Iwasa Sushi

Although I went to the Tsukiji Fish Market at 3:30 AM in hopes of being among the 120 lucky people to witness the fish auction, it was already full which was pretty astonishing. I wasn’t really able to sleep and was pretty much up the whole time. If I knew the waiting list would have filled up that quickly I would have gone down there earlier.
After being turned down for the tuna auction, I decided to wander around the market place, where vendors were starting to set up shop. Those actually working with seafood, were in full swing. Even the line for Sushi Dai was pretty substantial by the time I went by there, with an estimated wait time of a few hours. I didn’t really want to wait in that kind of line, so I headed over to Iwasa Sushi, which I had heard pretty good things about.
I went with the 12-​piece set, which was served in waves of sushi. In looking at the fish case, most of the fish was already pre-​cut which I am pretty sure is the case with most of the more popular sushi places in the market, due to high turnover and wanting to serve people as quickly as possible.
The meal started off with a clam miso soup, which had a strong miso taste and a definite shellfish salinity. It was a pleasant way to begin the meal.
The sushi was aged well, with a large fish to rice ratio. The rice was well seasoned as well. Service was very friendly too.
After finishing the meal, I was given a jar of seasoned seaweed as a gift. I also passed Sushi Dai, and the line had grown exponentially.
If the lines are long at Sushi Dai, Iwasa Sushi is a nice alternative, and only a 2 minute walk away.

First off, there is no English sign that marks this place. Just the yellowish orange flag that everybody talks about. There’s only 15 seats in this place surrounding 2 sushi chefs. Everything on the menu is in sets because they know lots of tourists will come by wanting to try everything. There is no sharing with sets. The most popular set is $ 33 and includes just about everything.
Their miso soup is how miso soup is supposed to be. They used actually clams inside. As for the sushi, I’m no sushi expert but the sushi was probably the best I’ve had. Coming in, I thought all sushi taste the same cause I’m inexperienced at telling what tastes good. But there was a significant difference between this sushi and sushi you get elsewhere.
Seeing that the shop is right outside where they have their fish auctions. You can safely assume everything is fresh and the fish was caught less than 24 hours ago. This is truly a hidden gem and not very many people know about it.

Decided on this place because the wait for both Sushi Dai and Daiwa sushi was just plain absurd and I didn’t feel like spending over 2 hours of my precious vacation time waiting for a short meal.
Was seated about maybe 10 min after I showed up (brownie points) and my boyfriend and I both ordered the 12 piece omakase option for 3900 yen. They put the pieces of sushi on a leaf placed in front of you and then you nom away!
Our food came with miso soup and we definitely received more than 12 pieces of sushi! We think we got about 15 – 16 pieces which was nice for the price
This place was really good but not I wouldn’t say I was absolutely blown away by the sushi but for the money you pay for the quality and amount of food you get I think this place is definitely worth dining at.
The fish quality is definitely ridiculous fresh and would recommend this as a solid option as an alternative if you don’t wanna wait hours for sushi Dai or Daiwa sushi.
Also: They gave us a complimentary jar of seaweed to take home as a souvenir at the end! Very sweet
FYI show up early because when we finished our meal and walked out a fairly decent line had formed and this place is small! But don’t worry the line wasn’t nearly as long as it was for Sushi Dai

Like other we came here for the other sushi joint. The other sushi joint stop taking people at 6:30. We got inline for this sushi place. I was really glad me and my family came here. The prices were fare and sushi was great. Got to chat with a couple other people waiting in line so it made the time pass by faster. Great place to try if you don’t want to wait for the other spots.

Travelling alone, the long lines at places along Tsukiji’s Outer Market like Sushi Dai just wasn’t going to cut it for me. Enter Iwasa Sushi.
It’s a small, intimate sushi restaurant with just 14 counter seats located on the side perimeter left of the outer market. It’s less touristy here where fishermen and other market staff grab a quick meal. Spot the orange curtains and you’ve found Iwasa Sushi. Despite less hype, this humble spot has seen the likes of Jeff Bezos and Andrew Garfield walk through the door. My wait was about 10 – 15 minutes before I was digging into some fresh, lovely sushi.
Ordering is pretty straightforward. A variety of nigiri sets ranging from Standard Nigirizushi to the premium Chef’s Recommendation although they also have a couple of rice bowls and they specialize in shellfish too. I went for the Special Nigirizushi set because I wanted some Uni but every piece was just oishi goodness. The sushi rice was the best I had this trip and all the seafood tasted so good. Being shellfish experts, they also added clams in the miso soup for added flavor. In fact, the chef also gave me an extra piece of shellfish nigiri mid-​way though my meal. Yum!
Above all, the service here is friendly and attentive. They really appreciate your business and I appreciate their efforts in making sure customers leave happy and content with their meal. And for the record, I sure did.

My girlfriend was insistent that we go to the Tsukiji Fish Market to try out Sushi Dai. I usually have no issue with waiting in queue for food, but the wait averages about 3 HOURS. I just think the sushi could be THAT good, so I decided to walk around to see what else was available in the area.
I walked around the corner and saw a small strip of restaurants adjacent to a shrine and there was Iwasazushi with a little orange banner out front. Unlike Sushi Dai and Daiwa Sushi there weren’t any tourists inside, and it was filled with locals.
I dragged my girlfriend out of that ridiculous line and took the last two seats inside Iwasazushi. We ordered two of the omakases; it was advertised as 12 pieces, which was already 1 more than Sushi Dai, lol. We ended up receiving at least 15 fresh pieces, including miso soup and 6 cut rolls all for the same Y3900.
The most gratifying part of the experience was walking out beyond stuffed and seeing the couple we were standing behind in line still at the very back.

I really wish I could eat here again… and I may have to make the trip!
This time it was a quick layover trip in Haneda and a in the minute decision to leave the airport for a #foodie getaway at Tsukiji Fish Market. So here’s how discovering this place went…
I got off the airplane and went to immigration and the officer said I didn’t have enough time to go to the market and get back for my flight that left in just 4.5 hours. I said, «I can do it!» He stamped my passport and away I went to buy a train ticket to catch the subway red line to go to the market.
As soon as I got off at my stop I knew I was near the fish market… the hustle and bustle had started already and it was only 5:30 in the morning. I walked around… tempted to buy the street food or eat at a Ramen place to keep me warm (I wasn’t expecting it to be 34 degrees F and I only had a thin hooded sweatshirt on!) I walked around the entire market looking for good eats, and I was determined to find breakfast sushi! This wasn’t the place that I found on a food blog, but I didn’t have much time and the people were so friendly!
I ordered a combo which included tea, 7 pieces of sushi, a roll, and miso soup. All for just 2300 Yen! Totally worth it! The service was quick and I was able to leave by 7 am to get back on the subway then train to catch my 9:30 flight. But even in this short visit, I enjoyed every bite!
The egg was the first piece I started with because I needed to let my tea and soup cool off (I can’t take the heat!), then moved through the different nigiri pieces of fish… including a new type of shellfish called mantis shrimp, which was one of my favorites besides the tuna! Oh so fresh and delish!
The miso soup was good as well as the tea, but my favorite was the nigiri and I would go back for this in a heartbeat! It was the perfect amount of food to enjoy on this quick trip and would highly recommend this place if you get a chance to visit Tsukiji Fish Market.
Here’s how to find it:
Get off the subway and climb the stairs to the surface streets. Head to your right once you get to the sidewalk and you will see the sign for the Tsuikiji fish market on your right hand side about 500 feet from the subway entrance. Walk down the alley where all the vendors are transporting fish. Once you go about 300 feet on your left hand side you will see a walkway with a row of restaurants. I believe I ate at the restaurant halfway down the line. See my pictures for help in identifying the actual restaurant I ate at.
Good luck with this foodie adventure… it is worth every Yen and time you spend to get there!

While looking for Sushidai and Daiwa Sushi a few weeks ago, I stumbled across this little spot with absolutely no line. With no expectations other than an «it’s in the market, how bad can it be» attitude, my friend and I walked in.
I opted for the omakase with 12-​piece with a roll and soup (3900¥). It was freaking delicious. The best sushi I have ever had. I’ve tried Daiwa and honestly, this spot is much better. For an additional 500¥, you get 5 more pieces of sushi and no need to wait on line (vs Sushidai and Daiwa Sushi). Plus, the miso soup was just out of this world. Also doesn’t hurt that the staff was awesome. Just before we walked out, the little grandma manning the restaurant gave us a little parting gift. So sweet!
Skip the lines and come here. Soooooo worth it.