By 
If you follow celebrity pop culture, your brain probably recognizes the curlicue railing of the Sunset Collection strip mall in a split second — where a roster of A-list celebrities are regularly photographed sashaying down the second-floor corridor on their way to Sushi Park. This unassuming sushi joint with blacked-out windows, nestled on the corner between a chiropractor’s office and a lash salon, does not have a website or Instagram.
The Sunset Collection strip mall’s second-story corridor has become a PR standard in the entertainment industry: Dua Lipa launched her relationship with her now-husband, Callum Turner, in January 2024; Taylor Swift enjoyed a girls’ night out with Selena Gomez; and Kendall Jenner took her then-boyfriend Bad Bunny on multiple sushi dates.
In August 2026, Hailey Bieber, who has shared her love of Sushi Park in a few interviews, went to Sushi Park wearing the SKYLRK headphones, a soon-to-be-released product from her husband Justin Bieber’s lifestyle brand.
The general public might think the paparazzi randomly spotted these celebrities, but these outings have been meticulously orchestrated. Another instance is Bottega Veneta, which used the famed corridor as a backdrop for its 2024 LA-inspired campaign with Kendall Jenner.
“If we see paparazzi right across the street, that’s our cue that a celebrity is coming,” said the valet, whose name will not be revealed for privacy reasons.
Sushi Park was opened by Peter Park in peak LA celebrity culture, 2006. However, Sushi Park was not in the same league as Les Deux, Area, or other famed hotspots from that era that were prominently featured in The Hills. Back then, LA celebrity culture revolved around nightclubs.
In the 2024 New York Times article by Max Berlinger, “How Sushi Park, an L.A. Strip Mall Restaurant, Became a Celebrity Hangout Spot,” The Hollywood Reporter’s senior writer Chris Gardner told the Times: “It was very rare you’d see a famous person. Now it’s like, you look to your left and oh, it’s the most famous person in the world and then you look to your right and you’re like, oh, no they’re the most famous person in the world.”
Peter has declined multiple interviews, but told the New York Times via text: “Our current focus is deeply committed to our regular customers, and we wish to concentrate our efforts on providing them with the best service and experience.”
Pictures of the railing circulate monthly in fashion and gossip magazines, and the fascination with Sushi Park has been such that, in 2025, it partnered with Saint Laurent to open Saint Laurent Sushi Park in Paris. Not too shabby for a strip-mall sushi spot.
Something that has always fascinated me about LA is how celebrity culture and strip malls merge —liminal, ’80s-looking structures filled with beauty salons, massage parlors, and sushi joints, where you’ll casually see a multimillionaire strutting back to their Mercedes or Porsche. Sushi Park is one of those strip malls that perfectly captures that striking contrast.
Above, Britney Spears running errands at the Sunset Collection strip mall in March 2003, three years before Sushi Park opened. You can tell the railing has seen better days!
Despite some minor cosmetic upgrades, Sunset Collection seems to be stuck in the ’80s in the best way: the time-worn patterned tile floor, the dated checkerboard tiles by the elevator lobby, the harsh fluorescent lighting, and sandwich-board signs pointing visitors toward a lash salon, chiropractic care, tattoo removal, and laser treatments. It doesn’t get more LA than this.
In 2007, there was an E! reality show called Sunset Tan, filmed at Sunset Collection’s tanning salon on the second floor, in what is now the tattoo-removal place. I watched a few episodes, and I’m surprised no one has clocked this.
Anyone discovering the strip mall through Sushi Park today might assume the mall’s celebrity angle is recent, but the tanning salon had been attracting famous faces since it opened in 2003. Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, and other celebrities were spotted there. However, back in the pre-Instagram era, the strip mall never got the kind of buzz it’s gotten in recent years.
Above, Britney Spears (left) heading to the tanning salon at Sunset Collection in 2003. Paris Hilton (right) in 2006. Tanning was a huge part of LA pop culture in the 2000s, and tanning salons were a fixture of LA’s strip mall culture.
I’ve been meaning to go to Sushi Park for the longest time, and finally, on the first week of September on a Thursday night, I went. Making the reservation was surprisingly easy. I called the restaurant, and a lovely older woman asked me about any allergies and gave me availability for that week. She sent me a text and asked me to reply the day of to confirm my reservation. Once I confirmed, she replied “thank you” with a sushi and a partying emoji.
Fast-forward to Thursday. As I stepped out of the elevator on the second floor and looked toward the street, a couple of onlookers glanced at me. I did not see any paparazzi, but you could tell there was someone by the luxury vehicles. As you can see in the picture above, the outside was completely deserted, and you couldn’t see anything through the blacked-out windows. Once I opened the doors, though, the restaurant was bustling with people.
The restaurant is small and looks like it was recently remodeled in that very LA Japanese strip-mall-joint way — glossy black floors, black walls, and a simple flower arrangement on the wall behind the sushi chefs. At the back, near the restroom, there were pleated violet-colored dividers. I thought maybe there was a private room where some of the celebrities would hide for extra privacy, but no — they were there to cover the drinks and other supplies.
This is what it looked like before the remodel. The chairs, tables, and counter, however, remained the same.
The lady welcomed me and confirmed my reservation, which I made by phone. Everyone looked at me almost in unison, expectantly to see if it was someone they recognized. I was seated at the counter. Right behind me was Scrubs actor Zach Braff, having dinner with Charlotte Lawrence and Grammy Award-winning producer Andrew Watt. A weird trio indeed, but after I Googled Charlotte, I found out that she’s the daughter of Scrubs creator Bill Lawrence.
At the table next to them, a group of industry-looking people were deep in conversation, everyone wearing hats. At one point, the waitress brought out a birthday cake — but no one raised their voices, pulled out their phones, or sang “Happy Birthday.” They kept it very low-key.
An older man next to me laughed loudly in a Seth Rogen-like voice. He was with a woman with brown curly hair who looked very familiar. I thought she was Peaches from the iconic reality show Flavor of Love Season 1 (2006), but she wasn’t.
Behind the counter was founder Peter at the helm with his younger sushi chefs. If the strip mall didn’t already scream Los Angeles, Peter and the entire crew were wearing LA Dodgers caps.
There’s no prix-fixe menu at Sushi Park. The minimum order is seven dishes per person, and, as it says on the menu, you can expect to spend around $200. You either tell the chef what your cap is or ask him to stop once you’re full—which, unless you eat like a bird or plan on shelling out $600, probably won’t be the case.
Even though photos are not allowed, you may take pictures of the sushi discreetly. I ordered miso soup as a side. The omakase consisted of all the usuals – bluefin toro, kanpachi, scallop, salmon, yellowtail and halibut among others. The nigiri was on the smaller side, with noticeably less rice than what you typically see at most Japanese restaurants. You’ll be told whether or not to use soy sauce. Two of the white-fish nigiri had way too much wasabi.
I love Japanese pickled ginger, but Sushi Park’s was incredibly dry. The miso soup, however, was solid, and the tofu cubes were some of the smoothest I’ve had.
“You’ve already finished the minimum of seven dishes. This would be your total,” said the sushi chef, handing me a Post-it note that read $113 — putting to rest the claims that you have to spend $400 per person to eat here.
I told him to cap it at $180. He gave me a few more pieces that didn’t make much of a difference, including a crab hand roll that didn’t hold a candle to KazuNori’s, and a thinly sliced wagyu nigiri that lacked boldness and fattiness. The latter was incongruent with the sign at the entrance stating that they only serve traditional sushi.
My total was $180 without tip. Despite having 16 pieces, I was still hungry. Not like, I could have a little something, but rather, I could probably stop by In-N-Out and have a full meal. Had I been more excited about the omakase, I might have kept going a little longer, but given how underwhelmed I was at that point, I called it a day.
For sushi, where the standard in LA is already very high, the overall meal was very forgettable. Even the uni I had was surprisingly mild in flavor. At places like Sushi Gen, you get a generous, luscious piece of marinated sardine nigiri that practically melts in your mouth. Every piece leaves a lasting impression, even the perfectly fluffy vinegared rice, but that didn’t happen here.
Given what I paid and the fact that I still wasn’t fully satisfied, I can see how people end up shelling out $400.
“You guys ordered everything on the menu!” the sushi chef said to the couple next to me. I peeked at the bill, which was over $900. “Thank you,” said the Peaches lookalike, rubbing the man’s shoulder. “Of course! We gotta have a good time, right?” the man said loudly. They kissed. He excused himself, and when he returned from the restroom, she held up her phone to show him someone’s Wikipedia page.
An older red-haired man who looked like an actor sat next to me and greeted Peter with a “Good to see you” before ordering the omakase. He spent most of the meal scrolling through paparazzi photos from entertainment outlets on his phone. “No, no, please,” I heard Andrew Watt say. I turned around and saw that the waitress seemed to have handed Zach Braff the check.
Celebrity culture was inescapable in the room.
The staff, including the lady who picked up the phone when I made my reservation, were very welcoming. The waiters, dressed in black and wearing masks, were very attentive throughout the meal. There was zero pretentiousness. Although I don’t know if Peter and his staff are aware of everyone who walks through the door, inside, it felt like any other strip-mall sushi joint in the Valley — just one full of industry people. Basically, like Miley sings in “Party in the USA” everybody seemed so famous.
Valet parking is valid for one hour, after that, it’s $12.
Before I left, I had a very interesting conversation with the valet. According to him, the paparazzi cannot enter the property. They’re only allowed to take photos from across the street. So, those photos we always see that look so close? Those are some serious zoom-ins taken with professional lenses. When you’re inside the garage on the lower level, the only things visible from across the street are the valet stand and a few parking spots. The elevator is completely blocked from view. I showed him a picture of Hailey Bieber’s recent outing from a couple of weeks ago. “That was actually taken from the second floor,” he said.
The next time you see a photo of a celebrity at Sushi Park that’s too close for comfort, you’ll know someone on their team greenlit it. We always see the railing photos from below, but the dated checkered lobby gives us close-up glimpses into these celebrity outings, whether it’s an outfit, an unexpected friendship or a new romance.
The valet wasn’t familiar with most celebrities, but he knew The Hills very well, the show that redefined LA in the mid-2000s. “It was very different back then. The Mondrian and Hyde [on the Sunset Strip] were very busy. The entertainment industry in LA has suffered a lot because of the strikes and the pandemic. Many productions are not even in LA anymore. When I used to work at Paramount, actors came in looking for jobs and they got very good contracts, but that’s a thing of the past,” he said.
“There’s better sushi in LA. Why here? Do you think it’s the sushi?” I asked.
“No, I think it’s about the privacy. The restaurant is not out in the open. Most people would never walk past it. Sometimes they get chauffeured, and when they go to the elevator, we don’t even see them. Bodyguards also patrol the surroundings sometimes while they’re waiting for the celebrity. So yes, privacy, location because it’s in West Hollywood and next to the Hollywood Hills, and easy access. They also don’t get bothered. We treat them with respect and give them their privacy.”
A girl who looked like she had been plucked out of an early-2000s issue of a gossip magazine — blue cap, clear-framed glasses, microshorts, pointed-toe heels, and a tiny shirt — interrupted us. “I’m going to Sushi Park!” she said excitedly. The valet gave her a ticket.
An older woman who had also parked her car followed her. The valet called after her twice, but she kept walking until he approached her. “You’ll be surprised how many of these people don’t want to pay,” he said as he came back.
Even Peter Park seems bewildered by his restaurant’s success. In the September 2025 issue of Vogue Hong Kong, he said: “Honestly, I don’t know exactly why so many people come to Sushi Park. I just think I’ve been lucky for the last twenty years. We’re not a flashy place. Just a simple, modest local restaurant. That’s why I don’t describe Sushi Park as ‘successful’, but as ‘consistent’. Since we opened in 2006, we’ve quietly and consistently stuck to our principles. I think our real strength comes from our regulars, who have supported us from the very beginning.”
We know celebrities have every amenity at their disposal, but when they’re off the clock, some of them want to merge with the commoners and have a sense of normalcy — in this case, eating mid sushi in an ’80s-looking strip mall, sharing a no-frills all-gender restroom, and getting photographed on the way in.
When I was 15 years old, years before I moved to LA, I always wondered about these strip malls — celebrities leaving Pilates classes, tanning and nail salons, getting smoothies at Jamba Juice, or Disney Channel stars like Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez grabbing sushi at Sushi Dan in Studio City. To this day, I’m still fascinated by them.
For someone who lives on the other side of the world and sees any of these paparazzi pictures, the no-frills setting may seem baffling. “They’re rich! Why are they there?” But Sushi Park is a reflection of LA’s quintessential strip mall culture.
