Iki Nori

"For anyone who’s ever been stranded in Hollywood for an hour, this casual sushi bar from the Iki Ramen people is a prayer answered. This sleek spot on the ground floor of an office building is walk-in-only, sells filling handroll sets for under $30, and boasts a marble bar pouring cocktails, natural wine, and craft sake. It’s a no-brainer for chill lunches, but we love it even more at night when the energy ramps up. You’ll find dates with Pantages tickets splurging on the $88 omakase, while friends walking to Hotel Cafe afterward crush negronis and chat up the young chefs packing spicy yellowtail handrolls. If you’re in search of the neighborhood’s easiest—and most centrally located—pregame spot, Iki Nori is it. " - brant cox

"We never thought we’d see the day KazuNori was dethroned, but here we are: The best handrolls are at Iki Nori. This sleek Hollywood sushi bar offers delicious and filling temaki in a fun setting where you can get in and out quickly. Whether you’re dropping in for a quick lunch or coming for pre-show snacks and cocktails, the 4-handroll set for $28 should be your baseline order. It comes with one toro handroll, one spicy tuna, one salmon, and one crab. It’s enough food to fill you up and still have room to sneak in a few daily special nigiri. " - brant cox, sylvio martins, garrett snyder

"We walked into Iki Nori in Hollywood expecting a quick handroll lunch. 90 minutes later, we left with a strong Negroni buzz and several texts to friends declaring we found the spot that dethrones KazuNori. This sleek, walk-in sushi bar from the Iki Ramen people takes up the ground floor of an office building on Sunset, making it a lunchtime no-brainer and a great pre-show option for drinks and snacks. Grab a spot at the 12-seat marble bar, admire the floor-to-ceiling windows, and watch young, chatty chefs sear fatty tuna and pack scallop handrolls in front of you. We’d point you toward the $28 four handroll set—it’s enough food to fill us up, with room to sneak in a few chef-recommended nigiri at the end. " - nikko duren, brant cox, sylvio martins

"“Hey, I’m in Hollywood with 45 minutes to kill, where should I eat?” On any given day, our phones light up with a variation of this text. That’s Hollywood for you, though—a place where Angelenos often find themselves with time to spare before a show or concert or meeting with no idea where to go. Sure, there are plenty of excellent restaurants, but finding that Goldilocks spot with good food, brisk service, reasonable prices, and a relatively mellow atmosphere can feel like cracking a bank safe. That’s why our default reply is straightforward: Go to Iki Nori. For anyone who’s ever been stranded in Hollywood for an hour, this casual sushi bar from the Iki Ramen people is a prayer answered. The sleek space on the ground floor of an office building is walk-in-only, sells filling handroll sets for under $30, and boasts a marble bar pouring cocktails, natural wine, and craft sake. During lunch, office workers crowd the 12-seat bar, snacking on daily nigiri and scallop uni handrolls while checking their phones to see if there’s enough time for another glass of chenin blanc. Come nighttime, the place transforms into the neighborhood’s most centrally located pre-game spot. photo credit: Jessie Clapp photo credit: Jessie Clapp photo credit: Jessie Clapp photo credit: Jessie Clapp Dates with tickets to the Pantages splurge on omakase (for $88, you get 10 pieces of premium nigiri, two handroll sets, and a dessert) while friends walking to Hotel Cafe crush negronis and chat up the young chefs as they sear fatty tuna and pack spicy yellowtail handrolls. Sunset and Wilcox isn’t one of LA’s most picturesque intersections, but Iki Nori’s floor-to-ceiling windows offer a cinematic view of a streetscape that, if nothing else, is never short on people-watching. The whole experience subtly achieves everything you’d want from a before-show dinner destination: getting you full, getting you buzzed, and getting you out the door and on with life. This is Hollywood, after all—we’re on the clock. Food Rundown photo credit: Jessie Clapp 4-Handroll Set Whether you’re dropping in for a quick lunch or coming for pre-show snacks at night, this should be your baseline order. For $28, you get one toro handroll, one spicy tuna, one salmon, and one crab. It’s enough food to fill us up while leaving enough room to sneak in a few chef-recommended nigiri. photo credit: Jessie Clapp Nigiri Every person at Iki Nori is eating handrolls—rightfully so, they’re better than the ones at LA bar-setter, KazuNori. But the rotund, simply presented nigiri should also be peppered into your order. We usually get a few standard cuts from the regular menu like the smoky seared toro and scallop topped with salt, then order off the daily specials board for rarer stuff like white salmon, engawa, or butterfish topped with kumquat miso. photo credit: Jessie Clapp Crispy Tuna Taco A salty, crunchy little bite and a nice breakup from the handroll parade. It’s like spicy tuna crispy rice that went to Cancun for spring break. photo credit: Jessie Clapp Cocktails Have we gone to Iki Nori solely to drink cocktails? Absolutely. And you should, too. There’s a dedicated highball section, plus interesting shochu cocktails made with things like wasabi salt and ube milk. But we prefer to stick with their “classics,” such as the house Negroni or Iki Old Fashioned, made with Japanese malt whisky and kokuto, a smoky black sugar from Okinawa. photo credit: Jessie Clapp Toro Caviar Handroll Are you a little prince today? Or every day? Then this $12 salty, buttery baton is the treat your highness deserves." - Brant Cox

Infatuation #1 hand roll bar