Tsujino Hana

I’m sorry to report that after 20 years of excellent service and well prepared food, Tsujino Hana will close its doors forever at the end of the month. This is the place where both my babies learned to eat and appreciate Japanese food. I wish only the best for the staff in their future endeavors.

Despite its busy location on Lincoln, this is an easy place to miss. I think the idea of getting sushi from a strip mall can sometimes be disconcerting, but bypass any superficial feelings you might have to give this place a try. I’m pretty sure you will not regret it.
I think the woman serving us was the owner and she was unbelievably friendly and nice. She did a terrific job making recommendations about what was best to have that night and was able to very adeptly prescribe what I would like based on my tastes. The specialty rolls she recommended I try were unbelievably good. Big, big fan of the specialty rolls here. Some of the best I have had anywhere in LA, maybe even the best.
The only downside is the price. It’s a bit expensive; but I believe for good sushi it is totally worth it.

Off the beaten path
Première fish at a low price
Sushi is top notch

I’m retarded.
Twice I tried to find Irori, and both times I failed and just went to good ‘olé Tsujino.
All of the rolls, sushi and shishimi tastes fresh and all of their sides are clean and light. The happy hour dinner special is quite good as well.
The black cod is extremely delicate and flavorful.
The service is the best around. There’s a lady that flies around like a hummingbird taking care of everyone.
One of these days I’m going try to visit Irori, but I wouldn’t mind finding myself back at Tsujino again.

I’ve been here twice… the first time I can’t remember how it was because we went there as a second choice bc the first sushi place we tried was closed. So now I can review coherently bc i can remember this most recent time. Great sushi rolls & reasonable pricing. The service was great-​she suggested great sake. A plus is the flat screen TV so I was able to watch the dodgers game while enjoying my sushi & sake :) Nothing better than that. Definitely will go back. The parking is a little annoying bc the lot is kind of small and there’s a Panera, Peet’s, Penguins (lots of «P“‘s) and they just opened a Wahoo’s next door. So you might have to drive around a couple times for a spot.

Another very surprising (and satisfying) visit to a random Marina Del Ray sushi joint. Am I just getting lucky choosing places or does Marina Del Ray have something going on?
They were running lunch special at dinner hours if you sit at the bar. And why wouldn’t you, you should WANT to sit at the bar. Best seat in the house.
Mix and match 5 kinds of sushi! Didn’t order any rolls (rolls are for sushi noobs). Nigiri here is good. You can’t go wrong with their quality of fish and sushi rice. One thing I noticed was the lack of wasabi usually present between the fish and pressed rice. Didn’t bother me too much though.
WARNING. WARNING. BOSS APPROACHING. (aka tasty item of particular noteworthiness):
Scallop hand roll. GET IT. Tasty goodness.
Overall, Fish is FRESH and cut right. The proportion of fish to rice is a tad skewed to the fish side (most people would consider that a good thing) but not too big.
Only potential problem spot is the pricing. You don’t go get sushi looking for a cheap meal. But Tsujino Hana doesn’t really try to make it easier either. They don’t really have anything other than the lunch-​special-​for-​dinner promotion they’re running. Oh well. At least the food is tasty so at the very least you’re getting what you pay for.

I love sushi but steer clear because it’s expensive. Paying $ 30+ for all that rice doesn’t float my boat.
But I came here at 5:45 the other day and found out they have faulous specials. 50% off tempura, sake and other yummies.
Sit at the sushi bar from 5:30−7 and enjoy a $ 19 bargain with soup, salad and your choice of 5 different types of sushi– either cut or hand roll.
Everything was fresh, delicious, generous and NOT loaded down with rice. The service was excellent too.
This place wholeheartedly deserves 5 stars.

My first experience with this restaurant was good, but my second experience made me think twice…
First experience. Came in by 6 on a Wednesday for happy hour with a friend. The restaurant was only 15% capacity. Although the waitress screwed up a couple of times by 1) forgetting to give us the happy hour menu along with the regular menu 2) not explaining any of the items on the happy hour menu and 3) not telling us that if we wanted to take advantage of the happy hour menu, we’d have to sit at the bar, the quality of the fish made up for her lackluster service. We ordered the following:
— Spicy tuna handroll:
— Lobster roll
— Rainbow roll
— Shrimp tempura roll
Second experience. Came with the gf on a Friday and decided to be more bold. We ordered the items below. Service was worse, had to run after and flag the waiter several times before he took our order. He also didn’t pay attention when asked to bring in the appetizer with the rest of the meal. Worse, he overcharged us on our bill!
— Spicy Tuna handroll: average, not as fresh as last time.
— Rainbow Roll: pretty fresh, the salmon tasted like it could melt on your mouth. No hint of fishiness on the yellowtail.
— Monk fish liver: very fishy! if you have this same fish at echego in santa monica, it’s so fresh that you can’t even smell the fishiness of it! this particular sushi at tsujino tasted like it was several days old!
— Giant scallop: it had a mild fishiness to it; it might have previously been frozen. definitely not fresh.
— Uni: one half seemed to look fresh, bright yellow and still whole, while the other piece looked like it was slightly melted and discolored. it didn’t taste too bad, but i don’t think i’d ever take a chance with it again!
On top of the items we ordered above, we also got the soft shell crab. Not the worse soft shell crab I’ve ever had, but it was ridiculously tiny for its price and more mushy than crunchy! I would not recommend it.
Final verdict. I think the reason why this restaurant gets such high ratings is because the majority of its customers have no palette for fish other than the typical spicy tuna, salmon, and maybe even yellowtail. Oh. did I mention that college students frequent this spot too? At best, this restaurant deserves no more than 2 stars for at least getting the basic fish down and doing a good job with their rolls. However, since they can’t get their other fish right, which is what a good sushi joint should pay equal attention to, it’s not worthy of the generous 4 star rating that fellow Unilocalers have given it.
Do yourself a favor, save your money. This pricey sushi joint is not worth all the hype that the other Unilocalers have sadly raved about!

Bad news.
Baddddddd news.
My new favorite sushi spot to eat at. It’s not as packed as Kanpai. And, it’s new. Well, not too new. It’s been open for a few years now. It’s just new to me!
When you go, order the marina roll. It comes with shrimp tempura and tuna. Melt in your mouth kind of tuna. It came out to around $ 14 for this roll.
I’m definitely going to go here at LEAST once a week. MMMmMMM!

WIth so many sushi/​japanese restaurants to choose from in the LA area. I would now consider this as one of the last ones on my list. After coming here for dinner one night, I was surprised to see there was no one in the restaurant aside from my boyfriend and I.
He wanted sushi for dinner and since Irori, Kanpai or Sugar Fish was our go to spot, we decided to try something new around the area and stumbled upon Tsujino Hana. The interior looked a little old and a little dated and the only sushi chef was a guy behind the sushi bar (looked like the owner). The sushi was quite expensive for what you could get and wasn’t something that stood out. You’ll get the ordinary rainbow roll, scallop roll without the fu-​fu-​ness. One thing that stood out though was their spicy tuna rolls which were quite delicious but that was probably the only thing that stuck in my head. The service was definitely attentive being that we were the only ones in the restaurant at dinner time.
If you’re looking for a sushi restaurant that you just want to sit there in silence and not speak with anyone then I’d recommend this place, if you’re looking for a place that’s pretty interactive and you’re engaging in convo w/​the workers or the sushi chef then I’d go else where.

This place is a great little sushi bar in Marina Del Rey. The good is good and fresh. The wait staff is very friendly. You get the typical /​average kinds of sushi here. Well prepared and like home cooking.
My favorites here has to be the maguro and hamai (nigiri) sushi. The fish is fresh and the slices of fish are generous. Made by authentic chefs!
The parking lot is a bit tight, as you share the lot with Panera Bread, a bank, Penguin yogurt, a jewelry store, etc. Nice neighborhood home cooking type of food! I’ll be back!

In a first impression, this isn’t a restaurant you would want to go to impress someone. Especially a date. Don’t take a date here.
Tsujino Hana looks like it was Mexican restaurant some time ago. The walls are painted creamy yellow and there are ugly paintings on the wall (like they sell at Pier One and World Market) and light colored floors. Two fat old TVs broadcast sports. The sushi chefs are non-​Asians with mustaches and bare hands handing out hand rolls. It looks like a family restaurant that one might have eaten in 15 years ago in Cerritos.
There are early-​bird specials, offering discounts on drinks, appetizers and dinners, and the resulting influx of older people who are synonymous with «early-​bird».
But the service is very, very attentive and friendly and the owner or host seems to be on a personal and courteous level with all the customers. And the fish, at least the fish I ate, was very fresh, very tasty. For about $ 19 I had exactly 10 pieces of fish. This is what is called a bargain on the West Side. Where I live, in the San Fernando Valley, Sushi Dan offers the same amount, same quality as Tsujino Hana for $ 11.
Yet I think there are quite a few loyal customers who appreciate the friendly service and the fresh fish. And they are willing to look past the unstylish, semi-​depressing, florescent-​lit interior and will spend $ 25 – 30 per person on fresh but sparse fish.

Tucked away in a small strip mall in Marina del Rey, Tsujino Hana didn’t set my heart beating with expectations for great sashimi and sushi, but I was won over by the quality/​tasty fish and rolls delivered quickly with friendly service.
We started with one of my favorites recommended by the sushi chef: Yellowtail Sashimi. 11 fairly thick pieces of marbled fish were the right texture, taste, and temperature. Yes! The dinner was off to a good start with the help of a large bottle of Sapporo Draft.
Stuffed Jalapeño Tempura came next and the mix of Cream Cheese, Jalapeño, and Tempura batter was a nice blend of flavors. My wife felt there was too much cream cheese and I have to agree it would be just about perfect with 25% less of the cheese. Either way, I’d order them again.
An Alaska Roll arrived second. It’s a regular cut sushi roll with Cream Cheese and Asparagus inside and Salmon slices on the outside of the roll. I think I like my rolls this way because it makes the fish the first thing to hit my taste buds. The salmon was nice and overall it tasted almost like a breakfast item with lox and strong cream cheese. Another recommendation.
Our next order was Tuna Sashimi. Served on a black plate, the dark red tuna was extremely cold. It was a good change of pace from the «cheesy» roll, but the fish seemed relatively bland and the texture was too smooth. An ok option that might be worth getting again.
Finally, we finished with a Dragon Roll which is simply a California Roll topped with broiled Freshwater Eel and Avocado on top served with Eel Sauce. I’ve been a fan of dragons for a while and this variation didn’t disappoint.
This is traditional Japanese sushi/​sashimi in a fairly typical setting. We sat at the counter and received very attentive service. The restaurant wasn’t busy and there didn’t seem to be a lot of fish options displayed in the counter. Parking was a snap in the shared lot.
Overall, Tsujino Hana will satisfy almost anyone’s need for quick Japanese sushi. My wife’s a bigger fan than I am, but it still deserves 4 stars.

Family Friendly and Authentic Japanese food. Fresh. Surprisingly lively flavor. Exceptional taste goes for everything, including the ginger!
My 2 year old daughter Sayuri-​chan, is a discerning Japanese food critic. She definitely approved of the excellent quality and freshness of Tsujino Hana’s fish. Her fave? Salmon Teriyaki.
My asparagus sauté was delightfully layered with the natural vegetable flavors, not overpowered by any sauce or overcooked until mushy. I even ate the stems (I prefer the tips of asparagus generally).
The agedashi tofu was perfect in every way. The seaweed salad had many different types of seaweed that looked so fresh and colorful, was it picked right from the ocean? The good kind of seaweed. I accidentally ate a bite without the dressing (they serve on the side) and it was delicious. Wow.
Of course, my Japanese honey loved loved loved his sushi boat. I do not remember what the particular name was for his sushi platter, but I certainly remember the blissed out look on his face. Sushi so good it made a Japanese native chant «oishii né!» over and over until he was so blissed out. *(see photo of my Japanese husband with his beloved sushi boat)
I think my husband will be stalking Kato-​san the master sushi chef in the Marina del Rey plaza sometime soon if we don’t go have dinner there next week.

Kato san is probably the top sushi chef in the area, if not all of LA. The Sushi was fantastically fresh, properly prepared, slices and presented with style and finesse. Tasted fantastic, perfect in every way. The fish portions were generously thick and non-​transparently thin as in some over rated sushi establishments.
Prices were great too! The lunch special was $ 18.95 for 5 portions, each consisting of 2 pieces of Nigiri or a roll, plus a small salad nicely dressed with their ginger dressing and a small bowl of Miso soup. I paid more for Sushi in West LA 30 years ago in 1980 and it wasn’t as good! Tea was $ 1/​person extra.
They also have gourmet cold sakes available with personalizable traditional birch boxes. If you plunge for a 1.8 liter bottle of the good stuff and you have any left over, they’ll keep it for you until you return (your box too, it goes on a shelf on the wall).

Finally a good japanese restaurant thats not going to rape your wallet! great rolls, great sashimi, great sushi! and cheap beer!!! =) Im kinda picky when it comes to Sushi and finding a decent place that wont kill my budget on the westside of town seemed impossible. UNTIL NOW!!!
my favs: Tokyo roll, Negi hama or Negi toro. All of the appetizers are reallllllllllllllly good! my new favorite is their stuffed shitake mushroom. Its deep fried and stuffed with spicy tuna! OMG! to die for.
The owner is really into the quality of the food. ITS OBVIOUS! Your tastebuds will concur that for you!
For 2 peeps our total was about 50 bucks. and we ate like 40 pieces and each had a large beer. YUM! ive been there 3 times in the past 2 weeks. can u say hooked?

I dunno — it’s kind of non-​descript…
It’s not terrible, just non-​descript.
nothing stands out…
I’ll probably just stick to my other regular joints to satisfy my cravings when they hit.

I’ll admit, I’m from Hawaii and a bit of a sushi snob and I’ve been having trouble in L.A. finding a good Mainland replacement for first class Honolulu staples like Yanagi or Sensei let alone «cheap» sushi like Genki (Please someone open Genki in L.A.).
Anyway, I’ve tried about a dozen places on the west side and Tsujino is so far the best in the quality vs. value ratio.
If they have it, the baked salmon roll is just awesome. Not many places have baked sushi and it can be a disaster, but these guys have it down.
Everything else was very good quality but — this will sound strange — the so called generous portions are too generous. It’s like super sized sushi and it’s a bit distracting (but I’ll take it).
Service is friendly enough and my only real complaint is the atmosphere. Clearly, this place wasn’t built as a Japanese restaurant and was converted from something else.
Prices are slightly high but not obnoxious by any means. You’ll easily spend $ 30 per person without alcohol.
Still though, of all the places I’ve tried in L.A. — this is the only one I plan to return to. I guess that’s saying a lot.

Seems like they had a more limited menu. The fish was fresh and they give generous portions of fish. Felt like the prices were just a wee bit higher than comparable places in WLA.
Eel and Avocado roll — Huge portion of eel and fat slice of avocado. Nice and warm.
Spicy Tuna roll — Once again, nice chucks of tuna. It’s not finely minced, so you get the chunks. I like it this way.
Spicy Albacore roll — Really just plain Albacore roll with a dollop of sriracha hot sauce on top.
Seaweed Salad — Large salad for 2 people. Various kinds of seaweed. Very light dressing on the side.

My wife & I had just moved from 3^rd Street & La Cienega, where you can throw a rock and hit a top-​notch sushi restaurant, so imagine our surprise when we found this hidden little gem on our second night in the neighborhood. The dynamite is one of the best I’ve had, as was the tempura, yellowtail, and unagi.
The service was attentive and friendly, and the prices were very reasonable for this level of quality (I can only fathom that those complaining about the steep prices must be getting their sushi fixes at Costco). It’s not the hip crowd, but it’s actually refreshing to find a pleasant neighborhood atmosphere that values good food over pretentiousness.
Note: the business name is «Tsujino Hana.»