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Category: Sushi Bars [Edit]
Neighborhood: Toluca LakeMon-Sun. 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Mon-Sun. 5:30 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sushi Yuzu was a surprising find in my neighborhood. It's actually in Toluca Lake, not Studio City. The chef said they have been in business for about a year now. I usually rate places more on food than service: Yuzu gets high marks for both.
We had the omakaze menu. All the chefs at the bar were young and talented, and unlike a lot places, totally unrushed in their approach. The dinner took almost two hours, but it seemed to fly by quickly. Their relaxed manner seemed to rub off on the patrons at the bar as well. Each course starting with the appetizers and continuing to the sushi were delicious and beautifully presented. While Yuzu will also make an occasional fancy looking roll, these guys' talent really come through on the traditional straight ahead sushi.
The young chef politely asked me where do I normally go for sushi around here. Dude, I'm coming back here.
Phenomenal bento box style lunch special at YUZU!
In general just a very clean restaurant, with friendly attentive staff & awesome sushi. I have always enjoyed eating here & would recommend it to anyone!
Quality ingredients & skillful chefs who are working away in front of your eyes.
It is not inexpensive, however, I believe you get what you pay for!
We came in around 10 on a Saturday night. Yelp says that they close at 11, but when we arrived, the "closed" sign was in the window! When we headed up the road to consider other options in the area, a sweet waitress from Yuzu came running out to ask us if we wanted to come in, that they were closing up but would be happy to serve us as long as we placed our final orders upfront. We happily returned and I am so pleased that we did. What a wonderful experience! The ambiance is warm and cozy, yet simple and clean. Lighting in a restaurant is important to me and Yuzu has beautiful track lighting that helps create a warm environment. All of the sushi chefs and waitstaff are friendly and clearly passionate about their food. Our server suggested the fig tempura as an appetizer and it was awesome! A special treat, definitely comfort food! We enjoyed their perfectly fresh yellowtail and albacore, as well as some specials of the day.
This is a great restaurant, romantic and warm, nothing snobby or intimidating. Just a really good vibe. I highly recommend it. A bonus is the parking lot on the side of the restaurant, otherwise plenty of street parking is on Riverside and surrounding streets.
Sushi Yuzu is my girlfriend and I's go-to sushi place. I used to live in Toluca Lake, right down the block, and we've since moved to Studio City, a few blocks from "sushi row". Plenty of great choices around here but we still find ourselves driving back to Sushi Yuzu almost every week. Gen is a fantastic chef and I feel completely confident just asking him to send us "whatever's good". After a few rounds of great sushi, we'll get a lemon roll (my lady's fave) and finish off with two seabass handrolls. Awesome.
This was a very pleasant surprise. I'm a sushi fiend, lived in Japan for a year, have eaten all over town (everywhere but Urasawa), and I had a fantastic omakase lunch here. Up there with some of the best in L.A. Highlights included albacore belly, kinmedai with marinated kelp, scottish salmon, and halibut nigiri with ume-shiso rice. Ended with a soy paper handroll with grilled seabass. Happy happy happy. Price wasn't bad either - about $78 for two including tip, and we ate at least 10 pieces each - but it may have been a teaser rate which sushi bars sometimes give to folks they believe might become regulars. You know, like crack dealers.
This place is delicious! The fish is fresh, the rolls are tasty, the service is friendly and the prices are extremely fair for the quality they deliver. I am a sushi connoisseur and this might be my new favorite sushi spot. My mouth is watering just thinking about the albacore sashimi special... yum! Can't wait to go back!
Tried this place for the first time on Friday. Sat at the sushi bar and had a great time! The food was great quality and service was pretty quick even though the place was packed. They had some unique rolls and apps on the menu which I appreciated. Definitely will be back soon!
so glad to have discovered this place around the corner from me. the fish was extremely fresh and the prices were great. I will say though, that their spicy tuna on crispy rice does not live up to Katsuya's or Koi's, but this place is a neighborhood treasure.
I loved it. The food was really great. But the service was excellent!! I can't wait to try other stuff my friend wouldn't eat. Johnny the sushi chef was very hospitible and made some wonderful suggestions. I can't wait to go again.
we were pleasantly surprised to find this place. the chefs were extremely friendly and each dish was a work of art. we especially enjoyed the ankimo, blue crab hand roll, curry oysters, spanish mackerel and albacore endive. even their desserts were delicious! we weren't too crazy about their live shrimp or toro though.
we'll definitely be back for more rolls and specialty dishes!
I think this is some of the best sushi you can get at this price point, hands down. The fish is moist and delicious and the salads are superb. I love the fresh asparagus and broccoli in the garden salad and the sashimi salad zings with onion soy dressing and fresh yellowtail and tuna pieces. Spicy tuna rolls and freshwater eel are full of flavor. Another amazing lunch in this great restaurant. Once again it was super crowded by the time we had finished, so go early!!
I only had chicken teriyaki and spicy tuna rolls here for lunch but the spicy tuna was very good.… Read more »
The old Yamakawa was my first love--reasonably priced, well prepared food, super friendly service
The second Yamakawa broke my heart - awful sushi prepared out of sight, dookie colored walls (you can read my scathing review)
Sushi Yuzu is the girl I'm going to marry - family owned, beautifully prepared sushi, excellent and friendly chefs behind the counter
Sushi Yuzu is a welcome addition to the neighborhood and has become our regular spot. Pricier than the old Yamakawa, but also leagues better. I would rate it close to Asanebo, though not quite as expensive. The chef/owner Gen takes enormous pride in his work and is friendly and helpful. He's backed up by two other chefs (Johnny and Ronny) who keep it fun and lively. While he expertly serves up traditional sushi, Gen also offers a number of great fusion dishes with touches of Italian and French influence. The endive with albacore is a particular standout. The chefs are always helpful and steer us to the more interesting offerings, even giving us the odd complimentary dish, deftly fulfilling the role of sushi chef as educator.
In addition to sushi, I have to rave about the kushi-yaki (skewers). Usually I head down to Honda-Ya in Little Tokyo to get my fix, but Yuzu has some top-shelf stuff. The chicken wings are ridiculous and actually taste like chicken (he sources the chicken from a Chinatown live poultry market). The livers are also phenomenal, and check out the scallops as well. These offerings compliment the sushi and provide a great alternative to the usually miserable teriyaki chicken options available to non-sushi eaters at other restaurants.
After the debacle that was the second Yamakawa, we tentatively ventured back inside when we saw the new crisp clean décor and the signs of new ownership. We've been further gratified to see other local, and equally impressed, patrons return to the once beloved spot.
Keep supporting local, family-owned businesses!
Oh Gen, thank you. My weekly excursions to your sushi bar always leave me delighted. You've really impressed me with your slight touch of italian flavors, the pestos, olives oils, marinated cherry tomatos bring a light surprise to your fresh fishes. The grilled live shrimp are just right, smushy brains and all. The red snapper with yuzu and plum. OH! And the bonito, omg, the slightly charred smokey flavor of the fast sear on the grill and the butter like texture oft he flesh.... its too much to take!! Your homemade monk fish liver is the best I've ever had.
Last night I had my second omakase dinner at Sushi Yuzu. Wow! What an incredible meal! These sushi chefs do more than feed you. They delight you with their creative talents, their attention to detail and their incredibly fresh, quality ingredients. The fish at Yuzu can rival just about any of the city's top sushi restaurants, but tucked away in Toluca Lake, Yuzu skips the pretension and chaos of some of their rivals. Yuzu is about the food, and their food is art.
Last night was full of surprises and treats including: Possibly the best Kumamoto oyster I've ever had, Scallops on the half shell with fruit and cucumber salsas, Uni wrapped in seared red snapper, Live sweet shrimp and Yellowtail with balsamic vinegar and pesto... to name a few highlights. It's a pleasure and a privilege to chat with these chefs and enjoy their creations. And let me add that the serving staff was exceptional last night.
Thank you Gen, and John and everyone at Yuzu for a beautiful evening!
first omakase experience. definitely enjoyed it.
this is a place that can either be really good, or only ok depending on what you want. if you are into different types of rolls rather than top quality sushi then this probably wont knock your socks off.
turned out to be like $80
tai sushi - red snapper with rock salt - one of my favorite things we had
salmon sushi sampler - not into salmon sushi but this was real good.....white salmon, and salmon sushi with a kelp film that made it sweet
yellow tail trio - good
two types of toro- good
spicy tuna and jalapeno on rice cake - also good
sweet shrimp + fried head - surprisingly maybe my favorite thing
sea bass hand roll - real good
crab hand roll - ok
uni - my first time trying....tastes just like it looks. don't need to have that again.
i think thats it ?
good place, Gen, the owner, is real nice.
I love this place! The fish is always fresh. Love how efficient and friendly the sushi chefs are there.
This is without a doubt one of the best Sushi Restaurants in the East Valley. Forget Ventura Blvd!! The prices are right, the service is attentive, the fish is extremely fresh, the choices are endless. Every dish that I have ever ordered here has been first class. This place is very popular, but if you have to wait for a table, it's worth it and it won't take long. Lunch or dinner, it's always wonderful.
Yeah, it's confusing. A place called Sushi Yamakawa sat at this same location for years. But this place in NOT Yamakawa. Yamakawa was fair to middling. It was 1980s in the bad way. It was dark. It was, well, kind of lame in the food they served (they often used "krab") and the way it looked (sort of like a creepy basement).
And then along came Yuzu. I had been meaning to stop by for a while, wondering if it was just a rebrand of the old place, in which they bought better lightbulbs and ditched the wood paneling.
Nope. This place is new, and it's great. It hits that sweet spot sushiwise, right between traditional and innovative.
I had a quick meal there of the traditional (sunomono, salmon skin roll), new classical (spicy tuna on crispy rice) and unusual (cooked chilean seabass handroll)... I also had some yakitori. I thought all of it was terrific.
What also impressed me about the place (and made me want to get back soon) was the fact that they have three fairly deep menus--the sushi menu (which was fairly standard), a large hot food/cold food menu, and a daily menu of dishes that ranged from sushi to hot appetizers to entrees.
Yuzu is definitely along the lines of Tama and Kazu, though I believe it may be a drop cheaper than both of them... Cut rolls range from four to six dollars.
The place is a gem; I hope it can cut it in the cutthroat world of Valley sushi. They made it out of the basement--let's see if they can make it the rest of the way. I'm pullin' for em.
2 more words to an already perfect review. Shark Heart. Have you had some yet? Umai.
Gen and John. Woah. Sushi Yuzu...on FIRE! Talk about an amazing place to have Omakase...and in the… Read more »
This is by far one of the best sushi restaurants in the valley by far. I have been going there weekly since they first opened 7 months ago. I used to love the old place sushi yamakawa, and hated the crappy sake bar they tried to put in there for like 8 months, then sushi yuzu came and the quality was back in toluca lake. This is a place that can rival katsuya, nobu. or any other high end sushi restaurant. The head chef (Gen) is the owner, head chef, and he goes and picks out all the fish himself every day. The menu changes daily, so you never know what specials may show up when you are in there. They have a full lunch and dinner menu, full sushi menu, and a large daily specials menu, so you are guaranteed to find something you like.
I'll give you some highlights as I have seen them in the months I have been going there. First lets show off some of the value items that are really worth it. The calamari salad is piled high for only 8.50, The tuna spareribs are 8.50 and huge and this is a traditional japanese bar food most restaurants don't carry, 2 barbecued Chilean sea bass sticks for 6 bucks is such a value for the quality of fish presented. The list goes on and on, there are expensive things on the menu, but since the cuts are large and the fish quality is so high you don't care about it.
My favorite thing here is all the different kinds of bellies you can get. Yellow tail belly, albacore belly, blue fin toro, and negitoro, are all of the highest quality and are some things I would definitely recommend. I have tried many things here I would never try anywhere else, but because I trust Gen's eye for quality I have never been steered wrong. Squid legs, baby squid, giant clam, herring roe, live sea urchin (yes it moves around the case), & Black snapper are but a few of the things.
They make every sauce from scratch themselves, they make their own eel sauce, they make their own spicy tuna serachi, & they have many sauces that rival any 5 star restaurant in quality and taste (try the miso w/dark chocolate, wow). They have ingredients that I haven't found anywhere else, one example is this paper thin seaweed that has been marinated so it is almost translucent,they put a slice of this on your salmon and it takes it to a whole other flavor level. All the different fish rhoes they have, all the small touches like Himalayan salt, I could go on and on and they still seem to find something new for me all the time when I go in there.
Let me finish by saying that no i do not work there. I am never a regular at most restaurants because I like variety, but I am definitely a regular here and proud of it. Now for the other end of things, yes sometimes they can take a long time to get the sushi out, but that is just because of the time, care, and quality that they put into every dish. I have seen Gen redo a dish 3 or 4 times until it is how he wants to present it. Dedication to quality takes time, you just have to know that going in. Also a good suggestion is to order kitchen items to supplement your meal and help with the wait time. You also have to realize that this is a more traditional Japanese restaurant, they don't want to rush the meal or you out the door (like katsuya does) . This isn't an I'm in a hurry place, this is a take your time and enjoy the quality place. If you know that going in you will not be disappointed or impatient and can just enjoy the experience for what it is. All I can say is get here before it becomes so popular you can't ever get a seat.
Inventive chef has transformed the former-Yamakawa into a place with some really great fish, many selections largely unavailable on other sushi menus, even in the Valley.
OK here's the giant complaint though. Went in for lunch the other day. 10 tables (ten, not 100, ten) and three waiters, nine of which were occupied. So 3 tables per waitstaff person. And yet the service is mercilessly slow. Since most of the lunches come with some ot he same items such as their house salad and soup, why not have about 40 of those ready to roll when you open.
The sushi chef is a perfectionist. That comes with plusses and minuses obviously. If you sit at the sushi bar, it might be 10 minutes between orders, even if you are letting him choose (which I do).
I am not much of a roll eater but the Lemon Roll is exceptional, and the Negitoro roll also very good.
One culinary complaint. He seems to use some sort of Italian infused olive oil in his Cilantro/Jalapeno Yellowtail sashimi special which really screws with what would otherwise be a very nice dish. Italian and Mexican flavors do not complement..
The place can get very loud but the food is excellent.
Excellent sushi. Wonderful clean atmosphere with great service. Some different and inventive rolls, the chilean sea bass, & lemon come to mind. The fish was very fresh and the sushi chefs shared knowledge and information as long as you asked.
This place is as good as it gets. The fish is extremely fresh and the food is as good as any sushi restaurant that I've been to in LA including Matsuhisa and Asanebo -- and a lot less expensive. The staff is always friendly, welcoming and warm. If you give it a try I'm certain you will become a regular.
Went back last night and it was even better than I remembered. The specials are amazing as well as everything else. The sushi chefs are very nice and engaging and the service was prompt but never rushed.
Finally, a great local sushi spot to replace Yamikawa. Inventive specials and great fish. Highly… Read more »
went there last night with friends, I had dinner beef teriyaki and spicy tuna roll combination.. spicy tuna was good but I had better, the beef was overly cooked and the portion was so small.. for $23
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Category: Restaurants
Neighborhood: Toluca Lake
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