Shunji Japanese Cuisine

I used to eat here once a week. Whenever I go I always make sure I sat at the sushi bar and request to be serve by Shunji-​san. Since I’m a regular customer, Shunji-​san knew me very well.
So why did I still give 1 star?
During my last visit I took my gf and her 2 friends to try the sushi Omakase. About half way through, Shunji made a nigiri that had some sort of string mix into the rice. I’m surprised he didn’t catch it when he was shaping the rice or while placing the fish on top. It should not have happened at a restaurant of this level, but I understand mistakes happens. When I kindly inform him of the issue, he looks at it and throws it aways. Then continues to make me a new one. This whole time he did not even apologize for the mistake! Not even one word of sorry! This is a chief that I’ve gone to eat at every week and brought him much business by introducing others to him.
Usually when something like this happens at any other restaurant the chief will apologize or make it up some how. However by the end of the meal nothing was done. When I got my $ 1,100 dollar bill. I paid and left without saying a word to him. I absolutely cannot believe how arrogant Shunji is.
Me and the chief had gotten along and he has always taken care of me when I go. But I guess for him to just apologize for a mistake he made is more than what he’s willing to do. Imagine what would happens if I had actually eaten that piece and choke! Safe to say I’ll take my business elsewhere.

The fish was incredible. The softest most buttery toro I have ever tasted. Shunji was our chef today and he did not disappoint. I will be back many more times.

Shunji was great. Very interesting menu selection, excellent fresh fish, and impeccable service. A hidden gem on Pico.
We opted for the chef’s tasting menu w/​the sake pairing. Courses included a truffle soup with uni and shishito, sashimi, and live prawns prepared two ways. The meal was very memorable as the shrimp was fresh it was still crawling when served! — highly recommended.
The server was very knowledgeable on the menu and helped us make our selections and customization, as well as offered a tasting of the different types sake before making our selection.
This is spot is recommended for a date or intimate meeting. Two couples could try more of the dishes offered.

Phenominal. Every piece of sushi was perfectly selected and every flavor pairing accentuated rather than hid the fish. Although initially I felt a little put off by the atmosphere (lots of business men in suits, seemingly on business «dates») the staff made me feel comfortable very quickly. Worth. Every. Penny. (Saved). Will definitely return again.

In my opinion, Shunji did not live up to the raving reviews. I was actually disappointed I chose this place to dine here with my foodie friend who came all the way from Seattle. We love omakase so of course we ordered the traditional omakase. I know not to expect N/​naka quality, but the price for our omakase was quite close to it.
The tomato agedashi was unique and quite good. There was nothing special of the other dishes. The hairy crab from Hokkaido was a teaser since it was so tiny, but luckily I was able to eat a live one in Sapporo, Hokkaido last week and it was much better. It’s a pricey crab so I know why we only had a small piece.
What disappointed me was that none of the dishes wowed us. Besides the crab I don’t recall anything that was used that should justify the price. I’ve had many omakase, spoiled with n/​naka and Urusawa, but still I walked in with fair expectations and would honestly pay $ 70 a person for it instead of the $ 130-​$ 140. It wasn’t bad, food was good but just not worth that much for what you got. Takao’s omakase in Brentwood is about $ 80 and serves similar quality dishes when I went years ago, not sure about now.

4.25 stars. I came here for dinner on a Thursday at 6pm and I was the sole diner until about 7pm, when another couple came in. I sat at the bar and ordered a la carte.
The Good:
— they have their own parking lot and it’s free
— great service from staff (the waiters seem to genuinely be interested in what I thought of each dish)
— fresh fish
The Bad:
— when I entered the restaurant, they might have just mopped the floors as it smelled a bit like a wet mop (not very appetizing)
— though the fish was good, aside from the ikura, none of them really wowed me.
Good to try at least once and one of the better sushi places in LA; however, there are others that I would go back to first before coming back to Shunji.

Late post: I took my parents here in January 2015 for a sashimi omakase lunch.
Wow. It was GOOD. I am not sure it was worth the price but in reality, for what we got, the price wasn’t too bad. We were introduced to some fish that I have never had before — there were some that the chef fired with a torch which gave it a delicious smokey taste without fully cooking it.
Outstanding ⁵⁄₅: Golden snapper (fired), Blue-​nose snapper (fired), Otoro
Very good 4.5÷5: Santa Barbara uni (reportedly better than Japanese uni) — I usually don’t like uni but this one was particularly good (by far the best uni I’ve ever had). UNI here made me an uni convert. It is that good.
Solidly good ⁴⁄₅: Japanese barracuda (fired), belt fish — proteinaceous and chewy but I liked it, scallop dressed with jalapeño and lemon, medium toro, unagi fish (but the sauce was too salty at ³⁄₅ deliciousness)
But seriously, everything else that didn’t completely stand out (hamachi, mackarel, tilapia, etc.) was still a solid ⁴⁄₅. You could tell it was really good quality. Nothing tasted fishy at all. Everything was clean and fresh and nicely sliced in front of us. The chef was receptive to our requests and exploratory attitude.
It was definitely pricey ($ 465 for the 3 of us after tax and tip), but I would go again for a special occasion.

We had dinner here last night and ordered a bottle of the special sake and the Shunji Omakase (a mix of kitchen dishes and sushi). Everything about the experience — from the food to the service — was superb.
I don’t take photos of food out of respect for the experience, but I sort of regret not having done so for this particular meal. Everything was so painstakingly and meticulously plated.
First off, Chef Shunji is a genius. The kitchen dishes were so creative (one of my favorites had to be the agedashi tomato tofu, which is agedashi tofu where the tofu is actually a tomato jelly. The appetizer plate was wonderful, with the various bites of interesting flavors. Each course was unique with a surprising twist of interesting flavors. The sushi, which was prepared in front of us (I called a day or so ahead to secure bar seats), was fresh, flavorful and carefully served. My favorites were the toro and the Spanish mackerel, both of which just melted in the mouth.
The total bill for 2 came out to around $ 500 including tip, tax and alcohol, which is comparable to other Japanese/​sushi restaurants in this range, but a party could dine for much less should they choose to order a la carte. The service was attentive and thoughtful.
This is my favorite omakase experience in Los Angeles to date, since n/​naka is technically kaiseki. Will definitely return.

MUST TRY — for all of you that’s really into traditional Japanese omakase. There’s a lot of people that compare Shunji to Yamakase, and honestly I think Shunji’s flavor comes out one top (no offense)! The atmosphere is very fun and relaxed! Chef Shunji is super friendly and funny!
The pricing is not as expensive as Yamakse or Urasawa, so don’t expect the presentation you would at Urasawa. It’s also much easier to get reservations than Yamakase. However, try to book omakase at the counter in front of Shunji himself may get tricky.
My last visit I ended up finishing the omakase set and an extra 15 pieces of sushi. Just because it was that good.

There’s sushi… and then there’s SUSHI. Yeah I admit that I’m a fan of rolls, but there is a time and place for that. Ever since I went to Japan, that craving for true authentic sushi has always been there. So when my cousin said this was one of her most favorite sushi places in the entire city and offered to pay for the meal… well, if there is anyone I trust for making the call on true authentic sushi, it’s her!
Can’t come to a legit sushi place without just going omakase right? Sat at the bar and let the Shunji work his magic. In order of progression we went…(1) red snapper, (2) golden eye snapper, (3) alfonso, (4) black snapper, (5) kanpanchi, (6) baby kanpanchi, (7) bluefin tuna, (8) o-​toro, (9) albacore, (10) belt fish, (11) salmon (special variety!), (12) shrimp (literally cut live!), (13) salmon roe, (14) uni (from Santa Barbara), (15) fried shrimp head, (16) pike, (17) grilled unagi, and (18) uni (from Japan). It wouldn’t make sense for me to describe how awesome and fresh the sushi is… it’s one of those things you have to do yourself. Needless to say, this is the best sushi meal I’ve ever had.
I came for lunch, so we pretty much had the best service we could get from Shunji. Doesn’t hurt that my cousin is a regular and is pretty cozy with the man himself! Service overall was fantastic, have zero complaints.
Had a fantastic time here, would definitely love the opportunity to come back.

I want to love Shunji; I really do… I’ve been there more than a half dozen times, and the food has ranged from very good to excellent. Standouts are the ika (squid) with squid ink, uni, truffle oil and uzura (quail egg) — a signature dish for them along with their tomato tofu — an amazing dish, not too acidic or tomato-​y; and their conch soup served in the shell. You just slurp the soup from the shell along with the chunks of conch!
The prices are definitely at the upper medium end of the great sushi house spectrum which I’m ok with IF
1. the food is consistently very good to excellent (it is, though seldom mind blowing like I’ve had at Sushi Iki or Go’s Mart);
2. the ambience and fellow diners add to the experience (they do)
3. the service is consistent — personable, friendly while still being professional, and most importantly, makes me feel welcome and appreciated as a patron.
The last part (3 — service) is where Shunji fails for me.
I realize that service is extremely personal (literally) and also subject to normal human variables like mood and other «stuff» that might be going on, either in the service providers’ personal life or in the workplace that particular day.
Large service organizations like a bank or credit card call center (or frequently for me, American Airlines Executive Platinum desk) can fail on any given experience /​call, and I can just (politely) hang up and call in again. «stuff» happens…
Unfortunately a restaurant doesn’t have such a wide latitude for do overs…
From the greeting at the door upon arrival, to «warmth» and professionalism during the ordering and delivery process, to bussing the dishes afterwards; even to the presentation of the check and making sure the water /​wine /​beverage glasses are kept from getting too low, the whole service can either be perfunctory, spotty, coolly professional, or inviting and welcoming. It can either be polished and well choreographed or organic and naturally flowing, lubricated by a smile and projecting that you, the guest, are genuinely welcomed and appreciated to be there.
Of course I realize there is also the dichotomy between sincerity and well executed faux warmth, but that’s a topic for a meta-​social dissertation…
Anyhoo…for a smallish, somewhat expensive restaurant with a reputation for being among «the best in the city» in a niche cuisine hailing from a culture of civility and well mannered politeness, 4 out of my 6 visits have left me with a somewhat ambivalent, even negative, take away, specifically in the area of service and service attitude.
Put in simplest terms? I just didn’t feel «welcome» most of the time.
To put this in context, I don’t have «problems» in most places I go, and I do appreciate (and often get) extraordinary service in many /​most places I frequent — Arroyo Chophouse; the previously mentioned Go’s and Sushi Iki; even Totoraku, the always frenetic EMC, even the local Zenkou Chicken. I try very consciously not to be a Donny Downer or Willy Whiner, and to respect and appreciate the hard work running a great restaurant can be, from the servers to the kitchen crew to even the bartenders and front end host/​hostesses and managers /​owners.
Which is why I am so disappointed, in the end, with Shunji.
I want to love it; I want to unequivocably recommend it as «one of the best sushi houses in Los Angeles.»
Alas, for (usually) between $ 75-​$ 200 per person, I can only conclude that I will go there only if I am having a sushi craving and can’t get out to the SFV for Sushi Iki or Go’s and want something a little more refined than Bar Hayama (a GREAT local hangout for Japanese comfort food)
(note: I fully realize that it is difficult to nail «service» perfectly, sometimes it just boils down to personalities and how they «click» or grate… I have seen great and warm service extended at Shunji to «well known» customers, whether because of celebrity or just being «a regular»…obviously I don’t qualify as either at Shunji, even if I regularly qualify as a «friend of the establishment» after far fewer visits and dollars spent at other places… Oh, well.
My gripe (s) may be too personal to be generally helpful to most readers, but at the end of the day, besides the requisite «objective» points, which I tried to mention early on, I’ve found the most interesting reviews for me are the most «personal» ones…
Thanks for reading… TM)

Went for omakase, all nigiri, no appetizer or other sides. Asked for no salmon cus I was there to eat white/​silver fish that are in season.
Shunji is definitely in my top three for omakase in all of LA, not the best, but good enough to impress. My favorite are sama, nodoguro and kanasu. They treated the live ama ebi in your face to ensure you know their ingredients are fresh. I’m a big uni lover so I had high hopes for the Japanese bafun uni but I was disappointed, not as dense nor sweet as I was expected. Other nigiri like toro, blue fin tuna and scallop are satisfying. Wrapped up the meal with a cup of hot hojicha put your stomach at a very happy place. This meal came close to $ 300 for 2 with 18 – 20 pieces of nigiri per person. On a side note, they need to change the cleaner for their towel asap, the smell is very unpleasant it smells like stinky feet:(((

This is the best sushi I have had in LA in years. Wow! I am so glad that I work near here.
It’s a small restaurant with a sushi bar and excellent service. Try the lunch special ($ 23 for 7 pieces of the best nigiri you will ever have and a fresh hand roll — mine was fresh crab this time). The fish is so fresh and they have this fresh, homemade ponzu that is a true party in your mouth. I felt like a better person after eating here. I can’t wait to come back.

The chef at Noguchi in Yorba Linda recommended Shunji, and he said it was better than Urasawa. I had to find out for myself w/​Yelp buddies, Olin & Huy, and Huy’s pal, Yen. Shunji is on Pico, near Wellsley in the Sawtelle neighborhood of West LA. Of course, we sat at the sushi bar.
We went large and ordered the Shunji omakase, that is $ 130 — $ 150, depending upon how much you order. Our dinner was $ 140/​each w/​o alcohol. They also offer 10 pieces for $ 50, and an la carte MP omakase that would cost somewhere in between. In addition, we had some Asahi ($ 7), and Akagisan Junmai Ginjo sake ($ 55×2) to wash the food down. The latter is a dry, clean sake that pairs well w/​seafood available in the summer.
We started off with the cold vegetable & wintermelon soup w/​4 varieties of mushroom and scallops. Wow! A great way to start the meal. Next came the summer eel & natto. A nice way to transition into the next set of dishes. Thirdly came the conch, pickled red snapper, snail, tako and purple potato. The snail and tako were super tender, and the presentation was well thought out. Fourth course: Custard with Italian truffle w/​uni. This dish was a great segway into the sweetness of the sashimi.
Speaking of sashimi, we had oysters, Bluefin tuna, and amaebi. We had the heads fried, and ate the delectable goodies later. Fifth course: Tomato tofu w/​eggplant & shisito pepper. We learned that the Japanese make tofu out of many things. The tofu was so flavorful, it was as though you were biting into a fresh tomato. Sixth course: We had buckwheat noodles from a prefecture that specializes in this type of noodle. The enoki mushrooms added a nice balance to the dish. We were next given 5 pieces of sushi (toro, golden-​eye snapper (kinmedai), shiro ebi, aji mackerel), ending with the über fresh Santa Barbara uni. Overall rating: 5 Stars.
Regarding the ambiance, Shunji is very traditional Japanese with a L-​shaped sushi bar and a few tables. However, from the outside, this place looks like a dump (the restrooms are even located outside). Nonetheless, don’t let the exterior fool you. They serve some excellent food here. Our sushi chef Miki-​san was super nice and patient. Olin arrived late due to traffic, and Yen arrived late because she was having her hair done — It was worth the wait! — LOL!!! More seriously, Miki-​san is a fantastic chef, and paired with Taka-​san who described each dish & poured our sake, they make a dynamic duo: 5 Stars.
Although Shunji was not as good as Urasawa, I must say it was the 2^nd best place I have been to on the Westside. Miki-​san was an excellent chef, Taka-​san took care of serving our food & sake, and the food was creative and fantastic. I definitely want to come back here and try some new creations. We were the only ones who ordered omakase, and all the other patrons were oohing & aahing at our plates!

As I parked my car and looked at this establishment, I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of sushi this run-​down shack of a restaurant could offer me? I cracked open the door and thank goodness the outside did not reflect the cosy quaint dining area inside. A sushi bar could be found at the other end of the room and contained several chefs that were battle readied for the night. Of course, any seasoned sushi connoisseur would naturally opt for the bar where a conversation can be struck up with the chef and where a show can be had. That is where we met our sushi prodigy of the night, Miki san, and the evening of tantilizing tastes and flavor seduction ensued.
The menu has a variety of options, but you can also À la carte teh sushi if you like.
We decided to put our evening and our tastebuds at the mercy of Miki san and opted to go for the Shunji Omakase (140ea before tax, it’s okay if your heart stopped a little here; I understand). What was to follow would be pure euphoria. Miki meticulously built each creation that caused us nothing less than to be stuck salivating over the fragrance that would cross the counter.
SHUNJI OMAKASE (13 courses, in order served):
-±Cold Vegetable and Winter Melon Soup with 4 varieties of Mushrooms and Scallops.
A perfect starting dish. The thick soup almost had a consistency of clam choulder but was refreshing and savory at the same time. The unique saltiness of the mushroom contrasted the slight sweet and unique flavor of winter melon in the soup quite well.
-±Summer Eel, Natto, Cucumber.
The slightly seared eel topped with natto was a unique and flavorful combination. The touch of semi pickled cucumber added a level of bite and texture.
-±Conch, Sesame Tofu, Pickled Red Snapper, Red Snapper Aspic, Octopus, Purple Potato and Persimmon.
A vibrant colorful mixture of unique flavors. The conch was bursting with briny savoriness. The pickled red snapper and the red snapper aspic provided sensational variety of contrast with a surprisingly not too overpowering fishy flavor. The octopus was completely tender and the purple potato topped with persimmon added some sweetness to the dish.
-±Sweet corn custard, Santa Barbara Uni, Truffle.
The custard had a delicate taste, not too sweet. Uni added an extra level of creaminess and the truffles were fragrant and about crumbled in my mouth when being eaten with the custard.
-±Cordmandale oyster, Sweet Shrimp, Blue Fin Umeiro, Red Snapper.
Quite an action packed dish. The sweet shrimp proceeded to move on the dish, definitely not for the feint of heart. The sweet shrimp body was bursting with oceany flavor. The oyster was, just shucked fresh and briny. The blue fin umeiro and red snapper both both we’re firm and clean tasting. I requested to have the shrimp head fried and devoured it whole. Delicious!
-±Tomato Agedashi Tofu
Amazing agedashi tofu dish. Was a fantastic blend of salty, tangy, and sweet flavors. The infusion of tomato brought the tofu’s taste to a whole new level. The broth that surrounded the tofu added a semi savory sweetness that contrasted the acidity of the tomato extremely well.
-±Abalone and Mushrooms.
The abalone provided a delicate flavor mixed with the semi-​pungent mushrooms. The texture was buttery and had a briny sweetnesst.
-±Shinsu Prefixture Soup — Steamed Halibut, Mushrooms.
A palate clenser. Refreshing and light.
-±Japanese Flounder
Nice firm but tender cut of flounder.
-±Gold Kinmedai
Just a touch of searing gave the kinmedai a flavor of a high quality ahi tuna but with the texture of snapper. Quite good.
-±Toro Belly
My absolute favorite cut of the night. The toro was packed full of flavor and was so smooth and tender it melts in your mouth (yes literally melts in your mouth).
-±Salma Salmon
Top tier cut of salmon. All the flavor without 0 fishy smell. The taste was very pure.
-±Uni
The uni was extremely smooth and carried a brine-​sweetness.
Although the experience may cost an arm and a leg (or maybe a piece of a liver or kidney), it is well worth it. I’ve experienced omakase at several other Japanese establishments and can attest to how unique and fantastic the set at Shunji is. Sushi chef Miki definitely knows what he is doing, and is quite passionate about it. This is what a good omakase is about.
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Special thanks to Joe (esp for the drinks and sake to complement the food) and Olin, my ‘ballah’ Unilocal friends for allowing me to accompany you guys, always a genuinely great time to be had!

GASTRONOMICAL BLISS
LOCATION: in the shabby area of West LA next to the 10 Freeway. Parking is free in the one way driveway lot. I wouldn’t imagine that this is one of the best sushi places in LA as the small building looks old and has a strange structure (built around 1930s). The bathrooms are outside which require the use of a key. The chef definitely invests more into his fish than into building.
SIZE: It has 7 (seven) tables with 8 (eight) seater bar.
PRICE: pricey but legit for the quality of service and foods
I came here expecting to do purist sushi, only to know different dimension of omakase which consists of 2 sections: beautifully cooked dishes and purist sushi.
14 COURSES:
### The omakase-​tasting course started with a tiny bowl of a smooth and savory egg custard with a layer of mushrooms.
### Summer eel, natto
###Umeiro (blue fusilier), blue fin tuna, live amaebi head, coromandale oyster. Later they give you choice either to make the head a soup or to fry it. We chose fried amaebi (very crispy).
###Conch, purple mountain yam topped with dried persimmon, grape cherry tomato, snapper jelly, octopus arrived in an immaculate presentation with different sensation to your taste buds: sweet, chewy, salty.
### Abalone with mushrooms
###Cold Chawanmushi Uni with truffles
###Enoki mushrooms with buckwheat noodles
###Agedashi Tomato Tofu: the winner and the signature dish of this place. First time ever to experience tomato which is crafted into tofu square shape, lightly cooked and bathed in fragrant dashi, topped with a slice of cucumber and shishito pepper. It has a soft chewy texture; sweet taste. Brilliant!!!
###Sushi selection: Toro belly, golden-​eye snapper (kinmedai), salma salmon, flounder. I could feel them melted in my mouth.
##Uni: a lobe of very fresh creamy uni wrapped in a strip of nori in a sash way. Beautiful!!! The uni comes from Santa Barbara.
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DRINK: Junmai Ginjyo Kagi San — made from the blend of Gohyajumangoku & Miyama nishiki rice Dry Sake with crisp, refreshing aftertaste, yet has full of Ginjyo aroma. Thank you Joe for your hospitality!
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SERVICE: impeccable — attentive and courteous. The server (TAKA) was kindly explained one by one of the course, pouring sake the whole night. The sushi chef (MIKI) kept checking if everything OK with the foods and very friendly to us. As appreciation, we had a drink with him. When I was about to go restroom which is located outside the restaurant, the wait staff could read my mind and handed the key to me and informed me exactly where it is without me asking. SHUNJI NAKAO, the owner /​chef was spotted patronized the sushi bar the whole time while we were dining there.
Arigatou gozaimasu to brother Joe for great and lovely company. Finally got to try this place. This is much better than my expectations!!! BRAVO!!!

Few places exist in LA or anywhere for that matter, where you can say wow, I’ve just experienced a dinner fit for a president. This was one of those experiences.
We were graciously invited here by a local who knows Chef Shinju quite well. The level or respect I saw between them got me excited for what was to take place that evening: an unforgettable dining experience.
From the time we sat down until the end, I was completely blown away by dish after dish. How my palate seemed like it had never tasted all these new flavors before just proved one thing… this is one of my new favorite places that will be a yearly tradition in dining stops.
Just take a look at my photos and enjoy the visual. Words will never be able to explain the taste, texture or experience. I’ll leave that up to you to enjoy.

Outstanding premium lunch omakase. I wanted to share my latest experience.
Lunch was less focused on the cooked dishes (well, none), and a great stream of sashimi preps, and a whole lot of nigiri.
Here’s a rundown with some pics upcoming.
Opening:
1) Cold chawanmushi w/​truffle and uni — this was a set item, but very good. I don’t think I’ve had cold chawanmushi before, but it makes a ton of sense in the summer. Sweeter than usual, and the truffle and uni added a nice texture and richness
2) Sashimi flight (kochi skin, kochi, ishi karei, hirame fin) — nice and lite way to begin. Almost too white with the plate!
3) Live awabi — saw it moving live, steamed, soy sauce made with its liver in front of me! So fresh and delicious
Nigiri courses:
1) Tai — farm /​wild — the farm was somehow oilier. Love the rice, warm, well packed, good seasoning
2) Kinmadai — seared, wonderful
3) Shimaaji — a bit cold (maybe in contrast to prior seared dish), but still tasty
4) Tachiuo — belt fish, seared, very good didn’t have a ton of taste however
5) Kanpach — richer taste, wonderful
6) Akami — from Spain, great texture
7) Toro — close to kama, nice cut
8) Kamasu — very good specimen, very rarely seen on East Coast
9) Botan Amaebi — prepared live, with shrimp salt, head made an appearance in miso soup later
10) Santa Barbara Uni — sweet taste, obviously
11) Hokkaido uni — more complex, almost alkaline, wonderful taste
12) Tobiko — usually I only see the cheap-​o eggs, but this was a great fish
13) Aji — stronger taste component, although sauce balances well
14) Hotate — Not sure on the order, but still delicious! A little light relative to the Aji
15) Mirugai — lovely crunch, very large specimen exhibited
16) Shiro maguro — very fresh, in season
17) Inada — interesting contrast between the tunas
18) Katsuo — garlic topping was strong, however, I’m not a huge bonito guy so I liked it!
19) Shiroebi — nice sweet touch to round out the nigiri
Wrap up:
1) Negitoro handroll — very fresh toro, and good Japanese pickles
2) Tamago sashimi — very egg-​y, which I like over the flan/​custard style
3) Miso soup with shrimp head — out-​of-​this world delicious. Perfect, comforting condition

One of the best sushi places on the west part of Los Angeles. I came here one night with a friend. The service is excellent from the minute you arrive to the minute you leave. As we all know Los Angeles has plenty of sushi places. This place was excellent.
The food was fresh. They have numerous dishes that are worth trying. I highly recommend the fish soups for starters. No matter what you order you will not go wrong. No questions I will be back here again. I highly recommned this place.

Shunji has some pretty fresh sashimi.
The sashimi omakase is the way to go for sushi fiends. The sashimi pieces are bigger than zo (though still not quite as big as this fatty would like.)
My favorite pieces included the snappers. The goldeneye snapper, the red snapper, the blue nose snapper. The otoro was melt in your mouth delicious, though I am more of a chu toro person. Less marble, more meat!
The japanese barracuda had that fresh killed umami flavor. I’ve actually had fresh caught barracuda before and this was pretty similar.
They do have santa barbara or Japan uni. Go with the santa barbara, it is a lot sweeter and creamier than the Japanese uni, which in my opinion was a bit more metallic to the taste. If you like aji, the shima aji is not to be missed. Delicious flavor and fresh indeed.
The space itself is interesting indeed, the front of the building is a cylinder shape, and a little googling tells me that during the mid/​early 1900s, and it was in fact a chili eatery. The old character of the building is still standing though the insides have been updated.