Miura Took the Old Urasawa Counter on Rodeo Drive and Won a Michelin Star

Eight seats, a second-floor hallway on Rodeo Drive, and the only Westerner ever to finish seven years at Kikunoi.

Miura opened on the second floor at 218 N. Rodeo Drive and earned a Michelin star in its first year. The address matters as much as the star. That counter previously held Sushi Yamamoto, and before that Urasawa, which is about as loaded a room as exists in Los Angeles sushi.

The credential

Derek Wilcox is the first and only Westerner to complete a full seven-year apprenticeship at Kikunoi in Kyoto, one of the most revered three-Michelin-starred kaiseki restaurants in Japan. That is not a credential that gets handed out. Almost no foreign cook has been trusted there beyond a single season. He also trained at the one-starred Sushi Aoki.

His Los Angeles path took a while to arrive here. He came to open Imari in Brentwood, which did not last. He joined Shibumi as chef de cuisine, and that closed too. Miura is the first room with his own name behind it, and the sushi community noticed immediately when he stepped into the old Yamamoto space rather than the New York chef many expected.

What is served

Miura runs Tokyo-style Edomae omakase at $320 per person across an eight-seat counter. Wild seafood is flown directly from Japan, including wild maguro, and the restaurant states plainly that no farmed fish is used at all.

The restaurant also publishes something most omakase rooms leave unsaid: a no-substitute policy, stated up front. Edomae means silver fish, so expect aji, saba, iwashi and kohada, along with ebi, hotate and kaki. If those are not for you, the kitchen would rather you know before booking than be disappointed at the counter. It is an honest way to run a room at this price.

The sake list has drawn particular praise as genuinely knowledgeable rather than decorative. The wine list has been described as still developing.

Booking it

Reservations run through Tock, and the policies are strict enough to read before you click.

• Deposit: $160 per guest, refundable, charged at booking and returned on arrival.

• Cancellation: at least 48 hours ahead through Tock for a full refund. Phone, email and social media cancellations are not accepted.

• Cutoff: same-day reservations, changes and rescheduling close at 1 p.m.

• Late arrival: a 30-minute grace period, after which the booking is treated as a no-show and the deposit is forfeited.

• Corkage: $80 per 720ml bottle.

Visiting

Miura is at 218 N. Rodeo Drive, Floor 2, Beverly Hills, CA 90210, reached through a serpentine second-floor hallway inside the shopping complex. Enquiries go to info@miura-beverlyhills.com.

• Hours: Wednesday through Saturday, 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Closed Sunday through Tuesday.

• Seats: eight at the counter. Reservation only.

• Parking: self-parking in the lot runs about $10, which on Rodeo Drive is the bargain of the evening.

• Price: $320 per person before drinks, tax and gratuity.

The restaurant posts on Instagram, and menus and details are at miura-beverlyhills.com.

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