Mawaru Sushi Zanmai Tsukiji branch — Restaurant in Tokyo

My wife is a sushi snob. She likes Nobu in LA, isn't a fan of Nobu in Miami, and generally has semi-unreasonably-high and incredibly expensive expectations when it comes to her sushi.

I grew up in Hawaii and my family had a neighborhood fisherman who biked by each week with fresh ahi. So I also like my good fish, although years in the Midwest have somewhat lowered my expectations.

This place might not be the trendiest, might be conveyor (you can also order what you want), and might not be fancy.

But, it is good enough to draw us there 3 times in 36 hours. And is cheap. Seriously, probably the best fish you can get in Tokyo or the States for the price.

The eel is spectacular, and the seared flounders fin is to die for. When blowtorch seared, it turns into some buttery melt in your mouth magical fish that is completely different than the original. No surprise it was recommended to us. And salmon is something like a dollar per 2 pieces of nigiri?

It's sushi, so it'll be $10-25 per person to be very full based on what you choose, but it's spectacular. Highly, highly, recommended. The staff is also very friendly, and didn't mind my japanglish.

This place was only Japanese every time we went, so it isn't touristy, and I actually really liked the conveyor style as it promoted me to try things I normally wouldn't (ex seared flounders fin) since they looked tasty... and if it's only a buck or...

Conveyor belt sushi is always a good time!

Despite the hustle and bustle of Tsukiji Fish Market, the boyfriend and I wanted to have sushi in an actual sit-down restaurant instead of gorging on all of the delicious seafood and meat skewers at the booths outside.

Since Sushizanmai is located in a super busy location, you can imagine that there is going to be a wait as well. Since the conveyor belt is on a loop, there is very limited seating. I’d estimate maybe 20 or so people max. With that being said, I don’t think it would be best for large parties to come here since you can expect to wait a very long time for a spot.

The quality of the fish was as expected and we had a good experience. Despite us not speaking any Japanese, we had no issue in getting our payments settled and had an enjoyable experience. One thing to note is that if you are meeting up with a friend at the fish market, there are two sushizanmai locations so just make sure you go to...

I had a really great time at the Mawaru Sushi Zanmai in Tsukiji. Even though it’s part of a bigger chain with several branches around Tokyo, this location had a cozy, almost mom-and-pop atmosphere. The staff were friendly, the vibe was welcoming, and it felt easy to just sit down and enjoy plate after plate.

The variety was impressive. Even the most affordable 198 yen plates had some surprisingly good choices. The 250 yen salmon was delicious, and the wagyu sushi along with the fatty otoro tuna were the standouts for me. The otoro especially just melted in my mouth.

It’s not the very top tier of sushi in Tokyo, but for the price it’s really hard to beat. You can be satisfied spending about $20, and if you go closer to $30 you can try some of the more premium options and leave completely full.

Overall it was a great experience with good quality sushi at a price that’s hard to match. Definitely worth a stop if...