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Best sushi restaurants in KL

Where to go for sushi and omakase

Written by
Surekha Ragavan
,
Time Out KL editors
&
Su Ann Ng
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If you're up for a sushi experience where the food does the talking, sit back and submit to the will of these sushi chefs for the best omakase and sushi meals in the city.

RECOMMENDED: Best Japanese restaurants in KL

Oribe
  • Restaurants
  • Japanese
  • KL City Centre

The chefs at Sushi Oribe uphold a standard of unyielding perfection – rocking the compulsories (nigiri and sashimi) and acing seasonal ingredients, from Seiko snow crabs and shirako (cod sperm sacs) to the freshest Hiroshima oysters. The Japanese maestros here know their ingredients, with lunch and dinner menus available in pre-ordained multi-course sets – you only have to sit back and submit to the will of the chef. The sets are carnivals of colours and, depending on type of set, can comprise an appetiser, specialty sushi (number of pieces depend on set), steamed egg custard sushi roll, miso soup and dessert. Oribe is making triple axels in a Japanese-saturated dining scene: technically sound, classy, with a polished culinary sensibility.

Pork free

  • Restaurants
  • Japanese
  • Bukit Bintang

A Michelin-starred sushi restaurant from New York, Sushi Azabu imports their seafood from Japan two to three times a week, and they specialise in tuna, sea eel and gizzard shad (a type of herring). You’ll be spoilt for choice here with a varied selection of fish that includes amberjack, big-eye snapper, horse mackerel, eels and more. 

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Taka by Sushi Saito
  • Restaurants
  • Japanese
  • KL Sentral

Seats at the three-Michelin-star Sushi Saito in Tokyo are hard to come by, which is all the more reason one should make a pilgrimage to Taka by Sushi Saito, Chef Takashi Saito’s maiden venture out of Tokyo. Here you'll find nothing less than first-rate seafood flown in from Japan thrice a week and a collection of the finest sake. Definitely one for the bucket list. 

Kinme Sashimi & Grill Bar
  • Restaurants
  • Japanese
  • Bukit Damansara
Decked out more sleekly than many of its Japanese counterparts in KL, Kinme is that modern sashimi bar we’ve longed for. Chef Voon, formerly of Hilton KL’s Iketeru, picks the day’s freshest catch depending on season and market availability. The nigiri plate is an assortment of tuna, yellowtail and mackerel among other premium catches assembled in a line with housemade pickled ginger. The portion of sushi’s topping far exceeds the rice that holds it, a case for good value and wise sushi-making. 
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Sushi Ori

Sushi Ori is the latest venture Chef Ori-san (of Sushi Hinata and Oribe fame). Diners can expect meals made with utmost care and skill, using the freshest carefully selected ingredients as well as seasonal items. Focusing on quality over quantity, Sushi Ori offers meals that showcase various elements of classic Japanese cuisine, including steamed egg custard, sushi rolls and traditional Edo-style sushi pieces, of course. Sit at the counter to catch Chef Ori-san in action, and have a chat as your sushi is prepared. With him at the helm, you can be sure of one of the best sushi experiences in town. Splurge a little and go for the omakase menu.

Sushi Ryu

This modern sushiya serves sushi and sashimi made with premium ingredients, and Chef Okabe (with Michelin star credentials) works wonders with signature dishes like chopped otoro and white fish sashimi. Go for the omakase menu, and after a satisfying meal head next door to Bar Shake, a Japanese-style cocktail bar that serves a variety of saké-based cocktails.

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Ichiro Sushi Bar
  • Restaurants
  • Japanese
  • Bandar Utama
Sushi rules at this tiny bar in 1 Utama’s Eat Paradise. Unassuming they may seem, the sushi specialists behind the bar pull off wicked gunkan maki that overspills with creamy uni or slimy natto beans. If you’re in the area at lunchtime, order the lunch set that comes with your choice of futomaki or nigiri and sides of chawanmushi, miso soup, tempura and salad – all around RM20. Cute novelty factor: Punch in your orders on iPads and track your spending as the meal ensues.
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