Prominent LA Sushi Chef Serves Hand Rolls in Los Feliz Tomorrow

Busy Valley sushi chef Kiminobu Saito is ready for another project, this time in Los Feliz. Tomorrow Saito will open Sōgo Roll Bar, a hand roll bar right on the main Hollywood drag at the border of Los Feliz and East Hollywood, with help from some prominent hospitality names.

Sōgo is the work of omakase sushi specialist Saito and fellow Sushi Note owners David Gibbs (Augustine wine bar) and Andy Paxson, as well as Dustin Lancaster and Sarah Dietz. Lancaster is known for his involvement in and ownership of a number of Eastside-ish establishments, from L&E Oyster Bar and the recently-opened wine bar Holcomb in Highland Park to Oriel in Chinatown and Crawfords in Westlake. He and Dietz also operated the Firehouse Hotel and restaurant in the Arts District, which just recently closed its doors for an extended overhaul.

At Sōgo, Saito and company work a menu of set hand rolls, offered in bunches — $14 for three, say — with rotating ingredients, as well as an a la carte option for diners to grab other items like $7.50 lobster hand rolls, $6 crab rolls, and the like. Drinks and some limited sashimi dishes are also available. As for the space, expect a compact, bright space with room for a 14-seat wooden sushi bar, plus some shared patio space with the attached Go Get Em Tiger coffee bar in the same building.

Sōgo Roll Bar opens tomorrow, but will keep lunch hours only to start. Expect expanded service into dinner soon enough. There are no reservations, but takeout is available. Sōgo is also a no-tipping restaurant, and carries an 18% service charge.

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