Fish Eight by Jinpachi
Permanently Closed
Casual sushi shop offering traditional & original sushi
Casual sushi shop offering traditional & original sushi
"If you care about sushi, you know about all the top-tier spots already - Nobu, Sushi Park, and Q. These are the restaurants with $200 omakase, rare fish flown in daily, and oceanfront patios filled with movie stars. But just because a sushi place is somewhere you can go once a week by yourself and spend $25, doesn’t mean it’s any less important. Especially when it’s the only one of its kind in the area. Go to Fish Eight and see for yourself. Located on Melrose amongst the aggressive denim stores, Fish Eight is from the same people as Jinpachi - one of West Hollywood’s best sushi restaurants. But unlike that spot, Fish Eight is wildly affordable. It’s also on a stretch that was a certifiable sushi desert prior to Fish Eight’s arrival. The space has a small wrap-around bar and a handful of tables for bigger groups (usually occupied by coworkers making the most of their lunch hour), and the menu is straightforward, other than the unfortunately named “tacos sushi,” which are basically open-faced handrolls. But what the menu lacks in adventurous options, it makes up for with affordable, high-quality fish that any level of sushi eater will be excited to eat. photo credit: Jakob Layman The nigiri is where you should concentrate most of your energy here. Whether it’s the salmon, yellowtail, or sweet shrimp, you’ll be hard-pressed to find better-quality fish at these kinds of prices ($6 for two pieces). Don’t miss the red snapper that literally dissolves in your mouth, but not in a gross Listerine strip kind of way. If you’re feeling luxurious tonight, but still want to keep the bill at around $30, throw in a handroll or two and a yellowtail sashimi plate. Before Fish Eight, sushi people who lived and worked near Melrose either had to pay steep prices for quality fish or go to the Valley. This small operation might not have Oscar Isaac sitting on the patio or a three-hour omakase, but it’s still sushi you need to know about. Food Rundown photo credit: Jakob Layman Salmon If a place as straightforward as Fish Eight can’t serve a good salmon sushi, it would be a bad sign. Luckily, theirs is fantastic and should be a mainstay in every order. photo credit: Jakob Layman Yellowtail Whether it’s regular sushi, in a handroll, or served as sashimi, Fish Eight’s yellowtail is tremendous. Make sure this ends up in front of you. photo credit: Jakob Layman Tacos Sushi These are essentially open-faced hand rolls and while they’re tasty and fun to eat (the spicy tuna is our favorite), we prefer the regular hand rolls more." - Brant Cox
"Fish Eight by Jinpachi is the new and less-pricey sister restaurant to West Hollywood sushi staple Jinpachi, which opened on May 22. Chef and owner Hirotaka Fujita jumped into the former Kawaba Rice Ball space to expand his LA sushi reach, even though the restaurants are less than three miles away from each other. Don’t expect the same style at Fish Eight. Fujita’s vision is a casual sushi shop with an accessible menu and lower price range. Fujita asserts the quality is still there though. Fish Eight’s simple menu maintains traditional and original sushi and sashimi, plus chirashi bowls. As the weeks go on, Fujita plans to expand the menu while operating both restaurants. Fujita’s LA resume goes back 22 years, with stints at Nobu Malibu and Brentwood’s Takao. The original Jinpachi opened in West Hollywood in 2006. It took four months to convert the Kawaba Rice Ball space into Fish Eight. The narrow room holds 24 seats and a sushi bar. Fish Eight by Jinpachi is open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for lunch, then from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m." - Mona Holmes
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