Mori Sushi

Awesome omakase experience. Fresh Japanese fish. Great sushi chef. Wonderful service. Intimate.

The place is clean and spacy. It looks like a family business. So it is quite friendly with Japanese ways. The food is delicious and the price is reasonable. But the beef the roll is a kind tough that is chewing , not tender. That is the only thing I can complain.

5 star food. Not even close. So many choices and all of the ones were tried were so varied and delicious. The owners were incredibly friendly and the service was perfect. There isn't many tables to sit at, so I recommend doing take out.

Highly recommend their Philadelphia Roll.

My boss recommended to me to take my Japanese parents here and it did not disappoint. Fish quality is spectacular and flown in from Japan so safe bet-

The best Omakase menu we ever had!
Reservations are made by calling and Chef Mori responds via SMS to confirm if there is availability.
This is Chef Mori's 16 course Omakase, Kaiseki style dining. This is a type of Omakase that my husband and I have experienced for the first time! -- intricate, well thought out series of flavors that build up and prepares the palate for the succeeding course. It was a good night!

I am only able to load some of the photos but it was a filling meal!

Mori Sushi provides a quiet, intimate atmosphere for a serious dive into omakase nigiri. However, it suffers from a bloated price tag, lackluster ambiance, and lack of a wow factor compared to other Michelin-star sushi establishments. Getting reservations here is also needlessly difficult vs. all other restaurants which have moved to Tock.

This review is mostly comparing Mori Sushi's $280/person omakase with other comparable restaurants that we've visited such as n/naka ($250/person kaiseki, Michelin 2-star), Sushi I-NABA ($180/person, Michelin 1-star, Manhattan Beach), Hidden Fish ($100/person omakase 18-piece, Michelin Guide, San Diego), Sushi Tadokoro (Michelin 1-star, San Diego) as well as places outside Southern California like Sushi Yasuda (Michelin 1-star NYC and Tokyo) and Sushi Taro (Michelin 1-star, Washington DC).

Highlights:

1) Intimate atmosphere

When we visited, we were the only two patrons in the establishment. They require showing proof of COVID-19 vaccine, but I did not realize that you would have the entire restaurant to yourself. It's very quiet and peaceful inside, but it also felt a bit dead.

2) Kaiseki second course

Chef Maru's kaiseki second course left quite the impression. Not only was it a work of art, but each item was excellent. The box crab was lovely, the smoked abalone was intense and maybe needed something to counteract the dryness. The abalone liver was exquisite. Smoked toro and smoked root vegetables were also outstanding.

3) Nigiri quality

Each piece that we tried was truly exquisite. The octopus, for example, was a lovely texture and tasted silky soft instead of chewy rubbery. The pickling on the saba was muted/nuanced and didn't taste vinegary. The ocean trout with a bit of torching was sublime. The quality alone was top-tier.

4) Smoked items

Maru's smoked items are stellar. Each one we tried which he had smoked - I believe over applewood chips - was just incredible. We had smoked toro, smoked vegetables, smoked abalone, and more that really had a deep flavor that left a big impression.

Needing Improvement:

1) Making reservations

Instead of using Tock, Mori Sushi requires you to call and leave a message with your party details and dates and your phone number. They will then text you back if there is space available. You give them all of your details including your credit card over text message, which didn't feel quite so secure. After no response after 24 hours, I texted back to ask whether my reservation was confirmed or not. It was confirmed, but in the meantime, I had assumed I had no reservation. I had not received a reply!

2) Price Tag

Compared to the comparable establishments I listed above, Mori Sushi is more expensive than its competitors at this haute cuisine level. For example, Hidden Fish in San Diego does a similar quality 18-course omakase for $100/person - a steal by comparison! I've listed out other comparable restaurants at the beginning of my review, and Mori Sushi is simply overpriced for what you get.

3) Ambiance

Though we had the establishment to ourselves, the interior is a bit outdated and didn't seem to me like such a well-regarded establishment walking in there. For example, n/naka has a very romantic atmosphere and beautiful partitions. Sushi I-NABA is set up like a cooking class where you gather around a U-shaped bar and watch the master in action. It's way more fun at I-NABA.

4) Wow Factor

Besides the kaiseki second course and the smoked items, Mori Sushi didn't have too many things that blew me away. Most of the fish I had tried before at similar quality. Only a few had a house preparation that was truly novel.

Amazing food. If you know shushi, just gotta go. Chef Maru is amazing. A human, pursuing their craft to perfection. If you are worried about curb appeal, not your spot - but my 2 cents - if you have been to Japan and know what good shushi is, that shouldn't be your concern.

Just recently went back and even though Chef Mori is not there anymore the service and quality of food has not changed. Chef Maru-San is the same funny guy I met the first and is still so cool as the new owner.

We had the Omakase - 2 options one with all sushi and the other with hot food and my bf and I took both options and shared.

Everything was just amazing and each bite better than the other. This is not your everyday sushi unless you have unlimited budget but this is definitely my go to place when I have to celebrate something special.

My favorite best expensive sushi bar in LA.

Maru-san is amazing. We recently had the private dining experience. 3 course appetizer (1 course is actually 7 bite size flavors), 16 nigiri, 1 dessert. 20 full flavor course dinner ! All of the fish chosen were fresh and well-prepared. Definitely earned the Michelin 1 Star and more. Will come back again with family and friends to share this great experience.

Speaking from having ate at Michelin star restaurants all over Japan, Asia, and Americas. This is a gem.

Either weird or unique depending on your perspective.
Meaning...
1. Reservations made via call/text with the owner.
2. Exterior is all boarded up, door is locked. Looks closed and out of business long ago, but it's not. It's open. Call to have Moru come unlock the door when you get there.
3. Seating for about 25, but we were the only 2 people there -- i.e "private dining experience". Sat at the sushi bar. (I liked the music and the art, but the ambiance is not really "elegant" or "fine dining-ish" in any way.)
4. No employees. Just Moru. Chief cook and bottle washer, as they say.
5. Nothing "fancy" inside.
6. Obviously a lot of technique going on with each bite, but nothing "wow". Mostly just fresh, raw fish on rice. Nigiri.
7. Expensive AF (app won't let me put in the price but it's prix fixe omakase so you'll know up front) ... add a hunsky for the tip.
8. Basically like a top tier private sushi chef coming to your house to make you a private dinner. Like I said, either weird or unique, you decide...
9. We don't drink alcohol and asking for a diet coke felt like seeking something completely un-heard of. None available. Canned coke however, was available.
10. Chef is a lovely, interesting guy. Talking with him was a definite enhancement to the "show".