What usually works in a sushi kitchen, and where the limits actually are. Including the cases where the answer is no.
Usually works
Avocado, cucumber and pickled radish rolls, inari, vegetable tempura, tofu and aubergine dishes, edamame, seaweed salad.
Where the limit is
Miso soup and many broths are made with fish stock, and crab stick is fish. Ask about dashi, bonito, fish sauce and surimi by name.
Usually works
The vegetarian list, minus a few items.
Where the limit is
Egg appears often, honey glazes are common, and anything described as spicy usually means a mayonnaise sauce.
Usually works
Plain fish, rice, vegetables and most simple rolls.
Where the limit is
Ordinary soy sauce contains wheat, tempura batter is wheat flour, and crab stick and many sauces contain it too. Gluten free soy sauce exists but has to be asked for.
Usually works
Nothing can be promised here without talking to you first.
Where the limit is
A sushi kitchen handles shellfish on the same boards, knives and hands as everything else. For a severe allergy that is a real risk, and we would rather say so than reassure you.
Usually works
The whole cooked side of the menu: grilled dishes, tempura, cooked rolls, vegetables, rice bowls with cooked toppings.
Where the limit is
Advice on raw fish differs by country and it is a question for a doctor, not for a restaurant. We will not tell you it is fine.
Usually works
Cucumber and avocado rolls, cooked shrimp, the sweet egg omelette, edamame, rice bowls, noodles.
Where the limit is
Spicy sauces, strong sesame notes and very thick rolls tend not to land. Keep wasabi off the plate rather than scraping it off later.
A sushi kitchen prepares raw fish and shellfish on shared surfaces, with shared knives, in a small space. We can change what goes on your plate. We cannot turn the kitchen into a separate room. For a mild intolerance that is usually fine. For a severe allergy it is a real risk, and a restaurant that tells you otherwise on a website has not thought about it properly.
Tell us your exact case and we will give you a straight answer, including no.
None of this is unique to us. It is worth knowing wherever you eat Japanese food.
The stock behind miso soup, noodle broths and many simmered vegetables. It is made from dried fish.
The fine shavings that move on top of a warm dish. Dried fish again.
The pink and white crab stick in a lot of rolls. Fish paste, and it usually contains wheat.
Brewed with wheat unless it says otherwise.
Almost always mayonnaise based, so not vegan.
Often contain honey or fish derived sauces.
No. That is the honest answer, and it is the same at any sushi restaurant. If your reaction is severe, this is not the right kind of kitchen for you, and we would rather lose the booking than take the risk.
It exists as a product. Whether it is on the counter on a given evening is worth asking before you order, and worth asking every time rather than assuming.
Usually not. Classic miso soup is built on dashi, which is a fish stock. Ask specifically about dashi rather than asking whether the soup is vegetarian, because the second question is easy to answer wrongly in good faith.
Guidance varies by country and by age, so ask a doctor rather than a restaurant. Plenty of families order the cooked side and leave the raw part for later.
Through the contact form, before you come. It gives the kitchen time to answer properly instead of at the door on a busy evening.
The more precise you are, the more useful the answer. Name the ingredient, the reaction and the evening you had in mind.