Mezzanine Sushi

Beverly Grove’s West 3rd Street has no shortage of pre-going-out spots—sexy, booze-forward restaurants where you can snack on good food, get a little tipsy, and still make it to the bar/nightclub/party you committed to afterward. The newly opened Mezzanine Sushi in the Palihouse West Hollywood is already one of the best options in the neighborhood for exactly those nights. Located on the hotel’s loungey second floor, Mezzanine has “sushi” in its name, but the small izakaya plates are what you should concentrate on. The seafood pancake is plump and juicy, the grilled yellowtail collar flakes beautifully under a pair of chopsticks, and the wood-fired tomatoes are tiny smoke explosions in your mouth. Of course, drinking is a big part of the experience here, too, with a large range of interesting sake to choose from and a bar downstairs that has every classic cocktail in the book.