Sushi Dai

The infamous wait time are no joke! If you want to taste the finest Suhsi for a low price ($ 40), then you must try this place. After trying Sushi Dai and a couple of other Sushi restaurants in the Tsukiji area (came here 3 separate days), Sushi Dai is the best! Don’t get me wrong, the other sushi restaurants I tried was absolutely amazing, but Sushi Dai was more superior in every aspect. The way how they prepare the fish, rice, seaweed, and seasoning was perfection. If you love raw fish, this place will not disappoint you. Just be aware that this place will forever ruin your taste buds if you ever decide to eat sashimi out side of Japan.

We woke up at 3am, and got there around 3:15am. Surprised me it had a long queue and pushed us to second round. We finally got seated at 6:15am. 3 hours waiting time is not too long when you see the other reviews.
The sushi is perfect and super fresh. I was there half year ago, and I still remember the taste. I ordered scallop for my special order, and I told my girl friend, it is worth to wake up at 3 and wait for 3 hours. I give 5 stars to the best sushi bar in the world.

Sushi for breakfast? I don’t see why not!
In order to secure a spot, you MUST get there early and line up. Although, it might not sound too enticing to wait a few hours for food while you’re on vacation, it is well worth your time and is quite an experience. We took an Über over since trains doesn’t start running yet and we arrived there at 4:00AM. Try to get there earlier, we actually overslept. It was pouring rain that morning and a bit chilly too. We also didn’t get seated until 3 hours later. Yes, I was fully aware of what I was getting myself into when I joined the line but my other two friends were not as thrilled. Luckily after hours of complaining, they both thoroughly enjoyed their meal.
They let a wave of 13 people in at a time roughly every 45 minutes. If you count the people in line, you can get a good estimate of how long you will have to wait. When you finally reach the front of the line, a staff member will come out and ask you what you would like to order as well as anything you don’t like such as wasabi or specific types of fish. Of course, we each went with the Omakase set which included 9 pieces of sushi and 1 additional piece of our choice which was more than enough food to fill us up. This also comes with a delicious soup and a piece of Tamago, all for just ¥4,000.
You would think that since they are such a popular establishment, they would raise the price or that the service would be lacking but that was not the case here. The staff and the chef was extremely accommodating and friendly which made the experience that much more enjoyable. The sushi was top notch, all super fresh and melt in your mouth delicious! Despite waiting in the rain for 3 hours, I have no regrets.

I arrived around 3:30am and there was already a long line. My friend and I ended up in the 3^rd round, since they only have about 12 seats inside. For about $ 35 – 40 you get 10 pieces of nigiri and you get to choose one of your choice. This place is worth going once to eat the freshest sashimi.

My friends and I came here on Saturday at 3:30am… and we finally got seated around 8:30am. We waited 5 hours, and I don’t regret it. Some people in line left and went to the sushi restaurant next door… but I’m glad we stuck to it (for the experience and for the food)! The omakase was really good (even better that it costs only about $ 40), and the chefs were really nice and funny.
Pro tips: 1) don’t come here on a weekend. My friends told me they waited about 2hrs when they came on weekdays. 2) get an airbnb nearby. we had an airbnb super close by so we took turns waiting in line. it was extremely clutch and definitely made the 5hr wait more bearable.
The Tsukiji Fish Market (where this restaurant is) is moving in November!

Arrived for a late night fix-​me-​upper so didn’t have to line up for more than 15 minutes. We perviously ate across the street at Ginza Sushi King (or something with a similar name). The food was so terrible (2−3÷10) that we just left after eating a few pieces each.
Honestly, not as good as I expected giving the hype for this place, but the quality of the fish is still great, especially for the price. Best akami I’ve had.

My favorite sushi bar in the world… at least so until a few years ago that i could get in easily.
Now has become a tourist spot and the lines take hours and hours…
In the last 15 years or so however i have been to Sushi Dai on my frequent trips to Tokyo and often when I lived there… a few dozens of occasions?
And have taken many out of country guests, and some from japan…
We have always loved it, felt freshest and best food, and amazing value…
Get the most expensive omakase, and add to it… worth every penny.

Ok, so I’ve read the positive and the negative reviews of Sushi Dai and here are my 2 cents…
This place is located right in the Tsukiji Fish Market.
My friend and I actually happened upon the Sushi Dai line. We had intended to try and get in to the famous tuna auction and we had been told by several people that 4am was a good time to show up. We decided to be ambitious and arrived at Tukiji at around 3:30am. Well… With Tsukiji moving in September, I guess the tuna auction is extremely popular and we were too late to make the registration for the auction. So we were at Tsukiji at 3:30am with nothing to do. We happened upon the line and was informed this was for Sushi Dai and we figured… We were there, might as well get in line and try it!
At 3:30am there were about 35 people in line ahead of us. (Sushi Dai opens at 5am). I was shocked to see how many people started to get in line behind us… And I understand that if you get in line at say 6am… You are signing up for a 6 hour wait.
The restaurant holds 13 people and the elderly lady that works at Sushi Dai will keep track of group sizes. The restaurant runs on a FIFO type system (if you are a group of 5, for example, you wait until there is an opening for 5). My friend and I were seated at 7am… So that’s a 3 ½ hour wait…
There are two sets… One is (I think) ¥2600 and the larger set is ¥4000. The ¥4000 set is the most popular and includes 10 pieces of nigiri sushi (9 are pre-​set, you choose the 10^th), 3 rolls, miso soup, and green tea. It goes without saying that being located right in Tsukiji, this is the freshest fish I’ve ever tasted. The clam sushi was moving as it was placed in front of me. We finished up at around 8:30 am… Just in time to tour the main wholesale fish market at 9.
Don’t expect some sort of 5* high end mean (in style). This place is fresh, great sushi at probably the lowest price you will pay for the quality. This is NOT some fancy place with amazing dish plating and dainty garnishes.
The sushi was incredibly fresh and tasted amazing. The staff was efficient and friendly. I would recommend the experience — especially if you find yourself at Tsukiji too late to make the tuna auction. If you get in line after they open (past 5am) you are in for a heck of a wait… And I am not sure I would recommend it at that point, unless you want to waste your day away in a line.
Am I happy I tried this place in spite of the line… Absolutely. The food and the whole experience were worth it. Would I do it again? I don’t think so. The line was horrendous and there are many amazing sushi places, both in Tsukiji and around Tokyo.
A few other recommendations: wear comfortable shoes, bring a book or something to do, show up EARLY. If all you are really planning to do is check this place out… Bring a stool or fold-​up sports chair.

Food: 4.0÷5.0
Service: 3.0÷5.0
Value: 3.5÷5.0
Décor: 2.5÷5.0
Overall: 4.0÷5.0
Extremely belated review but I have to slip it in to give these guys props for what they do. Waited for *only* about two hours one early December morning. The sushi here is basically as fresh as it gets short of having it prepped on a fishing boat, though the preparation skill is more par for the course. Try the shirako!

Pouring rain. 3 hours. Do not wear Toms. Umbrellas are NOT overrated.
WORTH IT. Worth every minute of it, and if I had to wait three more hours, I still would. 4000 yen for ten pieces of sushi, miso soup, and a roll is a steal for what they serve at Sushi Dai.
They got right down to business with me. The toro was perfect, and a preview of all the amazingness to come. Lighter fish like flounder and red snapper were fabulously fresh, and the bonito was so smooth! The uni was sweet and buttery, almost as sweet as the freshly-​cooked sea eel. I really appreciated the cutlassfish — I’ve never had it before. I expected it to be on the brinier, but it turned out to be a little sweeter and very thin and light. I chose abalone as my final piece because I was curious what it would be like raw. It gets fleshy and tender when it’s cooked, but it couldn’t be more satisfying-​ly crunchy and cartilaginous when raw.
Get here before 9 AM. I arrived at 9:30 in the pouring rain, and only 6 people behind me got in. Sushi Dai has officially become a tourist spectacle, but don’t let that deter you. There’s a reason it earned a Bib Gourmand. Then again, I don’t need anyone to tell me just how amazing this place is!

I waited in pouring rain outside for almost 4 hours to eat at Sushi Dai. Do I sound crazy? Because you’d be wrong… No fewer than 100 other people were in line with me! Better yet, the man in front of me told me this was his second trip to eat at Sushi Dai that year and that he lives a few hundred miles north of Tokyo and whenever he visits Tokyo he comes here to stand in line and wait just for the extremely reasonable price of about $ 60USD for omakase sushi. Incredible!
What’s more is that of all of the people in line, only 4 of them were Westerners; Me, my husband, and my sisters-​in-​law. So while it’s surely an outpost for tourists, it would appear at first glance that in fact most people who are in line (or were the day I was there) were in fact people who know about Sushi Dai from locals, friends, family and word of mouth. Not just tour guides or TV shows, etc. It was very reassuring as I stood there sopping wet that not a single person quit waiting or got out of line to go eat somewhere else.
Sure, there are shorter and faster moving lines all around the market but I was in it to win it when I saw just how sure everyone else was about waiting in this, the longest, slowest moving line.
The restaurant (like most in Japan) only has a dozen or so seats. So the reason the line moves at a snail’s pace is because you have to wait for people to eat and finish before new seats open up. Your best bet is to go in groups of 3 or smaller, ideally just going with a friend or alone. The seats rotate faster that way and if you’re a big group and one spot opens up, they’ll allow a single person in line to skip ahead of you. Very smart! Works similar to a rollercoaster line.
Beyond the sushi being the freshest and some of the best I’ve ever had, the service is top notch. Like all service in Japan, the chefs and staff here are all about providing wonderful, memorable experiences. But what really struck me and set Sushi Dai apart from the pack is that the chefs and staff really go out of their way to entertain foreign tourists. They will speak to you kindly in English and ask where you’re from, they’ll engage with you beyond just serving you fish and answer questions you may have with a big smile, and best of all — they OFFER to take photos for you and with you. They actually pose and get in pictures! It’s brilliant and friendly and fun. We had a remarkable time here and just like the man in front of me, I won’t hesitate to come back and wait in line another four hours for this experience. Definitely a must-​do. I’m so proud I waited so long and didn’t give up, Sushi Dai was worth the wait.

When someone who lives and works in Japan recommends a sushi restaurant and also happens to be a huge foodie, well there is no other option then to go. Sushi Dai was exactly that sushi restaurant recommendation and definitely the best sushi I’ve ever had.
My original intent was to visit Tsukiji Market and just grab sushi from one of the many vendors but upon hearing about Sushi Dai from my cousin’s friend, I figured, why not? Kat and I stumbled upon the line got there later than everyone but luckily they were still taking people for the day and we were the second to last group allowed because they close at 2pm… for the day. Now, we ended up waiting two and half hours to finally enter and have the sushi omakase. I normally wouldn’t wait that amount of time for a restaurant but because I was in Japan and I had yet to eat sushi, it was a foodie quest of the highest order.
Upon entering, there are only 14 seats. Tiny but hey, it’s just like some New York City restaurants! I ordered the sushi omakase which was about 4500 Yen or $ 40 for ten pieces of sushi. That may seem much for ten pieces but all the fish was caught fresh for the day and prepared with such skill and finesse that the experience is more than worth the price.
From start to finish, every piece of sushi was perfection. THIS was sushi. The first was the fatty tuna and goodness was it melt in your mouth. From there you get bright and delicate salmon, succulent fresh filefish (chef’s favorite), and cold, sweet uni. The standout for me was the cutlass with its rich buttery flavor. What was great was communicating with the chef and him telling us how to each one whether with soy sauce or without to let the quality of the fish speak for itself. An added bonus to the best sushi of my life was an extra piece of my choice! That’s right, for some reason either because we built a rapport throughout the meal or he saw my genuine excitement to every single piece of sushi I ate, I was the only one in our section to get an extra piece. What a treat I’ll always remember.
Was it worth it? Definitely without a doubt. If you can wait and make the trip, make it a mission to visit Sushi Dai for the best sushi you’ll ever taste. Happy eating and remember: Don’t deny, satisfy!

It’s incredible how much publicity this restaurant has on Unilocal and on youtube. Going to Tokyo for the first time, I wanted to see if the sushi from the fish market was better than the sushi I had in Osaka, Seattle, Las Vegas etc… I WANT THE BEST
Heed my warning and get here at least by 330am. We came here at 430am and didn’t get seated until 935am X_​X
So my recommendation is to either stay at a hotel/​airbnb nearby and just take a taxi because… trains stop running at 1230ish.
Once you go through tsukiji fish market, this is located near a collection of shops and other restaurants but becareful to not go to the other sushi restaurant located adjacent to this one with similar kanji.
During our wait it rained pretty hard but the hostess was kind enough to come out and provide everyone (me) without an umbrella, one to borrow. Thanks!
Get the $ 40 omakase (10 pieces chosen, 1 piece you pick)
1.Semi Fatty Tuna (Delicious)
2.Flounder (Alright)
3.Red Snapper (Amazing)
4.Uni (Delicious)
5.Horse Mackerel (Delicious)
6.Surf Clam (Delicious)
7.Baby Shrimp (Alright)
8.Cutlassfish (Delicious)
9.Tuna and Cucumber rolls (Ok)
9.5 Tamago (good)
10. Sea Eel (Delicious)
11.(Optional) Fatty Tuna (Amazing)
They are moving to a new location nearby tsukiji in November 2016, so be on the lookout for the new location!
Overall: Incredibly kind service, amazing sushi but not worth a 5 hour wait. Get here early at 3am and expect to wait 2 – 3 hours to eat !

The absolute BEST sushi restaurant on the planet. Trust me. I’m not exaggerating or speaking in hyperbole. The otoro (fatty tuna) literally comes from the ocean steps away and it’s the best, freshest quality tuna you’ll ever eat.
You might find some sushi restaurants around the globe that’ll charge you $ 100 – 400 for fancy fish. Those fish all come from here, Tsukiji market, next to sushi Dai.
We arrived at 3am after missing out (were too late to see the famous 120 person only Tsukiji auction — where this tuna sells for $ 2000 to $ 15 000 US dollar) and were a party or 9 waiting at position 45. We were finally seated a 7am and received our omakase meal at 730am. Doors opened at 530am FYI but lines are hours long all day, everyday.
Please make sure you get both tasting menus for only $ 58 total for a huge amount of sushi. You waited that long, do it, it’s a steal. It would go for $ 500 in the USA easily.
Everything was prepared w the utmost quality by the expert staff, and customized to your slight modifications on soy sauce, allergies, favorites, etc.
Every piece is the best of that seafood you’ll ever have, even the egg and miso soup are the best ever, no joke. I’ve been to 500+ sushi spots around the globe to say this.
The otoro though, get more of it!
And at the end you even get to pick anything off a la carte that you didn’t get or want to get a second piece of. Magical. Otoro.
The best sushi in the planet for $ 58. So worth it.

Some of the best sushi that I’ve ever had in my life!
Maybe it was the fresh quality tuna that was bought steps away from Tsukiji Market. Maybe it was the adrenalin and happiness from arriving in Tokyo for the first time. Or that we waited an two hours to take in this gorgeous omakase that was served piecemeal to us.
While we were waiting in line, we chatted with a Hong Kong businesswoman.
She told us that this was her fourth visit in 2 years.
Whatever it was, K and I savored every bite. Each piece of sushi, K would close his eyes and smile as he was savoring the flavor. He looked like he was in heaven.
We both ordered the omakase.
It came with Spanish mackerel, horse mackerel, squid, toro, chutoro, tomago, red clam, anago, hotate, uni and shrimp.
I loved the:
–briny buttery chu toro. It just melted in my mouth. Such a beautiful rich fatty cut.
— springy sweet shrimp! I wanted to steal K’s portion but I think we ordered another one instead.
— the firm sweet meaty red clam. I didn’t know red clams could taste so good!
— tender springy pristine white squid was some of sweetest best cuts that I have ever had!
–sweet briny Hokkaido uni. It was a gorgeous orange color and left you with such a clean taste in your mouth. This became my favorite type of uni instantly. (Santa Barbara uni being a close second.)
–sweet soft hotate was heavenly!
Thanks Sushi Dai for the lovely sushi. The sushi chefs were sweet and loved that we spoke a few words of Japanese! They did not love that we took our sweet time taking pictures but didn’t mind us savoring each morsel!
If only I could be like that HK businesswoman and come back to here again and again!

We just HAD to try this place. Great reviews, curiously long line, tiny little place right next to the fish market… let’s do it.
Opens at 5AM. We got there around 4AM and waited for about 3 hours. This is no joke. Set 5 alarms, drink 4 cups of coffee and get there early. You’ll get over the fact you’re eating sushi for breakfast. This place is delicious.
When we finally made it inside, we decided to get Omakase, chef’s choice. They were skillful with their hands and served everything very orderly. If you’re with friends, they serve you all at the same time — so don’t be the slacker and hold everyone else up. Other random thing — they give you a piece proportionate to your body size, which made me a little jealous but my husband happy because we both walked out full instead of just me. And then their attention to detail — after the first use of my chopsticks, he said «Oh. Lefty!» Then he started to serve all my sushi pieces angled the other way than everyone else’s to make it easier for me to eat!
Every piece we got was seriously amazing. It was so fresh and smooth. You won’t regret the experience.
Our chef spoke a little bit of English and was so nice. I think the only thing I wished I heard him ask in the beginning was «wasabi/​no wasabi» so if you don’t like wasabi like me, you can specify.

I did it! I finally did it! After years of passing up the long lines in Tsukiji, I finally committed to catching the train to Tsukiji Fish Market and waiting in 41 degree weather for 5 hours from 5:30 am to 10:30 am on a Saturday in March. 2016 is Tsukiji’s last year at this location so visit now!
Timing is Everything. Arrive early and rush to Sushi Dai! They only sit 10 people at a time. A couple on our train ran out of the station and were only a few people ahead of us in line. Not a big deal right? Wrong. On average, it takes 45 minutes to be sat so that couple that jolted for Sushi Dai off the train were seated almost an hour ahead of us even though we were only a handful of people away in line. About 50 people in front of us = 5 hours!!!
By 2 hours (7:30 am) tons of people in line had bailed. Even the local Japanese people were calling it quits. Just stick it out! It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity!
There’s two choices:
7 piece omakase 2600 yen
11 piece omakase 4000 yen (you choose your 11^th piece)
We went with the 4000 yen omakase of course! Go Big or Go Home!
We were seated in the tiny, I mean TINY bar and were given delicious hot green tea and miso! The sushi chefs speak some English so it was nice to make small talk. The pieces come one at a time on a wooden platform in front of you. Don’t forget to wipe your hands with the warm cloth before eating.
We started with Ootoro which melted in my mouth and was by far my favorite hence for my last piece I choose Ootoro! The live clam sushi was hard for me to stomach just FYI if you don’t like eating living creatures. In addition to the 11 pieces of sashimi, we were also given a block of tamago! I timed our meal at Sushi Dai, and from start (seated) to finish (paying) we were there for 37 minutes. My only gripe is that from the time I was seated until the time I left, there were a handful of tourist (like myself) just sitting and talking while the line that we all just stood in for hours, is waiting! Sushi Dai should politely ask people to check out if they are finished with their meal. This isn’t a sit, chat, eat kinda place.
The food was amazing. Truly the freshest sushi I’ve ever had. Will I do it again? Maybe not in the cold winter or hot summer but sure. Was it worth it? Yes, once in a lifetime experience.
*keep in mind people are waiting outside in the elements for hours, be considerate in your timeliness.

Let’s take a look at the breakdown:
13 ppl served at one time. Each seating lasts for approximately 45 minutes. The doors open at 5am.
On a Saturday, there were 19 people ahead of my group of 3. We arrived at 3:45am. We had to take a cab because the transit system wasn’t open yet. We got in on the second seating at 5:45am.
There were 80 – 100 people in line by the time we exited the restaurant.
Would I go again? I definitely won’t go on a Saturday, that’s for sure. I would dress with more layers and bring hand and foot warmers on a weekday in the winter. Heck, I would’ve worn snow pants and boots had I known it was going to be cold, wet, and miserable.
How was the sushi? Fantastic! Piece after piece of succulent fish and seafood. Heck, even the tamago and the fish miso were amazing! Friendly and interactive service. I enjoyed my meal so much but the insane wait was the only reason I docked a star.
Check out my drool-​worthy photos!

The line at Sushi Dai is no joke. We arrived at 3am. No, I’m not kidding. And we weren’t even the first people there.
The cabs are very expensive at that hour and subway doesn’t run so we took über. Japanese über is awesome and the price is very reasonable.
The restaurant is located on the side of Tsukiji fish market. We stopped and asked about 50 people before we actually found it. It was quite difficult to find even with a map that a store owner kindly gave us.
The restaurant opens promptly at 5am. We were the 5^th party in line for Sushi Dai. After waiting about 2 hours, we made the cutoff to be one of the first set of people to be able to seat in the tiny little seat restaurant.
You must do the omakase. You can order more on top if you want but what we got was plenty. The fish is amazingly delicious and the service was amazing. I had amazing uni here and discovered my new favorite sushi fish called the Golden Eye Snapper. I haven’t had this anywhere else but it is indescribably delicious.
The later you arrive, the longer you have to wait. When we left around 6am, the line went down the side of the building to the street. If you’re set on eating here, I recommend coming super early to avoid the 4 hour wait.

I really want to be resentful of the four plus hour wait, but I can’t, because it’s hardly the restaurant’s fault. The very fact that the restaurant acknowledges this, is VERY apologetic of its happenings and tries their utmost to make up for it in every conceivable way, however, is something that I am left in awe of every time (third time and counting) I set foot in the long and arduous line to sushi nirvana.
Yes it will rain while you wait in line, yes clueless tourists will try to cut in line and be angrily yapped at by those who’d been waiting for hours on end, but in the end you pay both for the experience and the indescribably fresh and deftly-​gripped sushi, and for me that’s worth standing in line for four hours for. At least up to three times, anyway.
I don’t imagine I can add any more to the already plentiful tips and hints that go with Sushi Dai other than whatever your perception of «early» is, I suggest you get there an hour earlier than that — and speak to your neighbors waiting in line! You never know what kind of awesome insightful people you may run into while standing on a street corner smelling like fish at five AM in the morning.
Also to all of you that have ordered both sets and were able to finish it – big kudos to you. I’m usually stuffed beyond measure after the 4000 yen set.