the barracuda sashimi had a dashi jelly and some tsunomono cucumber. Very good
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Had dinner here for the first time about a couple weeks ago. I had a good time and Iâm sure Iâll be back at some point 
Although the technique was perhaps not quite as on-point as at Masakazu (though it certainly wasnât sloppy or anything), I think all-told Iâd rather come back here. The atmosphere was casually convivial in a way that Iâd found Iâd rather missed during covid, and, for all their other strengths, isnât present at temples of sushi like Sushi Kaneyoshi. It feels more like youâre at a lively neighborhood sushi bar that just happens to do an extremely good job with the food.
From reading reviews of Kiriko many years ago I got the impression that the mango-salmon was a bit of a touchstone. While it was certainly good, what really impressed me from the otsumami were the ankimo and the corn tofu with wasabi. The first was a stunning exemplar of the class, the second a truly creative, intelligent, and enjoyable marriage of ingredients that really played off each other with the sharpness of the wasabi coming in near the end to cut through the sweetness of the corn.
The nigiri was, overall, good - some great - the only off-note being the ikura (which was a bit of a salt bomb and felt mostly like an afterthought).
The QPR is strong - $120 (before tip & tax) gets you the otsumami, a few rounds of other appetizers, ten pieces of nigiri, and a roll to round things out. Mine was an excellent toro-taku, which our itamae spruced up with shiso, in accordance with their own tastes.
If Shibucho doesnât re-open (which it might - I finally managed to reach Shige-san on the phone, and it sounds like heâs working to get things running again!) I could see this becoming a mainstay.
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Awesome news! He is truly one of the original Godfathers of LA sushi.
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âAwesome news! He is truly one of the original Godfathers of LA sushi.â
But "Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes.*
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very glad to return to kiriko after many years to eat their lunch omakase. very unhappy to learn that they are soon going to closeâitâs been too hard recently, the chef said, and they need a long break.
our return was very fortuitous. since my mother-in-lawâs move to seal beach we havenât really ventured in this direction for some years. havenât been to either mori or kiriko in a long time. but we decided to go to the getty on this trip and casting around for a good spot for late lunch today kiriko was the no-brainer choice. if weâd left it for the next trip weâd have missed it.
some highlights from todayâs lunch omakase (now $60) + one of the add-on pieces.
engawa
kohada
house-smoked salmon with caviar
tako (this was the add on)
the bad news
chef namba was running the show in the house. in fact, he was the entire front of house. but i only noticed the change of ownership sign on our way out and when i went back in to ask when/why he was in the kitchen. the sushi chef whoâd served us (the only one behind the counter) is the one who told us it was because it had been too difficult of late. he said the closure was a done deal but didnât know exactly when theyâd stop. so, if you havenât been (in a while), go now. the fish was as good as ever.
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Wow, i was just there 2 days ago and chef Ken was in the house, it did look like the were getting killed with only 1 server but i had no idea they were going to close 
. Sushi was excellent as usual and the simple miso soup was the best Iâve had in a while.
So glad I went
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Was there last night.
Really good as usual.
Yes, the place is âsoldâ and closing sometime in the next few weeks.
Sad.
Ken wants to re-open somewhere/somehow after an extended break/rest.
Heâs a gem.
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To have such a great place as a neighborhood sushi spot has been amazing. He could charge a lot more and open up a Temple of Sushi spot and do very well but Kiriko will be missed.
Hope they enjoy their well deserved break.
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yes, do appreciate that they did not go the âfuck youâ$250+/head or gtfoâ route. and the lunch omakase both went up from $40 to $60 in the last decade and remained an excellent deal relative to the competition.
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âŚprobably Nakagawa Tomotaka, whom you can see in this somewhat odd video.
Hope he stays local after Kiriko closes.
i posted my farewell to kiriko on my blog yesterday. but since posting iâm not sure if they are actually closed or closing. their website is still up, and both google and yelp show them still open (both are usually quick to mark places as âpermanently closedâ). yelp has a recent review as well. i was told when we were there in june that closing was going to happen in early july. anyone know what the story is? did it get pushed? is it not happening after all? or are the new owners keeping the old name?
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Last day is today I believe. Sushi Enya is the entity taking over. Ken-san is taking a well deserved break but not certain to retire from cooking. Tomo-san will not be a part of the new restaurant in that space.
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Thatâs what Ken-san confirmed on Friday.
A legend rides off into the sunset.
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It was a true neighborhood sushi spot not just a temple to raw fish. You could always eat there for a good price and get a great meal. Then if you wanted to go all out you could do that too. Not many of its kind left. Kiriko will be missed
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ahâa serendipitously timed farewell post then.
very well put
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yes, i noted the same at the end of my report:
âI want to note in closing how much we appreciate Kiriko and Chef Nambaâs resistance to the Temple of Sushi syndrome that has always afflicted most of the high-end in Los Angeles. I also want to salute their refusal to join the price arms race at the high end in Los Angeles in the last several years. Now itâs true that you could have spent a lot of moneyâespecially at dinnerâat Kiriko as well if you did the unrestrained omakase; my point, however, is that they offered many price points at lunch and dinner. They were in this sense always a neighbourhood sushi spot, serving excellent fish, yes, to those who only wanted to eat that, but plenty else to everyone elseâand not requiring the sale of a kidney to eat any of it. And, of course, Chef Nambaâs non-purist approach to sushi was central to the development of a Los Angeles style of sushi.â
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I mean they put spicy tuna roll in the lunch sushi combo set that bears their name: âKiriko Sushiâ.
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Tomo is now at Sushi Gozen in Santa Monica. Well worth a visit. Right now, itâs probably best for friends and fans: Iâd give the team there a month or two to ramp up fully.
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