Trying to find the best sushi restaurant in Japan would be a herculean task. Narrowing the search to Tokyo, the city that currently has more Michelin stars than any other city in the world, would be a good place to start. And it wouldn’t be long until your hunt brought you to Sugita, a two-star Michelin sushi restaurant in Tokyo’s Nihonbashi district.
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Sugita Is the One Omakase Sushi Experience You Need to Have in Tokyo
@foodwtf 🎥 @thesushiguide shares his experience at Japan's #1 ranked sushi restaurant 📍Sugita in #Tokyo 🍣 #Tokyofoodguide #sushilovers #Michelinguide #michelinstar ♬ Little Things – Adrian Berenguer
Nihombashikakigaracho Sugita, or Sugita for short, is a world-renowned sushi restaurant helmed by Chef Takaaki Sugita. Chef Sugita specializes in Edomae, a sushi-making approach dating to the early 1800s when Tokyo went by the name Edo. Traditional Edomae sushi relies on local and seasonal seafood from the Tokyo Bay. Each dish is crafted by hand and involves numerous steps, from sourcing fresh ingredients to selecting the premium accompaniments such as the perfect sea salt or soy sauce for seasoning. Other Edomae techniques such as curing, pressing, and marinating help to preserve the fish and give the end result an attractive color, flavor, and texture.
The restaurant’s Edomae influence is reflected in the simple yet refined ambiance of the physical space, as well, with its minimalistic wooden interior and nine-seat sushi counter that allows every guest to watch Chef Sugita at work. Chef Sugita serves a 24-course omakase menu, referring to a style of Japanese dining where guests leave the menu selection to the chef. He uses a variety of different seafood and cuts of fish, including some that may be a pleasant surprise for American diners, such as monkfish liver, abalone, kohada gizzard shad, sea urchin, and golden eye snapper, which is considered a delicacy in Japan.
Getting a reservation at Sugita is almost as difficult as picking your favorite sushi restaurant in Tokyo — although there’s a good chance this will be it if you do manage to snag a table.
Where: B1F, 1-33-6 Nihombashikakigaracho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 103-0014, Japan 