New to sushi? Start here

Nobody is going to test you. Five minutes of reading and you can order anywhere without guessing.

A single piece of nigiri held between chopsticks on a purple background

Three words carry the whole menu

1

Nigiri

A small press of seasoned rice with something laid over the top. One or two bites. The rice is half the point, not a base you tolerate.

2

Maki

The rolled form: rice and filling wrapped in seaweed and cut into rounds. Almost every roll with a name belongs here.

Slices of raw fish fanned out on a cream background

3

Sashimi

Sliced fish, no rice at all. Nothing to hide behind, which is why it is the last thing to try rather than the first.

No, it is not all raw

This is the fear that keeps most people away, and it is based on half a menu.

Cooked, always

Cooked

Poached shrimp
Crab stick, which is a cooked fish paste
Grilled eel with its glaze
The sweet egg omelette
Everything tempura
Teriyaki dishes
Edamame, gyoza, miso soup, rice

Raw, and proud of it

Raw

Sashimi
Most salmon and tuna nigiri
Rolls built around raw fish
Roe, the small bright beads
Some rice bowls, depending on what you pick

If raw is not your thing, you are not ordering the reduced version of the meal. You are ordering the other half of it.

A first order that works

Three items, three textures, nothing intimidating.

1
One warm cooked dish

Grilled, fried or simmered. It arrives first and settles the table.
2
One cooked or vegetable roll

Shrimp, crab stick, avocado or cucumber. Easy to hold, easy to like.
3
One thing you have never had

A single piece of nigiri. One bite is a small enough risk to be worth taking.

The questions people do not want to ask at the table

Chopsticks or fingers?

Either. Nigiri has been eaten with fingers for a very long time and nobody will look twice. Use whatever gets the food to your mouth in one piece.

How much soy sauce?

Less than you think, and on the fish rather than the rice. Rice soaks it up and falls apart, and the seasoning in the rice is already doing part of the job.

Do I have to eat the wasabi?

No. Leave it on the side of the plate. Nobody is keeping score.

How much should I order?

Start with three items per person and add from there. Ordering in rounds is normal and it keeps everything at its best temperature.

What if I do not like it?

Then you know, and it cost you one bite. Tell us what you did not like and the next suggestion will be a better one.