PHLGuide
The Best Sushi Restaurants In Philly
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
Sushi can work for just about any meal, whether it's a quick lunch, date night, or birthday dinner. And sometimes it feels like there are as many random storefronts serving yellowtail-scallion maki as there are true crime podcasts. We narrowed things down for you. From sushi omakase places that will make you feel like a pampered poodle to neighborhood spots with reliably good sashimi, here's where we go when we want raw fish in Philly.
THE SPOTS
photo credit: CANDIS R. MCLEAN
Philly was missing a handroll spot. And Kensington was missing a good place to eat miso cod. Now, the city and neighborhood have both. Yuhiro looks like any other minimalist sushi place with a few wooden bar areas, but it stands out for its cone-shaped and U-shaped handrolls made with quality fish. On one side of the room, there's a counter dedicated to a $68 sushi omakase that mixes handrolls and nigiri. But if you want to focus on handrolls, sit in the separate area where you can eat a marathon of a la carte raw fish wrapped in seaweed like precious babies.
photo credit: Jesse Ito
This Queen Village restaurant has two concepts in one space: a walk-in-only izakaya up front and an incomparable, $300 sushi omakase in the back. You're going to have a very hard time getting into the omakase (unless you're already regular, you date a regular, or you get lucky as a solo diner on Resy notify.) Instead, sit in a booth in the izakaya, watch anime, pay $4 for a beer, and eat chirashi bowls and rolls with king salmon with pickled jalepeño.
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
The $155 sushi omakase at this Fishtown spot comes with 20 courses, including things like expertly cooked wagyu beef tongue covered in white bean foam and gold flakes, poached quail eggs, and spongy matcha tea cake. Whether you’re at the sushi bar watching the chef slice each piece of fish or sitting at one of the tables with a group of friends, it'll be incredibly special. Come for a birthday or a big deal date night.
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
Philly's sushi omakase options are expanding by the hour, but this BYOB near Headhouse Square has been around for years. Bring a bottle of sake to pair with their $148 omakase. All the raw fish is stellar, whether you’re eating scallop from Hokkaido, toro topped with caviar, or sweet shrimp. And each meal ends with a bowl of uni and high-quality fish.
photo credit: Gab Bonghi
Double Knot's best quality is its versatility. This Midtown Village restaurant has both a packed bar area upstairs and an izakaya downstairs that looks like a dungeon. You could build your meal around a bunch of $20-and-under rolls like spicy tuna, toro scallion, and ume hirame, but they also have sashimi options, including red snapper layered with kombu and a light ponzu glaze. Make a reservation the next time you want to split a bottle of sake with a few friends.
photo credit: Nicole Guglielmo
Kaiseki in Callowhill focuses solely on sushi, mostly for takeout and delivery (though there are four seats at their counter, if you want to eat a good chirashi bowl in the restaurant). Most maki come topped with things like bright red chili thread, wasabi tobiko, and a sweet and sour umeboshi tahini dressing. If you need to get takeout for a large group, Kaiseki serves a few large combination platters that range from $17-$28 and come with nigiri topped with caviar, otoro handrolls with daikon sprouts, and tuna maki, and more.
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
This Fairmount spot works especially well if you’re looking for creative rolls that aren’t deep-fried or covered in aioli, like the Eternal Sunshine with cucumber, avocado, salmon, and apricot-miso sauce. The space here is pretty small, but once you get into your rolls, you won’t really care where you’re eating.
This place in Old City serves consistently well-made sushi, whether that's spicy scallop maki or the 16 vegan rolls that use everything from fried onions to saucy zucchini. They also have some great lunch specials, including $18-and-under rolls and vegan bowls full of "tuna" and pickled vegetables. Plus, we really like their ramen.
We’ve tried to think of another restaurant that combines yellowtail with an uni soy sauce, shots with chefs, and Miguel sing-a-longs with dinner. We can’t. This 17-course, $185 sushi omakase spot in the back of Izakaya Fishtown has an eight-seat chef’s counter where you’ll spend the night eating high-quality crab, hamachi with roasted scallion and foie gras, and fatty salmon. Head here for a special occasion like when it's your birthday and you don't have to pay.
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLILMO
Midori Sushi is a casual spot in Society Hill with just a few tables and, usually, The Kelly Clarkson Show playing on TV. When it comes to the menu, we usually go for specialty options like a salmon roll with torched cuts of fish, avocado, and some teriyaki sauce. The crunch and sweetness complement the fish in a great way.
photo credit: Kerry McIntyre
A lot of unexpected, cool things go down under the El, including Dawa on the corner of Girard and Front. This tiny, casual Fishtown spot makes reliably good sushi and ramen. The restaurant is split into two separate experiences: there’s a room with 16 tables where people order shoyu ramen and yellowtail handrolls, and then there’s a seven-seat sushi bar where the owner serves 15- to 24-piece omakase meals all by himself. And aside from feeling like you’re part of his crew, you’ll get to eat fatty tuna, king salmon rolls, and lemon-spiked scallops. Just know you’ll have to call to book your spot, and they only offer the omakase Thursday through Saturday.
Straightforward, relatively inexpensive sushi in Rittenhouse and a liquor license. What else do you want? Zama makes a roll with spicy crunchy yellowtail with jalapeño mango, plus well-battered tempura shrimp rolls. With $15 rolls at lunch and $25 combinations running through 2:30pm, this is a place to prioritize for lunch (or whenever you want to sneak out of work a little early for a drink and a few snacks).
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLILMO
This Midtown Village BYOB has leather booths lining the walls, a long sushi bar, and a handful of tables that work for a small group hang. The prices here are pretty reasonable, with dozens of classic and signature rolls that cost less than $20. Head here for a casual weeknight dinner or a date night when you want to make up for that thing you said when you were hangry.
There are a lot of casual sushi spots around the city, but none of them get as crowded as Kisso. It’s in a little orange room on the corner of 4th and Race, the menu is straightforward, and everything is very good. This would explain why on a random Tuesday night, you’ll sometimes encounter a 30-minute wait. If you decide to stick it out, they serve some of the freshest fish around and have some interesting appetizers as well—like the music box (warm Alaskan king crab in a soybean wrap topped with creamy soy sauce), and a red snapper carpaccio that we want twice a week.
With massive windows, low lighting, and a long U-shaped bar, Tuna Bar makes for a good date spot when you want a bunch of sake options and some good sushi in Old City. Plus, you can usually stop by without a reservation, order a few snacks like crispy miso brussels sprouts and oysters, and spend the rest of the night drinking junmai sake and picking at maki. An added perk if you’re here in the spring: you’ll have a great view of the cherry blossom trees or a Ben Franklin impersonator.
Fat Salmon is where you go for sushi that’s topped with things like pineapple cilantro, pico de gallo, and broccoli pesto. That's not for everyone. But it does sort of work here because the fish tastes well sourced. The pink and blue mood lighting in the dining room also might make you feel like you’re at a club in Miami, but it doesn’t get too rowdy.
Morimoto is an expensive sushi restaurant in Old City with a dining room that looks like the glowing buildings in Tron. It’s a good place to suggest when your client says “I’m buying,” or your boss asks where they should take the team for a celebratory dinner with rounds of sake (they have a very long list). Go for the a la carte experience versus the $150 sushi omakase, which is pretty much just the hits from the regular menu.
