Newly opened site features extensive menu of Japanese favorites
A new Japanese restaurant recently joined the growing collection of eateries flanking the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and La Brea Avenue. (See “Stunning pan-Asian restaurant encourages romance—and good eating,” January 2026).
Taking over the former La Brea Ramen space, Umito Sushi & Ramen offers a reasonably priced extensive menu of Japanese favorites and an assortment of fancier unusual dishes, from classic salmon sashimi and a chicken teriyaki bento box to okonomiyaki (a savory pancake), and bluefin tuna sushi topped with uni, caviar, and gold leaf.
NEWLY OPENED site features extensive menu of Japanese favorites
Umito put some effort into adding Japanese touches to what is essentially a faceless commercial space. Two walls of windows look out over busy cross streets, but the interior wall has been designed to conjure old-fashioned Japanese storefronts. Waitstaff were friendly and efficient.
Sushi and rolls were successful. We ordered a sushi combination that consisted of eight pieces of assorted sushi and the choice of a California or spicy tuna roll.
JAPANESE FEAST (clockwise from top left), bulgogi beef ramen, spicy tuna cut roll, assorted sushi, spicy tuna hand roll.
We opted for a hand roll version of the spicy tuna, which was served a tad too cold for optimum flavor release, but was otherwise satisfying. The array of sushi included mild, almost sweet, yellowtail; silvery, oily mackerel; and silky, fatty salmon belly. We also ordered a cut spicy tuna roll, which had the rice around the outside of the seaweed wrapper, a particularly appealing arrangement.
Vegetable tempura was an excellent dish. The breading was smoother and crunchier than the standard recipe, but dunking tempura-fried onion rings, asparagus spears, carrots, and sweet potato slices into a sweet mirin-based dipping sauce, then biting through their cracking coating, was a terrific way to add some vegetables to a protein- and carbohydrate-laden menu.
SUPER CRISPY vegetable tempura.
Our main complaint was with the ramen. Seven styles of the soup are offered, including vegetarian and seafood versions. My son and I decided to split a bowl of bulgogi beef ramen in pork broth. In fact, it wasn’t a standard pork broth, but rather tonkatsu, a cloudy white broth made from long-simmered pork trotters (feet) and ham hocks (like the pig’s ankles). Usually rich and unctuous, Umito’s was thin and nearly flavorless. The accompanying ramekin of a spicy sauce helped but didn’t rescue the ramen. The noodles weren’t especially springy or tasty, either. They graciously took the soup off our bill.
Wanting to linger, we opted for dessert, and the waiter recommended one of the two ice creams: a split orange filled with orange ice cream, and the pineapple version, which he said tasted like a piña colada. We couldn’t resist that!
PINEAPPLE ICE CREAM, served in half pineapple.
A frozen half pineapple quickly appeared, filled with delicious and creamy pineapple ice cream. However, the premade dessert was clearly just rescued from the deep freeze, and half the ice cream was so hard that even hacking away at it produced no results. Very sad, because the edible portion was truly delicious.
Umito Sushi & Ramen; 5224 Wilshire Blvd.; 213-266-8581; umito90036@gmail.com
Category: Real Estate
