The best sushi spots in Vienna

This relatively new sushi bar has been impressing locals since February 2017. With a modern, cozy interior and a friendly international staff, you have the possibility to sit in front of your sushi master and appreciate watching every single roll that they send out, after preparing it with a quiet focus.

As a result of the owner’s Chinese ancestors and lifetime in Vienna, KitchA attempts to combine the best of both Chinese culture and Japanese in their amazing sushi, along with their weekly specials. And there’s no doubt hat the sushi here is the star of the show. They offer a decent variety of sushi, such as the classics, like a simple yet amazingly fresh sashimi mix, along with their interpretation of a modern roll, like the Spicy Tuna Roll, their Japan Roll and the Pink Alaska Roll. If you are overwhelmed by the choice, relax! Whatever your decision, you can bet that your sushi craving evenings will be successfully tamed.

The best part is that even if you are feeling too lazy to experience the restaurant live, in person, you can actually order their sushi to be delivered to you in your pyjamas on your couch.

We recommend… ending your dinner with one of their sweet desserts. They work perfectly to balance out the flavours in your mouth after the main dish

More or less like a intimate Izakaya (a kind of Japanese Gasthaus), Hidori is a place where you can find sensational sushi and sashimi, served up by masters of the roll in a relaxed setting.

It has also skewered itself (excuse the pun) a reputation for its range of Yakitori (skewered barbequed meats, typically chicken). The chef, Masahito Udagawa, hails from a city close to Tokyo, and is a natural talent in the Japanese kitchen, from dishes such as Hotate Salad (Salad with Japanese scallops), Ika Natto (raw squid with fermented soybeans), and the making of Maki. Masahito has a dealer in fresh fish, which is certainly noticeable.

Uncommon in this sleepy city, it lives in Tokyo hours, being open late into the night. Oh, and be prepared to smell like Yakitori when leaving – like we said, it’s the real Japanese Izakaya experience.

This is a Japanese Kneipe (bar) owned and run by 2 couples made up of Austrians and Germans … we know, there’s so many things odd about this sentence. Creative takes on Japanese dishes are made to consumed in a sharing tapas kind of way at Mochi, including their sushi ‘special rolls,’ which come in original combinations like their surf and turf option that’s stuffed with tempura prawns on the inside and a thin slice of beef on laid delicately on top. And their popular Dana roll deserves a mention, with its truffle mayo topping and its tempura salmon insides. Then there’s their plain and neat Maki varieties, from pumpkin to salmon or avocado.

The menu – prepared by their highly-trained chef, Eddie, and his team – is traditional Japanese mutated into a modern western creation. Actually, there’s little that’s traditional about Mochi. Except maybe you could loosely say their Nakiri and Sashimi variety that is made with the freshest and top quality seafood you’ll find in town.

Inside it boasts an interior design in which the chopsticks match the drapes – complete with the exotic, bold weirdness that we love about the Japanese sense of style. Bold, minimalist touches spring out at you from the black background of the walls. Outside, one of the best al fresco gardens in the city is set between a outstretched leafy tree, and cobblestones of a sweet square located at Praterstraße’s sweet spot, up the Donaukanal end. And you have to use the toilet, even if you don’t have to go. You’ll know what we mean once you venture down there.

We also recommend… you have one of the house sake-based cocktails, like the Tokyo Mule (lime, ginger beer, sake) or the Mochi ginger (ginger, tonic water and sake)

Walking in, you have the feeling you’ve walked into an authentic Japanese Izakaya –the dishes of the day scrawled on the dark walls, the waitresses in kimonos. And the food is the real deal.

The sashimi and sushi are made with super fresh ingredients and the choice is vast. All of it is made by hand, quietly, by some very focused looking sushi masters. And it comes in all of its varieties –nigiri, maki temaki, chirashi or sashimi – all made with high-quality fish.

The chef, Taiyo-san, comes from Hokkaido, one of the four main Japanese islands. The service is sharp, and will make you feel at home. There’s a well-priced lunch menu at Nihon Bashi.

We also recommend… you order the Matcha Set – green tea made with a tea powder and a special bamboo whisk known as a Chasen.
Also good to know… there’s also karaoke, from ‪Mon until Sun ‪6pm–11pm

Eating at Shiki is an exotic culinary adventure. Forget what you know about Japanese restaurants and get ready to dive into a completely new experience. The concept has been crafted to be unique by it’s owner – who happens to also be a violinist and conductor – Mr. Joji Hattori. Shiki boasts a fusion between western interior design and the oriental way of bringing together a bunch of details that create the perfect zen – you can spot the Japanese beauty at work in the handmade paper on the table, the dark ceilings, the vine-covered wall. And same goes for the firey food fusion happening here.

Ingredients are fresh, and the cuisine is a contemporary take on Japanese tradition where a blowtorch is commonplace in the kitchen. For example, the delicacy of sashimi and tartare will make your eyes widen like a manga comic character. The mix of flavours the sushi master – chef Rico Rassbach – makes are a rare take on the raw fish rolls. That’s right, Rico, the chef, is German, but he’s more Japanese than a Geisha.
It’s not cheap, but if you go at lunch, you can experience the reasonably priced Shiki Contemporary Sushi menu.

We also recommend… the small Shiki Contemporary Sushi gives you a good taste of the mastery of the sushi chef and will help keep your check below 30 €
We also love… The grated freshly grated wasabi is part of the magic of Shiki.

Unkai is housed on the rooftop of one of the most luxurious hotels in town. Japanese tradition is practised seriously here, beginning with the Oshibori (a hot, wet hand towel), you’re handed upon entering – just like in Japan.
The atmosphere is fit for an emperor. During the day, the main room is white and bright. And the plates of food are just as dashingly displayed, with garnishes made up of rare Japanese herbs like Shiso leaves (a sort of Japanese basil), seaweed, and edible flowers – a detail we personally love.

The sushi menu is modern and full of the standard favourites, and kicks off with a couple of set options which are convenient if selecting sushi is not your strong point, and they each contain a good mix of Nigiri, Maki and Sashimi. As you could imagine, the prices will make you choke on your sushi, but it’s one of the most special Japanese restaurants you’ll find in Vienna, and they’re using only the best ingredients.

The recommend… the Chawanmushi (Steamed Savoury Egg Custard) – it’s an authentic surprise, served inside a porcelain box, full of vegetables and seafood hidden inside.
We also recommend… Unkai Special Zen menu is a big Bento Box, including a lot of food and it also a delicious green tea ice cream for dessert
They also have… a quality sushi bar on street level.

Sakai’s cosiness puts you immediately at ease. The name of the restaurant is the surname of the owner and chef, Hiroshi Sakai. Hiroshi comes from Sapporo and he’s brought all of the typical crab-centric dishes from this region with him.

Ingredients are consistently of a high quality and fresh. And while finding fresh fish in Vienna is like finding a fishing hook in a desert, Hiroshi has a Croatian supplier bringing in a fresh catch regularly which makes the impossible, possible. There is enough of a sushi selection to keep any fan happy, with Sashimi that screams of its freshness and a crunch california maki that won us over with its perfectly done tempura coating.

The walls are always covered by exhibitions from different artists, painters and photographers.

We recommend… you check out the Sunday brunch! It’s all-you-can-eat, and there’s a spread of Sashimi Sushi, and a good variety of cooked dishes.
You have to try… the delicious deep-fried tuna and tempura.