The Germantown location of this luxurious Charleston-based chain makes believers out of those who don’t think Nashville has a grip on Japanese cuisine. Expect A-5 wagyu beef prepared tableside; pristine nigiri and sashimi; head-turning rolls like the NashVegas with crab, goat cheese mousse, and spicy tuna; and fun cocktails, fancy Jell-O shots, and a good selection of sake in a moody setting splashed with lavender banquettes and manzanita branches. You can also put your culinary fate in the hands of a pro with an omakase tasting of the chef’s choicest daily offerings.

Inspired by Japanese ramen houses and casual izakayas, this hip East Nashville pub with a charming patio focuses on hot snacks and noodle bowls plus a deep selection of cocktails, sake, shochu, and Japanese whiskeys, alongside tea and mocktails. But Two Ten Jack also serves some of the city’s best sushi, from pristine scallop sashimi and Hawaiian butterfish nigiri to the playful handroll bowls that put you in charge of building your own rolls using various sashimi, rice, and nori.

On the Donelson side of town, Dear Sushi defines “no-frills” — even the dine-in dinnerware is disposable, and the decor comprises just a few wooden tables below a blue sky mural with clouds. But this counter-service restaurant knows its way around standard sushi rolls, and the small, clean space makes it easy to watch the chefs at work. You’ll find well-executed classics (spicy tuna, California rolls, eel rolls, and the like) and a section dubbed “Fancy Sushi” with rolls like teriyaki chicken with sweet potato and mayo, as well as some nigiri.

The menu at this sleek Gulch restaurant — a pan-Asian export out of Chicago from celebrity Billy Dec — covers a lot of ground, from Korean to Thai to Filipino to Japanese. Sunda’s straightforward nigiri and sashimi options include unagi and uni, while rolls overflow with the likes of spicy tuna, escolar, and fried shallots (Tail of Two Tunas) and a decadent mix of lobster, wagyu tataki, and foie gras aioli (Lobster Wagyu). You can order sushi at brunch, too, alongside a towering take on a Bloody Mary topped with, among other things, a baked snow crab hand roll.

Hidden in a strip mall on White Bridge Road, this low-key Japanese restaurant with an adjacent market has been winning over fans with quality, value, and freshness since 1987. The long list of options includes classic sushi rolls, nigiri, and bento boxes as well as harder-to-find bites like the fermented soybean dish natto, kaki fry, crab isobe age, negima, and umeshiso maki. Sushi chef and owner Tsuyoshi Kajisa was diagnosed with leukemia in 2022, and the family set up a GoFundMe campaign to help cover medical bills and related expenses; he’s on the road to recovery now thanks to a bone marrow transplant from a daughter.

Like several other spots around town, the Eastern Peak serves both Thai food and sushi, though the sashimi and creative sushi rolls steal the scene. The decor varies by location — the spot on Thompson Lane is relatively understated while the Bellevue, Gulch, and Franklin restaurants are flashier — but the menu items are fairly consistent between the restaurants. Some solid options are the Nashville-inspired deep-fried Titan Roll with spicy crab, avocado, and cream cheese, and the Thai spicy shrimp roll with tuna, mango, asparagus, and Thai basil sauce.

A self-proclaimed “American Izakaya,” Punk Wok’s quickly become a Sylvan Park favorite with its laid-back, come-as-you-are vibe and edgy maki menu (case in point: the Nate Gifford Is Punk as F**k roll with tempura shrimp, Gifford’s bacon, pineapple, and seared jalapeño slivers). The cocktails here, along with the tightly curated Japanese whisky list, play nicely with the inventive rolls. Space is limited at this Sylvan Supply spot (i.e. reservations are probably a good idea), but walk-ins are welcome at the bar.

Maru took over the former Burger Joint space in the Nations with counter-service sushi and an outdoor patio for more temperate Nashville days. The space has an industrial, gastropub feel working for it thanks to its predecessor, but that doesn’t take away from its flavor-packed crunch rolls, sushi burritos, and the crowd-favorite avocado bomb — a deep-fried avocado stuffed with spicy tuna, crab, avocado, and cream cheese. Along with their Nations spot, you’ll also find two other locations in East Nashville and Hendersonville.

The best seats in the house at the Samurai Sushi in Midtown are at the chef’s counter, where it’s easiest to watch the action happen and choose your own adventure. The restaurant offers dozens of rolls, from raw to cooked to rice-free to vegetarian, and even an entire deep-fried section. Sushi Samurai also has larger locations in East Nashville and Germantown that add Korean dishes like bibimbap and beef bulgogi to the equation.