SUSHISAMBA
West Hollywood, Los Angeles
📍 639 N La Peer Dr, West Hollywood, CA 90069
🍽 Japanese, Brazilian, Peruvian Fusion · California
📅 Visited: September 2026
🍴 Forks Given: 🍴🍴🍴☆☆ (3.72 / 5.0)
A beautiful room with a brunch menu that delivers and sashimi that does not.
Overview / First Impressions
The plan was brunch on a rooftop in West Hollywood. The weather had other ideas, so the roof was closed for the rain. It still felt open air, which is a fair deal for a wet morning.
SUSHISAMBA is a Japanese, Brazilian, and Peruvian fusion restaurant that opened in March 2026 in West Hollywood’s Design District, part of an international chain. The room is certainly a vibe. Bold orange colors pop against a clean white background and wood accents, and there is greenery everywhere. The people-watching comes free with the table.
The brunch menu was a three-course deal at $65 per guest: starters and sushi to share, plus a choice of entrée. We also added a third entree, which was a pretty good deal, as well as a hodgepodge of sushi to try.
What We Ordered
Cocktails
The signature cocktails on the menu were too sweet. Inventiveness earns credit, but when a drink leans that sweet, credit only goes so far. But, they were able to craft decent martinis that we transitioned to.
The Starters
The apps were fire. These included the green bean tempura and plantain chips with wasabi guacamole. They set a high bar before any entrée arrived, and most of the entrées kept up.
Rock Shrimp Burger
Pretty solid. The flavors were good and there was a lot of shrimp, which is the first thing to check on a shrimp burger. They pair it with spicy mayo, coleslaw, and matchstick fries.
Braised Short Rib
The best entrée of the meal. It was a great short rib with the right amount of saltiness and beef that just fell apart. The sauce was limited, and that is a good thing, because it let the beef taste like beef. It sat atop a sweet corn pancake, and we did not need it. The short rib was plenty and the pancake didn’t add much.
Blueberry Yuzu Pancakes
A great breakfast dish and the one that best justifies ordering brunch at all. The yuzu was in the right amount and there were lots of berries. The menu lists yuzu cream, blueberry compote, and citron honey. Excellent.
Sashimi
We tried yellowtail, toro, ahi, and salmon. All just fine, although I expected more. In fact, the toro was probably less than fine… fatty tuna, sure… but this was sort of stringy and that texture was not enjoyable. Otherwise, nothing really stuck out and we would not order it again. A restaurant with Japanese roots serving sashimi that is merely fine tells you where to spend your money, and it is not here.
Forks Given Score Breakdown
| Category | Score (1–5) | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Food Quality | 3.8 | 40% |
| Value | 3.5 | 20% |
| Service & Experience | 3.5 | 15% |
| Ambiance & Environment | 4.5 | 10% |
| Execution vs Intent | 3.5 | 10% |
| Return Factor | 3.5 | 5% |
Final Forks Given Score: 3.72 / 5.0
The Quirks
- The roof was closed for the rain, but the room still read as open air.
- Colorful shade canopies hang under the glass roof, so the ceiling is part of the decor.
- The brunch menu and format was about to change, so check the restaurant for details.
The Verdict
SUSHISAMBA is a beautiful place to have brunch, and brunch is the reason to go. The starters, the short rib, and the yuzu blueberry pancakes are strong, the burger holds up, the cocktails run too sweet, and the sashimi is a pass. Non-brunch items don’t necessarily hit, so come for the people-watching and the pancakes.
