Best Sushi on the West Coast

I'll be visiting Northern California (Bay area, and up) and Oregon in the near future, and wanted to know which spots I should go to for the best sushi. I'm a nigiri and sashimi kind of person, but do appreciate a well executed roll. I keep hearing that the west coast has the best sushi, so anything that can point me in the right direction would be very much appreciated. Thanks everyone!

Ozumo.

Akikos

I've not eaten there, but one of our own has a place in Eugene.

Dardeau said:

I've not eaten there, but one of our own has a place in Eugene.

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Yes, one does and it rocks... Make sure to hit Mame. You will leave there properly filled and smiling. Taro does it right.

I live in the area:
Yume in alameda. Hard to get a seat. No reservations. Set seating times. No rolls. Nigiri and sashimi only.

Or google " secret sushi in SF"

Another tiny place. It has a name, but the place has no sign so the name doesn't matter. It is in a neighborhood in the Richmond district. Similar rules. You won't get a Cali roll there.

Yume was decent when I went there several years ago.

Secret sushi place? Based on the pictures I saw, it's liked because of portion size. No Hikari mono, limited Shiromi.

Jon Broida told me of a Japanese restaurant he liked in SF, but I don't remember the name.

There a few places I like, but I go for the people not the place. Umami on Webster is usually nothing special, but it's not because that aren't capable... Just because people order like idiots there more often than not. Yoshizumi-San is a good friend of mine and the head sushi chef there... If given the opportunity, he can blow you away with his skill.

JBroida said:

There a few places I like, but I go for the people not the place. Umami on Webster is usually nothing special, but it's not because that aren't capable... Just because people order like idiots there more often than not. Yoshizumi-San is a good friend of mine and the head sushi chef there... If given the opportunity, he can blow you away with his skill.

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How can some one order like an idiot? I thought you choose stuff from the menu then you eat . I am obviously missing something here. Is there something I should watch for?

Going to be in San Diego (I've eaten at Taka and Nippon) in July and West Hollywood in August. Any suggestions?

I'm really curious as to what you usually order.

I mostly get sashimi, nigiri, and a role (or two)...

JBroida said:

There a few places I like, but I go for the people not the place. Umami on Webster is usually nothing special, but it's not because that aren't capable... Just because people order like idiots there more often than not. Yoshizumi-San is a good friend of mine and the head sushi chef there... If given the opportunity, he can blow you away with his skill.

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If you get to Seattle , shiros cannot be beat. Need to arrive 1 hr before opening on fir or sat to sit at bar, the only way to go IMO, and order omakase.

shiros is great... totally agree

cazhpfan said:

I'm really curious as to what you usually order.

I mostly get sashimi, nigiri, and a role (or two)...

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I order fish that are in season... most often as nigiri. I often speak with the chef about what just came in, where he/she buys fish from, what i like about the season fish-wise, etc. More often than not, if the person seems competent, i go for some kind of omakase. Sometimes i order more obscure things too... shirauo, engawa, shirako, shakko, mirugai, akagai, etc.

Personally, i believe that in order to have a great meal in any cuisine, one needs to be an educated diner.

The first thing I will do when I get home is find out what these mean. :hungry:

rami_m said:

The first thing I will do when I get home is find out what these mean. :hungry:

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nothing is too crazy... here's a breakdown of the things i randomly listed:
shurauo- a tiny, clear-ish fish that looks like a baby eel


engawa- the tiny muscle around the edges of flat fish like flounder or halibut


shirako- fish sperm sack... usually cod or red snapper, but others are eaten too


shakko- squilla


mirugai- geoduck


akagai- red clam

I need to look for these in Sydney. Now i understand what you mean by ordering wrong. . I normally go for the grilled kingfish head when I find it. But am keen to try new things when I find them.

Adirondack said:

Going to be in San Diego (I've eaten at Taka and Nippon) in July and West Hollywood in August. Any suggestions?

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Kaito Sushi if you are in SD area, small place crowded with Japanese. just tell kazu-san your budget & order omakase. or checking their face book https://www.facebook.com/KaitoSushibefore you go.

find a place that has great quality fish and a chef who is knowledable and let him cook for you... omakase is most often the best way to try new things. You can even ask for "kawatamono no omakase" if you want to try some weird things (its literally asking for an omakase of weird things)

JBroida said:

I order fish that are in season... most often as nigiri. I often speak with the chef about what just came in, where he/she buys fish from, what i like about the season fish-wise, etc. More often than not, if the person seems competent, i go for some kind of omakase. Sometimes i order more obscure things too... shirauo, engawa, shirako, shakko, mirugai, akagai, etc.

Personally, i believe that in order to have a great meal in any cuisine, one needs to be an educated diner.

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This is really the only way to order.

And, yes, as a customer, you have be knowledgeable about what's in season, which fishes are farmed, which are wild, where certain fish come from, etc., and recognize what's in the case.

If the Sushi chef does not know what's in season, not just fresh, find a better place.

Licks lips. Ok I will be guided by you. Thinking of going to the best place I know and trying that.

Shiro's is great if you do make it all the way to Seattle. Kamitori in Eugene has a very talented traditional sushi chef by the name of Masa-san. The other place which John/Gunner spoke of is ok.. They are the only two places with seasonal fish and produce with an omakase option if you make it all the way to Eugene. We primarily do omakase sushi(all nigiri unless specified otherwise) and/or our tasting menu which is 7 plates of nigiri and assorted kitchen items. Drop a pm if you can make it Dwells. We would love to meet more knifenuts! You should always "check" your sushi maker out rami! It's our job to know what is the freshest and in season and run a menu accordingly(though I don't have a static menu and is written on a ugly blackboard every day).

Wow! A few doubles at work, and I come back to this! Looks like I've got some homework ahead of me. Thanks for all the info everyone.

mametaro said:

(though I don't have a static menu and is written on a ugly blackboard every day).

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I know for a fact that's where the best stuff is. I always go for the ugly dirty blackboard.

Thanks for the invite Mametaro. My future brother-in-law is actually from Eugene, so it's a fair likelihood I'll visit in the near future. My sister's wedding is actually why I started this thread, as I'm flying to the bay area, and might spend some time up and down the coast.

order?

i just slide up to the sushi bar and let the guy "surprise me". i wouldnt want to offend him asking him what is fresh. he should think it is all fresh. go Omakase. let him decide.

boomchakabowwow said:

order?

i just slide up to the sushi bar and let the guy "surprise me". i wouldnt want to offend him asking him what is fresh. he should think it is all fresh. go Omakase. let him decide.

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i guess its a bit easier if you speak japanese

There are ways to have that conversation without being offensive though. For example, i often talk about local purveyors, whats in season in japan, etc., before talking about what the deal is here in LA (or wherever i happen to be). Its just part of a normal conversation.

My apologies for the late reply; for some reason, I didn't get an email notification when this thread was updated.

Thank you, John, for sharing your suggestions in this thread. I look forward to trying all those new, to me, foods.

JBroida said:

I order fish that are in season... most often as nigiri. I often speak with the chef about what just came in, where he/she buys fish from, what i like about the season fish-wise, etc. More often than not, if the person seems competent, i go for some kind of omakase. Sometimes i order more obscure things too... shirauo, engawa, shirako, shakko, mirugai, akagai, etc.

Personally, i believe that in order to have a great meal in any cuisine, one needs to be an educated diner.

Click to expand...

Adirondack said:

Going to be in San Diego (I've eaten at Taka and Nippon) in July and West Hollywood in August. Any suggestions?

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I had omakase at Sushi Tadokoro last summer. I was very happy with it (esp the local uni (we received an extra serving because of my enthusiastic response to it!)).

A Japanese rec for San Francisco (just 2 of the 8 courses was sushi), but still worth considering: Kappa. Reservations required.