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Thursday, March 28, 2024
HomeSouth AfricaCape TownForget Tokyo, The Best Sushi Is in Cape Town

Forget Tokyo, The Best Sushi Is in Cape Town

Where to Eat Sushi Cape Town is part of the South America & Africa Points Heist Trip Report.


I’ve had the freshest sushi at the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo. I’ve been to Sushi Roku at the W Scottsdale. I’ve had blowfish sashimi in Osaka. Two out of those three make me a good judge of sushi. That’s why when I tell you that the best sushi is in Cape Town, South Africa, you should believe me.

It’s Not the Sashimi
The sashimi in Tokyo is perfect. I have nothing but good things to say about it. The sashimi in Cape Town is on the same level. It’s served soft and fluffy. Think po boys in New Orleans.

It’s The Rolls
Rolls aren’t exactly Japanese. Tourists are often‎ disappointed when they get to Tokyo, and there isn’t a Las Vegas roll on the menu. Believe it or not, the Philadelphia roll was not invented in Roppongi. ‎Like Chinese food, I prefer my Japanese food American (see Best Chinese Food in the World Is in Flint, Michigan). Cape Town has embraced the roll culture and put the rest of the world to shame. If my words do not convince, perhaps a photo tour from my culinary tour will.

Beluga (Greenpoint)
Located in the uppity neighborhood of Greenpoint is Beluga. Here, we ordered the sushi platter. The sushi was great but not as creative as others on this list. The winning dish actually wasn’t sushi. It was the angry chicken curry. Top it off with a Gorgeous bottle of wine, and you have a nice place to spend an afternoon.a large white tent with tables and chairs under a bridge a bottle of wine and a glass of wine a plate of sushi and a glass of wine a plate of food with a small bowl of salsa

Life‎ (V&A Waterfront)
Have you ever had a Poki bowl? This was my first time. I’m not a fan but it was a nice spin on how to serve sushi. ‎The rolls at Life, although a bit expensive and few in quantity, were fantastic. Of course, a bottle of wine completes the meal.a plate of food on a table a group of sushi rolls on a black surface a glass of wine next to a bottle of wine

Sevurga‎ (V&A Waterfront)
I went to Sevurga in 2014. It took three years to get back, but it was worth the wait. We ordered two bottles of sauvignon blanc, the house and Spier which is a premium sauvignon made nearby in Stellenbosch. While the Spier was superior, the standard bottle was just fine. My focus was on the smorgasbord or rolls. Try them all or show the waiter my bill.

a plate of oysters with lime wedges a plate of sushi on a white surface a receipt with writing on it

Willoughby (V&A Waterfront, in the mall)
Good sushi in the mall? I would not have thought so, but Willoughby ended up being my favorite sushi restaurant. Tom yum soup, a bottle of brut, and mussels were the appetizers. Then came the sushi. While the presentation wasn’t pretty, the sushi was great. a glass of champagne and a bottle of soy sauce on a table a man sitting at a table in a restaurant a bowl of soup with vegetables and greens a bowl of mussels in a saucepan a plate of food on a table

Infinite Other Choices 
And these are just the ones that I went to. I’m sure there are many other ones that are delicious as well. Feel free to add them in the comments.

Overall
It’s not up for debate. Cape Town has the best sushi in the world. Period.

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16 COMMENTS

  1. Crap-o-la. Looks like American Sushi… LA and Tokyo are the places to eat the best sushi and some other Asian cities. None of this is authentic. the chefs in Japan know how to prepare the rice, the temperature of the fish and can put the whole thing together. Sushi rolls are hard to find in Japan because they are not Japanese. I can take a look at the fish in the pictures you have above and know that the quality doesn’t even touch the sushi Ive had in Tokyo. So forget Tokyo.. go to Cape Town for sushi is mis-leading. Poke is also NOT Japanese.

    • So you didn’t read the post:

      It’s Not the Sashimi
      The sashimi in Tokyo is perfect. I have nothing but good things to say about it. The sashimi in Cape Town is on the same level. It’s served soft and fluffy. Think po boys in New Orleans.

      It’s The Rolls
      Rolls aren’t exactly Japanese. Tourists are often‎ disappointed when they get to Tokyo, and there isn’t a Las Vegas roll on the menu. Believe it or not, the Philadelphia roll was not invented in Roppongi.

      • And you can look at pics to determine the quality of fish? You should work in the tuna trade. Finally, nobody said Poke was Japanese!

        Criticize all day but at least read the words I use.

  2. Yuck.

    All over Capetown one gets highly Americanized sushi. Except just about everything has mayo all over it. and lots of mayo at that.

    It is nasty.

    • I concur. Mayo is indeed nasty, and has no place on any sort of nigiri, or rolls for that matter.

      To say that the entire own of Cape Town has the best sushi in the world is a absolutely ridiculous statement. It’s all subjective, after all. Cape Town may very well have provided the author the best sushi HE’s ever experienced personally, but not compared to EVERY sushi-ya EVERYWHERE.

      Having said that, All that really matters is that he enjoyed it.

      We all have our personal favourites.

      However, I’ll not be planning a special trip to Cape Town for the sushi, that’s for sure.

      “The winning dish actually wasn’t sushi. It was the angry chicken curry” – clearly, not the best sushi (actually americanized rolls) in the world, then.

      • Agreed to some of your points but you missed the fact that I was talking about Americanized sushi. This wasn’t a comparison of sashimi or nigiri. Read above, “Rolls aren’t exactly Japanese. Tourists are often‎ disappointed when they get to Tokyo, and there isn’t a Las Vegas roll on the menu. Believe it or not, the Philadelphia roll was not invented in Roppongi.”

        And you should go to Cape Town for sushi.

  3. Capetown does have excellent seafood and sushi, but it’s not at the V&A Waterfront. The V&A Waterfront is too commercial and touristy. Codfather in Camps Bay has some of the best sushi I have ever had.

  4. If you’re talking about “freshest sushi” you have no qualification to talk about sushi. Let alone sushi in Tsukiji….that place has long become a tourist trap and sushi there is mediocre at best. Get a clue.

  5. Where are you from? Do you feel it’s safe to eat the sushi in Capetown? Traveling for the US and was warned about typphoid/Hep A&B, but are those not issues in the main city?

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