Sagami Japanese Restaurant — Restaurant in Collingswood

My wife and I have been traveling 45 minutes to eat here about once a month for three years. We have tried about 50 sushi places in the PA/DE/NJ areas and this is one of only two or three places we return to and easily our favorite.

The food and atmosphere is very authentic, the service is great and the food comes out fast. The prices are very reasonable, especially considering the quality of the food. We have tried almost everything, a summary of the highlights follow.

Appetizers==

Agedashi Dofu - Lightly fried silken tofu in a rich broth. Easily the best appetizer on the menu, consistently fantastic.

Miso Soup - Well-balanced flavor, good amount of fair-sized tofu.

Shrimp Shumai - Steamed shrimp dumplings served with hot mustard. My wife is a big shumai fan and according to her, Sagami's are the best. The mustard works better than the sauce served at most other restaurants.

Nasu Shigitaki - Pan roasted half eggplant topped with diced chicken in a miso sauce. Not bad, didn't do anything for me.

Hamachi Kama - Broiled Hamachi cheek. Flavor was okay, wasn't as tender as I expected, wouldn't order again.

Gyoza - Japanese Dumplings. These used to be pretty good, they changed the recipe recently and now they are lacking in flavor and the texture is not as good.

Entrees==

Yosenabe - Seafood soup served piping hot in a large cast-iron bowl. Lots of seafood, some of it over cooked, the vegetables didn't add much. The meat in the crab claws was difficult to extract which made it awkward to eat. The broth was seriously lacking in flavor which was disappointing.

Sushi==

The sushi ranges from good to great. The rice is always amazing, perfectly cooked and seasoned, fluffy, never sticky, mushy, dry. Very few places have rice that compares. The rolls are simple but typically very good, you can taste the subtle notes of the fresh fish, even in the spicy rolls.

Chirashi - 10 or so types of seafood meticulously arranged atop of sushi rice in a very crowded bowl. Typically includes tuna, salmon, kani, steamed shrimp, octopus, uni, egg omelet, hamachi, and a couple of others. This seems to be a favorite amongst the devoted, I have tried it 2-3 times and didn't think it was as good as I've had at other places. The uni wasn't overly fresh, the octopus was chewier than I've had elsewhere, and I really don't like their omelet. The tuna is often sinewy and the salmon is not always melt-in-your-mouth.

Sushi and Sashimi - As above, the tuna and salmon are sort of hit or miss as far as texture but always taste fresh. Hamachi is pretty consistently good, the unagi is done well. I don't care for the octopus, uni, or omelet here.

Rolls - We usually get some variation of tuna and hamachi rolls, these are consistently very good. The tuna, spicy tuna, yellowtail & scallon, and yellowtail & avocado are our favorites. You can order any of these rolls spicy, cruncy, or both. The salmon/avocado and eel rolls are also good.

Bottom Line==

Overall consistently good, authentic, food at reasonable prices. Highly recommend the Agedashi Dofu, Shumai, and any of the Tuna or Hamachi rolls. Nigiri sushi and sashimi are fresh and tasty but some of our favorites are not as great here as we would like. 4 out of 5 stars because the tuna and salmon nigiri/sashimi aren't the best and the octopus, uni, and omelet are rather...

So sad , love the legacy staff at this former institution of south Jersey, but the new owner (as of January 2025) has managed to ruin this restaurant in a matter of 30 days. They are more focused now on adding online reservations vs carry the torch of Shigeru Fukuyoshi. They've increased prices (20% on most items) , drastically reduced fish quality (anyone who truly knows sagami will understand) , and added a bunch of items to the menu no one asked for...or wanted.

I feel terrible for the staff that were there forever, as they will see the majority of their "regulars" will think out and stop coming .

The business model has drastically changed from quality fish and preparation (anyone who knows, it use do take a long time to get your sushi) to quick turnover, and drastically reduced fish quality. So sad. I wish they sold to someone who took pride in the legacy of this James beard finalist, instead of non- Japanese ownership that care more to squeeze every last dollar from less discerning customers.

Spicy tuna roll with crunchy, was poorly rolled and not quality fish, the nigiri all tasted of poor quality, and the sushi rice now tastes more in line with a Chinese restaurant.

All the nigiri was served way too cold, and fish quality was mid to low tier, hate to say it but it was true.

Alan Su, you had an opportunity to continue a tradition, instead you botched the handoff and have begun to do irreparable damage to this former top tiered Japanese restaurant. What were you thinking? You could've continued to source fish the same way, and keep the same sushi staff, and sam's quality, but you just had to do the cheap / make it on volume route.

WHAT ARE YOU DOING?????

Fish quality significantly down, price up

Look around folks, patrons of sagami take pride, and Alan Su blew it, I feel bad for the staff that didn't get fired during the transition

Sad

Update: Alan Su made a point of trying to discredit my review calling me a troll, I have been a loyal sagami patron for the better part of 20 years, telling anyone that listens how good this place…WAS, Lavina wasn’t at retirement age, neither was some of the other staff you replaced.

Take note everyone, Alan is not attempting to refute any of my claims, or “make it right”, he would rather say I am a fake account.

My name is Jim Thomas, check your ledger dude, I have been patronizing weekly for years until you went cheap and messed up the fish.

You want my phone number, happy to give it to you.

Fix your mistakes, and get it right, and when you do, I’ll try again

See, I want you to succeed, but all you see is...

The "old" Sagami will always hold a special place in our hearts, and like many longtime patrons, I feel nostalgic for the previous owners. They built something truly special, and their legacy in this community is undeniable. That being said, we have to give the new owners some grace—they’ve taken on a beloved institution, and they know they have big shoes to fill. Transitions like this come with growing pains, and it’s clear they’re working hard to uphold the Sagami tradition while also finding their own rhythm.

One thing that hasn’t changed is their quality of sushi. I’ve noticed service can be a bit slow at times, but the sushi itself remains just as fresh and well-prepared as ever. The staff is genuinely trying to please Sagami’s loyal customers, and that effort deserves recognition. No restaurant—new or old—is immune to the occasional "off" day but that never stopped us from returning before.

I know there’s some grumbling about price increases. Yes, everyone loves a great deal. But keeping prices THAT low just isn’t feasible in this economy. Blaming the business and new owners for something that’s affecting every industry isn’t fair, especially when the quality of the food remains the same.

We had our usual favorite, the agedashi tofu which was as delicious as ever. Then, we tried the new menu addition: the 18-piece sampler and the ginger crème brûlée (pictured below) that were beyond fantastic. One suggestion would be to have more sushi chefs behind the counter like before. With just 2 now, if multiple tables order the sampler, it could really slow things down since one chef is almost entirely dedicated to preparing that dish.

At the end of the day, I’m grateful that Sagami is still here and that the new owners are committed to carrying on its legacy. We had a chance to talk with the staff and they are incredibly sweet and hardworking. I doubt the former owners would have entrusted what they built for over half a century to the new owners if they didn’t believe in their ability to continue it. Give them a chance-...