A 32-Year Valley Sushi Veteran Is Expanding to One of LA’s Hippest Blocks

An exciting new sushi restaurant is coming to Virgil Village this year, just up the block from Sqirl. Woodland Hills staple Japanese restaurant Tatsuki has signed a lease to open a 1,400 square foot restaurant at 771 N. Virgil Avenue, not far from other incoming names like Courage Bagels and East Coast transplant Ken’s Ramen. Co-owner Taishi Kojima confirmed the upcoming opening to Eater, saying the restaurant should open around the end of 2020.

Tatsuki has been a well-regarded staple of the greater Valley sushi scene since 1988 (making it among the oldest along Ventura Boulevard), working a menu of Japanese snacks, specialty rolls, sashimi, and more. For the new location, chef Naoki Kojima tells Eater that the restaurant will lean more heavily into sake and pairings, and offer an expanded menu that dives deeper into southern Japanese fare. Expect around 45 seats in total, with 15 of those at the bar.

And while the greater Los Feliz/Silver Lake/Historic Filipinotown has not traditionally had a wealth of sushi options to choose from, the introduction of any new restaurant is bound to raise some eyebrows in the East Hollywood area, given the proliferation of new, more expensive businesses in Virgil Village over the past couple of years.

In other news:

— Wanderlust Creamery is opening its fifth standalone ice cream location at 7920 W. Third St. at the site of Carmela’s Ice Cream, with a planned arrival later this spring.

— Alchemy Bar is now open for upscale cocktails in Sherman Oaks, as part of the Te’Kila compound at 13817 Ventura Boulevard.

— Boomtown Brewery turns five this weekend, and to celebrate the brewery is doing special reduced-price pours, raffles, food trucks, and more.

— Here’s a fun one: There’s a free competition event happening on March 29 at 625 N. Alvarado St., with several chefs vying to concoct LA’s best papaya salad. It’s part of a larger event meant to raise awareness about Lao food in Southern California.

— The Resort at Pelican Hill in Orange County is hosting a series of happy hour pop-ups this coming March, with drop ins from LA’s Old Lightning, and NYC’s NoMad Bar and Peppi’s Cellar.

— One of Resy’s latest blog posts is on Samantha Quintero, the 28-year-old who oversees the day-to-day cooking at Night + Market Sahm in Venice.

— Per the Eastsider, the folks behind Tilda and Etti in Echo Park are working on a new project inside of an existing duplex at 1506 Glendale Boulevard.

— That adorable and newly-famous kid who goes around reviewing shirley temples has found a winner in the one at Gwen in Hollywood, apparently.