NY and LA Best Sushi Lists (updated 7/08)
A very subjective (but correct) list of some of the top sushi restaurants in NY and LA.
Best Sushi in New York
(This list will be frequently updated)
This is a list of what I have experienced to be the best sushi restaurants in New York City. Because this is a very subjective judgment, it will surely provoke argument, which is a good thing. Because of the high quality of the top choices, the order in which they are presented is not necessarily indicative of their ranking. Also, price is not taken into account, only quality. So whether or not it's "worth the money" is irrelevant. There's no prize for ordering bargain sushi, other than potential gastric illness. This is not a "value" list.
- Masa
- Ushi Wakamaru
- Morimoto (at the Omakase bar ONLY...the main menu is, to put it succinctly, crap.)
- Sushi Yasuda
- Kuruma(zushi)
- Soto
- Shimizu
- Sushi Seki
- Bond Street
The Best Sushi in Los Angeles
(this list will be frequently updated, but less frequently than New York)
Same comments as New York list above.
- Echigo
- Urasawa
- Sushi Sasabune
- Sushi Nozawa
- Matsuhisa
- Katsu-ya (Studio City location)
- Takao
How the best sushi is picked
Determining the best sushi in any given city is a highly subjective process. Obviously, there are differences in taste, opinion and expertise, among other factors. That said, none of the places listed will be chosen because of price, since bargain sushi is almost always a bad idea. Kind of like Indian drinking water. Both traditional sushi and more "nouvelle" creative approaches and fusion can be wonderful. The places listed, and those that will be added may be of either type. Naturally, some restaurants may be better in one area, and weaker in another. For example, Nobu has wonderful prepared food and is singlehandedly responsible for much of what has happened in modern Japanese food in the U.S. in the past decade or so. Nonetheless, their regular sushi is probably best described as competent, but not special. Your input is greatly appreciated, but may well be ignored.
Here are a few important Japanese food links
These links aren't just sushi-related, but are all connected in some way with the topic at hand. Please feel free to contribute additional links that you think might be of value.
- Sushi Yasuda
- Sushi Yasuda's website
- Sushi Seki
- Sushi Seki's website
- Morimoto
- This site includes Morimoto's original Philadelphia restaurant and will soon include links to the New York site, which is under construction.
- Who's Your Sake Daddy?
- My friend's website. It contains lots of good information about sake from a guy who knows his stuff...and imports it.
- 21 Japanese Restaurants in New York
- A short listing of some excellent (and mostly authentic) Japanese restaurants in New York City.
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