Sushi Takeda

These days, most of L.A.’s very best Edomae-style omakase meals require setting an alarm to snag a difficult Tock reservation, plus the willingness to dine early or on a random, often inconvenient weekday. Not so at Sushi Takeda, which, as of writing, remains surprisingly easy to walk into on any given day for an amazing nigiri-only omakase ($140 per head). Hidden away on the third floor of Little Tokyo’s Weller Court, Hideyuki Takeda’s tiny counter-and-table operation remains somewhat overlooked—even after a recent shout-out in the L.A. Times. Though it does require advance booking, the full kaiseki-inclusive experience ($280) rivals the city’s very best, while the slightly more reasonable $110 lunch offering and openness to walk-ins make Sushi Takeda a great high-end sushi experience for those who want to be a little spontaneous.