Shunji

Shunji (Shunji Japanese Cuisine) opened in 2012 at 12244 West Pico Boulevard in West Los Angeles, in the former 'Chili Bowl' building.

• Shunji (restaurant) — Wikipedia · link
  “Shunji was established in 2012 located in West Los Angeles.”
• Chili Bowl, West Los Angeles (Demolished) — Los Angeles Conservancy · link
  “The current tenant, Shunji Japanese restaurant, has operated out of the former Chili Bowl since 2012.”
• Michelin-Starred Sushi Restaurant Relocating to Santa Monica? — Santa Monica Mirror (smmirror.com) · link
  “Chef-owner Shunji Nakao ... at 12244 West Pico Boulevard”

The founder and chef-owner is Shunji Nakao, a longtime Los Angeles sushi chef.

• Shunji (restaurant) — Wikipedia · link
  “head chef Shunji Nakao”
• From cowboy to sushi chef to social media star, Tetsuya Nakao is doing it 'Asanebo style' — Yahoo Lifestyle · link
  “Shunji Japanese Cuisine chef-owner Shunji Nakao”
• Michelin-Starred Sushi Restaurant Relocating to Santa Monica? — Santa Monica Mirror (smmirror.com) · link
  “Chef-owner Shunji Nakao operates the Michelin-starred sushi restaurant”

Current ownership: Shunji Nakao remains chef-owner of the restaurant.

• From cowboy to sushi chef to social media star, Tetsuya Nakao is doing it 'Asanebo style' — Yahoo Lifestyle · link
  “Shunji Japanese Cuisine chef-owner Shunji Nakao”
• Michelin-Starred Sushi Restaurant Relocating to Santa Monica? — Santa Monica Mirror (smmirror.com) · link
  “Chef-owner Shunji Nakao operates the Michelin-starred sushi restaurant”

Chef Shunji Nakao trained under Nobu Matsuhisa: he and his younger brother Tetsuya Nakao worked with Nobu at O-Sho and then at Matsuhisa in Beverly Hills, where Shunji was among Nobu's early sushi chefs.

• Shunji Nakao (tag) — All Things Andy Gavin · link
  “Chef Shunji Nakao was an opening chef at Matsuhisa in the day, then opened Asanebo, then The Hump”
• From cowboy to sushi chef to social media star, Tetsuya Nakao is doing it 'Asanebo style' — Yahoo Lifestyle · link
  “Matsuhisa took Nakao under his wing, as well as Nakao's younger brother, Shunji Japanese Cuisine chef-owner Shunji Nakao. The three worked together at O-Sho, and then at Matsuhisa in Beverly Hills”

Head chef is Shunji Nakao, an LA sushi veteran with Yokohama roots who was one of the original chefs at Matsuhisa (Nobu Matsuhisa's Beverly Hills restaurant) before later running his own places.

• From cowboy to sushi chef to social media star, Tetsuya Nakao is doing it 'Asanebo style' — Yahoo Lifestyle · link
  “The three worked together at O-Sho, and then at Matsuhisa in Beverly Hills, before the Nakao brothers left to begin Asanebo.”
• Review: Newly relocated Shunji Japanese Cuisine still shines—for a smaller, spendier crowd — Time Out Los Angeles · link
  “one of three original chefs at Matsuhisa—along with his brother Tetsuya, of Studio City's Asanebo”

Shunji Nakao co-founded Asanebo (the Studio City sushi restaurant on Ventura Boulevard's 'Sushi Row') with his brother Tetsuya Nakao after leaving Matsuhisa; Shunji departed Asanebo in 2000 and Tetsuya continued running it. This is the direct lineage link between Shunji and Sushi Row.

• From cowboy to sushi chef to social media star, Tetsuya Nakao is doing it 'Asanebo style' — Yahoo Lifestyle · link
  “the Nakao brothers left to begin Asanebo... Shunji departed in 2000, while Tetsuya remained”
• Review: Newly relocated Shunji Japanese Cuisine still shines—for a smaller, spendier crowd — Time Out Los Angeles · link
  “his brother Tetsuya, of Studio City's Asanebo”
• Sushi Vet Masters Seasonal Cooking at L.A.'s Must-Visit Japanese Restaurant (Los Angeles Magazine profile, republished) — Yahoo Lifestyle / Los Angeles Magazine · link
  “opened Asanebo with his brother before creating his eponymous Shunji restaurant in West L.A.”

Shunji retained its one Michelin star after relocating to Santa Monica in 2021 and is listed in the Michelin Guide at its Santa Monica address.

• Here's a look at the Michelin Starred Restaurants in Los Angeles for 2024 — EatDrinkLA · link
  “Shunji has One Michelin Star ... freshly relocated and manned by Chef Shunji Nakao”
• Shunji. – Santa Monica - a MICHELIN Guide Restaurant — MICHELIN Guide · link
  “Shunji. – Santa Monica - a MICHELIN Guide Restaurant (one-star listing at Santa Monica address)”
• Two Santa Monica Restaurants Earn Michelin Stars and Bib Gourmands — Visit Santa Monica (santamonica.com) · link
  “Shunji is a Michelin star Japanese restaurant by Chef Shunji Nakao, located in Santa Monica”

Shunji received one Michelin star in 2019 and is described as Michelin-starred at its current Santa Monica location.

• Shunji (restaurant) — Wikipedia · link
  “It received a Michelin star in 2019.”
• Review: Newly relocated Shunji Japanese Cuisine still shines—for a smaller, spendier crowd — Time Out Los Angeles · link
  “his eponymous Michelin-starred sushi restaurant”

Shunji was awarded one Michelin star in 2019 (Michelin Guide Los Angeles).

• Shunji (restaurant) — Wikipedia · link
  “In 2019, the Michelin Guide awarded Shunji one Michelin star”
• Here's a look at the Michelin Starred Restaurants in Los Angeles for 2024 — EatDrinkLA · link
  “Shunji (West LA) — listed in the One Star subsection under Michelin Guide Los Angeles 2019”

Shunji's signature dish is an agedashi tomato 'tofu' — a ripe tomato compressed/formed into a block (no actual tofu), blistered/fried, served in a dashi broth and topped with a shishito pepper (and an eggplant medallion).

• Sushi Vet Masters Seasonal Cooking at L.A.'s Must-Visit Japanese Restaurant (Los Angeles Magazine profile, republished) — Yahoo Lifestyle / Los Angeles Magazine · link
  “strikingly original dishes like an agedashi tomato 'tofu' that doesn't involve any actual tofu”
• Shunji Tomato Agedashi Tofu — Food GPS · link
  “his signature Tomato Agedashi Tofu ... Five tomatoes ... formed into a square and blistered on the outside ... rested in a shallow pool of savory broth ... On top, Shunji placed a single eggplant medallion and a mild shishito pepper.”

Original West LA location was 12244 W. Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90064 — a landmark former Chili Bowl building (built 1935, programmatic architecture shaped like a giant chili bowl, from Arthur 'Art' Whizin's Chili Bowl chain).

• Chili Bowl, West Los Angeles (Demolished) — Los Angeles Conservancy · link
  “12244 W. Pico Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90064 ... 1935 ... Designed in the shape of a giant chili bowl, the structure is an excellent example of programmatic architecture.”

Original location: 12244 West Pico Boulevard, West Los Angeles (2012–2021). Current location: 3003 Ocean Park Boulevard, Santa Monica, CA 90405, with a small (about 7-seat) sushi counter.

• Shunji (restaurant) — Wikipedia · link
  “In 2021, they moved to their current location in Santa Monica at 3003 Ocean Park Boulevard, Santa Monica, California, 90405”
• Review: Newly relocated Shunji Japanese Cuisine still shines—for a smaller, spendier crowd — Time Out Los Angeles · link
  “3003 Ocean Park Blvd”
• Michelin-Starred Sushi Restaurant Relocating to Santa Monica? — Santa Monica Mirror (smmirror.com) · link
  “currently at 12244 West Pico Boulevard ... planning to move ... to 3003 Ocean Park Boulevard in Santa Monica”

Shunji is OPEN, operating at 3003 Ocean Park Boulevard, Santa Monica (reservations via Tock). The original Pico Boulevard building is gone (demolished 2022).

• Shunji. – Santa Monica - a MICHELIN Guide Restaurant — MICHELIN Guide · link
  “Shunji. – Santa Monica - a MICHELIN Guide Restaurant (current listing)”
• Shunji Japanese Cuisine (official site) — shunji-ns.com · link
  “For making reservations, the site directs visitors to their Tock reservation platform at https://www.exploretock.com/shunji/”
• Shunji. - Reservations - Santa Monica, CA | Tock — Tock (exploretock.com) · link
  “Shunji. - Reservations - Santa Monica, CA (active reservation listing)”

As of 2025-2026 Shunji is open at the Santa Monica location, serving a $295 omakase with Tuesday-Saturday seatings and a deposit booked through Tock.

• Review: Newly relocated Shunji Japanese Cuisine still shines—for a smaller, spendier crowd — Time Out Los Angeles · link
  “$295 omakase is all that remains ... Tue-Sat, 5:15 and 7:45 seatings ... deposit required through Tock to book for the nightly seating”
• Shunji - Santa Monica, CA | Tock · link
  “Shunji - Santa Monica, CA (active reservation/booking page)”

Shunji's original Pico Blvd home was a landmark 'programmatic'/Googie-era chili-bowl-shaped diner: built in 1935 as the seventh location of Art(hur) Whizin's Chili Bowl chain (founded 1931), and relocated from Fletcher Drive in Silver Lake to the Pico site in 1939/40. The property owner demolished it in early 2022 (cut into numbered sections by late Feb 2022; remaining segments hauled to the dump by April 2024) after the Historic-Cultural Monument nomination was rejected in 2021.

• Chili Bowl, West Los Angeles (Demolished) — Los Angeles Conservancy · link
  “Constructed in 1935 as the seventh Chili Bowl restaurant chain location ... In 1931 ... Whizin opened his first Chili Bowl restaurant ... relocated the building from its original location on Fletcher Drive in Silver Lake to its present site in 1939/40 ... In February 2022, the owner demolished the Chili Bowl, cutting it up into pieces”
• Save and Move The Last Chili Bowl Restaurant in Los Angeles (R.I.P.) — Esotouric · link
  “December 2, 2020: A demolition permit ... February 3, 2022: The new demolition permit is approved ... February 22, 2022: The building being cut into sections, stacked and numbered ... April 2024: the deconstructed, numbered segments ... have been hauled off to the dump”

The move was prompted by the West LA Chili Bowl building facing demolition; the building was dismantled (cut into pieces) in February 2022.

• Chili Bowl, West Los Angeles (Demolished) — Los Angeles Conservancy · link
  “In February 2022, the owner demolished the Chili Bowl, cutting it up into pieces, destroying this rare West L.A. landmark.”
• Review: Newly relocated Shunji Japanese Cuisine still shines—for a smaller, spendier crowd — Time Out Los Angeles · link
  “the Chili Bowl in West L.A., has been dismantled”

The LA Shunji should not be confused with the unrelated 'Sushi Shunji' in Tokyo, run by chef Shunji Hashiba, a protege of Takashi Saito of three-Michelin-star Sushi Saito.

• Sushi Shunji (鮨しゅんじ) | Motoazabu — Sushi Shunji (official site) · link
  “Sushi Shunji, Motoazabu, Tokyo (chef Shunji Hashiba)”
• Sushi Shunji | Restaurant Reservation Service in Japan — TABLEALL · link
  “Shunji Hashiba is the No.1 protege of Tokyo's 3 Michelin star Sushi Saito ... became 'Sushi Shunji'”