Sushi Nakazawa Finally Opened on Robertson, Four Years After It Was Announced

Sixteen seats, a room built to feel like an underwater cavern, and a four-year wait that ended in May.

Sushi Nakazawa opened at 145 S. Robertson Boulevard on May 13, ending one of the longest opening delays in recent Los Angeles memory. The project was first announced for a 2023 debut, slipped repeatedly, and by the time the doors finally opened it had been in the works since at least 2022.

The chef is Daisuke Nakazawa, born in 1979 in Tochigi Prefecture, who became internationally known through David Gelb's 2011 documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi as the apprentice tasked with making tamago until his master approved. He opened the first Sushi Nakazawa in New York's West Village in 2013 with restaurateur Alessandro Borgognone. That location earned a Michelin star in November 2018, and the Washington location followed in October 2019. Both have held their stars since.

The room

The restaurant took over the Beverly Grove building that long housed Cuvee, gutted by Studio UNLTD into what the team describes as an aesthetic inspired by an underwater cavern. The focus is a 16-seat sushi bar wrapping a full kitchen, with table seating available and patio dining planned for later, likely on an abbreviated menu.

On the pricing question, Borgognone has framed the LA arrival as bringing his partner's thirty years of work into a single room, which is a fair description of a counter this size. It also lands in what is now one of the most crowded omakase markets in the country.

What it costs

• Chef's Menu, $295 per person. Nigiri plus prepared courses.

• Classic Menu, $190 per person. Nigiri only, but more pieces.

• Sake. The beverage program is overseen by Dean Fuerth, and the restaurant says it carries the most extensive sake list in California.

Early reception has been strong but not unanimous, which is worth saying plainly. Diners have praised the pacing, the service and the sourcing, with several singling out the staff. At least one has pushed back on portion size relative to the price. At $295 before drinks, that is a fair thing for a reader to weigh before booking.

What comes next

The team also runs Hi.Dozo, the premium omakase box Nakazawa launched in 2024 exclusively with DoorDash. It operates from Los Angeles kitchens at 8600 W. Pico Boulevard and 14435 Victory Boulevard in Van Nuys, and offers pickup as well as delivery. Nakazawa's framing is that omakase should be for everyone, and the name blends English and Japanese into something close to "hi, here you go."

• The Dozo. Eight pieces of nigiri with tuna sashimi, futo maki and edamame.

• The Chef's Choice. Eight pieces selected by the chef, with the same sides.

• The Deep Dive, $54. Twelve pieces of nigiri with tuna sashimi, futo maki and edamame.

• The DIY. A hand roll kit with toro, yellowtail, salmon and ikura over rice, plus nori, pickled cucumber and seaweed salad.

Every box ships with soy sauce, ginger and wasabi in color-coded packaging carrying the Hi.Dozo table logo, meant to signal that you are taking a seat at the chef's table. One practical note from customers: the boxes arrive in a paper bag rather than an insulated cold carrier, in the same way Sugarfish handles takeout. A first Hi.Dozo brick-and-mortar has been reported for West Hollywood, with a New York site near Rockefeller Center also in the works. Neither has an announced opening date.

A first brick-and-mortar Hi Dozo is planned for West Hollywood, with a New York location near Rockefeller Center also in the works. No opening date has been announced for either.

Visiting

Sushi Nakazawa is at 145 S. Robertson Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90048, in Beverly Grove on the border of West Hollywood and Beverly Hills, just north of Third Street. Reach the restaurant at (310) 953-3221.

• Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Closed Sunday and Monday. Lunch service is planned but not yet running.

• Reservations: essential. Sixteen counter seats sell out well in advance.

• Parking: metered street parking on Robertson and the residential blocks east, plus paid lots along Third Street. Budget time on a weekend evening.

• Ask for the counter. Table seating exists, but the counter is the reason to come.

Menus and reservations are at sushinakazawa.com.

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