Cho- Oishi - Los Angeles

Upon searching for a good sit-down spot in this mall, coming across this place felt like hitting the jackpot. The restaurant has a nice atmosphere and the decorations are beautiful. But of course, the best was the food. I dined with three others, and all of us agreed that our food was spectacular. We had the shrimp tempura appetizer, volcano roll, pork ramen, ribeye teriyaki and the dragon roll. The service was good, not anything too special, but good! They let my aunt replace the cream cheese with cucumber in her dragon roll, so modifications were not a problem! Our server was quick with refills and brought out all the sauces we asked for with a smile on her face. If you're in Hollywood and looking for a break from the heat and the crowds, this place is IT.

TLDR; Yer basically buying 11PM Ralph 's sushi but yer payin ' up Michelin-Star prices for bland sh*te. This was the first time I had sushi that I couldn 't finish. The food was brought out super early, leading me to believe the rolls were just kept in a fridge since Gloria Estefan was chart music. Nothing tasted fresh; I got the spiciest 911 roll on the menu, and it just tasted like mush. The jalapeños were old, the spice sauce tasted like mushy peas. The baked scallop tasted like mayonnaise and rice (ughh! . The Sex on the Moon , more eww than ooh It tasted about as kinky as a moldy sock full of... well, that 's the sexy part (BARF! Oh yeah, the service was top-notch--if you like waiting for Godot. Our middle-aged waiter was practically a ghost. I had to do the Hollywood walk o ' shame and wave my arms like I was a mad young one on meth to get his attention, only to find the lazy bollix with his arse glued to a seat having an auld chat with the staff. I left Cho Oishi with a sick feeling and the taste of old oil on my tongue. Safe to say, when I got back to me digs I had to perform an exorcism on me belly, complete with a tasty shot of 90% poitín to kill whatever Castrol oil sushi remained. Cho Oishi, I wanted to enjoy this, I really did.

We had tickets at the Dolby for a show. This place was in the complex and looked cute so we stopped in. The decor was interesting and Asian and decorated with big Buddha's and drums. They escorted us to a table in the back. We asked if we could sit by the windows there were open tables but were told no. The chairs did not have the top rubber cushion fastened so they gave way and slid around. They were supposed to be screwed to the chairs but they weren't so that was surprising. The table was sticky so we had to have the waiter wipe it down for us. The waiter was hard to catch his attention. He acted annoyed every time we dealt with him. We ordered sake, Sapporo draft and beef fried rice and sushi. Everything tasted off, the rice was dry the fish was dry and it just tasted off. I then noticed big holes in the ceiling which were clearly due to neglect or rain damage. It looked pretty bad and not safe. Overall I can't recommend this restaurant. It's a tourist trap sub par food, prepared sloppily and the restaurant was in poor shape. Do yourself a favor and skip this place.

This place is a big NOPE! Thumbs down. Hell to the no no no! I walked in around 2pm for a late lunch and there were only 3 parties in the bar area 2 of which were leaving. And 3 tables seated in the dining area, 1 which was walking out as I walked in. Initially, I wanted a table. No one greeted me at the door and the waitress walked right past me, giving me a dirty look. The sushi chef was making rolls and looked up and then went back to work. I turned around and went into the bar area thinking it would be faster and maybe better. I was wrong. The bartender rudely said, What do you want? I said, to order lunch. She looked me up and down and dasked, you work here? Meanwhile, I 'm in my full uniform. I ordered a Coca Cola and a California roll. 2 things I knew would be quick and able to be had within the 25 minutes I had left of my lunch. The bartender placed my drink off to the side by the seat next to me and walked away. I wasn 't even sure if that was my drink. I waited to make sure. She returned back 5-7 minutes later, meanwhile it was hot as heck and I was thirsty. I asked if that was my drink and she said yes. She left again. The waitress came by with my check. I told her I hadn 't even received my food yet. Her response was I thought you 'd want to pay first! Why would I pay for food I haven 't received yet? ! I asked her. At that point I only had 10 minutes left to eat, then run to go clock back in, which I told her. Also stating that that was the reason for ordering a simple California roll because I know it easy and quick. She states that the chef was very busy making all the sushi for the other tables. If 3 tables is too much for the chef to handle then maybe get another chef! She asked me if I wanted another soda and I told her No, to please cancel my food because I no longer had time. The original bartender was the person who had to take my roll off of my check. She still charged me $5 for my 1 soda. I handed her my Amex and asked for the manager who wasn 't in today so I told the woman, because they made me miss my lunch the least she could have done was given me my soda for free. A glass of soda from the bar gun costs 10¢ at most. As a black woman, the treatment/lack of courtesy in service felt very discriminatory. As I watched the bartender speak with the other 2 parties there, she was definitely more polite and less stand off-ish. The fact that they tried to make me pay for a $10 meal up front knowing that I work in the mall was BEYOND rude and ridiculous. The only good thing that has come from my being racially profiled is, I now tell people looking for tours and places to eat, to STAY AWAY. I 've happily helped more than 25 tourists by preventing them from an overpriced dining experience and will continue to make sure more DO NOT EAT THERE!

On a positive note, the interior of the restaurant is beautiful, featuring excellent decor and a friendly staff. The cleanliness of the place is also commendable, and its location near the movie theaters makes it a convenient choice for a post-movie meal. I usually try to find something good to say about every restaurant, and I rarely write negative reviews. However, this experience was disappointing, and I believe there are a few changes that could elevate the restaurant's quality. Kicking things off with the house salad, which I always order at sushi spots, I found the ginger dressing unappealing. Normally, I’m quite easy to please when it comes to ginger dressing. For my main course, I ordered a volcano roll and a dragon roll. It's hard to mess up a volcano roll, especially since it's topped with spicy sauce, yet I didn’t enjoy it as much as I hoped, although I finished it because I was hungry. There was something off about the spicy sauce. The dragon roll typically garners positive feedback, featuring avocado and eel drizzled with eel sauce. However, the eel appeared darker than I'm accustomed to—usually, it’s a dark brown. The taste was unusual for me, possibly due to the type of eel they used, but it was the first time I didn’t like an eel dish. Additionally, the amount of cream cheese in the roll was excessive; it didn’t pair well with the eel and avocado, and in my experience, this roll usually doesn’t include cream cheese. For the first time ever, I didn’t enjoy the soy sauce, which I requested to be low sodium. It had an odd flavor, so I opted not to use it at all. It’s surprising, since I’ve always appreciated the soy sauce at sushi restaurants. The soy sauce was served in a unique container that looked authentic, but perhaps it would be better to switch to standard soy sauce containers with red or green tops. To cap off the meal, I decided to try a dessert and ordered vanilla ice cream. Unfortunately, it had freezer burn, making it nearly inedible. Maybe I chose a bad night to visit, and while the restaurant has a lovely ambiance, great service, an extensive menu, and generous portions, the food just didn’t meet my expectations. This was, regrettably, my least favorite sushi experience to date. I hope the restaurant can make some improvements, and if future reviews are more positive, I might consider giving it another try.