SUGARFISH by sushi nozawa

Been here a few times for lunch. The place is small which can make wait times ridiculous so I aim for lunch since dinner tends to have a long wait time. Sushi was yummy, light and delicious. Tons of free parking and customer service was great.

Service is impeccable. Some of the best sushi I ever had!

I want to start this review of by saying that I love the food at any Sugarfish. The fish is always the best quality and you always know exactly what you’re getting and how much it is going to be. And it is always really good.
The service here is subpar. I have been to several Sugarfish locations (Studio City, Pasadena, DTLA) and this one is the worst. I was there with 2 new people, whom we mentioned were new at the beginning.
We all ordered the Nozawas and were excited for our 2 guests to get the whole Sugarfish experience. However, whenever our plates came the waiters were too busy to properly explain the fish and the sauce/​no sauce combinations. Of course we can fill in, but it’s nice to hear it from the waiters in case anybody has any questions.
I also asked for more ginger 3 times before the waiter finally gave it to me on my last hand roll, which by that point it was useless.
Also the space is very poorly designed. All the waiters and customers are funneled through one single aisle.

Loved it all except for the seating at the bar. They sat me and my friend at the end of the bar and throughout the course of the meal I was elbowed in my back about a dozen times. Nothing bad but they should not sit anyone in that narrow place. Half of the hits came from the staff. I got apologies but it was disruptive and not okay for the price I paid. Layout thumbs down, food and service from front (not back) thumbs up

SugarFish.
Wow.
I’ve always loved sushi, but only recently have I started eating slightly more traditional style sashimi & sushi. Trust me, this is the place to go. Most people order the «Trust Me» which comes with an amazing assortment of fish. From start to finish, the fish melts in your mouth. With a side of edamame, ginger, and wasabi, you’ve got everything you need to accompany this delicious, light feast (Green tea is also a nice accompaniment!). If there’s anything you don’t love, they’re even flexible to substitute some of the components (I swap the blue crab roll for a yellowtail hand roll)
Trust me:
Tuna sashimi — Super Amazing melt in your mouth with awesome sauce.
Albacore — Super Amazing bite of awesome tastiness.
Salmon — I don’t even like salmon but this salmon sushi is super duper awesome.
Snapper — Delicious fish of deliciousness.
Yellowtail — amazing fishy deliciousness.
Halibut — Super awesome amazing delicious fishy.
Toro roll — Super duper really great awesomeness.
Blue crab roll — Probably really good, but I prefer to swap it out with —–
Yellowtail hand roll– which is super duper amazing.
IMPORTANT NOTE: I hear they won’t give you any extra sauce, SO– Once the first sashimi comes, and you finish that delicious masterpiece, the trick is to get an extra sauce plate, and pour any excess ponzu-​esque sauce into that saucer, because, Trust Me, it goes super well with every other sushi that comes after.
Unfortunately, it’s a bit expensive :(
But great for special occasions or the occasional splurge!

Overpriced, small sized, overhyped, Americanized sushi place, catering to Americans who have no clue about real sushi. They use farmed salmon, and that tells me all about its quality about their sushi in general. Tip is force added without telling the percentage. Talk about putting their hands in my pocket. A few things are wrong with it. Is that even legal?
Sushi taste isn’t too bad, sweet.
But then are those of icecream, fast food, cookies too.
Service is not bad just like any other restaurant.
Is this place a rip off? You bet it is! If you have been to real sushi restaurants. But good for them that they are doing great by their restaurant design and cater to «sugar» addicted American public. No pun intended.

I Ordered Trust Me!
Tuna sashimi — good appetizer
Albacore — delicious!
Salmon — tasty
Snapper — okay
Yellowtail — okay
Halibut — Yuzu sauce made it so delicious
Toro roll — great
Blue crab roll — super delicious, creamy blue crab, warm rice, crispy nori!
Good ambiance, friendly server, fast service. 1hr waiting for dinner.
I will definitely come back :)

This one’s in Marina Del Rey. I came here with my daughter because this is the closest one to where we currently live. There’s plenty of parking, shared with Medocino Farms, CPK, and See’s.
The toro melts in your mouth! My daughter and I both tried the Omakase for $ 32. The seating arrangement is a little snug.

This is the only Sugarfish I go to, as it is near my home. I like sitting by the window/​door, which is usually where people peer in to watch you eat. Haha. Ordered «Trust Me», and as usual, everything just melted in my mouth. YUM. Always fresh. Fast service. It’s not a big restaurant and it’s a bit on the quietter side, so it gets annoying when you can hear the conversation from the next table (especially when THEY are annoying :0). But food is always superb. LOVE the snapper and yellowtail. Lobster roll is delish, too. My only complaint is that their menu is limited. I would love their sushi with a side of gyoza and udon: p. For that, I go to Irori, which I will review later :).

Fresh fish, awesome service, delicious flavors. What more do you need to pick a legit sushi place? The fish is so fresh, it melts like butter in your mouth. I almost feel bad if I even think of soy sauce and wasabi because the flavors are sooooo on point! I always get the Nozawa fixed menu because it has sooo many good pieces of fish and hand rolls. From the salmon, to the flavorful bed of rice, to the stuffed hand rolls… it’s all worth the money and wait!
Speaking of wait, there was a table that we were waiting on to get seated, but they were taking a long time. The host and manager at the time were so kind and kept us updated on our wait time. They didn’t need to keep apologizing, the place is expected to be busy for dinner and I don’t blame anyone for wanting to keep ordering food. Anyway they were just sooooo nice about it, I appreciated their concern for our wait. That says a lot when all they want to do is seat you, knowing it’s so busy and as patrons it’s kind of our duty to wait it out.
Thanks Sugarfish staff!!! You made the food sooooo much more better because your kindness left a great taste in my mouth

Sugarfish is the gold standard for good sushi in my opinion. If you think some place has good sushi it’s got to be compared to the excellence that is sugarfish. I might have had better over the course of my life but I can’t recall it, and that’s from someone who’s live in Asia and been to Japan thrice. The one thing that always leaves an indelible mark on me every time I go there is their rice. Sushi rice is not the same as regular rice. It’s a carefully prepared grain mixed with vinegar and aired out while also being kept warm. I don’t know how they do it but their rice is absolutely fantastic. I could wax nostalgic about it all day describing to you what it feels and tastes like to have real sushi rice with exceptionally fresh fish on top of it but honestly it would not do it justice. You just need to go there yourself.
The menu is incredibly simple. Trust me when I say you should get the «trust me». Just… Trust. You can definitely supplement your meal if you’re hungrier than usual, I know I do but it’s worth noting that this place is not cheap. Worth it, but not cheap. All the sugarfish establishments are also very popular so it may be good to book a reservation if you’re planning a date or a special occasion. Highly recommend this place or any of the other sugarfish branches!

If I can afford to eat sushi here all the time I would! Probably my favorite sushi spot in the west LA area. This location has good parking as it is in a plaza. The wait was still the same as other locations, roughly around 1 hr.
I’ve been to the Santa Monica location so I decided to not order their pre-​set menu. If you want to skip the edamame and tuna sashimi then def just order a la carte. It will come out the same price as the pre-​st menu. I highly recommend getting their albacore, halibut, and blue crab hand roll. I ended up ordering 2 of the hand roll because it was that good!
As per their suggestion, eat the hand roll right when they serve it. Do not let it sit or the seaweed will get soggy. It’s served with warm rice and the blue crab plus the perfect crispiness of the seaweed. It melts in your mouth.

We have been to the other Sugarfish Nozawa locations in the LA area but first time dining at this location.
The place is small and the tables are very tight to each other. I felt uncomfortable sitting so closed to the table next to me.
Got the usually Trust me sushi. The rice was little bit too warm. For some reason I did not like the yellowtail at this location. It was not that great. I am kind of disappointed because yellowtail is my favorite sushi.
Service was ok.
I like the other Sugarfish locations but this place is just too small. If I want to spend $ 80 for dinner, I would want to sit comfortably to enjoy my meal.
Parking: plenty in the plaza.

Small space inside of a plaza mall with plenty of nice shops.
Ordered the Nozawa. All the fish tasted great, but the rice was not right. Very warm, to the point where I question if it’s altering the fish. Also overly marinated the rice. It was too sweet. When I picked up each piece of nigiri, it just completely fell apart. Some of the fish that had the sauce already on it overpowered the taste of the fish. The rice was so warm and over marinated that I couldn’t taste the tuna in the handroll at all. A lot of food, so this is good if you are hungry.
Service was great. Very attentive. Overall, if they improve on the rice, I think it would immensely improve the food.

This is the sushi everyone is always talking about. Minutes from our place, my roomie and I were stoked to come here for DineLA (I know a little late but better than never!). We were seated quickly and informed by our server to consider their already set menus. Much appreciated because we were not disappointed!
We ordered the Trust Me and the Nozawa (see photos). UM, NOMALLDAY! I can see why everyone raves about this place. The sushi literally melts in your mouth and the rice is warm that it just amplifies the flavor! Our food came out based on how it’s listed on the menu. Once I was finished with one plate, another was on its way. I couldn’t help dance a little in my seat! It was just that great. My favorites had to be the Albacore, Yellowtail, Snapper, Scallops (their special for the day) and of course the Toro Hand Roll!
Had to knock a star off for: the ambience & the automatic 16% gratuity. I felt like I was super close to the two tables next to me, that it was a bit awkward. Way too cozy for my personal space. Also, the service was good but not the best for a high end sushi place like this. Oh well, still gonna tip them even if they weren’t!
Even knowing that this place is cozy and the 16% gratuity, I can’t wait to come back. The quality of sushi was that amazing!

Best Sushi I’ve Ever Had With Props To Master Sushi Chef Nozawa!
SITREP
Okay. So it is not INexpensive, nor has my rather limited geographical experience with Sushi shown me other meccas for Sushi outside of the West Coast. But I CAN say with personal confidence that this is the BEST sushi I’ve ever enjoyed!
This is NOT one of those AYCE sushi places, nor are you going to find any «fried» sushi or «cream cheese» sushi, etc. etc. — this is serious, adult, traditional sushi.
And any establishment that takes pride in it’s logo is a business that seriously desires to keep their reputation at the top of the «school»:
THE SETUP
When I was on my work assignment in L.A. recently, my lovely colleague Iman K. suggested that this was a «Must Try» for both of us, and I glad she did! There were actually three (3) separate related Sushi establishments by this family, and we were told by those «in-​the-​know» that the least amount of wait time hassle was to be found here.
In addition, it apparently was not uncommon to hear of 2-hour-«waits» at the two other locaitons, and only an hour here. So we opted for the smaller establishment located here in Marina Del Rey, an adjacent neighborhood to Santa Monica.
And point-​of-​fact, since we DID in addition opt to dine at the sushi counter nearest the chefs, we only waited 30 minutes. *SCORE*
BUSINESS PLAN
Even though the «dine-​in» business is the anchor of this establishment, I dare say that Sugarfish’s business is much MUCH more brisk with the «To-​Go» component of their restaurant — and Iman & I would know since we sat right next to the staging area for all the to-​go orders and it was absolutely, breathtakingly AMAZING how fast the staff prepped these to-​go orders, dozens at a time, in their beautiful, nifty SugarFish *logo’d* boxes.
Each To-​Go order is prepped in it’s own nifty logo’d box:
And the box is big enough to «fit» the special sushi combos, speaking of which…
LE MENU
The menu allows for individual a la carte roll purchases if that’s where you desire is. However, the best deal is one of the three (3) preset menu plans where you get to sample a broad array of sushi — AND sashimi:
Three (3) main listings were for: 1. the «Trust Me — LITE» ($ 22), 2. the «Trust Me» ($ 32) and, 3. «The Nozawa» ($ 42). We both zeroed in on the «Trust Me» ($ 32) since it appeared to be by far the better deal:
* Better than the LITE version since the bump in $ 10 meant considerably more deLISH sushi in proportion to the price increase; but also,
* Better than The Nozawa since that $ 10 bump above «Trust Me» to $ 42 only netted 2 additional «Daily Special» sushi pieces.
* So trust me when I say go with the «Trust Me» ;)
And if we had wanted to get the «Trust Me» to-​go, each order would have fit snugly in those cute SugarFish boxes.
THE MEAL
The sushi is just extraordinarily delicious. Served warm, since we could see the sticky rice just finished cooking and immediately snatched for the sushi rolls, and thus not irritatingly cold.
And the presentation of the sushi was wonderful as both of our talented servers sequenced our courses for us:
* First, we started with the Organic Edamame; then,
* Tuna Sashimi; then
* Albacore Sushi and Salmon Sushi; then
* Yellowtail Sushi; then
* Halibut Sushi and Snapper Sushi; then
* The Toro Hand Roll; then

* The Blue Crab Hand Roll;
but then because there was a service issue that occurred in the area that another couple and we were sitting in, we were both gifted with a couple of
* Unagi Sushi
THE LOWDOWN
All in all, by far one of the best sushi experiences I’ve enjoyed, and certainly the best traditional sushi I’ve ever had.

I love Sugarfish. I dream it. I breath it. I live it. All thanks to my mister, I will never look at sushi the same way.
If the mister and I could eat it every week, we would. Wait, we practically do…
If you’ve never had sushi and you’ve strayed away from it, Sugarfish is the best place to try it. The way they cut their fish is just perfect. It’s not too big and it’s just the right size to put in your mouth! If you’re like me, you take small bites and you’ll cut your sushi in half. It might sound a bit odd, but I enjoy slicing my sushi in half so I get two bites out of it. The fish is so fresh that it cuts in half so smoothly. Once you put it in your mouth, it just melts. Drool…
My go to is the Trust Me prefix menu. It comes with edamame, tuna sashimi with ponzu, 2 salmon sushi, 2 albacore sushi, 2 yellowtails, 1 red snapper, 1 halibut, 1 toro handroll and 1 blue crab handroll. Their menu has changed slightly and the price has gone up $ 2 for every prefix — Trust Me Lite ($ 22), Trust Me ($ 32) and Nozawa ($ 42). Oh well, still a good deal! Recently I’ve been ordering a la carte and enjoy it a lot more. I love the albacore, salmon and the blue crab handroll, those are my go tos. My meal ends up being the same price as the Trust Me.
The only downside is, no dessert here, but the plus side, if you’re not good at math and hate calculating gratuity, they have a 16% service charge added for you! Pretty awesome if you ask me.
Definitely great for date nights, first dates, catching up with friends, you name it. It gets pretty crowded every night, so your best bet is to get there when it opens or get there after 830pm.

This sugar fish sucks. I am a loyal customer to sugar fish. I usually go to the on in DTLA or Beverly Hills. This location doesn’t taste as good also serves smaller amount of food.
Take a look at my picture of edamame. Is this a joke? And the server or the manager was not in a good mood. I understand they are busy during dinner time. But a place like this, 40 $ a meal and tips added to the bill? This is totally not acceptable.

Oh my goodness… this place is a real treat! My group of 4 was told that we had to wait an hour, but it ended up only being a half hour wait. We all ordered the Trust Me, which was the perfect amount of food. I love that the plates were staggered, and the amount of time between plates was perfect; just enough time to slowly savor the current plate, but not enough time to get impatient with the next plate. The price range of Sugarfish is something I would spend only occasionally for a dinner, but this was 100% worth it. The «daily special» (eel this time) was AMAZING!

Midway through my flight from SJC to LAX, I decided it was a genius idea to turn on my phone before landing to order take out from Sugarfish before it closes. Mission success.
Ordered the trust me and was not disappointed. While the fish was fresh and the packaging was so adorable, I wouldn’t call this the best sushi around. It’s good for what it is and the price is just OK considering you get a decent amount of food for $ 40, but if you really think about the breakdown at other sushi joints, it’s not even a steal… Everyone seems to love a bundle package for anything so we’ll just go with it.
I don’t think I’d be able to dine in here as the restaurant itself is TINY. I’d feel claustrophobic.

Love this place.
Sushi is consistently great, and good quality. They don’t take reservations, so expect to wait up to an hour. They will call you however when your table is ready so you can shop or go to the coffee shop.
There is a parking lot, but it is always busy because this is in a little shopping center with other shops and restaurants surrounding it.

Nozawa
That’s all I have to say. :) it’s good!!! Get the nozawa!

unlike other sugarfish locations parking at this location is convenient and free. brentwood has valet, smc and dtla have paid lots.
thoughts compared to other locations:
1) same quality across the board. just as good as i remembered, the sashimi are buttery melt in your mouth soft.
2) management needs some work. the hostess had promised us a table within 5 – 10 minutes then it miraculously turned to 15 – 20. during our dinner the lights of the restaurant was abruptly turned off and turned back on. maybe because it’s a newer location they haven’t streamlined the processes.
this will be my location of preference due to ease of parking… until they finally decide to open up a location in orange county.

Sugarfish lives up to the hype.
One of my closest friends and roommate took me here a couple years ago for my birthday. She assured me that sugarfish would change sushi for me moving forward. It totally has. I haven’t been to Japan or $ 300/​meal japanese restaurants, so I will say this has to be some of the best reasonably priced sushi in the area.
If you haven’t heard already, the rice is warm, the fish is fresh, the service is great and the Trust Me (~$ 42) is more filling than you think. I went here recently with the boo and I went here recently for dineLA, but ended up going to the Trust me instead. Our server Michael was attentive and struck up conversation at the right times… aka he didn’t bother us, which we appreciated very much. There is a bit of a wait, and parking isn’t too terrible.
If you’re not sure about trying Sugarfish… just doooo it.

Came here on the weekend for lunch and it was packed!
I ordered the Trust Me because I was too hungry and thought the Trust Me Lite wouldn’t be enough… and I was right! But I’m also glad I didn’t get the Nozawa — that would’ve been too much. My fiancé got that though and he loved it. He also ordered an Uni individually because the omakase doesn’t include that item.
We sat on the counter but I saw 5 – 6 tables. It’s not a big place so I guess we got lucky. Parking is not an issue here cuz it’s in a plaza. I also don’t think they take reservations. I’ve heard that it’s packed for lunchtime regardless of if its on a week day or weekend.
The things I remember are 1) their rice was really fluffy and warm. Not squished or crumbly or cold — I hate those! 2) their temakis, both toro and blue crab, were the best I’ve had!
The Trust Me comes with;
Edamame
Tuna
Albacore
Salmon
Yellowtail
Snapper
Halibut
And two temakis (toro and blue crab) for $ 32, which I think if you do the math is pretty standard — I wouldn’t say it’s overpriced.
No need to tip here. Enjoy!

Possibly one of the better known sushi joints in town, SUGARFISH is known for its high quality fish and great, simplistic plating. I had been dying to try it ever since moving to LA but had heard mixed reviews. Some friends love the sushi and think the price point is accurate… others feel that it is quite pricey and the portion sizes leave ‘em desiring more.
I went with a coworker on a Saturday for lunch to the Marina del Rey location. I chose this location because I figured it is less frequented as compared with their Santa Monica location and thus easier to get seated at. I was right! We got seated immediately.
I ordered the Trust Me combo, which is $ 29 for lunch. What I really liked right off the bat is that a 16% service charge is automatically added to your bill and SUGARFISH requests that you do not tip! Off to a good start thus far, woo woo.
The edamame was definitely a 1-​person portion, lightly salted and room temperature. I really enjoyed the tuna sashimi with the sauce it’s prepared in. I could tell that all pieces of sushi were high-​quality and fresh. The hand rolls were interesting to me because they served the blue crab warm so the part of the hand roll where the blue crab was located was very warm, but the rest were room temperature/​cold. It was an interesting sensation in my mouth. I will say, I was surprised by how loose the sushi rice was packed for each piece of sushi. Every time I picked one up to dip into soy sauce, the rice would fall apart. I would have expect better technique.
CONCLUSION:
High-​quality sushi. SUGARFISH seems to concentrate on delivering simple, traditional sushi as best as possible — none of those outrageous American-​born creations like a California roll with salmon and cream cheese tempura-​fried then covered in three different sauce. For lunch, the Trust Me combo was a good portion to satiate my sushi cravings and not leave me hungry. It is a tad bit more than I’d like to spend on sushi for lunch, but as a once-​in-​a-​while lunch splurge, I think it’s quite all right!

This is not a double cheeseburger and side of Belgian frites review, damn.
This is a Dine LA lunch review.
It was getting close to 2:00pm so I was hoping to still make lunch. When I arrived the restaurant was full, including the the host station with someone paying. The place is small with one side a dozen or so chairs at the sushi bar and 8 tables seating 2 – 4 people. The door area was busy so it’s a little awkward waiting while people are coming in and out. I put my name on the list as a single. A twosome put their name on the list next and got seated first. Understandable. Two spots opened up at the bar where they seated a single before me, then I got to wait 6 extra minutes before they seated me in the other. Not as understandable. When I sat down I remembered reading all the Unilocal reviews about waiting and all of your party having to be there. Maybe the host thought my mind was someplace else, perhaps.
I was quickly greeted and shown a menu as well as brief explanation. I had to ask if there was a DineLA menu because I started to think this particular Sugarfish might have not been participating. The waiter brought me the Dine LA menu and compared it to their sushi light lunch. I kept reading the menu about their high standards and extensive safety concerns on the back. Apparently we don’t need to worry about the Fukushimi disaster or elevated radioactivity in the fish. Whew. Ok enough with the chip on my shoulder onto the food.
The $ 20 DineLA lunch menu consists of edamame appetizer, tuna sashimi, two pieces each albacore and salmon and 1 blue crab hand roll.
Edamame served cold. Fine. Typical.
Sashimi, looked more like poke. maybe 7 – 8 smaller chunks of fish in light sauce. Very Very good. melt in your mouth. not your typical size sashimi cut or portion, but not your typical quality either. Outstanding.
Nigiri salmon with warm rice was also so tender. Albacore same thing. Top Shelf. I kept using a large dose of wasabi because even that was better than usual. I asked if it was real wasabi and the server said it was half and half. At one point the burn almost tasted like scotch. Yum
Hand-​roll, same thing excellent sweet fresh crab in a crispy nori skin. Even the hot green tea was excellent.
Now I’m a big guy and this was a small lunch, but I’m also super picky about sushi. I never go, I never take recommendations unverified thrice times because for the great stuff you pay dearly and leave hungry. This was perhaps the best sushi I’ve ever had as a whole meal. THE FISH IS IMPECCABLE.
As a side note, Brothers pizza next door was handing out free samples which I did not turn down.

I’m going straight into it by saying their sashimi and sushi is so damn mouth watering! My roommate and I wanted to take advantage of DineLA’s menu but our server said it might be a better deal to opt for one of their combinations. I appreciated him for his recommendation because we felt that we got more bang for our buck. We ordered the Trust Me ($ 32) & The Nozawa ($ 42).
Trust Me includes:
Organic edamame, Tuna sashimi, Albacore (2 pc.), Salmon (2 pc.), Yellowtail (2 pc.), Halibut (1 pc.), Snapper (1 pc.), Toro hand roll & Blue crab hand roll.
The Nozawa includes:
Organic edamame, Tuna sashimi, Albacore (2 pc.), Salmon (2 pc.), Yellowtail (2 pc.), Halibut (2 pc.), Snapper (2 pc.), Toro hand roll, Blue Crab roll & their daily special which were Scallops.
Honestly, everything was delicious and fresh. I’ve never had sushi that literally melted in my mouth. Even the edamame was crisp and perfectly/​lightly seasoned. My personal favorites were the Toro hand roll, tuna sashimi (the lemon ponzu sauce was great) & albacore. I usually opt out of eating the rice but I couldn’t resist after having one bite of it. It was so airy & light, definitely another highlight to the amazing sushi. I heard it’s also made in small batches every 20 – 30 minutes so make sure to get your fill!
So, why the 4 stars? Reason #1: ambiance wasn’t what I expected for a higher end sushi restaurant. Space is very limited and definitely too cozy aka rubbing elbows cozy. Reason #2: 16% service charge already included. Service wasn’t as attentive as I would’ve liked so what if I didn’t want to include 16%? Welp, I guess I had to.
Day dreaming about their sushi so I can’t wait to go back. I highly recommend for all the sushi lovers!

I’m going straight into it by saying their sashimi and sushi is so damn mouth watering! My roommate and I wanted to take advantage of DineLA’s menu but our server said it might be a better deal to opt for one of their combinations. I appreciated him for his recommendation because we felt that we got more bang for our buck. We ordered the Trust Me ($ 32) The Nozawa ($ 42).
Trust Me includes:
Organic edamame, Tuna sashimi, Albacore (2 pc.), Salmon (2 pc.), Yellowtail (2 pc.), Halibut (1 pc.), Snapper (1 pc.), Toro hand roll & Blue crab hand roll.
The Nozawa includes:
Organic edamame, Tuna sashimi, Albacore (2 pc.), Salmon (2 pc.), Yellowtail (2 pc.), Halibut (2 pc.), Snapper (2 pc.), Toro hand roll, Blue Crab roll & their daily special which were Scallops.
Honestly, everything was delicious and fresh. I’ve never had sushi that literally melted in my mouth. Even the edamame was crisp and perfectly/​lightly seasoned. My personal favorites were the Toro hand roll, tuna sashimi (the lemon ponzu sauce was great) & albacore. I usually opt out of eating the rice but I couldn’t resist after having one bite of it. It was so airy & light, definitely another highlight to the amazing sushi. I heard it’s also made in small batches every 20 – 30 minutes so make sure to get your fill!
So, why the 4 stars? Reason #1: ambiance wasn’t what I expected for a higher end sushi restaurant. Space is very limited and definitely too cozy aka rubbing elbows cozy. Reason #2: 16% service charge already included. Service wasn’t as attentive as I would’ve liked so what if I didn’t want to include 16%? Welp, I guess I had to.
Day dreaming about their sushi so I can’t wait to go back. I highly recommend for all the sushi lovers!

I think I better stay in Torrance for real Japanese sushi…
The variety of sushi is very simple.
The quality of the fish is very good but the rice do not stick together.
The portion does not justify the price, it is over priced. Usually when you go to a real Japanese sushi bar or restaurant, you would get a bigger and longer sashimi on the rice. This place does not meet that tradition.
The service is ok if they did not forget my beer. Hiring Asian servers do not mean you would have nice and smart servers.
As I’m writing this review, I am getting so disappointed I want to just give this place 1 star, but I will just leave it as is

Overrated and overpriced.
It’s good quality fish but not the best and def not worth the extra $$. The portions are incredibly small and their hand rolls are standard. I usually end up going to Mendocino Farm’s next door to grab a sandwich afterwards :(It’s just another hyped up la joint. This location is incredibly small so be sure to make reservations ahead of time.
The only decent sushi place in MDR for a quick fix but an expensive one!

Pretty solid sushi.
From a fish quality perspective, this is pretty fresh and top notch. I ordered the Trust Me. The fish basically melts in your mouth. Each dish was plated nicely and appears to hit our table immediately after its done in the kitchen (we may have been seated close to the kitchen so I may have been spying on our food). The gap between each plate leaves a little to be desired (felt like a constant wait each time we finished each plate), but I guess you can only have so many hands in the kitchen slinging sushi. The iced green tea is good stuff too.
This place gets crowded very quickly. We were there 20 minutes before they opened and one of the first ones to get seated. By the time we had our drinks ordered, it was full and I think a line had started outside.
The staff was nice and friendly. Drinks refilled often, pretty attentive crew.
Not the cheapest meal (you’ll walk out spending about 30 – 40 bucks), but its good and the tip is already included in the bill. Anywhere that keeps me from doing math is awesome in my eyes.

Pros:
— fresh fish
— nicely seasoned sushi rice
— tons of free parking
— tip included in bill
Cons:
— somewhat small cuts of fish
— un-​memorable omakase
I got the Nozawa omakase and a bottle of unfiltered sake. The waitress was kind enough to remind us to shake the bottle each time before pouring, which is a nice touch considering some other high-​end Japanese places don’t or assume you already know.
The omakase itself is pretty standard. Everything tastes pretty fresh and what you would expect from a decent sushi place. A couple of complaints though, the tuna sashimi was cut into small pieces and lathered with a vinegary sauce, which made it difficult to appreciate the tuna fully. Also, the cuts of fish ranged from decent to small, and the warm sushi rice overshadowed the delicate taste of the fish. The blue crab temaki was particularly stingy with the crab, so each bite tasted mostly of seaweed and rice. It may have been because it was nearing closing time, but I still expected a little better.
Bottom Line: Great place to get your sushi fix but nothing outstanding

I’ve dined here more times than I can count on two hands. But this time really upset me. (I suggest management refers to today’s (12÷19÷15) security camera footage for confirmation of this review.)
My gf and I were FIRST to be seated at 1130am on a Saturday. Perhaps five tables were seated after us. We ordered before anyone else: I requested unagi nigiri, albacore nigiri, salmon handroll and a toro handroll. The gf requested the Trust Me Light.
Even though we were first to order by a long shot, we were the last table to receive our food. They even dropped one of my handrolls to another table, who happily accepted it when the front-​of-​house admitted they screwed up and offered it to them for free. When the food kept being served to other tables, finally one of the servers said, «There’s a bit of confusion in the kitchen, your tuna sashimi is on it’s way out.»
My gf received her tuna sashimi after everyone else had been served. I still received nothing. Her Trust Me Light platter arrived, and still, I had not received a single part of my order.
First came my albacore. Delicious. Tender, buttery, and perfectly balanced.
Then more and more waiting.
Next came my toro handroll, except they accidentally dropped it to the table next to us, for a second time. The table next to us laughed and joked with us about all the free food they were receiving. It was funny, but my stomach was rather pissed. My gf was done eating and I had only received one of my four items. When the toro arrived [at my table], it was delicious. The fish was very cold and the rice was nice and warm; pure melt-​in-​your-​mouth goodness.
So, after an absurd amount of waiting and not a single apology from management (or anyone, for that matter), I felt bad having my gf sit there, watching me eat. The salmon roll arrived third. I shared it with my gf, then asked to cancel the unagi, as I was simply sick of waiting.
THEY HAD JUST OPENED. THEY WEREN’T AT CAPACITY, NOR WERE THERE PEOPLE QUEUEING AT THE DOOR. How did the kitchen go down so badly before it was noon?!? I was pissed, but didn’t say anything, as the damage had been done, and my gf and I were both more than ready to leave.
I’ve NEVER had such a horrific experience at ANY SugarFish location. Even after we paid the bill (which includes a 16% service charge, which in this case, did NOT seem appropriate), we still received no apology about not receiving our food on time, nor for them having to cancel part of my order because they took too long. Very disappointing.

SUGAAAAAAA~ YES PLEASE~
SUGARFISH THE HYPE IS SO REAL T_​_​_​T
I finally got to try Sugarfish with my favorite Unilocaler Diana I. ^_​_​_​^ She literally takes me to the best places ever… THANK YOU!!!
We got here around 6:30ish and it was packed!!! They said it was going to be a 45 minute wait so, we left our phone number and walked over to Starbucks for some tea. But literally 10 minutes after we got our tea, we got a phone call saying that there was an opening at the bar… I mean no complaints but we weren’t even allowed to our teas inside the restaurant. WOMP… but it’s okay since we drank the tea after our meal. HAHA
Since it was my first time, Diana recommended me to get the Trust Me which consisted of:
Organic Edamame
Tuna Sashimi
Albacore Sushi (2-​pc)
Salmon Sushi (2-​pc)
Yellowtail Sushi (2-​pc)
Halibut Sushi (1-​pc)
Snapper Sushi (1-​pc)
Toro Hand Roll
Blue Crab Hand Roll
For $ 32
AND HOLY WOW COW MOM HOW CAN SUSHI BE THIS GOOD!!! I didn’t think it was possible for a piece of fish could be so fresh and delicious sushi rice could be. I’ve gone to a lot of sushi restaurants and wow, there is no place like Sugarfish… I’m salivating as I’m writing this review… They didn’t have any halibut that night so, they gave us a piece of scallop instead. It was really good though! My favorite sushi of the night would have to be the albacore! The ponzu sauce on top of it was just perfect amount of sweetness from the fish and saltiness from the sauce!!! I’m dying… I want it again.
Trust me…(sorry I had to^) This doesn’t seem like a lot of food but wow… by the end of the meal I WAS STUFFED!!! The service was really bomb and just overall, such goood vibes! Sugarfish ain’t messin’ around~ I’ll definitely be coming back for the upcoming DineLA or lunch time with my girlfriends!

Obviously the food is delicious. The fish is so fresh, the service is great, and the staff are knowledgeable. The only downside and reason for not giving this a 5 is the price of wine. $ 14 for a small glass of chardonnay? That’s so expensive! You could probably buy the entire bottle in store for the same price. And honestly, the glass wasn’t very big. Ok, I understand they are not a wine restaurant, but it seemed a bit steep.
Any who, this is a great location! FREE PARKING FREE PARKING! Does it get any better than that?
Three of us arrived on Monday night at 6:30pm. We beat the rush and ended up only waiting about 10 – 15 minutes. They offered us a table right when we got there, but it was technically a two person corner booth and would be a bit tight, so we ended up waiting for the bigger booth and seated fairly quickly.
I didn’t feel rushed to leave either, which I have felt at other locations (La Brea).
Moral of the story, get a glass of wine elsewhere while waiting but enjoy the sushi here!

3.5 stars. I first ate here when it first opened years ago and then again, recently. Very basic menu and very basic sushi. The quality is good but nothing spectacular.
The Good:
— easy and free parking at the marina center
— usually not much of a wait
— cheap
— decent sushi
The Bad:
— service can be spotty and absent
— not many choices for sushi (you basically have three menus to choose from)
— sushi is just not that great
— they easily run out of the more popular items like uni
I really see this more of a fast-​food sushi place. But if you just want to get your sushi fix, then this is a decent option.

. I wish they have sugar fish in SF. Came here at noon on a Wednesday and had no wait. The quality of the fish is melt in your mouth and the sets are SUCH a great price. Must come here

I dream about sugarFISH every day in Seattle because I have yet to even come close to anything like this. Everything is literally melt in your mouth good.
This was my first stop after landing in LA, I came with 3 other people and there wasn’t a wait at all but I’m assuming it was because we came at 9pm. All of us ordered the trust me omakase and I added albacore belly. Every piece was so good! Just like the first time I had sugarfish. They honestly need to open one in Seattle because flying down just to eat sushi is quite expensive haha. Service was really good and the server helping us was also very friendly and professional. I noticed that this place was smaller than the LeBrea location but it’s still in a really nice area. I’m actually thinking about having sugarfish again as I’m writing this review. If the rest of my trip ends up bad, I’ll still be happy that I had sugarfish haha.