Sushi Gen

Only a handful of Los Angeles-area sushi restaurants are considered to be both historically significant and excellent – Nobu Matsuhisa’s eponymous places and the closed Sushi Nozawa (replaced by Sugarfish) are among them. So is Sushi Gen, which like the others opened decades ago, setting high standards for fish quality and proper sushi assembly that others rarely matched. Between selecting the freshest fish available, precision knife work that can be seen in slicing and/or scoring of each piece, and serving body temperature-matching rice, every piece comes together properly.

Across several visits to Sushi Gen, we’ve found some of their nigiri and straight hand rolls to be memorably impressive, as much because of the fish on offer as the chefs’ ability to build perfectly temperature balanced, melt-in-your-mouth bites. The art of making and serving sushi in this manner has been all but lost outside of Japan, so though you’ll pay a premium to experience it here, your money will be well-spent for an experience that can’t be found just anywhere in LA (or Orange County). Check their hours before visiting, and expect some plaza parking challenges and waits during popular meal times.