The Best Places to Sip Sake in Los Angeles
Raise your o-choko and say kanpai to the best places to sip sake in Los Angeles.
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Sake is the quintessential drink pairing for all things Japanese cuisine. Made from fermented rice, sake tends to hover around a 15 to 20 percent ABV, making it slightly stronger than your standard bottle of wine. The secret ingredient to sake is koji—cooked rice or soybeans that have been injected with a fermenting mold called Aspergillus oryzae. From elevated omakase experiences to artisanal izakaya-focused eateries, Los Angeles is home to a flourishing Japanese restaurant scene where patrons can imbibe a bottle of imported sake. While most restaurants serve sake chilled, warm sake is a cozy and soothing way to sip this delicate rice wine.
The flavor profile ranges greatly from bottle to bottle, with some sakes boasting a dry, crisp and clean taste, and others featuring a sweeter, fruitier flavor. Filtered sake tends to be clear and sharp, while unfiltered varieties are creamy, milky, and sweeter. Similarly to a wine pairing, a curated sake pairing is a great way to elevate any omakase or tasting menu experience, but even more casual L.A. sushi experiences call for sake. Raise your o-choko and say kanpai to the best places to sip sake in Los Angeles.
The Best Restaurants to Sip Sake in Los Angeles, California
Sushi by Scratch
- 465 La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90048
- 16101 Ventura Blvd #100, Encino, CA 91436
Sushi by Scratch is a speakeasy-style omakase experience by chef Phillip Frankland Lee and Margarita Kallas Lee, with several locations in California (the Montecito outpost boasts a Michelin Star). The Encino location is deemed one of the most unique sushi restaurants in L.A., and a second pop-up location recently launched at the SLS Hotel Beverly Hills. Upon being seated at an intimate 10-seat sushi bar, guests are then taken on a culinary journey consisting of 17 courses of intricately dressed nigiri. Though you can sip craft cocktails or premium wines, the sake pairing is the perfect enhancement to your meal. Expect one-of-a-kind bottles you’ve never encountered—think rosé-inspired sakes with a red pigment, cedar-aged sakes and even bottles that boast a briny and oceanic aftertaste. At the end of the meal, patrons are given a final hot sake cocktail to enjoy alongside the matcha bonbon for dessert.
Yess
- 2001 E 7th St, Los Angeles, CA 90021
Chef Junya Yamasaki’s Yess is a forward-thinking restaurant serving high-quality Japanese food. The minimalist setting features a sleek and simple chef’s counter with an industrial backdrop of exposed bricks and overhead pipes. Located in Downtown L.A.’s Arts District, Yess’ menu fuses sushi-inspired items with wood-fired and charcoal-grilled meats and veggies. When it comes to beverages, there is a focus on dry sake, with most bottles hailing from artisanal and small-batch producers. There is even an entire section of Junmai Daiginjo, ultra-premium sake made with rice that is milled down to half of the original size, yielding the most delicate and often floral flavors.
Uchi West Hollywood
- 9001 Santa Monica Blvd #101, West Hollywood, CA 90069
Uchi is an Austin, Texas original from James Beard Award-winning chef Tyson Cole. Since opening at the end of 2023, the West Hollywood outpost has become a favorite for patrons seeking diverse and innovative high-quality sushi options. From the 11-course vegetarian omakase, which is just as delicious as the real thing, to a variety of cooked dishes such as the Australian Wagyu hot rock, the entire menu pairs perfectly with Uchi’s robust sake selection. Available by the glass or bottle, guests can choose between a creamy Nigori sake, a polished Ginjo sake or a premium Junmai Daiginjo sake. If you’re in the mood for a spirited cocktail, consider the Nikko Martini which is made with gin, a 12-year-aged sake, Lillet Blanc, umami bitters and a side of pickled veggies.
Soko
- 101 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90401
Located in Santa Monica’s Fairmont Miramar Hotel and Bungalows, Soko is an intimate and authentic sushi bar with only eight seats. Enjoy exclusive face-time with Japan-born chef Masa Shimakawa while he whips up his dream box of sashimi or opt for his six-course tasting menu with curated sake pairing. The pairing allows you to experience the best of Soko’s sake selection, but you can also go à la carte and explore the offerings by the glass. Bottles range from an $87 yuzu sake to a $290 Junmai Daiginjo.
Udatsu
- 6634 Sunset Blvd 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90028
One of the newest omakase restaurants to land in Los Angeles, Udatsu is a Tokyo transplant by Michelin-starred chef Udatsu Hisashi. Situated on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, the eight-seat sushi bar sits upstairs above sister restaurant Rokoshu, featuring a concrete, brutalist design that is both immersive and striking. The chef-driven menu consists of 17 courses, each of which can be elevated by a diverse selection of sake that is poured by waitresses donning traditional kimono attire. The sakes themselves are of the highest quality, but the vessels with which you drink them add to overall allure—expect intricately designed o-chokos in various shapes and sizes, some even featuring ceramic kittens in the center of the glass.
Sushi Note
- 13447 Ventura Blvd, Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
Sushi Note is a beloved neighborhood sushi spot in Sherman Oaks. Not to be confused with its sister restaurant, Sushi Note Omakase in Beverly Hills, where wine is the focus, Sushi Note offers à la carte and leisurely ordering alongside a solid selection of sake. Though there are optional tasting menus, building your own ideal spread is best at this locally-loved spot. Though there are only seven sakes available by the glass, there are 25 available by the bottle, including the $1,200 Junmai Daiginjo. Enjoy a chilled Nigori sake alongside the scallop carpaccio, spicy tuna biscotti and halibut yuzu sashimi before ending with a glass of hot sake and black cod.
N/Soto
- 4566 W Washington Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90016
N/soto is the more casual and laid-back counterpart to chef Niki Nakayama’s special occasion-worthy kaiseki-style N/naka. While N/soto does offer a $95 tasting menu on Wednesdays and Thursdays, the restaurant focuses more on à la carte offerings, ranging from fresh nigiri and handrolls to sharable small plates. More than 10 sakes are available by the glass, plus another 17 by the bottle. One of the most unique bottles is the Toyo Bijin “Asian Beauty” Yamaguchi, a Junmai Daiginjo sake with a bold fruit-forward flavor followed by intense cinnamon and nutmeg spice. The Times Goes So Fast cocktail is a rye-based cocktail made with an aged sake that is smoky, aromatic and complex.
Kinjiro
- 424 E 2nd St, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Little Tokyo’s Kinjiro is a cozy little establishment that puts a modern spin on the art of Izakaya. Izakaya is sort of the Japanese version of tapas, featuring sharable small plates that pair nicely with a crisp Sapporo or sake. Each dish is designed to be shared, and you can expect plenty of variety across the menu. In addition to cold plates like sashimi, chilled tofu and beef tataki, there is also an entire section dedicated to fried and grilled dishes, along with rice, soups and stews, including udon and unique takes on miso soup. When it comes to sake, you can order by the glass of bottle, and the menu conveniently lists the tasting notes of each varietal. Whether you want something bold and funky or subtly tart and sweet, there is a sake for every kind of sipper. There are also a few versatile by-the-glass options that can be served both chilled and warm.
