Skip to Content
Hollywood

Pleasures of the Flesh: Naked Sushi ~ West Hollywood

The thing you gotta love about LA is that you should be able to find anything here. That includes, I guess, nyotaimori, which is a known by other names: hadaka sushi, naked sushi, body sushi, or -- my favorite -- "live nude sushi".

Word is that this Japanese "tradition" got it's start among the members of the Japanese organized crime families (yakuza) during the bubble economy of the 80s, when they had more money then they knew what to do with. So, they hired a clean, beautiful woman to lay down naked in front of them while they ate sushi and sashimi off her body.

n31.jpg

You can find this in LA, at a restaurant called Hadaka Sushi on Sunset in West Hollywood. Of course, health code standards vary from country to country; in LA county, there are banana leaves placed between the sushi and the skin, so no food ever really touches bare skin. And flowers are used to cover the boobies and other strategic areas. The menu, designed by Executive Chef Eddie Brik, seems about as authentic as everything else you'll find on Sunset in West Hollywood, with sushi rolls with time-honored traditional Japanese names like "Glory Hole," "Motorboat" and "Pearl Necklace". (I wish I were making this shit up.) Deep End Dining blogger Eddie Lin was nice enough to make available a video of his experience at a party there.

Nyotaimori aka Body Sushi on Vimeo

It looks like you can get "Miso-Horny Soup" for only four dollars or a dessert called "Chocolate Starfish" for seven, but you really gotta be "livin' large" to afford the complete dog and pony show: word has it that the models and private room start at $11,000.00, and that's before the sushi and drinks. Since my lifestyle can more accurately be described as "livin' small-to-medium," some sick little corner of my mind is kind of contemplating a bootleg version for a personal house-party, where I get the sushi from Trader Joe's and the model from craigslist. But I've found that you never can completely trust the hygiene of those people you find on craigslist. Then again my sick little mind is not stopped so easily from coming up with down-market versions, bringing naked sushi to the masses. Stay tuned for our report on the "LA TACO: Cheap Eats" version below -- the nyotaimori bentō. liltaco.bmp

n11.jpg
nyotaimoribento.jpg

Sources:

Deep End Dining

Combinibento

KCRW's "Good Food"

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from L.A. TACO

After Leaving Mírate and Nearly Dying of Cancer, Chef Josh Gil Is Bringing Back His Underground Supper Liberation Front Dinners

The Supper Liberation Front is considered to be one of the first pop-ups in L.A. and Mexico's dining scenes, starting in a punk squat house in Riverside in 2009. After fighting cancer for two years, the pioneering chef who refined his style working in Baja fine dining restaurants is excited to get back to his anarcho-punk DIY cooking roots.

December 10, 2024

La Virgen de Guadalupe’s Image Has No Borders, a Reminder of L.A.’s Latinidad

From Mexico to Los Angeles, La Virgen de Guadalupe has no borders. Her image can be found anywhere from corner markets to food trucks is a constant reminder that Latinos are presente (here).  

December 9, 2024

This Weekend: New Carnitas in SELA, Black Dough Pizza in Altadena, Indoor Mini Golf and Bathtub Gin in Santa Monica

You can drink cocktails from a toy bathtub while playing mini-golf, before you get your black dough pizza at a Black-owned pizza pop-up.

December 6, 2024

Skid Row Nonprofit ‘Fighting to End Homelessness’ Hires Former City Attorney Mike Feuer, the ‘Architect’ of Anti-Homeless Law

“I saw it and thought, this can not be that Mike Feuer,” the source said during an interview with L.A. TACO. “Anyone who is familiar with homeless issues in L.A. knows him as kind of a central villain.”

December 5, 2024

L.A.’s Best Pozoles Come In Red, Green, and White. And Sometimes With Shrimp, ‘Shrooms, and Jackfruit, Too

L.A. is a city of legendary pozoles, if you know where to look. Vegan, chicken, pork, pata, and even jackfruit. Each pozole on this list has its own distinct identity. All will warm your body and soul.

December 5, 2024
See all posts