Sushi is a Japanese delight in any city. by Nicholas Gill
A decade ago this category wouldn’t have been possible, but that isn’t the case now. A recent study of local restaurants found that more sushi items are being added to menus than any other type of food. Yes, this is still Ohio we are talking about.
Haiku 800 N High St Columbus, OH 43215 (614) 294-8168
Like a Haiku, sushi can be a form of poetry as well. Rice is rolled perfectly around a single ingredient, or group of, much like the balancing point in the middle of a Haiku. The restaurant is one of the longest running and most successful sushi restaurants in central Ohio. Haiku has one of the largest and most original sushi menus in town, with more than 50 options including nigiri, vegetarian rolls, hand rolls, and a long varied list of specialty rolls.
Estimated cost per person for dinner = $25 - $35
Holiday Schedule: New Years Day-Closed, Valentines Day-Open, Easter-Closed, Thanksgiving-Closed, Christmas Eve-Open, Christmas Day-Closed, and New Years Eve-Open
Bento Go-Go 1728 N High St Columbus, OH 43201 614-298-8817
This restaurant is based on Japanese bento boxes, which combine a variety of small dishes in a divided box, often for take out. May of the boxes include sushi and it is available a la carte as well. As far as value goes, this is an excellent option and nice choice for those who don’t get too adventurous with their rolls and sashimi. The Crunching Buckeye Roll is a popular option and combines Unagi, Crabstick, and candied pecans. Bento Go-Go has a large selection of standards such as California rolls and Spicy Tuna, with several good sampler trays too. The upstairs is a trendy sake bar with live DJ’s that attract an edgy crowd from the Ohio State University campus.
Estimated cost per person for dinner = $10 - $20
Holiday Schedule: New Years Day-Closed, Valentines Day-Open, Easter-Closed, Thanksgiving-Closed, Christmas Eve-Open, Christmas Day-Closed, and New Years Eve-Open
Sapporo Sushi Factory 732 N. State Street Westerville, OH 43082 614-895-7575
Formerly called Sapporo Wind when it was located on Cleveland Avenue, Sapporo Sushi Factory is still making a name for itself in the burbs. Executive chef originally hails from Japan and has decades of experience. Quality and skill are unparalleled at this not overly commercial or advertised restaurant on the north side. They have a long, long sushi menu, probably the longest in town, and one of the most original. For instance, the Horo Special Open Face Sushi is a crispy layer of rice overflowing with chunks of fresh fish in a creamy sauce. The Spicy Beef Roll: cooked spicy beef wrapped in soybean paper doesn’t lack creativity either.
Estimated cost per person for dinner = $25 - $35
Holiday Schedule: New Years Day-Closed, Valentines Day-Open, Easter-Closed, Thanksgiving-Closed, Christmas Eve-Open, Christmas Day-Closed, and New Years Eve-Open
Catering mostly to a Japanese business clientele, this restaurant has managed to go relatively unnoticed until recently when every food critic in town began putting it on their top ten lists. Chef-owner Ryuji "Mike" Kimura runs this cutting edge restaurant in an unassuming Dublin shopping center. Many of the dishes, including the sushi, are based on what is fresh and available, often things of extraordinarily high quality. If you’re not after sushi there’s always the Sake steamed Duck or Shabu-Shabu.
Estimated cost per person for dinner = $35 - $45
Holiday Schedule: New Years Day-Closed, Valentines Day-Open, Easter-Closed, Thanksgiving-Closed, Christmas Eve-Open, Christmas Day-Closed, and New Years Eve-Open
Restaurant Hama 3945 Easton Station Columbus, OH 43219 614 478-9543
From the Venice, California based Hama restaurant group, this elegant restaurant set in obscure corner of the Easton Town Center quickly made a splash in the Columbus sushi scene when it opened in 2000. Restaurant Hama is set in a lively location that is crowded on most nights. The sushi bar itself seats several dozen. Chefs are skilled, ingredients are fresh, and the sushi menu has some of the best sampler plates around.
Estimated cost per person for dinner = $25 - $35
Holiday Schedule: New Years Day-Closed, Valentines Day-Open, Easter-Closed, Thanksgiving-Closed, Christmas Eve-Open, Christmas Day-Closed, and New Years Eve-Open
Zen Sushi 505 N High St Columbus, OH 43215 614-222-1000
The newly open Zen is the city's first conveyor-belt sushi restaurant. The sushi passes right in front of your eyes and you pick and choose based on color coded plates. It may sound odd, but it’s actually a common site in sushi restaurants in Japan. The dishes are made to order though, so no worries about the freshness of the raw fish you are about to eat.
Estimated cost per person for dinner = $25 - $35
Holiday Schedule: New Years Day-Closed, Valentines Day-Open, Easter-Closed, Thanksgiving-Closed, Christmas Eve-Open, Christmas Day-Closed, and New Years Eve-Open
Of all the trendy, pricey, stylish restaurants on Grandview avenue, Shoku is surprisingly the only sushi bar. Possibly because few places could compete. The large menu ventures into Thai and Chinese, but sushi has always been their specialty. They have a long, easy to decipher list of sushi and sashimi. Nothing it is too outrageously exotic, but it gets the job done. The lively back bar area brings in a nice array of beautiful people to pair with the beautiful staff.
Estimated cost per person for dinner = $25 - $35
Holiday Schedule: New Years Day-Closed, Valentines Day-Open, Easter-Closed, Thanksgiving-Closed, Christmas Eve-Open, Christmas Day-Closed, and New Years Eve-Open
Tyfoon 106 Vine St Columbus, OH 43215 614-224-9219 Although still unknown to most people in the city other than those that frequent the club scene that surrounds the restaurant, Tyfoon is quickly becoming the sushi bar to see and be seen. It’s a trendy place that’s sure to impress a date or to have a pre-club meal or drink. It calls itself a French-Thai restaurant and sushi chef Jin H. Bae knows how to roll and liven up a plate. Ceviche style sushi is served in a martini glass, the Red Dragon Roll has an extra layer of tuna on the outside, and the Spicy Scallop roll has clam salad overtop. He knows how to mix it up for a fun night out.
Estimated cost per person for dinner = $25 - $35
Holiday Schedule: New Years Day-Closed, Valentines Day-Open, Easter-Closed, Thanksgiving-Closed, Christmas Eve-Open, Christmas Day-Closed, and New Years Eve-Open
Otani 5900 Roche Dr Columbus, OH 43229 614-431-3333
Before anyone knew Columbus even had sushi, Otani was there. Much like Kihachi, it thrives on Japanese businessmen, but it has carved out a role with the general public after twenty years. More than 80 sushi selections are offered, including cooked sushi. Deals like a $9 sushi lunch special have made this place a legend. For those interested, sushi classes are offered at Otani. They are the best sushi classes available that aren’t part of a culinary school.
Estimated cost per person for dinner = $15 - $25
Holiday Schedule: New Years Day-Closed, Valentines Day-Open, Easter-Closed, Thanksgiving-Closed, Christmas Eve-Open, Christmas Day-Closed, and New Years Eve-Open
Nida’s Sushi 59 Spruce St Columbus, OH 43215 614-228-4470
It’s just a small collection of appliances and a bar that takes a form of a stall in the North Market. Surprisingly Nida’s is quite good though and is great for take out too. The prices are very reasonable for the quality of the product and the craftsmanship. The selection is somewhat limited to standard maki and nigiri, and they will even sell you sushi grade fish and all other sorts of accessories.
Estimated cost per person for dinner = $5 - $15
Holiday Schedule: New Years Day-Closed, Valentines Day-Open, Easter-Closed, Thanksgiving-Closed, Christmas Eve-Open, Christmas Day-Closed, and New Years Eve-Open
The Top List of Sushi Restaurants - Columbus, OH