KazuNori

The first KazuNori: The Original Hand Roll Bar opened in 2014 in Downtown Los Angeles.

• Kit – KazuNori: The Original Hand Roll Bar — handrollbar.com (KazuNori official site) · link
  “In 2014, Sushi Nozawa Group opened the first KazuNori: The Original Hand Roll Bar in Downtown Los Angeles, with the belief that the experience of eating hand rolls is something special and worthy of its own dedicated restaurant.”

KazuNori was created by the Sushi Nozawa Group, which was founded in 2008 by master sushi chef Kazunori Nozawa and Jerry A. Greenberg; the concept is named after and inspired by chef Nozawa.

• Co-Founders / Our Team - SUGARFISH — Sugarfish / Sushi Nozawa Group · link
  “After a successful career as co-founder and co-CEO of Sapient, that passion led to the creation of the Sushi Nozawa Group. ... Nozawa draws on his more than 50 years of experience as a legendary master sushi chef to deliver the highest quality sushi at KazuNori, SUGARFISH, and the Nozawa Bar.”
• Kit – KazuNori: The Original Hand Roll Bar — handrollbar.com (KazuNori official site) · link
  “Chef Nozawa introduced the cylindrical-style hand roll to the United States more than 40 years ago, and they were consistently one of the most popular dishes he served at his namesake restaurant, Sushi Nozawa.”
• Our Food - KazuNori: The Original Hand Roll Bar — KazuNori (handrollbar.com, official site) · link
  “Created by Nozawa and Jerry Greenberg 'with co-founders Tom Nozawa, Lele Massimini, Cameron Broumand, and Clement Mok.'”

KazuNori is owned and operated by the Sushi Nozawa Group (Sushi Nozawa, LLC), the Los Angeles-based restaurant group also behind SUGARFISH and Nozawa Bar, co-founded and led by Jerry A. Greenberg.

• Where to Eat on Los Angeles' Sushi Row — Visit California · link
  “Kazunori Nozawa, owner of KazuNori, Nozawa Bar, and Sugarfish, which currently has 16 locations across the U.S.”
• Co-Founders / Our Team - SUGARFISH — Sugarfish / Sushi Nozawa Group · link
  “that passion led to the creation of the Sushi Nozawa Group. ... Nozawa draws on his more than 50 years of experience ... to deliver the highest quality sushi at KazuNori, SUGARFISH, and the Nozawa Bar.”
• Our Food - KazuNori: The Original Hand Roll Bar — KazuNori (handrollbar.com, official site) · link
  “KazuNori operates as one establishment within the 'Sushi Nozawa Group (SUGARFISH, KazuNori, Nozawa Bar).'”

The concept is built on master sushi chef Kazunori Nozawa (born c. 1945), who apprenticed under a master sushi chef in Tokyo in 1963 at age 18 and opened Sushi Nozawa in Studio City in 1987 (operating it until his 2012 retirement).

• Kazunori Nozawa — Wikipedia · link
  “born c. 1945 ... In 1963, he apprenticed with a master sushi chef in Tokyo at the age of 18 ... opened Sushi Nozawa in 1987 in Studio City, California ... operated until his retirement in 2012.”
• Co-Founders / Our Team - SUGARFISH — Sugarfish / Sushi Nozawa Group · link
  “Nozawa draws on his more than 50 years of experience as a legendary master sushi chef ... he presided behind the sushi bar for 25 years.”

KazuNori is the hand-roll-focused offshoot of chef Kazunori Nozawa's Studio City lineage: the same group runs SUGARFISH (first location Marina del Rey, 2008) and the Michelin-starred Nozawa Bar in Beverly Hills.

• Nozawa Bar – Beverly Hills - a MICHELIN Guide Restaurant — MICHELIN Guide · link
  “Nozawa Bar is a One Star restaurant in the MICHELIN Guide USA.”
• Co-Founders / Our Team - SUGARFISH — Sugarfish / Sushi Nozawa Group · link
  “Nozawa draws on his more than 50 years of experience ... to deliver the highest quality sushi at KazuNori, SUGARFISH, and the Nozawa Bar.”

KazuNori specializes in made-to-order cylindrical hand rolls (toro, crab, yellowtail, lobster, scallop, eel, sea bream/New Zealand snapper, salmon) built on warm rice and crisp seaweed; it bills itself as 'The Original Hand Roll Bar.'

• Kit – KazuNori: The Original Hand Roll Bar — handrollbar.com (KazuNori official site) · link
  “Chef Nozawa introduced the cylindrical-style hand roll to the United States more than 40 years ago.”
• The Hand-roll Emporium Kazunori Opens in Studio City — Ventura Blvd magazine (ourventurablvd.com) · link
  “toro, crab, yellowtail, lobster, scallop, eel, sea bream (New Zealand snapper) and salmon. Vegan options include yamaimo (Japanese yam) and cucumber.”

KazuNori's signature offering is the hand roll (temaki) made with crispy nori, warm rice, and fresh fish; the brand's home 'Hand Roll Kit' makes 20 hand rolls and includes four fillings: toro, crab, yellowtail, and salmon.

• Kit – KazuNori: The Original Hand Roll Bar — handrollbar.com (KazuNori official site) · link
  “Each kit comes with everything needed to make 20 hand rolls, including four different fillings (toro, crab, yellowtail, and salmon), Nozawa's signature warm rice, and seaweed, plus an assortment of condiments.”

KazuNori operates multiple locations across greater Los Angeles (Studio City on Ventura Boulevard, Calabasas, Westwood, Santa Monica, Pasadena, Marina del Rey, Koreatown, Mid Wilshire, and Downtown) and in New York City (NoMad, Midtown East, Union Square, Greenwich Village).

• Kit – KazuNori: The Original Hand Roll Bar — handrollbar.com (KazuNori official site) · link
  “In 2014, Sushi Nozawa Group opened the first KazuNori: The Original Hand Roll Bar in Downtown Los Angeles.”
• KAZUNORI | DOWNTOWN LA — Yelp · link
  “KAZUNORI | DOWNTOWN LA - Updated June 2026 - 4832 Photos & 3646 Reviews - 421 S Main St, Los Angeles, California - Sushi Bars.”
• Downtown Los Angeles - KazuNori: The Original Hand Roll Bar — KazuNori (handrollbar.com, official site) · link
  “421 S. MAIN STREET LOS ANGELES, CA 90013”
• Locations - KazuNori: The Original Hand Roll Bar — KazuNori (handrollbar.com, official site) · link
  “Los Angeles: Calabasas, Downtown Los Angeles, Koreatown, Marina del Rey, Mid Wilshire, Pasadena, Santa Monica, Studio City, Westwood. New York: Greenwich Village, Midtown East, NoMad, Union Square.”
• KazuNori opens in Studio City — Beverly Press & Park Labrea News (beverlypress.com) · link
  “KazuNori: The Original Hand Roll Bar opened on Aug. 11, serving fresh fish, specially harvested crisp seaweed, housemade sauces and signature warm rice.”
• The Hand-roll Emporium Kazunori Opens in Studio City — Ventura Blvd magazine (ourventurablvd.com) · link
  “he has opened his sixth outpost—his first in the Valley—in Studio City ... The Studio City KazuNori is housed in the old Sushi Nozawa space ... It is also the former location of his other Valley restaurant, Sugarfish.”

KazuNori is open and operating as of 2026, with multiple active locations in Los Angeles and New York.

• KAZUNORI | DOWNTOWN LA — Yelp · link
  “KAZUNORI | DOWNTOWN LA - Updated June 2026 - 4832 Photos & 3646 Reviews - 421 S Main St, Los Angeles, California.”
• KAZUNORI | NOMAD — Yelp · link
  “KAZUNORI | NOMAD - Updated June 2026 - 2569 Photos & 1653 Reviews - 15 W 28th St, New York, New York - Sushi Bars.”
• Locations - KazuNori: The Original Hand Roll Bar — KazuNori (handrollbar.com, official site) · link
  “Active locations listed across Los Angeles and New York.”

KazuNori is named for and rooted in Chef Kazunori Nozawa, founder of Sushi Nozawa in Studio City on Ventura Boulevard (the 'Trust Me' omakase restaurant), who was nicknamed the 'Sushi Nazi' for his strict rules and closed/retired in 2012 after 25 years.

• Kazunori Nozawa — Wikipedia · link
  “He opened Sushi Nozawa in 1987 in Studio City, California; customers nicknamed him the 'Sushi Nazi'; operated until his retirement in 2012.”
• 'Trust Me' No More; Sushi Nozawa Closing After 25 Years — Rafu Shimpo · link
  “Sushi Nozawa, 11228 Ventura Blvd., Studio City; signage read 'Today's Special: Trust Me'; Kazunori Nozawa was the only sushi chef for a quarter century before its closure in 2012.”

Beyond Los Angeles, KazuNori operates in New York (NoMad, at 15 W 28th St), confirming the brand's LA + NYC footprint.

• NoMad – KazuNori: The Original Hand Roll Bar — handrollbar.com (KazuNori official site) · link
  “NoMad location of KazuNori: The Original Hand Roll Bar at 15 W 28th St, New York.”
• KazuNori | Manhattan | Restaurants — NYC Tourism (nyctourism.com) · link
  “Famed Los Angeles sushi chef Kazunori Nozawa is behind the concept: set menus of crisp, nori-skinned hand rolls coming in groups of three...”

The brand's first-party story: KazuNori was created to give the hand roll its own dedicated restaurant, built on Chef Nozawa's philosophy of simple, high-quality traditional sushi -- 'No fusion, no crunchy stuff, no rolls of cooked fish stuffed with spices. Just the real thing.'

• Our Food - KazuNori: The Original Hand Roll Bar — KazuNori (handrollbar.com, official site) · link
  “No fusion, no crunchy stuff, no rolls of cooked fish stuffed with spices. Just the real thing.”

Sushi Nozawa, LLC owns the standard-character mark 'The Original Hand Roll Bar' (serial 86543952) and a design mark 'The Original Hand Roll Bar Founded 2014 Los Angeles' (serial 86544348), both filed February 24, 2015 for restaurant services, claiming first use in 2014; the marks were placed on the USPTO Supplemental Register after the examining attorney deemed them merely descriptive.

• Sushi Nozawa, LLC Trademarks — Justia Trademarks · link
  “'THE ORIGINAL HAND ROLL BAR' (Serial 86543952) and 'THE ORIGINAL HAND ROLL BAR FOUNDED 2014 LOS ANGELES' (Serial 86544348), both filed February 24, 2015 for restaurant services, owned by Sushi Nozawa, LLC.”
• Sushi Nozawa Group Vs. The Hand Roll Bar Experience — Omni Legal Group · link
  “Two trademark registrations on the Supplemental Register: 'The Original Hand Roll Bar' and 'The Original Hand Roll Bar Founded 2014 Los Angeles' ... applied for in 2015 but Sushi Nozawa claims to have first used both marks in 2014 ... USPTO refused Principal Register registration, asserting the marks merely describe the services.”

Sushi Nozawa, LLC sued The HRB Experience, LLC for trademark infringement over 'Hand Roll Bar' in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California (Case No. 2:19-cv-07653, filed September 4, 2019); a federal judge declined to dismiss the suit in 2020, and the case was later voluntarily dismissed with prejudice (February 11, 2021).

• Sushi Nozawa, LLC v. The HRB Experience, LLC — Law360 (case record) · link
  “Sushi Nozawa, LLC v. The HRB Experience, LLC; California Central; Case Number 2:19-cv-07653; Filing Date September 04, 2019; Judge Otis D. Wright, II. A federal judge 'refused to toss a trademark infringement suit brought by the company behind ... Sugarfish and KazuNori' (April 2020).”
• Sushi Nozawa, LLC v The HRB Experience, LLC | 2:19-CV-07653 | Court Records — UniCourt · link
  “Sushi Nozawa, LLC v. The HRB Experience, LLC; Case Number 2:19-cv-07653; U.S. District Courts, California Central District; Filing Date September 4, 2019; Presiding Judge Otis D. Wright, II; final order granting voluntary dismissal with prejudice entered on February 11, 2021.”

The legal operating/owning entity for the trademark and brand is Sushi Nozawa, LLC.

• Sushi Nozawa, LLC v. The HRB Experience, LLC — Law360 (case record) · link
  “Case Name: Sushi Nozawa, LLC v. The HRB Experience, LLC; Court: California Central; Case Number 2:19-cv-07653; Filing Date September 04, 2019; Judge Otis D. Wright, II.”
• Sushi Nozawa, LLC Trademarks — Justia Trademarks · link
  “Trademarks owned by Sushi Nozawa, LLC, including 'THE ORIGINAL HAND ROLL BAR.'”