Mitsi Pairs a Late-Night Sushi Counter With a 110-Seat Cocktail Bar in Chinatown

A cavernous room on Naud Street where the bar runs to 1 a.m. and the sushi counter closes at 11.

Mitsi opened on April 17 at the intersection of Chinatown and Mission Junction, and it describes itself in a single line: reframed cocktails, natural wine and fresh nigiri in an intimate setting on Naud Street. In practice that means a large bar with a working sushi counter built into one end of it, 110 seats across indoor and outdoor space with room for more than 150 guests.

The project comes from Ben Lovett, the musician best known for his work in Mumford and Sons, through his hospitality company TVG. Lovett founded the group in 2016 to build what he describes as cultural gathering spaces, and its venues include Omeara in London, the Orion Amphitheater in Huntsville and Saturn in Birmingham. Mitsi sits directly next door to Pacific Electric, his Los Angeles music venue, so guests can move between a show and the sushi counter without leaving the block.

The sushi counter, and when it actually closes

Lovett brought in chef Jon Kim to run the food, and has been candid that opening a sushi program in Los Angeles as a British musician carries some risk, which is why he handed the fish to someone else. The menu is deliberately tight. Sashimi and sushi run salmon, bluefin tuna, fatty tuna with caviar, halibut, sea bream, mackerel and yellowtail. Temaki come as bluefin, yellowtail with shiso, fatty tuna with caviar, and a vegan roll of kampyo, kaiware and cucumber. Edamame is the snack.

Here is the detail worth planning around: the bar runs Thursday through Saturday from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m., but the kitchen closes at 11 p.m. Arrive after that and it is drinks only. Dessert is bingsu, in strawberry or an espresso martini version that contains alcohol.

The drinks

Signature cocktails are reworked classics and the list holds under $20. The Old Fashioned is built on bourbon with dry curacao, averna, montenegro and chocolate bitters. The Junglebird runs tequila and salmiana mezcal with campari, pineapple and a coconut wash. There is a Spritz on grape eau de vie and quinquina, a Daisy with cupreata mezcal and yellow chartreuse, and a Sour on gin, melon liqueur, cucumber and shiso.

The martini section is where the room shows its hand. Alongside dirty and gin martinis sit a 50/50 with tomato water and cilantro, a Rose Martini on vodka, Lillet rose and a rose cordial, a Thai Tea Martini with sotol and condensed milk, and an Umami Martini built on gin, vermouth and fish sauce.

The wine list is deeper than the cocktail pricing suggests. Alongside natural and skin-contact bottles from Meinklang, Ruth Lewandowski and Johan Vineyards sit Krug Grande Cuvee, Sassicaia, Dominus, Heitz Martha's Vineyard and a 2009 Chateau Mouton Rothschild. Draft beer leans local and Taiwanese at once, with Crown and Hops from Inglewood, Highland Park Brewing, Arts District Brewing and Benny Boy cider from DTLA alongside Ugly Half from Taiwan. The spirit-free list is real rather than an afterthought, with St. Agrestis Phony Negronis and sparkling teas from Taiwan's S.C Lab. Sake runs from a Yuki Otoko junmai to Kubota Manju.

The space

The ceilings are hung with lit arches that echo the historic bridges visible from the patio. Mismatched chandeliers sit over plush booths and sofas, with bookshelves breaking the floor into sections so a single large room does not feel like one. Lovett has described Mitsi as a love letter to the city and its creatives, and framed it around the same principle as his music venues: build a room where people can actually hear each other. The venue also takes private events.

Vinyl nights

The programming is the part most coverage leaves out. Mitsi runs vinyl listening nights built on funk, soul and hip-hop, with rotating guest selectors behind the decks and occasional bar takeovers. Recent sessions have featured selectors including Cassandra Dali, Harrison Paul Roberts, Tiko Marsala and Connor Musarra, along with deep house sets and holiday nights on the balcony. Given that Pacific Electric is next door, the effect is a block where the music does not stop when the show ends. Schedules go up on Instagram.

Visiting

Mitsi is at 1737 Naud Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012, on the edge of Chinatown and Mission Junction, directly next door to Pacific Electric at 1729 Naud. The bar can be reached at (213) 259-3905 or hello@mitsi.la. Hours run Thursday through Saturday, 6 p.m. to 1 a.m., with the kitchen open 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. and the room closed Sunday through Wednesday. Reservations are on Resy. Parking is easier here than most of Chinatown: Mitsi holds reserved spaces for guests in the Naud Street lot, and you speak to the attendant on arrival.

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