by Christine Irvin

SushiKo Japanese Restaurant
122 Hutchinson Avenue
Columbus, OH 43235
(614) 985-6441
http://www.sushi-ko.net

SushiKo Japanese Restaurant bills itself as “the best Sushi Restaurant in Columbus!” They’ve been around for over 15 years which may explain their claim to fame. Their quality menu selections include more than 100 varieties of Sushi, Sashimi and Rolls, which as they say, covers the spectrum “from the traditional to the unique and unexpected.” Their featured rolls are: Samurai – “shrimp tempura, avocado, cucumber, eel, cream cheese, spicy crab topped with tuna”; Volcano – “spicy tuna, cucumber, topped with avocado, spicy crab salad, crunchy and special sauce”; and Fantastic 4 – “avocado, cucumber, tuna, salmon, red snapper, yellowtail, masago, spicy mayo”. Their menu also includes a selection of Kushi Yaki (grilled skewers – chicken, beef, salmon, or seafood), as well as soups and salads.

by Nicholas Gill

Kihachi
2667 Federated Blvd
Columbus, OH 43235
614-764-9040

Catering mostly to a Japanese business clientele, this restaurant has managed to go relatively unnoticed until recently when every food critic in town began putting it on their top ten lists. Chef-owner Ryuji “Mike” Kimura runs this cutting edge restaurant in an unassuming Dublin shopping center. Many of the dishes, including the sushi, are based on what is fresh and available, often things of extraordinarily high quality. If you’re not after sushi there’s always the Sake steamed Duck or Shabu-Shabu.

by Nicholas Gill

Bento Go-Go
1728 N High St
Columbus, OH 43201

This restaurant is based on Japanese bento boxes, which combine a variety of small dishes in a divided box, often for take out. May of the boxes include sushi and it is available a la carte as well. As far as value goes, this is an excellent option and nice choice for those who don’t get too adventurous with their rolls and sashimi. The Crunching Buckeye Roll is a popular option and combines Unagi, Crabstick, and candied pecans. Bento Go-Go has a large selection of standards such as California rolls and Spicy Tuna, with several good sampler trays too. The upstairs is a trendy sake bar with live DJ’s that attract an edgy crowd from the Ohio State University campus.

by Nicholas Gill

Haiku
800 N High St
Columbus, OH 43215
(614) 294-8168
Like a Haiku, sushi can be a form of poetry as well. Rice is rolled perfectly around a single ingredient, or group of, much like the balancing point in the middle of a Haiku. The restaurant is one of the longest running and most successful sushi restaurants in central Ohio. Haiku has one of the largest and most original sushi menus in town, with more than 50 options including nigiri, vegetarian rolls, hand rolls, and a long varied list of specialty rolls.

by Nicholas Gill

Nida’s Sushi
59 Spruce St
Columbus, OH 43215
614-228-4470
It’s just a small collection of appliances and a bar that takes a form of a stall in the North Market. Surprisingly Nida’s is quite good though and is great for take out too. The prices are very reasonable for the quality of the product and the craftsmanship. The selection is somewhat limited to standard maki and nigiri, and they will even sell you sushi grade fish and all other sorts of accessories.