Best Japanese Speciality Restaurants in Echo Park

Tonight was my second time dining at Morihiro. It was a wonderful experience just like on our first visit. The food is delicious and thoughtfully crafted right in front of you if you choose the sushi bar. The seasonal menu is full of unique and beautiful items. Highly recommend for a special night out.

Katsuya was an incredible experience. We went there for a date night and was absolutely in love with everything we had. We had the Katsuya Chef’s Tasting Menu ($85 pp) which included 1. Hokkaido Scallop Sashimi: This was sublime! 2. Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice: This was probably the highlight of the entire meal for me. Spicy tuna always slaps and the crispy rice had a very delicate hint of toasted sesame oil. Très bien! 3. Lobster Tempura: I’ve never really been a fan of tempura but this one was just exceptional. It was such a nice flavor. I think there was a hint of cheese. But whatever it was, I want more. 4. Wagyu Ishiyaki with Wasabi ponzu: I’m always sceptical about red meat and love it with more flavor infused. So, I was pleasantly surprised when I really enjoyed this. The wasabi ponzu, thinly sliced radish and shiso leaves were the whole package! 5. Specialty rolls: These were well-executed but I was mind blown by the rest of the food that I’d had and the flavors that were exploding that this did not leave a memorable mark for me. But still so good! 6. For the main course, we had a choice between short ribs and the cod. I went with short ribs. This was probably the best sears ever! I also loved the braising jus. 7. Finally for the dessert, we had the Miso Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Bean Marshmallow, Sesame Cremeux, Salted Caramel. It was an amazing dessert to finish things off. They had a few wine offerings, which I enjoyed. Our waiter was super sweet and ensured that we were occupied throughout. He was very knowledgeable and gave great recommendations. I loved the ambiance on the inside. Though it’s near one of the tourist-y parts of LA, once you’re inside, you don’t realise how busy it is outside. Overall, I enjoyed this spot immensely. 15/10 recommend.

Very attentive staff. Food was high quality Japanese dishes.

Wonderful food and great staff! I would definitely go back again.

I took my mom here for her birthday who is half Japanese and she had a wonderful time! We all really enjoyed experiencing flavors that were unique and fun to share with each other. We all ordered the omakase and ordered the almonds and chinmi separately. Maybe the only ding in the experience was the servers mispronounced omakase, which was weird considering it's a high-end Japanese restaurant. They don't put the emphasis on "ma", rather they make it sound like kamikaze which is off-putting at the ordering stage. I loved the Grilled California Holstein Beef Strip the most. It was so simple to look at, but the flavor of the beef with the salt crystals was divine. Loved the fresh seaweed shot with grapes! This made all of us say Wow! The omakase came with a mackerel sushi roll which wasn't on the menu, but it was a flavor bomb. The steamed rice was beautiful with the pork jowl. I could eat that rice on its own though! The miso soup was super tasty! I would skip the shiitake tempura but it's part of the omakase. Too oily, don't eat the whole thing. The new katsu with wagyu beef is a huge amount of food. My mom ate 1/4 of it and had to take the rest home, but my boyfriend ate the whole thing! The cocktails were fantastic, along with the sake pairings throughout our meal. The bartender was stellar. Loved the Yuzu Reviver (vodka) and the Old Fashioned. We left feeling full and satisfied, but not stuffed. It was all delicious! Expect a 2 1/2 hour delectable experience! Enjoy!