Respected Jinpachi Chef Opens Casual New Sushi Spot on Melrose Avenue

Fish Eight by Jinpachi is the new and less-pricey sister restaurant to West Hollywood sushi staple Jinpachi, which opened on May 22. Chef and owner Hirotaka Fujita jumped into the former Kawaba Rice Ball space to expand his LA sushi reach, even though the restaurants are less than three miles away from each other.

Don’t expect the same style at Fish Eight. Fujita’s vision is a casual sushi shop with an accessible menu and lower price range. Fujita asserts the quality is still there though. Fish Eight’s simple menu maintains traditional and original sushi and sashimi, plus chirashi bowls. As the weeks go on, Fujita plans to expand the menu while operating both restaurants.

Fujita’s LA resume goes back 22 years, with stints at Nobu Malibu and Brentwood’s Takao. The original Jinpachi opened in West Hollywood in 2006. It took four months to convert the Kawaba Rice Ball space into Fish Eight. The narrow room holds 24 seats and a sushi bar. Fish Eight by Jinpachi is open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for lunch, then from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Fish Eight by Jinpachi. 7368 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA

Hirotaka Fujita

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