Shima

WORST FOOD AND EXPERIENCE IN A RESTAURANT I'VE EVER HAD! I order a hundred dollars worth of food and drink and mid roll I bite into either a rock or bone. I spit out into my napkin, tell the waitress /return the remainder of the roll. I'm absolutely disgusted but I feel I should give them another chance in good faith as accidents happen and ask for something that wouldn't have any chance of bone in it, I have a bite of that and it's just gross but I don't complain, I just don't eat it. In fact between the bone (or other particle in the tuna roll), the crappy 14 dollar vegetable roll, the taste and quality of the fish was below average and uninspired even when not contaminated with dangerous unknown contents. The owner/head chef Yoshi comes outside to our table and accuses me of lying and says this never happens;then says he's checked my napkin which I spit out into for bones, etc and when this usually happens he finds things. I say USUALLY! I thought this NEVER happens, I think he realizes he's been caught and we think this is solved, see the bill and he's decided to only credit half of the dish as it took us a few bites before the bone/rock whatever cracked on my teeth. We tell the waitress there must be some mistake, and she seems genuinely sorry, then Yoshi comes out again screaming and saying we're lying and that ""YOU PAY! YOU PAY! (He fully understands english BTW) and that he will call the cops, ok so it just went from insulting to CRAZY. I tell him he's insane, and that it seems likes this happens a lot to him, and that I'm not telling him how to run his business or make his crappy sushi but that I AM telling him what absolutely was my experience eating sushi at his restaurant and that we are not asking for our meal to be comped but that we simply not pay for harmful sushi, (sadly we are ok with paying for their just reg crappy sushi) and he's just freaking out, red faced and seemingly intoxicated so we slap down our credit card and just leave. We regularly eat at everything from three michelin star restaurants to great inexpensive places and have NEVER been treated like this; Yoshi does not seem to understand hospitality or how to run a restaurant and that is just damn shameful. I've had better sushi at the the mall. more

Shima is a treasure. The beautiful aesthetic, attention to detail and care for high quality ingredients is superb and unmatched by any restaurant I've been to in LA. The use of only wild-caught fish and organic brown rice (semi-polished, not as chewy as you think) is special and rare. Sit at the high sushi bar and watch the chef-owner Yoshi prepare your meal with delicate precision or book a table upstairs and feel hidden away like a celebrity. The atmosphere is calm and soothing, the colors and objects in the room, the music, all in harmony. The first time I came here I literally cried when I saw the spicy burdock roll because the burdock root was natural and brown, the way it should be. Every Japanese restaurant I'd ever been to (from NYC to LA) serves burdock that's been dyed bright orange, sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup and came from a jar. My current favorite dish is the grilled king salmon belly roll with avocado and thinly sliced cucumbers. The tai (snapper) sashimi with warm truffle oil is incredible. They have the best miso soup I've ever had in any restaurant. In addition to the wild-caught fish, oysters, soft shell crab and lobster they serve some unusual vegetarian dishes: veggie salmon roll (made with a delicious sprouted nut pate) and traditional Japanese vegetarian dishes; roasted ginko nuts, ohitashi (marinated greens), mountain yam with tonburi (a strange little vegetable seed that pops like caviar) and okra, perfectly seasoned lotus root, the most thinly sliced eggplant which unfolds on your tongue like a bird's wing. They also serve vegan desserts sweetened subtly with agave nectar (in fact, aside from the fish, crustaceans and tamago everything is vegan), coconut tapioca with sweet beans, rice ice cream with green tea powder and some unidentified brown powder that was so compelling my companion could not resist licking the plate. Tonight my man and I ate a satisfying meal there for two, here's what we had: homemade tofu, vegetarian appetizer (3 kinds), seaweed shooter, cucumber salad, grilled shishito peppers, grilled king salmon belly roll, kampachi roll, one kurumamecha (black soy bean tea) and cold 'Fair Maiden' sake, the bill came to 88$, I don't usually write reviews about restaurants, especially my favorites, but Shima has hid it's light long enough. I'm shocked by the number of locals I talk to who have never eaten there. With no signage and a high wall a lot of people don't even realize it's a restaurant. Only recently did they start putting out a lantern near the entrance, hopefully Shima will soon be as appreciated as much it deserves. I'm saddened to see so many negative reviews here for my favorite restaurant in LA. I've eaten there since they opened in 2005 and I've never had bad service or waited too long for food. The chef can be spicy sometimes but I challenge anyone to show me a restaurant owner who is not. Perhaps Shima is a little too subtly sophisticated for people who are used to cramming their faces on fast and cheap food. Pros: wild caught fish, elegant ambiance, sincere service Cons: slightly costly, but worth it more

Usually takes forever to be served. The waitresses try to be nice, but the head sushi chef is so unprofessional and rude. I have since heard about this guy from several locals. I will never go back and never recommend this place. They charge too much money to be treated like SH*T. Pros: good food Cons: overpriced, terrible slow service, rude owner/chef more

My friends and I were wandering Abbot Kinney on Friday night and spotted Shima. We were looking for a nice, quiet place to have a drink and chat - it looked like it fit the bill. We went in, told the hostess that we wanted to have drinks and were seated at the sushi bar until a table became available. Everything was fine until we were moved to the table. It was THEN that we were informed that we needed to order food and that there was a minimum purchase. Even after speaking to the manager and explaining that we told the hostess that we only wanted drinks, they insisted that we order food and pay the minimum. We paid the minimum but will NEVER go back. The manager and staff were extremely rude about the whole situation. more

This restaurant is overpriced and waaay overhyped....I was expecting premium sushi (on par with Blue Ribbon) but was served meager meager portions of very mediocre food in a cheap looking restaurant with no air conditioning.....Not horrible, but absolutely a rip-off...the table next to us was frustrated also...I was suspicious because of the microsoft word printed menus, but gave it a shot anyways....$75 later I was still hungry and left food on the plate because it was bland and unappetizing....Don't believe the hype! Pros: Nice waitresses, Pretty space Cons: No a/c humid stuffy air, MEAGER PORTIONS!, Waaay too expensive, poor quality food more

This place KNOWS GREAT SUSHI! The recipes were unique and devine. I had the best ankimo I have ever encountered on this earth from Shima. It was on special and yes, at $20 for two small, thin slices, it was so AMAZING, my BF and I ordered two plates! The baby halibut sashimi with heirloom tomato salsa, urchin risotto, sauteed mushrooms, nigori, and the snapper, spanish makeral and hamachi sushi's were heavenly! Truthfully, I didn't notice that it was brown rice, but it was very complimentary to the cuisine. \r \r In summary, this is not one of those sushi places for stingy Americans who are looking for an all-you-can-eat sushi joint. Its fine cuisine, worth the trouble of locating! Upstairs would be perfect for a first date as it has soft lighting and urban decor. Additionally, one sip of their nigori and she'll need help walking down the stairs. ;) \r \r I highly recommend this place to anyone who knows and seeks exquisite sushi. more

This place is fantastic. The sushi dishes are amazing. I recommend the yellow tail with jalapeño. It's... more

This place is fantastic. The sushi dishes are amazing. I recommend the yellow tail with jalapeño. It's very "Nobu" -- but somehow better. If ... more

1. crazy price - 5 slice shashimi $36,\r 2. bad mood chief - yell with anger front of customer \r 3. ordinary food - you can have same quality of food with less price, anywhere\r \r Not all that great. Yellowtail sashimi was good, but it's yellow tail. It better be good. It costs a lot.\r i thought the fish would be pretty fresh. but it was so-so. there's better ones at the same price range. . .\r \r This place gets one star, because I can not give it negative stars. Pros: lovely place Cons: food, price, mood, no parking more

Great food & good ambiance. Beware, the portions are very small for the price. Don't come here if you're hungry unless you're willing to spend $80 per person (come more for the atmosphere). Pros: Great food and atmosphere. Cons: small portions and ok service. more

Yes, I agree. Everything, all the time is delicious! Thanks Yoshi for bringing such a great restaurant to Venice! more

Despite being warned by our sushi-aficionado friends, we decided to give Shima a try. This was a HUGE mistake. The sushi did not taste fresh and all the dishes seemed uninspired and heavy. The pieces of sashimi lacked the delicacy and quality one would expect from a $200 meal. I would not recommend this place. Pros: miso soup Cons: everything else more

You can't go wrong at this Venice Sushi. Tofu is amazing. My wife and I try to go every chance we get. more

I was there on a Thursday night for a date, and it was by far the best sushi I have ever had my entire life. We started with the MatsuTake Mushroom appetizer with Ponzu sauce, which was fabulous. The mushrooms were cooked so that the flavor of the mushroom was still strong yet it melted in your mouth. We had the Tsuri Aja from Japan that was absolutely tantalizing. We followed that with an order of salmon, tuna, spicy tuna roll and mackerel, all of which were SO good. The green tea was absolutely delicious. The service fantastic. I think my date dropped a bill for the dinner, and we usually spend about $80 at Roku so it was pricey, but totally absolutely worth it! Pros: FOOD FOOD FOOD Ambiance Cons: A little pricey more

Extremely slow service and a bit pricey. If you are a true sushi eater this is not the place. Can you say ""Where's the Sushi"". I left feeling hungry and very disappointed. Pros: Ambience Cons: slow service and price does not match quality of food more

Simply delicious - using minimal ingredients and the freshest fish, you're guaranteed to have a great meal. Perhaps a little pricey, but treat yourself and you shouldn't be disappointed. We did wait for over 1/2 hour but it was a Friday night. Pros: Fresh fish, Location Cons: Service slow at times, Pricey, Wait more

this is by far the best sushi i have had since moving to the area. the vibe is chill & you feel like you are eating at someones loft space. they use brown rice & other healthy options. service is great. can't wait to go again, it's pricey so i will have to wait a while. Pros: amazing food, great vibe, intimate Cons: expensive, street parking more

Shima is a fantastic restaurant serving an authentic japanese fare with specialties which is very hard to find elsewhere. Sit in the upstairs loft area if you're 3 or more. more

The finely artistic presentation, extraordinary flavor combinations, private and warm setting and incredible food make Shima the most creative sushi destination in LA. Order from the menu, including delicious homemade tofu like you can only find in Japan and sashimi dishes that will amaze you - or sit with chef Yoshi at the sushi bar and go oma case for a night you will never forget (but will certainly run higher than the $$ rating). Shima is a work of art, and a secret I probably should have kept to myself. more

Amazing healthy food. Organic ingredients. Friendly staff. go there soon more