Sushi Gen Claim this business

Rin Lorison Google

3 months ago

I was visiting my good friend in LA, and we wanted to try this spot as it is quite the popular sushi place known to locals (apparently). My friend’s coworkers had also highly recommended it, so we had high hopes checking it out. We came in around 5pm, and there was no wait. The restaurant was full, but it was slightly before the dinner rush so we had no trouble getting seated. The biggest problem was the service. We were handed about 4 different menus, and since it was our first time here, we tried flagging our server down to ask about the menu and the differences. Myself included, most of my party had either worked in sushi restaurants or had sushi in Japan multiple times (we are all korean) and was expecting a more Japanese sushi experience rather than an Americanized version, so we wanted to ask for specifics like if they had Hitsumabushi or specific cuts of fish we could order. There was also some vagueness with the menu as the nigiri ordering form lacked prices. Whenever we tried to flag our server down, she was very dismissive and acted like we were bothering her. She would walk away before we had a chance to ask her additional questions, and would answer very rudely- it ended up taking over 30 minutes just to try to order, as she kept walking past us when we kept flagging her down. She was Japanese, and we were a bit taken aback as every Japanese establishment we’ve visited always prided in excellent service. We wanted to order the Sashimi Deluxe and asked her what fish comes in the deluxe, and she said “Salmon. tuna.” and walked away. We ended up asking for a different server because there was no way for us to enjoy our meal with her as our server. Our new server was extremely sweet and apologetic about our experience. As for the food- Some of the plates smelled like the dishwasher/ mildew, which caused the fish to smell a little off. Here are the things we ordered: -unagi dinner: for it being more than $30, this was a small portion and the rice smelled weird. We expected larger portioned sides but the sides were small. -Sashimi deluxe: it was plated very pretty and was decent, but wasn’t as high quality as we had hoped. -Nigiri: the salmon belly was decent, the regular salmon was a little smelly. The tamago was a big portion and decent, and we enjoyed the yellowtail as well. We were open to ordering more initially, but after seeing the quality, we didn’t move forward with additional orders. We wanted to potentially order drinks but the first server snatched it away before we got a chance. We ended up just ordering hot tea and water. We also wanted to keep the menu to potentially order more later, but she took it away as well. We came planning on ordering a lot and tipping accordingly, but it seems like she didn’t want us to order a lot of food. Overall, the fish quality was so-so, it wasn’t mind blowing enough to warrant driving out to LA for, as I feel that plenty of Orange County sushi restaurants can offer a similar quality. For the food I’d say the quality was a 2.5-3/5, however it was our initial encounter with the server that left a bad taste in our mouths. We really appreciated our male server (F or J name) and other female japanese server (Saki?) for improving our experience, but the initial animosity from the first server was so large that we did not want to return. We noticed the other tables in that server’s section also having a bad time with her service, as we saw her and the guests having some unhappy interactions. I don’t think it was racism, perhaps the server was having a bad day. But even if the service is subpar, we would have been okay if we were at least served quickly and efficiently, but that did not happen with her either, hence us requesting a new server. Interior was cute, did not try the bathroom. Noise level was quite loud, and pretty busy once the dinner rush picked up. Parking has a fee and is sparse. I’d say try to come before 5pm if you want to park and get in without too long of a wait.

Emiko Kawashimaon Google

3 months ago

Arrived there around 11:30 am, and we are told it would be more than an hour wait. We had already parked in Honda Plaza so we decided to stroll around Little Tokyo. Returned to the restaurant after 30 minutes, and we are number 8 in line. We were seated, ordered and served our lunch before 12:30 pm. The Sashimi lunch looked fresh and included many variety of fish. Accompanied the main were rice, miso soup, pickled vegetables and stewed tofu. We were so happy with our meal. I do wished that I should have asked for less rice, as the amount of rice was a bit too much for me. Other than that, the staff checked in on us often, though they were quite busy. I would definitely recommend this restaurant if you’re in the area and don’t mind waiting.

David Dendicon Google

a month ago

My wife and I have a tradition to go to this phenomenal Sushi restaurant for our wedding anniversaries. This place does not disappoint every single time we go here. I would strongly recommend sitting directly at the bar and asking one of sushi masters to choose themselves what they want to make for you that night. Is this place a bit on the expensive side? Yes. Is it worth it? ABSOLUTELY! This is going to be probably one of the best sushi/sashimis you’ll ever eat in your life. Special thanks go to Master Yama for doing such an amazing job, once again.

JMon Google

6 months ago

This sushi place is the best in town. Raw tuna has an absolutely superb taste. It’s of great quality and has a high turnover rate, ensuring that you can always enjoy fresh sushi. However, one unfortunate aspect is that we don’t take reservations, which means we have to wait for at least 20 minutes.

Douglas Shinon Google

7 months ago

Sushi Gen is my absolute favorite Japanese sushi restaurant. If you’re craving sashimi or sushi, this is the place to visit — you’ll enjoy some of the freshest and most satisfying quality fish around. This place is always crowded. Lunch, dinner, weekdays, weekends — there’s almost always a line. If you want to avoid waiting, try coming around 5 PM for dinner. That’s usually the best time to get in without a long wait. Especially on weekends, the line gets even longer, so plan accordingly. But overall, the quality is absolutely worth it. Highly recommended.