Katana LA
Japanese restaurant · Crescent
8439 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069
Highlights
Japanese grilled meats & sushi with a lively patio vibe
Japanese grilled meats & sushi with a lively patio vibe
"West Hollywood restaurant Katana has operated along a Sunset Boulevard perch for over two decades, drawing TMZ-types like Ryan Seacrest (one of the restaurant’s co-owners) and Britney Spears since the early aughts. While the recipe for the place was clearly borrowed from the Nobu playbook, Katana retained its own attitude by focusing on grilled meats alongside raw seafood plates. The energy inside is also a lot surlier and more industrial, which could be interpreted as somewhat dated. After all these years, the look feels familiar again, aggressively dark but dressed with enough Japanese inflection to feel like a set from a CBS primetime series. The food is mostly solid, like scallop sashimi topped with caviar, nigiri sushi, lobster garlic noodles, and charcoal-grilled robata. Cocktails sway to the aughts-style sweet side, but at least all the juices are fresh and the spirits are good quality. Alas, it’s not clear how many celebrities frequent the place anymore, but at least people watching is top-tier. 8439 W. Sunset Boulevard, West Hollywood, CA 90069. — Matthew Kang, lead editor, Eater Southern California/Southwest" - Mona Holmes
"The long-standing Japanese restaurant is one of the Innovative Dining Group partners in the Make March Matter campaign, donating $2 per dessert this month to Children's Hospital Los Angeles. It remains at its more than 20-year perch in West Hollywood." - Matthew Kang
"Matthew Kang (lead editor, Eater Southern California/Southwest) describes a dimly lit dining room with a Vegas-style industrial look, “like a repurposed set from Blade but without the vampires running around,” and says he finally warmed to the place on a rainy day. A tableside presentation includes grilled A5 wagyu placed over a hot stone (a gimmick that didn’t appeal to him until this preparation), where a cast iron skillet contains a mild flame at the table for more than a few seconds; the meat was “delicious, not so fatty that you couldn’t actually taste the profound beefy flavor,” and portioned enough for two to share without feeling heavy-laden. A side of wood-grilled king crab worked as a sweet, briny complement to the beef. Kang notes its longevity—opened in 2002—and recalls critic Merrill Shindler telling the Los Angeles Times that the restaurant (with its sisters) would bring along a hype that could help it last “for five years on the buzz alone,” making its endurance of 23 years “very respectable.”" - Eater Staff
"Japanese-inspired spot Katana is in the heart of the Sunset Strip, and has a large patio in the middle of the restaurant. They’ve got robata, steaks, and lots of things involving truffle oil. Reservations recommended." - brett keating
"Jasmine Lee Garcia, the general manager of Sushi Roku in Austin, was previously the manager of Katana, another restaurant under Innovative Dining Group in Los Angeles." - Nadia Chaudhury
