Beloved sushi restaurant Sōgo Roll Bar comes to Highland Park

The sushi hangout begins a new chapter in its second location, becoming the perfect spot for a quick grab-and-go or a relaxed tasting experience in east LA

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Sōgo Roll Bar
(Image credit: Courtesy of Sōgo Roll Bar)

For a cosy neighbourhood sushi spot in Highland Park that caters to both a quick bite on the go and a relaxed tasting experience, this is the second location of a beloved sushi roll concept that started in Los Feliz. In this venture, David Gibbs and Kiminobu Saito from Sushi Note have teamed up with Sarah Dietz and Dustin Lancaster of Bar Covell and L&E Oyster Bar to create something truly special.

The mood: a sophisticated rendez-vous

Sōgo Roll Bar

(Image credit: Courtesy of Sōgo Roll Bar)

As you step into this intimate space, the pop of green of the Japanese stucco walls instantly creates a calming atmosphere. You can easily pull up one of the repurposed custom leather bar stools from Nightlife Décor in downtown LA or sink into a banquette adorned with Block Shop Textiles. The bespoke lighting, crafted in collaboration with Simon St. James of New Made LA, beautifully accentuates the rich maroon Gucci heron print wallpaper. An artistic partnership with Ellery Stoneware resulted in custom serving vessels that showcase Sōgo’s exquisite dishes while complementing the overall aesthetic, including the back bar, which features hand-painted floral murals by local artist Marly Beyer.

Sōgo Roll Bar

(Image credit: Courtesy of Sōgo Roll Bar)

The food: exquisite finger food

Sōgo Roll Bar

(Image credit: Courtesy of Sōgo Roll Bar)

The star of the show is the oblong handrolls stuffed with fresh fish, from sweet unagi to lobster, or albacore kari kari and salmon with yuzu-it, that are personally handed to guests sitting at the bar, sometimes by cult-sushi master, chef Saito-san himself. The rolls can be served cut, but it’s more fun to bite into the fresh, crispy seaweed wraps that are tucked at the end like a burrito for easy hand-held eating. For quick, light bites, don’t overlook the delicate black cod glazed simply with soy sauce, lemon and ginger (so it’s not as heavy and sweet as typical renditions of this dish), and the top-selling crispy rice topped with Kewpie Mayo mixed spicy tuna, which takes days to prepare, or the rich baked crab version. If you decide to take a patio seat, a bottle of sparkling nigori sake is perfect for a warm afternoon and people watching on York Blvd.

Sōgo Roll Bar

(Image credit: Courtesy of Sōgo Roll Bar)

Sōgo Highland Park is located at 5535 York Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90042, United States.

Carole Dixon

Carole Dixon is a prolific lifestyle writer-editor currently based in Los Angeles. As a Wallpaper* contributor since 2004, she covers travel, architecture, art, fashion, food, design, beauty, and culture for the magazine and online, and was formerly the LA City editor for the Wallpaper* City Guides to Los Angeles.