Izakaya M

This is my favorite late night sushi spot in the valley. They do a reverse happy hour that is diabolically delicious. I just wish they consistently stayed open for happy hours. Sometimes they close before 9:30 and that’s disappointing, but almost every Friday/Saturday they are open for the reverse happy hour. Other than that, the food here is delicious. Would definitely recommend the crispy rice, fire cracker shrimp, Brussels sprouts, their sashimi is my favorite it is just so fresh. Everything about Izakaya is perfect.

The sushi 🍣 and tapas tasted wonderful.we sat at the bar and Our sushi chef made sure we were always taken care of. I have to say the bulgogi on a bed of sauteed asparagus, broccoli, and onions was one of my favorite dishes, I could go and just get the vegetables and be happy. and would go back for the crispy onion and albacore. I gave service 4 stars because the server forgot I ordered a drink and took a long time to get our check. But an overall great experience. They also have LATE NIGHT HAPPY HOUR from 9 till close💫💫💫💥

Food was fantastic. Great atmosphere. Friendly service. A lot of options on the menu that looked delicious

Izakaya used to be our favorite neighborhood sushi joint. It was a great lil “treat yourself” spot where you could have some delicious high quality sushi or pop in for happy hr and have some beers and sake but not break the bank. The wait staff was lovely and homey and charming and the prices were about what you’d expect - casual but high quality. Now they have upped their prices changed out their wait staff (and uniforms) and redecorated the place to look very sterile. They have also removed happy hour. It seems that they have attempted to fancify the restaurant in general. We ordered the same as always (just sushi) and what used to cost us around $90 this time came out to $130 (before tip+tax). The food is still great and the service is good. But it’s lost a lot of charm in my opinion, what once felt like a neighborhood hole in the wall feels like a strange attempt to be Nobu or something similar. The waiters wear shirts and ties now and the place feels weirdly upscale even though it’s honestly not. They were even playing weird smooth jazz. In a span of about 30 seconds three different wait staff came up to us to ask if we were okay or needed anything. And the staff kept trying to fancify our sushi adding salt and pepper and caviar on top of our simple nigiri orders. This plan might work for them, maybe its just not for me. I could see some people liking it but to me, I fear they may lose a lot of their existing customers by pricing them out and departing from that more neighborhood/casual vibe. After all, its Sherman Oaks, not Bel Air or West Hollywood. If I wanted to pay 160$ plus for sushi dinner I’d go somewhere like Mills Alley.

It was a great neighborhood Sushi spot. Happy Hour and open late. A wonderful place to hang out and had become a hang out for so many locals and some from far and wide! We even saw Ron Pearlman outside. I asked him if it was him and when he said yes, I told him I'd never heard of him. Sadly that silliness is no more. It has closed and become a fancy pants Sushi restaurant that you need to remortgage your house for. No more Happy Hour, no more pitchers of beer, no more chalk board with cute pictures of Squids and Shrimps frollocking amongst the special offers and no more TV's dispatching the latest sporting event or Inane Trump press conference clips on Channel 7. There's simply no fun allowed as Glenn Frey once said.

2nd Visit in 3 days. Had the Soft Shell Crab and Chicken Karaage to start ( so good I got the soft shell again at the end) I know I'm a fatty. There salmon and albacore sushi was so fresh and scrumptious! Full of flavor. Their ceviche Roll was also a favorite. But you also have to try the Spicy Scottman and Pitchfork Roll. No need to add to the flavor because it's already ready to go directly into your mouth! I will be back!

Very nice cuts! Great flavor. Had albacore w crispy onions (came on side, so could pour desired amt), sashimi samplers, cucumber princess roll, rainbow roll (in middle of big tray in pic) and 2 spicy tuna rolls.

Some of the best sushi I’ve ever eaten! Fantastic service. We will be back 😻

This is my favorite late night sushi spot in the valley. They do a reverse happy hour that is diabolically delicious. I just wish they consistently stayed open for happy hours. Sometimes they close before 9:30 and that's disappointing, but almost every Friday/Saturday they are open for the reverse happy hour. Other than that, the food here is delicious. Would definitely recommend the crispy rice, fire cracker shrimp, Brussels sprouts, their sashimi is my favorite it is just so fresh. Everything about Izakaya is perfect.

Wow! This place is just amazing. My partner and I came on a Saturday night after being told that the restaurant across the street had a 20-minute wait. We were craving sushi and decided to check this place out, and boy, are we glad we did. The restaurant seated us immediately, and the atmosphere was much calmer and more mature. I ordered a white wine, and my partner had an Asahi. Both were delicious. We also got the spicy tuna crispy rice, which was a 10/10 with generous portions, the right amount of seasoning, and spice. I also got the family roll and baked salmon roll. Both were so good I wasn't able to take a picture. My partner, who isn't usually a big fan of sushi, enjoyed my rolls and ordered the beef teriyaki, which came with miso soup, veggies, and rice. He said it was 10/10. The service was also amazing, and I would definitely come back for a date night or to catch up with friends. The ambiance was fancy yet casual, perfect for a date or a night out with friends. I will be back. Thank you!

The food is So delicious The Service is very good The fish is always fresh Prices are reasonable

My favorite izakaya with the best happy hour robata. $3-4.50 per skewer and they are all amazing. Pork belly is my favorite, don't forget to try the prime beef. Chicken yuzu is pretty spicy with the sauce similar to verde. I don't order sushi or sashimi much from them, but they do have very high quality fish and their sushi is superb. The new suzu on the rocks drink is amazing as well. Servers are always around to take additional orders and grab empty plates, fast and great service.

Apparently this place is under new ownership and closed until January 28th. But they don't have any signage and still show as open on every platform.

Izakaya M It's a great win! Popped over with my friend's Shaun and Ryan for a HAPPY Happy Hour experience at Shaun's favorite Japanese Gastropub and Sushi spot that's definitely evolved since opening back in 2011. They open right at 5PM daily (4PM on Sundays) and their first HH goes until 6 PM... An hours worth of great deals, service and fun! They do a 2nd Happy Hour again around 930 PM to 11PM (4PM to 6PM on Sundays only). Once that big wooden door unlocked we strolled in and got directed to choice our table or bar seating area of choice. We decided by the window overlooking Ventura Blvd was best and got to nulling over their endless list of selections, mostly focusing on the menu of the hour, but Izakaya has it all.... From Classic rolls to Special(ty.).. Robata, Ramen, Tapas, Appetizers, Bowls, Specials, Salads, Deserts (including a sorbet).. Noodle dishes as well as Entrees and more! And that's just for food... Not a full bar, but the sake, wine and beer choices are stellar. We did two rounds of chilled strawberry sake and one warm. Shaun also had a nice house red (Cab)... Water was in flow as also, but even if you're not an adult beverage partaker or much of one... You have a variety of teas, lemonades and soft drinks to choice from among other choices. For Noms: I went wild for Avocado Rolls (cut - not on Happy Hour, however the hand roll is), brussel sprouts and all the veggie based skewers (Mushroom, Zucchini, Asparagus), Portabella Mushroom being my favorite! Vegan and vegetarian friendly for sure! My friends went even wilder for Sashimi, BBQ, Miso, Other Robata and a Baked roll or two... We all saved our appetite for here so we may have order enough food for six in our trio mix, but left very full and happy... In large part due to our amazing servers as well! Parking in the area can be an instant hit or a journey upon a journey being on Ventura Blvd (just left or rather east of Woodman Avenue) however we got one of the limited spaces in their back lot when we first pulled in! Absolutely will be back, and most likely with the same awesome foodie friends and a few others... Sharing is caring after all and caring is sharing your favorite spots :D Kanpai!!

First timer: great lil place among 100s up and down Ventura. Sushi quality was premium. Service was friendly. Group had the teriyaki chicken. Sushi- Aji, albacore belly, halibut, crispy rice spicy tuna, octopus, yellowtail belly. Sushi price was a lil high given vast competition. Will definitely come back. Recommended.

Outside of the interior being a little dated, this place is a gem! Great options, good happy hour times, excellent service! Albacore Sushi - 5 Stars. Perfection! The fish is so fresh and tasty! Salmon Belly Sushi - 5 Stars. Light and buttery, this was excellent! Baked Crab Hand Roll - 4 Stars. Served with soy paper like I like it, this is also packing some heat but was quite good and rich in flavor. Salmon & Avocado Roll - 4 Stars. As classic as it gets. Bacon/Asparagus Robata - 5 Stars. The perfect skewer! Chicken Meatball Robata - 4 stars. A little bland, but cooked well. Pork Belly Robata - 3 1/2 Stars. This was alright, a bit too fatty for me. Good wine list, and tons of creative options. There was a warmth to the service which was really nice. Would definitely head back to try their happy hour, this place is solid!

Great intimate corner restaurant with an extensive menu. I love the salmon or yellowtail collar, salmon skin salad , hamachi and rolls are delicious. I enjoyed the varying high quality meat options in a tapas small menu setting. Super cool spot for a date or even solo. The vibes are immaculate.

Finally decided to come here for dinner with my mom and my bf! We passed by this place and it looked pretty from the outside so we were immediately interested! We were able to just walk in around 5pm-ish for dinner. It was definitely a full house but luckily had a table open for us! It was our lucky day. The staff was SUPER friendly and had great humor. They suggested a bunch of stuff to try since it was our first time and we loved every bit. We enjoyed (and ordered a bunch of stuff but it's all tapas and easily consumable) - Mango Lemonade & Passion Fruit Lemonade - Happy Ending Roll (Salmon Tempura Roll topped with Seared Tuna, Garlic Ponzu, and Eel Sauce - Salmon Teriyaki - Yakitori - Chicken & Onion, Meatball - Miso Cod - Beer - More Yakitori - Chicken & Onion, Kabocha Squash, Cow Tongue - Beef Garlic Yakitori Such a fantastic place and it is BY FAR our favorite Japanese restaurant. They had amazing Yakitori which is somehow a rare find out here. We all tried the cow tongue for the first time and it was surprisingly our favorite of all. Super flavorful and delicious! Just melts in your mouth. Looking forward to coming back and enjoying a bunch more! IG: @ammysalamii

My besties took me here to celebrate my birthday and I can see why they go there all the time. The waitress, Mimi is super sweet and so is the other guy (sorry, didn't get your name). We arrived around 630pm this past Saturday and the place was a bit empty but as soon as 730pm hit, that place started to fill up. FYI - they have valet parking in the back and they take Zelle. We ordered 5 rolls, the pitchfork roll, and a special roll that the chef made just for us and two other rolls that I forgot. All of their rolls were ahhhmazing and fresh. The special roll the chef made was so good and light too! The sauce to dip into was different, kind of lemony but still savory. We got one yellowtail carpaccio dish, spicy edamame, pork belly skewers, 3 pitchers of beer and some sake. They also gave me a bday dessert dish that had happy birthday written in chocolate. The place is a little small too but they have bar seating where you can see all the action. They some TV's and they were playing the 49er game and of course they WON!! If you are ever in the area and craving some good sushi and a cold beer, give them a shot, they wont disappoint.

This place is great for ordering small plates that are decently priced. Since the portions are pretty much single-serving (I.e. hand rolls and robata/skewers), Izakaya M is great for snacking or grabbing drinks with some sides. They have happy hour 2x per day, the latter being from 9:30pm-11pm. The restaurant has a good amount of tables and seats, the ambiance is hip and relaxed. Service is always good. The food itself is good; I had the tuna hand roll, prime beef with garlic robata, and the prime beef robata. The beef was a little chewy, but still good, and the spicy tuna was standard. My party also ordered the chicken karaage and vegetable tempura (both are sharing sizes for 2), which were all delicious. We love coming here for a chill dinner and a good time.

The best sushi in the Valley very good food is amazing. Friendly service great service thank you so much. I love the energy. Open late very important.

The owner is absolutely lovely. So cute and has a beautiful soul. Popped in late for the happy hour that I didn't know they were having and blew about $100 on all my food and drinks and it was well worth it. The robata's are delicious. I had the pork belly, beef with crunchy garlic and chicken thigh yuzu. I'm so pissed I didn't order more because those were the hit okaaaaayyy. Sergio my sushi chef made the perfect nigiri's and my favorite was the seared halibut. If you sit at the bar make sure he prepares all your food. His love and art for it is captivating. He's the longest sushi chef there. Since I like to spoil myself I got the sugar daddy roll. All I can say is wow the crab combination and shrimp tempura was delightful. Perfect blend of seafood combo. Karage my favorite so had that in the side with an additional favorite bake crab hand roll. And to wash it down large Sapporo and hot sake. My late night sushi dinner hit the spot. I'll be back probably once a week. To try so many other things they have on the menu. Thank you to the family here that made my experience worth the while. I was having a horrible day but the food and service here made it all go away for the time being.

We really like the sushis here. They're good quality. So yesterday, we ordered a pickup around 6:15pm expecting the same high quality that we experienced before. Unfortunately, the experience was quite disappointing. One of the sushi pieces (red snapper) contained a fish bone (see picture), which was not only unexpected but also unpleasant and potentially dangerous. This is a fundamental quality control issue that should not occur, especially from a restaurant specializing in sushi. I hope the management takes this feedback seriously and improves their quality control and customer service.

Great happy hour, good spot for kids. Seaweed salad really fresh and not overly sweet. Miso soup good Fried rice -added chicken and shrimp, so good! Service attentive The only thing I didn't like was that the spicy tuna on crispy rice was covered in sauce. Would ask to leave that off next time.

Great food, fresh and well-made, sushi, reasonable prices, and good service the manager is very nice Overall, I recommend this place

Very nice place great food all the time taste fresh highly recommended specially all the cater rolls

This is my new favorite Japanese restaurant! The service was impeccable - hard to come by friendly and attentiveness at this scale. The food was delicious, and the portions were perfect - not too much and greatly priced to allow you to taste many different items. The menu is large, and the happy hour contains a good amount of the regular menu. This is unusual for happy hours everywhere else I've been. Highly recommend.

Wel we avoided this place for a long time even though it's in our neighborhood mainly because of the mixed reviews and because there are other restaurants in the area that we like. We decided to try it and won't be back. The place is very uninviting. Dark walls and looks very little natural light, a bit like a bunker with a sushi bar. The menu looks very exciting at a glance with a variety of izakaya inspired Japanese dishes. So we ordered a variety of things since everything sounded tasty. Every single dish was bland including the meat dishes and the fish. Absolutely no taste. The same sauces used for everything. One of the most dissatisfying meals I've ever had. Service was ok, we got the check and got out.

This is a cute sushi restaurant on Sushi Row. The service was attentive and it wasn't too busy. It's a solid choice.

Favorite restaurant for yakitori in the valley! Always delicious and the people are very nice! There is usually plenty of seating available inside even when it's busy.

There is nothing happy about their happy hour!! Bs prices and the portions are deducted to reflect the discount. Now that I now know they are associated with midori sushi I will never come back here ever again. I should have never stopped here when I was going to umigame which is across the street.

Awesome food and great happy hour! The service can be a little better, but everyone is very friendly. Definitely our regular place.

I just want to say thank you. I love this place. They have a great sushi. I always going to this place in Sherman Oaks. The service is amazing. The price is comfortable. The owner is so nice and honest thank you so much. I hope you're gonna grow up.

This place is a true gem and never disappoints. We are pretty picky when it comes to sushis and we finally found a place that is so good, consistant in a nice environment. Everyone from the staff is very sweet, the owner often comes to say hi and greets us. Sushi's are phenomenal, we go there once a week and really love it, pricing is very raisonnable too which is a pkus

First time trying this sushi restaurant and so glad we did. We tried their Sashimi very fresh , sexy lady roll, ceviche and shishito peppers loved it all. Walked in sat down and the service we received from the young lady amazing. Thank you!

Great entree... I love food, food is good. I must do 85 characters on this... food food food yum!

Stopped by for a quick bit. Sat us down immediately, clean, happy place. The sushi roll was absolutely amazing. Very tasty. Ji served us very quickly always with a bright smile. We plan on coming back to try more of the dishes. Highly recommend.

My go-to sushi spot in Sherman oaks. Great staff. Reasonable prices. The happy ending roll is insanely yummmm. Love the vibe here. Beats out its competitors in the area

Service was horrible. You call them to order and they put you on hold for 7 mins. The asian girl

Love this late night spot with amazing service and delicious sushi. Check out their specials first. They have halibut, snapper, aji, mackerel, and European cold water fish. Their scallop nigiri was my favorite, topped off with a pinch of fresh wasabi.

We love this hidden gem in Sherman Oaks. A wide variety of options are available and delicious. Their fish is always fresh and the sushi is as good as it gets. We usually get Robata (skewers) items like the cow tongue, bacon wrapped anything, sea bass, and chicken wings. Other must haves are the Hamachi Kama, cucumber sunumono salad, and brussel sprouts. You can make reservations but we usually just try and walk in. Most of the time there is little to no wait unless it's early or the weekend. There's about 12 spots at the sushi bar and 15 tables in the dining area. We hope that it doesn't get too popular because we enjoy eating what we crave and not having to wait an hour for a table. The staff is very friendly and there's always many servers available. They have a short Happy Hour from 5 to 6 I think and then a later one that starts at 9. They offer some different items as options for Happy Hour along with the regular menu. The onion rings were great but I don't know if they still have them. The owner often comes out and greets and checks on her guests during the meal. She and her managers are super inviting and friendly. Parking is your typical horrible Ventura Blvd type but they offer valet service in the rear of the restaurant.

Happy hour is 5-6PM and then 9:30pm to 10:30pm Great staff and great food. But most sushi places in LA, the chefs are not Japanese. I believe they are Thai. Overall, great hand rolls and crispy rice tuna. I rec sitting inside because the last 3 times I sat outside I had spiders over me and my table

This sushi spot is the best I've ever had in LA. The service is always on point but the food is just incredible. It's the closest thing to eating sushi in Japan you can have. Top tier ingredients, amazing sushi chefs and it's always warm and inviting inside. Can't recommend enough!

Bomb best sushi place and only place I really frequent. Also love that I don't usually have to wait long

So happy got my prime beef w garlic robata and firecracker shrimp fix on HH. Best meal right before 2023

Amazing eel bowl, great rice, perfect miso. Very good sushi/rolls. Lovely little place. Attentive, nice staff.

The udon I such a great value. It is a very nice portion and comes with tempura. I go here frequently as is ia walking distance and I say quite busy.

The fish was super fresh and the variety is also very good. WE were visiting from Tucson and we ate the food once in the house and the other time in the restaurant. We will be back.

I seem to be stumped. It appears this place only has 3.5 stars. This is a big problem. I would consider myself a very experienced sushi consumer. This place has some fantastic sushi. Literally best in the area by far. You will not regret going hear. To those who reviewed this place poorly, I recommend you seek out medical attention. You either have zero taste buds or suffer from Karen-itis. This place is so amazing that as I'm writing this, I'm now hungry and will be going there later tonight. Can't wait.

This place is consistently amazing. I've gone during happy hour both times and food was incredible. I've been dreaming about Pork belly skewers since I had them 2 days ago. Service is outstanding as well! Great neighborhood spot!

I've been coming here for years and the quality has not suffered one bit since the pandemic! The sushi is exceptionally fresh and the O-toro melts in your mouth! Highly recommend!

Good food. Service is very unpredictable. The sushi chef will take your order, and the server will take your order. Both don't seem to communicate. Me and my girlfriend go to this place once a week, but lately I'm just over the constant bill mishaps. Always check your bill thoroughly when paying. They will almost always add something on to the check you didn't order. It's really a problem. Sad because we really like this place, but it's time to move on.

I am a sushi lover, and i am very picky with my reviews on sushi places. I was invited to come here by a group of friends. Overall nice restaurant, friendly staff and great service. I would give the sushi an average rating, it didn't wow me like other places. The quality of the fish was good, it was fresh. However, the rice wasn't well made, it tasted a bit old, like it wasn't made fresh. That was the only downside of it, so i ended up not trying more than 2 rolls. However, the shishito peppers were well made, as well as the mushrooms. The chocolate ice cream and the mango sorbet were very good. Would i go back, probably not. But if you just want average sushi or if you want to try other dishes here, i would still recommend it.

I usually frequent this place for their late night happy hour 10p.m. till close and I must say they have a dope one. The service has always been great. Servers are always attentive and we always get seated right away. I love their happy hour menu they have many choices of hand rolls to robatas. Last Friday night we had the salmon hand rolls, fire cracker shrimp, shrimp tempura rolls and zucchini robata which were all delishis!!! I will continue to come here the service is always great, food is fresh and delishis and prices are very reasonable. Oh yeah and we always find a parking spot.

What's not to love? The chef is an artist. The food is so flavorful and tasty. I highly recommend siting at the bar and asking the sushi chef for his recommendations. Nice menu for all to enjoy. Great selection of saki. Can't wait to go back.

Service was good. Firecracker shrimp was excellent. I had the Jidori chicken teriyaki for my entree. It was overcooked and dry. I was thinking it might not even be jidori.

The service was great. The sushi and rolls were ok, nothing to rave about. The octopus was tough. The rainbow rolls didn't taste as fresh as it was pre-pandemic.