David
In: Silver Lake / Echo Park
Lists
Cool Japanese Restaurants in Los Feliz
En Sushi bills itself as “contemporary Japanese cuisine,” and those who find the Western touches slightly off-putting will probably also appreciate the inventiveness and creativity. Sleek and cool-looking, with a stone wall on one side and a golden-hued open sushi bar on the other, this stylish outpost (the other location is in West L.A.) fits right in on this trendy little strip of restaurants in Los Feliz. The menu features California-Japanese fusion fare, including the usual extravagantly Americanized sushi, like crunchy lobster and albacore jalapeno. Also on offer are a good selection of udon noodles, teriyaki, various salads and a particularly tasty fried calamari. The staff is warm and welcoming, especially if you’re hungry late; night owls will appreciate the fantastic nightly happy hour from 9 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., which offers nearly half-price drinks and appetizers from a special menu.
Pazzaz isn’t big on pizzaz. The restaurant is tiny and lacks the flash found everywhere else in the neighborhood, which is actually refreshing. The fish is fresh and reasonably priced and the Godzilla roll with baked spicy tuna, cucumber and fresh water eel is especially good. It’s really the only authentic sushi joint on Vermont’s bustling restaurant row (Mako next door to Skylight Books has great deals on California rolls but no real sushi). As a result this place draws quite an eclectic crowd of raw fish worshippers.
TIPS: It doesn’t look like you can seat more than four people at any given table but if you want to have a big party just ask. The staff will happily string together tables in all sorts of creative ways to accommodate you. Also, it doesn't look like it but there's a valet in back.
Eagle Rockers flock to stylish Mia Sushi, where the hip factor is high and the rolls are baroque.
