Bar Sawa

Been here twice now and each time it doesnt dissapoint! For $180 you get 17 courses with appetizer and dessertI do love all the fish and how fun the sushi chef and servers are. we usually get a bottle and share around. Its hidden in the basement and they tell you how to get into the building if you dont part in the parking lot. It almost feels like you are walking up an abandoned floor but its not. once you get in you are transformed in this window lesss basement, but feels cozy and just right! Just go... trust me!

I had kept hearing about an omakase spot called Sawa next to Kaneyoshi, so I finally pulled the trigger for a Friday 5:00pm seating date night with Kate Y. Unfortunately, both of us were super, super disappointed with the experience. The interior is beautifully decorated and I love the ambiance, but the food and the service were sadly mediocre. There were just a handful of courses that I actually enjoyed, one of them being the scallop dish which was actually decent. One big problem is that they use yuzu in too many of the courses to the point where you just get sick of it. There's also too many courses that have a smokiness flavor. I can almost just summarize the whole omakase dinner as a seemingly never ending cycle of yuzu and smokiness torture. And on the courses that don't have yuzu or smokiness, the flavors were just way too overwhelming. The cuts of fish they use weren't that great, which might explain the use of overbearing flavors to mask that fact. Also, the katsu toro course was just executed so absolutely poorly...half of it was overcooked, half of it was raw, with a overbearing taste of old oil that they fried it in--it was borderline offensive to expect us to eat it. Also, I've never seen nigiri done so poorly with many of the pieces falling apart within seconds of being placed on my plate...completely unacceptable. The rice was just too hard and inconsistent...almost like old overcooked rice. The cocktails on the other hand were actually pretty good. We went with the cocktail pairing which I highly recommend if you do dine here. It's great value at $45 for a choice of 3 drinks from a pretty decent list of cocktails. The highball was super refreshing and the old fashioned was one of the best I've had in a while. I would say that the highlight of the dinner for us was the drinks rather than the omakase courses. We had also ordered an sake pairing for each of us, but the girl that was taking the orders must have forgotten about it because it was never served...but it's ok because I guess it saved us money in the end lol. The service can be super inconsistent depending on where you sit. It was max 8-10 people for our seating time, but they still struggled to adequately serve the diners seated at the very right (including us) while the ones on the left received much better service. It also took a good 20-30 minutes into the meal before we received the first drink in the cocktail pairing while it seemed like everyone was already on the 2nd drink. If you sit on the very right, expect to be treated like an unwanted stepchild.To say the experience was disappointing would be an understatement. The drinks were solid and the ambiance was cool, but unfortunately the service and the food were absolutely mediocre at best...especially the nigiri courses. The fusion concept or whatever they're trying to do is poorly executed. You're better off shelling out an additional $100pp or so elsewhere for a far superior omakase experience. Even in their price range there are so many better options. I feel like this is an omakase for suckers...and they got me good. 5 stars for the drinks and ambiance, 2 stars for the food and service...3 stars overall.

Ambiance: it's a hidden Michelin restaurant located at Kajima Building in Little Tokyo. It's fun to find your way through it, the entrance of the building looks like some abandon establishment, first walked up stairs after few stories, then went though fire exit door, passing the parking garage, walked few steps down, finally took the evaluator to the basement, waited in the area for the table to get ready. It feels a completely different world inside the restaurant, long bar table with ten seats, cooking stations and full bar service right in front of you. Service: they only have two time slots for reservations, max guests per night would be twenty people, two groups of ten at 5pm and 8pm. The crew here is super nice, one master chef, one sous-chef, one bartender, and one server. Chef Ryo San is one of the most friendly fine dining chefs I've encountered, especially for omakase experience, super friendly, knowledgeable, with a sense of humor, and I feel he has enlightened the experience for every guest here. Food & Drink: the menu is for drinks only since omakase has no fixed menu Chawanmushi - **** steamed egg with snow crab from Japan and Mozzarella cheese bites Sashimi - ***** from Japan with green shishiro sauce Potato croquette - *** fried, fillings include black cod with fishy tasty, on top of white saki sauce Monkfish liver - **** paired with yuzu vodka drink, creamy texture Otoro - **** from Japan, fattiest tuna belly Squid - **** chewy texture Black snapper - ***** torched, topped with ponzu fuji apple onion sauce Hokkaido scallop - **** mixed with shishiro sauce Tuna - **** from Japan, topped with pickle white fish from Japan Black trout - ***** from Japan, hand roll, torched with smoky taste Uni - ***** from Santa Barbara Mackerel - **** torched Chutoro - *** fatty tuna belly, from Baja California Unagi - **** with eel sauce Noodles soup - *** made from finish bone, and finishing with hot green tea Basque cheese cake - **** soft and creamy texture Sawa Highball - *** Toki Whisky, Soda Water, Yuzu Bitters, Grapefruit Peel, bold taste Ume - **** Dassai, Umeshu, Orange Bitters, easy to drink, recommend Japanese God Father - **** Toki Whisky, Matcha, Amaretto, Kuromitsu, sweet and refreshing taste, recommend Price: it costs $185 for omakase, optional $45 cocktails pairings or order a la carte drinks by glass or bottle, plus tax and tips, generally expect $250~$300 per person. Honestly, the food itself is mediocre, not the best omakase for its price range, although their cocktails are beyond expectations and the service is excellent.

Words cannot describe how amazing this omakase experience was. From what I've heard there are windows that people can make a reservation for and only 10 people can join each window. Each window is for around two hours and during that two hours you will be serenaded with the most amazing food you'll ever put in your mouth.The ambience of this restaurant was extremely well designed. It makes you be a part of a show and is very intimate. Dark lighting and good music really sets the mood at Sawa. From my photos, it seems like there were over 18 courses of different types of fish that we ate. The yellowtail the tuna and the squid were so delicious. The staff that works at Sawa are so well trained and explained every little intricate detail behind each course that was being served to us. 100% recommended to anyone celebrating a birthday or an anniversary to book a reservation at Sawa. You will not regret it. The cocktail menu was vast and they have every sort of different whiskey from Japan on their menu. From what I remember prices were about $185 per person for the course plus cocktails will ring your tab of around the $500 range. Worth it in my opinion. Had a short conversation with the owner and main chef and he is a very humble and chill person to talk with. Definitely will be back.

A little hard to find but the instructions provided by the restaurant made sure you wouldn't get lost. The ambiance was super friendly, with a lot of banter between guests and the chef. Pace was a bit slow but food was certainly worth the wait. First time trying spearhead squid with the most interesting texture due to how they prepared it. Really enjoyed the omakase, with many pieces aged and marinated in seaweed, creating complex layers of flavors. However, as an uni lover, I was disappointed that the uni served was from Santa Barbara and not Hokkaido. Also since my friend could not make the meal due to an emergency, I was truly appreciative that they waived the fee for the missing guest.

Los Angeles, Japantown. May 2024.This is a spin-off of Sushi Kaneyoshi, under Head Itamae Anthony Nguyen. In an unusual arrangement they are adjacent to each other, sharing a waiting area. The unusual location is in a building basement that is accessed from an elevator near the parking garage.The set up has the feel of a speakeasy bar. There are prominent displays of Japanese whisky behind the itamae plus an illuminated wall of Hibiki whisky in individual bins. On each side behind the itamae are large speakers putting out music. To their left, as part of the dining counter is a set up to make cocktails - a cocktail pairing is an option. At the pricepoint the sushi neta has a limited amount of higher end stuff, but the neta is properly aged when called for and cut nicely. The shari is made with shirozu and mild tasting. The menu is seasonal, featuring chawanmushi, several otsumami, nigiri, and dessert - a total of 17 pieces. The sushi nigiri are handled in an Edomae style but each can be accented w modern flavors to complement the nikiri brushed on. There are a lot of bright citrus and sour flavors. This is a Los Angeles influenced omakase. There is a lot of back and forth between customers. Drinking is a prominent part of the meal. A social party atmosphere is probably a common occurrence once the drinking commences. I think you will feel left out if you cannot drink alcohol. Worth trying and definitely worth a return if you like a friendly party.

Celebrated an anniversary with an amazing omakase course here. It's a hidden sister restaurant of Kaneyoshi with a delightful sushi and cocktail experience. The dimly lit bar made the experience more intimate. The course ($180) came with about 12 pieces of nigiri, 5 sides, and a dessert. Loved the drink pairing option and the variety of unique Japanese cocktails. Everything tasted amazing and appreciated the consistency of rice and fish.Right by the bar we sat at, there is a showcasing wall of Hibiki whiskey for a member-style bottle lockers. Next to it is a small, intimate lounge area. The chef was informative and sweet!! The FOH staff was sweet but could be a little more attentive to offer refill water/drinks before getting asked to.It's a little difficult to find this place. Found street parking and had to go up the stairwell on San Pedro that led to a locked door.

Sawa has been on my bookmark list for awhile and I finally had the chance to go as my boyfriend surprised me with reservations! Omakase (4/5): for $185 you get 17 courses. Everything was tasty and I got to try some new dish and flavors I've never had before which was fun. I do think it's a little overpriced for what you get as I didn't leave feeling completely full. Drink Pairing (4/5): for $45 you can choose three cocktails from the list, we tried the yuzu saketini, shiso saketini, and matcha old fashioned. They were all unique and tasty, however I wish they let us know we could choose any drink from the cocktail menu from the start since I would've chosen some other drinks if I knew earlier. Overall I had a great experience here and I absolutely loved the decor and ambiance. It feels like you're in a Japanese speakeasy. I liked that it didn't feel super stuffy and we had fun interacting with the staff and other guests. Customer service was excellent as well. Not sure if I'd come back, but it was nice to try it out!

I took my boyfriend here for his first omakase, and it's safe to say he loved it! The service was amazing and the dishes just melted in your mouth. Love the speakeasy, more intimate vibes of this restaurant. Things can get a bit pricey, especially with the drink pairings, but I'd say it's worth it!My favorites would have to be the uni and squid dish, along with the toro, tuna and whatever the first appetizer dish was on the toast. There is a parking garage for those driving, and the directions the restaurant provides to find the spot makes things super easy. If you want to get closer to the food action, getting seated second or third would give you the best seating position on the bar (if each party is a party of 2). We got seated first, and sat on the far left side of the bar, but still able to see everything! The staff is super friendly and made the whole experience that much better. 10/10, would recommend.

Bar Sawa is a gem of an omakase among a sea of really good omakases all around. Everything is fresh and I enjoyed trying out their take on the usuals- chawanmushi and the dessert were fun spins. Their signature dish was delicious too!There is space for improvement in terms of the staff coordination... things like attentiveness on tea, switching out plates, and just general spatial awareness of the staff. There were quite a few bumps and asks for more tea. Minor things but more of an observation. Super cute spot that's easy to get to and has plenty of parking. Chefs Ryo and Anthony have such great chemistry together- it really makes it a more fun, chill vibe for an omakase. We'll def be back!