If laughter adds years to your life, Sakana Sushi Lounge just turned me into a potential centenarian. The experience was a perfect blend of a comedy club and a sushi haven, where the fish is fresh, and the puns are fresher. Right off the bat, our server greeted us with a smile and a "Welcome to Sakana, where we believe in 'soy' and happiness!" I chuckled. Little did I know, this was just the appetizer for the evening's humor. We started with the 'Tickle My Tuna' roll. A name so bold, I half expected it to come with a feather. And when the 'Giggle Eel' roll arrived with a drizzle of 'he-he-hoisin' sauce, I knew my laugh lines were getting deeper. Not sure if it was the presentation or the hilarious menu descriptions, but each roll was 'roll'-ing with laughter. The 'Sal-monologue' was next--a piece of salmon nigiri that came with an actual monologue written underneath it. The joke? "Why do sushi chefs make terrible stand-up comedians? Their routine is always too 'fishy'!" Groan and grin in equal measure. Then came the 'Maki Me Laugh' special--a chef's choice roll that was as delightfully unpredictable as a clown's pocket. Turned out to be a flavorful surprise packed with tempura crunch and a punchline of spicy mayo. And let's talk about the atmosphere. Sakana Sushi Lounge is the kind of place where the saki bombs come with a side of dad jokes and the chopstick wrappers have "how-to" guides that are more hilarious than helpful. You might learn more about comedy here than proper sushi etiquette, but who's complaining? Dessert was the 'Banana Tempur-ama'--a sweet way to cap off the night and the best fruit-based slapstick since someone slipped on a banana peel. In conclusion, Sakana Sushi Lounge serves up a sushi experience that's as delicious as it is delightful. It's the kind of place you come for the food and stay for the funnies--or is it the other way around? Either way, you'll leave with a full belly and cheeks sore from smiling. Five stars for the eatery where the 'rolls' have double meaning, and the laughter is the chef's special of the day.
Wally W.
Delicious food, great ambiance and a friendly staff. All of which made for a pleasant experience.
Rosario V.
First time here, everyone was truly kind and caring ! From our host, to waiter/waitress. Definitely coming back. Ambiance was also a 9/10! We love a good simple shrimp crunch roll but it came with pink colored panko, but it was still very good!
Alex L.
Food is amazing. After hours sushi? Why the f not? Ate at the bar Nile was amazing and very attentive. The vibe is chill great place for a date. Great atmosphere and staff is friendly, music playlist is sick. 10000% recommend.
Rajan G.
Went here on an extremely busy night , but was not sure what to expect , but it started out a bit rough. We had an inside reservation which even though we showed up early for , they gave it away and made us sit outside. We made due, but we didn't really have a server, the host or manager handled our table as they seemed understaffed on a busy night. We asked him if we ordered too much and he recommended another large portion add on, so we went ahead and added it, we ended up with two extra to go boxes as it ended up being way too much food. One of the main items we were looking forward to which was a wagyu roll , they only sent one of the two out, and forgot about the other, we asked 3 different people to bring it and never got it. We got a sashimi platter which was good , the rolls were pretty decent. We got a baked salmon roll which falls apart the moment you touch it so it ends up being a mess to eat it. I don't think we even got drink refills once , or asked if we wanted another drink. It was a busy night so they had some guy video taping the restaurant to show how busy it was , kind of awkward especially not given up a heads up they we will be in their marketing materials, as a courtesy they should just give you a heads up on this for privacy reasons. The manager / host took note of items never arriving , and took those items off which was nice , overall I think the issue was just that it was an unusually busy day for them , like a once a year type or service they had to provide and when we got their attention they seemed to care. Going to still give them 5 stars for this reason.
Edgar Lopez
Great food, great service and at a good price.
Chin L.
Came to visit my homie in town and had a chance to stop by Sakana. Best sushi I've had in a while. Period. I had a chance to try multiple dishes today and I will definitely come back again. Food: 5/5 Service: 5/5 Ambiance: 10/5
bosunia DJ
Salmon is suck but service is good. Don’t eat salmon.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Roll
Tom Takita
We all got stomach aches after eating roasted salmon
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 5
I didn't know what to expect, all I knew was I ordered with them on DoorDash late at night and my gf and I were craving sushi at 11:30pm the 2 nights before and it was actually really good.2 days later they had us on hooked so I made a rsvp with OpenTable telling them I need a big table cause my gf and I were really hungry lol.. and low and behold we were greeted by the host telling us he had a big table ready for us once we arrived. They understood the situation we were in because we had skipped lunch from a long day. I had better than anticipated experience and live music + singer especially was amazing. A+ in my books and service was on point. Let's not forget the quality and the price as well!
Sakana is consistent and dependable for quality sushi, the service is always superb and fast, and the live entertainment (singer and guitar) on Saturday was great. Love that they are open late now.
Aaron S.
Best sushi I've had in a long time, and if you hit it at happy hour it's buy one get one free for rolls and drinks. Food quality is amazing and staff are very sweet highly recommend!
Lily Moss
Sushi was DELICIOUS! Especially the cucumber salad, salmon, and tuna was so good! And the live music and service was great as well!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Yeonwoo Kim
This is one of hidden places Izakaya in downtown LA. Absolutely delicious meal in a cozy izakaya atmosphere. Highly recommend asking your server for recommendations. The menu has a good variety of food served similarly to tapas, and their sake collection is excellent.All-in-all, I would come back again and again! They have a Happy hours between 5am-7pm everyday! Awesome!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Sergio Quintero
The food was great, we had a total of 4 different sushi rolls, my Girlfriend and I went in for happy hour which is buy one roll get one free or buy one cocktail get one free and they also happen to have the Sapporo beer on happy hour. The service was great. Everyone was very helpful and quick, keep in mind that the restaurant was about 30% busy. I would definitely recommend this place if you are looking for a nice and classy sushi experience in DTLA
If laughter adds years to your life, Sakana Sushi Lounge just turned me into a potential centenarian. The experience was a perfect blend of a comedy club and a sushi haven, where the fish is fresh, and the puns are fresher. Right off the bat, our server greeted us with a smile and a "Welcome to Sakana, where we believe in 'soy' and happiness!" I chuckled. Little did I know, this was just the appetizer for the evening's humor. We started with the 'Tickle My Tuna' roll. A name so bold, I half expected it to come with a feather. And when the 'Giggle Eel' roll arrived with a drizzle of 'he-he-hoisin' sauce, I knew my laugh lines were getting deeper. Not sure if it was the presentation or the hilarious menu descriptions, but each roll was 'roll'-ing with laughter. The 'Sal-monologue' was next--a piece of salmon nigiri that came with an actual monologue written underneath it. The joke? "Why do sushi chefs make terrible stand-up comedians? Their routine is always too 'fishy'!" Groan and grin in equal measure. Then came the 'Maki Me Laugh' special--a chef's choice roll that was as delightfully unpredictable as a clown's pocket. Turned out to be a flavorful surprise packed with tempura crunch and a punchline of spicy mayo. And let's talk about the atmosphere. Sakana Sushi Lounge is the kind of place where the saki bombs come with a side of dad jokes and the chopstick wrappers have "how-to" guides that are more hilarious than helpful. You might learn more about comedy here than proper sushi etiquette, but who's complaining? Dessert was the 'Banana Tempur-ama'--a sweet way to cap off the night and the best fruit-based slapstick since someone slipped on a banana peel. In conclusion, Sakana Sushi Lounge serves up a sushi experience that's as delicious as it is delightful. It's the kind of place you come for the food and stay for the funnies--or is it the other way around? Either way, you'll leave with a full belly and cheeks sore from smiling. Five stars for the eatery where the 'rolls' have double meaning, and the laughter is the chef's special of the day.
Delicious food, great ambiance and a friendly staff. All of which made for a pleasant experience.
First time here, everyone was truly kind and caring ! From our host, to waiter/waitress. Definitely coming back. Ambiance was also a 9/10! We love a good simple shrimp crunch roll but it came with pink colored panko, but it was still very good!
Food is amazing. After hours sushi? Why the f not? Ate at the bar Nile was amazing and very attentive. The vibe is chill great place for a date. Great atmosphere and staff is friendly, music playlist is sick. 10000% recommend.
Went here on an extremely busy night , but was not sure what to expect , but it started out a bit rough. We had an inside reservation which even though we showed up early for , they gave it away and made us sit outside. We made due, but we didn't really have a server, the host or manager handled our table as they seemed understaffed on a busy night. We asked him if we ordered too much and he recommended another large portion add on, so we went ahead and added it, we ended up with two extra to go boxes as it ended up being way too much food. One of the main items we were looking forward to which was a wagyu roll , they only sent one of the two out, and forgot about the other, we asked 3 different people to bring it and never got it. We got a sashimi platter which was good , the rolls were pretty decent. We got a baked salmon roll which falls apart the moment you touch it so it ends up being a mess to eat it. I don't think we even got drink refills once , or asked if we wanted another drink. It was a busy night so they had some guy video taping the restaurant to show how busy it was , kind of awkward especially not given up a heads up they we will be in their marketing materials, as a courtesy they should just give you a heads up on this for privacy reasons. The manager / host took note of items never arriving , and took those items off which was nice , overall I think the issue was just that it was an unusually busy day for them , like a once a year type or service they had to provide and when we got their attention they seemed to care. Going to still give them 5 stars for this reason.
Great food, great service and at a good price.
Came to visit my homie in town and had a chance to stop by Sakana. Best sushi I've had in a while. Period. I had a chance to try multiple dishes today and I will definitely come back again. Food: 5/5 Service: 5/5 Ambiance: 10/5
Salmon is suck but service is good. Don’t eat salmon.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Roll
We all got stomach aches after eating roasted salmon
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 5
I didn't know what to expect, all I knew was I ordered with them on DoorDash late at night and my gf and I were craving sushi at 11:30pm the 2 nights before and it was actually really good.2 days later they had us on hooked so I made a rsvp with OpenTable telling them I need a big table cause my gf and I were really hungry lol.. and low and behold we were greeted by the host telling us he had a big table ready for us once we arrived. They understood the situation we were in because we had skipped lunch from a long day. I had better than anticipated experience and live music + singer especially was amazing. A+ in my books and service was on point. Let's not forget the quality and the price as well!
Restaurantji Recommends
Sakana is consistent and dependable for quality sushi, the service is always superb and fast, and the live entertainment (singer and guitar) on Saturday was great. Love that they are open late now.
Best sushi I've had in a long time, and if you hit it at happy hour it's buy one get one free for rolls and drinks. Food quality is amazing and staff are very sweet highly recommend!
Sushi was DELICIOUS! Especially the cucumber salad, salmon, and tuna was so good! And the live music and service was great as well!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This is one of hidden places Izakaya in downtown LA. Absolutely delicious meal in a cozy izakaya atmosphere. Highly recommend asking your server for recommendations. The menu has a good variety of food served similarly to tapas, and their sake collection is excellent.All-in-all, I would come back again and again! They have a Happy hours between 5am-7pm everyday! Awesome!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The food was great, we had a total of 4 different sushi rolls, my Girlfriend and I went in for happy hour which is buy one roll get one free or buy one cocktail get one free and they also happen to have the Sapporo beer on happy hour. The service was great. Everyone was very helpful and quick, keep in mind that the restaurant was about 30% busy. I would definitely recommend this place if you are looking for a nice and classy sushi experience in DTLA
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Roll, Rainbow