Sushi Zanmai – LA

For reasons that are equally cultural and practical from a business standpoint, it’s rare for any sushi restaurant – chain or individually owned, authentically Japanese or otherwise – to simultaneously operate locations in Japan and the United States. Great sushi chefs are famously particular about everything from the sourcing of their fish to the specifics of their rice preparation and other key ingredients, so although chefs sometimes individually exit Japan to start fresh (with local compromises) in America, the number of  U.S. sushi restaurants with existing locations in Japan is comparatively small: Kura Sushi is one, and with the opening of its new location in LA’s Koreatown only doors down from KazuNori, Sushi Zanmai (stylized “SUSHIZANMAI”) is another.

Founded outside of Tokyo’s historic Tsukiji Market in 2001, Sushi Zanmai is – like Kura – known in Japan not for extraordinarily fresh fish or a distinctive focus, but rather quality fish at reasonable prices. So it’s somewhat ironic that the chain is most famous internationally for its owner Kimura Kiyoshi, who has courted media attention by placing multiple record-breaking bids for bluefin tuna at Tsukiji’s fish auctions: In 2019, he paid $3.1 million for a single 613-pound tuna, which is around 125 times normal pricing. Making the most of these expenditures, his restaurants include conspicuous signs spotlighting his bids, TVs with documentary-style mini-movies telling his life story, and even Colonel Sanders-like glossy statues to welcome guests at the door. It’s all sort of funny at a distance, and certainly distinguishes the chain from countless competitors.

Backstory aside, Sushi Zanmai offers what Americans would consider to be an upper mid-tier dining experience. While servers are ever-present, attentive, and friendly, orders are placed on iPads that can be passed between members of your group for easy inspection of photos, text, and prices, after which items are prepped at the sushi bar or kitchen and hand-delivered to your seats. Plates are rapidly cleared, assistance is frequently offered, and overall hospitality is at least as impressive as the several Zanmais we’ve visited in Japan – arguably even better.

Whether you order standard, fatty, or extra-fatty tuna here – and you should certainly try at least one if not all of them – the texture, thickness, temperature, and flavor are above-average by LA standards. Though the tuna here isn’t at peak Sugarfish or Sushi Gen levels, it’s clearly superior to what Kura serves, and virtually melt-in-your-mouth even in the leanest, reddest cut. A three-piece tuna sampler with one piece of each grade goes for $17.

Zanmai’s most notable differences between Japan and LA locations are – not surprisingly – a more limited selection of fish varieties, and slightly less photogenic presentations. Chef’s choice three- and five-piece plates give you the opportunity to sample pieces of commonly available fish and shellfish such as salmon, yellowtail, squid, and shrimp, some raw and some lightly torched, alternating between dabs of ginger, soy, mayo, or nothing at all. In more traditional Japanese style, a touch of hidden wasabi accents many of the nigiri pieces, and the rice is lightly vinegared, flavors that aficionados may prefer to the oft-neutralized alternatives at American sushi restaurants. By contrast, hand rolls and specialty rolls don’t aim for purely Japanese ingredients or preparations, nor do they stand out as special in any way.