Japanese cuisine appears to be accessible everywhere these days, from strip mall eateries providing bento lunches to hip ramen shops in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Austin. This list honors the greatest Japanese food we’ve ever had: eateries that provide extraordinarily fresh Japanese food, frequently with inventive twists. They provide perfectly produced traditional cuisine as well as contemporary interpretations that combine American methods and flavors with old customs. We adore them even more if they provide excellent sake and Japanese craft beer. Raise a glass to the top of the best Japanese restaurant in US with us.
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1. Sushi Nakazawa
You can’t call yourself a true sushi aficionado unless you’ve seen the visually stunning and drool-inducing movie “Jiro Dreams of Sushi.” In the video, Jiro Ono, a professional sushi chef, recounts his often arduous but perfect attempts to provide the best sushi in the globe at his modest 10-seat eatery in Japan. In the film, one of Jiro’s apprentices is a chef called Daisuke Nakazawa. After years of hard work under Jiro’s sometimes-totalitarian control, Nakazawa launched his own Japanese eateries in New York City and Washington, D.C. He took all of the talents he learned in Japan with him and demonstrated them to diners at his invention Sushi Nakazawa.
One thing to bear in mind when booking Sushi Nakazawa reservations is that the only menu offered is a 20-course appetizer tasting ($180 at the sushi bar or $150 in the larger dining room). So, if you’re in the company of individuals seeking for some snacks and entrées, you’ll have to search elsewhere. But, be assured, the omakase here is top-notch, so if you have the money, get your entrée-craving buddies to join you. Pete Wells wrote a glowing review of the location in the New York Times “unique and surprising I also understood that no other omakase dinner had as many exciting pieces of sushi or was as fascinating.”
2. Sushi by Bou: Best Japanese restaurant in US
There’s something appealing about going out for a meal where you know that chef was formerly involved in some controversy. When it comes to Japanese food and New York City, South Florida sushi chef Dave Bouhadana matches the bill. According to Thrillist, Bouhadana had a run-in with the State Health Department when he pushed hard to repeal legislation requiring sushi chefs to wear protective gloves when handling the fish. His actions cost him his job at Sushi Dojo in central Manhattan, but no one knew the “glove bandit” was going to return with a fury.
Bouhadana founded Sushi by Bou not long just after the setback, and it immediately garnered recognition with its creative and cheap omakase concept. Customers may select a 30-minute or 60-minute time slot to eat, and the 12-piece omakase is properly scheduled such that each meal fits the time frame until the finish. You walk in, take a seat, and the performance begins right away. And what a delectable spectacle it is, especially when you get to the Wagyuni piece (Wagyu beef topped with uni). If you like the idea, you can even secure a room in New York state Hotel 32|32 for a small intimate 17-course dinner. Chef Bouhadana actually transformed a bad scenario in his profession into something positive.
3. Raku in Las Vegas
For years, this beautiful Japanese robatayaki restaurant in the rear of a Chinatown strip mall has drawn in-the-know residents, chefs, and astute visitors (ahem, Anthony Bourdain). Mitsuo Endo, a Red Beard Award semifinalist, grills skewers such as Kobe beef tendons and bacon-wrapped mushrooms over Japanese charcoal, supplementing the robata menu with appetizers, noodle soups, and daily specials, which frequently feature seafood brought in from Tokyo. Begin with the mansion tofu and then order from the menu, or place yourself in the hands of the chef for an omakase feast. Just be sure to save room for the artistically prepared sweets at sibling restaurant Raku Sweets across the block.
Raku, a favorite of both local and foreign chefs, is unceremoniously placed in a Chinatown shopping plaza, yet it’s one of the strong reasons to go away from the Strip. The James Beard Prize restaurant does not sell sushi, instead serving Japanese classics like silky house-made tofu, unique choices like Kobe beef liver sashimi, and lots of comfort food—from udon miso ramen to donburi (egg-and-rice bowls). There’s also a large list of dishes designated for the especially repeated grill, which employs charcoal brought from Japan to achieve the perfect level of sharpness: everything from Iberico ham to iPod touch lamb chop to enoki mushrooms with bacon.
4. Masa
Travel + Leisure Magazine praised Masa’s dining experience, saying that “you’ll be taken to an ethereal dimension where chef Masa delivers one of the world’s best dining experiences.” Those are some magnificent words. But, given what’s going on at Masa owing to sushi expert Masayoshi Takayama, who oversees the show, it’s hardly surprising that it’s garnered such high acclaim. When it comes to the over luxury in restaurants, which Masa offers in plenty, you best be prepared to pay a lot of money. As in, enough money to cover a month’s rent. Masa is another one of those places where you save for a long time in order to indulge in some of the best Japanese cuisines.
Masa, located at the Time Warner Center on Columbus Circle in New York City, provides an omakase menu for those willing to spend, having spent, and spending some more. The costs are starting at $450 per person, but after that sensation of wallet-draining dread wears off, the cuisine on your plate is really beyond amazing. “I strive to convey 100 percent of the soul of something, the saltiness to the outside — that is what I’m trying to do,” Chef Masa adds. Fortunately, he also has a less expensive Masa venue named Kappo Masa, which provides dining alternatives other than omakase.
5. Omakase in San Francisco
SoMA’s three-year-old Omakase is one of San Francisco’s most expensive restaurants, but it’s also one of its tiniest, making getting several of its in-demand 14 seats difficult. But if you can acquire the desired reservation and can manage to pay the high price, you’re in for an incredible experience. The sole dining option at this little restaurant is omakase, an everyday menu that translates as “chef’s choice.” Choose from $100, $150, or $200, then sit back for a procession of exact slices of clean, Japanese-sourced fish, as well as warm options like a dark, enigmatic squid-ink cake and plump lobes of Mendocino-fished uni. Don’t forget to try one of the restaurant’s carefully selected sakes.
Chef Jackson Yu, a local restaurant owner who also owns many branches of Live Sushi and Okane, the eatery next door, oversees this Michelin-starred fish heaven. You relocated to the Bay Area at the age of eighteen and have spent the last two decades developing his talents in producing traditional Edomae-style sushi. The Hideaki omakase and the Yamato omakase are two fixed-price tasting meals available at the restaurant. Almost the majority of the fish is flown in from Tokyo’s Tsukiji Fish Market, with supplies arriving three times every week. Spend a little more money on the sake paring, which is presented in handmade Seikado pewter cups and pitchers.
6. Arami in Chicago
When asked what meal they identify with in Chicago, most individuals will enthusiastically exclaim “deep dish pizza!” and they’d be right. Chicago is famed for its pasta bolognese pizza pies, but connoisseurs should go beyond the pizzas and focus on Japanese cuisine. Arami is a prime example. Arami serves more than simply sushi and the cuisine is chock-full of delectable dishes that make the trip to the Windy City worthwhile. “Arami is one of the greatest Japanese restaurants in Chicago,” says Chicago Tribune writer Phil Vettel, “a multi-tooled player in which the sushi restaurant and hot kitchen both perform at high levels, assisted along by a surprisingly complete beverage program.”
Arami’s nigiri menu isn’t extensive, but the freshness of the fish is what sets it apart. Yellowtail, scallops, eel, and fat tuna are popular choices in the à tiered pricing game. However, before you begin swinging in the arena with the sushi, the appetizers beckon. For a spicy Alaskan blue crab wrapped in marinated tuna and garnished with crispy shallots, try the zuke maguro Kani. Try their kami sake tostadas, which combine bluefin and salmon sashimi, chile oil, avocado, spicy roasted nut, microgreens, and citrus zest on a toasted tortilla.
7. Tsubaki in Los Angeles
Since its February opening, this modest, freshly established Echo Park izakaya has rapidly become an L.A. favorite, bringing hundreds of Japanese cuisine enthusiasts. Chef Charles Namba creates thoughtful, elegant small meals that complement the restaurant’s well-chosen collection of small-brewery Japanese beers and sour, unpasteurized sakes. Cold meals include smooth sake-marinated foie gras lobes with pickled apples and aged soy, while hot dishes include exquisite chawanmushi (egg custard) with fragrant Dungeness crab.
Tsubaki, the eatery from chef Charles Namba (previously of Bouchon) and sommelier Courtney Kaplan, has a lot of potentials. The prices are reasonable: a supper for two, including wine, should cost less than $100. The service is charming, and the dim lighting in the little dining area makes it ideal for a Park Slope date night or a solo meal. Unfortunately, inexact cooking disappoints, despite the careful planning that has gone into the dish. The frying was notably variable; Kinoko fritters flecked with chestnut were excellent, while buttermilk onion rings accompanying a tonkatsu burger on the happy hour menu were too greasy.
8. Uchi in Austin
Who would have guessed that one of the most well-known modern sushi restaurants in the nation would be in Texas and that its chef-owner would be a white man, no less? It is true that Tyson Cole, the toque in question, has won numerous accolades since the original Uchi started opening in Austin in 2003, including a spot on Food & Wine’s list of the best new chefs of 2005 and a Jonathan Beard Trust Best Chef: Southern award in 2011. He has also since opened Uchiko, a sister restaurant, as well as places in Dallas and Houston. For upper fish, including some hard-to-find cuts, served either as-is for purists or in inventive variations like the “hakujin” roll with salmon, white bamboo, pear, and fried apple, fans go to the original Uchi, which is housed in a building on South Lamar Blvd.
Tyson Cole insists that when he established Uchi in a 1920s house 12 years ago, he didn’t set out to revolutionize the Austin dining scene; he merely wanted the “creative freedom to make other people as devoted to Japanese food as I was.” But he did both and became the first American itamae to win a James Cook Award for Best Chef while also creating a larger but it’s no less warmly stylish offshoot, Uchiko. Despite the expansion, Cole’s menus vary frequently and range broadly enough to appeal to beginners as well as aficionados, who may compare, for instance, three distinct types of sea urchin as their warier partners enjoy tempura-fried Brie alongside.
9. TOMO in Atlanta
A great eye for quality is essential when running a restaurant, but in Japanese restaurants, because raw fish is commonly served, an outlander for quality is even more important to eliminate any potential health dangers. That is why it is critical to have a chef like Wrote this email Naito at the head of a restaurant. Naito, who was born in Osaka, first went to Queens to study theatrical direction. He recognized his love was nested inside the culinary scene after securing a position at a Japanese trade firm procuring seafood, so he took a nasty turn into the competitive world of food. His intense devotion to food helped him rise through the ranks of the famed Nobu restaurants in Las Vegas, and he finally went to Atlanta, Georgia, and founded TOMO.
The TOMO menu has it all, and if you’re looking for a lunch full of sashimi, you’ve come to the correct spot. However, if you want to investigate other delectable alternatives (and there are plenty), TOMO strikes a leadoff homer with its extensive menu. For appetizers, try the flash-fried clipped chicken wings with garlic ponzu sauces or the black cod Boston, a generous portion of broiled sweet miso-marinated fish with green Boston lettuce and garlic chips. Then, for the main course, try Scottish fish with wild mushroom teriyaki.
10. Sushi Zo – Los Angeles
Someone may know exactly whatever they want to accomplish with their life from a young age. Even though infants have had practically no life experience, they have an instinctive enthusiasm from the start. Chef Keizo Seki felt the same way about sushi. Born in Osaka, he understood his lifetime ambition was to etch his name on the wall of sushi experts, so he traveled to Tokyo to refine his craft. Chef Seki ultimately established his first eatery, Sushi Zo, in West L.a. in 2006, quickly gaining a coveted Michelin star. Chef Seki is on his way to stardom, as anybody who dines for one of his Sushi Zo restaurants will quickly realize.
Sushi Zo only serves omakase, but the attention to detail in each piece is astounding, and the bar’s website does an excellent job of detailing how they ensure every taste of oceanic luxury is immaculate. The most significant parts of sushi, according to the site, are the fish topping (neta) and sashimi rice (shari). The objective of a sushi master is to create ultimate Ittai-kan or a perfect balance between the two. Sushi Zo’s rice is flavored with a vinegar blend, draped with the finest seasonal fish, and delivered at body temperature to avoid startling the palette. Come for the omakase, and you’ll depart with a new appreciation for Japanese food.
This list of the best Japanese restaurant in US is sure to satisfy any fan of Japanese food. There are many wonderful Japanese places to try, but these provide the most genuine Japanese cuisine and will fill you up. Each restaurant provides only the freshest fish from local or Tokyo markets. As a consequence, you can expect to have an authentic Japanese eating experience while also enjoying the ambiance of some of these establishments. Top-tier seafood is expensive, so expect massive price discrepancies when contrasted to your typical diet. Furthermore, while each of the restaurants mentioned above is distinct from the others, they will all take you to Japan while you slurp noodle bowls and other Japanese delicacies. So, don’t wait any longer and discover out which restaurant is nearest to you and provides what you’re looking for. A really Japanese experience awaits!