The Backhouse

We had a great visit! Hands down the best roll we had was the Super Dragon Roll. The drinks were made very well, and the edamame with sea salt was also on point - fresh and warm! The fried calamari was yummy and the sauce that it came with was a perfect amount of heat with flavor. Everyone here was friendly and the atmosphere was relaxed. Luis our server was absolute amazing and so personable. I could tell a lot of locals that are repeat customers were here which also felt special. I thought the volcano roll had a lot of different flavors going on and reminded me of a stuffed meatball. We ordered a big variety to try different items and had PLENTY of food.

I like the small portions, almost bites, for really reasonable prices but some of the dishes just aren't well executed. For example, the scallop carpaccio was about 1/4 inch thick, it should be so thin you can almost see through it. However, it had a good taste. My dining companion had the wings. Had to send them back because of feathers on almost all the pieces. The plus were crunchy skins but that also meant dried out meat. If you like okra, definately get the bacon wrapped okra, you get 4 whole okra fingers neatly wrapped in bacon strips, on a skewer. The same for wrapped scallops. Tasty. Conscientious service and nice vibe environment, good old school music. Good place to share food and try a few different bites off the menu.

Their happy hour is really good. I love a good late night happy hour and they have lots of different options. $1 house oysters are good and we always get their amazing Brussels sprouts. Their shishito peppers are great too. Their spicy tuna is ok but a good deal at happy hour. We got the spicy tuna on crispy rice as well. The crispy rice is really good. It has a great crunch and they flavor it well but the spicy tuna is just ok. I scraped off the tuna on my last one and just ate the rice lol. We came on a Friday night and it was really busy so the service suffered. The host at the front told us we could sit at the bar and he’d grab us when a table was ready and then totally forgot about us. It was fine and we stayed at the bar but I saw multiple people come in after us and get seated right away. He came over at the end of the night when we were more than halfway done eating and said he asked if we wanted to move but never acknowledged forgetting us or apologized. There were about 5-6 empty tables at that point so it was pretty clear he had forgotten. We’ll still come back but you have to be on top of the servers because they will forget you. We always had to track people down and flag for help.

One of my family’s favorite sushi spots. Always a classic. However, this is the only Backhouse we’ve ever gone to where the sushi with truffle didn’t actually have some pieces of truffle on top — just the oil. But other than that, another great experience with this chain.

Service was great, paid parking lot nearby, and the food was great. There is also happy hour where everything on the menu is 10% off.

I'm always looking for late night happy hour places. I've been here twice now for the happy hour and it was great both times. Brussel sprouts were probably the best item on the happy hour menu along with the shishito peppers. Oysters were another great deal for $1 each. Sushi was good but less memorable. Chicken wings were not great: flavor was a pretty generic teriyaki glaze and the wings were very small with minimal meat. Overall I'll definitely go back again for happy hour.

Stopped in on the 4th and I was pleasantly surprised it was fairly empty. First time here and I’m happy I did. The server was a kind (Ceaser) and attentive. The food was great! The seared Salmon sushi was great, a bit thick bit I didn’t mind. The yellowtail truffle roll was really good too, I recommend it. Edamame was also great. Solid sushi menu that offers variety. Will be back.

Amazing service and such friendly staff. Food was great and they give HUGE sashimi portions. Yakitori is a must here!

We had a great visit! Hands down the best roll we had was the Super Dragon Roll. The drinks were made very well, and the edamame with sea salt was also on point - fresh and warm! The fried calamari was yummy and the sauce that it came with was a perfect amount of heat with flavor. Everyone here was friendly and the atmosphere was relaxed. Luis our server was absolute amazing and so personable. I could tell a lot of locals that are repeat customers were here which also felt special. I thought the volcano roll had a lot of different flavors going on and reminded me of a stuffed meatball. We ordered a big variety to try different items and had PLENTY of food.

I like the small portions, almost bites, for really reasonable prices but some of the dishes just aren't well executed. For example, the scallop carpaccio was about 1/4 inch thick, it should be so thin you can almost see through it. However, it had a good taste. My dining companion had the wings. Had to send them back because of feathers on almost all the pieces. The plus were crunchy skins but that also meant dried out meat. If you like okra, definately get the bacon wrapped okra, you get 4 whole okra fingers neatly wrapped in bacon strips, on a skewer. The same for wrapped scallops. Tasty. Conscientious service and nice vibe environment, good old school music. Good place to share food and try a few different bites off the menu.

Their happy hour is really good. I love a good late night happy hour and they have lots of different options. $1 house oysters are good and we always get their amazing Brussels sprouts. Their shishito peppers are great too. Their spicy tuna is ok but a good deal at happy hour. We got the spicy tuna on crispy rice as well. The crispy rice is really good. It has a great crunch and they flavor it well but the spicy tuna is just ok. I scraped off the tuna on my last one and just ate the rice lol. We came on a Friday night and it was really busy so the service suffered. The host at the front told us we could sit at the bar and he’d grab us when a table was ready and then totally forgot about us. It was fine and we stayed at the bar but I saw multiple people come in after us and get seated right away. He came over at the end of the night when we were more than halfway done eating and said he asked if we wanted to move but never acknowledged forgetting us or apologized. There were about 5-6 empty tables at that point so it was pretty clear he had forgotten. We’ll still come back but you have to be on top of the servers because they will forget you. We always had to track people down and flag for help.

One of my family’s favorite sushi spots. Always a classic. However, this is the only Backhouse we’ve ever gone to where the sushi with truffle didn’t actually have some pieces of truffle on top — just the oil. But other than that, another great experience with this chain.

Service was great, paid parking lot nearby, and the food was great. There is also happy hour where everything on the menu is 10% off.

I'm always looking for late night happy hour places. I've been here twice now for the happy hour and it was great both times. Brussel sprouts were probably the best item on the happy hour menu along with the shishito peppers. Oysters were another great deal for $1 each. Sushi was good but less memorable. Chicken wings were not great: flavor was a pretty generic teriyaki glaze and the wings were very small with minimal meat. Overall I'll definitely go back again for happy hour.

Stopped in on the 4th and I was pleasantly surprised it was fairly empty. First time here and I’m happy I did. The server was a kind (Ceaser) and attentive. The food was great! The seared Salmon sushi was great, a bit thick bit I didn’t mind. The yellowtail truffle roll was really good too, I recommend it. Edamame was also great. Solid sushi menu that offers variety. Will be back.

Amazing service and such friendly staff. Food was great and they give HUGE sashimi portions. Yakitori is a must here!

Amazing. Food service restaurant is gone. Please come back. Everything was good sushi yakitori salads beer everything was good.

My aunt took me here for a birthday dinner and we dropped in right at the end of happy hour, the food (and deals) were AMAZING! If you're going to come here, hit happy hour 4:30 - 6:30PM M-Fri I listed some of the rolls we got in the photos. Overall 10/10 and I will gladly be coming back. They even brought out a little birthday treat to celebrate.

Glad I finally tried this spot because the food was delicious! We got to the restaurant pretty late on a Tuesday and there was still a decent sized crowd, but still plenty of space to sit. Ambiance is low key with colored mood lighting, a nice bar and a somewhat separate dining room. I liked the energy in the room for sure. Food quality was all fresh and really well executed. The yuzu scallop carpaccio was our favorite bite of the night. We got the yakitori combo which was a great size for two people to split. The truffle salmon nigiri was so good we ordered another serving. Everything else we tried was really solid as well. All in we spent about $50 per person which we found reasonable for how good the food was. Service wasn't anything out of the ordinary but they were nice and attentive. Will definitely be back.

The Backhouse is very good. Everything I've had was tasty and fresh. The sushi is excellent! The drinks are very good. Give it a try!

Yelpers!! Check in for a whopping 10% off on your bill!! What can I say...it's a well priced and decorated sushi sports bar with friendly service. Great music playing too! I ordered the Volcano roll and it so cute and very filling for $18.

This meal was so good that I couldn't stop thinking about it the next day and wanted to go back a second night in a row. The edamame with truffle garlic soy sauce was so good that we kept the empty bowl on the table just to dip everything else in the remnants of the sauce. The salmon carpaccio in truffle sauce was like butter - great flavor. And the beef tongue yakitori was grilled to perfection. The prices were good considering the area. I will definitely be back!

This was a decent spot as I was looking for an izakaya somewhere in West LA. It was quiet for a Friday night, not many people were dining here, and that wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but you definitely didn't get that izakaya loud noisy atmosphere that can be fun. Drinks were alright, and the prices were fair, but the actual izakaya dishes and yakitori although tasty were a bit pricey considering the quantity of food. We all ordered a plethora of stuff from skewers to sushi and rolls. All of it came out pretty quickly and the food was good. Overall it was a decent spot for izakaya, but expect to be paying close to $80-100 for a full meal with a couple drinks. A bit more than your standard quick bite on Sawtelle, and I wish the atmosphere was a bit better for the price you're paying.

Wonderful ambience, excellent food. Sashimi was top notch. Personally I would have preferred the calamari and tempura to be crispier and less doughy, but the taste was still great quality. Seaweed salad was pretty standard (not a bad thing) but included grape tomatoes and slivers of carrot & cucumber. The service was also excellent, both our server and the busser were friendly and attentive.

I've been on the hunt to find more sushi places on the westside and The Backhouse did not disappoint. We came here on a Friday night around 8:30 pm without a reservation. The place has two separate seating areas with bar seating as well. Since it wasn't too crowded they let us choose where we wanted to sit ourselves. We went ahead and ordered some miso soup with the albacore delight and Pico roll. Our sever was super attentive and fast and we really appreciated him giving us his suggestions. The sushi was good quality and filling and the prices were decent. If you're looking for good quality sushi on the westside this is the place!

3.5 stars rounded up. Came for happy hour which is currently 20% off the regular prices. Chicken karaage ($11) - not recommended. The breading was thick and not that light and crispy Seared salmon truffle carpaccio ($16) - pretty good, decently fresh with a nice and not overpowering truffle flavor Yellowtail yuzu roll ($18) - The spicy tuna inside is definitely more on the spicy side, FYI. I didn't taste the yuzu sauce on top at all. Still a pretty good roll nonetheless and the yellowtail was flavorful All that and a beer came out to about $50 with happy hour pricing. A good place to stop by before watching a movie at the landmark theater.

Found restaurant on yelp but didn't see the 10% off discount , this would've been a 4 star review if I had used the discount as I think the regular price was too high for the food's quality and portions. I ordered 2 ribeye fried rice, a baked salmon roll, 6 pieces of salmon sushi, and 2 pieces of eel sushi. It barely fed my wife and I, and it was $100. Both the raw and cooked salmon didn't taste very fresh, and the ribeye fried rice could've used more flavor. I usually go to Hide Sushi on Sawtell but it was closed today so I had to look around. Probably not coming back given the price, and quality and portion of food.

I've tried both yakitori and sushi from The Backhouse, and they are both great! I enjoyed the Yakitori sampler set because it offers a good variety of yummy skewers. The sushi rolls are definitely on the smaller side, but they are pretty fresh and tasty! Service is also great, and there is easily available parking at an outdoor lot next to the building.

This was one of my favorite spots! I'm so bummed it is closed (at least for now). Does anyone have information on whether it will reopen?

Spicy Tuna on Crispy Rice is ALWAYS my favorite (so I'm biased) but I loved it :) Garlic Albacore Carpaccio was AH-mazing - so fresh and definitely would return for this!! The Yuzu Margarita was good and about what I'd expect in comparison with other yuzu margaritas. The Lychee Martini was a bit strong/tasted of alcohol (not my favorite) This restaurant loses one star specifically for the Blushing Geisha, which tasted just like vodka - WOULDN'T recommend. I would return to try more sushi items and maybe the yakitori! Parking is easy in the lot at the end of the block for $1/hour (across the street appears to be a garage with free parking for the first three hours but I didn't go in, so not sure).

Came here for their happy hour deal where it's 20% off the entire menu. I had a big lunch so I only ordered two skewers: mushroom and eggplant. The mushroom was sooo delicious. The eggplant was good too but it could've been grilled a bit longer. But the main thing we came here for were the oysters. We got a dozen each and these were so good. Super fresh and the perfect size. I will definitely be back for these oysters.

I headed to the westside for a movie screening and needed a quick bite to eat. I went to my trust Yelp app and found The Backhouse. And what a find it was!! I asked to be seated at the bar since I was in a bit of a hurry. I ordered a beer, some sautéed Shishito Peppers, and a Yellowtail Yuzu Roll. The Shishito Peppers came out quickly. They had been flash seared, tossed with a tasty soy miring sauce, and topped with bonito flakes. The first pepper was sheer bliss, hitting your mouth with the perfect balance of umami, a little heat, and the punch of the bonito flakes. Yummm!!! The second pepper was a different story though. It was extremely hot and quickly blew out my taste buds. Ouch!! These peppers are usually quite mild but one can always expect to find a spicy one every now and then. Thankfully my mouth recovered just in time for the Yellowtail Yuzu Roll to arrive. The middle was filled with spicy tuna and it was topped with slices of Yellowtail and avocado and served with a tart Yuzu sauce. The tuna was nicely spiced with a decent kick of heat and a nice punch of toasted sesame oil. The Yellowtail was nice and tender with a subtle sweetness that indicated its freshness. Combined with the cool avocado, this roll had a nice balance of flavors and went perfectly with my beer. I'm very happy to have stumbled upon this place thanks to Yelp. The service was very friendly, the food was quick to come out, and the prices were reasonable for the quality I received. I'm looking forward to returning the next time I am on this side of town. Well done Backhouse!!!

Food is awesome, but the service is so bad that it's comical. It's not a rude thing either. They just forget entire items or bring you another table's roll. They are really nice and will go out of their way to fix things. Just be prepared to be there over an hour, have a positive attitude, and imagine you're 16 and it's your 1st job. It helps keep things light and compassionate. One night several years ago I was there on a date and side bar I'm really nice to servers and baristas and parking attendants. I've been there. Some people are just awful. First when the server came by to ask about appetizers I reminded him about my diet coke. My date had his drink. When they brought the appetizers I asked the man bringing them if I could get that diet coke I was waiting on. After about 10 more minutes I got the attention of another server when she was walking away from a table and told her I just really wanted some diet coke and this was now my 4th request. What happened next, I wish I had on film. My date and I are talking and the woman server brings me a diet coke. I thank her, 30 seconds later, the gentleman who had brought the appetizers arrived with another diet coke and we said no problem I won't need to ask for a refill. About a minute later a busboy who had cleared the appetizers brought a 3rd diet coke and we were falling out of our seats laughing. When the original waiter rolled up with a 4th diet coke right before we finished eating about 75 minutes after we had sat down and ordered it we were in tears from laughing and I said no thank you I have had enough.

We popped in here on our way to the Wisky Go Go. This place is ok. Too many others options to choose from which I suggest. This odd charred grilled smell welcomed us. Not good. They brought out our orders as ready. Very good. We had a combination of rolls, the baked muscles, eddemame, and nigiri. For the most part, the sushi was fresh. But overall not consistent across items. The service was fast. I'm surprised this place is rated a 4. No pictures taken. Sorry!

Does anyone have any information as to why they are closed!? This was my boyfriend and I to go place and we passed by a week ago and it's gone like forever gone! I am so sad

I often stop here to drink hot sake and get a few rolls of sushi. My all time favorite is the Philly roll, California roll and California roll. The customer service is ok, sometimes great. The food comes out pretty quickly. They have a sit down bar, tables and small tables by the bar. Really comfortable and nice atmosphere. Clean bathrooms. Solid food.

I wonder if I ate at the same place as some of these 4-5 star reviews?! - The wasabi was chemical bright green - Chicken karaage was over-breaded, nice seasoning though - Yellowtail carpaccio was decent - Salmon baked roll was over baked - Yakitori was all over cooked or too saucy

I ordered for pick up during covid when the restaurant were allowed to have some limited indoor dining. Inside seems like a nightclub/restaurant. Pretty cool if you're into that! I tried the fried rice with chunks of pork which was good. Decent portion size. Of course I had to try their skewers, eggplant, chicken and beef! I really enjoyed the beef and chicken, very tender and nice flavor. Eggplant was okay. I really liked the kabocha tempura! Highly recommend a portion to share. Nice staff, metered parking outside.

This is my new favorite spot for happy hour!!(4-6:30pm everyday) We recently moved here and live down the street but always order takeout and honestly didn't know they had happy hour until recently. We ordered the Manhattan, lychee martinis, crispy tuna on rice, pork belly yakitori, sashimi and countless sushi rolls. Everything was so good as always!

Good things 1) service 2) Ambience 3) good place to take date. Bad things 1) food wasn't as good as before, they mist have changed ownership? 2) They used to have happy hours late at night, but no more. If the food was better, i would definitely go back.

I love this spot. Great HH which is 20 percent off everything until 630 pm during the week. Staff is always super nice. It's also amazing that they have a full bar, which is not normal for sushi. Ambiance is cute. Nothing incredible but it's not why you come here. Now for the food. It's good - a solid 3.5 or 4. The menu is extensive and awesome. I will say everything feels like it could be a little better. I love the gyoza dumplings and the shishitos. Crispy rice is also 5/5. Every time I get the rolls I'm always a little under-satisfied. Maybe it's the freshness? Not sure. Again, it's still good. Just not like wow level quality for sushi. But there are so many things on the menu... you don't have to stick to raw fish!

Luis is the best excellent service and amazing food. Thank you Backhouse team pico staple. Great for the community.

Really wanted to love it here. It started off well... we had an albacore carpaccio that was stellar. Then, came out the soft shell crab, Volcano roll and Chashu Don. My mom thought the soft shell crab must not have been real. I disagreed because how can that be but really... it was large and flavorless. We'd never had a soft shell crab like that. The Chashu Don was braised pork belly on top of white rice. Not much sauce and not very integrated.. it was just dumped on top. The flavor was ok, but then what do do with that huge mound of rice? The Volcano Roll was terrible. When I took a bite, I thought how strange that they topped this roll with chicken meatballs instead of fish. I didn't remember that on the menu. So I looked back at the menu and it was actually tuna on top, just baked into oblivion. This roll was horrifying. The staff is lovely, the space is lovely... but The Backhouse needs some work before we'd come back!

Great place to hang out after a tough work day in sunny SoCal!! Raw Oyster Bar is amazing, fresh and very very tasty. Ambiance is delightful. Quaint, sport bar feel with darker lighting in the far back corner. Very private and comfortable The food is prompt, tasty and very affordable. My go-to place for Westwood's fine dining!

Reviewing during COVID19 season. Great indoor decor with outdoor seating for social distancing. Everything was great, the edamame in spicy garlic sauce, the rolls, ahi tuna, yellowtail and albacore carpaccio but the scallops took the cake for me. Awesome customer service and the food was fresh. This one's a keeper. Support your local restaurants!

It was pretty good. Had the seafood mainly. It has a nice bar but didn't decide to drink this trip. The vibes were there. We had the oysters and sashimi and both were tasty

Overall it was a good dining experience minus a couple dishes I wasn't too fond of. There were a number of items on the menu I was definitely happy with. The salmon truffle roll, fried onion albacore carpaccio -and the salmon truffle carpaccio were excellent. The bacon wrapped scallop yakitori was exactly what I expected it to be. The 2 disappointing items were the backhouse roll and the scallop carpaccio. The backhouse roll was just such a basic generic roll that left more to be inspired. The scallop carpaccio was to a point where I didn't want to continue eating it. Again overall it was a good experience but just couldn't give 4-5 stars when those items fell short.

Not good. Highly disappointed! Everything was mediocre and just not put together well. Won't be coming back. Service was good though.

Got sushi and rolls for take out and was pleasantly surprised. If you are looking for quality sushi that is better than Sushi Stop but not as good as Sugarfish this is the place. Fat pieces of salmon on their sushi and yellowtail was tasty. All other rolls were a bit basic. $10 Chicken karaage was super crispy and delish with the miso dressing on the cabbage. Would def come back just for this!

Delicious! We went for happy hour. Shishito peppers were great. Also loved the sashimi. We had a cooked salmon roll that we didn't like but they gladly took it back. Great place for Japanese happy hour in a chill environment. Great service too!

Been coming here pre covid and during covid. During covid, they have been making some changes. I really miss their beef tongue fried rice. They use to have it pre covid times, but it looks like they removed it for good when they changed their menu during covid times... My husband and I usually come here for sushi date nights bc of the ambiance that's perfect for date night with dark lights. Their sushi is always good for the price and oysters are fresh. You can't go wrong with the yakitoris. There's some kind of umami going on with the pork belly yakitori so definitely give it a try. The staff are friendly and checks on you during the meal.

Tried this place while visiting LA. The Food was good but not the cleanliness. There was a roach just crawling around us. Ruined our appetite. Definitely not a grade A. I don't think I can try this place again.

Let's take a trip back in time. It's 2017 and The Backhouse is the go to sushi spot in west LA. Sushi quality is excellent, they have a great happy hour, and the place is packed. Fast forward and they are under new ownership. The sushi quality is on par with Sushi Stop.... wth man And the prices haven't changed. I just went there and spent $60 and I didn't finish my sushi because the quality was so bad. It's depressing, this place used to be one of my favorite sushi spots.

Happy hour here is the best! Yakitori is awesome. You can see them cooking the skewers at your table. Favorite was the pork belly. Service was great. The staff came by a lot to get drinks and additional orders. Parking: you can find street parking depending on the time of day or park across the street for 3 hours free.

Happened on this local gem (because another nearby restaurant was full up with a long wait) and so glad we landed at Backhouse!! They have a full bar and an ample food menu of sushi and yakitori. We ordered drinks, the Yakitori Set (delicious and well priced) as well as sushi nigiri and rolls, and the shishito peppers. Everything was fresh and delicious! Staff was super friendly and attentive.

Great experience! Was going to go to Gyu Kaku next door but their wait was over an hour so we came here instead and we're very happy we did. I got a 34 oz beer and had a bunch of their sushi... my family loved it to!

Love this place. The service is great and the food is delicious. I got the shiso chicken, filet beef (on skewers) and a side of white rice, as well as a california cut roll. The california roll was actually flavorful and fresh! The skewers was delicious and flavorful as well! They have happy house Monday through Wedneaday -all day and thursday - sunday I believe between times. There is street parking, so make sure you read the signs correctly! Lol The staff is always so friendly and I will definantly be coming back! The food and prices are perfect!

Backhouse has a full sushi menu, as well as starters and entrees like unagi don. They also have yakitori and oysters and Wednesday is 20% off all day. Add to that a full bar, my favorite sake, and the fact that the kitchen doesn't do last call until 10:30 and it's become one of my regular go to's.

This was my absolute favorite sushi restaurant. Best quality sushi. Salmon was amazing. Best yellowtail carpaccio in LA. Loved the truffle salmon. Loved the spicy tuna crispy rice. Great skewers too. Reasonably priced too. Such a fun and enjoyable atmosphere. I absolutely love the staff. They were so friendly and accommodating. I felt like home here. I could always come and have an enjoyable experience. I will miss this place.

I had heard good things about their happy hour so we decided to go today and found out they just stopped their happy hour the other week and cut their menu down a bit too. They still had the chasudon that my brother in law had raved about so I ordered that with some kaarage and Brussels sprouts. The food was really flavorful and delicious, the only comment would be that my chasu bowl was a bit salty and that's coming from someone who loves salty. I hope they bring their happy hour cause I would have loved some $1.50 oysters with my meal.

The Backhouse on Pico is the best Japanese restaurant in town, our family favorite. Delicious fresh food, charming atmosphere, and a tasty lichee martini! Go there, you will love it.

I have to say I was definitely disappointed in this restaurant. The back house in Koreatown has a special place in my heart, as my fiancé and I had our first date there. They have a great happy hour at the Koreatown location. Since we recently moved to the West side, we were excited to try this location too. Our excitement was short lived. Happy hour offerings are definitely not as good at this location, compared to the Koreatown location. Also, the quality of the food served here was nowhere as good as the quality in Koreatown. Everything we tried that we like in Koreatown, was sub par here. The agedashi tofu had a strange flavor to it, and all of our normal favorites from the Koreatown location, fell a little short here.

Awesome place for a quick snack . My go to place for a quick dinner or lunch . Highly recommend their baked crab rolls or Carpaccio dishes !!

SKIP this place. food is not even worth the effort. quality. taste. all lacking. its as if no one cares at all about what they are giving you to eat.

We tried to go to another Yakitori spot on sawtelle but they were closed. So we found the back house. So glad we did! Everything was so good! Chashu Don Brussels Yakitori Set