"With wood paneling and smoky yakitori grills that stink up your clothes, Osen in Silver Lake hardly feels like a Sunset Blvd. strip mall spot. This is an izakaya, so you want to get involved with small plates and meat skewers, but it would be a huge mistake to ignore the sushi menu. Whether you just grab a few a la carte nigiri or go for one of the four different omakase options (they range from $40-$150), you’ll have some of the freshest fish in the neighborhood." - brant cox, brett keating