I love sushi, I could eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day and never get sick of it. It’s my go-to hangover food, which a lot of people find odd, but the freshness of the fish, the stodgy rice and the salty soy sauce offer the perfect combination for recovering from one too many. Of course, this calls for a post about the best sushi in Leeds city centre.
I originally wrote this post as a bit of a moan about the sushi scene in Leeds taking a downhill turn after my favourite restaurant, Candle Bar Edo Sushi, closed down and Issho stopped their bottomless Sunday sushi. However, I’m now giving this post an update as I’m feeling good about the sushi scene again. So, here’s an updated and much more positive post for you!
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Blue Sakura – The Best Sushi in Leeds
Let’s start with my favourite and, in my opinion, the best sushi in Leeds. The day that I found out that a bottomless, all-you-can-eat sushi restaurant was opening in Leeds, was one of the best days of my life. The price varies depending on when you go, ranging from £19.95 for a weekday lunchtime to £34.95 for a weekend evening.
You’d think that an all-you-can-eat sushi offering would compromise the quality, but this isn’t true at Blue Sakura, where you’ll find melt-in-the-mouth sashimi and a wide range of traditional and innovative Japanese dishes. You order via a tablet, and the service is swift and friendly. The wine is good too! I’ve written a whole blog post reviewing Blue Sakura, if you’d like to find out more.
Senbon Sakura
Another place for extremely good sushi in Leeds. Senbon Sakura‘s Katsu Curry is to die for, and their Spicy Tuna Love Roll (minus the avocado) is probably the best tuna roll I’ve ever had – and I order tuna rolls every time I have sushi.
They have a vast menu with all the classics, plus a few different bits and bobs like the Spicy Kimchi Chicken Wings which you absolutely must order! I don’t have a bad word to say about Senbon Sakura, other than the fact that they’re closed on Sundays which is when I’m most likely to be craving sushi.
Little Tokyo
Little Tokyo is another contender for both the best sushi in Leeds and the best Katsu curry in Leeds, and is definitely winner of best tempura prawns! They focus more on hot Japanese food but their sushi is still on point, in particular the sashimi.
There aren’t as many options when it comes to the sushi dishes as the other venues in this post, but if you’re after the classics then you can’t go wrong. The interior is also really cool, with sunken seating and a fish pond with a bridge!
Issho – Trendy Sushi in Leeds
Issho is a stylish venue, serving upmarket Japanese food alongside trendy cocktails. The restaurant is spacious, and their outdoor terrace provides the perfect environment to enjoy their delicious (although rather expensive) cocktails. The spider rolls are great, and I highly recommend their Baos which are like little fluffy clouds of love!
Although the sushi is, in general, more expensive than the other sushi restaurants mentioned in this post, they’ve recently re-introduced their Sunday feast, where you enjoy unlimited salads, robatayaki, bao buns, maki, nigiri, sashimi and more for £30 per person. You can add free-flowing Prosecco for an additional £15 per person.
Sushi Waka
Sushi Waka might not have the beautifully designed interior of Blue Sakura and Issho, and the toilets are really cold, but they do good sushi at a reasonable price! The food isn’t quite luxurious as the other venues I’ve written about, but you can’t go wrong with their sushi platters ranging from £13.80 to £26.80 and their filling bento boxes.
Sushi Waka wouldn’t be my first choice for the best sushi in Leeds, but it’s certainly not a bad option, with fresh and tasty sushi! Plus, there is a karaoke bar upstairs, what more could you need?
Teppanyaki
Admittedly, I haven’t actually tried Teppanyaki! I have no idea why because it’s always been there, I love Japanese food and it’s not like it’s out of the way. But for some strange reason, I’m yet to visit. However, I’m including it because they do serve sushi and I promise that I’m going to visit soon, in the name of blog research of course. I’ll let you know how it goes – in the mean time, can any of you help me out with some words of review?
So, where do you think does the best sushi in Leeds city centre? Let me know if I’ve missed anywhere!
If you’re looking for most Leeds posts, you might enjoy 67 Things to Do in Leeds City Centre, the Best Restaurants in Leeds City Centre, or the 12 Best Coffee Shops in Leeds.
Nell xx
