Tokyo Tsukiji Fish Market Best Sushi Shop - Sushi Dai

Sushi anyone?

Emma and JJ are addicted to sushi.  That being said, Tokyo is our favourite city, because we LOVE sushi.

Where is a good place to try Sushi?  

HMMMMM

How about the famous Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo?  It is a must visit market when you are visiting Tokyo.  

Tsukiji is the biggest fish and seafood wholesale market in the word, and it is known for the famous Tuna Auction.  Auction registration starts from 5:00AM and is limited to 120 visitors.  Last time we got there at 4:00AM and it was already too late to reserve a spot, so no luck for us.

What makes it an attractive place for a foodie to go?  Of coure…food.  There are many popular sushi shops in the market. But, prepare to queue 1 to 4 hours to try at a good sushi shop.  We have tried less popular sushi shops in the market…our conclusion, the good ones are really worth the wait.  Sigh, life of a foodie is not easy.  Of course you can find a comparable quality sushi else where in Tokyo, but I think you are really there for the experience.

Today, we are sharing our experience at Sushi Dai. It is the most popular sushi shop in the market.  We have been there twice, and waited for over 4 hours each time. So no more Sushi Dai in our life. Daiwa Sushi shop is also a very popular choice and the wait time is about one to two hours.  We have also been there twice, so no more Daiwa Sushi as well LOL.  

Let’s talk about Sushi Dai – It is a very small sushi shop and fits about 12 to 13 customers.

We arrived the Tsukiji around 4:30AM, there was already a long line up. Pretty crazy eh…there were at least 50 people queuing, and the line was so long that we had to wait at the corner of the building.  

After 3 hours of waiting, we observed the sun rise and yes, we are still queuing…after we waited for 3 hours, we can’t quit at this time…right? RIGHT!  

Photo of a souvenir shop near by. 

Finally, we are the next group to go in…

Sushi Dai offers two menus: Omakase for ¥4,000 or Standard for ¥2,600.  

Omakase means “I will leave it up to you”, so in a sushi shop, it means I will leave it up to the chef to prepare the sushi based on the freshest fish of the day.  

Sushi Dai Omakase menu consists of 10 pieces of sushi, sushi roll and one special sushi where you get to pick from their special menu.  Standard menu consists of 6 pieces of sushi and sushi roll.After 4 hours of waiting in line…we feel like we each should order two sets of Omakase LOL…

Photo of the Sushi Chefs

Inside Sushi Dai, there is only one L shaped table, funny that everyone is busy taking the photo…I guess after you waited for 4+ hours, you want to capture the moment and share it on your social media….”Yeah, I am eating at Sushi Dai!!!”

Once we settled down, they served us with a very delicious miso soup.  It tasted very different than the average miso soup.We ordered the Omakase menu and sushi was served piece by piece.  Chef was able to say the name of all the sushis in multiple languages….unbelievable customer service.  Hahaa, so we heard, Japanese, English, Mandarin and Thai.The first sushi is our favourite Toro (Fatty Tuna) Sushi  . So satisfy, the fish is so fresh and buttery, it literally melted in our mouth.

Few more yummy sushi photos….

Tuna Sushi

Horse Mackerel Sushi

Ark Clam Sushi

This is the menu to pick the special sushi.

Special Menu

Emma’s special clam sushi, interesting chewy texture but very fresh.

We definitely had a very satisfy meal, but is it worth the wait?  HMMMM, if you have lots of time in Tokyo and you don’t mind lining up for few hours, then you should consider it.  

It is the best sushi shop in the Tsukiji market.

Visited June 2015     

Tips:

First time visitor:

Tsukiji market does not open daily, please check their calendar.

Link to 2017 calendar: http://www.shijou.metro.tokyo.jp/calendar/2017/

Suggest to go early in the morning, since most of the shops close by early afternoon.

If you are interested to watch the tuna auction, try to be there by 3:00 am.

If you plan to queue, bring a book or an entertainment.  I have seen people bring a portable chair hahaa

Watch for the chaotic traffic (lots of trucks and motorized trolleys).

Do not bring large bags (go before shopping not after), since the market is crowed and restaurants are very small.

For popular sushi restaurants, prepare to wait in line.

Tsukiji Market will be moving in 2017 or 2018, so do check their website if you are planning to visit the market.