Urasawa

I’ve had the fortunate opportunity to dine at other sushi restaurants where the chef provided individualized service for limited number of guests so I’m comparing this to those. The service is top notch here. The food is very good. If I were to look for something to complain about, there was one dish that grossed me out cuz I don’t like intestines but I didn’t inform the chef of that ahead of time (didn’t occur to think I’d be served intestines) and I had already taken a bite when he told me what it was. Yuck! But other than that, the food quality and delicate flavors were very nice. It is pricy ($ 1314 for two Omakase & 1 bottle of sake) but considering the terrific ingredients and individual service, I think this place is worth a visit. Oh, be warned that he changed his policy to not allow photos of the food but is glad to take pictures with you after the dinner service.

This is our new Friday night after party sushi spot. The beluga with gold flakes is exceptional. Love that they have kept our table open just for us. Rodeo always pleases.

I don’t like to eat wasabi but my friend does, for his tastes we came to Urasawa. Maybe he ate very happy, but I’m not. It just so so.

Amazing tranquil restaurant with great staff, an amazing chef and the food is the best Japanese in town.

Wow!!! This is not some ordinary sushi I tell you… It’s probably one of the best I ever had. The experience is once in a lifetime except the price tag. If you can afford this then it’s a must have!!!

Love love love this place! hands down the best in the area.

As a sushi addict, I can confidently say that Urasawa is decadent, delicious, and perfectly presented. Make sure you reserve for special occasions as early as possible, because this sushi is worth it!

Definitely a unique and excellent experience…
Sure helps if you’re invited :-)
The quality. Presentation. It’s exquisite. It’s omakase… So be open to eat anything and trust the chef’s experience

first of all, let me say that im shocking myself for only giving this place 3 stars.
my BF surprised me with a visit here, and i’ve been dreaming of eating here for years. i was so ecstatic to try urasawa! the experience though, was a little awkward and uncomfortable.
we were one couple of two in the whole restaurant (which only has 10 – 12 seats). one of the people in the other couple had surprised the other for his birthday dinner, and the birthday guy announces, «i don’t eat sushi» to chef hiro. …SAY WHAT? FFS, WHO TAKES SOMEONE WHO DOESN’T EAT SUSHI TO URASAWA?! needless to say, it was jaw-​droppingly uncomfortable after that. they ended up leaving after about two veggie courses, but still had to pay the minimum $ 395 a person for that. CRAZY. after that chef hiro was extremely offended and upset.
i dont usually eat wasabi on my sushi because it’s extremely overpowering to me and masks the taste of the fish for me. i didn’t want to be rude though, so i asked the waitress if this was ok to request, and she said it was and she could let chef know. he seemed to be ok with it, but then proceeded to serve every single piece of sushi with wasabi on it thereafter. i asked the waitress a couple more times, and she told him and his response was, «oh sorry i am too drunk right now and forgot!» what??? umm… at least he apologized? he also seemed to serve extra sushi to my BF who had not asked for any restrictions so i sort of felt like i was being punished (or maybe it was leftover from the non-​sushi-​eating couple who bounced). but even my BF who loves wasabi said the amount was overpowering.
the price here is sadly not justifiable. they tried unsuccessfully to justify the price by filling the menu with toro, caviar, and wagyu but $ 1200 for two is seriously out of control (we did order two bottles of sake). i was also surprised at how after the toro, caviar, and wagyu, the remainder of the sushi served was limited and unmemorable. however, the presentation was beautiful and the shabu-​shabu course was unique and delectable. the toro and wagyu they served was no doubt incredible.
we found that we had much better experiences at nozawa bar and n/​naka and the price here makes the prices there feel like you’re at mcdonald’s. chef fuji at nozawa bar is so personable, and the fish is just as fresh. and n/​naka is so mind-​blowingly amazing, it left me speechless. finally, sushi zo has amazing sushi for a fraction of the price of urasawa, although the ambiance is less than desirable.
i do have to commend the waitstaff for beyond excellent service. she was practically psychic and already holding the hallway door to the restroom open before i even knew i had to go. our water and sake glasses were always full. chef hiro’s apprentice was also wonderful and personable.
overall though, i would say my dreams about this place have been shattered. im grateful to have been able to experience it but will likely never return.

I had a wonderful experience. The food was delicious. The staff are helpful. The place is very clean. The food is very fresh. This place was definitely worth the visit.

Not that this place needs another 5 star review but I feel obligated to help bring Urasawa’s rating back up since it’s slipped to 4.5 instead of the 5 it deserves!
I love sushi. I can’t say that I’ve been too all the greatest places in the world, I’ve only been to Japan once but it is my go-​to craving. After dining at Urasawa I couldn’t eat sushi for a month. The memory of the deliciousness just prevented me from going anywhere else because I knew I’d be disappointed. In fact, pictures of the seared toro still makes my mouth water!
Beautiful Place. Amazing Food. Unbelievable Service. Best sushi of my life thus far.

A very unique, exquisite, intimate dining experience. Food and service were excellent! It’s no wonder that this place received two Michelin stars awhile back. Chef Hiro is so talented at what he does.
The restaurant is hidden and hard to find, but you will be escorted up to the elevator and greeted once you’re there. The restaurant itself is very small and intimate, only seating about 10 at the sushi bar and 2 – 4 at a private table in the back. The day I ate dinner here, there was a couple who proposed at the private table, so we all witnessed it and it was quite special since we were all in this tiny place together.
Let me first start off by saying the service is impeccable! From seating to wiping your counter in-​between each dish and/​or changing utensils, drinks, etc… they were really on top of it!
Now, the food! From every dish that Chef Hiro intricately prepared in timely succession, his effort, skill, and detail did not go unnoticed. We started off with light appetizers which were all prepared with homemade sauces and fresh ingredients. Light but amazingly bold in taste. Many dishes were topped with gold flakes which were edible and added a nice elegant touch to the dish. Some of my favorite dishes were the foie gras, mini-​shabu, and waygu beef. I’ve been to many expensive sushi restaurants, but I must admit Chef Hiro’s dishes are unique and different; very much his own. You’ll end the course with a variety of fresh nigiri, and Chef Hiro emphasizes the 10-​second rule where, once he places the sushi down on your plate, it should be eaten within 10 seconds to ensure the utmost freshness and taste. In total, I think we had at least 24 – 26 dishes. You will definitely leave feeling full and satisfied, but don’t forget to leave room for dessert which is also included.
Overall, a very enjoying and special dining experience. At approx. $ 500/​per person, the price is a bit hefty. However, it’s really not just the food that you’re paying for, but the whole experience from when you walk in to when you leave. Definitely an experience worth trying at least once! Perhaps on a special occasion, maybe? :)

Finally managed to try this place after being on my list for so long. Tiny place that can only seat 12. Make sure to order sake with your good because it changes the flavor of the food you eat and goes perfectly with them. It was a symphony of flavors and every single one of them was just. perfect. After all, all the materials are imported daily from Japan. Spent 4 hours eating a somewhat 20 – 30 course meal. I was definitely full after the meal.
Please respect the 10-​seconds rule. If it’s served in front of you, eat your damn sushi. Don’t waste time on it. Temperature changes affects the taste.
One of the best Japanese meal I’ve had in my life after traveling to various cities/​places/​countries but also one of the most expensive meals.

This place is definitely expensive and I guess too much for the average person. But while I was here I got the friendliest customer service and our reservation was on time.
In total our tab was 1,046 but geeez was it delicious! Never have I had such delicious food in my life. They cook it in front of you to and the location is kind of hidden but do try

I had bday dinner in here, it’s the best sushi I hv ever had in the state. Everything just perfect, clean environment friendly waiter. I don’t eat a lot of fish but in here I eat it and test was so good!

Reserve at least a month in advance to get a good seat at the sushi bar. Otherwise, you might end up at one of the only two small tables in the restaurant. There’s also a $ 150 cancelation fee.
For the price you pay, you could only imagine the quality of fish and meat you get here. I would describe them to you but for your own sake, it’s best to experience this place on your own so that you don’t end up coming here with such high expectations, and end up leaving with utter remorse or grief.
All you need to know is that you do get the best type of fish (such as toro) and the best type of beef (such as wagu). There were other items he provided that I’ve never had, which left my taste bud wondering what the heck that was, and items that I was familiar with so that I can enjoy and appreciate. I can’t remember how many courses since no pictures were allowed, but it’s fair to say that you would get full by the end of the night, considering that it was a 3-​hour experience. It ended up being bout $ 350 per person, excluding $ 30 per person for water (that wasn’t a typo), so the entire meal with gratuity ended up being about 1K.
Personally, it was over-​rated. I was stunned by the price and the question of whether or not it’s worth it became quite relative. The quality of food and the overall experience were amazing (hence the 5 stars), but in the end, there are other sushi spots that I would highly, highly recommend with the same caliber for half the price. And they won’t charge you $ 30 per person for water. I know we’re in a drought, but come on guys… you didn’t purify that water yourself. Completely unjustified.

Probably the best sushi I’ve had in the States. Sorry everyone. Japan still takes the win for this. If you come here to eat you should probably already know what the expect so don’t try to nitpick on things here and there to save a couple of $$$. Just enjoy the experience and especially the food. You be entertained by the craft and art dining in this environment. The food is hands down exceptional as it should be for the price you are paying. Service is on point and sushi masters are so so polite.
This is a long over due review but it had to be done to compliment the Chefs, Servers and staff for the whole dining experience. See you again soon!
Sorry. no pics because I didn’t want to be rude to the chef and my date!

Y

This restaurant received two Michelin stars for a reason, you just have to be willing to splurge for the experience.
Its really difficult to explain how perfect each course was, how much precision goes into every item that is plated, and how well timed the entire staff is with providing you this amazing meal.
There are only about 9 seats at the restaurants, and its extremely intimate. You feel like you have a private chef just for you, except this private chef is world renown.
We were lucky to get there at the 6:00pm spot because it was just us and another couple, and it allowed us to talk to Hiro early on before the other couples arrived and he was a little more focused.
I’m going to tell you right now, a bill for two will cost you $ 900 + tip; so go in there knowing that and being ok with it, and you’ll be fine. You need to get a small bottle of sake to sip throughout the meal and we opted for hot green tea, which kept getting us refills (no charge so don’t worry).
Hiro doesn’t allow photos anymore, so I can’t really describe every dish; he also told me that he changes the menu every month.
Some highlights:
We had Wagu steak three times throughout the meal; it was just amazing.
Massive large sweet shrimp killed in front of us and we immediately ate it. It was amazing.
Caviar on a spoon with a handful of other items made that course to die for.
Squid sushi was so tender and had the perfect amount of rice and homemade wasabi.
The Toro that was brought out was also so perfect. We had a lot of different kinds, each one had a different taste and melted in your mouth a certain way.
All in all, we had around 20 courses, finished with homemade icecream with large shaved black truffles on top of it and 24k gold pieces.
Was it worth it?
Hands down this was the best dinner I’ve ever experienced. Immaculate service, the best of the best sushi, the private dining, and the sake was great. I was full by the end of the night, but I wasn’t the type of full you get when you eat a massive steak dinner. It felt good.
I’d come back again for another occasion and celebration of some sorts. Coming here definitely set the bar really high the next time we need to get a sushi crave. Fortunately we didn’t get any salmon and baked crab handrolls, so our local spot is still a safe bet for us.

Urasawa. Hiro Urasawa was an apprentice of Masayoshi Takayama. Masayoshi Takayama is the chef behind Masa in New York. It’s the only sushi restaurant in the US with 3 Michelin stars. However, Urasawa was awarded 2 Michelin stars back in 2009 and Michelin has failed to come back since. Why? Well, because their tires suck and can’t handle the mean streets of Los Angeles or Beverly Hills. It takes some tough tires to maneuver through Beverly Hills. Trust me.
I enjoyed everything I had here and couldn’t think of anything I did not. The flavors of each dish is very subtle and it takes a pretty sophisticated palate to distinguish the details. It’s definitely not a restaurant where the flavors smack you on your face like your mom when you talk back. You won’t see Jesus show up and turn water into wine.
The service is on point as expected from a high end sushi restaurant. The waitresses wipe your area clean after every dish and readjust your utensils for you. Your sake glasses and water are always filled without being asked. Unfortunately, there are no free refills on sake. I know. The audacity.
Another thing… The wood is the same wood at Masa and design of the sushi bar is very similar to Masa.
Overall, I’ve tried Zo, Yamakase, Masa and a few other high end sushi spots. As of this review, Urasawa is definitely on the top of my list for omakase. Would I come back to Urasawa? Absolutely. However, it won’t be until I check off other top restaurants on my list, so it won’t be long until I’m back. It’s a dining journey that everyone should experience once with an open mind and really pay attention to the details of the dish.

I’ll try to provide the most useful information that most of the other reviews does not provide so that I’m not repetitious.
Let’s start with clear parking directions. It’s confusing because Beverly Hills has quite a few parking structures close to Urasawa. You want to make sure to go to the right one so validating applies. It’s not under the Louis Vutton building as I think someone here had said. It’s actually directly under Urasawa which is in the Rodeo corridor that curves up the European looking street. From Wilshire, you turn on Dayton. You PASS Rodeo which intersects with Dayton. This is crucial as it’s confusing to people where the parking is on Dayton. There will be a big «P» that indicates there’s a parking structure. It’s on the right hand side. It’s right past the Breguet store I provided a Google Streetmaps photo here so you can see where I’m talking about. When you arrive at valet, you’ll know you’re there because Urasawa is very clearly marked in the parking lot. After you park, how to get up to the restaurant will be very clear.
Go there early if you can. Otherwise you’ll be sitting in the last corner seat and you’d be mostly serviced by his apprentices rather than the head chef Hiro Urasawa himself.
In terms of ambiance and service. No music. The sushi bar you’re sitting at is made of some really soft wood. It feels more like cloth than wood. The waitresses will be eager to serve you or wipe the space in front of you at every moment of the night. The Cobalt water ($ 15) tasted like regular water to me, so use your money more on beer or on some other water like Pellegrino.
OK, the thing about picture taking. It’s a strict no. I had thought he did not want us to take pics because it would interrupt the eating experience. So I brought a GoPro to had it strapped to my chest. While it took them awhile to understand what the GoPro was, the waitress finally told me to turn it off. So it’s not even about tinkering with something that can interrupt your eating. They just no longer want you to take pics or video at all. Period. I don’t know what changed since a few years ago, but just no photography. I’m uploading the few I have here. But didn’t get many. He does allow you to take a pic with him after the meal though.
Speaking of the chef, I’m not sure why people thought he was rude. He wasn’t to us nor any guests that night. Did he give us tips on how to eat the sushi? Yes. He told us to eat the sushi within 10 seconds for maximum flavor. He also told us to quickly tap our fingers against the wet towel afterwards to clean our hands. But he certainly was polite in doing so. He was very conversational and friendly. He came from the famed New York restaurant Masa before he started this restaurant. When you think about how long he’s been doing this, day in and day out, reading through these Unilocal reviews over the years will make you appreciate his craft.
Now in terms of the food itself. I’ll just say that my favorites were the wagyu beef which is the best beef I’ve ever had in my life, the shabu shabu that had four or five things in it, the best being the foie gras, and the soup itself was mind blowing. The toro was of course, amazing. The hairy crab was the best crab I’ve ever had. Being Chinese, that says a lot. He did things here I’ve never seen before. Like rip a live lobster open with his bare hands, meanwhile it’s still moving. He cut the tail off and set it aside for a little while. So if you’re a little squeamish about that, don’t look! He doesn’t serve it right away and lets it settle throughout your other courses so you pretty forget that he did that. He does prepare different things for different people with slight variances. He talks to you to get a feeling of how hungry you are and what preferences you have. He does have different food for different seasons too so you can come here different times of year and some of the items are different.
Was the food amazing? Yes. Was it worth $ ⁴⁰⁰⁄₅₀₀ a person? That depends on you. I’d say if you’re a Japanese food connoisseur and you have the means, you should do it once. Do it for a special occasion. When we were there, it was for my birthday, but two or three other people had their birthdays there too. So it’s quiet common. We heard him tell someone there that there are people who go there twice a month. So if you’re a real baller, I guess it would be worth it to you. I’d still not give it a complete 5 star rating because for this price, you can go to some serious competitors like Nozawa or Sushi Zo twice. They are just as good. There’s also much cheaper competitors that won’t break the bank and give you 60−70% of the eating experience of this caliber of food. So it’s hard to put a valuation on this and say if it’s worth it. But I think it’s a place you should try once if you can. The price is the only reason why I can’t give this 5 stars. It’s too high to ignore.