Top 5 Sushi Restaurants

I think I could eat sushi for every meal of the day if I had to (or if I had the money). I love, love, love sushi!!! My sushi cravings may be my strongest cravings, next to my chocolate cravings of course. Here is a list of the places that I think deserve to be ranked in the top 5 restaurants to get sushi in Memphis, being the landlocked city it is (well, except for the mighty Mississippi, but we're not going to go there). Now, I will say the first three could pretty much all tie for first, but I had to rank them somehow.

1. DO : Owned by the same peeps who own Mollie Fontaine's and the Beauty Shop, this small sushi establishment sits comfortably in the heart of Cooper Young. I'm a HUGE fan!! Love the artsy Cooper Young feel, great front patio so you can watch people walk the streets of Cooper Young, and delicious, fresh, and funky sushi creations. I highly recommend this place. But, call to make reservations because they are usually packed on the weekends. Great date place if you're for sure that your date is a sushi lover. When you go, you must try the Kona Strawberry (white fish and strawberry with other yummy goodness) and the Surf & Turf roll. These are my two favorites! Also, the Beauty Shop sits right next door and I hear you can order their desserts while dining at DO....yummy strawberry cake and many others.

2. Edo : Talk about authenticity! This place makes you feel like you just walked into Japan. I love how authentic the atmosphere, experience, and sushi is. The sushi is fresh and sooooo good! And, the prices can't be beat for sushi. Now, it is located on Summer Avenue, but don't let that stop you. Sushi on Summer sounds shady, but is actually wonderful! Click here for our review on Edo.

3. Sekisui : Well known among Memphians, Sekisui always has fresh, authentic sushi. There are multiple locations in Memphis - Humphrey's Center, Midtown, Bartlett, Cordova, Collierville, and the gas station at Poplar and Ridgeway. And, yes I have had their sushi there. Though it sounds dangerous and appalling to order sushi at a gas station, it is quite delightful and lives up to the Sekisui standards. My favorite Sekisui establishment would have to be the Midtown location on 25 S. Belvedere. Great midtown feel, good for big groups, and fresh, delicious sushi! Click here for our review on Sekisui Midtown.

4. Sakura : If you are absolutely STARVING and you want sushi, go to Sakura. I don't think I've ever seen sushi this big. I'm not so sure about Sakura's authentic sushi method, but I can reassure you that you'll leave that place with your taste buds singing and your belly stuffed. Lots of deep frying and rich sushi rolls, but you can also choose from a wide selection of simpler rolls. I have liked every roll I've ordered. They have a ton to choose from and a long menu of various sushi concoctions. Mmmmm.

5. Bluefin : This is a great place to eat sushi if you want a downtown kind of night. It's downtown on Main street and has a techno feel if you know what I mean....lots of blue lights, random geometric videos, clean lines, loud techno music. The sushi is fresh, delicious, and funky in a good way. It's perfect for sushi and cocktails!

Sekisui Midtown

Sekisui Midtown
http://www.sekisuiusa.com/
25 S Belvedere Blvd
Memphis, TN 38104-3705
(901) 725-0005
Click Here for Google Map

Neel had her birthday at the beginning of July, but her friends wanted to have an official dinner celebration with a bunch of our friends. Neel as the birthday girl, of course wanted sushi, her #1 food option. She also to go hang out downtown post-dinner. For that reason, we first tried Blue Fin, but they were booked and couldn't take reservations for 10 people. So, we settled on Sekisui's Midtown location.

When we got there, it was pretty packed. It's not a very big restaurant. In fact, we had to wait before sitting even though we had reservations. Overall, it was a fun pretty time. Everyone enjoyed their sushi, and they did a good job of handling a rather loud crew of 10+ people. Compared to the other Sekisui restaurants, the midtown one has that classic midtown feel. I probably prefer it and Pacific Rim to all the other locations, in terms of ambiance, etc. The midtown location would be a good date place if your date likes sushi. Though we took a big group, reservations are key. In fact, the other sekisui restaurants could probably handle big groups better.

Ok, back to the food. Neel and I of course split some sushi. Here's the lineup. We got the tornado: a fried roll with salmon, cream cheese, and sweet soy sauce. Normally, I don't like the fried rolls that much, especially when the rolls are really big. But the tornado was pretty small and complimented the other non-fried rolls well. Next up, the Memphis: crab, tuna, salmon with whitefish on top. This was a raw fish roll and is very fresh and light. A good, fresh choice that balances out the fried roll well. It is a tad bland though. Our third roll was the Jacksonville. This one is crunchy crawfish with seared tuna on top. This was probably my favorite. It's always tasty yet pretty light. The final roll was the staple, Philly: salmon with cream cheese. A classic combo if you like cream cheese.

All the rolls were good. It is pretty hard to make sushi we don't like though. I've always thought the real separator for sushi places is the price to freshness/taste ratio. Sushi is generally pretty expensive, so if you can find a bargain, that's the way to go. I put Sekisui in the middle on this scale. They have some pretty pricey rolls but also some more inexpensive ones. Along those same lines, they have a pretty broad selection, compared to some other Memphis sushi places. So that lets you mix and match rolls depending on your budget and tastes. Thus, Sekisui might not be my first or second choice for sushi in Memphis but it's always up there and always a place I would be excited about going. For that reason, we give Sekisui Midtown 3 stars.

Edo Japanese Restaurant

Sushi on Summer. Frightening? Shady? Skeezy? Sleazy? Possibly. But not if you've had sushi at Edo Japanese Restaurant. Edo is a Japanese Restaurant located right next to the famous Charlie's Meat Market. I have to slip in here and mention the sign on Edo's front door - "PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE ANY VALUABLES IN YOUR CAR." Thank you, Summer.

Jon and I ate there with a friend a couple of weekends ago and were delightfully surprised. The atmosphere is totally different from a Sekisui atmosphere. Don't expect the sleek and che che surroundings of Sekisui. Supposedly, Edo is the oldest Japanese restaurant in Memphis, which you can gather from the outdated decor. However, I grew very fond of Edo's appearance. Right when you walk in, you get the sense that you are in a very traditional, authentic Japanese restaurant. Here's a glimpse....

It's very simple, traditional, and somewhat homey. The tall booths help to make it easy and pleasant for conversation. Which makes me want to say that it would be a good date place. Not a first date - maybe a 2nd or 3rd. And, of course, only if your date likes sushi, Japanese food, and is daring enough to like authentic/non-chainy cuisine. Edo is suppose to have great Japanese dishes; however, we were craving some "sushi on summer" :) We ordered the Banzai (salmon, crab, cucumber, radish sprouts, spicy mayo), Rainbow (crab, avocado, mayo, tuna, salmon, white fish on top), Spicy Tekka (spicy tuna), Philly (classic salmon and cream cheese), and the signature Edo Roll (BBQ Catfish). We ate every bite! It was light, fresh, simple, and VERY tasty. Jon and I both agree that this is our new go-to sushi. Not only because of the deliciousness, but also because it's the best deal we have found on sushi in Memphis! For three people, we ordered the tempura vegetables as an appetizer (don't recommend - nothing special), 5 sushi rolls, water, no alcohol and our total bill was around $30!! That's hard to beat. Jon and I still love the other sushi places in Memphis; however, due to the lower prices and freshness we're able to make Edo our regular sushi go-to. One downfall is that there's not a very big/diverse sushi selection because they do not have a sushi bar. But, I'm OK with finding what we like and dropping in everytime we crave it. Also, the alcohol selection is very slim. We never found a wine menu and they offer about 5 different kinds of beer. Never saw Sake on the menu either. I want to go back and try some of the Japanese entrees. You must give this place a try!! We give Edo 3.5 stars.

Osaka

This past week, Jon and I finally got to try Osaka . For the past few months, we've been hearing numerous friends rave about this place. Before I begin the review, I will say I enjoyed my meal, but it's definitely not the best meal I've ever had. Osaka is a Japanese hibachi and sushi restaurant. It's laid out with numerous hibachi grills, but you will also find a sushi bar with a never ending sushi conveyor belt in its center. Jon and I went with our community group from church. The majority of the crowd wanted food from the hibachi so, naturally, we sat at one of the hibachi grill tables.

Who wants a little history on the Hibachi? Apart from popular belief, the hibachi actually originated in China (not Japan) as a type of portable charcoal brazier used to heat the homes of the nobility. The traditional Japanese hibachi is a heating device and not usually used for cooking. However, in English, "hibachi" often refers to small cooking grills typically made of aluminum or cast iron. Leave it to the Americans to turn a home heating device into a cooking tool. So, there's a little history for you trivia folks. To learn more, simply click here. For some reason, when I think of hibachi, I picture it being surrounded by birthday parties or a group of high school prom dates. Does anyone else get that?

Now back to the review. Honestly, I've never been a huge fan of hibachi or Japanese steakhouses. The few times I've gone to one, it always seems like the food they're cooking in front of you smells and looks a lot better than it really tastes. All that butter, garlic, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce....it's bound to be tasty, right? Sadly, it usually tastes pretty bland to me. That's just my opinion. Though, I know Jon agrees with me :) The great thing about Osaka is that we were allowed to order sushi while sitting at the hibachi grill. So, you guessed it. Jon and I were the odd ones out and ordered sushi instead of hibachi food. It really worked out great - I got to enjoy the taste of my sushi and the smells of the hibachi. The sushi was very tasty. There were lots of options and funky ones at that, which I like. Our favorite was definitely the "Dyno-Dynamite Roll." On Osaka's website, they claim to be "the only authentic Japanese restaurant in Tennessee." Now, read the description of the "Dyno-Dynamite Roll".....deep fried crab, eel, and cream cheese. For some reason, the "deep fried" part doesn't sound very authentic to me. It's hard for me to imagine them cooking this roll in Japan....hmmm. Anyways, regardless of its authenticity, I must admit, that roll was quite delightful to say the least. A must get if you ever go. The atmosphere was your typical chain restaurant atmosphere in Collierville.....big and shiny....nothing too impressive. So, the sushi was good if you're wanting the heavy stuff and the atmosphere was comfortable, but not original. We would go again to try some more of the funky sushi selections or maybe a fun time with some more friends. If you're a big fan of hibachi, then this place is for you! It's probably the best hibachi restaurant I've been to. We give Osaka 3 stars.