KIWAMI by Katsu-ya

Absolutely Outstanding Sushi Experience! This place is a hidden gem for sushi lovers! Every bite was a perfect balance of flavor, freshness, and presentation. The fish was incredibly fresh you can taste the quality in every roll and sashimi cut. The toro literally melted in my mouth, and the spicy tuna had just the right kick. The ambiance was cozy yet upscale, perfect for a casual dinner or a special date night. The chefs clearly take pride in their craft, and the staff was attentive, friendly, and knowledgeable with great recommendations.

My favorite sushi spot in the valley. Quality, value and taste are all top notch. Also a great happy hour during the weekend!

Walked by while attempting to choose our date location, and just by looking in the atmosphere seemed great! I ordered the Brussel Sprouts as an appetizer and BOY OH BOY!!! As my roll, I ordered the spider roll. The presentation was WOW and our server was amazing as well. Very attentive, friendly, and fast. Yummm we will be coming back.

We walk here all the time and this is our go to Sushi spot in the Valley. The staff is always so inviting and attentive. Never had an issue with service and the food has always been consistent. Not to mention, I do not eat white rice and they are able to everything with brown rice. The salmon special in the picture is unreal 🔥🔥 the hostess Hanna was awesome!! She deserves a separate shout out.

Used to come here 2-3 times a week but lately maybe once a month. I do like the food and the price is right, but half the servers are absolutely horrible. Had one of the worst experiences to date a couple days ago. Started off with this one older short server who looks tired (always dread when I get him, he doesn’t know how to do his job) just to then be passed around 5 other servers. Dishes all arrived at random times. Got a main dish before any appetizers. He forgot my drink. Gave me the bill without asking if I was done or wanted dessert. The younger tall servers aren’t bad, I don’t mind when I get them, but I swear the two short older ones are awful. Time for them to go or get retrained? Their attitude is so poor too… they treat you like you’re a bother. I honestly started thinking it was personal hate toward me but every single customer in the restaurant seemed annoyed with their service. And why can’t we stick to ONE server? Or maybe give us the option to pick who we want as a server. Wish I knew their names to call them out more properly. But this feels like the Cheesecake Factory now in terms of service quality or one of those mall restaurants. And we’re expected to tip 20% for that type of mediocre waiters. I’m absolutely sure I’m not the only who feels this way as the restaurant is always pretty empty lately…. You used to need reservations for this place. There’s maybe now only ever 5-6 sitting tables at night. Oh well. Hopefully management wakes up and improves. Really sad. Lastly, the inside fees so sterile and bright, like a cafeteria. Used to love sitting outside but lately they don’t even bother turning out the heat lamps or closing the wind curtains.

Absolutely delicious! I’ve been here dozens of times and it never fails to impress me. Definitely make a reservation as it usually is pretty packed. Their baked crab hand rolls are perfect.

Absolutely amazing. Everything we had was perfect

Atmosphere was busy, this place gives off a vibe that the food is good because lots of people showed up. Stuff is very friendly and courteous. The sushi is one of the worst that I've ever tried. Seriously went to two more restaurants that night to try to forget the disgusting experience I had here. If you like sushi - don't go here, if you never tried sushi, then you might enjoy yourself trying a sloshy concoction of rice and seafood decorated by someone who's never seen food before.

If you know me, you know I'm a sushi fanatic. Lately, my usual sushi spot hasn't been hitting the mark feels like the quality has gone downhill. So, on a coworker's recommendation, I decided to check out Kiwami, and it did not disappoint. I arrived right when they opened, and the atmosphere was spacious, inviting, and warm. The service? Absolutely flawless. The sashimi was incredibly fresh and literally melted in my mouth. We tried a few of their sushi rolls, and my favorites were the Robert Roll and the Spicy Albacore Cut Roll , so flavorful and perfectly made. The only downside is valet parking, which costs $10 and is right next to the restaurant. However, if you'd rather skip valet, there's street parking available, though it's first come, first serve. Honestly, I'm already planning my next visit this week!

I am shockingly disappointed by Kiwami! I had high expectations but this restaurant fell really flat. The hostess was incredibly rude, the food took forever to come out, and the ambiance was nothing special. The sushi/sashimi was good but the rolls were really subpar and lacked flavor. There was really no redeeming quality. I'd definitely skip this place and go to one of the many other sushi spots in the area!

You can't beat how great their happy hour deal is. In fact, it's easily one of the best in LA. We ordered 3 of the $4 hand rolls (yellowtail, spicy tuna, and spicy albacore), $3 popcorn shrimp, and the $10 sushi sampler. All of the items tasted fresh--an unbeatable deal! My only note is about the ambiance. Kiwami resembles an upscale restaurant, and while the service and interior feels that way, the music doesn't align with the overall atmosphere. They were playing 2000's pop when we went, and while that's not a bad thing, it just didn't seem fitting for a sushi restaurant. It's not significant enough to knock off a star, just a suggestion. Highly recommend coming for happy hour!

Solid Sushi in the sushi capital of LA. GREAT service that cares and with a smile. Just really very good. Would make this a return to place for sure.

Sushi snob here- anything Katsu-Ya never disappointments. I could eat this sushi everyday for the rest of my life. I crave the honey and baked crab hand rolls from any location. So good! Sit at the bar- always great service.

Kiwami is a MUST do whenever I am in Studio City! Service is impeccable and very accommodating. Make a reservation! Must haves are baked crab hand rolls - I ordered two! Albacore with crispy onions is to die for - I could eat those crispy onions all day! Spicy tuna on crispy rice is the absolute best at this location- the rice is warm and sticky and is perfect with the tuna. Every other sushi restaurant should take lessons on Kiwami's crispy rice. Shishito peppers are classic. Crispy spinach is a unique twist on an otherwise normal vegetable - delicious and taste like chips. Scallop sushi is fresh and sweet. Salmon with caviar is AMAZING. I'll never miss a trip to Kiwami when I visit LA!

This, along with its sister restaurant group Katsu-ya, may be one of my absolute favorite restaurants in the entire world. The dishes are always creative and consistent, with wild amounts of flavor, care, construction, and execution that is honestly up there with the best of the absolute best restaurants. Crispy rice-spicy tuna, garlic albacore, albacore sashimi with crispy onion in yuzu ponzu...all absolute gold with nothing like it anywhere else. In-credible. Everyone I bring is always surprised and can't stop talking about how great it is, even if they're doubtful when I tell them it's mind-blowingly good. The service is always great but this past visit was particularly above and beyond - they managed to fit my group of 6 on the patio in a bind on short notice with a large celebrity party next to us and they kept everyone happy and attended to throughout the entire dinner. The patio isn't big but the lighting and acoustics are pleasant. I can't say enough about this place. Had several noteworthy and milestone celebrations at Kiwami and plan to have many more in the future pretty much any chance I get.

I am in town for a trade show in Anaheim and I was visiting a customer who is up in the area. He chose to come here, and I was very, very happy that he chose this location. First of all, they have valet. It's $8 for lunch, not sure if it goes up for dinner but this is pretty reasonable for lunch. Max was the valet that took my car, I was early for the lunch but no problem, I went and checked in with Luke at the host stand. I made a reservation for lunch to make sure we had a table, but to be honest my customer is basically well known here and eats here with his family often. So we received excellent service and I let him order everything for lunch. We had two servers for our meal. First off, Erik was the starter for our meal, and then Hana was the server who ended and closed out our check. I won't recall everything we ate, but I took photos and I will tell you that the meal was epic. The edamame was so tasty- spicy garlic flavor...hard not to mow it down right away, and the cucumber salad is a pretty simple dish, but you can tell how good a place is by the effort they put into making both dishes. The crispy rice spicy tuna roll was also crazy delicious. Texturally the crispy rice is an awesome idea for the juxtaposition with the freshest of fish. We had the spicy tuna with popcorn shrimp ("popcorn") because they were large pieces! They offer low sodium soy sauce, but also their own homemade soy sauce so I went with that. I was so full at the end of the meal. It was a long drive back to my hotel, but it was worth it. Many thanks to the entire team here at Kiwami. Not only did I entertain my customer who went to a great place he loved to eat- but now I'm hooked as well. Hope to be back sometime soon! Support small owned businesses!

I went here for my first sushi experience in LA and was definitely not disappointed. All of the food is really tasty, and they've got some great options for patrons that don't eat fish. We had a reservation for the outside patio (which is very nice), but after we decided it was too hot, they were able to move us inside with no issues. We ordered a lot of food, and the service was very quick. I personally do not eat fish, but the people who did absolutely loved the spicy tuna crispy rice roll. I tried the veggie tempura, and it was very classic and delicious. The teriyaki beef was the highlight of my meal, the flavor of the meat was good, and the teriyaki sauce was delicious. The table also got some cucumber and avocado rolls (which were very tasty) The prices were not bad considering the portions, location, and quality. The inside of the restaurant itself was very nice, even though it's small, the restaurant doesn't feel too cramped or crowded. My only complaint was that a server recommended a roll to a person at the table, and they immediately didn't like it after they tasted it, but I believe we were still charged for the roll. A little bit of a bummer, but still a great experience overall, and I definitely recommend it

We love the fish quality and taste here! We use to go super often but moved away. All the dishes were well seasoned! Our favorite is the crispy rice spicy tuna, a must get! Also likes that even though we got the salmon cut roll, unlike other places where fish quality is low they will like mince the fish. You could tell that in the cut roll salmon was still sashimi quality, and not minced to hide quality of fish. The dessert was just ok, so I'd skip on that.

I get takeout from here often because their box is one of my favorite sushi boxes around. A perfect mix of sashimi, spicy tuna crispy rice and a cut roll. The individual sauces is the greatest touch because you don't have to worry about putting the wrong sauce on the wrong fish. Small detail but makes a huge difference.

Really enjoyed the service, setting, food and drinks at this classy casual sushi place. Started with beer, hot sake and crispy brussel sprouts, all very tasty. Then came tuna sashimi with crispy onions, fresh with a delicious sauce. Finished up with a soy-wrapped roll that was soooo good! I think one of the Stranger Things kids was sitting near us? Very limited parking.

Amazing everything! One of the best in LA. Great food. Go back over and over and over. Service. Everything fantastic.

Food is great the owner is terrible and rude. I guess they had a blackout which is totally understandable. They were still taking orders. Went to pick it up and she literally stared at me through the window didn't check what I needed as I needed them to cancel. She then shooed me away even after I held up my phone with order.. it doesn't take much to be nice . Will not be ordering from them again

I'm super allergic to soy. So I order California rolls with real crab. 9/10 times they put soy paper on my order specifically ignoring food allergies.

I had tot take away a star for recent service. Every time we call for takeout (we recently find ourselves unable to go sit and eat there) we have been quoted 1 hour for take out. For 2 rolls and 1 order of sashimi. No matter what time we call. The last time I went in person and they shrugged and blamed it on DoorDash. I know if you're sitting there they obviously don't have you wait 1+ hours for food so clearly they're deprioritizing take out... which would be fine if you weren't paying the same price. But honestly all of this is fine with a bit of planning. My issue is both times we've placed an order was quoted an hour and I called at about 35-40 min and was told my order was ready and waiting. Nobody likes sushi that's been sitting. If you're going to quote an hour it should be ready in an hour. Not 1/2 that time.

I love kiwami! Super cozy and consistently delicious. The staff is incredibly nice too and I've never had any issues with making a reservation or walking in. Special shoutout to Jaime (sushi chef) for making my first experience sitting at the bar so wonderful. Jaime was so skilled and attentive. We really enjoyed trying his personal twists on different sushi pieces!!

No complaints. The food is delicious and it's awesome Ventura Blvd. Sushi. Servers are incredibly friendly and kind, too.

One of, if not THE best sushi spots in the Valley. Honestly there's not much to say other than the fact that the sushi is just incredibly delicious. Their service is also fantastic - wait staff are SUPER attentive. I've had a variety of rolls and sashimis from their menu and everything has been amazing. My personal favorite is the jumbo scallop sushi with yuzu - YUM!

5 stars once again, amazing service from Hana. The best server there is , definitely take a visit for her. HOWEVER we did have horrible experience with one of the servers. We noticed our original server Kazumi greeted us, but then within 25 minutes we never saw her again and were waiting to order. Hana immediately came and checked in with us. Not to sound snobby but me and my family have been dining with the KATSU-YA Group for years, and only recently been coming to Kiwami. The food is phenomenal, I will say though the garlic albacore special was horrible. I think the combination doesn't go well at all, especially with the unnecessary truffle on top. The garlic butter combo goes best with yellowtail! We got many of the specials, got the toro nigiris with the wasabi on top (amazing quality) , got shishitos, edamame, Handroll, creamy salmon roll, 4 rounds of sake, and so much more !! All amazing quality as always. After coming to kiwami for months now, I will say I am beyond grateful for how Hana handle's situations and how delightful she is in her suggestions. Always recommends the best foods, gives great tips on combos, and has amazing energy. Everytime we've ate here , she has been phenomenal and I have recommended Kiwami solely because of the great service provided. Our original server Kazumi took almost 30 minutes to take our order, it was not busy at all, and we noticed very nasty stares from her to our table every so often. Even though we just placed a couple started from Hana, Kazumi still never checked in with us until it was time to buss the table and bring the check. We also noticed that the check had Kazumi's name on it which meant our tips will be going towards her, even though she never took any of our orders throughout the night, never checked in with us, and never served us ever ! OFC we tipped Hana, and ofc we left a tip on Kazumis check because we will never leave a $0 tip. Just pointing out that every time I come here, Hana is always quick to greet customers and makes sure all tables leave happy. She even checked in with us when she noticed we didn't touch the garlic albacore special that we didn't like ! Maybe we caught Kazumi on a bad day, but never checking in with us and giving us dirty looks just because we asked another server, who we were familiar with and absolutely loved, was uncalled for. Just check in with the guest next time! All is well, thank you Hana (insert heart emoji) See you next time !

Walked by while attempting to choose our date location, and just by looking in the atmosphere seemed great! I ordered the Brussel Sprouts as an appetizer and BOY OH BOY!!! As my roll, I ordered the spider roll. The presentation was WOW and our server was amazing as well. Very attentive, friendly, and fast. Yummm we will be coming back.

Amazing sushi restaurant that I've been visiting since childhood, starting at their original location just down the street. The fact that they have two locations within a mile speaks to their quality. The consistency and freshness of the food are outstanding, and the great staff keeps us coming back. Highly recommend!

Food was great. Kiwanis has a huge selection but their rolls are pretty limited. The quality of the fish and the meal I had was amazing. The fish was soft you could just tell it's fresh. The staff was sweet and helpful in choosing some items they recommended. Some items we got were red snapper, albacore with crispy onion, crispy rice, edamame, wagyu and a few rolls. The Robert roll was great and the honey shrimp roll. The ambiance is great honestly everything about this place I enjoyed. The best part of it all is the prices. It's not like your typical sushi restaurant with prices that are over the top. I love how they don't over charge like most sushi restaurants.

Kiwami is one of my favorite restaurants of all time. We always get the spicy tuna on crispy rice. It's so delicious! Other favorites are the green beans, the crab hand rolls, the pop corn shrimp. We've never been sad about anything that we've tried there.

Kiwami is very good. Order breakdown: 1) Crab Roll: Decent, imitation crab seems the same everywhere. 2) Tempura roll: Great! Really tasty and unique, takes a couple of bites though. 3) Creamy Salmon Roll: Loved it. 4) Sashimi: All high quality. Service was pretty good, ambience outside was perfect in the covered patio. You have to pay for valet parking which is kind of annoying. Overall I like Kiwami a lot, though it can get a little pricey.

This place is so great, the food is always fresh and arrives super quickly. The service is amazing!! Highly recommend

My family and I go there once a week. Last Friday I got very, very bad food poisoning and am still suffering 3 days later. My husband who ordered the same thing( the sashimi plate) was sick as well but not as severely. I hope the managers read this and will carefully consider their processes. The staff either isn't practicing good hygiene or the fish wasn't fresh. I gave a second star because we have enjoyed them in the past.

Absolutely delicious! I've been here dozens of times and it never fails to impress me. Definitely make a reservation as it usually is pretty packed. Their baked crab hand rolls are perfect.

I had a really good experience in this sushi restaurant thatnk you to our Waitress show was awesome and the food was soooooooo fresh.

Came here through recommendation of a friend and enjoyed our night. Great service and great quality fish. We upgraded the yellowtail jalapeño and albacore crispy rice dishes to get belly for both and super worth it! The super toro was like butter, just melted in your mouth. Albacore belly and albacore belly crispy rice were our favorites as well. Sooo good! Spicy tuna crispy rice was also ok but I've had better. Was not impressed with the blue fin tuna and yellowtail jalapeño as much as it tasted a little fishy! Also did not like the fried ice cream as it was more bread like then tempura. Overall it was a good new place to try out with not much of a wait for a Friday night.

We eat here all the time and love it! Some of the best sushi in the Valley. Always fresh, great rolls and service and good atmosphere. Baked crab hand rolls are amazing and so are the many specialty rolls like the spicy tuna with baked crab on top! Sauteed green beans are a must!

Fantastic sushi and experience at the sushi bar Very good, friendly service Consistently good

It was nice hanging out and the food were delicious. Waitress were polite and friendly except one . He was not our server and we asked him to give us hot tea, he came back with not hot tea instead cold tea and he was not friendly at all. He had beard on his face and we think his name is Kanoa. The others waitress were friendly and polite. Environment was ok except people smoking at the parking lot or the car smokes.

Everything was wonderful except for the rainy weather. The staff were very friendly, and the food absolutely delicious. We went for lunch and had Blackened Miso Cod, Shishito Peppers, Cajun Salmon Roll, Shrimp and Vegetable Tempura, and hot Sake. Definitely recommend the cod! It was so tender and flavorful.

Get "The Box." I think that's what they call it. You can ask the server they'll know what you're talking about. it's basically a sampler of all their greatest hits. Came here for a business lunch when it opened at 12PM. Service is quick and friendly, just a good idea to have a reservation even for lunch.

With so many local sushi spots along Ventura Blvd, I really overlooked this place. First off the service here was great, everyone from the hostess to our waitress to the other servers were very attentive and on top of whatever we needed. The food was great and I was surprised dinner for two with sake and dessert ran under $100. I will definitely be coming back soon!

The new favorite spot for sushi with my family! There's this adorable young woman with bright red hair who complemented my blazer one night--she made my experience so pleasant! It's cozy, nicely designed, and a place to spot celebrities every now and then. Best menu items: Salmon Sashimi, Rainbow Roll, Tuna Sashimi, Super Toro, Brussels Sprouts, Vegetable Tempura, Albacore Sashimi. Yellowtail Sashimi, Tuna on Crispy Rice, Assorted Nigiri, Crab Hand Rolls, and Mixed Vegetable Roll

Always a staple when I visit LA, Kiwami is my favorite spot for spicy tuna crispy rice, baked crab hand rolls, and creamy spicy popcorn shrimp. Other highlights are their warm spinach salad, albacore nigiri, and miso black cod. The service is always welcoming and you basically can't order wrong here.

Just okay nothing speacial about the food or ambiance. We ordered: Baked crab handroll Bluefin tuna handroll Albacore crispy onion Yellowtail sashimi Spicy tuna crispy rice Sunset roll CAjun roll Misox2. The handrolls were really good and the yellowtail sashimi had a nice citrus taste with the cucumber. Did not enjoy the cajun roll at all. Crispy rice wad burnt and had a burnt taste. Service was good.

Menu needs to be updated on Yelp but this place never disappoints. My favorite item on the menu has to be the corn tempura. The sauce that comes with it is magical and literally gives my mouth an orgasm. There's never a time I order it that it disappoints. The outdoor dining patio is perfect in the spring and summer. The inside is just like any other traditional sushi spot. The iced green tea with Splenda is always amazing also!

Came in on a Sunday Funday, lol was nervous because the special menu didnt have any pricing on it & everything looked great so we ordered alot. All fresh, cutely presented & delish!! Service was attentive and abundant lots of staff. The vibes arent super upscale but very modern minimal with that japanese garden flare! We will be back. Oh & the bill was kinda up there so def clarify pricing on anything if thats a factor.

Too expensive but food and service is good. Small portions. Great for date night. Nothing out of the ordinary.

One of my favorite sushi places in LA. Come for lunch and get their Bento Box. It will fill you up. It's the right amount of sushi. Their sushi is definitely top tier and tasty. Plus the ambiance is so nice, especially for a lunch or dinner date. Both indoor and outdoor season. The service is super cool as well and attentive to your table. Highly recommend!

This was one of the best experiences I have ever had. The food was some of the best I have ever had and the plating went into an unreal amount of detail. The service was amazing and I got to watch the chef make my food. I got omakase and it was really good and I highly recommend. The restaurant looks really good and it makes you fell clean. This is one of the best restraunts in my opinion

Seriously one of my favorite spots in the valley. The quality of fish here is absolutely incredible and the service is 10/10! Hana is so on top of it and truly so kind to your entire table! The rolls are so beautiful and never fail to impress! I love the secret "Kiwami Roll" and the "Spicy Albacore w Crispy Garlic Roll" they also have a fun bento box! 10/10 recommend!

Quality cuts of fish with the same menu options served many years ago. The menu needs to be refreshed... service needs to be improved.

One of my favorite sushi spots in LA.. customer service is always top notch.. ask for Eric he is the BEST!!!

Great food and wonderful service. Nice relaxing place to have lunch or dinner. Sushi is always fresh and delicious.

The food is amazing first of all, I have been coming here for around 6-7 years and it's my favorite sushi spot in LA. The servers are incredibly friendly people. The ambience is nice to, the sushi bar and the kitchen you can see in the entrance is a nice touch, the walls are also really cool, I think it's a Japanese garden I Recommended: baked crab roll (hand) crispy rice and spicy tuna, corn tempura, and the black truffle albacore.