Sushi burrito trend rolls into Westwood with new restaurant Nushii

Students can now get sushi burritos at a restaurant that opened Nov. 21 on Broxton Avenue.

Nushii is one of four restaurants in Los Angeles that partners with the Monterey Bay Aquarium to serve humanely caught fish in its wraps, bowls and salads. The restaurant serves the takeaway sushi burritos in cylindrical, recyclable cardboard boxes.

Farrah Talakshi, Nushii’s chief executive officer, said Nushii distinguishes itself from other sushi restaurants in Westwood and Los Angeles because it provides information on posters about how its fish was caught, its bycatch – unwanted marine life caught during fishing – and the fish’s mercury content.

Talakshi added she thinks sushi enthusiasts who eat raw fish should know where the fish comes from and what it contains.

“Our guests have a clear, conscious dining experience,” she said. “They don’t have to worry about what they’re putting in their body.”

Talakshi said the restaurant’s chef, Noriyuki Kudo, has worked in both fast casual and fine dining sushi restaurants and wanted to use both experiences to create Nushii’s menu.

Customers can choose ingredients, such as fish, chicken, tofu, vegetables and sauce, at a counter and chefs assemble the ingredients into sushi burritos, rice bowls or salads.

Afroze Ali, Nushii’s customer experience manager, said she thinks Nushii’s customization options and quick, fresh food preparation will appeal to UCLA students and local office and medical workers.

[Related: New KazuNori location brings hand-rolled sushi to Westwood Village]

Talakshi said Westwood is the restaurant’s first location and the business hopes to expand in Los Angeles.

Ali said the business renovated the interior of the space, which Le Pain Quotidien previously occupied, to create a minimalist look that incorporated the building’s original Art Deco design.

“There’s nothing like (Nushii) here in Westwood yet, where you combine sushi with build-your-own, responsibly-sourced ingredients,” Talakshi said. “We’re excited to be part of the liveliness of (Westwood Village).”

Karim Ali, a visitor from Chicago, said he appreciated Nushii because he thinks it is hard to find a restaurant serving sustainably-sourced fish.

Rose Samji, who lives in Westwood and works near the restaurant, said she learned Nushii was environmentally friendly when she saw a poster describing how its fish has no bycatch.

“The food was really good, so I think I’m going to be eating here very regularly,” Samji said.