Sushi Zanmai Honten

Unfortunately, the fish market is closed on Sunday; however, there are shops in the area that you can check out in the alleys for some fresh food/​seafood.
After walking around for a bit, we decided to stop by at this place, not knowing if it’s good or bad. Our Japanese friend has no clue as well. Anyway, you’re in Japan, sushi or sashimi cannot be bad right? Let’s see how it goes.
Turns out this place is famous and has been opened for years. Once seated, we started with hot green tea and some miso soup. Omg, miso soup comes in a big bowl here. Lol. Then I ordered Fried Oysters for appetizer.
My friend ordered Tuna Toro sampler which looks really fresh. Two of us got Chirachi Bowl, and another friend got Tuna Bowl.
I was blown away on how fresh the fish tastes.
The bill came out to ¥10 000, and I don’t regret a bit. I cannot wait to go back again.

When visiting tsukiji market, I would recommend this place. We went around 7am because we were a little jet lagged. The sushi was really fresh and you can order ala carte. We made the mistake of sitting at a table instead of the counter because I think the experience would have been even better. Nonetheless the food was good and they did have an English menu and they take credit card. My lady particularly enjoyed the uni (sea urchin) because at other places she kept saying how this was the best one she had. I would go back in a heartbeat.

Sushi zanmai was right up the street from our hotel — the imperial hotel. We passed it everyday on walks back to the hotel until we finally stopped here for lunch one day. We originally tried to eat down the street at umegaoka no midori, but that place was packed as usual.
So we got seated at sushi zanmai in less than 10 minutes and the three of us ordered one sushi set and two chirashi sets.
Both sets were quite generous and had a large variety of fish (about 13 types). I was very happy with the quantity and quality of the sushi.
For the months prior to our Japan trip, we had been eating pretty poor quality sushi in Hong Kong and getting many stomach aches, so this was a nice change.
It seems like a popular tourist spot too.
I really enjoyed my sushi lunch here and I think it was quite reasonable around ¥2500 for a large portion of sushi. I would come again if the other place down the street is packed again.

Amazing. Best price you will ever pay for this quality of sushi. Great service too! We went twice during our stay in Tokyo because we loved it so much. They were very kind and patient with our limited Japanese.

Decent sushi and they were super nice to our family. We left my daughter in the stroller outside sleeping and the greeter kept an eye on her while we ate. Skip the rotating sushi and just order off the menu. Great value.

This place is great with the exception of the hostess who was rude, dismissive and unattentive. I stood in line for 20 minutes as I was ignored and saw other patrons who arrived get seated before me. She took down their names as she skipped me. When I got to the front of the line she even asked me to get in the back of the line when it was clear I was in the right line queuing for 20 minutes. I wrote to her in Japanese explaining my frustration only then did the waiter come out to seat me. No apologies from her either. Rude! I’ve never been a difficult customer but this really grinds my gears!
The sushi was fresh here but I will not be returning!

Everything is so fresh here! But I suppose that is expected throughout Japan in general. They offer different types of Toro and I tried all three. The Otoro was actually a little too fatty for my taste. but still delicious nonetheless. Uni was super sweet and nothing like the ones I can get in San Francisco. The price is nothing compared to SF prices either, especially accounting for the quality of the fish. They do accept credit cards here, which is great because I was spending all my cash around the market. Definitely have to come here if you’re in the area! I wish I had more room in my stomach to have more!

Chirashi bowl and marinated tuna rice bowl was delicious and affordable. Lunch prices were reasonable. Sashimi was fresh and ebi was perfext.

Sweet luscious fatty tuna.
How thee melts in my mouth, a wonderful combination of texture and flavor.
How thee looks so beautiful, a blushing pink calling to embrace your tenderness.
So I ravage you again, and again, and again.
…
Right. If you couldn’t tell, I’m an absolute fan of their fatty tuna. Mind you, their other offerings are top of the line — best uni I’ve ever had (and I dislike uni), crunchy abalone, a generously large and tasty eel. everything was great. They also have crab miso soup, with a whole crab in your soup. How fun! But this is ALL eclipsed by the amazing fatty tuna they carry here. When I first looked at it, I was hesitant — it was very pink, and the marbled fat was sparse (I expected REALLY marbled fish, like kobe beef). So I hastily put it in my mouth not expecting much, chewing faster than I should have. After two bites, my mouth automatically locked, telling my body to SLOW THE EFF DOWN. My friend said my face went into shock — my mind couldn’t process how deliciously tender this fish was, and how everything was just melting. I’ve always used the term «orgasm in my mouth» loosely — this experience could only be explained by such a phrase. God, my body nearly broke down. It was so good, I came back a second time and ordered more pieces. At 400 yen a piece, they can definitely add up if you bulk order at once. But the experience is so decadent, time slows, and you’ll realize you’re savoring each piece to it’s fullest potential. Plus, if you overeat, you’ll ruin the experience (your tongue unfortunately adjusts and it starts feeling like a standard for tuna).
Overall, I highly, highly recommend coming here to try the fatty tuna… as you can see based on my fat paragraph promoting just that. This restaurant is located in the famous Japanese fish market, so there are sometimes lines (we almost had to wait in line at 7AM!) Well worth the visit to the area as well with the small stalls and the tuna fish auction if you can get up early enough!

Good fish, great service and reasonable prices which combined with open 24h make for fun atmosphere.

Delicioso! definitivamente es el mejor sushi que he probado en Tokio. La frescura es inigualable, recomiendo llegar temprano porque hay que hacer fila, nosotros tuvimos suerte sólo esperamos 20 mins. Son 2 sucursales y una abre 24 hrs. Lo mejor es el atún– Toro, o-​Toro y Fatty Tuna. aaaammmm!!!

$ 5.5million for a tuna? Some record and tons of publicity for a great place! I was taken here by an ex-​pat buddy of mine who’s fluent and has been going here for ten plus years. Truly memorable sushi and very reasonably priced. We had a wide assortment from fatty tuna to uni (not me thanks!) but all was very flavorful. My only niggle… No Tamari but I didn’t really expect it :)

This was my first time eating sashimi. Did not disappoint! It was smooth like butter and definitely a great place to check out! It is ²⁴⁄₇ I believe and the price was very decent. I would come here again. The line went by very fast as well and we were seated right away.

We came here around 5am on a Sunday. It’s great that they open ²⁴⁄₇. Lots of options for Japanese cuisine. Good seating and the price is better than the ones in fish market. We really enjoyed it.

One of the few sashimi, sushi shops in Tsukiji market to accept credit cards and was thankful for that because by the time I arrived in Tokyo, I was low on cash and lost all forms of debit card possibilities to get cash from banks and ATM machines. This place is convenient and the service was superbly nice.
They gave generous proportions of UNI! Loved it! Yummy Hamachi and Salmon sashimi. However, the UNI was the winner here!
I sat at the round-​a-​bout sushi boat counter. It was fun to get what you want from that as well as having the option to order up what was not on the boat counter.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE ZANMAI.
It’s no surprise that Sushi Zanmai gets 5 stars from me at their many locations in Tsukiji Fish Market. I first came here in 2009 with my Study Abroad crew, and we loved it each and every time. Now, every time I have a friend ask for recommendations for sushi in Tokyo, or when I am showing them around, I immediately tell them to go to this wonderful, 24-​hour joint.
Yes, there are «fancier» sushi restaurants in the area, and yes, this may not be the most orgasmic fish you’ll consume in your life (given your budget). However, for backpackers or those who want to taste nearly the best, there is no real challenger over Zanmai in Tsukiji. They are simply number one in my books for a variety of reasons:
1. The sushi chef’s have trained hard for their positions. It’s my theory that new trainees are sent to other locations around Tokyo, but the best are here in the fish market. Plus, they are cheerful and will engage in conversation with you– many wit=ll try their English if you do your best with Japanese!
2. The fish here is SUPERB! You must try everything especially on the seasonal menus where they usually offer discounts on certain fish. The salmon here is fatty and amazing, think of it as a «melt-​in-​your-​mouth» taste. The fatty cuts of tuna (toro) are also some to be reckon with! I have not had a bad piece of sushi here ever.
3. Affordable prices! Salmon itself is a measly ¥98 per piece, with more expensive cuts of fish on average ¥128-¥450. Trust me, eat up and you will not be disappointed.
Wash it down with a nice Kirin Draft and you’ve got a feast. You won’t get something like this anywhere else, even in America. Take advantage and enjoy the Sushi Zanmai ride, for it’s a train that I will not be getting off anytime soon.

Excellent sushi! Nothing but sushi with fresh melt in your mouth seafood. I saw two more smaller outlets here at Tsukiji Market. I knew it would be good because many locals were standing in line. I was right. It’s fairly priced and so gooood.

This place was recommended to me by a friend in Seoul as a place in Tokyo to get some good sushi at an inexpensive price in the Tsukiji Fish Market. Indeed, the salmon sushi I had here was great! I came in when the restaurant first opened and enjoyed some sushi and green tea and the difference between sushi from the United States and Japan was immediately apparent.
The atmosphere difference of a Japanese sushi restaurant and an American restaurant was really vast as well. During my visit the yen was very strong against the dollar so it was still pretty expensive despite the discount rates. Overall, an experience that I would recommend.
There are several sushi-​zanmai restaurants in Tokyo so it may be a little hard to locate without some of these handy photos!

This restaurant is recommended by a dear friend, she is no longer my friend. Just kidding! We did have high expectations because this is a very popular restaurant for locals. The special shrimp and oysters we started with were great but it went downhill from there. The baked conch was tiny and rubbery. It was flavored with artificial smoke flavoring that was bitter. The sashimi platter for two was about the taste and quality of Nijiya in the US but cost 3 times more. The abalone sushi was chewy and flavorless; the uni sushi’s color was wrong and the taste was worse. Unfortunately it was also the last thing we ate, our mouths were left with rotten fishy taste as if we swallowed pond scum. This is a budget restaurant, foodies beware.

— Decent place without waiting forever, and the price was reasonable. -
Food: 4 stars
Price: 4 stars
Ambiance: 3 stars
Service: 4 stars
Overall: 3.75 stars
Food:
Decent! The fish was fresh and the Uni was excellent!
Price:
I got 10 pieces of Nigiri for 2180 yen, which is like $ 18. I think it’s a good deal consider the quality of fish is decent. Not to mention that one of my Nigiri contain uni, hehe.
Ambiance:
I went there REALLY REALLY early (maybe 5:30 am or 6 am). Yeah yeah, I woke up super early for food as usual, but that’s not important! Anyways, they asked me where I want to sit and I chose the bar, so I could talk to the sushi chef. There weren’t that many people in the first floor since there are 3 floors there (if I remember correctly). There weren’t many people talking since it’s early, but I really dislike it when the guy next to me started to smoke. He also looked at me weirdly, like how girls (women?) weren’t suppose to eat sushi by themselves. boo!
Service:
The sushi chef asked me how was the food, and I said it was delicious. Thank god that little Japanese I can still manage! hahaha. He was always there when I wanted to order something though. The waiter was fast to bring my tea when I arrived as well, along with a hot towel to clean my hand.
Overall:
I’d come here again with my husband since this place is decent and we don’t have to wait forever to eat here (I don’t think he’ll enjoy waiting for any kind of sushi for 3 hours.).

There are several sushi-​zanmais in the tsukiji area, and all were relatively crowded during lunchtime. We expected them all to be about the same, so we walked around for a bit and chose the one with the shortest line. Unfortunately for us, English isn’t widely spoken, so it took some time to get on the waiting list. We waited for about 15 minutes before we were moved to the holding area inside and then to some counter seating.
This kaiten style of sushi cuisine is becoming more popular in the US and has been around for decades where I’m from, so the conveyor belt didn’t faze me. The prices were great considering the quality of sushi (no premade nigiri rice, not a lot of deep fried items or sushi covered in sauce). This stuff is legit. And cheap. I could eat here for the rest of my life. I particularly liked the trios and sushi sets because I was able to try a variety of items.
Obviously the sushi was amazing, but the hot tea was also on point. I need to find out where I can get me some matcha green tea powder so I can make this great tea at home.
The service was also great – the girl out front was peppy and friendly and the sushi chefs were very accommodating and patient with our language barrier. I left full and happy and will hopefully be retuning in the near future!