Sushi in Phoenix

920 E. Univeristy Dr. #101 Tempe

480-317-0101

Japanese, Sushi, Asian, Best Of, Sponsor, Menu

This Japanese restaurant is exactly what its name implies: a stepping stone for sushi virgins. Whether you’ve never had raw fish and sticky rice rolled up in seaweed – or love the stuff but have never made it yourself – Sushi 101 will help you along the way to understanding the iconic dish. The menu comes with a glossary of sushi, which breaks down all of the offerings by ingredient. Don’t know that a caterpillar roll has unagi (eel) and avocado? You do now! The restaurant also offers signature creations like the ASU Roll (real crab meat, avocado, and cucumber wrapped with soy paper and topped with fresh salmon, avocado, and creamy ponzu) and the Moon Walk (sweet potato and avocado topped with spicy tuna and sliced lemon). Along with rolls, Sushi 101 serves sashimi, nigiri, bento specials, noodles, soups, salads, and entrées like grilled salmon and chicken katsu. To learn the trick of the trade, join the sushi making class offered every Sunday afternoon for just $15.

2 articles

Ahi Revolving Sushi

940 S. Gilbert Rd. Gilbert

480-284-8569

Sushi, Restaurants

2 articles

Akaihana Sushi & Grill

8041 N. Black Canyon Highway, Ste 112 North Phoenix

602-864-9202

Japanese, Sushi, Recommended, Menu

We (and hundreds of others like us) go here for the California rolls, because they're some of the best in town and a house specialty. The sushi is invariably fresh, the portions generous and the prices reasonable.

Akaihana Sushi and Grill

2293 N. Pebble Creek Parkway Goodyear

623-935-3942

Sushi, Asian, Japanese, Menu

We (and hundreds of others like us) go here for the California rolls, because they're some of the best in town and a house specialty. The sushi is invariably fresh, the portions generous and the prices reasonable.

Bei Sushi and Bar

2200 N. Scottsdale Rd. South Scottsdale

480-471-6609

Japanese, Sushi

2 articles

Blue Wasabi

6137 N. Scottsdale Rd. North Scottsdale

480-315-9800

Asian, Japanese, Sushi

Look no further than Blue Wasabi Sushi and Martini Bar for upscale sushi paired with a classy drink. When the first location opened in Gilbert in 2004, its Japanese cuisine immediately won fans in the restaurant scene, scoring Blue Wasabi a Best New Restaurant award. Nearly a decade later, the restaurant is still serving its signature blue-colored wasabi, including at an additional location in Scottsdale. Blue Wasabi’s sushi combinations, such as Shrimp Bizkit, Chuck Norris, Eating Nemo, and Get Clucked, will tickle your taste buds as well as your funny bone. Along with traditional Asian flavors, the menu features a few American updates like surf and turf sushi with avocado and cucumber and Cajun-spiced seared tuna with ponzu sauce. Stop by Tuesday through Saturday during happy hour (times vary by location) to get discounted dishes like scallop nigiri ($2.50) and spicy yellowtail tempura mushrooms ($4.50). Pair them with signature martinis for $5.

2 articles

Blue Wasabi Sushi and Martini Bar

2080 E. Williams Field Rd. Suite 101 Gilbert

480-722-9250

Sushi, Japanese, Asian, Best Of

Look no further than Blue Wasabi Sushi and Martini Bar for upscale sushi paired with a classy drink. When the first location opened in Gilbert in 2004, its Japanese cuisine immediately won fans in the restaurant scene, scoring Blue Wasabi a Best New Restaurant award. Nearly a decade later, the restaurant is still serving its signature blue-colored wasabi, including at an additional location in Scottsdale. Blue Wasabi’s sushi combinations, such as Shrimp Bizkit, Chuck Norris, Eating Nemo, and Get Clucked, will tickle your taste buds as well as your funny bone. Along with traditional Asian flavors, the menu features a few American updates like surf and turf sushi with avocado and cucumber and Cajun-spiced seared tuna with ponzu sauce.

5 articles

Clever Koi

4236 N. Central Ave. #100 Central Phoenix

602-222-3474

Asian, Sushi, Critics' Pick, Best Of, Slideshow, Readers' Choice

This sleek midtown restaurant, from former Parlor Pizzeria chefs Jared Porter and Joseph Absolor along with co-owners Joshua James and Nicholas Campisano (who also did time at the pizzeria), is more or less a Chinese-American comfort food head trip. Porter and Absolor's tight selection of reinvented street snacks, rice and noodle dishes, and steamed buns and dumplings are deliciously inauthentic, the two chefs both paying tribute to -- and taking wild liberties with -- each Asian dish. Read our review.

93 articles

Clever Koi

60 W. Vaughn Ave. #101 Gilbert

480-306-4237

Asian, Sushi

Their tight selection of reinvented street snacks, rice and noodle dishes, and steamed buns and dumplings are deliciously inauthentic, paying tribute to -- and taking wild liberties with -- each Asian dish.

Daruma

1116 S. Dobson Rd. #113 Mesa

480-590-7979

Japanese, Sushi, Menu

Daruma is fast-casual but chef-driven Japanese restaurant. Starters here are colorful and fun, including a dish called crispy rice with spicy tuna. The fried chicken chunks of karaage here were aromatic and soft, the crispiness peaking just shy of crunchiness. The Dobson Roll is a good-looking roll, topped with cilantro, shavings of red onion, and jalapeno. These toppings make the roll itself — which consists of shrimp tempura, cream cheese, albacore, and krab meat — taste bright, like a salad. The cilantro and jalapeno give it a veggie-garden aftertaste, then the fish and cream cheese hit.

1 article

El Tataki

10685 W. Indian School Rd. Suite K Avondale

623-230-3668

Sushi, Mexican, Asian Fusion, Best Of, Menu

El Tataki Sushi is an airy, sit-down restaurant and bar. The sleek restaurant specializes in Mexican sushi, although the menu also carries traditional Japanese sushi rolls. House specialties include the Tres Quesos, a three-cheese roll stuffed with crab, avocado, and cucumber, and the Guamuchilito, a shrimp tempura roll made with ample amounts of cream cheese and garnished with orange and eel sauce.

3 articles

Extreme Sushi

4434 W. Thomas Road, #15 West Phoenix

602-269-5005

Sushi, Mexican, Asian Fusion

You’ll have to hunt a bit to find Extreme Sushi. The small, counter-service restaurant is tucked into the corner of a sprawling strip mall near 43rd Avenue and Thomas Road. But if you’re game to try new things, it’s worth the effort in order to sample unusual Mex-sushi rolls like the cocodrilo (the crocodile), a cream cheese and shrimp roll topped with scallops and fiery dribbles of Sriracha. If you love spice, you’ll probably also appreciate the Extreme Roll, the eponymous house roll made with shrimp and doused in a chipotle and eel sauce. Another notable house creation is the Black Jack, a roll made with cream cheese and crab, and topped with tempura-chopped crab and fried asparagus.

1 article

Fresh Wasabi

6645 W. Bell Rd., #A103 Glendale

623-878-3374

Asian, Japanese, Sushi, Recommended, Menu

Next time you're in Glendale and have a hankering for fresh eel or a plate full of flying fish eggs, this is where you need to be. Never one to play it safe with a sushi menu, executive chef Andrew Nam has created a long list of soy-wrapped, Latin-influenced bundles. The Hotty Hamachi is a jalapeño-and-ponzu-infused yellowtail delight; the Mango Tango combines sliced tuna and masago scallions, sweet fruit and mixed greens to create a little pile of joy. Who says good sushi only belongs to Scottsdale? Not us!

2 articles

Fresh Wasabi Sushi & Grill

13732 W. Bell Rd. Surprise

623-584-4800

Asian, Japanese, Seafood, Sushi, Recommended

Fresh Wasabi Sushi & Grill's atmosphere transports you to a different place -- namely, Las Vegas -- with its over the top décor and uber good-looking staff. Oh, and the sushi isn't bad either. During happy hour the restaurant becomes remarkably more affordable, with $3 hand rolls and $5 cut rolls. We particularly enjoy the spicy scallop handroll.

Ginban

3941 E. Chandler Blvd. Ahwatukee

480-706-1388

Japanese, Modern Japanese, Sushi, Menu

Grilled Ave Teriyaki House

705 S. Forest Rd. Tempe

602-380-7712

Korean, Sushi, Teriyaki

Hai Noon

7017 E. McDowell Rd. South Scottsdale

480-306-4023

Japanese, Sushi

James Beard Award-winning chef Nobuo Fukuda has made a triumphant return with Hai Noon. He left downtown Phoenix for Scottsdale and opened his latest restaurant inside the renovated hotel Sonder The Mariposa. The dining room and bar have a vintage charm with horseshoe-shaped booths, warm woods, exposed stone and macrame-wrapped lights. The taut but shareable menu leans into seafood, such as the tuna, seared and served with a punchy beetroot puree and pinot noir reduction, or the sea bream, which is cured, letting its brine and sweetness shine through. The land-based dishes are just as bright. The coconut curry lamb chops are bold and tender. The mushrooms, done in parchment with sake, soy, garlic butter and trottole pasta, are packed with umami. The cocktails likewise wow. The Honey Dew Me Rumchata, a rum-based drink, is playful and packed with melon flavor thanks to honeydew syrup and frozen melon balls.

Hana Japanese Eatery

5524 N. Seventh Ave. Central Phoenix

602-973-1238

Asian, Japanese, Sushi, Critics' Pick, Best Of, Slideshow, Readers' Choice, Essentials

This busy family-owned operation north of Seventh and Missouri avenues is overseen by co-owners Lynn Becker and chef Lori Hashimoto, a true treasure of the Phoenix chef scene. The place is known for well-crafted sushi and sashimi — yellowtail, tuna, salmon, crab, albacore and whitefish. We like the squid maruyaki, scallop edamame kasane age, Hana tempura and various bento box lunch options. Hana does not accept reservations, so diners may have a bit of a wait at peak times. Hana Japanese Eatery was formerly, and famously, BYOB. But the menu has expanded to include a selection of Japanese craft beers, sakes, whiskeys, cocktails and wines.

66 articles

Haru Sushi & Grill

20165 N 67th Ave, #125 Glendale

623-217-2720

Japanese, Sushi, Essentials

When it comes to sushi, the rice itself isn’t often the ingredient that stands out. That is, unless it’s exceptional. This is the case at the modern Glendale restaurant Haru Sushi & Grill. Here, the rice is tender and sweet, offering a perfect backdrop that does anything but blend into the background. It’s expertly wrapped around high-quality, fresh and sometimes spicy fillings to form nigiri and sushi rolls that are perfect for sharing. We’re particularly fond of the Kiss of Fire, a roll filled with spicy tuna and cucumber and topped with albacore tuna, a thin slice of serrano pepper and a dot of Sriracha. The sweet rice and piquant fillings make for a supremely craveable dish.

Harumi Sushi & Sake

114 W. Adams St., Suite C101 Central Phoenix

602-258-0131

Sushi, Japanese, Best Of, Readers' Choice

This small, buzzy restaurant is a solid pick for contemporary sushi and nigiri in downtown Phoenix. The first thing you’ll probably notice is the restaurant’s signature “purple” rice — Harumi uses nutrient-rich Forbidden black rice, which turns a burgundy-like color after being soaked and cooked. Highlights include the H3, a pleasantly snappy and creamy roll featuring spicy tuna and salmon, adorned with spoonfuls of delicate fish roe. Harumi is also home to one of the more accessible omakase (chef’s choice) dinners around town — $35 scores you a substantial, mix-and-match platter of maki rolls and nigiri. There probably won’t be any deep cuts or slightly obscure fish on your plate, but it more than delivers on the timeless pairing of cleanly carved fish pressed against rice.

11 articles

Hayashi Hibachi

1480 N. Litchfield Rd. Goodyear

623-935-4888

Asian, Japanese, Sushi, Menu

Hiro Sushi

9393 N. 90th St. North Scottsdale

480-314-4215

Japanese, Sushi, Recommended, Best Of, Menu

It's easy to love a mom-and-pop place that builds a following by consistent quality and word of mouth like North Scottsdale's Hiro Sushi. There's no flash here -- of course it's just a humble strip mall storefront -- but the sheer beauty of glistening raw fish (try anything on the specials board behind the sushi bar), along with homey, mouthwatering cooked dishes such as crispy tonkatsu (pork cutlet) and luscious grilled hamachi kama (yellowtail collar) is dazzling enough. Read our review.

13 articles

Hon Machi Sushi & Cocktails

1949 W. Ray Rd. Ste. 32 Chandler

480-963-0400

Japanese, Sushi, Best Of, Menu

In the past few years, the East Valley has become somewhat of a mecca for Asian cuisine. There’s Mekong Plaza in Mesa, a supermarket that contains multiple restaurants, and Chandler has one of the best sushi happy hours in town, including $5 sake bombers. Mom-and-pop shop Hon Machi Sushi & Cocktails' starters include oyster tempura, spicy tuna-stuffed mushrooms, soft shell crab, agedashi tofu, and our favorite, the Hon Machi Chips topped with tuna. Sushi options include salmon skin, red snapper tempura, and California with cream cheese rolls. Hon Machi serves other Japanese favorites too, like yakisoba noodles, seafood sashimi salad, and a create-your-own bento box with selections like salmon teriyaki and chicken katsu. For a large group, try the sushi/sashimi/roll combos, the Hon Machi Boat or Love Boat, both served with miso soup.

1 article

House Modern Sushi

1641 S. Stapley Dr. Mesa

480-545-6009

Japanese, Sushi

A menu of 30 inventive specialty rolls is the name of the game at this better-than-average sushi joint next to an AMC Theatres in Mesa. The Crunch Scallop ($9.50) features a house scallop mix inside a roll topped with deep-fried popcorn scallop, while the spicy Bonsai ($10.50) includes spicy tuna, Cajun albacore, avocado, scallion, and a garlic ponzu sauce. For more traditional palates, there are sushi, sashimi, and maki using tuna, mackerel, salmon, and several other raw fishes. Soups, stir-fries, katsu entrees, and numerous appetizers round out the nearly overwhelming menu in this tastefully decorated and casual strip-mall storefront. A welcome addition to Mesa's Japanese-cuisine scene.

How Do You Roll?

1515 N. 7th Ave., 100 Central Phoenix

602-254-1442

Fast Food, Sushi

Phoenix's first location of this national chain features a truly novel concept: build-own-your sushi, a la Subway. This, in addition to a small selection of classic and signature rolls. Choose your own ingredients -- spicy tuna, eel, salmon, and other proteins, as well as numerous vegetables -- and brown or white rice, and toppings or sauces, all for about $8 a roll. As you might expect, it's not the best sushi you've ever had, but it's probably not the worst, either. For a quick sushi fix, you likely don't be disappointed. Just don't expect greatness.

2 articles

Kabuki Sushi and Grill

8378 W. Thunderbird Rd. #107 Peoria

623-486-6603

Asian, Japanese, Sushi, Menu

We've eaten our weight in cucumber sald, but none so fresh or tasty as the ones at Kabuki. We follow our salad with a feast on equally fresh sushi: an order of Ikura, a lotus roll, a sunset roll, and a spicy tuna roll. House specialties also get our attention every time, like the crunchy calamnari Rings and the Baked Scallops on Cali Rolls and the super tasty Sunkissed Roll. Two or three Japanese beers (and one coffe mochi) later, and we're rolling out the door, overjoyed and stuffed full of some of the best sushi in town!

Kaizen PHX

515 E. Grant St., #100 Downtown Phoenix

602-432-0752

Sushi, Japanese, Fusion, Best Of

Kaizen PHX serves Instagram-worthy sushi and sashimi from inside the modern red-brick Lawrence Building in the warehouse district of downtown Phoenix. The restaurant, complete with concrete floors, modern art, and windowed garage doors that open to a patio, is adjacent to Galvanize, a coworking space for tech entrepreneurs. But don’t let the seemingly corporate atmosphere sway you — Kaizen is far from an afterthought inside a business complex. The dishes and flavors are bright and beautiful, from Tuna Poke Cones stuffed with big eye tuna and avocado and rimmed with black and white sesame seeds to Hotate Aguachile with thinly sliced scallops topped with serrano peppers in a spicy, limey, emerald green emulsion. Kaizen pulls inspiration from Japan and Latin America to concoct its versatile creations. Snag a few for half price during happy hour, Tuesday through Saturday, 4-6 p.m.

3 articles

Korea Plaza

1350 S. Longmore Mesa

602-615-0222

Chinese, Grocery Stores, Korean, Retail, Sushi

Koryo Korean BBQ

10040 N. 43rd Ave. Glendale

623-234-8530

Korean, Sushi

4 articles

Kyoto Japanese Restaurant

7170 E. Stetson Dr. Central Scottsdale

480-990-9374

Japanese, Sushi, Recommended, Menu

A bustling sushi bar, first-class teppanyaki grilling and decent-size portions make this a good stop for Japanese-food lovers with American appetites. Enjoy the show, as chefs -- armed with enough blades to walk confidently at night in Central Park -- slice, dice and chop their way through lobster, chicken, steak, scallops and shrimp.

Moira Sushi

215 E. McKinley St. Ste. 102 Downtown Phoenix

602-254-5085

Asian, Japanese, Sushi, Recommended, Menu

Moira's the first sushi bar to crop up in downtown Phoenix in many years. And as Japanese restaurants go, it's not going to put this area on the map for destination-worthy sushi. But it is an inviting place to hang out, grab a light bite, and meet with friends over a cucumber-infused cocktail or some cold sake. Read our review.

3 articles

Moira Sushi Bar & Kitchen

215 E. McKinley St. Downtown Phoenix

480-628-9829

Asian, Japanese, Sushi

Moto

6845 N. 16th St. East Phoenix

602-263-5444

Asian, Japanese, Sushi, Recommended, Menu

The uncomplicated, affordable Pan-Asian cuisine at Moto runs the gamut from rice bowls and sushi to krab puffs and wings. At happy hour — when drinks and nibbles are on special, and the rock music's on full blast — the sleek bar area attracts hungry commuters fresh off the 51.

3 articles

Sushi in Phoenix

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