Yess
Japanese (Seasonal Kaiseki) · Civic Center, Los Angeles
Restaurant in Los Angeles, United States
Book with PearlThe Read
California-Inflected progressive Japanese
Dress
Smart Casual
Why go
Ranked #77 on the LA Times 101 Best Restaurants 2024 and #16 on Esquire's Best New Restaurants 2023, Yess delivers seasonal kaiseki with a distinctly Californian point of view; sustainable seafood, local produce, a room so calm it functions like an antidote to LA's noisier dining rooms. Easier to book than Hayato or Somni, a strong choice for a special occasion dinner in the Arts District.
About Yess
Verdict: One of East LA's Most Considered Dining Rooms; Worth Booking for a Special Occasion
Yess earns a clear recommendation for anyone seeking a kaiseki-format dinner that feels distinctly Californian rather than imported. Ranked #77 on the LA Times 101 Best Restaurants 2024 and #16 on Esquire's Leading New Restaurants list for 2023, this Arts District spot on East 7th Street has legitimate critical credentials behind it. The room itself signals intent before a single dish arrives: pale wood, smooth concrete, an atmosphere closer to a high-end spa than a conventional dining room. If you are planning a celebration dinner in Los Angeles and want something that feels considered rather than performative, Yess belongs on your shortlist.
What to Expect
The cooking at Yess sits firmly in the seasonal kaiseki tradition but draws openly on Southern California's produce culture and coastline. Chef Junya Yamasaki works with sustainable seafood and sources from local farms; Weiser Family Farms has appeared on the menu, his dishes tend toward restraint with a detectable undercurrent of heat and acid. Think cold tofu doused in a salsa macha built from red miso, black vinegar and mirin; or sweet autumn melon paired with lemon drop chile for a finish that is citrus-forward and quietly arresting. The LA Times review singled out a spiny lobster sandwich, whole tail, leg-meat salad, bisque from the head, all on a buttery roll, as one of the most talked-about plates in recent memory at the restaurant. These are not fusion dishes in the casual sense; they are precise combinations that happen to reflect where the chef is cooking.
For a special occasion, the serene room works in your favour. It is a genuinely quiet space, which makes it suitable for conversations that matter, whether that is a significant birthday, an anniversary, or a business dinner where the setting needs to communicate without shouting. Compare that to louder, higher-energy tasting-menu rooms in the city and Yess reads as the more intimate choice.
The Morning and Weekend Picture
A sister operation next door, led by sous chef Giles Clark, adds a daytime dimension worth knowing about before you book. The all-day cafe and wine bar runs a programme that includes Benedictine bacon sandwiches and fruit tarts, casual in format but built with the same precision that defines the main dining room. If you are in Los Angeles for a weekend and want to experience Yess's sensibility without committing to a full kaiseki dinner, the cafe is a lower-stakes entry point. It is also a practical option if you are planning an itinerary that includes dinner at a different venue, for context, Providence or Kato are natural comparisons for that evening slot. The leading timing for the main dining room is mid-week, when the room is quietest and the kitchen is likely running at full attention. Autumn menus, based on the LA Times coverage, have produced some of the most memorable plates.
How It Compares
Know Before You Go
- Address: 2001 E 7th St, Los Angeles, CA 90021 (Arts District)
- Cuisine: Japanese Seasonal Kaiseki
- Awards: LA Times 101 Best Restaurants 2024 (#77); Esquire Leading New Restaurants 2023 (#16)
- Booking difficulty: Easy, reservations are available without the weeks-in-advance lead time required by Hayato or Somni
- Ideal time to visit: Mid-week dinner; autumn for seasonal produce menus
- Price range: Not publicly listed; expect tasting-menu pricing consistent with the award tier
- Sister venue: All-day cafe and wine bar next door for daytime visits
- Parking: Arts District street parking; rideshare recommended
Pearl's Take
Yess is the kind of restaurant that rewards guests who are paying attention. The room is quiet enough to hold a real conversation, the cooking is precise without announcing itself, the critical recognition is recent enough to matter. For a date night or a celebration dinner in Los Angeles, it competes directly with Osteria Mozza for the "impressive but not exhausting" slot, beats most of the city's louder tasting-menu rooms on atmosphere. If you are building a Los Angeles itinerary, see our full Los Angeles restaurants guide, hotels guide, and bars guide for context on how Yess fits into a wider trip. For comparison at the national level, the closest analogues in ambition and format are Atomix in New York and Single Thread Farm in Healdsburg, both seasonal, both produce-driven, both quieter than their reputations suggest. Yess is easier to book than either.
Planning details
- Location
- 2001 E 7th St, Los Angeles, CA 90021
- Reservations
- Book on Resy
- Website
- yess-restaurant.com
The take
The Take
The Vibe
Yess presents a restrained, modern interior that reads like a high-end spa: pale wood, smooth concrete and careful material choices create a minimalist stage for the food. The room’s restraint functions as part of the meal’s grammar, slowing the eye and quieting the noise so attention naturally falls to the plates and the rhythm of service. The overall impression is serene and sophisticated — deliberate design that supports a focused, intimate tasting at the counter rather than a bustling dining room experience.
Best For
Yess is best experienced as an evening destination for diners who want a serious, structured meal. The kitchen practices a kaiseki-informed progression that blends Japanese technique with California sourcing, so the restaurant suits date nights and special-occasion dinners where the meal itself is the focus. Recognition from outlets like Esquire underscores its place in Los Angeles’s high-format dining scene: come prepared to engage with a sequence of carefully composed courses rather than à la carte casual dining.
Ordering Tips
Expect a counter-led, progression-driven meal rooted in kaiseki structure: dishes arrive as part of a considered sequence that emphasizes seasonality and plating precision. Because the room and service are intentionally restrained, the best way to experience Yess is to sit at the counter and follow the chef’s rhythm, observing the interplay of Japanese technique and California ingredients. The description frames the kitchen as stylistically distinct from tourist-facing sushi, so anticipate a curated tasting rather than a la carte classics.
Venue details
Ambiance
Warm, comfortable, and design-forward, with a refined but relaxed atmosphere shaped by the historic bank setting and counter-facing open cookery.
Tags
Vibe
Best For
Experience
Sourcing
At the Table
- Dress Code
- Smart Casual
- Service Style
- Upscale Casual
- Meal Pacing
- Leisurely
- Capacity
- Medium
Planning details
Location
Recognition and awards
Also consider
Also Consider
- Kato; New Taiwanese, Asian, $$$$
- Hayato; Japanese, $$$$
- Vespertine; Progressive, Contemporary, $$$$
- Holbox; Mexican Seafood, Mexican, $$
- Sushi Kaneyoshi; Sushi, Japanese, $$$$
Restaurant context
For Japanese dining in Los Angeles, the honest comparison is with Hayato, which sits higher on the formality scale and is significantly harder to book. Hayato runs a traditional kaiseki format with deep classical rigour; Yess is more porous in its influences, drawing on Southern California produce and sustainable seafood in a way that feels less ceremonial and more immediate. If you want the most technically orthodox Japanese kaiseki experience in LA, Hayato is the call. If you want something that feels rooted in where it actually is, Yess makes more sense.
Sushi Kaneyoshi belongs in a different bracket: it is an omakase sushi counter, not kaiseki, appeals to a guest more focused on fish craft than seasonal progression. For diners choosing between the two, the decision comes down to format preference rather than quality. Kato is the closest peer in terms of creative ambition and local-produce orientation, though its reference point is New Taiwanese rather than Japanese. Both Kato and Yess are in the same critical tier; recent national recognition, mid-size tasting-menu format; and both are easier to book than the city's harder-to-access rooms.
Vespertine is a different experience entirely: more theatrical, more conceptual, considerably more divisive. It rewards guests who want a structured narrative experience; Yess rewards guests who want precision in a quieter register. For value comparison, Holbox at $$ serves sustainable Mexican seafood with real quality at a fraction of the price; not a direct competitor in format, but worth knowing if budget is a factor and sustainable sourcing is the draw.
Around this place
Discover more on Pearl
Unlock the full Yess guide in Pearl, including awards, comparisons, FAQs, planning details, and nearby places.
Compare Yess
| Venue | Location | Cuisine | Awards | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yess | Los Angeles | Japanese (Seasonal Kaiseki) | 2024 LA Times 101 Best Restaurants · #772023 Esquire Best New Restaurants · #16 | ; |
| Kato | Los Angeles | New Taiwanese, Asian | 2026 OAD Top Restaurants in North America Ranked · #302026 North America's 50 Best Restaurants · #492026 James Beard Award Semifinalists2026 James Beard Award Nominees2026 James Beard Award Winners2026 Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence2026 Michelin 2 Stars2025 LA Times 101 Best Restaurants · #22025 OAD Top Restaurants in North America Ranked · #25 | $$$$ |
| Hayato | Los Angeles | Japanese | 2026 Food & Wine Top 10 US Restaurants · #62026 OAD Top Restaurants in North America Ranked · #132026 Michelin 2 Stars2026 La Liste Top Restaurants2025 LA Times 101 Best Restaurants · #52025 OAD Top Restaurants in North America Ranked · #102025 The Best Chef One Knife2025 La Liste Top Restaurants2025 Michelin 2 Stars | $$$$ |
| Vespertine | Los Angeles | Progressive, Contemporary | 2026 OAD Top Restaurants in North America Ranked · #932026 Michelin 2 Stars2026 La Liste Top Restaurants2025 LA Times 101 Best Restaurants · #332025 Robb Report 100 Greatest American Restaurants of the 21st Century · #712025 OAD Top Restaurants in North America Ranked · #982025 The Best Chef Two Knives2025 La Liste Top Restaurants2025 Michelin 2 Stars | $$$$ |
| Holbox | Los Angeles | Mexican Seafood, Mexican | 2026 North America's 50 Best Restaurants · #262026 OAD Top Restaurants in North America Ranked · #532026 James Beard Award Nominees2026 James Beard Award Semifinalists2026 Michelin 1 Star2025 LA Taco Best Tacos in LA · #22025 World's 50 North America's Best Restaurants · #422025 OAD Top Restaurants in North America Ranked · #432025 James Beard Award Semifinalists | $$ |
| Sushi Kaneyoshi | Los Angeles | Sushi, Japanese | 2026 OAD Top Restaurants in North America Ranked · #1032026 Michelin 1 Star2025 LA Times 101 Best Restaurants · #242025 OAD Top Restaurants in North America Ranked · #782025 Michelin 1 Star2024 LA Times 101 Best Restaurants · #322024 OAD Top Restaurants in North America Ranked · #882024 Michelin 1 Star2023 OAD Top Restaurants in North America Ranked · #69 | $$$$ |
How Yess LA compares with similar nearby venues.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Yess good for solo dining?
Solo dining works well here. The serene, spa-like room; pale wood, smooth concrete, low ambient noise; makes it easy to eat alone without feeling exposed. The kaiseki format is inherently course-driven and self-contained, so you are not waiting on a table to share dishes. If you want counter energy and interaction, Sushi Kaneyoshi is a closer fit; Yess rewards quiet attention.
Can Yess accommodate groups?
Yess is better suited to small groups of two to four than larger parties. The format is a tightly paced kaiseki progression, which becomes logistically awkward at a large table. For groups wanting something more flexible, Holbox or Kato offer formats that scale better. Book Yess for an intimate dinner, not a celebration of ten.
What are alternatives to Yess in Los Angeles?
Hayato is the direct comparison: also Japanese kaiseki in LA, more traditionally structured, harder to book. Kato offers a similar seasonal California-meets-Japanese sensibility at a lower price point and with more availability. Vespertine is the choice if you want maximum theatrical ambition; Sushi Kaneyoshi if you want omakase over kaiseki. Yess sits between Kato and Hayato on formality and price.
Is Yess good for a special occasion?
Yes; it is one of the stronger special-occasion picks in East LA precisely because it avoids the theatrics that make some tasting-menu restaurants feel performative. The room is calm, the cooking is precise, the pacing is unhurried. LA Times ranked it #77 on its 2024 101 Best Restaurants list and Esquire named it a top new restaurant in 2023, so it carries enough credibility to impress a guest who follows food.
What should I wear to Yess?
The room reads refined but not stiff; pale wood, smooth concrete, a spa-like atmosphere that is dressed-up without being formal. Think neat, considered clothing: a good shirt or blouse, clean trousers or a dress. A jacket is not required. Turning up in streetwear would feel out of step with the room; a suit would be over-dressed.
What should a first-timer know about Yess?
Yess is a kaiseki-format restaurant, meaning you commit to a set progression of courses rather than ordering off a menu; go in knowing that. The cooking draws openly on Southern California produce and sustainable seafood, so expect California references inside a Japanese structure. A sister cafe and wine bar next door, led by sous chef Giles Clark, is worth noting if you want a lower-commitment daytime visit before committing to the full dinner experience.
