KUSANO

"A sushi restaurant in Los Angeles offering a nigiri-forward menu with items like Hokkaido uni with squid. The experience is intimate with limited seating, requiring reservations." - MICHELIN Guide

"It's truly a one-man show at this restaurant named for the chef who takes on everything from drink orders and clearing plates to preparing and serving the food. Thankfully for him there are only a handful of seats at his counter, and just two seatings nightly. Reservations are a must, not only because of the limited seating, but because this well-priced omakase has seats going quickly. The menu is nigiri forward, and while most will arrive simply dressed with just a stroke of nikiri and wasabi, some items, like the Hokkaido uni draped with a thin slice of squid and cooked seaweed have a bit more flair. The unfussy sensibility contines through to dessert with a yuzu granita." - Michelin Inspector

"LA has the market cornered on high-end sushi in strip malls—see Sushi Sonagi, Go’s Mart—but even by those standards, Kusano is a diamond in the parking lot rough. Run by a sushi chef with a long resume, the eight-seat counter (reservations required) occupies an unmarked unit in a generic shopping plaza. It also offers a fantastic deal. The 18-course omakase costs $150, which isn’t cheap, but could probably cost twice as much at comparable spots. Step inside and see why: the room is storage-unit sparse, and it’s basically just you, the chef, and some light jazz from a bluetooth speaker. Expect pristine, straightforward nigiri with occasional flourishes, like sweet shrimp with electric blue roe, sea bream with cured egg yolk shavings, and uni draped with a translucent sheet of squid. We haven’t been here yet, but want you to know this spot exists." - Garrett Snyder

"This intimate, eight-seat sushi bar in Culver City comes from the chef who previously ran the sushi counter at Kinkan and Yasu Beverly Hills. There’s only one option on Kusano’s menu: an 18-course omakase for $150 per person. Yes, you read that correctly. And like its bargain-of-a-price, the nigiri immediately caught our attention: oysters with ikura and uni, marbled chu-toro, and braised octopus, to name a few. Reservations are required." - sylvio martins