30 editor picks across United States.
30 japanese restaurants worth the trip across United States, editor-ranked. All cuisines in United States.
Uchi in Austin is Tyson Cole's James Beard-winning sushi room on South Lamar since 2003, the kitchen that codified modern Japanese on the south side.
OrderThe hama chili and the maguro sashimi, ordered before anything else.
TipSit at the sushi bar; the omakase is built in real time and the chefs talk you through each piece.
Uchi in Austin is Tyson Cole's James Beard-winning sushi room on South Lamar, the kitchen that codified modern Japanese in Texas, with omakase counter.
OrderThe omakase route at the sushi bar; the bar tasting flows in real time.
TipSake Social and the early seating run a discounted bar menu daily from 5 to 6:30pm.
Sushi Den in Denver is Toshi and Yasu Kizaki's South Pearl sushi house since 1984, with fish flown daily from Toyosu Market via the brothers' Japanese supply.
Senia in Honolulu Chinatown is chef Anthony Rush's fine dining tasting room of eight to ten courses, drawing on Hawaiian, Japanese and French training.
OrderChef's tasting menu, with the smoked ahi cigars and bone marrow course.
TipSit at the chef's counter for a closer look; book through Tock three weeks ahead for prime time.
Niki Nakayama's modern kaiseki house in Palms, Los Angeles, runs a 13-course tasting menu that changes by season and books months in advance.
OrderThe 13-course modern kaiseki, including chef Niki Nakayama's spaghetti course.
TipBookings open at midnight Pacific on the first of the month for three months out. Refresh the page; tables go in 30 seconds.
Niki Nakayama's modern kaiseki house in Palms, Los Angeles, runs a 13-course menu that changes with the season and books out three months ahead.
Brian Lea and Leina Horii's 40-seat Highland Yards Japanese comfort-food room earned a 2025 Michelin Bib Gourmand and Garden and Gun Hot List in Nashville.
OrderOkonomiyaki with bonito flakes, plus seasonal curry rice and karaage.
TipLunch only Wednesday through Sunday. No reservations; queue starts before opening on weekends.
Uchiko in Austin is Tyson Cole's elevated farmhouse sushi room on North Lamar, the second of the Hai Hospitality kitchens and a Top Chef alumni line.
OrderThe Yokai berry course; it has been on the menu since opening for a reason.
TipHappy hour from 5 to 6pm at the bar runs a $5 sushi list; it is the cheapest way into the kitchen.
Uchiko in Austin is Tyson Cole's elevated Japanese farmhouse room on North Lamar, the Hai Hospitality sibling to Uchi and a Top Chef alumni line.
OrderThe Yokai Berry course; it has been on the menu since opening for a reason.
TipSake Social runs 5 to 6:30pm and is the cheapest way to sit at the bar.
Ken Oringer's UNI inside the Eliot Hotel on Commonwealth Avenue has run the city's contemporary izakaya programme in Boston since 2002, expanded 2016.
OrderThe omakase nigiri flight and the spicy tuna roll with toasted sesame.
TipLate-night ramen menu kicks in at 22:00; the room is at its best after the dinner rush clears.
Kenzo has held its Michelin star since 2018 under Chef Kenji Miyaishi. The seasonal kaiseki menu pairs with Japanese sake and Kenzo Estate Napa Cabernet.
OrderThe kaiseki tasting menu with the full sake and wine pairing.
TipBook the sake-and-wine pairing. The combination of Kenzo Estate Cabernet with Japanese seasonality is the most Napa-specific fine-dining experience in the city.
Kru on Folsom Boulevard in East Sacramento is Billy Ngo Japanese omakase room, the city destination sushi address with a deep sake list to go.
OrderThe chef's omakase nigiri course; the seasonal sashimi flight
TipCounter omakase requires advance booking. Sake pairings worth the upgrade. Closed Monday.
Sushi Ota in San Diego is Yukito Ota's Mission Bay Drive room since 1990, the strip-mall sushi counter that has trained more San Diego sushi chefs than any.
OrderThe omakase, ordered by sitting at the counter and asking the chef directly.
TipBook the counter, not the dining room. The strip-mall location is intentional; ignore the parking lot and step inside.
Brothers Kenshi and Seizi Imura run Cafe Sushi on Mass Ave near Harvard Square in Cambridge since 1984. Priced at $$$. Kitchen leans japanese.
OrderThe full omakase, $90 for 10 pieces and one cooked dish.
TipTwelve counter seats only; book on Tock 30 days ahead. Take-out bento boxes are the off-menu deal at lunch.
Uchi in Denver is Tyson Cole's Hai Hospitality sushi room in RiNo since 2019, the Austin original's third location with the same omakase template and modern.
OrderThe hama chili and the maguro sashimi to start, both signatures of the Uchi template.
TipHappy hour at the bar runs Sunday-Friday with a $5 sushi list; cheapest way into a Hai Hospitality kitchen.
OTOTO in Denver is the Kizaki brothers' South Pearl third room beside Sushi Den and Izakaya Den, a casual ramen and rice-bowl counter since 2018.
OrderThe tonkotsu ramen and the chicken karaage; the bao buns are the easiest snack with a beer.
TipWalk-in only at lunch; the dinner counter takes reservations on Resy. Tap room next door pours sake by the glass.
Uchi Houston is Tyson Cole's James Beard-winning Japanese room in Montrose since 2012, with hama chili, untraditional sushi and one of the city's strongest.
OrderSit at the sushi bar and order omakase off-menu. If a la carte, hama chili and maguro-and-goat-cheese.
TipSushi happy hour 5 to 6:30pm Sunday to Thursday is the city's best deal. Bar seats only.
Kaiseki Yuzu in Las Vegas is Kaoru Azeuchi's intimate kaiseki dining room on West Sahara, a 14-seat counter with seasonal multi-course Japanese tasting menus.
OrderThe full kaiseki tasting; the courses change with the season and the chef's sourcing from Japan.
TipReservations 14 days out only; the kaiseki menu rotates monthly so repeat visits get a different table.
Brandon Go's Hayato in Row DTLA, Los Angeles runs a strict Kyoto kaiseki at a single seven-seat counter, ingredients flown in twice weekly from Tokyo.
Brian Lea and Leina Horii's 40-seat Highland Yards Japanese comfort-food room earned a 2025 Michelin Bib Gourmand and Garden and Gun Hot List in Nashville.
OrderOkonomiyaki with bonito flakes, plus seasonal curry rice and karaage.
TipLunch only Wednesday through Sunday. No reservations; queue starts before opening on weekends.
Sushi Tadokoro in San Diego is Mitsui Tadokoro's Old Town omakase counter, the long-running Michelin Guide-listed Japanese kitchen with traditional.
OrderThe omakase nigiri course; the toro sashimi with grated wasabi made tableside.
TipReservations strongly recommended; the counter seats twelve and books out a week ahead.
Nick Bognar's sushi-forward Japanese room on The Hill plates high-grade seafood flown in several times a week. It shares a building with his omakase Pavilion.
TipOrder broadly off the sushi and sashimi list and let the counter steer. Reserve on Resy a week or two out.
Jont in Washington DC is Ryan Ratino's Michelin two-star tasting-menu counter above 14th Street, a 24-seat sister of Bresca with Japanese technique.
Raw Omakase DC in Washington DC is Chef John Yi's Logan Circle Japanese tasting counter on the third floor above Takara 14, a sub-ten-seat Edomae nigiri room.
Umi in Buckhead's Charles H. Candler building, Atlanta runs a modern Japanese kitchen with sushi, robata and wagyu service since 2013. Priced at $$$$.
OrderSushi omakase at the counter; the miso black cod from the kitchen.
TipReservations on OpenTable. Dress smart casual; the room runs Buckhead-elegant.
Santouka on Brighton Avenue has poured Hokkaido tonkotsu shio ramen in Boston's Allston since 2022. Located in Allston Brighton. Priced at $$.
OrderTokusen toroniku shio ramen: braised pork cheek on shio broth.
TipLunch at 11:30 is the easy walk-in. Order extra noodles only after you finish the bowl; the broth is the menu.
Mizu Izakaya in Denver is Hong Jian Lee's LoHi izakaya since 2016, with fresh sushi and rolls, ramen, grilled yakitori skewers and weekend DJ sets.
Michael Lee's tempura specialist earned a Bon Appetit Best New Restaurants spot, with former Top Chef contestant Savannah Miller leading the kitchen.
OrderVegetable kakiage, Soft-shell crab tempura, Dashi broth
Selected for Bon Appetit's Best New Restaurants, M Tempura is the most focused of Michael Lee's concepts. Savannah Miller leads precise tempura.
KazuNori on Main Street in downtown Los Angeles is the original temaki handroll bar, with the five-roll set delivered within 30 seconds of rolling.
OrderThe five-roll set: blue crab, scallop, lobster, yellowtail and toro in sequence.
TipWalk-in only, the line moves once a seat opens; eat each handroll within 30 seconds, the nori loses snap fast.
Guided tour · 3 hours
Six East Austin smokehouses in three hours, including a MICHELIN One Star pitmaster and three Bib Gourmands. Skip every line, ride in an air-conditioned van, and come hungry.
11 hours
Get ready to have a road trip experience to the Capital of Texas. We will enjoy the beautiful hill country stopping at wonderful places.
Water activity · 6 hours
Join a guided boat tour of Lake Travis in Austin. Enjoy a BBQ lunch, swim in the lake, and learn about the area's history. Choose this tour to join a group and to meet...
