Kodo

L.A. is one upscale izakaya richer with Kodo, a minimalist Arts District bar-restaurant from the group behind Kensho in Hollywood. Located inside Rykn, a Japanese ryokan-style hotel opening this summer, the sleek indoor-outdoor space invites patrons to partake in glasses of sake, natural wine and breezy highballs alongside a five-section menu of traditional booze-complementing fare. Excellent sushi and sashimi made with imported seafood make an appearance on every table, but Kodo’s izakaya, robata and more uncommon sushi items are where it truly stands out: Take the tsukune, a chicken patty topped with egg yolk and yakitori sauce, or the old-school saba bozushi, made with cured wild mackerel. There’s many ways to drink and dine at Kodo—from a few bites at the bar to a $120 per head omakase—and frankly, all of them would delight any hardcore fan of Japanese cuisine.