Fish Eight By Jinpachi

If you care about sushi, you know about all the top-tier spots already - Nobu, Sushi Park, and Q. These are the restaurants with $200 omakase, rare fish flown in daily, and oceanfront patios filled with movie stars. But just because a sushi place is somewhere you can go once a week by yourself and spend $25, doesn’t mean it’s any less important. Especially when it’s the only one of its kind in the area. Go to Fish Eight and see for yourself.

Located on Melrose amongst the aggressive denim stores, Fish Eight is from the same people as Jinpachi - one of West Hollywood’s best sushi restaurants. But unlike that spot, Fish Eight is wildly affordable. It’s also on a stretch that was a certifiable sushi desert prior to Fish Eight’s arrival. The space has a small wrap-around bar and a handful of tables for bigger groups (usually occupied by coworkers making the most of their lunch hour), and the menu is straightforward, other than the unfortunately named “tacos sushi,” which are basically open-faced handrolls. But what the menu lacks in adventurous options, it makes up for with affordable, high-quality fish that any level of sushi eater will be excited to eat.

photo credit: Jakob Layman

The nigiri is where you should concentrate most of your energy here. Whether it’s the salmon, yellowtail, or sweet shrimp, you’ll be hard-pressed to find better-quality fish at these kinds of prices ($6 for two pieces). Don’t miss the red snapper that literally dissolves in your mouth, but not in a gross Listerine strip kind of way. If you’re feeling luxurious tonight, but still want to keep the bill at around $30, throw in a handroll or two and a yellowtail sashimi plate.

Before Fish Eight, sushi people who lived and worked near Melrose either had to pay steep prices for quality fish or go to the Valley. This small operation might not have Oscar Isaac sitting on the patio or a three-hour omakase, but it’s still sushi you need to know about.

Food Rundown

photo credit: Jakob Layman

Salmon

If a place as straightforward as Fish Eight can’t serve a good salmon sushi, it would be a bad sign. Luckily, theirs is fantastic and should be a mainstay in every order.

photo credit: Jakob Layman

Yellowtail

Whether it’s regular sushi, in a handroll, or served as sashimi, Fish Eight’s yellowtail is tremendous. Make sure this ends up in front of you.

photo credit: Jakob Layman

Tacos Sushi

These are essentially open-faced hand rolls and while they’re tasty and fun to eat (the spicy tuna is our favorite), we prefer the regular hand rolls more.