Sushi Nozawa
Restaurants in Studio City, Los Angeles, CA
Restaurants
Restaurants in Studio City, Los Angeles, CA
Restaurants
11288 Ventura Blvd.,
Studio City, Los Angeles ,
CA
91604
UNITED STATES
818-508-7017
Based on 8 reviews
818-508-7017
A bit intimidating, but delicious food.
For a few years now I've read about Nozawa with fascination. I finally decided to find out if 1) the chef is as scary as everyone says and 2) the fish is worth the intimidation. Well, it isn't the warmest welcome I've ever received in a sushi place. I arrived at 5:30 p.m. on the dot per Citysearch instructions, and I was the only person in the restaurant. Nozawa was behind the bar with an assistant, silent. I asked to be seated at the bar, and the guy who greeted me asked me if I knew the rule about Nozawa choosing everything for me. I said I knew the rules, and sat down. I ordered green tea, and was then given a succulent pile of baby tuna right off the bat. Yum! It was followed by some of the freshest, most delicious fish I've ever had. Say what you will about the N-man being intimidating, but DON'T knock the sushi. It's delicious, and obviously expertly selected every day. The warm rice was a change for me, and it does fall apart quite easily, but after a few tries I kept it together. The hand rolls of fresh crab and toro were nice accompaniments, quickly made and loosely bound. Crunchy and tasty, nonetheless. I wasn't sure when the meal would be over, but lo and behold after 12 pieces of sushi his assistant told me the set was done and asked me if I would like any more. I asked him to give me one more selection. Nozawa looked at me and said "YOU CHOOSE." Yikes! I chose to have one more tuna appetizer, which was given to me before I could blink. Then the meal was over. I unceremoniously paid the bill, got up, walked out the door, and entered back into the lowly world of California rolls. So here's my suggestion: go to Nozawa with a full wallet and make sure you savor every bite, because otherwise it will be over too soon. I would go back as a very special treat, but next time I would FORCE myself to take my time. There's nothing to be scared of. Sit at a table if you're scared, and to save money. And then enjoy! As Nozawa's sign says "Don't think, just EAT."
818-508-7017
Don't be intimidated - BEST. SUSHI. EVER.
Like many, I had always heard the rumors about Nozawa - the chef is mean and crazy, the place is small and cramped - well all those may be true....although I found the staff quite plesant. But then again, we sat at a table and didn't have to interact with the chef. The place is kind of non-descript, with chairs you'd find in a church basement or a pizza parlor, but...... this is the BEST sushi I have ever had in my life! I have been fortunate to have dined at some of the best sushi restaurants in the world, but never has sushi been as fresh as this. It literally melts in your mouth. Go do your tastebuds a favor and get to Sushi Nozawa. The only downside is that it any place else will seem inferior.
818-508-7017
To my surprise, Nozawa was a failure in my book
As to the citysearch review, my girlfriend and I went to Sushi Nozawa last night and were completely surprised when we walked in. First off, the second you walk in you witness a packed house that was DEAD silent. Everyone was whispering and it was extremely uncomfortable. We sat down at a table and ordered (minimum of 4 dishes per person). After about 3-5 minutes the waiter came back with a large dish with all of our sushi looking anything but interesting. So QUIETELY we ate, and the fish was fresh, maybe even the freshest I've had. But, it was nothing special, nothing to enhance the taste of the fish. I ordered the house cold sake and when we got the bill it was $90, I realized their house sake is $25 a bit much and that they forgot to give us something we ordered. We were still very hungry and headed over to iWata for more. Check out iWata if you want a great experience for a great price.
818-508-7017
These Reviews are Hysterical
If one takes the time to notice, all Japanese fine art is essentially minimalistic. Be it poetry, music, calligraphy or food, the Japanese aesthetic involves a minimal structure, rigidly defined, where the subtlest deviation from the norm speaks tomes.The Art of Sushi is to approach impossibly high standards which can never be realized; a meal can be evaluated only by how close it comes to the theoretical perfection. Sushi is pickled rice, just sticky enough to barely hold itself together (if you are one to dip the rice in soy sauce, stop reading and buy at Von's), and sushi (rice) must be served immediately (yes, warm). As for rolls, the only rolls served traditionally at a BAR are tekka and kappa, unless the chef decides to serve you something to sample in a hand roll. That being said, Sushi Nozawa is church for eating raw fish. LA is a huge market for sashimi grade fish, tons of GREAT fish to choose from every day, but Nozawa-san gets to pick first. So if what you want is a roll filled with three kinds of seafood with five different pieces of fish wrapped around the outside, covered in sauce, DON'T EAT HERE. On the other hand, if you want to eat mindblowing fish in an environment designed not to distract your senses, this is the place to go. Jay Patterson
818-508-7017
Best Sushi in LA - Hands Down
I used to be a regular at Sassabone back at its old location. When we discovered a place that also did a "Trust the Chef" about 30 minutes closer to our home, my family decided to try Nozawa. Over the course of the past 2 years, Nozawa has easily surpassed Sassabone in food quality, service, decor & general vibe.
818-508-7017
Absolutely Brilliant
Christmas Eve, my son was invited to a friends home and we didn't want to cook so we decided to look for a place in the neighborhood. Both my husband and I love sushi and we were driving down the street and Sushi Nozawa was open. Never been there before but I thought I heard it was good. If there is ever a chef's special I get it because it's usually great. This was no exception. First of all, we were very hungry. The size of the fish - the quantity, was enormous, but not only that it was delicious, very tasty, with wonderful light sauces (ponzu, or whatever). I was so surprised. The rolls were the best I've ever had in my life. Do they make their own wraps? Anyone know? I never use soy sauce unless I taste first, and I didn't use soy sauce on any of the sushi here. There was no need. The red snapper melted in your mouth. The cuddle fish was good, but best of all was the second fish they served - the one with thinly slice scallions. What the hell was it? AMAZING. I may just move to Japan. All the fish just melted away. Sad, really, because I ate more than I've ever eaten in my life. The service was perfect. This nice woman came by and told my husband not to use soy sauce on a specific dish - which was not intrusive at all but very helpful because soy sauce spoiled the taste. I don't understand how the fish could be so tender. I can't wait to bring my family, from NJ here when they come out.
818-508-7017
Simple and the Best
Skip ordering a la carte, and instead, put your taste buds in the hands of Nozawa's head chef/owner, Nozawa-san, aka the "Sushi Nazi" himself. By ordering omakase (Japanese for chef's choice), your sushi is personally hand-picked. From toro and yellowtail, to uni and albacore, every fish chosen is fresh and the quality is truly unbeatable.
818-508-7017
take a pass
I'm not sure where people are drinking the cool aid here. The sushi was remarkably average, while unbelievable over priced. The only thing I may trust this guy about is his investments, it is definitely not his food.Worldwide > United States > Studio City, Los Angeles, CA > Restaurants