Japanese · Sushi
A Liberty Station sashimi spot Roger turns to when Sushi Ota is booked, especially for live amaebi served nigiri-style with the head and tail deep-fried tempura, plus a generous chirashi bowl.
Start with live amaebi (sweet shrimp) or lobster sashimi (when available) or chirashi bowl, and check the restaurant’s current menu before you go.
Source-backed notes
Checked in 4 times on Yelp, most recently Jul 9, 2018. See the check-in log
“Ikiru never disappoints.”
A regular fallback when Sushi Ota is booked. Live amaebi runs $15-20 for two, served nigiri-style with the head and tail tempura-fried afterward. Also recommends the chirashi bowl for a generous mix of cuts.
Stay in the neighborhood
A Liberty Station food hall Roger compared to Grand Central Market and the Anaheim Packing District, though on an early Friday-evening visit most vendors had already closed and little stood out.
A Liberty Public Market empanada stall Roger found underwhelming on a first visit, with one nearly hollow empanada and a spinach-and-cheese filling he called just okay.
A Liberty Station cafe in a converted Naval Training Center building; Roger flagged it specifically as a good brunch spot.
Keep exploring
Browse the Japanese page, or continue to another place with a matching cuisine.
One of the two omakase counters Roger named when asked where to take a visiting friend for sushi in 2022.
Roger's University Heights omakase recommendation from 2022, paired with Tadokoro as his two go-to sushi counters.