Sushi Ginza Onodera opened a few years ago in West Hollywood and I’ve been lucky enough to visit a few times since it’s opening. The high-end omakase restaurant has several outlets worldwide including Hawaii, Paris, Shanghai and New York City.
As one of just six restaurants in the LA area to earn two Michelin stars, Sushi Ginza Onodera is an exceptional dining experience with the highest quality ingredients, skilled sushi chefs and incredible level of service.
Here’s my experience dining at Sushi Ginza Onodera!
About Sushi Ginza Onodera
Located at the intersection of La Cienega and Melrose, Sushi Ginza Onodera’s small but elegant space offers a peaceful retreat from the bustling neighborhood of West Hollywood.
Sixteen seats line the sushi bar where guests can watch the chefs preparing beautiful, intricate sushi dishes all evening.
Executive Chef Yohei Matsuki leads the team of incredibly talented chefs and interacts with the diners while showcasing impressive knife skills and knowledge of fish. The serving team is also excellent with seamless movement between courses. Plus, the servers even share photos of the fish from each course on an iPad so you can learn more about the dish!
Sushi Ginza Onodera serves Edomae style sushi which is a traditional way of sushi making and was invented in Tokyo about 200 years ago. Edomae sushi style usually involves curing an element of the dish before serving it (for example, marinating the fish in salt and vinegar or curing it in salt, etc.). This not only preserves the fish but also adds delicious umami flavors.
The restaurant imports their seafood from Toyosu Fish Market and uses Niigata prefecture rice tinted in red vinegars. Each omakase dinner is around 15 – 20 courses and costs $400 per person (taxes and alcohol not included, and tipping is not permitted). While this omakase spot comes with a hefty price tag, it certainly boasts the ingredients, skill and experience to match — perfect for omakase connoiseurs and special occasions!
Dining Experience at Sushi Ginza Onodera
Walking into Sushi Ginza Onodera is a welcome sanctuary from the lively outside street and feels more like stepping into a restaurant located in Toyko than West Hollywood.
We were graciously greeted by the team of servers and chefs and shown to our seats at the sushi bar. Watching the chefs expertly prepare our first courses, I could barely contain my excitement.
Our first couple of courses consistent of a Japanese flat head fish sashimi topped with chopped chives and sliced steam octopus. Both excellent with delicate flavors!
Next, we moved on to a more flavorful and rich dish: chawanmushi, which literally translates to teacup steamed egg custard. This savory egg custard was topped with caviar and Japanese uni.
The third course was an impressive 5-year-old abalone topped with a liver sauce and sprinkled with gold flakes. And after that, grilled tai (or Japanese seabream) marinated in salt water and sake.
Our fifth course was another rich dish: ankimo (monkfish liver), also known as the foie gras of the sea, with a red wine sauce.
The next portion of the omakase experience included many delicious nigiri dishes like kinmedai (or golden eye red snapper) and a Japanese baby snapper that we were informed only makes two pieces of sushi per fish!
The eighth course was certainly one to remember! This hand roll was made up of a Japanese hairy crab formed into a thick ball and topped with Petrossian caviar and gold flakes.
And, to follow, more nigiri made up of bluefin tuna, Japanese tiger prawn, Japanese giant clam and, of course, Japanese uni.
Our final courses were made up of even more combinations of the richest and most delicious ingredients. Like a bowl of blue soft shell crab and rice topped with Hokkaido uni and ikura. And lastly, a bowl of even more rich Hokkaido uni (or sea urchin).
Last, and certainly not least, we finished with a dessert dish. It was a delicious matcha panna cotta. I was so happy to end with matcha as it’s one of my favorite flavors!
Tips for Dining at Sushi Ginza Onodera
- Reservations must be made in advance with a prepayment for the omakase dinner via the website. Note that cancellations are not accepted less than 48 hours in advance without incurring a fee or full payment.
- Dinner seatings are at 5pm and 7:30pm, Tuesday – Saturday. The omakase experience lasts approximately 2 hours so make sure to allow for plenty of time to enjoy your meal!
- While they don’t accommodate preferences, let the restaurant know about any allergies in advance.
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