CINCINNATI — There are tons of sushi restaurants in the Tri-State that offer everything from sashimi and nigiri to specialty rolls named after Joe Burrow.
No matter what your sushi preferences are though, there's for sure a restaurant that you'll fall in love with. Based on Yelp and Google reviews, here are the Top 9 (plus one extra that has equally stellar reviews) sushi restaurants to check out:
Kanji OTR
Located in Over-the-Rhine, Kanji OTR offers dozens of specialty and regular rolls with a variety of fillings and toppings, and it's all half-priced. The restaurant also has both nigiri and sashimi. Some of Kanji's most popular rolls include the deep-fried Sunday Morning Roll and the Stay With Me roll, which has deep-fried lobster, tempura flakes, asparagus, spicy crab, avocado, sriracha, eel sauce and spicy mayo.
For those interested in dining at Kanji, the restaurant recommends reservations for parties of five or more people.
Maki Mono
With more than 25 specialty rolls, every sushi lover will find something they'll enjoy at Covington's Maki Mono. While Maki Mono has traditional rolls that are usually on sushi menus, the restaurant also has some more adventurous takes on sushi, such as the Taco roll that has spicy tuna, avocado, Doritos, lettuce, tortilla chips, cilantro, taco sauce and spicy mayo. Maki Mono also has sashimi and nigiri options alongside sushi party platters that can be catered by the restaurant.
Baru
Baru opened in spring 2023, and the downtown restaurant is inspired by Izakaya, which refers to establishments where you can stay, relax, drink and eat with friends. The bar and restaurant has 10 different house maki rolls, as well as composed nigiri. Guests can enjoy lighter rolls like the Yasai, which has rice, pickled carrot, cucumber, avocado and asparagus, or opt for something heavier like the Land and Sea, which has wasabi cream cheese, lobster, asparagus, wagyu beer and truffle aioli. Baru also has more than 10 different cocktails to choose from as well as wine options.
Kawa Revolving Sushi
Kawa Revolving Sushi brings a first-of-its-kind dining experience to the Tri-State. The conveyor belt sushi spot opened in August 2023, and guests can enjoy a variety of sushi rolls that rotate on the conveyor belt. If guests want something on the menu that isn't on the conveyor belt, motorized toy vehicles deliver the items to the table. Also, robots deliver your drinks — does is get cooler than that? In terms of sushi, Kawa has various nigiri and sashimi options, as well as specialty rolls, such as a Sunday Morning roll, Bengals roll and Spider-Man roll.
Ando Japanese Restaurant
Ando Japanese Restaurant has been serving up delicious sushi in Blue Ash since 1998. The restaurant's sushi bar features multiple dinner options, such as a sushi dinner with 8 nigiri and one roll or the fish boat for two that has a combination of sushi, sashimi, two rolls and tempura. Outside of the sushi bar's dinner options, Ando also has a variety of rolls, such as the super California or salmon skin roll, as well as weekly specials.
E+O Kitchen
With locations in both Hyde Park and The Banks, E+O Kitchen has a large menu filled with Asian cuisine, including various sushi options. The restaurant has a dozen specialty rolls, nigiri, traditional sashimi, as well as "E+O style sashimi," such as the Fire and Ice, which has torched salmon, wasabi, ponzu, jalapeno and cilantro. In terms of rolls, E+O has some simpler options like the Hamachi Scallion or Purple Rain, or guests can opt for the Hey Vinnie or the Deal Closer, which has tempura shrimp, snow crab, cream cheese, cucumber, avocado, spicy mayo, unagi sauce and fried tempura flakes.
Embers
A solid option for a nice dinner, Embers offers a variety of sushi rolls, as well as steaks, other seafood options and more. Embers has traditional sushi rolls like a spicy tuna or California, but the restaurant also has rolls that integrate cuts of meat, like the Kobe, which has avocado, salmon, crab, grilled kobe beef, wasabi mayo and jalapenos. The restaurant also has nigiri options as well as a sashimi platter.
Mango Tree
Mariemont's Mango Tree has more than 40 sushi rolls, including simple choices like a California or Salmon roll as well as specialty rolls. The restaurant also has a roll named after itself that has shrimp tempura, salmon, mango and avocado wrapped with soy bean paper and topped with tempura crunch, spicy mayo, mango dressing and masago. The restaurant also has a large menu of nigiri and sashimi that comes in two-piece orders. Other than individual rolls, Mango Tree also has sushi platters that are served with a side salad and miso soup.
Asiana Thai and Sushi of Hyde Park
A staple in the neighborhood for years, Asiana Thai and Sushi of Hyde Park has dozens of sushi rolls, sashimi and nigiri. Guests can also do combo with a spicy tuna roll, six pieces of nigiri and six pieces of sashimi chosen by the chef. There's also a sushi appetizer that is six pieces of nigiri selected by the chef. Other than sushi, Asiana also offers a variety of other Asian food items, such as seaweed salad, mango Thai sticky rice and more.
Sake Bomb Sushi
Located in Erlanger, Sake Bomb Sushi has a sushi roll for everyone with more than 35 roll choices. While the seemingly never-ending options may be a bit overwhelming, guests have the option to choose simpler rolls like the Alaskan or spicy shrimp, and go with crazier options like the Mango Samba or Godzilla roll, with the latter having avocado, cucumber, crab, spicy tuna, shrimp tempura, hot mama mix, spicy mayo and sushi sauce. Guests can also enjoy their sushi alongside Korean shaved snow ice, as well.
