The World’s 10 Best Sushi Restaurants
Sushi dining spans a broad spectrum, but the common thread is an emphasis on precision, seasonality, and ingredient quality. At the highest end, omakase counters center on the chef’s judgment, with the meal unfolding piece by piece; elsewhere, sushi may appear in lively neighborhood bars, elegant hotel restaurants, or more casual conveyor-belt formats. The experience is often as much about craft and pacing as it is about the fish itself. What makes sushi restaurants especially compelling is the balance of restraint and variety. A meal may move from delicate nigiri to maki, sashimi, and seasonal specials, all built around rice temperature, knife work, and careful seasoning. Diners are often drawn to the interaction between chef and guest, where small details—wasabi placement, soy brushing, garnishes, and timing—shape the rhythm of the meal. For travelers, sushi restaurants are a window into regional expression as well as tradition. Tokyo, New York, London, Singapore, Dubai, Toronto, and Shanghai each support distinctive sushi scenes, from deeply traditional counters to internationally influenced interpretations. That mix makes sushi one of the most versatile fine-dining themes to explore: refined, ingredient-driven, and always dependent on freshness, seasonality, and skilled hands.
Sushi Saito
Tokyo, Japan
Sushi Saito is a restaurant in Tokyo, Japan.
Sushi Sho
New York, USA
Sushi Sho is a restaurant in New York, USA.
The Araki
London, UK
The Araki is a sushi restaurant in Mayfair, London, at 12 New Burlington Street, W1S 3BH. Its official site identifies it as a London restaurant operated by Araki London Limited, and the dining room is arranged as a specialist counter rather than a broad à la carte room. The setting is in the West End, but the experience is shaped by the counter, the sequence of dishes and the close contact between guests and the kitchen. The restaurant serves a single set tasting menu built around raw and cooked fish and shellfish, presented in a controlled sequence. Dinner is listed Tuesday to Saturday, with two sittings at 18:00 and 20:30, and guests are seated at the chef’s counter for a close view of preparation. That format points to a tightly focused service style, with limited scope for adjustment to dietary requirements and a strong emphasis on pacing. Capacity is intentionally small. The counter takes up to nine guests per sitting, and the website also notes a separate private room for up to six guests, which can suit meetings or family gatherings. The house style is described as Edomae sushi, made with locally sourced ingredients and presented with traditional Japanese hospitality. Together, these details suggest an intimate restaurant built around technique, precision and a very direct relationship with the chef. Official and established restaurant listings place The Araki within London’s specialist Japanese dining scene, with its Mayfair address and sushi-counter format clearly identified. The venue is therefore best understood as a compact, reservation-led restaurant where the fixed tasting sequence, limited seating and chef’s-counter arrangement create a structured meal. It is a place for closely observed sushi craft rather than a flexible neighbourhood dining room.
Shoushin
Toronto, Canada
Shoushin is a restaurant in Toronto, Canada.
Sushi Kanesaka
Tokyo, Japan
Sushi Kanesaka is a restaurant in Tokyo, Japan.
Nobu at Atlantis The Palm
Dubai, UAE
Nobu at Atlantis The Palm is a culinary oasis where guests can indulge in an exquisite fusion of Japanese and Peruvian flavors amidst the opulent surroundings of one of Dubai's most iconic hotels. Helmed by acclaimed chef Nobu Matsuhisa, the restaurant offers a tantalizing menu featuring signature dishes such as Black Cod Miso, Yellowtail Jalapeño, and Tiradito, expertly crafted with the finest ingredients and innovative techniques. With its elegant ambiance, impeccable service, and panoramic views of the Arabian Gulf, Nobu at Atlantis The Palm promises a dining experience that delights the senses and leaves a lasting impression on discerning guests seeking a culinary journey like no other.
Sushi Noz
New York, USA
Sushi Noz is a Japanese sushi restaurant on East 78th Street in New York’s Upper East Side, at 181 E. 78th St., between Lexington and Third Avenue. The restaurant is the namesake project of Chef Nozomu Abe, whose background includes apprenticeship in Sapporo, further training in Tokyo, and a move to New York in 2007 before opening Sushi Noz. The house presents itself as an intimate dining room shaped by Japanese design traditions rather than a broad, all-purpose restaurant format. Its cooking is built around an Edomae-style tasting menu. According to the restaurant, this begins with several otsumami, followed by a longer sequence of seasonal nigiri, then miso soup, tamago and dessert. Michelin also describes the food as a refined Japanese-sushi experience with carefully handled fish and an emphasis on balance, while noting dishes that may include elements such as king crab, oyster and eel preparations. That combination suggests a highly structured omakase format led by seasonal produce and seafood. The setting is notably compact and purposefully detailed. Sushi Noz says the dining room is conceived like an ancient Kyoto temple, with sukiya-style architecture, varied cedar woods, and a 200-year-old hinoki sushi bar at the centre. Michelin notes an eight-seat sushi bar made from old hinoki wood and an authentic icebox chest used for fish storage, while the restaurant adds that guests may sit either at the 8-seat Hinoki Counter or the 6-seat Ash Room, the latter built with rare tamo ash wood. Service is arranged as a series of limited seatings rather than open dining. The restaurant says Chef Noz serves at the Hinoki Counter on weekdays, while the Ash Room is presented by the sous chef; it also offers private dining in both rooms and some private catering. Michelin identifies air conditioning and a notable sake list, and the restaurant states that beverage pairings may include sake, champagne and white wine, reinforcing a formal, reservation-led experience with an emphasis on precision and pace.
Shinji by Kanesaka
Singapore
Shinji by Kanesaka is an Edo-style sushi omakase restaurant in Singapore, located in the lobby of The St. Regis Singapore at 29 Tanglin Road. The restaurant presents itself as an extension of Master Chef Shinji Kanesaka’s Tokyo lineage, connected to his sushi practice in Ginza. Its own history places the Singapore venture in 2010 as his first project outside Japan, while the current operation is centred on this St. Regis address as its singular base in the city. The format is focused on omakase, with the meal shaped by the chefs rather than built from a broad conventional menu. The published menu lists several lunch courses, including Omakase Yume, Tsuki and Yuki, while dinner includes Omakase Wa, Omakase Shin and Sushi Edomae. Seasonal seafood and produce sit at the core of that approach. The restaurant also states that ingredients are curated from Japan, with fish from Toyosu Fish Market air-flown to Singapore several times a week. The dining room draws on traditional Japanese architectural references to create a restrained, carefully composed setting. According to the restaurant, the design includes koushido lattice panels, shouji-style window panes and a kawara roof detail. A stone pathway leads diners towards two private rooms named Sakura and Icho, allowing for more secluded meals alongside counter seating. The restaurant also retains the original hinoki counter from its former Raffles Hotel setting, carrying an element of that earlier Singapore chapter into the present room. The overall experience is built around a concentrated sushi meal rather than a wide-ranging restaurant repertoire. Courses are prepared in front of diners, keeping attention on sequence, timing and seasonality. The restaurant describes its service through the Japanese idea of omotenashi, emphasising attentive hospitality and formality in the way the meal is presented. Reservations are handled directly by telephone, WhatsApp and email, reinforcing a service style that remains personal, chef-led and deliberately intimate in character.
Sushi Oyama
Shanghai, China
Sushi Oyama is a restaurant in Shanghai, China.
Sushi Yoshitake
Japan
Sushi Yoshitake is an intimate sushi restaurant on the ninth floor of Brown Place in Tokyo's Ginza district. A single omakase course combines appetisers with nigiri, using seasonal ingredients selected from around Japan. The rice is seasoned with the restaurant's own blend of aged red vinegar, chosen to work closely with the fish. Abalone with liver sauce is a signature appetiser, and sake or wine pairings can be discussed with the sommelier. The room has eight counter seats and a private room, with earth walls, natural timber and stone creating a restrained setting. Chef Masahiro Yoshitake oversees the presentation, tableware and flowers as well as the cooking.