SUGARFISH by sushi nozawa

Amazing, never disappoints! I go every time I visit Santa Monica and the service is outstanding!

Trust Me! Trust Me is perfect! The seaweed, the warm rice, the seafood is perfect!
Good mojo too.

It’s a Monday night roughly around 7pm when I arrive in Santa Monica and head towards SugarFish. The line is out the door and the wait is 30 mins, but honestly it took me till 8:30pm to be seated. A friend of mine had recommended this place to me, but had told me to get an order to go, and now I see why.
Next time SugarFish I will definitely get it to go.
The thing to get here is the Trust Me, or so said my friend, and trust her I did. Immediately ordered this as I was seated at the bar along with a Sapporo and waited to be amazed.
The Trust Me is comprised of these items:
Organic Edamame
Tuna Sashimi (Big Eye)
Albacore Sushi (2-​pc)
Salmon Sushi (2-​pc)
Yellowtail Sushi (2-​pc)
Halibut Sushi (2-​pc)
Toro Hand Roll
Blue Crab Hand Roll
Make sure to keep this in mind, because I was still hungry after and had to order an additional order of hotate to just quench the sushi monster that is my belly. Also I guess I would switch around the ordering not ending on the blue crab roll. I might have had that earlier on and ended on the toro hand roll which was by far my fav.
It all was quite good, and I noticed the guy next to me kept looking at his phone and was also on the same pace at receiving his order of Trust Me as I was as he just was seated before me. I decided then to strike up a conversation as I guessed he was also on a business trip.
Tasty fresh fish, really nice ambience, befriending a fellow business traveler, a great experience was had at Sugarfish. Trust them for good sushi indeed.

Sugarfish is a trend in LA. Everyone knows about it, talks about it, and uses it as a caliber to measure what affordable yet delicious sashimi is like. It’s all done for a reason.
Here’s what you need to know about Sugarfish:
1. Consistent quality. No matter the location or prix fixe or whatever you order, it’s consistently good and fresh.
2. The Trust Me is filling. I was in the beginnings to being too full to function when I was done. Note that rice does expand in the stomach.
3. 2 is the magic number for quickly getting a table. Especially in the Santa Monica location, the wait can be so unreal given the small space.
4. You have three parking options. A: Street which is the cheapest. B: Discounted rate in the garage to the left of the restaurant. C: One of the garages on Third Street.
If you like sashimi, you have to try it. It’s so worth it.

i’ve been coming here on the regular and it has consistently been awesome.
short story: fantastic value, fresh melt-​in-​your mouth sushi (bet you didn’t think it could do that, eh?)
the way it works is that you choose from 3 pre-​set menus, a version of omakase, where patrons defer to the sushi chef to serve what he wants to serve and how he serves it.
the menus are:
Trust me $ 32
Trust me LITE $ 22
Nozawa $ 42
I always order the Nozawa b/​c it’s all delicious and i can put away a lot of sushi in one sitting. the fish is incredibly fresh and you can still feel the perfect warmth of the rice that has just been rolled into a perfect little ball for you. and the whole thing just MELTS in your mouth.
these are pre-​set and served as soon as it is made, and served to the individual. substitutions are not really allowed unless it’s because of a food allergy.
you can order sushi and rolls a la carte, but there is more value in the pre-​set menus. keep in mind, you won’t find the «americanized» rolls here — like «red dragon» or «firecracker bomb» or similar. the whole point of sugarfish is to keep the flavor of the fish as pure and unobstructed as possible.
some of the sushi is served with a ponzu sauce or a citrus sauce, and these are NOT meant to be dipped in soy sauce. don’t worry, the servers will remind you of this when they serve it to you.
NO reservations. seating is limited, so be prepared to wait during peak times. totally worth it though.

I love their toro roll. yummy. I order for pick up because there is always such a long wait. You can park for free for 15 minutes in the parking lot on the RIGHT of Sugarfish. So it is in-​n-​out for my sushi!
Great staff. Very efficient.
Just wish they could bend a little and have some miso soup. That would make it 5 stars for me!

Coming from NYC and being a sushi enthusiast, this has been one of the better sushi places I have been to in a very long time.
Hypes:
— 3 simple options: all of which provide ample amount of sushi and dishes without overdoing it: Trust me light, Trust me, and Nozawa Trust Me. Trust me is a good balance, where you leave satisfied, not overstuffed, and raving about the experience you just had
— Whether its a mix of vinegared rice, ponzu, yuzu, or whatever dressing they use — The concept is to eat the sushi as it comes dressed. Each item has been perfected, which is why I assume they don’t provide extra sauces or dipping sauces when you ask of it.
— The sushi is legit — fresh, high quality pieces, and the flavors are bold without overpowering your palate.
— Every dish comes out with ample time to enjoy, but where you are not waiting for the next item.
Gripes:
— No hot sake
— No substitutions
Tips: if it comes dressed, don’t mess with it. Eat it.

Went here for valentines day… I loved it :)
Service was absolutely great! I got the favorites that was priced at $ 43. I went on Thursday on the week on valentines and the wait was about 1 hr and 45mins. Honestly it was worth the wait and I’m normally a person not to wait! If you hate waiting, honestly just walk on third street and time will fly by!!! Promise :)
Anyways, for a dinner for 2 w/​alcohol dinner came out to be about 119. Not bad at all!

Few meals have inspired me to write anything, let alone a review. So imagine my surprise when the food placed in front of me at Sugarfish in Santa Monica caused enough emotion to flow through my body that it created an excess of words that need to, nay, MUST be shared.
I took the short journey down 2^nd Street from the Huntley Hotel with three of my associates. I had been told about Sugarfish by one of them who had been there on a previous trip to beautiful Santa Monica. Expectations were high based on the rave reviews I had received, but seeing that I’ve never been that big of a raw fish fan, my hopes were high, but not «astronaut» high. It all changed the night I visited that temple of tuna.
Shortly after being seated, we all ordered the same meal; the Nozawa. A delightful collection of various foods and fish served through several courses, the Nozawa is the signature meal of this small, and slightly overcrowded establishment. (I only bring that up as I feel the dining experience is just as much a part o the meal as the food.)
The night began with the edamame, a traditional, yet somewhat bland dish. That’s not too say I don’t like it, but it isn’t necessarily winning any flavor contests on its own. Served lukewarm on its own plate, it was a great start and tasted even better when dipped in the soy sauce (with a little wasabi mixed in.) It was also nice to have a few to pop in between courses.
Up next was a simple, yet flavorful Tuna Sashimi. Served cool, this was a near perfect way to begin your mouth thinking about fish. This was then followed by two pieces of each albacore, salmon and snapper. All fish were placed gently and (probably) sensually on top of warm, loosely packed rice that melted in my mouth. The server will let you know this, but several pieces of the fish you are served have their own spice or sauce on it and therefore, you aren’t supposed to dip it in the soy sauce. I advise you to trust them, they know what they are talking about.
(Side note: three of us ordered two extra pieces of the albacore after we finished. Best fish I’ve ever had.)
It was about this time I began to have thoughts of the chef, working quickly and expertly to serve up delicious dishes to my table as well as many others in the restaurant. How much longer was his shift? How long had he already been there? Was he making others as happy as he was making me?
There was only ONE thing that I knew for sure. The man deserved some good loving and I felt I was the only person that could give it to him. Wanting to keep the kitchen hygienic, I thought it best to leave it alone, but goodness help me should I ever find myself back in Santa Monica and I pass him on the street.
Following this was two pieces of each the yellowtail and halibut, both amazingly tender and delicious. Once this portion of the meal was finished, the depression began to set in. I thought my taste buds would never know happiness again. Luckily, the Toro and crab hand rolls, carefully wrapped in warm, crisp seaweed were equally as enjoyable as all of their predecessors.
The final course, or daily special, was two pieces of slightly sweet and smoky eel, again placed on top of the perfectly cooked rice. While not my favorite, I ate both pieces and regretted nothing.
None of the fish tasted fishy, stringy, or chewy in any way, just as advertised. It was almost buttery, melting in my mouth and reminding me of all the wonderful memories in my life, most importantly, walking in the front door of this shelter of sushi. This was truly one of the better meals I have had in my time on this planet. My next trip to Santa Monica will absolutely include another visit to this haven of halibut.

Sugarfish has the best sushi I have ever eaten. I always order the nozawa. It’s usually enough food to satisfy me (edamame, 14 pieces of sushi and 2 hand rolls), but there is always a temptation to order one more hand roll!
The sushi rice is warm and loosely packed, topped with room temperature fish. I like that the fish is not too cold. Each piece has subtle seasoning, such as toasted sesame seeds or hints of citrus, but the fish and rice are the real stars of the meal.
Expect a wait during peak hours as they do not take reservations. We’ve waited 10 minutes at 5:00 PM and 1 hr 45 min at 8:00 PM. It is worth the wait, I promise!

I heard about this place from dineLA.
I came here for dinner with a family of four for dinner and it was pretty pricey for four people plus a 16% gratituty. In my opinion, i feel like it isn’t worth all the hype.
The wait was ridiculously long since the restraunt only has limited spaces. (Took about 2 hours) The food was honestly mediocre, since the warm rice kept falling apart when i tried to hold it with my chopsticks and also that the unagi had small pieces of bone inside. Another thing about the food is that it was really overpowering with the sauce and i felt like it mostly masked the taste of the fish.
Overall, my experience was only okay because of the excellent service that was here.

Came here as soon as the restaurant opened and even then there were quite a few people waiting.
Ordered the Trust Me $ 27/​person:
organic edamame
tuna sashimi with light sauce
albacore sushi
salmon sushi
yellowtail sushi
halibut sushi
toro hand roll
blue crab hand roll
I really loved how they use warm rice. The fish quality is really good and only needed wasabi sauce. All of their sushi did not need to be dunked with soy sauce… the fish was that tasty.
They charge automatic 16% tip and their service was pretty good.

A packet restaurant, but well worth the wait. Order the unfiltered slightly sweet Sake, and enjoy the delectable taste. Order one of the sampler platter, and you will see what the chefs can do. You will experience warm rice under fresh fish. A beautiful experience.

The most amazing super fresh sushi, I’ve ever had!!!
Wow! Loved it!
Came here for the first time for lunch with my girls and ordered the «Trust Me».
Which includes,
Edename, Tuna Sashimi «Amazing!!!, Albacore Sushi, Salmon Sushi, Yellow Tail, Halibut Sushi, Toro Hand Roll, and Blue Crab Hand Roll.
Loved every single thing!!!
The sushi literally melts in your mouth! The rice is warm and perfect!
I had read reviews and couldn’t wait to try, so glad I finally came. Definitely my new Favorite Sushi spot.
This is the Perfect Selection, I was very satisfied and truly enjoyed it all!
Very cute place for a date, girls night out or anything.
Cant wait to return.

Vibe: Busy/​bustling small sushi spot with a slightly upscale tendency.
Food: Everything here is high quality, prepared fresh, and very tasty. If you love sushi this place is a double edged sword. While the fish quality is superb, there are fixed menus and all those menus are short/​small. If you love to eat a lot of sushi you’ll have to order two fixed menus for yourself, otherwise you’ll leave hungry.
Service: No reservations, so there’s typically a wait longer than 15 minutes, Attentive and amiable. The food comes out quickly.
Overall: Delicious high quality sushi great for a dinner date, but not great for sushi lovers with a large appetite.

Being a sushi enthusiast, I had to try sugar fish.
The wait was about an hour, so we just checked in and decided to walk back towards the promenade. They called us and we walked back swiftly, and were seated at the bar. Unlike a conventional sushi restaurant, all the sushi is prepared in the back so there is no sushi chef experience here. Just a lot of girls delivering food and preparing drinks behind the counter.
The two of us got an Omakase style, where the «chef» chooses the menu for you and you just «trust the chef.»
He did not disappoint, the fish was really good. It wasn’t the most amazing sushi I’ve ever had, but it was good. Except for the fact that sometimes the fish was a little too warm for my liking. Sushi should be served room temperature, and what they served us was warm sushi from the warm rice. I know that they warn you that’s how their rice should be, but I still didn’t expect it to be that warm. The rice itself tasted like it had been cooked in vinegar. It was really mushy and had that strong taste. It kinda ruined the sushi for me.
I can’t say it’s horrible, because the fish was really good. However, I don’t think I’d be going back. I’d rather spend my money on authentic sushi. I think this place is too high-​class fluffed and Americanized.

Some of the most succulent and flat out fresh sushi I’ve ever had. I went with the ‘Trust Me’ and it was just enough to satisfy my lunchtime hunger. I’ll definitely be back during dinner and go with the larger portion and try some of their sake offerings.
Side note: Gratuity is included and overall seemed inexpensive for the quality of food/​service you receive.

On a trip to LA I was told that Sugarfish made some of the best sushi in the city, so I had to give it a try. It was absolutely the most amazing sushi I’ve ever had. I DREAM of this sushi. I would fly to LA just to eat here — it’s that good. In fact, I went back the next day before my flight home, just so I could have it again.
Usually I stick to rolls, so I started with a salmon roll and crab salad roll with edamame. The salmon melted in my mouth and the crab was so sweet and fresh. After I had that, I asked the waiter what he recommends and he brought out some albacore nigiri and fatty tuna. Absolute HEAVEN! The fish is cold and buttery and sits on a bed of warm rice cooked just right. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water. Booking another flight to LA…

I think I can say I am a regular, as I have been here several times — on a date, with a friend, or on my own. The concept is quite simple; the options are the Trust Me, Trust Me Lite, and The Nozawa Trust Me. Each are designed accordingly to fit your palette’s needs without overindulging. Each Trust Me’s come with the same items with additional items for Trust Me and The Nozawa Trust Me.
On a good day to spoil myself, my personal favourite is The Nozawa Trust Me [ $ 42 ]:
Organic Edamame
Tuna Sashimi
Albacore Sushi x2
Salmon Sushi x2
Yellowtail Sushi x2
Halibut Sushi x2
Snapper Sushi x2
Toro Hand Roll
Blue Crab Hand Roll
and a «daily special»
The SUGARFISH experience is to appreciate the art of sushi using quality fish, recommended sauces to accompany per sushi, and the perfect rice consistency. SUGARFISH highly prides in moderation and are quite affirmative about not giving extra sauces or ginger so don’t try as they strictly will say no.
Items are given in several courses to reassure your body is content after each piece. I personally think The Nozawa Trust Me is perfect to split amongst two, aka a perfect date night! x

Excellent food. Simple high quality menu. We had the Trust me (the biggest one). the sushi was mouth watering.
Warm rice, cold fish, Melt in your mouth.
We went here on a whim. Looked at a few other places in the area. This came to the top of the list. It wasn’t pretentious, friendly service.
Would go again

My experience here actually erred on 3.5 stars, but 4 is close enough. I LOVE sushi and sashimi but had never tried Sugarfish because of the price. Our experience didn’t start out great when we put our names down and later were told that we were next on the list, only to see people who came after us get seated. The hostess then told us that it was a mistake and to wait outside until their next table opened… but then we ended up waiting an additional 20 minutes because she had forgotten about us AGAIN. She apologized once, but it would’ve been nice to get a complimentary beverage or something small like that.
My boyfriend and I both had the «Trust Me Lite», and my boyfriend (who isn’t a fan of raw fish) liked most of our meal, so that’s saying a lot. The rice was actually one of the best parts of the course — super warm and sticky, and the vinegar sweetness was just right. Eat each dish right when it arrives so the rice doesn’t get cold! Everything tasted really fresh, even the edamame. Being (half) Japanese, I have a good idea of what constitutes good sushi and how it compares to the authentic stuff. Sugarfish sashimi is definitely high quality. But I’m also someone who likes to be economical and I can’t justify coming for excellent sushi when I could go to Sawtelle and have less excellent (but still good) sushi for a third of the price. Maybe I’m just too young to be into the whole «fine dining» scene.

HOLY TASTING Menu! OMG!!!
TRUST THEM!
COME here! Try it!
Tasting menu is the way to go. I wish I had written down all the wonderful fishes they served up to us. We split the «Trust Me Nozawa» for $ 42.00 and we split several bottles of Saki. There really isn’t anything else to say.
Go. Order. Eat. Thank me :)

I dined here today early in the evening, 545pm. By the time we finished, around 7pm, it was pretty packed. While I did take pictures of the orders, the dark lighting conditions was not conducive to decent pictures, so I refrained from posting pictures.
I had the $ 42, Nozawa trust me omakase meal — edmamae, tuna sashimi, albacore nigiri, salmon nigiri, snapper nigiri, yellow tail nigiri, toro hand roll, blue crab hand roll, and scallops.
The reason why this was a 2 star instead of a three star was the fact that the other diner at my table, the restaurant only brought out one item she ordered, and forgot the rest.
Also a one star deduction for the sushi rice. Yes, many have posted that the rice is warmer than most places — and I agree that is generally a plus — this was too warm. Other technical snafus with the rice — the batch of rice that came with the nigiri lacked rice vinegar and sugar — so tartness and sweetness was missing. Hopefully, it was just that batch served on our table. But if its standard operating procedures it escalates to the horror of horrors. The final gripe to pick with the rice — too mushy. The rice looked like a congealed blog. The rice was most assuredly not like the rice in the nigiri show cased on their website.
There were positives with the meal — overall quality of fish better than most places. The stars of the evening were the blue crab hand roll and the scallop.

My favorite sushi restaurant and really my favorite restaurant in Santa Monica. I’ve recommended this place to all of my friends and they’re all impressed. Came on a Sunday night and obviously there was a wait but I was told maybe 30+ minutes which was fine because my friend hadn’t arrived yet. I decided to walk to the Santa Monica Pier and within 10 minutes I get a call that my table is ready! Unfortunately my friend still hadn’t arrived but once he did, we only had to wait a few minutes before getting seated.
You can’t go wrong with any of the «trust me» combos. It just depends how hungry you are! Honestly superb quality and definitely worth the price. The rice is amazing because it’s soft and warm and just melts in your mouth with the fish on top…*drool*
There are several locations but this one is closest to me. I will DEFINITELY come back. I’m craving it right now! :)

This is the best sushi dinner I have ever had.
My partner, friend and I were visiting my hometown and we decided to go here on our last night. We all ordered the Trust Me Lite and it was our first time experiencing omakase. It was perfect. There’s something about having warm rice with the sashimi that I especially loved. I was also surprised that my favorites were the albacore sushi and tuna sushi when I usually favor the salmon.

Sugarfish is always a good choice to go for a quick bite. The fish is always fresh and you don’t have to deal with the hassle of deciding what to order. This Santa Monica location is pretty small compared to its other locations, so expect a wait during busy times. I went on a Monday night around 6:30 and the place was pretty packed already.
My only complaint is that I always find the rice a bit too warm and too vinegar-​y at all sugarfish locations. For some reason, kazunori has a better grip on perfecting the rice.
Parking: There’s a 90 minute free lot down the street from the restaurant.

Sugarfish is amazing! The simple yet very satisfying menu is what keeps me coming back.
I frequent this location many times. Parking is easy to find in the structures nearby. The wait times are the only downside but if you find the right time to go it won’t be too long.
You can order everything a la carte or choose the Trust Me packages they offer. If you are a fan of sushi and/​or sashimi this is totally the place for you. Even if you are not you should give it a chance as I never liked raw fish till I came to Sugarfish my first time. Now not only is the menu very simple and easy to choose what you like… but the FRESHNESS is the key.
I have never tasted fresher fish before. Not all high end sushi joints have the same quality and for the price you pay here the fish goes above and beyond. I usually dine with my boyfriend and our bill is never more than $ 100 including tax and tip and we always leave satisfied.
Also if you go twice within a year than you qualify for a free birthday Trust Me which is even more of a perk! I just redeemed mine in August and will be with my boyfriend redeeming his this week. I hope in the future they start taking reservations because this will speed up the wait times. Other than that I highly recommend you to try his place at least once!

In search of great sushi outside of Japan, here’s a beautiful start. I enjoyed the «Nozawa Trust Me» set. (perfect title) It came with organic edamame, tuna sashimi, albacore, salmon, snapper, yellowtail, halibut Sushi, toro roll, blue crab roll and the special was scallops.
I would review each one separately though that would take awhile. In addition it would be like choosing your favorite child… not really fair to the rest of the lovely kiddos. Let me just give you the highlights.
All was very fresh with great complexity in texture and favors. I must say my favorites were the albacore and salmon sushi! What I believe I liked best was the simplicity of each preparation. Nice rice to tuna ratio, rice could have been slightly stickier. The hand rolls were just the right size and seaweed was mild and not overpowering.
Get there early, even then there will be a line and they don’t take reservations… they don’t need to!