Suzuki’s Sushi Bar

Suzuki Sushi
Given the ‘best sushi in Maine’ blurbs that I had read, I was VERY surprised to learn that they have the most limited sushi or otherwise Japanese menu I’ve ever encountered in the U.S.
We managed to still have a delicious dinner, but I (the sushi eater) had to work at it. To explain:
they were out of hamachi. out. Saturday night. out.
they don’t do yama kake or age dashi tofu
Their menu has:
no squid
no escolar/‘white’ tuna
no mackerel
no gomae
no tamago
no ankimo
no snapper
no tempura or anything fried
They heat their unagi by nuking it; no toaster oven
I ended up having superb Pemmaquid oysters and a few excellent nigiri and maki.
My Love had a WONderful broth filled with udon noodles, assorted seafood,
generous shiitake and asparagus. We would happily go back for those items again.
After checking to make sure they’re not out of hamachi.

Welcomed with no reservations and had an assortment that was to die for! Great service!

Old school diner meets sushi bar ambiance.
Dumplings excellent!
Sushi for two platter is visually stunning, but I didn’t sample.
Rockland and spicy tuna sushi roll very good.
Surprisingly, noodles without much flavor initially — waitresses tried to make it right with a broth addition. Would avoid noodles and stick to sushi.

If you like small portions, high prices and unusual flowers on your sushi then this place is for you. The fish is undeniably fresh but the cuts are unimpressive. The servers are lovely and accommodating but the menu offerings much less so.

Enjoyed a really great meal at Suzuki’s last night. I’ve had great sushi in New York and Los Angeles and Suzuki is right up there with them. Some delicious local fish prepared really well and good beer options too. Would give five stars if it wasn’t for the spotty service (took several minutes waiting at the door for any attention from the staff, and they weren’t very busy), and they had run out of miso soup by 6:30 on a Friday night — which seemed like a joke. Overall really great place.

This was our fourth visit to the establishment over 5 years, the sushi is always great, go with house selection, never disappointing in any way. Drink selection is appropriate and varied well. Localization is excellent and takes this venue beyond the standard east coast venue.

The rock land roll is delicious! I get it every time! The service was excellent; polite and attentive. I also shared the ice cream special with my mother it was sooooo good and made in house! The menu has several different rolls and other foods on it!

We had 5 celebrations tonight between us, and enjoyed a great time and meal at Suzulki’s. I generally only post reviews on places i think are well worth a visit, and this is one of them. We are lucky to have a place like this in Midcoast Maine! Thanks!

Well prepared sushi in a small town in midcoast Maine, with a Japanese chef/​owner to boot! My first clue that this was going to be a positive, authentic experience was the absence of «specialty rolls» (like Dragon Roll and California Roll) that have become the mainstay of sushi restaurants in the US. These can be tasty, to be sure, but they are not part of true Japanese cuisine. I applaud Suzuki Sushi’s decision not to fill the menu up with them.
I started my meal with a broiled eel appetizer and followed that up with the omakase plate, which I think is the best value on the menu. The plate, which was the chef’s personal selection for that evening, consisted of a large assortment of both sushi and sashimi, including, among other things, yellowtail (hamachi), raw shrimp (ama ebi), mackerel (saba), squid (ika), crab (tako), sea urchin (uni), tuna roll (maguro) and a fish roe hand roll (tobiko). Each night, there are a few special fish selections, and these, even the more expensive ones, are included in the omakase plate. Everything was absolutely fresh and delicious. My friend, who doesn’t care for raw fish, had a cooked crab and noodle dish that she thoroughly enjoyed.
We both finished up with small scoops of ice cream. My ginger ice cream and blueberry yuzu sorbet were both outstanding, as were the two scoops of salted caramel ice cream my friend ordered.
The dining room is small, so tables are placed close together. That didn’t bother us, but this would not be the place to hold a private conversation. The service was competent and friendly. If someone is unfamiliar with sushi or has questions about anything on the menu, staff will gladly provide assistance.

Suzuki’s offers a fantastic menu of carefully prepared, fresh, authentic sushi.
If you’re expecting a bunch of over-​the-​top rolls slathered in sauce and deep fried in tempura batter, this isn’t the place for you. But if you’re looking for a restaurant where skilled sushi chefs let the fish do the talking, you’ll be very happy here.
My wife and I went here to celebrate her 30^th birthday as part of a trip up to the Samoset. She ordered the Special Omakase assortment. I’m generally reticent to order chef’s choice, because I don’t trust them to put together an assortment I’ll enjoy. I was punished for my skepticism. Though my rolls were perfectly delicious, my wife’s assortment was outstanding. Every piece was fresh, carefully prepared, and delicate in flavor.
If we’re ever back up that way, we’ll definitely order the Omakase Assortment for two instead of one.
When we were there, they were featuring an appetizer of pickled locally grown root vegetables. It was outstanding!
If we had one criticism, it’s that their bar offerings are limited. They have a decent selection of sake, beer and wine, but their mixed drinks leave something to be desired. With all that tasty sushi, I really would’ve enjoyed a nice vodka-​based cocktail infused with floral and fruity influences from east Asia.

Suzuki’s was authentic Japanese food with an friendly wait staff, skilled at explaining to sushi-​novice all about the options on the menu. The sushi was excellent, I had the tuna nigiri and the Rockland roll which featured local Maine crab.
Be sure to take advantage of the specials menu.
Its a small restaurant but they do take reservation and it was busy so I would suggest having them.

I guess we got the off season experience. The food was fresh yes, our waiter was great but the waitress would not shut up for an hour and a half, whining about her life story who cares shut up, I was here for a meal not a whine fest. Over priced, I have had just as good or better in New York City for ½ the price. $ 155 later still hungry and my ears hurt from a whiner. Saver your money and driver to Bangor, go to ichi Bön for a great experience great sushi and no whining.

Love this place! I used to live in Maine as a child, but now live in Arizona. Every time I go visit my friends and family in Maine I always make sure to eat at Suzuki’s. Nice staff, cozy restaurant, and is located on Main Street right near a lot of great shops!

Utterly delicious.
That is really the only way to describe the Omakase special I had at Suzuki sushi. The fish was incredibly fresh with a great balance between Japanese classics and more inventive dishes with a bit of Maine flare. The lobster ceviche, the local eel sushi, the mussels — it was all great.
While there are places in bigger cities that serve equally delicious food, the $ 32 price tag for the Omakase special here is outrageous. Food of this quality and this freshness would easily run over $ 100 per person in NYC or SF. At Sushi Suzuki two people can feast and drink until bursting for under $ 100 total. A great restaurant in a random part of the country that is totally worth the trip.

We are tenured sushi goers, had the best in Boston, Portland, etc. We shared the Special Omakase Assortment for one, and also got the Maine Shrimp dumplings. Amazing. Service was a little loopy, but the chefs behind the counter were so good at what they did, terrific sushi. Next time I think we would sit at the counter and watch the action go down.

Exquisite. That’s the only word for Suzuki Sushi. This restaurant served the best sushi I’ve had on the East coast. Hands down.
And the prices… about ¹⁄₃ of what I would have paid in California. The real deal is the Special Omakase Assortment. For $ 32 single /​$ 58 for two, you get a huge assortment of the freshest and most delectable fish you’ve ever had.
But don’t stop there. The other selections are just as good. The Gyoza are not fried, they are steamed to perfection. The Shumai (yes, Chinese) are made with local Maine shrimp. Again, a delight. The Maki and Nigiri choices are great, but the variety is limited to what’s fresh and available… always good.
The Omakase that I had was a bit tailored since I don’t like Hamachi or any kind of onions. They were fine with my requests. On my plate:
— FRESH UNI in the shell! YES! I have never had such fresh Uni… and it was SO good!
— Fresh Toro (melt in your mouth!) sashimi
— Crab, cucumber and Shiso leaf Temaki
— Fresh Halibut sashimi
— Hotate
— Amaebi of Maine Shrimp
— Unagi
— Ebi (Maine Shrimp again)
— Salmon and avocado maki
All this for $ 38. A steal! A dream! Superb!
They also have house-​made ice cream for dessert. Unfortunately, they were out of the Black Sesame. We settled for (happily) Ginger. A bit pricey at $ 7.50 for a couple of small scoops, but a great topper to a delicious dinner.
One thing to note… Suzuki only has around 10 tables and four seats at the sushi bar. And the tables ARE reserved and held for people, so if you want to go there, make a reservation. I’ve seen some of the complaints here on Unilocal.Yes, the tables go unseated. But there’s a reason. This a place where you dine at a leisurely pace, and they ensure that if you have a reservation, your table is available.
Definitely make a reservation and give this place a try. The chef and owner is from Japan, and the flavors, presentation and attention to detail show in the food.

Absolutely spectacular.
What an amazing change to eat a sublime meal preceded with absolutely zero hype. I went at the invitation of friends in the know and all they said was that this was THE place to eat. And so it was.
I live for sushi and I’ve never had better.
I can’t wait to return and I’ll need no other excuse to drive the 7 hours from NYC to Maine.

One of my most favorite places to dine in the state. Great, local food that is fresh, well prepared, and beautifully presented. Whatever you do, do not miss out on the shumai as an appetizer.
Very kids friendly. Our kids love just about everything on the menu (except perhaps the tako, but I don’t know many kids outside of Japan that like octopus!) and the kid’s soda they serve from Japan is good fun. It opens when a glass marble is pushed through the opening… a fun change from what we get in the states.

Best. Sushi. I’ve ever had.
Honestly, I have had sushi in many many places (Northeast, Pacific Northwest, California, Boston, New York, etc, etc) and Suzuki’s is literally the best sushi I’ve ever had. Ever.
The waitstaff are friendly and accommodating, not overly intrusive and knowledagable. The chef, Keiko, works diligently behind the bar. I ordered the nigiri set (17 $, I think) and it came with 7 pieces of nigiri and a teka roll.
Toro — the fatty tuna, was one of my pieces. It was melt in your mouth amazing.
Fresh sea urchin — probably caught that day and shucked in house. It was my first time with it and it was buttery, sweet, and flavored like the sea. It was an interesting texture and tasted incredibly refreshing.
I also had some tobiko — flying fish roe, totally sweet and crunchy.
There were some other white fish and salmon that got lost in the shuffle, but still tasted incredibly. It was one of the most heavenly meals I’ve had in a long time and it was well worth every penny.
If you are in Rockland, you have to stop by. You just have to. And yes — see my review of Miyake. It’s better than Miyake. Yup. It is.

Seriously — one of the BEST sushi places I’ve ever been! I LOVE THIS PLACE! I agree with Chris F in that their scallops are AMAZING. I’ve ordered scallop sushi since, and it’s never been the same. Smooth and buttery and absolutely delicious…
You can find the entire Asian population in the 20 mile radius to be dining at Suzuki, which is an testament on how good their sushi really is. Great service, great sake selection, great sushi… you really can’t go wrong. We usually give our name, and go hang out at the wine bar next door until a table is made ready for us.
Then have a nice stroll along the water in Rockland… it really can’t get any better than this.