have a good saki selection and good iced and hot teas. But they lose a point because it is too dark. Turn up the lights!

Really enjoyed the sushi. Everything was fresh and flavorful, the waiter (I think his name was Kai) did a great job explaining each course and even which sake to pair with it. It's only 4 stars because we went around 7pm and it was very dark in the restaurant... It was hard for some of our party to see the menu and what they were eating. Other than that, 5/5, will be back!

I traveled to LA for a conference and saw this restaurant on TripAdvisor as it was close to my hotel. Due to the eastern and Pacific time change I went in around 4 PM and it was not busy at all so I sat at the small bar. The staff were very attentive and friendly. They were helpful in making decisions about the menu items. I got a dry Saki cold, which I was not used to, but it was very delicious. I also got the try-me light, which was a perfect amount of food for one person. The sushi is incredibly fresh and delicious and just melts in your mouth. I really enjoyed the handroll which I’m not used to eating but the seaweed wrap was crispy and the sushi soft and yummy. I may just eat here every night. Strongly recommend. I would definitely go here again and highly recommend anyone to try it out.

Cozy dinner vibe, friendly staff. Excellent fresh fish

Delicioso sushi com ótimas opções. Achei o custo-benefício super bom, especialmente se você pede a opção de vários pratos por um preço fixo. O ambiente é bem legal, um pouco escuro. Garçons simpáticos.

This was my second time coming to this location and I was pretty disappointed. It was fairly empty inside since it’s been pouring rain, and we felt like they just wanted us out of their. We were super rushed. Keep in mind there was no one left inside the restaurant and it wasn’t near closing time. The rice in our sushi was hot. Why was it hot? I was really confused. I’m not a sushi expert but something didn’t taste right about that. The tuna sashimi and the yellow tail sushi was my favorite! The quality of fish was very good but, I’m not too sure I’ll be coming back.

Mi segunda visita después de muchos años. Todo sigue igual, buen sushi pero el servicio si cayó un poco.

Pretty much the best experience I had while on my short trip to LA is this dinner at Sugarfish. The environment is classy and relaxing, servers are friendly yet courteous, and the dishes are exquisite. Highly satisfied. Would definitely return next time I'm around LA.

I love Sugarfish. Excellent food, service and atmosphere. I would strongly recommend this to anyone who hasn't tasted great sushi.

Food was really good. Have to say it was the best sushi I have had in a really long time. We got 4 orders of the Omakase "THE NOZAWA TRUST ME" and it was just enough and tasted really good. The best is the salmon and Toro. Highly recommend 👌

My friend took me here and I was in heaven. If you want perfect, decadent sushi, look no further.

The best way to get a reliable deal on excellent sushi in Los Angeles. Order a large “Trust Me” and relax.

Amazing food and love the different options for the chef tasting menu

Delish sushi and great service during their lunch hour, would go back!

The food was AMAZING. The atmosphere was great, service was exceptional ..... One thing was strangely sussss. We ordered the Trust Me, as did the table next to us. And what we found was quite inexplicable per chance. With two orders of the Trust Me, one would think they would come out simultaneously for two patrons. Ooooh nooo. L to the O to the L. They would, and we deem it on purpose, deliver one plate containing multiple skoosh and made us think... Is this the real life But alas a minute or two the second plate would arrive. To be fair.......... My only complaint is that the rice was always hot and warm. Why??? No bueno estas aquis. But I gobbled it up so hey who's complaining! Minus one star because the rice was always warm which I do not appreciate.

No words can explain how good this place is. My favorite sushi restaurant in LA. Everything is so fresh, done to perfection. The staff was lovely and ambience was perfect. If you’re reading this, treat yourself… you deserve this.

Great, tasty quality sushi. Location is very cool. Hilary & Zen, are outstanding. I highly recommend experiencing this restaurant! Bon Appétit

Great spot to get a sushi fix. Staff was kind with explaining the menu and how the process is there.

Freshest sushi I think i have ever eaten

This establishment definitely had a price tag larger than most sushi restaurants but nonetheless it was still very delicious. I tried the Nozawa Trust Me which I believe is a good course for sushi, but there are also other courses. Overall a great place with great service.

I dined at Sugarfish last week when I was in town for my college reunion. They do not take reservations which was perfect for me. I sat at the sushi bar. The other patrons at the bar were very friendly. The sushi and sashimi was fresh, innovative (with sauces on some of them) and absolutely delicious. I highly recommend.

Had the Trust Me. Was not very impressed with the quality or freshness of the fish. The ponzu was a little too sweet for me. The ankimo was destroyed wth a very sweet and strange sauce that was all over it. The gari (pickled ginger) was nice and light and the wasabi was fresh and the yellowtail sashimi was very good. If you liked my review please give me a thumbs up👍🏾 and follow me for more honest reviews! 🙏🏾

Overall: 3.3/5 (dine in) We came on a Sunday night at 8:25 PM and were seated right away. The service here is still top notch but the food quality went downhill. Nozawa Trust Me ($46): Overall, everything was less fresh than last time except for the 2 hand rolls which were warm and fresh. The fish tastes like it's been sitting out for a while. The tuna sashimi were cut in different shapes so they looked like leftover pieces. They didn't have the hirame sushi so they replaced it with scallops. The sushi rice also kept falling apart. Sweet Shrimp: This was okay and not very sweet. Pink Lobster: More sweet than the sweet shrimp. It was the best sushi we had but it wasn't as amazing as last time. Overall: 3.9/5 (to go pick up) Bumping my review back up. I scheduled a time to pick up my birthday Trust Me set which was an easy and seamless process. The set was nicely packaged and was made fresh. It was actually a lot tastier than the last time we dined in so we were surprised but also a bit disappointed that Sugarfish lacks consistency. The one thing that does remain on point is their customer service which is an A+ in my book.

Literally best sushi I’ve had in my entire life. Everything MELTED. I’ll never taste sushi the same again.

Have been ordering online for the past 2 years. Finally decided to have eat in the restaurant. I am never ordering it online again. While really good when delivered, it is FAR BETTER eating it freshly prepared. We were quickly seated and the drinks at much better pairing wise than what I was drinking at home!

Their omakase is a decent price and a good baseline for the experience. They also include the service charge of 16% so I love that. I wish more places would just do that to get rid of the ambiguity of tipping.

The food is always fresh. The service is always there to check on you. Always a good experience at Sugarfish.

Wow, seriously the best sushi. Had the Trust Me menu. Fish was so tender it just melts

Delicate fish on standard rice, rice was a little on the mushy side, the handling of fish is fantastic. Service is friendly and attentive. Location is a draw back and takes away from a relaxing meal, if you are not a city person dealing with parking and crowds can be overwhelming. You do get what you pay for value wise even if it seems pricier than other sushi restaurants near by, the quality of seafood is worth it.