Sushi Katsu-Ya Studio City

Firstly I do want to mention I may be biased because I'm Japanese and can speak to some of the workers in Japanese. But I do feel they have great service and great food. It is fairly small and there seems to be a long wait during peak hours. Parking is valet in the lot or scrambling to find street parking on a super busy Ventura blvd. They're known for their sushi, which is good, but I particularly like their Futomaki that is not on their main menu but they can make (giant sushi roll with egg, eel, spinach, carrots, pickled radish, tobiko, and I may be missing another ingredient). Their tempura is also delicious as well. I've been here with my friend and sat on the counter so I ordered their special for that day and she ordered a chirashi sushi. I asked the itamae-san (sushi making chef) if they had a particular fish that day and they didn't but he then offered zuke to me, which is soy sauce marinated tuna, but something they usually don't serve as it requires hours of prep beforehand! I was so pleasantly surprised as this is something I grew up eating all the time at my local sushi place back home in the bay where my family knew the restaurant owners.I came here again with my parents and they were also very happy with everything we got. My mom unfortunately can't eat any raw fish but she had lots to enjoy as well as there is a good variety of things on the menu.I also used them for office catering and Chisato-san is a joy to work with - she is very accommodating and helps pick out a set menu that makes sense for the client. Once they came, they set up everything nicely AND they even included a carved pumpkin for decoration as it was Halloween that day, everyone was AMAZED. Would definitely be ordering from them again.All to say, this place is great! If you want to go somewhere a little more upscale, they have a sister restaurant called Kiwami by the same owner.

We have not been back for sometime but we made plans with friends who live in Santa Monica and thought it would work for both of us as a location. We had a reservation which was honored and we were showed to our table in a far corner packed against a wall. As soon as we sat down a server came over to ask if we wanted something to drink that came quickly. Since my wife and I are frequent diners of Sushi our friends asked us to do the ordering. Looking over the menu and selecting was difficult and we lost the opportunity to be creative with the. Chefs. While they had a selection of fish there was something missing in the interaction and execution of the product. The portions were very small and you were forced to order many more dishes so when you left you were not looking for something to eat. What was served tasted ok but surely not what we were used to. Creativity was missing and portion was under whelming. We spent 247.00 and said to ourselves we would not be back. Oh by the way because of where they are located there was no parking in the street so we had to pay 10.00 for parking. Not right. Yes they have there customer but it will not be us again. Irwin Z

Get these when you go, they always are great: crispy rice spicy tuna, baked crab handroll, popcorn shrimp roll, albacore sashimi with crispy onion, and the creamy salmon roll. Going on a weekday night is the way to go, we got easily seated last minute. We felt a bit bombarded by the server.. we were rushed to order and rushed to leave even though it wasn't busy. I also remember my friends and I feeling like that the last time I was here. It's the reason I took a star off but nonetheless, I will keep coming back occasionally.

This place went downhill. Just had a terrible dinner here. Our food took an alarmingly long time to come out. I finally asked a couple different people because I was sure they had forgotten about us. When our dishes did come, no apologies. Also, timing of the dishes were terrible! Nothing would come out together so we all had to eat at different time times. Sushi was fine, not that amazing. Also, I think if I return I would sit at the bar, the tables are very close together and the dining are got super loud.

This continues to be my favorite Katsuya. I have tried all of them but this one holds a special place. Fresh and so simple and delicious. I have combed SoCal for good sushi since 1986 and always come back to this hidden gem.

Delicious sushi spot ! The fish tasted so fresh, the uni melted in your mouth ! The service was great, the food came out at a good pace and all of this was more than enough for 2 ! Defs recommend checking out this spot !

Back again after a few years. Got my usuals. Food as always was stellar. Only new item I got was the banana fritters - pretty good. Despite all the new restaurants this remains one of my favorites. Service was a tad bit spotty this time.

Went here for the first time, by mistake. I was meant to meet my friend at the Encino branch, also on Ventura Blvd but several miles east.This apparently is the original and it's just as good as the one in Encino but with much better parking, so that's a plus. It's simply decorated and the servers are friendly, quick and efficient. Sushi is fresh and traditional - the specialty rolls are also straightforward and not too complicated. Their lava cake dessert was lovely too.

The location is small so there wasn't alot of space for parking. I went ahead and used the valet service they had. The inside of the restaurant was small and felt a bit cramped. (If you are claustrophobic, be careful) of course there were spaces to move around but it will be difficult for others. The food was decent but oof pricey. My favorite was the bluefin tuna Trio. For the price of the dish, I understand since it tasted pretty fresh and the presentation was visible. I tried sea urchin for the first time here and I guess I can't say too much about it other than it being very very strong in ocean flavor. The service was great! I was well taken care of by our amazing waiter.

The sushi is amazing and a great value for the quality. They have an eclectic mix of sushi, sashimi, appetizers and rolls. The quality of the fish is outstanding and they add just enough subtle flavors to the rolls and sushi to enhance the dish but not overpower the fish. This is sushi done right. Service was excellent.