Studio City, LA
Note: This review is a compilation of two separate visits to Leona’s – one at dinnertime, the other during lunch hours.
Super sincere thank you to Owner, Frank Leon, for hosting me for an incredible experience at Leona’s!
parking
during the day, parking at leona’s is SUPER easy. there is plenty of available street parking that requires small meter payment. if dining at night, street parking is very scarce as it is located on ventura blvd, a hub for popular restaurants and bars. for evening-time visits, $10 Valet is the way to go. I wouldn’t try nearby residential streets as many of them require a parking permit and parking enforcement in this lovely city takes no days off!!
ambience// vibe // service
leona’s is breathtakingly beautiful. the best part about this space is there are THREE separate dining rooms that offer completely different ambiences/vibes to fit whatever mood you’re in. the original room (1) is an intimate sushi bar where michelin-star chef, Shigenori Fujimoto presents to you the freshest fish on the market. the center room (2) is the “Garden Room” and my personal favorite. its a candle-lit, semi-outdoor patio with lounge-style seating, decorated with tons of plants and string lights. you feel like you’ve been transported out of studio city and into an enchanted garden. It has its own bar and a few antique musical instruments that are used for occasional live performances. the volume does get pretty lively here. this room is great for hosting large groups and birthday parties! the third dining room (3) is a dimly lit, restaurant & bar. it is very sexy with great, unique artwork on the walls and sculpture in the center of the room. offers the perfect volume for date night and/or a business meeting.
service in all three dining rooms is amazing! I have zero complaints in this department. the staff is young, attentive, + personable. frank is usually found floating around and checking in on his guests – just look out for the best dressed gentleman most likely wearing some fun, funky shoes!
what to wear //
ft. owner, Frank Leon
I was in a slight rush getting ready for my dinner reservation so I went with a pretty quick and easy outfit. all black everything – you can’t go wrong! I wore a black bodysuit, black leather leggings, and black boots. Leona’s is definitely upscale, especially in the evening-time, and hosts a lot of private groups/events for LA’s finest, so each time I’ve visited, people are pretty well dressed.
definitely a place you want to come correct!
drinky-drinks!
Violette Rose (back)
Leonas Lycheetini (front)
menu + creative cocktails list
if you appreciate thoughtfully crafted cocktails, then this is a place for you! a lot of their cocktails are japanese-inspired, incorporating ingredients like yuzu and sake. I tried both the “violette rose” and the “leona’s lycheetini” . both were great. the violette rose is pretty much your classic spicy marg. i’m not a vodka drinker so for the lycheetini, the staff happily subbed it for tequila and I must say, this was great. if you’re a lychee lover, I definitely recommend!
Omakase
“omakase”-style dining consists of dishes selected by the chef
if there is any place in los angeles that you want to choose this dining experience at, its Leona’s. head sushi chef, Shigenori Fujimoto, is known around the city to be one of the best and he will surely take care of you, sending out out his handpicked favorites.
(front) oyster w/ caviar + uni + wasabi
this oyster right here was amazing. the best i’ve ever had. I’m not entirely sure which one it was on the menu but it was topped with caviar, uni, AND wasabi – delicious. there were so many flavors in that one slurp, I didn’t even know all that I was tasting but it was so fresh, and not AT ALL chewy as oysters usually are.
Cucumber Crab Salad was super cute and petite. the veggies were perfectly pickled, not too soggy , with a nice bite. the crab was incredibly fresh.
without analyzing each nigiri I was so fortunate to try, take my word when I say this is some of the freshest, most quality fish i’ve had in this city. i’m a tuna gal and my personal favorites were the albacore belly and the toro. truly incredible fatty meaty cuts of the fish. chef places a small dallop of wasabi in between the rice and fish to set it off, but its not too much. **chefs kiss**
I wasnt a fan of the uni. it was pretty slimey and loose consistency. but if thats your thing, go crazy!!
if you don’t do anything else, request the blue crab hand roll!
the blue crab filling is so damn good, I could eat it by the spoon.
I wanted to absolutely love this plate because it doesn’t get much more elevated than halibut sashimi with freshly shaved truffles. but I did feel like there was way too much truffle on top and it took completely away from the freshness of the halibut. might not order again. would rather have a spoon + bowl of blue crab!
off the main menu
(top row – left to right)
spicy garlic edamame — honnnnnestly… i’ve had much better edamame elsewhere. the “spicy garlic” sauce was chunky with poor consistency and therefore didn’t spread evenly across all edamame pieces. could’ve used more salt and seemed undercooked a bit. on top of that the edamame was hairy? not sure why. I guess I didn’t realize there were different breeds of this stuff (lol). probably wouldn’t order again.
leona’s special roll — ok ok, this roll is fantastic! the crab filling was so so creamy. the miso sauce added a fresh element to balance. 1000% would order again!!
(bottom row – left to right)
udon carbonara — first of all, udon are the elite of all noodles just as carbonara is the elite of all pastas, imo. when I saw this on the menu there was no doubt I was ordering. the noods were cooked so perfectly, nicely chewy yet soft. there was plenty of creamy carbonara sauce to smother the noodles but it wasn’t too thick. typical bacon pieces were placed on top – I think I might’ve candied the bacon pieces a bit, maybe with a honey soy sauce mix to play on the asian profile. this dish also could’ve used slightly more salt.
oxtail bao bun — WINNER WINNER OXTAIL DINNER!!! Order this. These bao buns had such a substantial amount of meat in them, not to mention it was extremely buttery & tender. the flavor is great although I could imagine it leaning into the asian profile a bit more – that would set it all the way off. the microgreens added were a nice touch although a crunchy, pickled veggie was on my mind while eating. the bun is absolutely perfect and fluffy. chef toasted it slightly which was a cool, unique touch that added an unexpected layer of flavor.
overall leona’s is an amazing dining experience, no matter which room you choose to dine it. but to me that’s one of the best parts, is that you have three choices! without a doubt, the sushi is some of the best in the world. the main menu is also so fun and so different as they merge asian and italin/peruvian profiles.
9 times out of 10 I’m recommending Leona’s. make a resi below & see why for yourself 🙂
for more los angeles restaurant recommendations, check out my other reviews: