Sushi Kaneyoshi

I was able to make a reservation on Tock for a weekday. There's only one seating each night at 7 PM, and the experience lasts nearly 3 hours. After making the reservation, the team sends an email with detailed instructions on how to find the restaurant. I'm usually bad with directions, but these were easy to follow and spot-on. Once you take the elevator down to the basement, you check in and are guided to the sushi bar. From there, you get front-row seats to watch the chef and his sous-chefs prepare your food, with two waitresses constantly keeping your beverage of choice topped off. I did have a minor mishap where they couldn't find my reservation, but they sorted it out after a moment.The first part of the meal consists of alternating cold and hot dishes, all of which were delicious. It includes the classics such as chawanmushi, oysters, and grilled aged tuna. They also have a dish using baby eel, which I initially thought were noodles.Next came the sushi. Everything was incredible, and the chef took the time to explain each fish as it was served. We were served nigiri with hand rolls in between each piece. The sushi rice was perfectly seasoned and served at the ideal temperature.The standout of the meal was definitely the ankimo--hands down the best I've ever had. It was rich, smooth, and perfectly balanced in flavor, showcasing their commitment to top-quality ingredients. They even served an ankimo hand roll, which was a first for me. Another favorite was the ocean perch hand roll. The nori they use is crispy and flavorful when dry but just melts in your mouth when you bite into it.I highly recommend this spot and can't wait to try the restaurant next door that pairs sushi with drinks.

One of the best omakases around this side of town! Every dish is meticulously prepared. There were a bit more seared nigiris than expected- delicious! Their ankimo hand roll was amazing. Parking is in the same bldg lot, credit card is ok. You pay first then continue to turn the ramp up for parking. Take the middle elevator down (look for the label on it that says restaurant). It's in the same lobby waiting area as their sister restaurant Bar Sawa.

Sushi Kaneyoshi is truly a one-of-a-kind dining experience, worthy of its Michelin star. From start to finish, it was nothing short of spectacular, with some of the best sushi I've ever had.I brought my husband here to celebrate his birthday, and we were both absolutely mind-blown by the quality, presentation, and attention to detail. Each course in the omakase felt like a masterpiece--thoughtfully prepared and perfectly balanced.The restaurant itself is tucked away in a basement in Little Tokyo, which makes it a bit tricky to find, but the hostess kindly guided us down and set the tone for an exceptional evening. The intimate setting and warm hospitality only added to the magic.If you're looking for a top-tier sushi experience in LA, this is it. We're already looking forward to coming back!

The quintessential hidden Little Tokyo omakase experience in the heart of DTLA. No one would've guessed that such a charming little restaurant would exist in the basement of an office building. With very limited seating, I reserved this place a month in advance when the reservation window opens up at the 1st of the month. Well-worth the month wait! Once seated before the chef, an alcohol menu is presented to you. My SO and I opted for the smaller bottle of sake (only one option) that was not listed on the menu. I went into this with no prior research of the omakase menu, so everything was a delightful surprise. From start to finish, each dish was carefully crafted before our eyes from the green ice tempura to the toro (cooked two different ways) to the sea water eel. Honestly, I was too busy having mouth orgasms to count how many courses I had or remember specifically what each course was. I can only live in this memory forever by the few snapshots I took of the food that night. My SO and I left adequately full and happy. It is quite the price tag, so I would save this for a special occasion. Highly recommend to all my omakase foodies!

This place is an amazing experience, with a Michelin star you won't be disappointed! Food was absolutely great, service was beyond excellent and ambiance was really nice with great music in the background. The place was a little hard to get to, you must follow the instructions and is located in the basement of the building. Once you go down you enter a new space that will give off Japan vibes. Staff are extremely nice and welcoming, we arrived early and were offered some drinks while we wait. Since we were first to wait, we were offered first entry into the restaurant.The sushi bar is really great, clean and well lit, wonderfully spaced and seats 12 guests per Omakase serving. Service was top notch, you don't even have to wait or ask for anything - they are watching and waiting to serve you fresh tea, water, sake etc. The chefs are awesome, very friendly and explain every dish, they spoke English really well and they also show you the ingredients they are using and love to chat. Food was next level, extremely good and I would highly recommend to anyone who enjoys sushi and Omakase! You will understand why they have a Michelin star for their food and service. I highly recommend, you will not be disappointed!

Very small restaurant. Not easy to book. Finding entrance was kinda not easy. Great Omakase.

One of the best dining experiences of my life.The experience was intimate, but not stuffy. Fun, entertaining, delicious, perfectly paced, and portions were perfectly size.The food was obviously impeccable.I would be surprised if there was a better omakase experience in LA, especially for the money and the level of intimacy. Reservations were not a headache to obtain, as they are with other places at this caliber.

I took my mom out for dinner at Sushi Kaneyoshi last month as a Mother's Day gift to both of us. I'd been scheming to try this place for some time, and this seemed like a good opportunity. Reservations are notoriously hard to get. They're released on Tock on the first of each month at 3:00PM for seatings the following month, and if you're too disorganized to log on right on time (and perhaps compete with some motivated snipers), you just have to get lucky. I got lucky. I checked one random late night in May and found a Wednesday night opening five weeks in advance, the one available reservation on the calendar.Sushi Kaneyoshi is an attractive omakase sushi bar hidden in the basement of an office building in Little Tokyo. You park in the building's garage (dinner is probably $$$$ on your highest-point card, but parking is cash only) and go down what feels like it must be the wrong elevator, then enter into an upscale anteroom before you're led into the restaurant itself, which is peaceful and lovely and spacious for a 12-seat sushi bar.I have one complaint about Kaneyoshi, and it's that they made a big deal about being on time for a 7:00 seating, ushering in each party in order of arrival, then made us wait half an hour before our first bite. The prep was interesting to watch, though, and once things got going, it was quite a marvelous experience.Our chef Yoshi actually hosted us once upon a time at Sushi Ginza Onodera. Kaneyoshi is his venture (he's the Yoshi of Kaneyoshi), and it was a privilege (lucky again) to sit on his side of the counter and get our sushi straight from him. He was super personable and took excellent care of us, as did the rest of the team. The only choice we had to make was what to drink with our omakase. My mom doesn't drink much, but I ordered a bottle of Fukucho Moon on the Water junmai ginjo sake and took part of it home. It was good, and we got to pick our own sake glasses.The food was phenomenal. We started with tachiuo, or Japanese beltfish, tempura with a bit of dashi sauce and caviar. Then, there was an incredible piece of iwashimaki, a sardine roll with shiso and cucumber. Chawanmushi came with firefly squid, fava beans, sansho pepper, and yuzu. Kamasu, or Japanese barracuda, was lightly torched and served with a bright shiso sauce. Nodoguro, or ocean perch, was seared buttery and put in a bite-sized hand roll with crisp nori.Next, there was a trio of cold delicacies: ankimo, sakekasu-marinated wakame, and miso-marinated oyster. All three were superb, but the ankimo was maybe the best I've ever had, lush and mild, even sweet. The last stop before the sushi train was a brilliant cool dish of mozuku seaweed with bear shrimp, kiwi, dashi, and vinegar.I had high expectations for the sushi, and they were met and exceeded. Exquisite fish, perfect mounds of rice, and fresh cut ginger (though I would have eaten more of the ginger than I was served). The nigiri show started with shimaaji, then a melty piece of seared toro with sansho pepper. We got another taste of that amazing ankimo in a hand roll finished with cucumber. Then we had aji with ginger and scallion, followed by a soothing cooked oyster dish with dashi, seaweed, and rice, almost like an ochazuke.Bright red katsuo came with a touch of scallion, and then there was a tempura hand roll made with delicate mehikari, a fish I'd never encountered before (it's called greeneyes in English, if that helps). Silver-skinned ebodai, or Japanese butterfish, was as good as it sounds, and then we had a splendid duo of bafun and purple Santa Barbara uni. Dinner wound down with anago brushed with sweet sauce, then a clear fish soup with fresh seaweed, and finally, a bouncy cube of tamago for dessert.This was a fantastic meal, one that also managed to impress my mom--she can be harsh, and I could tell she was inclined to dislike the place when they made her wait that first half hour. It was expensive, too, but kind of at the going rate for premium omakase these days, and Sushi Kaneyoshi is at the top of the top tier of stateside sushi. I'd love to go back when I have an excuse and enough luck to nab another reservation.

This hideaway, Michelin star recognized omakase sushi spot in Little Tokyo is a temple to high quality sushi that is not to be mised.Finding it is the biggest challenge. After reading reviews that all seemed to have slightly different instructions, we messed up our first time and went down some stairs only to circle back around. My suggestion is to go to the lobby entrance on the second floor just off the parking garage and take the elevator down to the basement. The guard will likely tell you which elevator to take. For those of you familiar with the old Izakaya Fu-ga (RIP my friend), it's essentially that space downstairs, just adjacent to the old main dining room.Once you find the space, you're held in a waiting room by the hostess who checks your reservation. They then lead you in by group to seat you. There are 12 seats at the sushi bar and your night can be calm and contemplative or loud and boisterous depending on your fellow guests. Ours was the latter. We had two groups of loud and talkative young guys all night so we unfortunately were not able to enjoy a calm, sushi omakase experience, which is what we are accustomed to. I'm fine with having fun even at omakase, but these guys were just too loud. So if you suspect a loud boisterous group, request to be seated away although you are limited since it's a small 12 person room.The omakase is very good. Everything is fresh, mostly flow in from Toyosu with sprinkling of local options like uni from Santa Barbara. There were 21 courses and what stood out to me were a couple things. First, there was emphasis on more uncommon types of fish. Second, the fried green-eye fish (mehikari) wrapped in nori is incredible - one of our favorite, unexpected dishes. Third, the shari is warm - warmer than expected. Preferences run the gamut on shari so it's hard to say whether it is better or worse. Fourth, perhaps because of the larger 12 seat table, it's hard for Inoue-san and the staff to be as attentive with a smaller table (e.g., 8 seat table). For example, were often found wanting for extra ginger that was only replaced once or twice - we were left without ginger for our final 6+ courses. Overall, Kaneyoshi is a top tier omakase sushi joint to check out at least once.

J took me here for my birthday dinner, which was so sweet of her! Kaneyoshi is located in a discrete looking commercial building. Take the elevator down to the basement and staff leads you to an intimate dining environment. I think there is only 13-15 seats (?) that circles the chef and his staff. The chef goes to every single group and takes his time discussing the fish hand the dish. Sometimes the staff translates for the chef. Wine/sake menu separate. For the omakase that we got, I remember there being quite a different number of eels. Most of the fish are from Japan. Halfway through, we were starting to feel pretty stuffed. The chef doesn't just give you tiny pieces. They're pretty thick cuts. I truly enjoyed my experience and appreciated this smaller dinner where we got to interact with the chef and his staff.