Sushi Mashiko

Small and family-​owned. Very reasonably priced and tasty. I like to come here on my lunch break sometimes – it’s cheaper and not as busy as other sushi places in Culver City. Highly recommend!

The nigiri was decent, as expected from a hole-​in-​the-​wall place. Came in for lunch because I was craving sushi and ordered the sushi lunch. Was pleasantly surprised by the fresh cuts of fish (with the exception of the albacore, which wasn’t very good). Good service, good parking, and all in all, a good place to stop in for a quick bite to eat during lunch.

This has quickly became my go-​to spot for sushi. It is a small little place, with a nice variety, they also have a nice selection of cooked foods and bento boxes. I have never been there during busy times, so I am not sure how busy they get, but I have always been able to walk in and get a table or seat at the bar, which is good considering how small it is. I did notice they seemed to do a lot of takeout sushi, which to me is just weird. I always eat my sushi fresh.

This place is a cute little sushi bar. The pricing wasn’t to bad, the food was great! Of course the saki was great too haha. I ordered the seafood salad that was amazing! And the udon soup was great as well!

Quaint, delicious, family run sushi restaurant that has never lost its appeal for my lunch time sushi fix.
Authentic and replete with tantalizing well prepared specials and rolls.

6÷18÷15: I was here yesterday and I’m back again a day later, today I stuck to sushi, again it was pretty good. But you do need to make time if you come here, because it does take a while to get your food. But it’s because there is one sushi chef and he has been doing it for twenty five years by himself and he is not about to change it for you.
You will not get the check, you need to ask for it, they will not really check on you, so if you want something you need to get their attention. I can see how people can see that as bad service, but I think they feel like they should leave you alone. There is a little of a language barrier too, but I don’t mind. I’ll be back…

We’ve been eating here for almost 9yrs now. We usually try to sit at the counter and watch Chef Mickey create his dishes. We’ve sampled most of the menu and enjoy most everything. It’s a nice small family run restaurant that we will continue to frequent whenever we are in the area and craving sushi.

My family and I used to come here fairly frequently when I still lived in Westchester. I went home for a visit and my parents suggested we have dinner at Mashiko. It had been years since my last visit, but I’m happy to report it was just as good as I remember. Mashiko is a small, but welcoming, Japanese restaurant. The same sushi chef has worked there for many years. This time, my mom and I shared a few plates of nigiri sushi (mackerel, yellowtail, and salmon roe) and entrees (teriyaki black cod and mixed tempura). My dad ordered the chicken bento box and my friend had the hot udon soup. We also shared an order of cucumber octopus salad (tako-​su) and edamame. Everything was fresh and tasty and the prices are very reasonable.
I am happy this neighborhood business is still going strong in Culver City. I look forward to returning.

Haven’t been here for years and thought I would give it a try again. Got spicy tuna, yellowtail and a few other things. Unfortunately the rolls were fishy tasting and did not taste fresh. Now I remember why it had been so long.

Brough my gf here who is an avid Sushi lover, and it was amazing!
She absolutely loved her sushi! The sushi chef was super friendly along with the rest of the staff!
Don’t let the location fool you, although it is located in a shopping plaza, once you’re inside and seated it’s like a whole different environment.
Great service, great food — my salmon teriyaki (I am not big on Sushi) was freakin’ delicious.
Beyond recommended, this place is an absolute MUST GO TO!!!

1. Overpriced for the small pieces of sushi you get.
I paid almost $ 40 for small pieces of sushi and left still hungry.
2. Biased service.
I waited over an hour for my food. My boyfriend finished his food and I haven’t gotten mine. I ordered sashimi and spicy tuna rolls, as simple as it gets. We asked the server and she told the chef. I finally got my pieces of spicy tuna, after a long wait. Of course, the sashimi came much later after that. My boyfriend’s bento box came with a small side of California roll, which we never got until we were both finished with our meals. We couldn’t wait anymore and asked for our checks.
This would be understandable if there were orders ahead of us, but we saw other customers (who seemed like a regular because she was calling the chef by name) who ordered after us and in-​between our meal, but kept getting their food made before ours. This is SO disrespectful.
I work across the street and I really wanted to be a regular here, but now I am never coming back. Pay better attention to your new and «non-​regular» customers.

Just had it for the first time. I got home and thought. heyt his isn’t much food at all :(But then I realized. i am actually really full and I have a lot of food left over. :)
my eyes are bigger than my stomach. I will be coming here again as it’s super close to my house and it’s a healthier alternative to pizza and burgers.

A very at-​home place with family friendly service.
You can relax among real Japanese staff.
No hype, no disappointment.
Youko is the best!

I’ve wanted this sushi spot to be so much better than it is and after giving it four tries, I just haven’t had my initial opinion of mediocrity changed.
I’m honestly shocked at the number of reviews that say the sushi is good/​great but that the service is bad. My first lunch experience I had a bento box with sushi as a side dish… the sushi was very, very disappointing. Not only were the pieces literally cut in half (who does this?) but they were laced with wasabi, somethiing that I believe should be asked beforehand if it’s something you want! I’ve had this happen at other places though, and it’s forgivable enough because next time I knew to just ask without it. The quality of the fish, however, is non-​negotiable. The fish was dry and very flavorless, not a good sign for sushi.
My second visit I went for the rolls, my usual favorite at sushi joints. I can count the number of sushi places where I haven’t finished my meal on one hand. This place has earned a place on that list. I ordered three rolls that are usually huge favorites, and while two of them I was able to stomach down, despite being very unsatisfactory, the freshwater Eel and Avocado roll was simply inedible. How do you screw something so delicious up?
Me next two trips I tried their califonia roll (HIGHLY disappointing) and had some of the negative experiences of service others have mentioned. Although staff are polite and kind, the timing is rather horrible. I had an hour to sit down and eat my lunch, and ended up having to wolf it down in five muntes, but I know, bento boxes are very difficult to make, when there’s only 3 customers there. (sarcasm)
Also, to those saying prices are reasonable or cheap? I’m sorry but I don’t want to pay $ 18+ for a very mediocre lunch.
POSITIVES: every place has to have some right? Miso soup is quite delicious. Salmon teriyaki is usually quite tasty, tofu with shaved ginger is very interesting and different, in a good way. A few soybeans with the bento box are a nice palate cleanser before or after the rest of your meal. Owner (I think) is very friendly, and head sushi chef clearly takes his job very seriously and seems very professional, but that just makes the mediocre sushi that much more disappointing.
I always tell myself not to come back, but due to the location and lack of other nearby sushi joints, I seem to keep giving them chances. I really really hope they pick up their standards. I WANT to like this place!

open 4:30?! Great!
Not the best sushi but pretty good.
My favorite place when I missed lunch break and hungry for seafood.
BTW I love their web. It’s so cute. The photos are real not made for menu
which so many restaurants do for their menu looking good.
Very honest business.

I usually brown bag it, but decided to dine at my fav sushi bar and try the Sashimi Salad (one of several luncheon specials). It was delicious, beautifully presented, and quite filling. Miso soup accompanies the salad. I highly recommend the iced green tea. The two hand roll special is delish and a great value, too.

Can’t find better sushi anywhere but here. I came from irvine area and been to difference sushi restaurant, married to Japanese guy. So I know what it take to make a great dish. Thank you Michiko and chef Mickey.

You know… After writing so many Unilocal reviews, I find it particularly difficult to write about average places. There’s nothing about the place that stands out; either negatively or positively. Sushi Mashiko is one of those places: average.
I came in for some lunch and got myself their lunch special which was 8 pieces of California rolls, a bowl of salad, and a bowl of miso soup. They add thousand island dressing to their salad, but it wasn’t scrumptious enough for me to finish it. The miso soup could have been better… And the rolls itself weren’t anything extraordinary either. This «special» cost me $ 11 which included the tip. The service was stellar, but there was only two customers, myself included, so it’s expected that service should be at least above-​average.

Sushi Mashiko is truly a neighborhood gem in so many ways. With umpteen thousand sushi places in LA, I know you’re wondering why THIS ONE. Well, it’s a family-​owned resto with a super talented sushi chef serving up the freshest sushi and sashimi AND the authentic japanese goods to go along with it.
The owners hail from japan and take special care to focus on good quality and service to everyone who walks into this quaint, simply designed joint. The prices are incredibly reasonable considering the quality you get! They don’t skimp on their fab lunch specials either.
I almost don’t want to promote SM because it’s THAT good. Keep in mind if you go with a large crowd, you might have a wait a bit because it’s on the smaller side. But, trust me it’s worth it. Don’t want to sit and wait? Then, like many do — pick up and go! This place definitely should be everyone’s REGULAR sushi place.

Was having a crazy craving for sushi and/​or Japanese food. I didn’t want to travel too far, and Sushi Mashiko was literally 5 – 10 minutes away from my apartment. With all the great reviews, I had to come try it out for myself.
One thing, the address on this is misleading. If you use Google Maps to get directions, it leads to you to a residential community. Sushi Mashiko is actually in the Ralph’s and Denny’s shopping plaza, closer to the back.
We walked in, and I loved that the décor was simple and comforting, very small and quaint. It felt like you were going into your friend’s dining room. We decided to sit at the sushi bar. The chef was right behind the fish cases, going about his business.
I decided to get the Chirashi, my friend got a number of rolls. Since there is only one sushi chef, the food can take a little bit of time. However, there weren’t many people in the restaurant, so our food didn’t take too long.
I first had some miso soup and then happily went to town on my chirashi. The fish tasted really fresh and was delicious. I was kind of bummed that it only included one piece of each type of fish, but that’s okay. The sushi rice had all the right flavors, and he even added some of the seaweed flake/​sesame toppings to give it a kick.
My friend inhaled his sushi, which led me to believe that he enjoyed his meal. Towards the end of our meal, the waiter started talking to us. He asked us our names and wanted to know if we were Japanese (neither of us are). He seemed like a sweet old man, who did this for a living because this was what he loved.
I will definitely be back to try all the other items on the menu. I had a great time chatting it up with the chef.