Winners For

Best Japanese

Iron Chef Makoto Trained with Morimoto Award from James Beard-oto Clean stream of tradition flows Edomae sushi fresh like ocean: Hotate, aoyagi, shime saba, Kobe, cooks tableside on hot river stone Udon ramen Black edamame Kurobuta belly, Kurosawa rib eye Branzino, wasabi, chimichurri Chimichurri? Tuna air bread, caesar foam Froste...

The accolades heaped upon chef-owner Nobuo Fukuda — a James Beard Award and "Best New Chef" from Food + Wine — really are all you need to know about the man running this transformed turn-of-the-century bungalow in downtown Phoenix's Heritage Square. He truly is one of the best things going in the Valley's culinary scene. Fukuda's ever-evolving m...

Sushi Miyagi definitely strives to keep its overhead low. There are only a few tables in this tiny restaurant and a staff of exactly two people. It's a true mom-and-pop joint; Pop makes wonderful, artistic sushi, while Mom runs basically everything else. What you get is just about the best quality fish you will find anywhere. There are some fanc...

Inside Mitsuwa Market food court are eaters bouncing from stall to stall, depending on whether they want ramen or udon for the day, Japanese-style Chinese food or even Hawaiian grub. But the only option that is more than a one-trick pony is this humble spot, easily identifiable by its plastic food displays behind a glass counter. Miyabi-Tei's po...

Katsu Japanese Restaurant Restaurant Review: Exposed-brick Katsu has a sushi bar, a comfortable, old-school dining room and gracious service, earning it a share of regulars, many of whom come for tempura, beef rolls, a large array of familiar maki and beef sukiyaki. You can’t go wrong when opting for the buttery super white toro either, or the n...

Mirai Sushi Restaurant Review: This is a funky --- and fun --- place for sushi and saké. About a half-dozen chefs can be found hard at their task at any given time, and there's a vast selection of sushi and appetizers, from spicy lettuce wraps to gyoza ravioli, otoro, mirugai and sakana carpaccio with tuna, salmon, whitefish or octopus with cila...

Coast Sushi Bar Restaurant Review: There’s a lot to love about this sexy sushi spot, where tables are spaced (and lit low) for intimate conversation. But it’s not just the scene that gets props. The sushi is a fave among aficionados, who start with tropical ceviche and ginger-accented tuna tartare before plucking hamachi maki and spicy unagi fro...

Itto Sushi Restaurant Review: A large selection of extra-fresh sushi is the main draw at this trim two-room spot, but it's not the only one. Over 50 appetizers include squid simmered with ginger, tofu and button mushrooms in a slightly sweet broth, and fried soft shell crab. There also are raw fish creations like nuta, an arrangement of tuna, sq...

Kamehachi Restaurant Review: This low-lit, sushi-lover's paradise specializes in ultra-fresh fish, plus an oyster shooter served with a quail egg. But there are enough landlubbing faves, too, like pork katsu, gyoza, sukiyaki and tempura, to keep less adventurous diners happy. Gracious service and a chill setting make the whole worth even more th...

Kohan Japanese Restaurant Restaurant Review: There's not much to say about the setting of this super-casual venture since all the love is poured into the food. The extra-large menu has all the basic sushi rolls, but the house specialties, which are liberal (some would say “designer”) in execution, are far more interesting. Take the jalapeño bomb...

Rise Sushi & Sake Lounge Restaurant Review: Compared to more elaborate sushi restaurants, Rise seems stark and plain. That's a compliment, because the focus here is on the food, not the flair or foolishness. All of the usual sushi suspects are available, so the avid fan will not be disappointed. But you'll also see more unusual finds like the Ic...

Japonais Restaurant Review: The presentations at this sleek restaurant are artful and elegant (the shapes of the plates alone are a feast for the eyes) --- without being ostentatious. The miso soup, for example, may be served in a deep white bowl that swoops like a Frank Gehry building. Lobster spring rolls with a blood orange glaze and mango re...

Morimoto Restaurant Review: Although he's rarely in house, Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto created the imaginative Japanese fusion menu at the heart of this striking restaurant, notable for its sculpted white walls, undulating wooden ceiling, and booths that change color. Left in the deft and inspired hands of chef Hiroki Fujiyama, Morimoto is a top...

Fuji Mountain Restaurant Review: This quiet Japanese place, out of the business hubbub, is done in muted tones and pale blond wood. You can snack on edamame at the sushi bar while contemplating the selection. Start with a pork or chicken katsu, then move on to the sushi. Aside from all the nigiri sushi, especially surf clam or sea urchin roe, th...

Izumi Restaurant Restaurant Review: Contemporary Japanese BYOB Izumi is situated on Passyunk Avenue's ever-expanding restaurant row, a serene oasis of maki and udon. Chef Corey Baver oversees the kitchen, having honed his skills at Morimoto, Buddakan and Alma de Cuba. Heading the sushi line is Agus Lukito, a sushi chef who learned his craft from...

Zama Restaurant Review: Zama is chef Hiroyuki “Zama” Tanaka’s ode to traditional Japanese cuisine. Chef Zama, a Tokyo native who studied at Temple University and wound up in the kitchens of Pod and Morimoto, creates pristine offerings of sushi, sashimi and maki; the array of fish is beyond the usual, and includes market-fresh items from parrotfi...

This pair of Japanese restaurants is often billed as serving the best sushi in town, and rightly so. Venture away from raw fish à la carte, though, to really taste a surprise. Steamed lobster in a filo net with grilled pineapple, Kobe beef with pear maki or shrimp with mushrooms and peppers in a tempura sphere are examples of the kitchen’s creat...

Super-fresh sashimi, Japanese street food, and the kind of décor that makes you constantly look over your shoulder for Uma Thurman to appear in a yellow jumpsuit with sword? Sign us up. Other things we love about FuGaKyu: generous portions, creative omakase, the indoor pond, private rooms for parties of three or four. And if you're one of those ...

There’s a certain amount of attitude that comes with a meal at Tanukia—it’s not the meek, quiet Japanese garden-esque kind of place, but rather a brazen 21-and-older environment of weird Asian cult flicks and loud music. Despite this (or more likely because of it), there’s regularly a long wait for dinner, made up of salty, spicy, interesting Ja...

Sure, you may have to wait to even make it through the door, but that’s just part of the traditional Japanese experience at this Curtis Park noodle shop. A nearly obsessive attention to detail is paid at Shoki, where every component of that perfect steaming soup bowl is prepared with care using the best ingredients, from the complex broth to the...

When Clevelanders want a raw deal, they know where to go: this Coventry Road restaurant has been dishing it out for more than a decade. Pacific East's sushi is a hit for many reasons, including its freshness and outstanding variety. But it's attention to the details that sets this sushi apart, including the use of premium short-grain rice, top-g...

Shabu Shabu Paradise is a tiny little place, but what it lacks in space it more than makes up for with a soothing atmosphere, deft service and, best of all, the shabu-shabu, which consists of meats and vegetables cooked in a very mild broth. We like it because we can swish our meat to our heart's content or, more likely, pull it out while it's ...

Revered for its innovative and stunningly composed raw fish and rolls served (if you ask) with freshly grated wasabi, Land of Sushi — whose unfortunate name belies everything that lifts this restaurant to sea stardom — is also a spectacular restaurant for traditional Japanese-intensive cuisine. Besides sushi, the kitchen turns out everything fro...

When Tim McKee's Masu Sushi & Robata came on the scene a few years ago, we all thought the same thing. Does this section of Minneapolis really need another sushi joint? With Origami and (the now-shuttered) Kikugawa in such close proximity, what gap in the market were they really attempting to fill? But when Masu opened, we got our answer loud an...