There won't be any awards bestowed upon the surrounding scenery, but this hidden gem is worth seeking out.

Surrounded by warehouses-turned-loft spaces just east of Little Tokyo and west of the Los Angeles River, Zip is a beacon for many after a disconcerting drive. Inside, dance music pulses through the two dining rooms, lounge and enclosed patio lined with trees. The colorful walls and hanging art are just as funky as the yahoo roll (spicy tuna, shrimp tempura, cucumber, avocado, and sliced jalapeno on top) or the jazz roll (shrimp tempura, cucumber, avocado, topped with spicy tuna and eel sauce). The crowd is equally eclectic: A typical night might include a group of bubbly blonde women partying in a private room, artsy guys ordering piles of sashimi, Japanese-American yuppies passing around plates of albacore, and couples cooing under heat lamps. Find it before neighborhood gentrification drives up the price of the house sake: Currently, a hot bottle is just $7.95.