nimblefish-best-sushi_michael-novak_uiovcs Portland’s Best Sushi Restaurants | Portland Monthly — A spread of nigiri at Nimblefish.

Less than 5,000 miles from Tokyo and abundant with seafood, Portland is home to a substantial, ever-improving sushi scene. Unassuming shops fill with Portlanders seeking bargain sushi combos and conveyor belt nigiri, while the city’s high-end omakase counters continue to sell out weeks in advance. But sushi is occasion-specific: When you’re in the mood for an omakase experience, no quick takeout will hit the spot. Other times you just need a quick lunch of raw fish and vinegar-treated rice and can’t fuss with a two-hour tasting menu. To keep things organized, we sorted our favorite sushi standbys into categories well-suited for all sushi scenarios, whether you’re looking for takeout tuna and tako or a splurge-worthy date night destination.

outstanding omakase

Kaede

Sellwood-Moreland

Kaede opened in early 2023 and quickly became one of our favorite all-around sushi restaurants in Portland. Reservations can be hard to snag for the 16-seat restaurant, and parties are limited to two people max. But once you’re there, all pretension is dropped in favor of good food, elegant, and attentive service from married couple Shinji and Izumi Uehara. Recently, they’ve transitioned from an à la carte menu to exclusively prix fixe, but rest assured, you are in capable hands. Expect immaculate nigiri and hand rolls made with cured mackerel, halfbeak, or golden-eye snapper flown straight from Japan. —Katherine Chew Hamilton

Nimblefish

hosford-abernethy

Since it opened in 2017, Nimblefish has been a part of the upper echelon of Portland’s sushi scene, often described as one of the city’s best. Diners gather at its sleek wooden bar for its $125 Edomae–style omakase menu or to order weeknight nigiri and sashimi by the piece, whether it’s cured or fresh, sourced locally or imported from Japan. Menus change regularly with the seasons, so you might find cold-smoked mackerel, kelp-cured sea bream, torched red barracuda, or fresh Oregon uni. The omakase dinner leans light, but you can always add on à la carte items, giving you a chance to explore the expansive menu. —Alex Frane

Nodoguro

Kerns (soon Downtown)

This limitless omakase restaurant from Elena and Ryan Roadhouse has lived nine lives: as a whimsical pop-up hosting Murakami-themed dinners, a $250 “supahardcore” tasting menu experience, a pandemic-era takeout option. These days, Nodo lives in a liminal space, focusing on Peter Cat—a hidden sake bar with Ryan’s inventive, not-quite-izakaya-style food pairings—while the couple waits to reopen the full-scale sushi spot in a new Morgan Building dining room downtown. But the format is hardly the point. However the Roadhouses approach dinner, it’ll involve gorgeous, imaginative arrangements of local and imported fish (king salmon sashimi, so gently smoked with applewood; slices of marinated albacore served in a cutesy tin can), as well as some of the coolest sake pours you’ll find in Portland. Reservations can be hard to nab, so keep an eye out for cancellations. —Brooke Jackson-Glidden

Top Takeout

ki_ichi_kch_pqcnli Portland’s Best Sushi Restaurants | Portland Monthly — You can’t go wrong with rolls or nigiri at Ki-ichi.

Sushi Ki-ichi

Tigard

Tucked between a Napa Auto Parts and a 7-Eleven at a sun-bleached strip mall off Tigard’s SW Hall Boulevard, Sushi Ki-ichi is one of the metro area’s best values for sushi. Though you can certainly dine here—polished cement floor, drop ceiling, white walls—we suggest takeout. Quality is excellent across the large menu of classic nigiri and sashimi, a range of house rolls, and hot dishes from udon to tempura. Don’t miss the spider roll, combining crisp soft-shell crab tempura and a mix of burdock, cucumber, daikon sprouts, and tobiko for a great textural contrast. Or choose from the spread of standards, like an impressively tender tako and buttery aji. —Matthew Trueherz

Yoshi’s

Multnomah Village

While you can enjoy the indoor and outdoor seating around this cart, Yoshi’s doesn’t accept walk-up orders and often sells out, so calling ahead and ordering takeout is a strong strategy. Second-generation sushi chef and Bamboo Sushi alum Yoshi Ikeda serves creative and refined sushi at a modest price. Come for stellar nigiri made with thoughtful touches: seared sea scallop with yuzu pepper marmalade, salmon with ginger miso and microgreens, and sweet, fluffy tamago stamped with Yoshi’s name. The rolls deftly balance many flavors at once, like the Lime Green Roll, which ties together sesame-crusted spinach, cucumbers, roasted peppers, avocado, and microgreens with ginger miso. Who says sushi can’t be your source of daily veggies? —KCH

Bluefin Tuna & Sushi

Irvington

Sushi is beautiful, yes, but have you ever described it as cute? Bluefin Tuna and Sushi, whose original location opened in Seoul in 2011, offers adorable round temari nigiri that look petite from above, but pack just as much fish as a normal nigiri by wrapping the sliced seafood around a ball of rice. The namesake fish here tastes vibrant and fatty, and the nigiri offers a compact, appealing way for the toro to shine. First timers might be intimidated by the size of the menu, but Bluefin makes it easy to order with an array of specialty sets at different price points. Each includes a mini miso soup, ceviche, tempura vegetables, and a choice of rolls and assortment of those adorable temari, for as little as $32. —KCH

Fish & Rice

northwest district

Like the name suggests, this place likes to keep its flavors fresh and simple. You also can’t go wrong with an order of hamachi or uni nigiri, or choose from an extensive list of creative poke bowls with ingredients like the gochujang K Pop sauce, or cowboy sauce made with avocado. The vegetarian rolls combine ingredients rarely seen in sushi, like tomato or roasted beets, ensuring there’s something for pretty much anyone. And while many sushi restaurants don’t even stock real crab, favoring the imitation version, here you can find snow crab in rolls and bowls throughout the menu. —KCH

Yoko’s

Creston-Kenilworth

Sushi meets punk rock with a slice of Old Portland at this little Gladstone gem, open for over 30 years. The clipboard waiting list fills up quickly even on weekday nights, so arrive by 5:30pm to guarantee seating. Regulars eagerly greet the sushi chefs from across the room. Forget the soothing, calming music: funky, psychedelic Nigerian tunes floated through the restaurant on a recent visit. A clock with pieces of nigiri replacing numbers ticks away on the wall, a giant fish-shaped kite keeps watch over the restaurant, and Yoko’s mascot, a blowfish with sumo hair and red lipstick, pops up on your teacups and soy sauce dishes. This is a sushi place that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Accordingly, the not-so-traditional sushi is killer, whether it’s a spicy Thai peanut roll, the pepper-crusted seared albacore nigiri, or Taka’s Tuna, a deep-fried triangle rice patty topped with avocado and tuna poke that resembles avocado toast. —KCH

Mid-Priced Spots

Kaizen

Old Town

Relative newcomer Kaizen shines a bright sleek light through Old Town. Brothers Nicolas and Job Martinez worked in Portland sushi spots for a quarter century before opening Kaizen, and it shows. A rotating special of direct-from-Tokyo nigiri and sashimi arrive weekly from the famous Tsukiji fish market to sit tenderly atop impeccably cooked rice. Vegan options are broad: The pleasantly chewy preserved Japanese gourd, kampyō, stars in its own roll, and there’s a tangy ume plum and shiso number as well as natto, a roll of fermented soybeans that’s ideal for the more adventurous plant-based diners. Finish off your meal the traditional way with the expertly prepared tamago nigiri. —MT

Murata

Downtown

This tiny jewel of a traditional Japanese restaurant has been open since 1988. Even today, it has an old-school feel, where the sushi chefs wear ties and playfully chat with customers, and smooth jazz wafts through the air. A small sushi bar and a few tables fill the main room, while tatami rooms offer a private, peaceful place to enjoy a meal. You can’t go wrong with a chef’s selection of sushi, but make sure to snag the smoked salmon nigiri with fatty fish that melts in your mouth. Add cooked dishes from the kitchen to your meal, from chawanmushi to seasonal matsutake mushroom soup. —KCH

image8__1__jg8ead Portland’s Best Sushi Restaurants | Portland Monthly — Dry-aged nigiri at Yuubi Sushi.

Yuubi Sushi

Beaverton

One of our favorite spots in all of Beaverton, Yuubi challenges American preconceptions of sushi fish. Step into the dining room with its wall of bamboo art and you’ll spot the dry-aging display cases where salmon and amberjack hang among slabs of Bluefin tuna. The aging process deepens the natural flavors of the fish, coaxing out extra sweetness and umami for stunning nigiri, sashimi, and hand rolls. Despite the seriousness the chefs take with the process, Yuubi remains an inviting, casual hang, where customers can snack on crispy karaage and imitation crab salad while knocking back sake with their aged nigiri. —AF

Zilla Sake

Vernon

Originally opened as a sake bar, Zilla Sake eventually evolved into one of Portland’s top sushi restaurants under chef and owner Kate Koo. Sip on a sake that’ll open your eyes to what the beverage can be, and then try the super-tender braised octopus nigiri or the lightly sweet sea eel or go all out with omakase. The Tsunami roll is a house specialty and a favorite, a bright, zingy combo of yellowtail, ponzu, and green onion on top, filled with naturally sweet Dungeness crab and crunchy cucumber. —KCH

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