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You could eat at every omakase restaurant in Los Angeles and never come across a place quite like Sushi Sonagi. That might read a bit grandiose, especially if you haven’t been able to book a seat at this tiny Gardena spot, but there's good reason.
As with many high-end sushi bars, Sonagi is pricey, detail-obsessed, and very limited when it comes to reservations. But the similarities end there. What sets Sonagi apart is the story woven into every omakase: how its Korean-American chef incorporates thoughtful personal touches into his cooking, the nerdiness about micro-seasonality that dictates every service, and how you’re looped into the thought process and execution of every course throughout the two-hour meal—all of which culminate in an experience that tastes and feels like it could only take place in LA.
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
From the jump, dinner at Sonagi feels like a peek into a family’s world. You pull up to a Gardena strip mall and stand outside a nondescript door until the chef’s wife or sister steps out to greet the 10 people gathered outside. Once everyone shuffles into the minimalist blond wood space, the chef smiles from behind the counter while his parents help prep in the back kitchen. The term “mom-and-pop restaurant” might be a cliche, but by any measure, Sonagi is a true family affair (chef-owner Daniel Son and his sister also run Katsu Sando, and Daniel’s father was the chef-owner of the now-closed Kura Sushi).
Throughout the two-hour, 19-course meal, Daniel doubles as host and chef. He’ll tell you about where the species of baby shrimp you’re eating comes from, the formalities of ordering fish via Whatsapp, his upbringing in the South Bay, and what kind of pizza he likes, all while Patti Smith and Celine Dion play in the background. You’ll feel welcomed and engaged, and maybe even a little chummy with the sushi-eating strangers sitting next to you. And while that’s all well and good, it’s ultimately just a bonus to the incredible meal at hand.
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
As with many fancy omakase, Sonagi’s approach to sushi is borderline obsessive, down to the specific sesame seeds from Kyoto used to coat a slice of sea trout sashimi, to the combination of sushi rice varieties blended for optimal texture in the nigiri. The fish require a week (or weeks) of prep, like meaty Spanish carabineros poached in kelp water so they remain soft and sweet, big-eye tuna dry-aged for over a week to develop a deeper taste, or gizzard shad preserved in salt to mellow out its intense funkiness. Sonagi isn’t the only high-end sushi restaurant in LA with this level of exactitude, but the way that the chef walks you through each step gives you a deeper appreciation for the beautiful fish you’re eating—a show and a behind-the-scenes peek all at once.
Sonagi likes to have fun, too. The chef sprinkles in delicious bursts of creativity here and there, like sake-poached monk liver tartlets, tiny fried ice fish coated in crunchy “snowflake salt,” and a mackerel-mayo sando presented on fluffy housemade milk bread. The nods to his Korean-American heritage are sometimes subtle and other times big and showy: delicate chawanmushi seasoned with gamtae, cut rolls filled with silky ganjang gejang, and giant pots of bimbimbap made with roe from rare seko-gani snow crabs sizzling in perilla oil. These dishes are prime examples of beautiful, intuitive “fusion” (if you care for that word) but, more importantly, they connect the dots of Sonagi’s distinct backstory.
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
Dinner at Sushi Sonagi costs $200 per person, before tip and drinks, which is objectively a lot to spend on a meal, but a relative bargain by current LA omakase standards, where $250+ or more is the standard buy-in for dinner at a top-tier spot.
There’s a catch, though: even if we’ve convinced you to give Sonagi your hard-earned money, we’re less confident you’ll be able to snag a reservation for next week, or even next month. The restaurant is only open Friday through Sunday, with two services per night, which can make bookings a challenge (rolling reservations are released online at midnight, 30 days in advance). Based on our experience, it's much easier to book one seat over two, so if you’re not opposed to a solo sushi excursion instead of date night, that might be your quickest route in. If there’s a meal in LA that’s worth staying up to late and refreshing your browser for, however, it’s Sonagi—which will be apparent from the moment you leave dinner with a handwritten thank you note from the family and a fresh perspective on what amazing sushi in LA looks like.
Food Rundown
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
Omakase
Sushi Sonagi’s 19-course menu costs $200 per person before tip, beer, and/or sake. (Realistically, you’re spending closer to $300.) Expect less commonly seen, seasonal cuts of fish and beautifully plated nigiri, like scored gizzard shad pickled in kelp vinegar, translucent baby shrimps on small mounds of rice, and delicate sea trout rolled in toasted sesame seeds. The menu also draws influence from Korean cuisine, like snow crab bibimbap served in a sizzling stone pot. Hot green tea and beer are available, as well as sake, which you can order by the carafe or bottle. Detailed descriptions are written under each bottle, and many of them are described as “rare.” And by rare, we mean the chef personally brought them back from Japan in his luggage (hopefully, our tip covered the baggage fees).
