For many, it’s difficult to find a restaurant that is affordable, has a convenient location and serves quality food of one’s preference. When it comes to ethnic food, it’s best to find a place that you enjoy the most as every restaurant prepares their food differently. As far as Japanese cuisine, there are plenty of restaurants and bars in the Philadelphia area that serve this ethnic cuisine. Below I have compiled a list of eight top-notch Japanese Restaurants in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
1. Fuji Mountain Japanese Restaurant
Located at 2030 Chestnut Street, Fuji Mountain Japanese Restaurant is known for its top-quality fish, diverse atmosphere and is consistently rated “The Best Sushi in Philadelphia” according to www.fujimt.com.
The restaurant is open for lunch Monday through Friday, 11:30AM-1:45PM and for dinner every night, from 5PM-1:30AM. Meals can be ordered offline from the restaurant’s website, www.fujimt.com, and free delivery is offered to areas within a ten block radius.
The setting of Fuji Mountain is nothing short of elegant. On the first floor is the delicious sushi bar where customers can experience full-fledged, traditional Japanese dining. The second floor is more private and is perfect for those taking out a special someone or going out with friends. On this floor people can dine on sushi, sake and cocktails until 1:30AM everyday.
The private karaoke room, plush couches, great music and exceptional selection of liquor from its bar and lounge, make Fuji Mountain a relaxing escape from ordinary dining.
Their lunch menu includes teriyaki, katsu, tempura and organic salmon steak, costing $11-$22. Entrees from the kitchen include veggie teriyaki, yuzu chicken breast and sukiyaki, ranging from $18-$23. Their renowned sushi and sashimi cost anywhere from $5-$9.
Overall, this is a great place to go for a quick bite to eat by yourself or to grab a drink with friends or coworkers after work. The menu may be more expensive than other restaurants, but the atmosphere makes it well worth it.
2. Raw Sushi and Sake Lounge
Located at 1225 Sansom Street, Raw Sushi is the newest of the restaurants on this list, having opened its doors to the public in late November in Philadelphia’s Stetson building.
According to the restaurant’s website, www.rawlounge.net, the atmosphere of Raw is enough to draw in customers:
Japanese lamps float down from the ceiling, creating a soft glow on the suede couches and hardwood floors. The fifteen feet glass bar houses an impressive shelf of exotic sakes that caters to new tasters as well as sake connoisseurs.”
Indeed, Raw seems something straight out of a Sex & the City episode.
Raw serves various rice, soups and salads which range from $2-$14 in cost. Their small plates of edamame, shrimp shumai, wasabi pork shumai and gyoza cost about $4-$15. Traditional dishes consist of the teriyaki platter, katsu, soba or udon noodle soup and house fried rice, which cost from $12-$19.
They have over 25 different types of sushi, ranging from $3-$5. Raw also has a huge selection of delicious sake.
Raw is open for lunch Monday through Friday from 11:30AM-2:30PM, and for dinner Sunday through Wednesday 5PM-10PM and Thursday through Saturday 5PM-12AM.
3. Shiroi Hana Japanese Restaurant
According to the restaurant website, www.shirohana.com, Shiroi Hana has been located conveniently in Philadelphia’s theatre district for over 20 years. Located at 222 S. 15th Street, Shiroi Hana is the perfect spot to head for Japanese cuisine in Center City.
The website also states the meaning and idea behind “shiroi hana.” “In English translation, shiroi defines white and hana defines flower, signifying the pure and delicateness of authentic Japanese cuisine.”
Indeed, Shiroi Hana reminds consumers that Japanese dishes can be subtle yet deliciously natural, rather than overloaded with heavy spices and sauces.
Shiroi Hana is famous for their teriyaki, tempura and maki, while they are known for having incredibly fresh fish and an insane sushi bar. Their food is also presented artistically visual as well, enticing the eyes and the mouth.
Shiroi Hana serves lunch from 12PM-2:15PM Monday through Friday. Dinner is served from 5:30PM-10PM Monday through Thursday, 5:30PM-10:30PM Friday, 5PM-10:30PM Saturday and 5PM-9PM Sunday.
4. Genji Japanese Restaurant
Located at 1720 Sansom Street, Genji Japanese Restaurant is the perfect place to go if you are dieting or looking for a healthier alternative in Japanese cuisine.
According to the restaurant’s website, www.genjiweb.com, Genji is all about freshness and quality, and their products are always free of artificial preservatives, coloring, flavor enhancers and hydrogenated fats.
Their Japanese cuisine ranges from traditional dishes like salmon or eel nigiri to modern foods like vegetable salad dressing rolls or guacamole guncan.
Genji has a large array of sushi rolls that can consist of either brown or white rice, and they even have party platters and catering available. Their meals are a tad more expensive than most restaurants, yet the food is worth it.
If you’re looking to go out with a companion, save time by going straight to the tables in the back instead of the sushi bar.
Again, the best quality about Genji is definitely it’s attention to keeping their foods fresh and healthy. Go to their website to check out nutrition facts for all their dishes. They even have an online terminology page which breaks down what exactly is in all the Japanese dishes, for those unfamiliar with this type of cuisine.
Located at 4002 Spruce Street, Nara Japanese is a great place to go, especially for those in the University City area.
The restaurant serves lunch Monday through Friday from 11:40PM-2:20PM, dinner Monday through Thursday from 5PM-10PM and Friday and Saturday 5PM-10:30PM.
Nara’s prices are reasonable while the atmosphere is intimate and relaxing. The restaurant has dine-in, delivery and take-out options, and is known for its scrumptious teriyaki and sushi.
If you’re looking to go out with friends for a fun night, Strikes Bowling Lounge and the Cinema de Lux are nearby, while the location s convenient for college students from Drexel University and University of Penn as well. Student discounts are offered and reservations are accepted.
The service is fantastic here. You are seated and served your food promptly, while the quantity of food in one dish could feed two, therefore making it a good place to eat out with another. Prices may seem on the more expensive side, but again the quality and quantity of food you receive makes up for it.
6. Uzu Sushi
Located at 104 Market Street, Uzu Sushi is famous for having the best fish and best rolls in Philadelphia.
Maybe it’s the friendly owners and wait staff, or maybe it’s the live scallop, live uni and nigiri bursting with flavor, but Uzu usually becomes a favorite of customers after one visit. Not to mention they aren’t as pricey as other competitors, whose food isn’t half as tasty.
Uzu is BYOB, and located in the center of the bustling restaurant scene, staff encourage customers to bring in their favorite sake or wine to be served with their meal. If customers do not bring their own drinks, staff is also known for bringing out sake of their own, without being requested to do so and further adding to the appeal of their service.
The restaurant has a lunch and dinner menu, as well as a sushi and sashimi, and maki menu. Uzu’s prices are reasonable, especially due to the fact that the restaurant’s dishes are deliciously, as well as creatively, laid out.
Uzu is small and intimately cozy, however due to this there can frequently be wait on weekends, so making reservations is recommended.
7. Pod
Located at 3636 Sansom Street, Pod is known for serving excellent contemporary Asian cuisine. If you’re looking for a Japanese meal that’s a tad Americanized, you’ve come to the right place.
The restaurant is a great place to go out for drinks with co-workers or to meet a special someone for a meal. The atmosphere is casual, but if you chose to dress up you’d fit right in as well.
Once you enter Pod’s doors, you can tell this restaurant is uniquely fun and trendy, with it’s futuristic décor and light-up pods (which with a group of people you can actual eat in for an extra special experience.) The sushi bar even has a conveyor belt, making it a lot of fun to pick your meal.
Pod’s menu is extensive but well worth browsing through. Some of their lunch plates include sesame crusted tuna with tempura asparagus and wasabi sushi rice, teriyaki kobe burger with crispy fries and swiss cheese and their famous Japanese crab cake sandwich on a sesame bun with olive aioli.
Dinner choices include crispy calamari, wok charred beef and chicken lettuce wraps, miso soup, Szechwan lamb chops and lobster stir-fry. Pod also serves platters, desserts, cocktails and beer.
Most likely dining here is likely to run up the bill, but the unique experience is worth it.
Pod is opened Monday through Thursday 11:30AM-11PM, Friday 11:30AM-12AM, Saturday 5PM-12AM and Sunday 5PM-10PM.
8. Morimoto
Located at 723 Chestnut Street, Morimoto is located perfectly in the heart of Center City Philadelphia, making it a hotspot for tourists and residents alike.
Morimoto is an upscale, casual restaurant serving contemporary Japanese cuisine. They are open for lunch Monday through Friday from 11:30AM-2PM and for dinner 5PM-10PM Sunday and Monday, 5PM-11PM Tuesday through Thursday and 5PM-12AM Friday and Saturday.
The atmosphere is hip and young, and one will find after entering the restaurant that it’s food is just as cutting-edge as it’s interior design. Due to its frequent volume, reservations are recommended, however walk-ins are accepted. Guests have the options of dining in a private/banquet room, the bar and lounge or at the counter.
While more on the expensive side, Morimoto houses many options, from cold dishes, hot dishes, entrees, soups, salads, noodles, a raw bar, sushi bar and even omakase, which according to www.morimotorestaurant.com is ” a multi-course tasting menu designed to allow you to experience the essence of Morimoto’s cuisine.”
By the way, incase the name sounds familiar, Chef Masaharu Morimoto was on the television show “Iron Chef.
