Chad K.
Yelp
What if we kissed...at the secret motel sushi spot?
Yes, it looks like it is located in the lobby of a PCH Motel (Don's). Yes, you would wonder why you should stop here. Yes, you will find the parking situation "interesting". And yes, it is the best sushi you will have in Long Beach.
To say this is a local hidden gem is an understatement. You'd expect very fresh, high quality sushi to be located on 2nd/PCH, or in Belmont Shores, or even on the top floor of someplace in downtown. No, it is in this odd, barely-lit location next to the CSULB Beachside campus and a car wash.
I judge a sushi bar on its octopus sushi (Tako) because it is easy to F up. Normally, it can taste like shoe leather and is super chewy, but if they know what they are doing, it will be tender, and tastes slightly of lemon and sea salt. Here they nailed it! Tender, enjoyable, with that little squeeze of citrus over it and a sprinkle of coarse sea salt right before serving it to me. Perfection!
We also were really impressed with the miso soup. I know, right? Such a small detail, but that is what this place is good at. Remembering the little details that make an overall sushi experience so enjoyable. We also got the chef's special (chef's choice of 8 pieces of sushi, plus a salmon or tuna roll), and a 911 roll.
The 911 roll was well-balanced. Sometimes specialty rolls can be all sauce and no substance. Not this one. They know how to control their flavors here so that the fish is always the star. The sushi that came in the chef's choice was these thick cuts of extremely fresh and buttery fish. Even the Maki roll was made with the high quality fish. We were just pleasantly surprised all around.
Don't judge a book by its cover. Come in and find one of the best kept sushi secrets in LA.