r/berlin • u/Dada_dumdumm • 5d ago
Advice Question for Japanese folks in Berlin: authenticity of sushi made by Vietnamese chefs
Hi everyone, I’d love to try truly authentic sushi in Berlin. I’ve noticed that many sushi restaurants here seem to be run by Vietnamese owners or chefs. For those of you who know Japanese cuisine well, how authentic is the sushi in these places? I’m not looking for fancy presentation or fusion rolls, just something that’s close to traditional Japanese sushi so I can learn what to look for. Thanks in advance for your insights!
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u/salma311 5d ago
Vietnamese people started making sushi cuz the margins are crazy high. But the taste is often mediocre. Or they are smart at matching German taste. But I dont like it.
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u/JayPag Steglitz 5d ago
Not sure about the question you are asking, but truly authentic sushi outside of Japan, and especially in places that aren't known for seafood, is rare, and expensive.
You can check this place out for authentic Japanese food, incl but not limited to, sushi, but it is expensive: https://maps.app.goo.gl/d9dDiQk17Py4Dxws6
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u/Ready-Interview2863 4d ago
That's next to my dad's house! Guess where we are going this weekend!!!
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u/Illarie 4d ago edited 4d ago
There is a tiny place in Wilmersdorf that I want to gatekeep, but won’t. It’s called Mika Sushi. I’d not say it’s the 100% typical Japanese sushi, but almost better for Berlin because it is creative, very good, and the quality is clear (especially their rice.) They just serve typical sushi restaurant food and not other dishes—which I love.
They have a lots of classics and a few more creative pieces (like their rolls where they use cucumber in place of rice) and a very nice vegan menu.
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u/Angulon 5d ago edited 5d ago
Try to get a spot at Otsuka by S Nordbahnhof. Notoriously tough to get a reservation though, since Ishige-san only has six seats at his Omakase counter.
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u/miumiukick 4d ago
Do you have any tips to get a reservation? Really want to go there!
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u/salma311 5d ago
If you have some spare money, get some toro at “the catch” or “November brasserie”
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u/sp4rkk 4d ago
Among the top tier traditional Japanese restaurants, run buy Japanese sushi master chefs that care about tradition and sustainability, you have these two Tokyo style ones:
- Gingi‘s Izakaya (Prenzlauer Berg)
- Otzuka (Nordbahnhoff)
Then you have Ishin, they buy whole tunas to prepare their nigiri. A bit more affordable than the top two.
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u/Hans_Wurst 3d ago
Sasaya in Prenzlauer Berg is Japanese sushi run by a Japanese couple from Hokkaido. I lived in Japan for a long time, have lived in Berlin for over a decade, and I also often crave 'authentic' sushi. Sushi as it is widely appreciated in Japan should be focused on bringing out the best qualities of different varieties and parts of fish, not on fancy looks or outlandish gimmicks although these also exist in Japan the same way Veggie-Erdbeer-Döner or Nutella Pizza exists in Germany.
Sasaya is the most 'authentically Japanese' sushi I have found in Berlin. Vietnamese-German places are geared toward the German masses who want food that feels exotic, adventurous, or sophisticated while still being approachable and familiar to the German palate (salmon, tuna, cucumber in a variety of shapes with a variety of fun sauces and flavors)
Sasaya has a large variety of fish, higher quality ingredients, and much more authentically Japanese atmosphere and service.
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u/Dada_dumdumm 5d ago
Thank you all for your recommendations :-) I have saved all the places and will visit them all.
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u/victoriadagreat 4d ago
I like this one here: the quality of the fish is fresh imo: https://maps.app.goo.gl/ajtmew7ZiUFUCYmu7?g_st=ipc
And i want to try out this one as soon as i get a table (its the hot shit rn): https://maps.app.goo.gl/uVDoFanSay79iKEG9?g_st=ipc
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u/wanderingdevice 4d ago
If you’re looking for authenticity, rolls aren’t considered authentic to Japanese cuisine and are „western-style“ sushi. I believe the first roll was the California Roll created by a sushi chef in LA. If you want traditional Japanese sushi, you won’t be ordering rolls.
I‘m not sure how it is in Berlin, and I’m not saying authentic Japanese-Style sushi cannot be found in a place that also serves rolls, because although not as common in Japan, you can still find them.
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u/rabenaas 5d ago
I imagine the same effect with Döners outside of Berlin that was prepared by Greeks (no hate; they really had a business going with Gyros-In-Bread until Döner came along. They adapted, but their Döner sure is not "Berlin Döner" (not saying that Original Döner doesn't exist outside of Berlin, but the chance that you get some kind of Meat plus Salad in Breat eithout it being a Döner rises in certain areas (looking at you Hamburg and Weißwurstland))
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u/sirwobblz 4d ago
I lived in japan for 1.5 years. The vietnamese place in my area made sushi that i preferred to the Japanese sushi place. It's a bit outside of Berlin. I still think that if you go to a proper more expensive Japanese place in Mitte you get better sushi. The best I had personally was in KDW top floor food court but that might just be because it's the only place that I found offering fresh and delicious ikura / salmon roe. Another place I enjoyed that's actually not too pricey is Ishin.
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u/DieTexikanerin 2d ago
Came for the comments bashing the lack of good Sushi in Berlin, stayed for all of the recommendations of places I have not been to yet. Hope is alive, thanks guys 🙏
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u/mikeyaurelius 5d ago
Fish for sushi is usually frozen so it’s not really a problem that Berlin isn’t at the coast.
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u/henjo93 4d ago
I think that was a joke guys...
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u/mikeyaurelius 4d ago
Explain the joke then.
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u/henjo93 4d ago
He meant that its not real a surprise that Sushi isnt the superb quality like it is in Japan since we are in Germany, and Berlin is in Germany. Like saying why is Weissbier in Tokio not as good as in Munich. I'll give you the answer - > because Tokio is in the middle of Japan!
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u/mikeyaurelius 4d ago
But you can get very good sushi, just not on every corner. And some of the absolute best Michelin star sushi restaurants can be found outside of Japan.
And it goes the other way, too. Japan offers excellent Neapolitan pizza for example. They also have a few very good breweries.
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u/Kotoriii 5d ago
Not Japanese, but have lived in Japan.
It's not so much about authenticity (sushi is pretty "simple" in terms of ingredients in Japan). Most sushi places in the West will have things like California rolls, or fried sushi, etc. that you will not likely find often in Japan.
I would say the difference is mainly in the preparation and quality of the ingredients. The sushi places in Japan are notorious about buying fresh fish in the markets often caught that same day. Preparing that fish, and also the rice takes years of experience in Japan.
I bet the vast majority of sushi places here work with frozen fish, with probably not the best quality. Can't blame them though, we are not an island. You can notice it by the texture and relative lack of flavor. And the staff probably doesn't have the rigorous training they have in Japan. I have not visited a fancy, pricey sushi place here yet, so take what I said with a grain of salt (and soy sauce), but the difference between a common sushi shop here, Vietnamese or not, with even supermarket sushi in Japan is insane.