The fifty best sushi counters in the world that are not in Japan. Three-Michelin Edomae in Hong Kong. The Sukiyabashi Jiro alumni in NYC, Bangkok, and Hong Kong. Nobu group flagships from Beverly Hills to Atlantis Palm. The Tokyo Edomae lineages transplanted to Singapore, London, Sydney, Dallas, and São Paulo. Each ranked, reviewed, and paired with a long form deep dive on the chef's lineage, the signature neta, and how to book the omakase counter.
The fifty best sushi restaurants outside Japan are led by Sushi Shikon Hong Kong (three Michelin), Sukiyabashi Jiro Hong Kong, The Araki London (held three Michelin), Sushi Tetsu London, and Sushi Nakazawa NYC. The list spans 21 cities across nine sushi categories.
The sushi-outside-Japan question is the most-cited Japanese cuisine query in international fine dining. The query 'best sushi outside Japan' is searched at higher volume than 'best sushi in Tokyo' because the global cohort of fine-dining travellers is larger than the Tokyo gourmet establishment. The fifty rooms below are the corrective.
The fifty are ranked on six sushi-specific variables: the chef's lineage (Sukiyabashi Jiro, Yoshitake, Saito, Tokami, Hashida, Onodera, Ginza schools); the sushi style (Edomae Tokyo school, Nobu-style fusion, modern Japanese kaiseki, modern Japanese-Korean); the counter format (six to twelve seats, two seatings per night); the signature neta (the iconic piece of sushi that defines the room); the omakase format (12 to 20 piece sequencing); and the booking system. Three-Michelin and two-Michelin status, where applicable, also enters the ranking.
Each entry below links to two further pages: the restaurant's full directory page on Restaurants for Kings, and a dedicated long form deep dive that covers the chef's lineage, the signature neta, the omakase format, and how to book the counter.
Three-Michelin and Two-Michelin Edomae Outside Japan
The top tier of Edomae sushi outside Japan. Sushi Shikon Hong Kong (three Michelin since 2017, the Yoshitake group's Hong Kong flagship). The Araki London (held three Michelin Stars 2018, the only sushi counter outside Japan to ever do so). Sushi Kimura Singapore (two Michelin), Shoukouwa Singapore (two Michelin), Sushi Ginza Onodera LA (two Michelin), Yoshino Sydney (two Hats), Tatsu Dallas (two Michelin, Texas's first sushi star).
Cities: Dallas · Hong Kong · London · Los Angeles · Singapore · Sydney
Central, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong · Edomae Sushi · $$$$
SushiThree Michelin Stars
Three Michelin Edomae sushi at the Landmark Mandarin Oriental. Yoshitake group's Hong Kong flagship; the most consistently three-star sushi counter outside Japan.
Food10/10
Ambience9/10
Value7/10
Sushi style: Edomae Tokyo school
Counter seats: Eight seats per seating; two seatings per night
Chef lineage: Yoshitake Tokyo (Sushi Yoshitake's three-star alumni)
Signature neta: Otoro nigiri with the precise Tokyo-school cut and the matured rice
Omakase format: 12 to 16 piece omakase, classical Edomae sequencing
Address: Landmark Mandarin Oriental, 15 Queen's Road Central
Best seat: Counter seat directly facing Kakinuma-san
Best season: Year round; spring and autumn tuna season peak
Booking lead: 8 to 12 weeks ahead via the Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong reservations team
Central, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong · Edomae Sushi · $$$$
SushiRemoved from Michelin in 2020 because impossible to reserve
The Hong Kong outpost of the original Sukiyabashi Jiro. Takashi Ono (Jiro's son) leads the kitchen. The most architecturally institutional Edomae sushi counter outside Japan.
Food10/10
Ambience9/10
Value7/10
Sushi style: Edomae Sukiyabashi Jiro school
Counter seats: Eight seats per seating; two seatings per night
Chef lineage: Sukiyabashi Jiro Tokyo (the Ono family three-generation kitchen)
Signature neta: The signature Sukiyabashi Jiro otoro and the famous tamago at the omakase finale
Omakase format: 20 piece omakase Tokyo Jiro sequencing
Address: The Landmark, Atrium 2, Central
Best seat: Counter seat in front of Ono-san
Best season: Year round
Booking lead: 8 weeks ahead via concierge; longer in peak Asian travel season
Endo Kazutoshi's Edomae counter on the eighth floor of the BBC Television Centre. Sixteen seats. The London hidden Edomae counter that books eight weeks ahead.
Food10/10
Ambience10/10
Value7/10
Sushi style: Edomae Tokyo school
Counter seats: Sixteen seats across two seatings
Chef lineage: Independent Tokyo lineage; Endo-san is the third generation Endo family sushi chef
Signature neta: The classical Edomae akami soy-marinated tuna
Omakase format: 15 to 17 piece omakase Tokyo sequencing
Address: Television Centre, 101 Wood Lane, White City
Best seat: Counter seat directly facing Endo-san
Best season: Year round; weekends fill eight weeks ahead
Two Michelin modern Japanese kaiseki and Edomae sushi in Mayfair. The combined kaiseki and sushi format; the only two-Michelin Japanese counter in London.
Food10/10
Ambience10/10
Value7/10
Sushi style: Modern Japanese kaiseki and Edomae sushi
Kenjiro Hashida's Singapore Edomae counter. The Tokyo Hashida family's two-star transferred to Singapore. The most consistently five-star Edomae omakase outside Japan since 2014.
Food10/10
Ambience9/10
Value7/10
Sushi style: Edomae Tokyo school
Counter seats: Ten seats per seating; two seatings per night
Chef lineage: Hashida Tokyo (Hashida Garden two-Michelin family lineage)
Signature neta: The classical Edomae akami soy-marinated tuna; the famous tamago dessert
Omakase format: 20 piece omakase Tokyo Edomae sequencing
Address: 77 Mohamed Sultan Road
Best seat: Counter seat directly facing Hashida-san
Takeshi Saito's intimate Sheung Wan Edomae counter. Eight seats; two seatings; the most accessible Edomae alternative to Sushi Shikon and Sukiyabashi Jiro HK.
Food9/10
Ambience9/10
Value8/10
Sushi style: Edomae Tokyo school
Counter seats: Eight seats per seating
Chef lineage: Tokyo Edomae lineage; Saito-san trained in multiple Tokyo Edomae kitchens
Signature neta: The chu-toro nigiri with the matured rice
Omakase format: 15 to 17 piece omakase Tokyo Edomae sequencing
Tetsuya Nakao's modern Japanese in Studio City since 1991. The most architecturally established Edomae and modern Japanese counter in San Fernando Valley.
Food10/10
Ambience9/10
Value8/10
Sushi style: Modern Japanese plus Edomae sushi
Counter seats: Counter eight seats plus dining room
Chef lineage: Tokyo lineage; Nakao-san is one of the longest-running Tokyo-trained chefs in LA
Signature neta: The signature Asanebo sashimi flight and the seasonal otoro
The Tokyo Ginza Onodera outpost on La Cienega. Two-Michelin Edomae omakase; the most architecturally institutional Tokyo-school sushi counter in West Hollywood.
Food10/10
Ambience9/10
Value7/10
Sushi style: Edomae Tokyo Ginza Onodera school
Counter seats: Eight seats per seating; two seatings per night
Chef lineage: Ginza Onodera Tokyo (the Ginza two-Michelin sushi group)
Signature neta: The signature Tokyo-school chu-toro and the famous tamago
Omakase format: 18 piece omakase Tokyo Ginza Onodera sequencing
Address: 609 La Cienega Boulevard, West Hollywood
Best seat: Counter seat directly facing Matsuki-san
Roka's original Charlotte Street flagship since 2004. The most architecturally institutional Roka room in London; the robata grill format that defined the modern Japanese London register.
Food9/10
Ambience10/10
Value8/10
Sushi style: Modern Japanese robata
Counter seats: Counter plus dining room
Chef lineage: Zuma-Roka group founding lineage
Signature neta: The robata grill black cod and the spicy beef tenderloin
Omakase format: Robata grill omakase plus a la carte
Address: 37 Charlotte Street, Fitzrovia
Best seat: Counter seat at the robata pass
Best season: Year round; weekends fill four weeks ahead
Orchard Road, Singapore · Japanese Peruvian · $$$$
SushiNobu Group Singapore
Nobu Singapore at the Four Seasons Orchard. The most architecturally institutional Nobu room in Singapore; the Four Seasons Hotel concierge channel for booking.
Food9/10
Ambience10/10
Value7/10
Sushi style: Nobu-style Japanese-Peruvian
Counter seats: Counter plus dining room plus private rooms
Chef lineage: Nobu Matsuhisa originals
Signature neta: The original yellowtail jalapeno; the Nobu black cod miso
Omakase format: Omakase plus a la carte
Address: Four Seasons Hotel, 190 Orchard Boulevard
Best seat: Centre dining room ten top under the Nobu sphere
Best season: Year round
Booking lead: 6 to 10 weeks for Saturday slots
Dinner price: 300 to 450 SGD per person before wine
SushiTwo Michelin Stars (Texas's first Michelin sushi)
Tatsuya Sekiguchi's two-Michelin Edomae counter in Deep Ellum Dallas. Texas's first Michelin sushi star and the most architecturally institutional Edomae counter in the South.
Food10/10
Ambience10/10
Value7/10
Sushi style: Edomae Tokyo school
Counter seats: Twelve seats per seating; two seatings per night
Chef lineage: Tokyo Edomae lineage; Sekiguchi-san trained at Tokyo Sushi Saito
Signature neta: The signature Tokyo-style otoro with the matured rice
Omakase format: 16 piece omakase Tokyo Edomae sequencing
Address: 1515 Levee Street, Deep Ellum
Best seat: Counter seat directly facing Sekiguchi-san
Daisuke Nakazawa's NYC Edomae counter. The Sukiyabashi Jiro alumni from the Jiro Dreams of Sushi documentary. The most consistent NYC Edomae omakase under 200 dollars.
Food10/10
Ambience9/10
Value8/10
Sushi style: Edomae Sukiyabashi Jiro school
Counter seats: Ten seats per seating; three seatings per night
Chef lineage: Sukiyabashi Jiro Tokyo (Daisuke Nakazawa apprenticed under Jiro Ono for 11 years)
Signature neta: The classical Edomae akami soy-marinated tuna; the famous tamago
Omakase format: 20 piece omakase Tokyo Jiro sequencing
Address: 23 Commerce Street, West Village
Best seat: Counter seat in front of Nakazawa-san
Best season: Year round; weekends fill four weeks ahead
Naomichi Yasuda's NYC institution. The most architecturally institutional Edomae sushi counter in Manhattan since 1999. Mitsuru Tamura now leads the kitchen.
Food10/10
Ambience9/10
Value8/10
Sushi style: Edomae Tokyo school
Counter seats: Twenty seats across the dining room and counter
Chef lineage: Sukiyabashi Jiro Tokyo lineage; Yasuda apprenticed in Tokyo Edomae kitchens
Signature neta: The signature Tokyo-style anago with the sweet soy reduction
Omakase format: 20 piece omakase Tokyo Edomae sequencing
Address: 204 East 43rd Street, Midtown East
Best seat: Counter seat at the Edomae bar
Best season: Year round; weekends fill three weeks ahead
Matsuhisa Beverly Hills (1987, the Nobu group's mothership), Sushi Park West Hollywood (strip-mall hidden gem), Asanebo Studio City (since 1991), Shibumi DTLA (one Michelin), Sushi Ginza Onodera La Cienega, Nobu Malibu, Nobu Newport Beach, Nobu Del Coronado at the historic Hotel del Coronado.
Ginza Sushi-Ichi Bangkok (the Tokyo Ginza outpost), Ginza Ichi BKK Sukhumvit, Sushi Masato Bangkok (Saito Tokyo alumni), Nobu Bangkok at the St. Regis.
Hidden eight-seat Edomae counter behind Azabu Miami. The most architecturally hidden Edomae counter in South Beach; reached only through Azabu's main dining room.
Food10/10
Ambience9/10
Value7/10
Sushi style: Edomae Tokyo school
Counter seats: Eight seats per seating
Chef lineage: Tokyo Azabu lineage
Signature neta: The signature Tokyo-style chu-toro and the famous tamago
Omakase format: 20 piece omakase Tokyo Edomae sequencing
Address: 161 Ocean Drive, South Beach (behind Azabu)
Nobu Dubai at Atlantis The Palm, Roka Dubai DIFC, Zuma Dubai DIFC, 99 Sushi Bar Dubai DIFC, Sushisamba Dubai Palm Tower, Akira Back W Dubai. Nobu Doha at Four Seasons, Morimoto Doha at Mondrian.
Palm Jumeirah, Dubai · Japanese Brazilian Peruvian · $$$$
SushiSushisamba Group
Sushisamba at the top of the Palm Tower. The Sao Paulo-Tokyo-Lima fusion at the highest sky-bar setting in Dubai. Modern Japanese sushi plus Brazilian and Peruvian influences.
Food9/10
Ambience10/10
Value7/10
Sushi style: Japanese-Brazilian-Peruvian fusion
Counter seats: Counter plus dining room plus rooftop terrace
Chef lineage: Sushisamba Group fusion lineage
Signature neta: The signature sushi tower; the Brazilian beef anticucho
Omakase format: Modern Japanese-Brazilian-Peruvian tasting
Address: Palm Tower, Palm Jumeirah
Best seat: Sky Lounge private dining banquette twelve top
Best season: October to April peak; the rooftop is the draw
Booking lead: 10 to 14 weeks for Saturday Sky Lounge slots
Dinner price: 900 to 1300 AED per person before wine
Nobu Las Vegas at Caesars Palace, Morimoto Las Vegas at MGM Grand. Uchi Austin (Tyson Cole's Texas flagship since 2003, James Beard Best Chef Southwest), Uchi Dallas, Uchi Houston, Tatsu Dallas (two Michelin). Nobu Marbella at Puente Romano, Nobu Cape Town at One&Only, Sushi Yassu São Paulo Liberdade (1980 institution), Sushi Sasa Jardins.
Cities: Austin · Cape Town · Houston · Las Vegas · Marbella · São Paulo
Nobu's Las Vegas flagship at Caesars Palace. The Nobu group's largest Strip outpost. The most consistently celebrity-rich Nobu room outside Beverly Hills.
Food9/10
Ambience10/10
Value7/10
Sushi style: Nobu-style Japanese-Peruvian
Counter seats: Counter plus dining room plus private rooms
Chef lineage: Nobu Matsuhisa originals; the Vegas Nobu lineage
Signature neta: The original yellowtail jalapeno; the Nobu black cod miso; the Nobu lobster wasabi
Omakase format: Omakase plus a la carte; the canonical Nobu omakase
Address: Nobu Hotel at Caesars Palace, 3570 S Las Vegas Blvd
Best seat: Centre dining room ten top under the Nobu sphere
Best season: Year round; Vegas weekends fill four months ahead
Booking lead: 10 to 14 weeks for Saturday slots
Dinner price: 200 to 280 USD per person before wine
Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto's MGM Grand outpost. The most architecturally cinematic modern Japanese on the Strip; the Iron Chef Morimoto omakase format.
Food9/10
Ambience10/10
Value7/10
Sushi style: Modern Japanese fusion
Counter seats: Counter plus dining room
Chef lineage: Morimoto Iron Chef lineage
Signature neta: The Morimoto signature angry chicken and the salmon roll
Omakase format: Omakase plus a la carte sushi
Address: MGM Grand, 3799 S Las Vegas Blvd
Best seat: Counter seat at the open kitchen pass
Best season: Year round; Vegas weekends fill four months ahead
Tyson Cole's modern Japanese in Austin since 2003. The most architecturally institutional Texas modern Japanese counter; James Beard Foundation Best Chef Southwest 2011.
Food10/10
Ambience9/10
Value8/10
Sushi style: Modern Japanese sushi
Counter seats: Counter plus dining room
Chef lineage: Independent Texas Japanese lineage; Cole-san trained at Tokyo Edomae kitchens before opening Uchi
Signature neta: The signature Uchi viper roll and the seasonal omakase
Omakase format: Modern Japanese omakase plus a la carte
Address: 801 South Lamar Boulevard
Best seat: Counter seat at the open kitchen pass
Best season: Year round; weekends fill three weeks ahead
Liberdade, São Paulo · Modern Japanese Brazilian · $$$$
SushiSão Paulo Liberdade institution
São Paulo Liberdade district institution since 1980. The most architecturally institutional Japanese-Brazilian sushi counter in the largest Japanese-immigrant community outside Japan.
Food9/10
Ambience9/10
Value8/10
Sushi style: Modern Japanese-Brazilian sushi
Counter seats: Counter plus dining room
Chef lineage: São Paulo Liberdade Japanese-Brazilian lineage
Signature neta: The signature Yassu otoro with the Brazilian-style soy reduction
Omakase format: Modern Japanese omakase plus a la carte
Address: Rua Tomás Gonzaga 98, Liberdade
Best seat: Counter seat at the sushi bar
Best season: Year round; April to September most consistently clear
São Paulo Jardins district modern Japanese flagship since 2010. The most architecturally elegant Japanese sushi counter in the Jardins fine-dining district.
Food9/10
Ambience10/10
Value8/10
Sushi style: Modern Japanese sushi
Counter seats: Counter plus dining room
Chef lineage: Tokyo Edomae plus São Paulo Liberdade lineage
Signature neta: The signature Tokyo-style otoro and the modern Japanese tasting
Omakase format: Modern Japanese omakase plus a la carte
Address: Rua Joaquim Antunes 244, Jardins
Best seat: Counter seat at the open kitchen pass
Best season: Year round; April to September most consistently clear
Sunset Strip, West Hollywood · Edomae Sushi · $$$$
SushiStrip mall hidden gem
Hidden in a Sunset Strip strip mall above a sushi market. The 12-seat counter is invisible from Sunset Boulevard; reached only by climbing the strip mall stairs.
Food10/10
Ambience9/10
Value8/10
Sushi style: Edomae LA school
Counter seats: Twelve seats per seating
Chef lineage: Independent Park family kitchen
Signature neta: The chu-toro nigiri with the matured rice
Omakase format: 20 piece omakase LA Edomae sequencing
The ranking is editorial, not algorithmic. We weighted six variables specifically against the sushi-outside-Japan brief: the chef's lineage (Sukiyabashi Jiro, Yoshitake, Saito, Tokami, Hashida, Onodera, Ginza Edomae schools), the sushi style (Edomae Tokyo school, Nobu fusion, modern Japanese), the counter format and capacity, the signature neta, the omakase format and sequencing, and the booking system. Three-Michelin and two-Michelin status enters the ranking where applicable but is not the sole criterion. The Edomae-trained chef lineage is weighted heavily because it defines the technical register of the counter.
Hong Kong supplies three rooms (Sushi Shikon, Sukiyabashi Jiro HK, Sushi Takeshi). Singapore three (Shoukouwa, Hashida, Sushi Kimura, Nobu Singapore). London four (The Araki, Sushi Tetsu, Endo at Rotunda, Umu, Roka Charlotte Street). Bangkok four (Ginza Sushi-Ichi, Ginza Ichi BKK, Sushi Masato, Nobu Bangkok). Miami four (Azabu, The Den at Azabu, Hiden, Hiyakawa, Nobu Miami). Dubai six (Nobu Dubai, Roka, Zuma, 99 Sushi Bar, Sushisamba, Akira Back). LA six (Matsuhisa Beverly Hills, Sushi Park WeHo, Asanebo, Shibumi, Sushi Ginza Onodera, Nobu Malibu, Nobu Newport Beach, Nobu Del Coronado). The remaining rooms span NYC (Sushi Nakazawa, Sushi Yasuda), Sydney (Yoshino), Vegas (Nobu, Morimoto), Doha (Nobu, Morimoto), Texas (Uchi Austin, Dallas, Houston, Tatsu Dallas), Marbella (Nobu), Cape Town (Nobu), and São Paulo (Sushi Yassu, Sushi Sasa).
How to Eat Sushi Outside Japan
Book the counter, not the dining room. The Edomae omakase counter is the entire experience. The dining room at Matsuhisa, Nobu, and modern Japanese rooms (Roka, Zuma) serves the broader Japanese fusion menu; the counter at the Edomae rooms (Sushi Shikon, Sushi Nakazawa, The Araki) is the canonical experience.
Sit directly facing the chef. The Edomae counter format puts the diner directly across from the chef. Order the omakase, not a la carte; the chef calibrates the sequence to the diner's pace.
Specify the omakase length at booking. Most Edomae counters offer a short omakase (12 to 14 pieces) and a long omakase (18 to 20 pieces). The long omakase is the canonical experience but adds an hour to the meal.
Drink sake or shochu, not Western wine. The Edomae counter is calibrated to sake pairing. The chef or sommelier will recommend a specific junmai or daiginjo for the omakase. Skip the Bordeaux at the sushi bar.
Time the meal correctly. Tuna season (December to February for bluefin in the Tokyo school) is the canonical tuna window; uni season varies by region but October to March is the peak globally; matsutake mushroom season is autumn. Match the booking to the seasonal calibration.
Use the Yoshitake hotel concierge channel. Sushi Shikon, Sushi Yoshitake (Tokyo), and Sukiyabashi Jiro Hong Kong all have priority booking via the Mandarin Oriental, Aman, and Peninsula hotel concierges. Build the hotel relationship for the most architecturally institutional Edomae counters.
For Nobu group rooms, focus on the original menu. The original yellowtail jalapeno (1987 Matsuhisa Beverly Hills), the Nobu black cod miso, and the Nobu lobster wasabi remain the canonical Nobu omakase. Order the original menu, not the regional adaptations.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best sushi restaurant outside Japan?
Sushi Shikon Hong Kong is the only three-Michelin Edomae sushi counter outside Japan. The Yoshitake Tokyo group's flagship at the Landmark Mandarin Oriental.
Is Sukiyabashi Jiro outside Japan?
Sukiyabashi Jiro has Hong Kong and Bangkok branches run by Takashi Ono (Jiro's son). The Hong Kong branch was removed from the Michelin Guide in 2020 because reservations were 'no longer available to the general public.'
What is the Nobu group?
Founded by Nobu Matsuhisa in 1994 with Robert De Niro and Drew Nieporent. Origin point: Matsuhisa Beverly Hills (1987). The group now operates 50 plus restaurants worldwide.
What is Edomae sushi?
Tokyo school of sushi developed in the early 19th century. Aged or matured rice, soy-marinated cuts, vinegar curing, and a sequenced 15 to 20 piece omakase. Two seatings per night, eight to ten seats. Most Tokyo three-Michelin sushi counters are Edomae.
How do I book?
Three-Michelin and Yoshitake-school counters book 8 to 12 weeks ahead via hotel concierge. The Araki London 10 to 14 weeks. Sushi Nakazawa NYC 4 to 6 weeks via Resy. Matsuhisa Beverly Hills 8 to 12 weeks. Nobu group flagships book through OpenTable or property concierge.
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