Bar Sawa - Los Angeles, CA

Sue Lee

My friend and I had an exquisite dining experience at Bar Sawa. Each course was prepared and presented to perfection. The place was a little tricky to find; there were no signs, and it was in the basement of a very unexpected building. You can also only get down there through the middle elevator! The instructions to get to the restaurant were emailed, but I didn't get to read it in time, so it was my fault. ? We thoroughly enjoyed our meal, ambiance and the entire experience. Highly recommend!

N

2024.7とても美味しかったです。サービスも素晴らしいです。私たち夫婦はお酒を飲まないのに、ここを予約してしまいましたが、モクテルでも十分楽しめました。駐車場はビル内にあるので、簡単です。駐車料金は取られませんでした。

黃茱莉

最好停車在這棟大樓裡，不然行走的道路，空氣有點不好，餐點美味但沒有太大的亮點，15道，$185，酒類很豐富，新一代的板前壽司調酒吧，主廚年輕才俊，相當親切且幽默！

Alvin Lam

Hidden away in the city of Los Angeles is this amazing bar that serves one of the tastiest omakase. Entering the bar, you see a bar top that seats approx 10-12 people, with a open kitchen vibe. My partner and I had a great time. The Sunday crew was very nice and attentive, engaging with the customers and making things fun! The selection of fish was amazing, definitely a different experience compared to other omakase establishments I've been to.

Parking was very easy since they provided easy simple instructions on their website :). Will definitely visit again on a Sunday

yahui hsieh

總結：餐點和調酒都超完美！
店裡內用座位不多，所以大家都是板前形式，可以看到廚師們做料理的過程，也更容易和廚師們互動。用餐當晚是特殊活動「鮪魚之夜」，嚴選了日本黑鮪魚和墨西哥鮪魚的各個部位，做成一系列無菜單料理。從來沒想到鮪魚可以有這麼多種表現方式，每一道吃完就忍不住期待下一道！調酒的部分可以選sake pairing或cocktail paring，cocktail的話就是自選三種，這裡的特色是威士忌調酒，我們一共點了兩份pairing和單點了一杯經典調酒，總共7杯完全沒有踩雷！加上廚師們都很風趣親切，真的是渡過超棒的一個晚餐，差點在旅程第二週再來回訪！ 提醒要來用餐的朋友，餐廳位置在大樓地下室，沒有任何招牌所以有點難找，到了google map上導航的地址後會是一棟大樓，先進到大樓二樓後，需再從電梯搭到地下室，一樓沒有出入口。

Quynh Dao

Hidden gem for sure. This restaurant has been on my husband's list and he was so excited/hyped to try it out! Discovered it on Instagram and got us reservations for a party of 4.

The experience was impeccable. Our sushi chefs and bartenders were amazing. Service was exceptional. It was a 17 course Omasake and of course our husbands had to get the Japanese whiskey. Super impressed. Drinks were delicious. 5/5!

Chen Zhu

Somehow managed to book two seats on a workday night. Overall portion is small. Totally 17(I remember?) courses but both my husband and I are still feeling half full after the entire course. (And this is based on each of us had two cocktails) We went to yakitori afterward and had 5 skewers each of us. That’s how little portion the meal was…
Appetizer and the noodle dish was really good. Sushi wasn’t very impressive as a lot of the fish cuts are not the best cuts. $170 you can find better sushi somewhere else for better cuts of fish. Personally I don’t like the rice here. I think this place has potential but definitely has more aspect to improve on.

Jeff Streit

Bar Sawa offers artfully crafted sushi and cocktails served as an Omakase in a modern trendy environment.

To start off with the most important part the food and drink is definitely top notch. The sushi offerings are distinct. Not entirely traditional but offering some creative twists like smoke infusion without becoming gimmicky. Each course is beautifully crafted and plated. The fish was near perfect the rice was inconsistent and sometimes a little too dry or dense depending on the course.

Cocktails focus around Suntory brand offerings and lean heavily into traditional Japanese flavors like Yuzu and Matcha. Overall a fun and creative twist. The cocktail tasting menu allows you to pick 3 drinks the enjoy during your omakase or you can chose from wine and sake options. It would have been a bit better if they offered a cocktail tasting that was tailored to the courses served.

The restaurant itself definitely focuses on the trendy whiskey bar aesthetic and pulls it off very well. Each Omakase seats only 6 people so it keeps an intimate environment. Some of the logistics around entry are a little lacking. You enter the basement level by elevator and find yourself in a slightly awkward brightly lit waiting room off a long hallway. It feels more like hotel bar at first but thankfully once inside the environment is better.

Service was ok. The restaurant is very new and staff is obviously still training. The chef's pull double duty as chef and waiter as is typical of an Omakase. Here however the waiters also serve as bartenders and oddly the hostess as well which makes things a little convoluted since one of them had to go to greet the next round of guests.

Overall it was a fun experience but doesn't quite live up to the best similarly priced Omakase experiences in LA. However I think there's a ton of potential for it to be one of the best as it is refined further. There is clearly a strong sense of quality and creativity that hasn't been fully realized in such a new restaurant that's still ramping up.

I'd definitely recommend a visit. Reservations are needed in advance and book fast. Parking available in the structure next door.