Sushi Ishiyama

Sushi Ishiyama ended up on our list after a tip from a friend, and I'm really glad we went. In a city like Tokyo, where there are more sushi places than you could get through in a lifetime, a personal recommendation from someone you trust is worth its weight in gold. This turned out to be one of the best tips I've ever received. Sushi Ishiyama is on the fourth floor of the Morita Building in Ginza, in the middle of one of Tokyo's most classic districts for high-end sushi. The restaurant has been selected for Tabelog Sushi TOKYO 100 2025, the food site Tabelog's selection of the city's sushi restaurants. The space is small and intimate, with just 15 seats, and everyone sits at the counter in front of the sushi chef, Takao Ishiyama. The format is omakase, meaning the chef decides what is served and in what order, and from your seat you can follow every step up close. We had booked the Ishiyama full omakase course, and it is simply the best sushi omakase I've ever had. Everything is prepared right before your eyes with incredible precision, and you can see in every movement that the chef has total command of his craft. It's professional and polished from start to finish, and the flavors stay at the same high level all the way through. The menu cost 48,000 yen, which is a lot of money for a dinner. But both the experience and the flavors undoubtedly make up for it. The service was phenomenally good and made the experience even stronger. With so few seats at the counter, the evening becomes personal in a way that's hard to achieve at larger restaurants. You sit close, see how every piece comes together, and feel like part of what's happening behind the counter, while everything is handled so professionally that you can simply lean back and enjoy. Sushi Ishiyama is for anyone who wants to treat themselves to something truly special in Tokyo. It's not a spontaneous dinner, neither in price nor in format, but for anyone who loves sushi it's worth a detour and every single yen. My advice is to go all in and book the Ishiyama full omakase course, and to check the restaurant's Instagram for current information before your visit. A place I'd happily return to next time I'm in Tokyo.