The Best Sushi Restaurants in Taipei

At his sushi-ya, chef Nomura Yuji specializes in Edomae sushi and is very particular about his seafood ingredients, the quality of the rice, and the ratio of vinegar in the shari. The rice is made of organic Koshihikari rice and Hokkaido seven-star rice from Shikoku Mizuho-cho, cooked with spring water from Mount Fuji, and then mixed with red vinegar and white vinegar to make vinegared rice. The exact recipe changes depending on the seafood and even the season.

The Edomae-style sushi at Kitcho meticulously adheres to traditional processing methods such as aging and salting. Ingredients are flown in from Japan three times a week, and the shari employs Uonuma rice from Niigata combined with Japanese grain vinegar and red vinegar aged for one to three years, with a pinch of salt. The ratio of vinegar to rice is adjusted according to the weather. While adhering to tradition, Kitcho does not shy away from pursuing innovative techniques and flavor combinations to make the best of its seasonal ingredients.

A meal here opens with sashimi and other small appetizers before launching into a parade of Edomae-style sushi. Built on a foundation of experience and personal judgment, Chef Yang Yong-long employs various methods including smoking, aging, and pickling to transform and coax new flavors from each piece of fish. The shari is made from Hokkaido “seven star” rice, mixed with two kinds of white vinegar and a red vinegar with a little salt, and depending on the condition of the fish, a blend of white and red vinegar is also sometimes used. In addition to sushi, Sushi Ryu also serves up innovative side dishes made with Taiwanese ingredients such as Scallop With Mullet Roe, which features grilled scallop dusted with whisky-marinated mullet roe powder.

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The Edomae-style sushi here is served on shari made with an equal proportion of red and white vinegar. Each type of fish is carefully processed in various methods from smoking to aging, to bring out the different flavors. Renovated in 2018, the room with counter seats allows for more privacy while still providing a view of the sushi making.

Sasa also offers Edomae sushi, interspersed with ingenious side dishes. The ingredients are mainly imported from the Toyosu market in Japan, and then carefully processed. For example, the tuna maw is smoked with cherry wood, and the raw tendons are removed and pickled. The same careful design extends beyond the food to the interiors, with everything from the depth of the counter to the width of the footrests, all meticulously planned to give diners a comfortable experience.

Located in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Taipei, Sushi Masuda is a joint venture with its Tokyo namesake run by chef Masuda Rei in Japan, while sous chef Hideki Kosugi helms the kitchen in Taipei. The shari here is a mixture of two to three kinds of Japanese rice combined with two kinds of white rice vinegar, salt, and sugar.

Interestingly, only two types of white rice vinegars — fresh vinegar and three-year-aged vinegar — are used and red vinegar is eschewed for its too-strong taste. The shari is the star of the show here, and the fish are prepared accordingly to pair with the vinegared rice.

Located in the alleys of Xinyi District, Sushi Namami is a collaboration with renowned Japanese chef Masa Ishibashi, formerly of the famed Ginza Sushi Ichi in Tokyo. The restaurant serves authentic Edomae sushi with shari dressed with red vinegar and all ingredients and serveware imported from Japan. The unagi maki, tamagoyaki, ankimo (monkfish liver), and Hokkaido uni are all signature must-try dishes.