{"id":139961,"date":"2025-08-12T15:15:16","date_gmt":"2025-08-12T15:15:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/139961\/"},"modified":"2025-08-12T15:15:16","modified_gmt":"2025-08-12T15:15:16","slug":"famed-la-restaurant-sugarfish-opening-in-san-diego-next-spring","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/139961\/","title":{"rendered":"Famed LA Restaurant Sugarfish Opening in San Diego Next Spring"},"content":{"rendered":"

San Diego has no shortage of great sushi. Sushi Ota is the icon. Kinme Omakase<\/a> oozes exclusivity (and quality). Hidden Fish<\/a> brought omakase-only dining to the city. Soichi has a Michelin star<\/a> for Pete\u2019s sake, and Sushi Tadokoro is undeniably great. There\u2019s Sushi Gaga and Hane and Shino and Maru and Wrench & Rodent and Kaito. Hotel del Coronado just got a Nobu<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But this top-notch scene comes with a cost, literally. Sushi tends to either get saved for a special occasion or, on the opposite side of the spectrum, picked up from a cold case at your local grocery store accompanied with a requisite blob of radioactive-green horseradish. (Let\u2019s be honest, we\u2019ve all done it.) Few places can balance general affordability with high quality.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"ExteriorRendering Courtesy of Sugarfish<\/p>\n

But that\u2019s what Sugarfish<\/a> has done pretty successfully in Los Angeles, Orange County, and New York over the past 17 years. And it\u2019s what they say they\u2019ll bring to San Diego when they open next spring in Little Italy<\/a>\u2014at 2100 Kettner, the LEED-certified, six-story, mixed-use building that currently houses Postino WineCafe, Slice House by Tony Gemignani, and the HQ for the city\u2019s pro soccer team, San Diego FC.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In 2008, the partners\u2014chef Kazunori Nozawa (whose restaurant Sushi Nozawa<\/a> had been a star in Studio City for decades), Jerry Greenberg, Tom Nozawa (Kazunori\u2019s son, also a chef), Lele Massimini, Cameron Broumand, and Clement Mok\u2014opened the first Sugarfish in Marina del Rey. Over 17 years, they\u2019ve cautiously expanded to 10 more locations in LA and five in New York City (with one more on the way). Massimini says the slow growth was intentional.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u201cPeople need to believe what we believe, which is that they\u2019re gonna get the best bite of sushi<\/a> when they come to Sugarfish,\u201d he explains. \u201cWhen we were sure that we could deliver that in San Diego, that\u2019s when we pulled the trigger.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"UniCourtesy of Sugarfish<\/p>\n

And the local bounty makes sense. Chefs in Japan will often source fish from San Diego and Baja<\/a>, says Tom Nozawa: \u201cReally good stuff comes out of the San Diego waters<\/a>.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

One of the Sugarfish signatures is their approach to rice\u2014made with a proprietary rice vinegar recipe and served warm and loosely packed, which contrasts nicely against the cool fish. But don\u2019t look for funky fusion sauces or rolls. \u201cWe\u2019re sticking with our roots\u2026 serving simple, great sushi,\u201d says Nozawa.<\/p>\n

And the price is right\u2014the cheapest lunch special on the Los Angeles menus <\/a>runs $32 for edamame, tuna sashimi, two pieces of albacore sushi, two pieces of salmon sushi, a toro hand roll, one piece of Japanese yellowtail sushi, one piece of hirame sushi, and a blue and dungeness crab hand roll. The most expensive lunch option\u2014called \u201cDon\u2019t Think. Just Eat. Trust Me<\/a>\u201d\u2014tops out at $60 for a sashimi course, seven orders of nigiri, and two hand rolls. Everything is preselected on the Trust Me menu, but what it lacks in adventurous exploration, the team says they make up for in cost and consistency. Of course, you can always order \u00e0 la carte. Might I recommend the pink lobster nigiri<\/a> from New Zealand?<\/p>\n

\"SushiCourtesy of Sugarfish<\/p>\n

Architect Robert Tsurimoto Kirsten of A-RTK<\/a> is designing Sugarfish Little Italy in a similar vein to the restaurant\u2019s other locations, but drawing inspiration from famed building designer, architect, and San Diegan Cliff May. May, known for his California Ranch homes and mid-century modern designs<\/a>, created spaces that mixed indoors with outdoors, with lots of warm woods and open spaces. This location will seat 40 guests and emphasize cozy colors like greys and blues, but Massimini says they plan to keep the design on the minimalist side<\/a> to ensure the sushi remains the showstopper.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cFor us, design is supportive,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s not the centerpiece.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n Joven Golden Hour Tour With Bebemos & Happy Half Hour
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Sugarfish doesn\u2019t try to blow your mind with exotic sauces or unbelievably rare fish. But for predictable, high-quality sushi that\u2019s painstakingly sourced and served and won\u2019t set me back a Benjamin or two? Seems like a pretty good deal to me.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sugarfish by Sushi Nozawa opens spring 2026 at 2100 Kettner Blvd., Suite 126.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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