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Categories: Sushi Bars, Japanese, Food [Edit]
Neighborhood: Beverly Hills
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OMG! Talk about really really ridiculously good food! The fish is as fresh as the Fresh Prince. The flavors are as bold as Lady GaGa. And the flavors will make you talk in silly Japanese Iron Chef commentary. It's just THAT good.
We got a mix of hot dishes and seasoned sushi for lunch. No pansy rolls for me this time, though I love me some Dragon Roll. Every sushi dish was aesthetically pleasing--they really thought about the colors and arrangement of each piece on the plate. The plates were always seasoned with some sort of addicting ponzu, spicy mayo, or lemon juice (particularly the lobster tempura topped with red onions and surrounded by a moat of ponzu/lemon juice). Each dish had a really good blend of textures--chewy, soft, crunchy (esp. the halibut-wrapped uni and octopus). The special eggplant was a pleasant surprise--an purple boat carrying lobster with spicy mayo sauce on top and some elusive "peach" fruit to add a bit of sweetness and mystery. The desserts are amazing too! There was a flourless something cake and a mochi ice cream on wafer, which menu names did no justice to its taste.
And lastly for how good the food is and its location, this place is homey. So not pretentious or shi-shi (though the prices will have you thinking otherwise). I'm going to save my 2010 salary so I can come here again on my next bday!
I've wanted to try Matsuhisa for a long time and finally made it out for lunch. Matuhisa is located on a busy stretch of La Cienega. It looked like a small restaurant, but the dining room was surprisingly big (with several tables and a long L-shape sushi bar). The interior was a little darker than most restaurants at lunchtime. The tables were packed closely together. There was kind of a cluttered feel to it, but overall it was a nice business casual space.
The menu was large with many hot and cold specialties (mostly tapas). There were also lunch specials that were a little north of $20. The lunchtime bento box was priced at $50.
I went with the lunch sushi combination (8 pieces of sushi, a roll and miso soup), which was priced in the mid-$20s. I also ordered the sashimi taco and kobe beef taco (they were priced individually at about $6-$7 per taco).
To start things off, the waiter presented me with a huge salad. The salad consisted of mixed greens, some frisee, a little bit of daikon, and several slices of beef (cooked rare-to-medium rare). The salad was tossed with a sweet and sour ginger dressing. I did not remember the sushi combination coming with a salad. I remember debating between the bento box (which did come with a salad) and thought maybe the waiter thought that is what I wanted.
Well, I did not bother correcting the order. The food was put in front of me so I decided to eat it. And I ate it all. What can I say? I'm a good guest. It turns out that it was intended for another table. I felt kinda bad afterwards because the woman had to wait a little longer for her meal, but she was very understanding.
The salad's greens were nice and fresh. There was a little too much of the ginger dressing. It kind of made the greens a little soggy and ended up overwhelming the salad. The beef (which was very tender) was good. Definitely not cooked that much, but it was flavorful and hearty.
The miso soup was nice and hot--flavorful but not too salty. It had large squares of good tofu in it. No seaweed though.
The sushi was your standard sushi combination in terms of selection. There were eight pieces including salmon, tuna, mackerel, sweet egg, shrimp, octopus, white fish, and snapper. There was also a cut tekka maki roll (tuna wrapped in rice and nori).
The sushi was decent but was a little disappointing. There was definitely a noticeable drop in freshness when comparing Matsuhisa's sushi to what I had at Sushi Dokoro Ki Ra La, The Hump, and Katsu-Ya. I recently had nice octopus at Il Grano (Italian Crudo), but the octopus here was too rubbery.
The sashimi and kobe beef tacos were very small and pricey at $6-$7 per piece. I picked tuna for my sashimi taco. It was minced tuna in a tiny hard taco shell. There was a lemon wedge on the side. The tuna was very good and fresh, but the hard taco shell was just a hard taco shell. I thought it could have been a little more creative.
The kobe beef taco was minced beef in the same taco shell. It was topped with a coriander leaf and a lemon wedge on the side. The beef was flavorful and tender, but I do not think they should have cut it up in such small pieces. Overall, both tacos were good. However, for around the same price and size, you can get a much better single-serving-sandwich-taco at The Bazaar (The Philly) nearby.
For dessert, I went with the chocolate souffle cake and ice cream. I was actually expecting a souffle. Instead, it was a molten chocolate cake paired with vanilla ice cream (also a mint leaf and a few raspberries as garnish). It was served in a single compartment bento box.
After cutting into the chocolate cake, the warm center oozed out, which left a ring of chocolate cake (it looked similar to a donut). A lot of times, molten cakes are very moist and soft. This one had a more dense, firm base. The chocolate flavor was very rich (which I liked) The warm center was good, and it was complemented very well by the cold serving of vanilla ice cream.
The cake was not topped with a cream but a light and sweet icing (similar to what you would get on a cinnamon roll). Sometimes, those icings can be too sweet; you can also end up tasting and identifying the sugar crystals. This was different. Creamy consistency and sweet but not too sweet. There was a lot of it on the cake, but it complemented it and did not overwhelm it. I've had better chocolate desserts, but this was a satisfying way to end the meal.
The service was friendly and good. Overall, the food had high and low points. I think the food was in the 3.5 stars range. If I came back, I think would stick with the creative sounding hot and cold specialties. Even though the sashimi and kobe beef tacos were not complete winners, I imagine dishes similar to those would be the best way to go at Matsuhisa. In terms of prices, it was a little pricey for the quality.
Parking is available on the street by meter (which take credit cards).
Came here for lunch.
We ordered a lot of apps/specials and then a special sushi platter that the chef's were supposed to put together. We never got to the sushi because we were so stuffed, and luckily our waiter didn't put in the order!
I'll just highlight on some things instead of an all out review cause there's so many darn reviews already.
I had a couple dishes that used a very tangy/sour sauce for the fish. I think this is TOO sour for my tastes. It was served a octopus and cucumber plate and a on a halibut wrapped uni plate.
There was a lobster/eggplant plate that was absolutely delicious. The light creamy orange sauce was the showstopper of the lunch. And i HATE eggplant.
BEST OF THE BEST with a price that goes along with it. I really don't think you can go wrong with anything but among the list of must-haves are the below:
1.) Spanish Mackerel Sushi (2 pieces)
2.) Pumpkin Tempura
3.) Yellowtail Jalapeno
4.) Tiradito
5.) Rock Shrimp Tempura**** OH MY this is incredible.
6.) King Crab Tempura
7.) Eggplant with Miso Sauce
Prepare to drop over $100 for 2 people, but I promise you will never want to eat any other sushi.
Matsuhisa has lost its lustre.
A few years ago, I would go to Matsuhisa for special occasions as their miso black cod just rocked my world. Everytime was just as good as the first time. I've also added the rock shrimp tempura and new style sashimi to my list of must-gets while dining at any Nobu establishment.
Fast foward to present time - many Matsuhisa trips later as well as trying out his Hong Kong location, I am sad to say that it's just not the same anymore.
While perusing Yelp for a simple meal for 2, we decided on Matsuhisa simply because I wanted sushi and Japanese fusion. We shared one order of the sushi omakase and of course the big 3 - miso black cod, rock shrimp tempura, and new style sashimi.
While everything was decent, nothing was as exquisite as I remembered it to be. The miso black cod doubled in size but lost the melt in my mouth, fireworks inducing, savor the moment wowness it once had. The rock shrimp tempura was not as light & airy as in my memory and the sauce was just a tad too creamy for my liking. The sushi was all very fresh but the rice to fish ratio was just off. The only saving grace was the new style sashimi which continued to cause my heart to flutter.
I doubt I'll be returning to Matsuhisa anytime soon. The staff isn't as knowledgeable, the menu shows stains and signs of neglegence, and the recipes that made the world fall in love with Nobu appears to have been altered over time. It seems like Nobu needs to do some polishing of his original establishment that made him famous.
This is definitely the best omekase I've had. Try to book their private dining room if you can, 4 chefs and a personal waiter with you for 2 hours for anywhere from $150 to $300/person.
I had the $150 omekase, and was amazed not just by the taste, but also plating, freshness, and services. My courses included couple appitizers, SharkFin soup (yes jap style), Alaska Kingcrab, Lobster sashimi, 6 Nigiri, and Bento box dessert.
Been here couple times, always reserve for privite room cause that's where the best food and chef are at!
In a city oversaturated with korean owned japanese restaurants, third rate sushi bars, and overated restaurants featured on the HBO hit series Entourage. A really good sushi bar is difficult to come by. But then there is Matsuhisa.
Went here with my girlfriend on New Year's Eve 2008.
Showed up with no reservations and we were told it would be a few minutes. While we are waiting, a side door slides opens and out walks Nobu Matsuhisa himself wearing a smile and his signature crazypants.
Not going to lie, kinda wet my pants a little.
We were promptly seated in 5 minutes. Was sat at the bar. Ordered a bottle of decent sake and began a night filled with many "holy F*CK that tastes amazing" comments.
We did the standards hamachi, saba, fresh octopus, etc ...easily some of the best that I have had (Unfortunately they ran out of Uni, my personal favorite). But there were some dishes that can only be desribed as something close to perfection.
The Standouts: (If you go DO NOT miss these dishes)
Ankimo (Monkfish liver pate) with caviar
The TORO
Thinly sliced tai topped with crispy fried slivered garlic, cilantro..
Finished off the meal with some Beer flavored ice cream. and then decided to order more food.
We then proceed to ask our chef to use their own discretion to make us something delicious. He laid out a plate with fresh red miso, cucumber, tamago, with toro and hamachi sashimi. Enough Said,
Throughout the meal I could not help but to occasionally glance at Nobu. He spent the whole evening (Schmoozin) talking with and accpeting drinks from patrons.
As I returned from the restroom I run into Nobu. We shake hands and I nervously begin to tell him how good the food is. What I should have told him was that I was a bit drunk and I didn't wash my hands but all is well with the cosmos. He tells us to stay until midnight where their will be free champagne and a small party.
When Nobu Matsuhisa personally invites you to stay for a party. You end up putting on a silly gold hat, blowing noise horns, and sipping away free champagne at one of the best Japanese Restarants in Los Angeles.
Highly Recommended
Sat at the bar... was a little packed but it was't bad.
FISH selection: Awesome sushi!
1. Toro (yum)
2. Yellow tail w/jalepeno (OMG so yummo; had to double up on that order!)
3. Spicy Tuna (yum)
4. Sashimi salad (Seared tuna and mixed greens... Excellent!)
5. House special (mixture of fish... super good)
6. and some tuna sashimi w/grated miso dish the sushi chef recommended (that was a double thumbs up)
Kobi Beef dish: very small portion was ok, but was not really worth the $46 dollars we paid
DESSERT:
Ordered the chocolate souffle cake w/vanilla ice cream... Oh my! It was just sinfully good!
PROS:
1. Fresh fish!
2. Friendly service!
3. Yummo dessert!
CONS:
1. a bit-alot pricey
I give this place a 4.5, it would of been a 5 but the kobe beef was not as awesome as the price for it was. Would totally eat here again (but not soon, cause its kinda way too pricey for my pockets)
I decided to treat myself to a nice lunch here for my birthday. The ambiance is alright... too relaxed to reflect the price & quality of food, but it was comfortable. The tables were a little crowded, so from my seat at the sushi bar, I could hear everything from tables at the other side of the room. It was fine for a casual lunch by myself-- had it been a nice date night with my husband, it might have been a little more annoying.
It wasn't too crowded in the restaurant, so I basically had my own personal sushi chef. I went with the $75 omakase, and the house hot sake. The sake was crisp and tasty and served in a crazy sideways bottle thing.
My first course was yellowtail tartar with caviar-- it had lots of strong wasabi flavor, just enough to go "whoa!", but not overpowering. The yellowtail was such great quality that he could have served it with an old sock and it would still be great (but the caviar worked too).
Next I got salmon with miso powder. It had a lemon oil, and the miso powder was somehow chewy and bacon-y... um, yum. He also added a cute radish rose and the tiniest chives I have ever seen. The salmon was so tender and so amazing.
Next was a deep-fried oyster in a butter lettuce cup with some kind of slaw. It had all sorts of BBQ sauce/mayo goodness, so it was messy but delicious.
While I was waiting for the next course, the sushi chef slipped me a little cucumber tree with some plum sauce. So tasty! The sushi chef was so attentive the whole time, explaining different parts of each dish and communicating with the server about where I was in the meal.
Next up was a chunk of cod with miso sauce, all wrapped up in a leaf. It was cod-ish, and the sauce was pretty sweet. I'm not a fan of cod, but it was tasty. There was also a mountain peach on the side that the sushi chef told me to try... it was delicious.
After this, it was time for sushi. I got pieces of tuna, eel, salmon roe, spanish mackerel, and some white fish (and a bowl of amazingly hot miso soup). They were all really good quality fish, but the mackerel was my favorite. He served it with lime so it was so nice and zesty.
Finally, the dessert was a variety of tiny scoops of fruit-flavored sorbet, mixed with fresh fruit and strawberry sauce. It was a tasty, clean end to the meal, but nothing special.
Overall, I really really enjoyed the whole meal. When I got back, I'll probably just get a few pieces of sushi and enjoy those, but the omakase was a fun experience.
Went here for our anniversary. My wife tried the low-tier omakase and I opted for the mid-tier. Needless to say, both multi-course meals were sublime. The miso roasted black cod, uni, fresh oysters, amaebi (which was flopping around mere second before it hit my plate) and toro belly were excellent. Preparation of the food was flawless and, practically, our own personal sushi chef was educational and courteous.
It's going to be tough to go back to our favorite (much more affordable) sushi joint next to our house after eating from the top at Matsuhisa.
I came here with great expectation on my birthday.
As this is supposed to be Nobu Matsuhisa's signature restarurant, I was expecting something genuine.
First disappointment was to find out that the food was not authentic. It was totally fusion. Tried some sushi and side dishes - not bad, but not great.
The decor was boring as I thought this was going to be a fancy restaurant like Nobu.
The service was alright, not the best.
The bill was rediculously expensive. Two of us did not eat much, did not enjoy much, and were billed $550.
We drove home telling ourselves that it was a costly research to find out how good Matsuhisa could be.
Gonpachi across the street is definately a better place to enjoy traditional Japanese food in a gorgeous decor with less budget.
Matsuhisa is Nobu's first child, his only restaurant w/o the external forces of evil investors and partners.
I have to admit the decor inside is a bit tacky: kind of Planet Hollywood w/a the celebrity autographed knick knacks. There was an Agassi racket and a Matsuhisa letterman jacket.
The food and service were stellar. Flavors were so much cleaner than the fancier dishes served at Nobu. Plenty of choices food wise, we went with the omakase, all are 7 courses, but price is determined by the quality of ingredient, $90:miso cod, $120: toro & $150:kobe. Got a few bottles of Nobu's premium daiginjo sake. $66 for 500ml. Smooth finish and reasonable. Definitely will be asking for this stuff when we're in Vegas, totally get sticker shock when we are charged $50/carafe!
They were able to accommodate our requests we must have when we dine Nobu:
*Yellowtail Jalapeno, the perfect combo of flavors stimulating all parts of the palate
*Miso Cod, extra drops of sauce on the side, didn't even need it.
Everything during our evening was delicious & beautiful. LOVED the seared toro sizzling platter w/mixed mushrooms, fried whole shrimp, mmm crunch tentacles & the adzuki bean sauce w/green tea ice cream sando.
Try and eat the little red fruit I still don't know the name of, the staff brought to my attention it was edible, I just don't like it, tried it once and won't touch it again.
My boss just took me here this afternoon for my birthday lunch. He asked me where I wanted to go, and I told him I liked sushi and he right away suggested Matsuisha and said it was the best of the best. Of course, I yelped it right away and saw all the great reviews so I was really excited to come here! I made reservations and the woman on the phone was pleasant as can be.
We arrived, were seated right away and our waiter came with our menus and took our drink orders and asked if we'd like some edamame. Of course we do! The decor is simple and tasteful and it's quite large inside. I was ticked that I even got to use a small little white disc that was my chopstick holder! How adorable!
I ordered the sushi combo lunch special which comes with miso soup, 8 pieces sushi and 1 tuna roll. I was asked if I wanted wasabi on my sushi and I of course said yes. My diet coke came out in a cute little small glass bottle (no free refills here, that's for sure!) and the edamame was perfect! It had real sea salt on the outside which made them quite addicting.
My miso came first and it was the best miso soup I've had anywhere. The perfect blend of flavors with some really large chunks of tofu. My plate of sushi came out and it was absolutely beautiful. I took a picture! Let me see if I remember what was on it: tuna, spanish mackeral, halibut, salmon, octopus, tamago, yellowtail, shrimp. This was the freshest sushi I've EVER had! The tuna literally melted in my mouth. The slices of fish are decent sized and it's not overpowered by rice so you can really enjoy the flavor of the fish. The tuna roll was fabulous. The spanish mackeral was unique and tasty. All the fish was just delicious. I couldn't believe how yummy it all was!
Of course, this place is on the pricey side. I probably would only come here for a special occasion because of how expensive it is. I will definitely be back, but I just can't afford to be a regular. :)
Oh, and Henry Winkler (the Fonz) walked in a few minutes after we were seated. Gotta love the Hollywood scene.
Super expensive, super delicious. Every thing is served in teeny tiny little bite sized portions so you end up ordered way more stuff than you think you would have to.
Debated between three and four stars, but the prices tipped the scale to four. They have some pretty good fishies for the prices.
The yellow tail carpaccio is to die for as are many of their cooked dishes, try their crab as well! We ended up ordering a bunch of nigiri sushi and filled our table with as much as we could before we dove in. Their fatty tuna (toro) however, was amongst the best I've ever tried - and I've tried it right at Tsukiji market in Japan at 6am. You won't regret it if you splurge.
I came here with a friend for the first time, but before I entered the restaurant, the parking lot next to the Matsuhisa was filled with really nice cars so I kind of knew that this restaurant would be super swanky...and I was right:) The place was really packed that night but we managed to get a table and to be honest the food is extremely good in my opinion, but sorry it is way too overpriced!!!! (why..!!) and I am someone who has tried many many Japanese restaurants all over the world. To be honest if you want 100% authentic Japanese food, do not come here, because they offer fusion Japanese food. But I am someone who loves fusion food as well so I liked it a lot.
We only had appetizers and it cost a bit over $100 for two people, totally not worth it. so we decided to leave. (Sad!) But I really liked the movie posters on the wall though, really interesting to look at...I also really liked the sushi counters there.
I think for the price its better to eat at Urasawa...just my opinion :)
Many of you have been here and felt ripped off. Some didn't get how to take full advantage of the Japanese Omakase (Chef's choice) experience. Others were expecting Korean-style Japanese food which is more or less the staple in LA. Actually, around 90% of the supposed Japanese restaurants in LA are Korean so if you like Japanese food...guess what...you really don't! Japanese do not normally eat 18 inch super deep fried rainbow unagi spider happy bulgogi rolls that in no way could ever fit into anyone's mouth outside of Grimace from the old McDonald days.
So that brings us to Matsuhisa. Well well well. Good old Nobu, inventor of all things pseudo Japanese decided to open a um...legit Japanese restaurant a long time ago, in an area not that far away. God bless you. First you destroy all standards in Japanese cuisine but thankfully, made it palatable to the Hollywood and Vegas social climber set, thereby enabling many copy cat TGIF Friday versions of Nihonjin Eats to pop up all over the US and Canada. God bless again.
All in all, it was a really good meal. Fresh fish. Attentive servers. Nice sake served in a coconut carved carafe. Hey, I ever had my own chair. And the bathroom was clean.
The only problem is that while the food was good - about 200 bucks worth of good for 4 people, the price was.........2000 dollars!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH~!!!!
Yao mo gao tso ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!
Ok. We had tempura. Some appetizers. A few pieces of sushi. A fish dish. Some soup. Sake. A beer or two. A couple dishes of food. But honestly, this has to be the biggest, most grand, most ridiculous waste of money I have ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever spent in my life on anything. Nozawa - I still despise you more so don't get excited but this place is insane.
I will say that the chef was amazing - polite and gracious! Wonderful guy! Loved him. Would take him home for dinner and cook him for a few hours while basting him in sukiyaki sauce but seriously, 2 grand for four people for omakase???????????????????????? Insane. Absolutely insane. Cookoo for Wasabi puffs! Almost makes me want to eat korean fake Japanese food. Almost. But not quite. Not that I blame Korea for Japan killing its own food.
Anyway, the service was good (not flawless though) and the chefs were very good. But for 2000 grand, I could have flown to Tokyo and had a small vacation. Man...I could have fallen in love, married, had a kid, built a taco business and retired. And had someone love me for me and my otaku powers, and not some typical LA chick whose main vocabulary consists of the words "whatever", "what happened", "random", "anyways" and "like". Yes, try and make a setence without one of those why don't you!
Folks, I recommend sepuku above going here and having an intimate omakase experience. For lunch and out to impress your fancy obnoxious LA film parasites - yes! Take them here instead of Sushi Roku. Otherwise, pay Nobu back for the terrible service and abhorent food in all his other restaurants and DO NOT eat here.
Fly to Japan, go to a maid bar, play some videogames and relax. That's what Joe Yabuki would do...I mean, imagine Joe in this place. Hahahahaha....2000 grand. 4 people. And no gold or precious jewels in the food!!!! My god. Lucky charms...where are you????????????????
If I could only get in Mr. Peabody's wayback machine...
Highest Quality
Tiny Pieces
Followed by the MOST expensive tab you will ever spend for sushi.
And you'll still be hungry.
But it really is the best. Not necessarily worth it for the minute descrepency in taste and fish quality but that slight notch will cost you...Big time. Decor is unassuming.
great sushi. unforgettable.
but i can only go there on a special occasion.
it seems like they raised their sushi price in the past 1year or so.
so now its pretty expensive.
when i went there it wasnt crazy expensive.
we sat at the sushi bar,and the sushi chef in front of us was all about us! it was wow, great great customer service.
the sushi chef even gave us his card at the end.
i was really surprised. because its really really hard to find a nice, PROFESSIONAL sushi chefs like him in LA (sadly).
i gave 4star because i think they should have little better look inside for charging that much. as one of the best fancy sushi restaurants in LA, i expect better decor.
well its authentic, but its old. especially their patio seatings are pretty getto.
STELLAR:
sushi
service
location
environment
The fish will MELT in your mouth. There won't be a need to use your teeth. No, I engage in no hyperbole.
Expensive like you wouldn't believe so save up for it and enjoy yourself thoroughly.
Yes, this place IS good! For the price however, I knocked off a star. This place is ALWAYS crowded and very lively. They have soooo much to choose from- even beer ice creams! I liked all the dishes we ordered but nothing really stood out. Service is good and oddly fast for the amount of customers.
I would recommend to come on a weekday with a fat wallet.
We came early on a Sunday without reservations but it was a friends birthday and we decided to try our luck. Our friend went in and said that they were booked and they couldn't accommodate us. Highly annoyed and knowing that if we were older and richer it would probably not be a problem I stormed in with a smile, "Do you think you could take 3 right now (searching an empty restaurant), we're celebrating an important birthday." I received a little bit of an eye roll and was told that like he told my friend, he could serve us if we were done in an hour and a half. So we sat.
The decor is like that of any other cheesy 80's Asian restaurant trying to Americanize itself, and the music was noticeably bad. I know these aren't things that "matter" when eating sushi, but they matter when you're eating $$$$ sushi! Rude staff and bad decor? That's a lot of money they're pocketing!
The food itself was delicious, we had all the usual suspects like miso cod and jalapeño hamachi which were all very tasty. In fact never in my life had I been able to just eat a piece of raw fish until then. For some reason that I just can't put my finger on I didn't love this place. It's absolutely worth a try, and an experience, but I think I may venture elsewhere for my sushi and atmosphere.
Good, but overrated and expensive. The fish was fresh. The yellowfin with jalapeno was really good, as was the spicy tuna roll. Because of dietary restrictions (including no shellfish) I couldn't try a good chunk of this menu, but what I had was fresh and good. However, I just can't justify the price of this place.
Like other Yelpers noted, the ambiance here really leaves something to be desired. The inside is pretty much like any other Japanese restaurant you'd go to (maybe even a little less elegant than some). The menu's written on whiteboards. And while I know that Mario Batali plays his ipod songs at some NY restaurants, Matsuhisa was playing the radio. I'm sorry, but expensive sushi and Miley Cyrus don't exactly go hand-in-hand.
First, and last experience...
Had a "we are holier than thou Samurai Soup Nazi" experience at this worshiped LA sushi altar and the vibe established was one where we were made to feel blessed to even have stepped foot in there.
I fucking hate that.
Sushi and presentation - all fresh, lovely, but nothing life changing.
Service: Assholes.
Two of us, one large Sapporo. $265.00
Still hungry.
Nope. Ain't gonna do THAT again.
Excellent Japanese food, simple, fresh, eye candy and unpretentious, although Nobu Matsuhisa has become a exalted figure for being a great restaurateur and transforms his brand into a global empire, after paying visits to his other restaurants in the U.S. and overseas, this location has sentimental value to me and remains my favorite.
One of my favorite Japanese restaurants in L.A. since the early 90's, the food there is simply… Read more »
Ya, Matsuhisa is good. A solid, solid good, that's all I'm gonna give it. I think the dishes we ordered probably didn't reflect the brilliance that is Matsuhisa, so my friend and I are partially to blame for not taking full advantage of this place. Anyways, the outside is very unassuming and the atmosphere inside is pretty low key. Will this be on my top hit list for future visits? Umm probably not, I'd prefer Koi, Sushi Roku, Nobu for expense accounts, or Kaya Sushi for social outings. Here's the rundown of what we did order at Matsuhisa though:
1. Spicy tuna roll- very good
2. Halibut sashimi with dried miso - phenomenal
3. Yellowtial sashimi w/ jalapeno - great, but it's not the best yellowtail sashimi I've had by any stretch of the imagination.
4. Eel (I forget the official name but it's those two pieces of toasted eel on a small rice bed with eel sauce) - REALLY GOOD.
5. King Crab tempura - this was definitely a winner
My advice to people going here: be more adventurous than we were on this visit.
My family's favorite Japanese restaurant. It always feels like we order at least 3/4 of the menu when we come here because everything tastes so good.
It's a great vibe how you can constantly keep ordering food if you don't feel you've had enough!
Hands-down best Japanese restaurant outside of japan as far as the taste of the food is concerned.
And it's cool because sometimes you'll see chef Nobu sitting at the bar!
I don't know how someone spent 2k on dinner here, but i was definitely full/satisfied after 100.00 of sushi. Matsuhisa ain't a buffet, unless money grows on trees for you.
So I had sashimi tuna taco, tiradito, tuna tatako w/ garlic, tuna sashimi w/ genmai salsa, toro, yellow tail, yellowtail scallop roll, plum sorbet, and motoka (sp?) for dessert. This was place awesome! We went for more of the traditional japanese and also 1 or 2 of the modern japanese foods "(i.e. tuna taco, and the sashimi genmai salsa) The traditional stuff was close to Japan, and the new stuff was exciting to try, definitely knew how to mix old and new world together. Most of the sashimi we ordered had a similar flavor of spicy/cilantro/fish. Wasn't too much variety except with a different fish. The menu is comprehensive, and overwhelming.
Everything I tried was great, I would order it again, so I don't think there's anything really crappy here, except ordering 2k worth of food. I went with 3 people and we didn't even eat a fraction of that amount!!
AMBIENCE: The shadows on the wall were trippy at first. They use the shoji paper walls and cast human shadows on them. Inventive wall decorations. I didn't really see the autographed paraphanelia as mentioned in other reviewer's comments, but it seems very Japanese zen-like. Nothing out of the ordinary or new.
Follow in-the-know Japanese businessmen to this mezzanine and you'll find sushi heaven" with exquisite fish and service that's beyond attentive.
Regulars recommend going omakase and when it's time to settle the check, just pretend it's Monopoly money."
This is easily the biggest waste of money I've ever spent on sushi. The selection is horrible (what kind of sushi restaurant doesn't have a rainbow roll????), the portions are tiny, and the food is the blandest sushi I've ever tasted.
The sushi chef was nice and cheery, but the wait staff looked down on us when for drinks we only ordered water.
I can only imagine that the only people who like this place are idiots with money who go here rich status of it. Don't get me wrong, I'm not cheap trailer trash. I love the occasional Lawry's or Morton's trip. At those places, you get what you pay for. Here, you get nothing but bland, tiny crap.
Do yourself a favor and go to a real sushi place that gives you big portions for far less money.
The best sushi taht I ever had, especially TORO... The rice is warm enough to melt the tuna's fat(usually the rice is too cold in another sushi bar)... and TAI... well seasoned so that you don't need soy sauce to dip.
The other dishes from the kitchen were so creative by the chef. The Wagyu steak is OK.. but the shrimp was the largest that I ever seen... very rare to get that shirmp.
Of course I ordered the BENTO Box for my desert... but the taste can be improved...
Over all, they had very very good sushi, even in Japan, cannot find such good sushi rice combine with those fish. If the price is too high, I would like to have their lunch special with some TORO and TAI...have to try it again and again...
We went to Matsuhisa, it was way too expensive though but the funny thing is I actually don't feel like it was a "waste, " if that makes sense! We didn't have a reservation and they let us in anyways coz a friend of mine name dropped :-P
Sashimi: yellow tale, salmon, white fish, scallop, oysters....... everything tasted like the way an ocean breeze smells kinda except much more subtle, and it just melted in your mouth like butter.
Then had some salads kinda like what you get at Korean places.... organic micro greens with a South American tasting dressing, not authentic but good... shrimp with watercress, shiitake mushrooms, kelp, hearts of palm with a chili sauce, spinach with toasted sesame seeds, and a pickled cabbage that tasted kinda like the cabbage in kimchi.
Then tried some lobster tempura with ponzu sauce.
The service was amazing and we got to meet the chef and he actually LISTENED to us tell him what we thought about our meal!
It was the first time that I really enjoyed a sushi restaurant and I have to admit, I've become addicted :-P
The thing is that despite the hype and the prices of some of the things on the menu, you can really eat here for less than you would at much worse restaurants. You can have lunch and walk out having paid around $20. I like the sashimi and teriyaki chicken lunch special($22), or the chicken udon($14), sometimes I just get a house special roll for $13, or 2 California rolls for $18.
Good Yummy OMASAKE.
little bit pricey.
but fishes are fresh!
I always loved matsuhisa.... the sushi isn't the best.. usually the little hole in the wall places have fresher fish... the rice isn't perfect.. but it's the ambiance.. the plates are my favorite.. they're all soooo yummy..
I think it's expensive because of the hype... lotta celebrities.. mark wahlberg offered me a slice of his yellowtail jalapeno at the bar only because i was looking at him and the dish.. (wasn't really sure if it was really him).. he said that the last time he offered a girl some of his food she ended up eating all of it... and a month later after that i went back and sat next to famke jannsen (x-men jean grey).. ..i swear there's one or two celebs every night because i've been there quite a bit..
this place is more for people watching.. it's hard to concentrate on the food.. although it is quite delicious.. if you want a REAL sushi place.. this is not the place..
My dad celebrated his 50th birthday here, so my experience was a FEAST. Amazing amazing food. I just didn't like their chocolate cake. It was like more like a ganache or something.
This place ROCKS!!!. It is expensive BUT definitely worth every $. The chilean sea bass is out of this world!!!! The sushi is to die for and extremely good with unusual combination's and flavors. Every dish is presented well and the service impeccable.
Highly recommend this place if you love sushi and are in L.A!
Yes this place is expensive. Good quality food is expensive, so if you don't want to spend money, don't come here. There really is no need to describe the place considering so many people have reviewed it already. I just want to give my favorite dishes: wagyu kobe, king crab tempura, yellow tail sashimi, black cod miso w/lettuce leaf, lobster salad, and (the most expensive bottle that they have, I forgot the name) sake. Also, if you want to bring your own wine, make sure it's not on their menu or else they will charge you double on the corkage charge.
And something to remember, not having to deal with the food. When you come in, do a nice look around to see if there are any celebs. While that's not really my thing, I will this from now on because on my last visit, I almost missed not seeing the most beautiful woman in the world, Megan Fox, if my friend had not been glancing at other tables. Seeing her here made this place my favorite restaurant in LA. Of course, the food is great too.
I've been here a half a dozen times and it's always awesome. The sushi and other specialties are always top shelf, presented well, and you can't help but understand why this restaurant is so popular and highly regarded.
Sushi is awesome. Black Cod Awesome. Kobe Beef Awesome. Jalapeno Hamachi Awesome. Desert Awesome. Everything is Awesome. oh.... check is Awesome.
The first few times my boss Janice took me here and it totally blew my mind that a sushi restaurant could do what they were doing with Japanese entrees, sushi, and sashimi. This place was revolutionary as they changed sushi by applying a unique combination of ingredients to create a new elevated level of food. As time went on there were a lot of copy cat and adaptations of what began here at Matsuhisa. Now days it's more common to see the Matsuhisa originated dishes like the black cod or jalapeno sashimi just as we saw Wolfgang's BBQ Chicken Pizza everywhere. But the original is still going strong!
Sure, it's pricey but so is going to vegas, taking a nice vacation, or buying a nice car. If you appreciate top drawer food, then you need to at least splurge and enjoy eating at one of the best restaurants in LA. I've always had lunch here as to avoid the crowds and always left with a big smile on my face.
We came to this restaurant based on much of the hype that has been made on Yelp and other internet sites. It did not disappoint. The food was excellent and the service was great. My girlfriend and I sat at the bar, and were served the best stuff, with a side of fresh wasabi of course. And while many places try their hand at creating some version of Yellowtail-Jalapeno, Matsuhisa has it down to an art. Definitely the best I've had, and I really enjoy yellowtail, A Lot.
It was also kind of cool to see Nobu himself at the restaurant. We didn't get the opportunity to meet him, but it was still a treat to see him making rounds amongst some of the tables. Really the only downfall of this place is the price. I realize that you must pay top dollar for great food, but it did seem to be a little over-priced. If it weren't for that one setback, we would definitely come here more often.
This place is AWESOME!!! i love the cozy feeling without feeling uncomfortable trying to be "proper". It was a great environment and even saw Seal and his wife!!!
Food is FANTASTIC!!! fresh with great presentation! i loved it! My coworker and i went and got the $120 chef choice and couldn't ask for better. Everything was delicious! down to the desert! service is great! very attentive!
definitely worth every $$$$$$$$$$!!!
Bubbly Blow Out!
Neighborhood: West Los Angeles
$ushi $pecial!
Neighborhood: Hollywood
Neighborhood: Beverly Hills
Category: Sushi Bars
Neighborhood: West Hollywood
Category: Japanese
Beverly Hills, CA
Category: Japanese
Neighborhood: West Hollywood
Category: Sushi Bars
Neighborhood: Beverly Hills
Category: Sushi Bars
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