Sugarfish

Twenty years ago, one of L.A.’s most famous sushi restaurants occupied a cozy spot in a cramped Studio City plaza: Sushi Nozawa was known for its incredibly fresh fish, authentically Japanese sushi-making techniques, and all but mandatory “trust the chef” omakase courses. In the era when Seinfeld’s “Soup Nazi” was famously abrasive with customers, Chef Nozawa personally prepared and handed guests individual nigiri pieces with perfect melt-in-mouth temperatures and textures; on the other hand, he refused to make Americanized California Rolls, told customers not to mess up the properly seasoned taste of each piece (“one bite, no adding soy sauce”), and reputedly pushed even celebrities out for entitled behavior.

Today, Nozawa is retired, but his omakase options live on in Sugarfish, which started as a chain in LA before opening its first Orange County location in Newport Beach/Corona Del Mar. Sugarfish’s “Don’t Think, Just Eat” omakase is designed to most closely resemble the version Nozawa served years ago – and remains reasonably priced for good sushi – but there are also less expensive options.