Sakana Omakase Sushi — Restaurant in Philadelphia

From start to finish, this is some of the most exceptional omakase experiences on the continent. The venue is small so reserve or call ahead, and then prepare to be simply delighted as soon as you step through the front door.

The chefs are friendly and knowledgeable, incorporating absolute mastery in technique with the absolute freshest possible ingredients. They noted to us that they would repeatedly compare fish vendors against one another until they found the best possible options - and it shows. We had what we’d consider the best lean Ahi (blue fin) that we’ve ever had (and remember that isn’t even the finest cut of the fish). The 2 month aged toro was equally exceptional but that’s almost to be expected with the finer cuts.

Plenty of salmon roe and sea urchin (uni) come out to join the party and are some of the finest examples of these two that we’ve seen anywhere. Piece after piece we found highlights in delicate exemplars of fish that we just don’t usually encounter even at other fine omakase venues.

It’s bring-your-own-alcohol but I find this honestly helps the relaxed atmosphere as nobody’s pushing options at you throughout. You get anything you need and nothing you don’t. This is about the fish. Full stop.

3 preparations of mackerel including the tenderest striped mackerel we’d ever had were also fan favorites of the night. Bream, snapper, each one hand-picked excellence. It’s really hard to properly describe exactly why they were so good - but it comes down to texture, flavor, the size of the cuts - and frankly the rice was also perfect, so that helps. I’ve been eating sushi for decades now and Sakana showed me I still hadn’t found peak omakase until now. Really exciting personally.

Can’t say enough nice things about this place. Will return whenever we’re in town. Price is commandingly high but deserved given the exceptional quality of fish. Remember you’re getting small samples of items that cost as much as $100+ per pound raw, so it’s not unreasonable at all.

The space itself is quiet, cozy, calm, and incorporates the warm light and wood tones that make you feel right at home. Nothing overly fancy or distracting, and not at all stuffy or overdone - remember, you’re there for the fish. Portions feel just about spot on, we left plenty full but not stuffed. Just so happy to have found this spot on a recommendation- maybe this review will be your cue to check it out.

Fish shown are from summer 2025, every few weeks you’ll see new additions or changes to reflect the seasonal offerings. The menu also features a map of Japan to demonstrate where various courses originate....

Visited in December 2024 and have thought for a while about whether or not to write a review given how overall disappointing the experience was. However, given the price point to quality ratio, I felt like I had to share my thoughts. At other Omakase spots I have been to, there is a lot of attention to detail - specifically, the utensils, tableware, and even the space itself are polished, elegant, and reflect that care was put into the presentation. At Sakana, I noticed immediately that a lot of the utensils and bowls were extremely worn and looked cheap. As for the food itself, one dish at the beginning came with copious amounts of sauce to hide the lack of freshness of the fish, and the tomatoes were so not fresh to the point that they were goopy. I will say that each course was displayed nicely, but for most of the fish served, it was not fresh. There is usually a specific taste that distinguishes fresh fish from not. Additionally, the chef skipped the Uni/Hotate course, which was undeniably the most expensive, and even worse, did not make a mention of it. Instead, he skipped around the menu right around the time we got to that course, so as to confuse us, and ultimately we ended up with a cheap swap. At other places, from my experiences, if there were any changes to the menu, the chefs were transparent about it, and ensured that the replacement course was of equivalent value. I felt the most disappointed I have in so long after that meal… knowing how much I paid and how poor the quality was. It was very surprising because this place is well rated on Google and I had even read through different online threads that this would be somewhere to visit. Adding a few pictures in this review. Save your money and go elsewhere!! I will definitely never visit this spot again and would rate it as one of the top three worst dining experiences...

Delightful Omikase experience. Make sure you are on time or early, as each chef is actually serving about 6 people and makes each course in order right in front of you, so you'll knock them out of sequence if you arrive late and the others are already on second or third course. They were very kind but I felt bad for causing extra effort. The restaurant has a sushi bar with seating for 12, you will be seated somewhere on the bar next to the other diners. I specially requested seating with the main chef who was a little more chatty than the other chef, I learned some interesting sushi facts and was served the most delicious bites I have ever had in my mouth. The menu was long and exciting with all sorts of sushi and nigiri I have never even seen before, let alone tried. $150/pp for about 20 perfect, elaborate sushi plates felt very fair. Staff was very attentive, taking plates and refilling our BYO wine unobtrusively. Did leave slightly hungry because I'm an American that likes to stuff myself, but we went across the street to Queen and Rook for a beer and a game after, which curbed my overeager appetite. Will definitely recommend to others looking for a special...