Looking for the best sushi in Edinburgh for your nigiri fix? Whether you are salivating for sashimi or your mind is on maki, this guide details Edinburgh’s top Japanese restaurants that serve sushi platters. We’ve also identified where to get sushi takeaway and delivery.
Japanese Restaurants with the Best Sushi in Edinburgh
A quick, handy tip: regardless of coriander not being seen anywhere near a dish in Japan, it sneakily appears as a garnish in many Edinburgh Japanese bowls and plates, so if you are in hate camp for this divisive herb, be sure to let your server know when you order from the menu.
As it is in Japan, everyone has their favourite sushi and ramen spots.
Who won the top sushi award in Edinburgh for you? Tell us in the comments below.
City Centre Sushi Restaurants
Yes, Sushi For Value For Money
Yes, Sushi (89 Hanover St) is such great value for money!
They do a set meal with eight rounds, including miso soup, sashimi, sushi, noodles, rice, and dessert.
They even give you boxes to take away leftover food so you can dine on it for lunch the next day.
The staff is super friendly, and the restaurant is relaxed.
Maki & Ramen – Consistently Good Choice Around The City
Maki & Ramen (various locations) has exploded, with locations all around Edinburgh and Glasgow.
My partner always gets the Hell Ramen dish, which is naturally spicy, whereas I go for the pork or tofu, both of which offer a hearty bowl.
There’s a huge sushi menu too.
Kanpai For Addictive Hand Rolls
I think about the hand rolls at Kanpai often and can’t convince myself to stray away from them during visits.
The multi-award-winning Kanpai (8-10 Grindlay Street) is an attractive Japanese restaurant just off busy Lothian Road. It is ideal for date nights or special occasions.
The staff are friendly and clearly like their job and Japanese food, so if you need help choosing from the menu, just ask.
The food menu includes melt-in-your-mouth temaki hand rolls, nigiri, grilled nigiri, maki sushi, roll sushi, sashimi, tempura, teppan (iron griddle), soups, seaweed and specials.
The extensive drinks menu offers cold, warm, hot, bottled and canned sake and shochu/whisky.
Or, if you prefer something fancier, Japanese twists on the classic cocktails.
A selection of Japanese beers, IPAs, and European wines are also available.
Soft drinks include mocktails, fizzy drinks and tea.
Remember to say Kanpai, which means ‘bottoms up’.
Chizuru Tei
Chizuru Tei (278 Morrison Street) is an unassuming Japanese fusion restaurant close to Haymarket Station.
The no-frills restaurant features a menu with soups, rice dishes, noodles, bento boxes and, of course, a variety of sushi.
There are lunch menu deals, with a particular focus on dragon rolls, and customers can take advantage of the BYOB service charge.
If you want to pay digitally, you need to let staff know before you order.
Bento
Bento is a small sushi cafe with a mainly takeout customer base.
It is located at 52 South Bridge, 128 Lothian Road, and 78 Raeburn Place.
The sushi is super fresh and filling, and there is a key for gluten-free options.
The South Bridge Bento is always super busy for customers.
Hakata-ya For Sushi and Cocktails
Blink, and you’ll miss the turn-off for this hidden gem of a Japanese restaurant in Edinburgh.
Located just off Rose Street (22 Rose St S Lane), this central sushi bar is a great laid-back option for a date or demolishing sushi platters with friends.
I went for sushi with my friend Amanda, and she’s already taken her partner back for more.
Hakata-ya is named after Hakata-Tonkotsu Ramen, the dish Chef Tang-Qun learned to make in Japan.
Serving authentic Japanese recipes from Fukuoka since 2007, this is a lesser-known sushi spot, which surprises us as the staff is friendly, the atmosphere is welcoming, and the food is tasty.
Chef Tang’s menu comprises handcrafted sushi using fresh Scottish ingredients where feasible.
In addition to sushi, Hakata-ya also serves Osaka’s famous Takoyaki balls, reliable ramen and bento boxes.
If you’ve got a sweet tooth, you might want to try the match crème brûlée or mochi ice.
The menu offers soft drinks, tea, beer, wine and bespoke cocktails.
Hakata-ya has a food delivery service and party catering.
Sushi Stop For Take Out
Sushi Stop is located at the food court in Waverley Mall, the perfect spot for picking up some fresh takeaway sushi before getting on the train.
The staff are friendly and very accommodating whenever we request changes.
Love this place!
Southside Sushi Restaurants in Edinburgh
Koyama For Quick Service Sushi and Bento Boxes
Koyama (20 Forrest Road) is located between George IV Bridge and part of Edinburgh University’s campus at Teviot.
Its chef has over a decade of experience in the kitchen and serves up popular bento boxes, including sushi, sushi platters, rice boxes and noodle dishes.
The menu includes hot and cold meals, soups, salads, gyoza, teppanyaki and hot pots.
Decor is simple as the focus is on the food served efficiently in dishware imported from Japan.
Takeaway sushi can be ordered from Koyama.
This was the first Japanese restaurant I tried in Edinburgh!
Harajuku Kitchen a For Trendy Setting and Award-Winning Food
Harajuku Kitchen (10 Gillespie Place) is an award-winning Edinburgh Japanese restaurant in Bruntsfield, close to Lothian Road and the Meadows.
Its second venue is an attractive container outside St James Quarter in the City Centre, where it sells burritos, yakisoba noodles, and large chicken.
Harajuku Kitchen’s menu features dishes passed down for three generations and uses produce bought locally.
The owner, Kaori, wanted to continue the family tradition that her grandfather started by opening a restaurant with authentic Japanese food.
Kaori learnt how to run a kitchen during an internship at Michelin-starred The Kitchin in Leith and opened Harajuku in 2009.
The sushi list is extensive and includes nigiri, futomaki (sushi roll), hosomaki (thinner roll), and buri maki (yellowtail).
Sushi poke bowls also make an appearance.
Vegetable, vegan and gluten-free options are available.
Harajuku Kitchen delivers sushi and offers outside catering for parties and special events.
On Sundays, you might also see them at food markets such as the Stockbridge Farmers’ Market.
If you’re dining in and looking for things to do in the area, Harajuku Kitchen is close to the Meadows, which is a nice walk, especially in spring when the cherry blossoms are out in force.
Morningside is a 20-minute walk, where you’ll find cafes such as Salt Cafe or Momo if you have space for cake.
Check out what’s on at The Dominion cinema or browse the labels at the second-hand shops.
Soul Sushi For Delivery and Take Out or Cheap Sushi
Soul Sushi (126 Nicolson Street) can be found in the studenty Newington area of the city, where you are spoilt for choice regarding Asian cuisine.
It focuses on fresh sushi made daily, which can be picked up via delivery or in a ‘grab and go’ box.
One of Soul Sushi’s pros is that they offer mixed boxes, so you’re not stuck with eight of the same rolls unless you want that!
The simple menu also includes poke bowls, platters and spicy garlic edamame.
They really know their target audience with 50% off at the end of the day; just head along to the shop 30 minutes before closing.
Soul Sushi is close to several pubs, such as The Geenmantle and The Dog House, or the students’ pubs, The Brass Monkey and the Pear Tree.
The Surgeons’ Hall and Festival Theatre are five minutes away if you want to tour Scotland’s medical history or see a show.
Other Neighbourhoods
Kenji Sushi in Stockbridge
Kenji Sushi (24 Deanhaugh St) is a popular neighbourhood Japanese restaurant located in the upmarket area of Stockbridge.
The premise is quite compact, and diners are squeezed into small seating areas, but there are close modesty curtains, so you don’t have to dine on top of each other.
A unique seating area is built into the lower ground, too.
The menu is extensive, pleasing avid sushi fans like me and picky eaters like my partner, and I love that you can get individual sushi instead of being forced to eat 12 of the same kind.
I went for various small plates, including seaweed salad, edamame, a hand roll, and a starter of chicken katsu.
My partner had a main dish of katsu.
Along with one drink and a pot of tea, we struggled to manage all the plates on the table, but the staff quickly cleared what was eaten.
The day we dined, there was a “cash only” sign, which is unusual in Edinburgh.
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