Katsuya

If you stick to the Katsuya classics (spicy tuna on rice etc.) you'll do just fine at this location and the Hollywood location. Stay away from the Brand and Downtown. Great date vibes and sleek interior (especially at the Vine Street Katsuya). If you want the REAL experience. however, get to the original Katsuya in Studio City or Kiwami, where you'll find the chef who started it all.

Pros: Quality sushi and more

Cons: Watch what you order

great vibe, great food, great sightseeing.
Love the rice with tuna, the black kod fish
Great for dinners and night drinks

Pros: tuna

Cons: ex-ensive

never any attitude from the staff. prices are a little on the high end, but it is an upscale place so this is expected. the dishes are some of the best around, but most of them are non-traditional, so if you're looking for traditional sushi, then this may not be the best place for you.

Pros: sushi, decor, service

Cons: none

When you sit down you are asked if you want "edaname or peppers" and I said edaname. Got the bill and they charged us $6 for the edaname! I figured it was given to us when asked the way the waiters do. When we ordered bottled water for our table they brought out 2 Vossis and we had to send one back. Mind you we didn't ask for 2.

I kid you not that there was a children's birthday party with 7 or 8 year olds next to us that were loud and all over the place. There were 7 of the kids and the mom was taking 1000s of pictures the whole time.

I would say it is more a family restaurant than a hot spot. Given it's in Brentwood and that's more a family atmosphere I'm not surprised but for the $$$$ food you may want to pick your sushi up elsewhere to avoid children's parties.

I noticed only 5 tables of two in the whole restaurant! That tells you that it's more a family type place with a Hollywood decor in my opinion.

The food was good but they do RUSH YOU! They don't believe in enjoying each item. We got our baked crab rolls, creamy shrimp and tempura at the same time! It was cold by the time we finished them. I had to ask the waiter to hold off on our entrees so we could catch up!

Hope this helps you!

Pros: Food is good and decor is fab but not when rushed!

Cons: Charging for food without telling you and children's party!

When you sit down you are asked if you want "edaname or peppers." I said edaname. What they don't tell you is they cost $6! So that's an immediate $6 added to your bill. If you order bottled water they will bring you more than one bottle. We had a table of 4 and they brought out 2. We only ordered one and so we sent the other back. $3 for a bowl of rice? Really Katsuya?

Besides those annoying little things the place has fresh and good food. I would go back but with caution and call them on their antics.

Pros: Fresh and good food

Cons: Sneaky antics

Brentwood is not home to many restaurants I like, but this one is great. The food is genuinely good, and it is well-priced. The service is good, the decor is tasteful, and the crowd can be very easy on the eye. Very pleasant, overall.

LOVE katsuya. Everything on the menu is delish. I highly recommend the lobster dynamite, crispy rice w/spicy tuna and the creamy rock shrimp tempura by itself or as a roll. As for drinks, I always always order the katsuya fresh and the grapefruit cosmo. Great ambiance and amazing service!

Cons: was not promptly seated

Great scenery, setting, and service. World class restaurant. Recommended, if willing to spend a few bucks. Highly recommend the Robata and the specialty cocktails.

Pros: Food and Service

Cons: The plastic chairs

We live right behind this pretentious all looks and no flavor restaurant . Since it is so close we have eatent here a few times for convenience. It is true that the hostess and wait staff are attractive. They think they're celebrities and serving you is beneath them. The food, however is mediocre at best. The spicy tuna rolls made us sick. While this is a good place to be seen, go elsewhere for dinner. Tagao down the street has much better fish as does Sasabune on Wilshire or even Asakuma on Barrington which has the best miso marinated cod in LA. By the way, Katsuya's drinks and saki menu are substandard too. They served us a nasty Nigori saki with chunks of floating sour rice in it. The waiter told us that most people send it back.

Pros: Nice furniture

Cons: food and service pitiful

Pompous wait staff and OK sushi. Asked waitperson if the Uni was good, she looked surprised and said we get little boxes in every other day, well the Uni I was served and returned was over a week old.

I suggest that they take the Chef?s, wait staff and management for a field trip to Sushi Gen in Little Tokyo for some of the most decent fish in LA.

Pros: Cool Space

Cons: The Food

So I must admit, the decor of this restaurant (especially by the back bar) is different. Very LA, very trendy...the table settings are different, they have you dining on a couch and long fancy table vs the regular 4 seater tables. The hostess, waiter/waitresses are good looking. But wait...didn't we come here to eat? With all the hype, I thought the sushi was extremely mediocre. What happened to authentic good sushi? Instead of these fancy rolls with fancy names, why don't we stick to good food and good sushi. If you want to pay to be trendy and eat 'ok' food then this is the restaurant for you.

I looked forward to the evening as I've heard good reviews. I arrived early for my Thursday evening reservation and checked in with the hostess; she recommended I await my date at the bar (in the front room). However, my date arrived minutes earlier and the hostess had walked her to that other bar (in the back dining room not visible from the front). We never met up, needless to say the evening was ruined. While waiting in the front bar, the bartender had incredible attitude and seemed bothered to make a simple martini and his mood did not change despite my $5 tip on a $12 drink. The other three ladies at the front bar couldn't have been less comfortable as the bartender made no effort to chat to them while they apparently awaited their dates too. Lastly, I was stunned by the number of west side mommies dining with their small children - simply ridiculous watching so many 5-10 yr olds struggle with chopsticks to eat sushi. I will not attempt a second evening there. If you want to see countless actor wannabes pretending to be hostesses, bartenders, and waiters, then by all means check it out. Otherwise, move on.

Pros: Bright and stylish interior

Cons: Dimwitted staff, too many kids for evening dining

My first time to acutally dine inside Katsuya was last week at the location in Hollywood. I was impressed by the decor inside and pleased that the door was opened for me to go inside. I had no reservations and was still accomodated and the staff was really really nice. I had to go to the bar for like just 10 mins then was seated at the sushi bar. I definitely plan to go back. As a matter of fact Im going today to the Brentwood location with my co workers. whoooooooo hoooooooo
Im going to order a cosmo. If you have not yet had the opportunity to go I strongly suggest you do. Make sure you dont forget your wallet.

Pros: The food and service are Great!

Cons: You have to play 10 bucks for Valet parking (make someone else drive)

shame on you!

without reservation, but drink, and five people eating sushi in brendwood=$200-, is very cheap.

I think you are cheap with no class white pig. Go to hometown buffet!!

On par with Koi, Nobu, and other trendy sushi restaurants but with far less attitude. Never had a bad experience or a mediocre dish here.

Pros: Fresh innovative sushi

Cons: Lunch menu has the same prices as the dinner menu

We showed up on the Thursday night without reservations. We were looking for somewhere close to the Pantages as we had tickets to Wicked. We were told to wait at the bar and finally the hostess (total lack of personality) came over and agreed to seat us. Now this was 5:30 and no one was there. As we were being seated she told us she would seat us but we needed to be out of there by 7:15 as she had reservations coming in.. Slow service, everyone served at different times so no one was eating together. Bartenders were very nice and friendly and the food was good, not awesome just good. Five people eating sushi and having a drink should not spend over $200.00 will not recommend

Pros: White grapefruit Cosmo

Cons: hostess needs some people skills

My absolute FAVORITE sushi place!! I eat here every chance I get. Very cool and trendy atmosphere. If you get a chance to sit outside (they only have 2 tables and you have a party of 4 or less) I would definitely sit outside because it can get really noisy inside. Also, make your reservations ASAP otherwise it's can be difficult to get one for a time you want. Weekdays get booked too!

Pros: ambience, yummy food

Cons: parking, loud inside

Our experience started with the hostesses who were both congenial and accomodating. We made reservations one week in advance, and we were seated immediately after walking through the door. Once seated our waitress took our drink orders within minutes and a brief time later our entree orders were taken. The waitress offered some great entree suggestions, some of which we took and were very pleased with. My girlfriend ordered the white grapefuit comso which she loved, and we had a bottle of Australian shiraz which was a bit dry but went great with the meal. We had the kobe beef with foie gras, spicy tuna on crispy rice, baked shrimp roll, herb crusted seared tuna with spicy mustard, miso glazed black cod, and the creme brulee. Supremo delicioso!!!!!!! I would highly reccomend the restaurant--its a great way to make a special occasion fun and memorable.

Pros: Service, food, atmosphere

Cons: It is expensive damn it!!

I adored Katsuya -- the decor is beyond fab, the service is excellent (they will do anything to please) and the food is divine. Above all, it always feels like a cocktail party in there. Fun patrons who intermingle with one another at the sushi bar and a very relaxed vibe. Love it. Don't tell anybody.

Enjoyed taking in the Philippe Starck interior. Restrooms were pretty cool! Liked the Burning Mandarin cocktail (great if you like spicy hot!) and the Crispy Rice with Spicy Tuna. Good desserts too! I was expecting snobby service from the other reviews but I thought the service was pretty good!

Pros: Design, Food, Service

DO NOT EVER GO TO THIS RESTAURANT. THESE PEOPLE ARE HORRIBLE AND RUDE. THEIR FOOD IS TERRIBLE AND THEY ARE OVERRATED. I AM SHOCKED THAT THEY ARE IN BUSINESS!

Pros: NON

Cons: RUDE STAFF!

Highly recommend for a date night. The food is excellent and the atmosphere is to die for. Their drink menu is great too.

I'll leave it to others to tell you the pros/cons about the wait, scene, etc. I will say 2 things: 1) must order crispy onion albacore and crispy rice spicy tuna 2) Try the original Katsuyas in the Valley, even if you go to this one and think it's overrated. They are small casual restaurants with the same menu but lower prices and bigger portions (and some would say better food). Don't let the hype of the Sam Nazarian Westside and Hollywood Katsuya's deter you from trying delicious and affordable sushi in LA (or in the Valley I should say).

I have been to this restaurant three times in the past 2 months. Their spicy tuna cripy rice and nice deco kept me going back. Their menu is very similar to KOI. & To be honest, the food and price are both one notch below KOI. But driving to KOI at diner time from Santa Monica is a pain. I rather dine at Katsuya ( I guess the one notch difference is not significant enough). Somehow I feel like it's an appropriate place for family gathering. I saw people bringing baby in strollers and small kids. I guess it's because of the neighbourhood. Service is not bad as compared to all other Japanese restaurants I have been to. Much better deco than Nobu Malibu, Takao, Matsuhisa and etc. I would recommend people who live on the westside to give it a try.

Pros: deco, food

I have dined there once before, and the food and drinks were ok, presentation was also average. For my husbands birthday I made a reservation a week and a half prior for a party of 11-12. We had friends from out of town coming who had really wanted to dine there...I call on the day of the reservation to preorder some wine and dessert, and they tell me they lost my reservation! I get no apologies, and nothing but attitude from 2 different hostesses and then finally the manager who also gave me total attitude. They asked repeatedly if I have dined there before as if they were evaluating whether or not I was important enough to honor my reservation. After about 7 minutes of being put on hold, they tell me they have one table for me that can fit 10, and the table the I had specifically reserved was being used for another party! This will be my last time dining there, and I am sure a few words will be exchanged between me and the hostess once I have finished my dinner and a martini or two!!!!!!!!

Pros: ambience and people watching

Cons: They have total attitude!!!!!!!!! Very rude. poor service

If possible, I would be at Katsuya every night. The food is delicious and fresh and the choices are endless. Every dish is served with a flare and the staff is well trained. Sure it's expensive, but what isn't that's worthwhile.

Pros: Delicious food, inventive and apprecively served

Cons: The word is out and you must make reservations

Contrary to what some of these other reviewers are saying, I have been here & I had an excellent experience. My out-of-town friend & I stopped in on a Friday nite w/o a reservation and told we could go have a drink at the bar while we waited for a table (which didnt take long). The white peach martini was fabulous, altho a little strong even though i asked for it not to be & the bartender was super friendly. We then were seated in the center of the main room in front of the robata or whatever you call it & proceeded to order things like those unusual peppers (that aren't hot), salmon nigiri (not outstanding,but good enough), the miso-glazed black cod in banana leaf (melt-in-your-mouth delicious!) and other things i'm blanking on. All in all, it's pricey, but as a fan of Philippe Starck's design, it's a place I had to try at least once and I"m glad I did. The back area room w/the big Alice in Wonderland mirrors and signature Starck cuckoo clocks (they're in Asia de Cuba @ the Mondrian as well) were cool but in general, the crowd wasn't so cool - a little too homogeneous if you know what i mean -- then again, I shouldn't be surprised considering it's Brentwood.

Pros: Philippe Starck design, black cod, unusual menu items

Cons: Crowd is bland

This place is for people with little appreciation for good food but who can afford to go to an expensive restaurant, with decent quality food. Typical LA Hollywood ambiance with pretty Ladies and gents . Not good enough for me to recommend you going here.
On the other hand, I like the 3 kitchen idea but the lay out of the restaurant and its kitchens, and the quality of the food crush the good concept.

Pros: Valet, hot spot

Cons: food + service

What a joke. I've eaten at great sushi restaurants all over LA. With Katsuya in the Valley, as well as the new location on Third St., which are both fantastic, I thought the Brentwood location would be just as spectacular. NOT SO. First off, I placed an order over the phone for pick-up. When I arrived at the restaurant, they informed me that the sushi chef will not make a special order I requested (since my wife is pregnant, I asked to change the spicy tuna on the crispy rice with avocado). They said this is their 'signature dish', and they will not alter it. Wow. Maybe I should have asked the sushi chef for his autograph. Then I noticed, after the fact, that they charged me a 'service charge' of $15 for pick-up. What?! I'm just picking up the food. And finally, I phoned in the order.....and waited at the restaurant for almost 40 minutes.

So, I will NEVER again go to the Brentwood Katsuya.. And, word of mouth is the best form of advertising.

I have ALOT of friends.

Pros: Nothing

Cons: Trying TOO hard...TOO expensive for mediocre food.

Always a fun time at Katsuya. The drinks are perfect, a perfect blend of flavours. The robata grill is always a good bet, but the sushi is very fresh.

The bathroom is a fun experience, if not a little freaky.
Make reservations, and dress to impress.

Pros: atmosphere, drinks

Service is horrible. Nothing but attitude. I had guests from Europe, so soon as we walk in to Katsuya I deposit $500 cash before we all set for dinner. Bill for our food was around $300(with tip) and our table server(who had major attitude), brings back only $100. Soon as I told her, she took the other $100 out of her pocket and said sorry. Place was closing and we were outside smoking, when we saw this other waiter, who was chasing his clients and asking for more tip.My French friends were shocked and we all left feeling very disappointed. Next day we went this new place called Kumo(on Melrose), BEAUTIFUL DESIGN, VERY GOOD FOOD, GREAT SERVICE, VERY FRIENDLY HOSTS AND ATMOSPHERE.

Pros: Good food.

Cons: Very poor service

I dine out most of the time, I got to admit that I have been looking up the restaurants on city search for past 5 years or so and I found majority of reviews helpful. I never ever wrote a review on any restaurant on any sites before, and I had the philosophy of "Let others experience it for themselves and they be the judge!". but enough is enough!
Last evening we were at Brentwood and decided to go to talk of the town Katsuya! it was Sunday afternoon at 6 PM and the place was very slow, 75% of tables empty! but they said they are all reserved for dinner and the only table available is either patio (98 F) or the one next to the patio. we sat inside next to the patio, minute after we are all sweating of 98 degree heat, so they offer to bring water,Waitress "sparkling water?" we said we get the regular water, their regular water being Vos bottled water cost us $40!!! I got admit the Robata was fine, Sushi was fresh but soso, Sake tasted water downed, funniest part was the Huge bowl of soybean with 1/5 of the bowl actually being full! (I rather MoonSoon, Katana, Yen or even Crazy Fish for good sushi) , but the management was horrible, 1 Hr later all the chairs still being empty we repeatedly asked the waitress, supervisor and the manager, to change the table but their best response was it is a hot day and trust us inside is just as hot, but would you like more water? when I said I just walked down and I feel it is much cooler they replied "trust me it is hot now!". bottom line is if you are a Hollywood wanna be and really want to impress your date with fake glamor, and rather be uncomfortable than enjoying a good romantic food go to Katsuya. otherwise there are hundreds of decent, better quality, more romantic sushi places in West Los Angeles that provide much better service and sushi. I would avoid Katsuya at any cost.

Pros: Design, Lighting

Cons: most expensive water in Brentwood/ Beverly Hills, Rude Manager

I'll call it the worst "dining" experience because we EVENTUALLY did eat. We had 9:30 reservations and arrived at about 9:40. The hostess asked us to grab A drink at the bar. We asked about the approximate wait, since we were all hungry, and were told NO MORE THAN 15 MINUTES! So we waited...and waited...and waited. 10:00 came around - we start asking and are told it shouldn't be too much longer. 10:15, 10:30 - we speak to the 3rd individual who represents herself as "one" of the managers and says that "people are just dining late tonight." HUH? This woman was either just DUMB or she thought I looked as dumb as her. 10:45. At this point, we've spoken to all of the 5-10 people standing at the hostess desk, NONE of whom know what they're doing. And of course, we're STARVING. They offer us a table to sit outside, on one of two tables where people congregate and smoke while they wait for valet. ARE YOU KIDDING? Again, we get the "sometimes people just dine late" and that my husband already spoke to the "Director of Operations." WHO? The bartender that we had befriended by this point was nice enough to comp our drinks at the bar and inquire into our table. When we finally sat after 11:00, the "Director of Operations" said we would get drinks and appetizers on the house. Of course, that didn't happen. The only good side of this story is that the food is pretty good. Perhaps they should take the $20,000 they pay their "mixologist" and use it to fire their entire staff and hire people who know what they're doing.

Pros: Food

Cons: Service/Staff

So the sushi is fine, the robata, fine too. The cocktails were tasty, but nothing so outrageously delicious that I couldn't find it elsewhere. The place is so hyped due to the "scene." Its sleek, and young (aside from a few older, obvious sugar daddies) and the staff is attractive. Unfortunately for us, we weren't there to witness a 'scene', we simply wanted incredible sushi. While the sushi was okay, it certainly didn't live up to its 27 Zagat rating for food. Bottom line - if you want to see and be seen in Brentwood, perhaps Katsuya fills that void, otherwise, surely there are better sushi joints in the LA area.

Pros: Sleek, cool interior

Cons: Over-hyped disappointing sushi

the food cannot be criticized because its great. try the robata...fantastic beef ribs and chicken meatballs. great tuna dishes...especially tuna on crispy rice. the burning mandarin cocktail is the best cocktail ive ever had anywhere! its made with fresh fruit, vodka, and serrano chilis. its sweet and very spicy. amazing. many drinks here are made with fresh fruit. really amazing. great hip atmosphere...starck hits another home run. couple downsides. the hostesses are these 2 ladies who play this fun game with you when you walk into the restaurant. i call it "pretend not to see the customers." everytime i walk in, they begin having a 10 minute conversation with each other while i awkwardly stand there in front of them. even during lunch when the place is quiet and no one else is around. i wait for them to finish and finally one of them usually acknowledges me. its a fun game. i love to play. i usually lose. of course the other downside is the prices. drinks are pricey and so is the food. you will get the bill and go "whaaa? how did we spend this???". trust me we do it everytime. but at least its good and fun. enjoy your experience here AND the one-on-two game with the hostessses.

Pros: burning mandarin drink, robata, tuna on crispy rice

Cons: the hostesses and the bill

OK so I tried to get into the restaurant the first week it opened at this location which is down the block from my house. It was 6:30 on a Thursday night (we were a party of 3) and NOT ONE table was filled. The hostess refused to seat us, as reservations were "on the way". Manager wouldn't seat us either. I mentioned that I had a one-week old baby at home and just wanted a quick sushi bite (my first since having the baby) so we would be fast. Even let them know we lived close and frequented Pizzicotto, Osteria Latini etc. They still did not accommodate us with an empty restaurant. Couldn't believe such audacity. Much rather spend that kind of money at Hamasaku.

I'm not a huge fan of posh / shishi restaurants in general, but I heard good things about this place so tried it out. Was disappointed when after waiting for a table for 30 minutes (I made a reservation 3 days earlier), my party was seated in what amounted to a hallway. Wouldn't have minded if the place was packed, but it clearly wasn't and we were the only persons of color who were seated in such an awkward location (at that time).

Anyway, noticed later in the evening (still wasn't that crowded) that they sat a group of black guys at a table which all but in the doorway to the bathrooms. They clearly weren't happy about it which was understandable given that there were other places they could have been seated.

Anyway, I'd think twice about ths place if you're not 'their kind of people'

Pros: nice design

Cons: service / treatment of customers

I'm a huge sushi/japanese food fan (Matsuhisa, Nobu, Hamasaku, & Tengu are my top spots) but Katsuya has the best of both worlds - the BEST sushi AND BEST atmosphere! Definitely a place to spot celebs but really the food is top notch. My top 5 are the miso baked black cod (melts in your mouth), crispy rice w/ spicy tuna (great texture), baked scallop roll, baked crab hand roll, and creme brulee trio - vanilla bean, hazelnut and coffee. This is definitely our local neighborhood hot spot!!

Pros: food, atmosphere, and service

Cons: be prepared to wait even w/ reservations

After a long flight from the East Coast, a late night dinner at Katsuya erased any stress from travel and was the perfect start to a relaxing and wonderful trip to LA. Aside from a long wait (even with reservations), Katsuya was great. A great bartender served up a wonderfully cold and refreshing watermelon cucumber mojito and a dry, not too sweet lychee martini which helped kickoff the relaxing evening.

We got a seat at the grill, which was better than those awful tables way up front, but a little awkward for conversation. However, we had a great view of most of the dining room, and this was perfect. Plus, we got to watch the experts prepare sundry tasty entrees.

Deciding on a meal was next to impossible, but the kobe beef and shiitake mushrooms were so delicate, tender and still bursting with flavor, that we realized we couldn't go wrong. Confetti shrimp and the creamy rock shrimp tempura came out in overwhelmingly big portions and were surprisingly different and truly wonderful. The rare tuna with spicy sauce melted the second it landed on my tongue. Amazing. Even basic sushi rolls spoiled me forever. I couldn't have left happier. Even if the bellini tasted like dried italian seasoning... Everything else was so amazing. You MUST get glammed up and go here. WOW WOW WOW!

Pros: Truly fabulous food and decor.

Cons: A long wait to get in...but worth it.

I eat at this location a lot! To me this sushi is much better than Koi, Sushi Roku, Katana or any of the other LA well-known sushi spots. It is nice to have great sushi ALONG with good atmosphere too! I highly recommend the seared tuna and crispy rice, baked scallop roll, and the black miso cod. The salmon on cedar planks was pretty good too. Everyone I take here enjoys the food, the drinks, the whole experience. Make sure you make reservations!

i went the brentwood one.
great restaurant for a special date .
great place, i am sorry, but except food.

Pros: ambience

Cons: food

to put it in 3 words...Food, Vibe, Atmosphere. The food was so fresh and tasty. Try the Crispy rice with Spicy Tuna. I guarantee you will start with this dish, and end with it. So GOOD!!! Perfect place for a date, or with a group...Cant go wrong..need about a week advance for reservations

My boyfriend, his friend, and I went to Katsuya this past Saturday...and let me tell you, I already have reservations to go again this Wednesday! Reservations fill up fast, but the sushi bar is open for walk-ins. The restaurant is hip and trendy, with three different rooms equipped with a bar and tables to dine in. Because it was our first time, we ate family style, trying a bit of everything. Famous for their Robata bar, we ordered many different meats (beef wrapped in asparagus, chicken and onion duck) seafoods (swordfish, king crab) to get a try it out. AMAZING! The most flavorful food! We also tried a few entrees: the black cod with black bean and miso and the halibut. Once again, AMAZING! We also had typical Japanese food...miso soup, seaweed salad, etc. Katsuya only had your standard rolls, but freshness of the fish makes it definitely worth trying.

After dinner, we went to one of the bars and enjoyed some cocktails. Try the Belini and white grapefruth cosmo. The cucumber-watermelon mojito was also very tasty, but it's mainly filled with ice.

What I liked best about Katsuya is how involved the manger was. He approached us twice throughout our meal to ask how it was going and if there was anything he could do to make it better. He also cleaned off my area once the plates were taken away. I love a place that's hip and trendy, but also still remembers costumer service!

Pros: Food. Ambience. Service. Everything!

Cons: Expensive (totally worth it though)

My husband and I ate here last night and had the most delicious meal we've had in a long time! We made the reservation the night before and they squeezed us in to a two top table by the door which was unfortunate, but we could clearly see the other seats were filled...so we didn't complain and were too hungry to wait for something else to open up. I started off with a delightful grapefruit cosmo (they have very tasty trendy drinks). Based on the waiter's recommendation, we ordered some sort of rice cake dish (which was awesome), and the crab rolls...which frankly were just about the most delicious things I've ever eaten. Each bite literally melted in my mouth. We also got a couple run of the mill sushi rolls, which were OK, but not the BEST I've ever eaten..I'd recommend sticking to the inventive creations that make this restaurant a stand out. I also noticed that this place quite a scene: all well dressed, beautiful people and nice bar area to the back right. I'd like to go there with a few girlfriends one night, sip cocktails and people watch. I'm glad to have found a fabulous place walking distance to my home.

Pros: Trendy, Hip, Fabulous, Good looking Crowd and Delicious Food

Cons: It is very popular so get a reservation well in advance to ensure a good seat...not by the door!

We got there at 5 pm so it wasn't packed yet. This is a good restaurant to take people who have not been to Los Angeles before. Quite trendy. Unique sinks in the restrooms.

Pretty small portions for the price, but you are also paying for atmosphere. I cannot recommend the almond crusted scallops. You get three small scallops completely hidden in a covering of almonds. The marinated black cod was amazing. The sushi was good, but not as good as a place like Sasabune. The tempura was also good, but I have had better. Just a warning about the trio of creme brulee, you get three small containers, which seem to have like a tablespoon each of creme brulee. It is good, but quite small.

I would try to get a booth if you can. Some of the tables are so close to each other that people at other tables are as close to you as people at your own table. I think they tried to put one too many tables in a row. Even the servers had trouble squeezing between the tables closest to the walls.

Service was good, there were many employees in the restaurant. A warning about parking in the building. It is free, but it closes and there is no attendant. It was lucky we went early and one of the people in the building was leaving. There is valet parking, but I really dislike valet parking.

Okay.. first off this person below that just left a bad review couldn't even literate correctly. We love Katsuya! Everywhere in LA that is hip and hot is going to have a wait, have you ever been to Koi or Nobu on a thursday ythrough saturday night with a reservation.? You are still going to wait 45 minutes to an hour easy, I have many times and those restaurants are even bigger!! The drawback of katsuya is the space itself is limited in size and tables, due to the design and area of this space. There are just not enough tables for everyone!! They are doing so well they need a bigger restaurant!

Now, I have waited like the rest of you for tables here, and I notice that the diners have "hung out" on the tables lingering and eating so slowly you'd think they don't realize anyone else is impatiently starving and Hoovering over thier tables to give them a hint to move on so we can sit as well!!!!!!! REMEMBER, AS DINERS WE NEED TO BE MINDFUL OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE RESERVATIONS BEHIND US, & AT MOST 2 HOURS ON YOUR TABLE IS MAXIMUM AND EFFICIENT. THEN GET UP AND MOVE ON PLEEASE FOR THE REST OF US TO GET A CHANCE TO SIT TOO!!

The managers on one occassion when we waited over an hour, graciously bought my group an entire round of drinks and appetizers for our long inconvienient wait, and let me tell you, Koi NEVER did that for us once and we used to frequent koi a lot before Katsuya opened closer to our home.

In short.. no pun intended.. Katsuya is lively and I love the menu. The King Crab on the Robata bar is one of our favorites, the Kobe with Foi and the tuna with ceviche is oh so yummy. Last night it was a treat to see Cameron Diaz and Justin Timberlake sitting right behind us!! If you can't handle the seen go to the "cheese"cake factory or papa's deli!

Pros: celebrity sightings, great service, wonderful sushi and cooked bites too

Cons: long waits on weekends, hard to get a reservation, loud accoustics