Portland's twelve-seat Edomae counter, Bon Appétit's #6 in the country its first year. Book the Resy drop for a solo sushi night.
The Reservation Problem at Nimblefish
The door on SE 20th Avenue gives little away. Inside is a low, spare room: twelve stools, a pale hinoki counter, two chefs working in near silence. The first thing you notice is how quiet a full house can be.
Nimblefish sits in Buckman, on Portland’s inner southeast side, where Cody Auger and Dwight Rosendahl opened it in December 2017 on one rule: twelve seats, one omakase, no compromise at the counter. Bon Appétit ranked it sixth in the country on its Hot 10 the following year, and it has been the city’s hardest sushi seat since. The format is pure Edomae, around twenty pieces of nigiri across two hours at $125, built on Pacific Northwest fish. The Oregon albacore is the piece regulars come back for.
How to Book Nimblefish
Nimblefish books on Resy. The omakase counter runs two seatings most nights, and the tables post a set window ahead; when they drop, they are gone within hours for Friday and Saturday. Book three to four weeks out for a weekend seat and set a Resy notification for cancellations, which surface inside the last forty-eight hours. Weeknight and early seatings are the easier way in.
There is a second route. Auger and Rosendahl run a five-seat à la carte sushi counter Tuesday through Friday, walk-in only, no reservation. It is the lower-commitment way to taste the same fish when the omakase is gone, and the early evening is the quiet window to find a stool.
What You Eat
Take the omakase. It runs about twenty pieces, paced one at a time across the counter, vinegared shari and the best fish in the building. The kitchen leans on cured and smoked work as much as raw, Pacific Northwest seafood handled with Tokyo technique. The Oregon albacore, the local king salmon, and whatever Toyosu-grade tuna landed that week are the pieces to watch for. The sake list is short and well chosen; let the chefs pour it.
The Smart Play
Book the Resy drop three to four weeks ahead for a Friday or Saturday seat, and take a weeknight if the weekend is gone. Set the cancellation alert. If the omakase is full, walk in to the à la carte counter early on a Tuesday. When Nimblefish has nothing, Nodoguro and the chef’s bar at Le Pigeon are the city’s other counter seats worth the trip.
Not for a group or a long, loud night. Nimblefish seats twelve, runs two firm seatings, and the room is built for quiet attention to the counter, not for lingering or large parties.
View Nimblefish on Restaurants for Kings →
Related Reading
- Our full profile: Nimblefish, Portland’s sushi counter of record.
- The wider city: Portland dining guide and the hardest restaurant reservations in Portland.
- Strategy: getting into fully-booked restaurants and how far ahead to book each Michelin tier.
- Sushi siblings: how to book Sushi Kashiba and how to book Nozawa Bar.
- The form: best sushi restaurants worldwide.
- Occasions: best for solo dining and best for a proposal.
Frequently Asked Questions
How hard is it to book Nimblefish?
Hard. Nimblefish seats twelve at one omakase counter, so every cover is a reservation and weekend seatings fill within hours of going live on Resy. Book three to four weeks out and set a cancellation alert. If the omakase is gone, the walk-in a la carte counter Tuesday to Friday is the fallback for the same fish.
How far in advance should I book Nimblefish?
Three to four weeks for a Friday or Saturday omakase seat, less for a weeknight. Seats post on Resy in a set window and disappear fast, so book the moment they open. For a proposal or a first date, note it in the reservation; Cody Auger and Dwight Rosendahl pace the counter for two and read the room.
Can you walk in to Nimblefish?
Not for the omakase, which is reservation-only through Resy. There is a separate five-seat a la carte sushi counter open Tuesday through Friday that takes walk-ins, no booking required. It is the lower-commitment route to the same Pacific Northwest fish, and early evening is the quiet window to find a stool when the omakase is full.
How much is the omakase at Nimblefish?
The Edomae omakase is $125 per person for roughly twenty pieces of nigiri over about two hours, before drinks. The sake list is short and well chosen, and letting the chefs pour is the easy call. The walk-in a la carte counter is the cheaper way to taste the kitchen if the full omakase is beyond the evening.
Is Nimblefish good for solo dining?
Yes, and it may be Portland's best solo seat. A single stool at the counter puts you directly across from Auger and Rosendahl as they work, with each piece described as it lands. See our guide to the best restaurants for solo dining for more counters built this way. Book one seat on Resy and take the early seating.