Best Japanese Omakase Restaurants in Shanghai

A list of some of the best Japanese restaurants in Shanghai that do fantastic omakase menus, ones that I frequent and keep going back for more.

Best Japanese restaurants in Shanghai for omakase. Photo by Rachel Gouk @ Nomfluence.

I love a good omakase meal.

It’s the satisfaction of being able to sit at the counter to watch the exceptional mastery and art behind sushi and sashimi making. There’s also the lighthearted banter, the cheeky toasts of sake, and the dynamics of my dining companions that truly make it a memorable meal.

I also find that the omakase experience gets better the more I go. Getting to know your sushi master is similar to getting to know your bartender, and familiarity does add to the experience.

Without further ado, here are seven restaurants for you to bookmark.

Note: Ingredients change based on availability and season.

Top Japanese Omakase Restaurants in Shanghai

Ochiyo
Hulu Sushi 葫芦寿司
Kappo Yu 鮨割烹·遊
Sushi Naoki 鮨直輝

Ochiyo

Ochiyo is one of my top choices when it comes to Japanese omakase in Shanghai. Led by chef Sun-San, it’s a step above in terms of experience and sushi cuts (especially since he imports most of the fish directly from Japan). Every dinner is different, from seasonal baby eels that are only available for a couple weeks to whole slabs of top-grade tuna fresh off the plane from Japan.

Sun-San is also from the Oyama school and spent his formative years doing kaiseki at Ochobo (now closed). Ochiyo is located in the 上方花园 compound in a lanehouse. He also runs a small import company, which is how he is able to get some lesser-seen Japanese ingredients.

Kaiseki is a multi-course meal, and the more noticeable differences (if you’re not a sushi snob) are the inclusion of multiple techniques used in the creation of a kaiseki menu. This includes courses of amuse bouche and soups, grilled and simmered dishes, tempura, etc. It’s not just nigiri sushi and sashimi.

Omakase at Ochiyo is ¥1,280 per person.

View the listing for Ochiyo here.

Hulu Sushi 葫芦寿司

Hulu Sushi, one of the best Japanese restaurants in Shanghai for omakase. Photo by Rachel Gouk @ Nomfluence.

Hulu Sushi is a 12-seater omakase restaurant located within Pirata on Xingfu Lu. These two restaurants are symbiotic, as they are after all, run by a husband and wife team. Both restaurants just reopened this August, previously located in Columbia Circle.

Chef/owner Liu-San founded Hulu Sushi in August 2018. Before that, had spent seven years as a sous chef at Sushi Oyama, a wildly popular omakase restaurant in Shanghai. Oyama has long since closed but is still talked about to this day as a barometer of excellence. (Coincidentally, three other restaurants on this list are headed by chefs who come from the Oyama school of sushi.)

While Liu-San’s style inevitably shows echoes of Oyama, he has really come into his own. His is a steady paced meal accented with flavor bombs like torched toro crowned with uni and the layering of ebi, scallop, and even more sea urchin. And he’s also quite the entertainer.

Omakase at Hulu Sushi is ¥1,080 per person.

View the venue listing for Hulu Sushi here.

Kappo Yu 鮨割烹·遊

Kappo Yu, one of the best Japanese restaurants in Shanghai for omakase. Photo by Rachel Gouk @ Nomfluence.

Kappo Yu is the longest standing omakase restaurant I know of, at least one that is located downtown. It opened in 2010, almost immediately after Sushi Oyama burst onto the scene. Kappo Yu does kaiseki style, led by Niu-San, who is also from the Oyama school. He’s been at the helm since 2018.

It’s a small restaurant with a bright red counter that snakes around the centerstage. There are a plus a couple private rooms, too.

Fun fact: The quirky projections that run on the back wall throughout the meal are developed by founder Hirano Naoya, theatrics that later inspired the creation of Anthologia, an immersive theatre-style Japanese restaurant.

Omakase at Kappo Yu is ¥1,100 per person.

View the venue listing for Kappo Yu here.

Sushi Naoki 鮨直輝

Address: 虹梅路3911号10号楼, 近延安西路
Tel: 54730595, 18121390595
Hours: Mon-Sat, 6pm-11pm
Address: 46 Yancheng Lu, near Xizang Nan Lu 盐城路46号, 近西藏南路
Tel: 63120655
Hours: Mon-Sun, 5:30pm-11pm

Sushi Naoki, one of the best Japanese restaurants in Shanghai for omakase. Photo by Rachel Gouk @ Nomfluence. — Sushi Naoki, Huangpu

There are two outposts of Sushi Naoki, one in Gubei and another in Huangpu district. It’s run by chef Kevin Lin, a Taiwan-native who spent the last 20-odd years honing his craft.

He does a high-end brand of omakase, and uses premium ingredients like Triton’s trumpet sea snail, abalone, puffer fish milt, and sujiko kasuzuke in his menu. I’ve been going to Chef Kevin as far back as 2017.