Best Sushi Restaurant in Every State

Located in Birmingham’s Downtown Loft District, Bamboo on 2nd is a beloved neighborhood spot with a pan-Asian menu of sushi rolls, noodle bowls, small plates, and skewers. Sushi and sashimi options include red snapper, hamachi, and toro, and signature rolls include the Cyclone, with spicy tuna, salmon, imitation crab, avocado, and cream cheese – battered and fried and topped with aïoli, eel sauce, jalapeños, and sriracha.

Anchorage’s cozy, stylish Sushi Ya is a destination for sushi lovers who want to sample a wide variety of sushi and other Japanese dishes. Nigiri sushi and sashimi options include yellowtail, sea urchin, mackerel, and spot shrimp, and there are more than 30 rolls on offer, divided into “cooked” and “uncooked.” Start your meal with the Heart Attack (a jalapeño that’s stuffed with cream cheese, spicy tuna, and crabmeat, deep-fried, and topped with two sauces), and finish off with a fried Oreo.

The casual, inviting Harumi Sushi is renowned locally for its wide selection of super-fresh fish, even in landlocked Arizona. Non-frozen fish including Scottish salmon and Nova Scotia tuna is flown in daily and artfully served on daily-changing sashimi platters or in rolls made with purple “forbidden” rice. Rolls run the gamut from simple to complex to vegan, and signature appetizers include hamachi kama, deep-fried yellowtail collar.

Little Rock’s acclaimed Kemuri is known for its super-fresh sushi including creative rolls and a variety of meat, seafood, and vegetables cooked on a robata grill. There’s a huge variety of specialty rolls to choose from, including The Crazy Monkey (tempura shrimp, spicy crab, avocado, and masago aïoli) and the Lobster Roll (with tempura Maine lobster tail, blue crab, tamago, spicy lobster, avocado, and scallions.

Nobu Matsuhisa is one of America’s most renowned and prolific Japanese chefs, with restaurants and hotels around the globe, but it all started with Matsuhisa, which opened in Beverly Hills in 1987 and remains his flagship to this day. His signature fusion of Japanese and Peruvian cuisine is evident in dishes including tiradito and ceviche, and it’s still the best place to try signature Nobu dishes including black cod with miso, rock shrimp tempura, and yellowtail jalapeño. The sushi is pristine, and there’s something for everyone on the huge menu.

A Denver hotspot since 1984, Sushi Den is renowned for flying in fresh seafood from the city of Fukuoka on the Sea of Japan every day. It’s used in a variety of sashimi, nigiri, hand rolls, and specialty rolls, and there’s a daily-rotating “Catch of the Day” menu highlighting what came in that morning.

OKO, under the auspices of chef/owner Brian Lewis, is putting a local, seasonal spin on the traditional sushi bar. Opened inside a historic firehouse in 2018, OKO serves a wide variety of nigiri sushi with inspired touches like horse mackerel with rosemary aïoli and red king crab with chili butter and red miso, along with hot and cold entrees (try the fried chicken bao bun and crispy spicy tuna), bento boxes, and a popular 16-course omakase.

Wilmington’s stylish Mikimotos is known as the best place in town for those looking for super-fresh sushi made with a wide variety of fish, a huge variety of creative specialty rolls, and dinner specials including Mongolian duck sliders, grilled soy-sesame glazed sea scallops, and Asian BBQ sticky ribs. There’s also a full bar that serves a full menu of creative cocktails as well as 10 different types of sake.

Located on Miami’s exclusive Brickell Key, Naoe is an intimate, minimalist Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star Japanese restaurant overseen by chef Kevin Cory. It’s a small jewel box with just a handful of seats (which are incredibly difficult to reserve), and Cory personally prepares every item. It has an omakase-style menu, which means that Cory has full control over what you eat. Each meal starts with a bento box-style appetizer of several dishes and soup, followed up by a variety of super-fresh nigiri sushi and a dessert of ice cream, fresh fruit, and sponge cake. The only alcoholic beverage option is sake, including one that’s brewed by Cory’s family back in Japan.

This traditional upscale sushi restaurant has been a must-visit since 2008 for in-the-know Atlantans looking for the freshest fish in the city. Chef Atsushi Hayakawa (a James Beard Award finalist) sources his offerings from Tokyo’s Toyosu Market and all over the globe. Guests who choose to reserve the Hayakawa Omakase (just four per night) are treated to a meal prepared by and served by chef Hayakawa himself. If you visit, keep in mind that perfumes and other strong fragrances that would interfere with the meal are banned.

Honolulu’s acclaimed Sushi Ginza Onodera is a small sushi bar with abundant light wood decor, specializing in Edomae sushi, in which the fish is aged according to a variety of methods, from hours to days, in order to maximize its flavor and texture. All fish is imported from Tokyo’s Toyosu Fish Market, and the rice comes from Japan’s Niigata prefecture and is tinted with red vinegar.

The modern, relaxed Ahi Sushi Bar has brought top-quality sushi, artful rolls, and other Japanese favorites to Eagle, just northwest of Boise, since 2007. Nigiri options include yellowtail, spicy seared tuna, surf clam, and snapper; and popular specialties include the Skipper Roll, with shrimp tempura, crab, and cucumber, topped with spicy tuna, tempura flakes, eel sauce, and creamy volcano sauce. They also offer creative bento boxes as well as appetizers including tempura, ribs, and even slow-cooked kalua pork.

The omakase-only Kyoten from chef Otto Phan is one of the best, and most expensive, restaurants in Chicago, with the price ranging from $440 to $490 per person depending on the day’s menu. Every element of every item served is sourced and prepared with utmost precision. Fish are brought in wild from Japan, and Kyoten was the first restaurant in America to use an exclusive varietal of Japanese rice called Inochi no Ichi; it’s seasoned with a different vinegar blend for each type of fish. Kyoten also serves Edomae-style sushi, in which the fish is aged, cured, and/or marinated in order to create layers of depth, complexity, and umami.

In business since 2012, Indianapolis’ Sushi Bar has earned a reputation as the best place to enjoy sushi in the city. The casual and inviting restaurant has a wide-ranging menu featuring sashimi, rolls, bento boxes, noodle dishes and soups, hot appetizers and entrees, and more than 30 specialty rolls.

This cute, funky spot in the heart of Des Moines serves a huge menu of nigiri, specialty rolls, opulent platters, and traditional Japanese specialties. It’s best known for its specialty rolls, which range from the tame (salmon, avocado, cucumber) to the wild (deep-fried pork cutlet, carrot, and asparagus – a nod to Iowa’s iconic pork tenderloin sandwich). Popular non-sushi items include pork or chicken katsu-don and katsu curry. Don’t miss the tempura-fried cheesecake for dessert.

Tucked away inside a busy strip mall, Sushi UNI is treating Lenexa locals to a wide variety of Japanese specialties, including more than 70 different types of rolls, including the Candy Cane Roll (seared pepper tuna, avocado, and jalapeño, topped with tuna and white tuna alternating, and finished with honey wasabi sauce, ponzu sauce, and wasabi tobiko). There are also plenty of Chinese-American dishes as well as popular lunch specials.

From super-fresh nigiri to rolls (thoughtfully divided into raw, cooked, vegetarian, and deep-fried categories) to fried rice, yakisoba, tempura, and teriyaki, there’s something for everyone at Oishii Sushi. There’s also a wide variety of Japanese beers as well as hot and cold sake to drink.

This strip mall restaurant, overseen by a classically trained chef from Osaka only known as Chef Elvis, fancies itself a “California Sushi Bar.” Elvis serves a wide-ranging menu brimming with fresh nigiri and appetizers including yellowtail neck and fried soft shell crab, but Kanno is best-known for its rolls. Standouts include the Kanno Special (broiled salmon, snow crab, smelt roe, and avocado, wrapped in seaweed and soy paper and topped with fantasy sauce), the Elvis Roll (mixed salmon, snow crab, and avocado with blue crab on top), and, as a nod to the Big Easy, a Cajun Crawfish Roll with crawfish, snow crab, and Cajun spices.

Under Tokyo native Masa Miyake, Portland’s Miyake has become a must-visit for Japanese food lovers in the 10 years it’s been open. Reopening after a lengthy renovation, the restaurant has a 10-seat sushi bar as well as a menu of shareable plates, including traditional Japanese preparations, dishes of Masa’s personal creation, and a full range of sushi, sashimi and nigiri.

Baltimore’s small but mighty Shoyou brings in locals for its variety of super-fresh sushi that’s hand-selected by the owner, a chef who everyone just calls Sushi Bruce. He’s created a stunning variety of specialty rolls with cheeky names (including the Hot Night Baby! with shrimp tempura, spicy tuna, avocado, spicy mayo, eel sauce, and crunchy flakes), but don’t miss his famous Japanese Burrito, with fried shrimp, crab mix, spicy tuna, avocado, and masaho wrapped up in soy paper.

Boston’s most renowned, most inventive sushi restaurant is also the best in the state. Co-owners Chef Tim and Nancy Cushman have turned a small, 30-seat dining room into a certified Japanese destination where diners are treated to a nightly-changing 20-course chef’s omakase that includes a variety of unique nigiri, sashimi, and cooked dishes. You never quite know what you’re going to get, but it’s sure to be mind-blowing.

The unassuming Noble Fish, located in the Detroit suburb of Clawson, has been a staple of the community since 1984. It started as a small Japanese market with a kitchen added in 1991, and in 1998 Kyuushu-born Takayuki “Guchi-san” Sakaguchi took over and put it on the map. A 2020 renovation doubled the number of seats (to a whopping 42) to accommodate more regulars who flock there for the expertly-crafted nigiri, maki rolls, and hand rolls. Diners can also pick up fresh-made rolls from the counter and enjoy them at a table.

Minneapolis’ stylish and modern Kado no Mise is part of a trio of adjoining restaurants overseen by chef Shigeyuki Furukawa. It specializes in Edomae sushi and delicate, simple Japanese fare, with three omakase menus ranging from $60 to $145 per person. Each option always includes a variety of nigiri (with seafood including uni and toro taku), and other courses may include chawanmushi with shiromi, shiitake, ginkgo, & ginger; scallop & spring vegetable shira-ae (mashed tofu salad) with junsai vinegar; and green pea tofu with burdock and carrot chips, wasabi, and umadashi.

Downtown Biloxi’s relaxed and inviting Fuji Sushi House has plenty of tables as well as a counter where diners can watch their sushi being made. Tempura, seven-spice ahi,  jalapeño hamachi, and gyoza are standout appetizers, there are a wide variety of fried rice and noodle dishes and dinner specialties including “shaking steak” and salmon teriyaki. More than 40 nigiri options are available, from yellowtail to uni with a quail egg, along with nearly as many specialty rolls.

One of the Midwest’s most highly-regarded sushi restaurants, Drunken Fish has two St. Louis locations, both of which command huge crowds for their fun and inventive menus. Start with the edamame hummus, lobster spring rolls, and teriyaki-glazed wings; continue with red snapper carpaccio and specialty rolls like the signature Drunken Fish Roll (shrimp tempura, Japanese mayo, and asparagus, topped with tuna, Japanese mayo, eel sauce, masago, tempura crumbs, and sprouts); and finish with their famous tempura-fried strawberry cheesecake.

Laid-back and casual, Dave’s Sushi was founded in 2003 by a software engineer (named Dave, naturally) who was fed up with not having a good local place to satisfy his sushi fix. Modeled after low-key Hawaiian sushi joints, Dave’s focuses on very fresh fish, including line-caught Hawaiian big eye tuna, New Zealand Ora King salmon, and Japanese hamachi. You also can’t go wrong with the house-made salmon poke, fried hamachi collar, homemade ramen, or rolls including the Bayou (spicy crawfish, green onions, avocado, and cucumber), the Shrimpifornia (crab, shrimp, seaweed salad, avocado, and cucumber), and even a fried chicken roll with buttermilk-fried chicken, avocado, and cucumber.

Omaha’s intimate, wood-paneled Yoshitomo has a long sushi bar and menu of shareable plates, nigiri, sashimi, and maki rolls. Small plates from chef David Yoshitomo include Hokkaido scallop with truffle and lemon, wagyu with uni butter and Nikiri soy, and smoked hamachi with Granny Smith apple and cherry jam. Standouts from the selection of maki rolls include the Haru (salmon, cucumber, ginger, shallot, Japanese mint, and umeboshi plum), the Go-san (spicy crab, shallot, jalapeño, tuna, yellowtail, cilantro, and tosazu), and a play on Spam musubi with charred pineapple and eel sauce. There are also a handful of vegan rolls.

For the best sushi in Las Vegas, leave the Strip and head west to the unassuming Yui Edomae Sushi, which practices traditional omotenashi service, emphasizing hospitality and openness. Five different omakase menus are offered, ranging in price from $68 to $270. Guests can expect an elegant, light wood sushi bar in a flower-bedecked space and courses including an appetizer, soup, a sashimi platter, a charcoal-grilled platter, nigiri, a handroll, and dessert.

As the name implies, Takumi serves excellent sushi as well as hibachi dishes, in which groups gather around tables to watch their meal being prepared in front of them on large griddles. The large sushi menu boasts a wide variety of rolls, and nigiri options include some harder-to-find options like raw red shrimp, hamachi belly, whelk, and deep-fried rice-filled tofu pockets called inari. There are also plenty of ramen options, creative appetizers and entrees, and a solid lunch special.

The first thing you see when stepping into Ridgewood’s elegant Shumi is a long sushi counter, where you should sidle up and ask chef/owner David Seo for his omakase. You’ll be treated to a selection of fish brought in that very day, expertly sliced and transformed into nigiri. If you choose to order from the à la carte menu, standout dishes including crispy fried oysters, grilled yellowtail collar, bento boxes, and four varieties of housemade ramen await you.

The menu is small but mighty at Albuquerque’s standout Miso Sushi, an unassuming local favorite. Start off with fried gyoza,  jalapeños stuffed with spicy tuna and cream cheese and then tempura-fried, or grilled yellowtail or salmon collar; move on to fresh nigiri or a specialty roll (including the green chile tempura-topped New Mexico Roll), and finish with a waffle bowl filled with vanilla ice cream and red bean paste. Party platters and sushi-loaded boats are also favorites.

Masa, located in Manhattan’s Columbus Circle, is considered America’s most expensive restaurant (a seat at the sushi bar costs a whopping $950 per person; a meal at a table will run $750), but ask any aficionado who’s dined there and they’ll tell you that it was worth every penny. Acclaimed chef Masa Takayama serves a two-hour omakase experience in which guests will be treated to a daily-changing menu of pristine, handcrafted sushi and other small plates including A5 wagyu Ohmi beef tataki with freshly shaved seasonal truffles. A meal here may cost more than a month’s salary, but if you can spare the expense it’s a meal you won’t soon forget.

Renowned for having the best sushi in the Raleigh-Durham area, as well as the Carolinas’ largest sake selection, Waraji Sushi serves flawless nigiri ranging from toro to seasoned scallops to sea urchin, as well as truly inspired specialty rolls (try the Shamoo Roll, with soft shell crab, eel, seasoned scallop, salmon, tuna, shrimp, spicy mayo, and tempura bits). There’s also a large non-sushi menu of traditional Japanese fare including shabu shabu, sukiyaki, ramen, and katsudon – and an izakaya (a relaxed bar/lounge with a menu all its own) recently opened next door.

In addition to a range of kitchen appetizers and main dishes (including soba and udon choices), this longtime Fargo favorite serves an extensive menu of sushi and sashimi, including a selection of straightforward regular or hand rolls (including some less-than-common choices like a peanut avocado and a sweet potato tempura roll), and almost 20 specialty offerings, among them the house favorite king crab crunch roll (lightly fried king crab and white tuna with spicy tuna, spicy mayo, and “BBQ sushi sauce”).

Columbus’ sunny and inviting Sushi En is a great place to hang out, both for its half-price happy hour as well as large menu of nigiri, rolls, elegant appetizers, entrees including grilled Japanese mackerel and bento boxes, and specials including an “egg roll” with spicy crab and cream cheese, wrapped in an egg roll wrapper and deep-fried, and topped with spicy mayo, eel sauce, and potato straws.

The bright GoGo Sushi might have a fast-casual vibe, but the quality of its sushi and other offerings can rival that at any other sushi joint. It’s a great place to go to have a fun time with friends, to take advantage of a solid happy hour as well as appetizers including coconut shrimp and gyoza, bento boxes, poke bowls, nigiri, and specialty rolls including the Jalapeño Tower, with salmon, avocado, tempura-fried bacon, green onion, tempura jalapeño slices, spicy mayo, eel sauce, masago, and sesame seeds.

When Bamboo Sushi opened in Portland in 2008, it became the world’s first certified sustainable sushi restaurant. Today, it has four Portland locations along with ones in Lake Oswego, Denver, the Bay Area, and Seattle. It’s also certifiably excellent, with menu standouts including four types of crispy rice; small plates including chicken karaage and king salmon carpaccio with white truffle ponzu; signature rolls including the Full Circle with spicy albacore, tempura-fried green onion, seared tuna, watercress, crispy onions, and citrus ginger dressing; and kitchen items including a popular wagyu burger topped with caramelized onion, Tillamook white cheddar, and momiji aïoli.

Overseen by executive chef Hiroki Fujiyama, Philadelphia’s Hiroki is a small, elegant restaurant with a large, round wooden door, a handful of tables, and a counter where diners are treated to an omakase-only menu for $155 per person. As at most of the country’s top sushi restaurants, the omakase menu changes daily based on what arrives at the restaurant that morning. Chef Hiroki’s menu is inspired by his hometown of Kyoto, and his 20-piece omakase always includes small appetizers, cooked fish, meat, nigiri, a handroll, miso soup, and dessert.

Newport’s Mori is a quick-service spot that’s completely unassuming – until your food arrives, that is. Grab a seat at the counter and take your pick from a large variety of nigiri and sashimi, or choose from a wide selection of special rolls including the deep-fried Newport Roll, with eel, smoked salmon, avocado, cream cheese, and eel sauce. Aside from the sushi, you can’t go wrong with Korean-style fried chicken, tuna tataki, teriyaki, tempura, or noodle dishes.

A nigiri-focused omakase restaurant from chefs Kazu Murakami and Chris Schoedler, Sushi-Wa has commanded crowds for its artful sushi since the day it opened. The menu changes daily and seating is limited, but at just $80 the omakase menu is a true bargain. They also offer a takeout tray brimming with 21 nigiri pieces and five rolls for $125.

Rapid City’s Fuji offers a wide array of both Japanese and Chinese dishes, along with reasonably-priced lunch specials. Standouts include red snapper with serrano chiles and ponzu – and with a huge variety of cooked, raw, and vegetarian rolls, your best bet may be to order the Fuji Special Boat for the table, which includes 18 pieces of sashimi and 12 pieces of nigiri along with your choice of two signature rolls.

Nashville’s Samurai Sushi is a poorly kept secret as the best sushi restaurant in town. It’s best-known for its super-creative rolls, including the Choo Choo roll (salmon, crab, and cream cheese, covered with avocado, strawberry, nuts, and eel sauce), the Rainbow Naruto Roll (tuna, crabmeat, salmon, white fish, and avocado, wrapped in cucumber with no rice), and the soy paper-wrapped Crazy Monkey Roll (tuna, salmon, white fish, crab, and cucumber covered with eel, avocado, and eel sauce).

Founded by chef Tyson Cole (who’s since won a James Beard Award) in a refurbished Austin house in 2003, Uchi has become renowned for its non-traditional take on Japanese food. The menu changes daily, but expect pristine nigiri made with rarely-seen fish including striped knifejaw, Tasmanian ocean trout, and flounder (as well as creations including beet with yuzu kosho goat cheese and wagyu short rib with pickled ramp miso). Aside from the sushi, other standouts include paradigm-changing flavor combinations like smoked yellowtail with yuca crisp, Marcona almond, and Asian pear; pork belly with Japanese pumpkin and pepper rosé gastrique; and great amberjack with watermelon and ramp salsa verde. It’s highly recommended you go for the six- or 10-course omakase; a full vegetarian menu is also available.

Downtown Salt Lake City’s Takashi isn’t just the city’s best sushi bar, it’s one of its best restaurants, period. Guests brave lengthy wait times to try well-made sushi and sashimi, stellar specialty rolls, hot and cold appetizers, traditional Japanese entrees, and a wide selection of sake in sleek and stylish digs.

When you step into Asiana House the ambience instantly relaxes you. and puts you in the mood for a feast of traditional and Japanese-fusion fare. Standout maki rolls include the Dancing Nancy (salmon, spicy mayo, tempura crumb, and avocado, topped with crab salad, torched sweet miso sauce, and bonito flakes) and there are several vegetarian maki options, and other signature dishes include crispy roast pork over rice and unagi don.

Arlington’s stylish Yume Sushi is helmed by Bangkok-born chef Saran “Peter” Kannasute, who’s devised a non-traditional menu with standout items including raw sea scallop with mango salsa, scallion, spicy yuzu sauce, and mango tobiko sauce; daily-rotating poke bowls; and the Mexican Roll with shrimp tempura, tomato salsa, cucumber, jalapeño, and tempura bits. There’s also a must-try omakase, a wide variety of sake and cocktails, and the opportunity to create your own roll.

From three-time James Beard Award nominee Shiro Kashiba, who trained under renowned sushi master Jiro Ono, Sushi Kashiba opened in 1970 as Seattle’s first sushi bar and remains the city’s gold standard for sushi. Crowds continue to flock to the sushi counter in Pike Place Market for a taste of Kashiba’s daily-changing omakase, or take a seat at a table for now-iconic dishes including sake-marinated miso black cod, sautéed geoduck with asparagus and shiitake mushroom, and chawanmushi with crab and whitefish.

The relaxed, stylish Kita has something for everyone. Take a seat outside by the pool and indulge in a traditional menu of sushi and sashimi, or choose from a variety of foods you don’t usually find at sushi bars, including pork belly bao buns, Korean fried chicken, grilled corn, yakisoba, a whole beef rib, izakaya-style skewers, tonkatsu ramen, fried whole fish, and teriyaki half chicken.

The stylish contemporary-style Takana 88, located just outside Madison, offers a classic sushi bar menu of sushi, sashimi, and specialty rolls as well as bento boxes, udon and soba noodles, and full hibachi-style meals. Complete meals allow you to choose an entree like filet mignon teriyaki or chicken katsu, along with miso soup, salad, and white rice.

Jackson Hole may be more associated with meat than sushi, but King Sushi attracts crowds for expertly-made sushi and Japanese food in a cozy log cabin (because it’s still Jackson Hole). It’s relaxed and inviting, with a long sushi bar where diners can dig into specialties including tempura rock shrimp with sweet chili aïoli, tuna-topped crispy rice, pressed sushi, specialty sashimi dishes including scallop crudo with fresh wasabi and ponzu, and inspired house rolls including the Crouching Tiger (avocado, tempura asparagus, wild salmon, spicy tuna, wasabi aïoli, fried shallot, yuzu tobiko, microgreens, and sweet soy).