The Top 2 Places to Eat and Drink in Encino

Taketoshi Azumi's two decades of sushi mastery converge at this spare counter where his singular approach to rice becomes a delicate platform for unusual nigiri—Japanese chives bound in crispy nori, barely torched cherry trout that smokes and melts at once. The mood is unhurried and convivial, the chef's presence infectious, and even solo diners find themselves woven into the room's quiet rhythm.

A Michelin-starred tasting menu in a strip-mall space where modernist pasta—crispy onion agnolotti, porcini tagliatelle—moves past tradition. The kitchen treats each course as a small, refined provocation, from bone marrow custard to sunchoke gnocchi with Ibérico pluma.