Sushi Oumi

Sushi Oumi is a high-end omakase sushi restaurant located inside the Kitano Hotel in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward, near Nagatacho Station. Luckily for all, the restaurant is open to the public, so everyone has the chance to enjoy a delicious sushi experience that feels like fine dining.

In Tokyo, there’s sushi and there’s sushi. And while we’re not ones to sushi gatekeep, there’s a big difference between sushi from a conveyor-sushi restaurant and sushi from a high-end sushi establishment. Unfortunately, many high-end sushi restaurants have months-long waiting lists, or will cost you an entire trip’s food budget in one go. That’s where Sushi Oumi comes in. With the option to book online in English, and a reasonably priced omakase lunch course, you can’t go wrong.

Oh, and did we mention that Chef Einosuke Oumi is a nice, cheerful fellow, who’ll have you relaxed and laughing in no time, and that he speaks good English?

Price range

The daily omakase (chef’s selection) course features top-quality seasonal ingredients and fresh fish (you’ll taste the difference). The lunch course costs ¥19,800 per person and includes three light dishes, 10 pieces of nigiri sushi, and a miso soup. Meanwhile, the dinner set costs ¥39,160 per person and includes six light dishes, 10 pieces of nigiri sushi, maki (rolled) sushi, and a miso soup.

How to make a reservation at Sushi Oumi

You can easily make a reservation for Sushi Oumi in English via the platform byFood. In general, you’ll need to request your reservation at least 4-5 days in advance. Also, keep in mind that there is free cancellation, as long as you cancel at least 2 days in advance. Any later, and you’ll be paying full price.

Food

Sushi Oumi serves delicious, extremely high quality food. The ingredients are seasonal, so they change often, but you can always expect them to be fresh. Most of the light dishes are seafood based — for example, we were treated to some firefly squid with mountain vegetables and katsuo sashimi.

The nigiri sushi is the highlight of the meal though, because you get to watch Chef Oumi make each piece. The grilled conger eel nigiri pictured above falls into this category, and is a signature dish of the restaurant. Note that this is an Edo-style sushi restaurant, so you eat the sushi with your hands rather than chopsticks!

Drinks

Sushi Oumi serves a range of alocholic and non-aloholic drinks to accompany their meals. Sake is usually the recommended pairing, but you’ve also got beers, wines, and tea to choose from. The drinks are served in beautiful cups and glasses that help highlight the elegance and class of the restaurant.

Ambience

You might expect omakase sushi restaurants to be snobbish, with all the intimidating rules on how to eat each dish and what to wear — but Sushi Oumi proves this isn’t always the case.

As soon as you walk in, Chef Oumi and the staff greet you warmly, and will quickly have you seated. Chef Oumi keeps the atmosphere cheerful, joking and chatting with customers as he works. Meanwhile, the other staff are polite and attentive — they’ll quickly remove your plates as you finish each dish and make sure you have everything you need to enjoy the meal.

Esthetically, the restaurant exudes understated class. With light wooden bench tops, contrasted with dark walls and simple decorations, you can appreciate the simple elegance of the space without being distracted from the main attraction — Chef Oumi preparing excellent food for you to enjoy.

Our review of Sushi Oumi

Can you guess that we really enjoyed our meal at Sushi Oumi? Because we did.

Chef Oumi is a sushi master, that is clear. Each piece of food he served was delicious, fresh, and prepared with great care. He made sure to explain each dish and how to eat it, in English, so we could relax, safe in the knowledge that we were eating everything exactly as intended. It was also a pleasure to watch him work and his knife skills had us captivated — how can such a big knife cut with such accuracy? A whole lot of practice, we can assume.

Each dish worked to highlight the ingredients. The sea urchin was a true melt-in-your-mouth experience, while the squid paired wonderfully with the sauce and mountain vegetables. Even the eggroll was impressive, with an almost cake-like texture and sweetness. And of course, the signature eel nigiri was grilled to perfection.

All in all, this was an experience, not just a meal. At no point did we feel rushed — we were given time to appreciate each morsel before the next piece arrived. And Chef Oumi was always ready with a smile and answers to our questions.

Sushi Oumi is good for:

Sushi Oumi is a great option for anyone who wants to try an omakase sushi experience in Tokyo, but is nervous about getting a reservation and potential language barriers. The lunch course is also well-priced for this type of high-end sushi restaurant.

Chef Oumi asks about dietary preferences and dislikes before he begins preparing your food, but do note that — as far as we know — it’s not possible to make this a vegetarian- or vegan-friendly experience.

by Maria Danuco