Yama by far. My wife and I tried a few other places (miyamoto, some place that was on a second story, and some place else) when we first moved here and Yama was the only place that tasted fresh. Plus their sake selection is great.

Murata and Wa Kitchen Kuu. They both are Japanese-owned and -operated. High quality food and authentic cooking styles. Both are great for all kinds occasions.

Wa Kitchen Kuu’s “Ehomaki” (lucky-direction sushi roll) is phenomenal and fun to eat. Highly recommended!

I'm a sucker for the happy hour at Ushu on Mississippi. Been a staple on mine for years.

Kaizen is an impressive newer spot.

Yuubi in Beaverton

Nimblefish or, if you can get a reservation Kaede

Nodoguro, nimblefish, murata.

High scale? I’m not sure anything touches Nodoguro in that regard

If you go to murata you can get a private room and sit in the floor (your legs go into a hole in the floor). The sushi there is amazing and it’s very old school traditional.

I also like wa kitchen kuu. They’ve shifted a bit but their vibe is very modern but traditional. They also have traditional booths as well.

Both great, real Japanese experiences.

If you want a more Americanized version then I’d try masu

For medium fancy Yama is fucking legit.

We just went last weekend! It was by far the freshest and tastiest sashimi we’ve ever had. A once in a lifetime dinner for us there through for sure due to the price tag. I would eat a little before you go as you may leave a little hungry or just perfectly full.

Yosaku, for sure. Benkay is great, too.

Haven't been to Miyake yet, but I have heard incredible things.

If youre into inventive exciting stuff big flavor do mr tuna. If you just want simple yummy straightforward do yosaku, if youre somewhere in the middle and here on the weekend do great wave sushi

Miyake!

Also, if you're into something different go at lunch time and order the Bento box.

I went to King of the Roll on Saturday when everywhere else had a 1+hour wait. We were sat right away. I see why there were no wait times now.

If you ever get up coast to Rockland, don’t miss Suzuki Sushi. It’s the best in the state.

Momo Yama in the Pearl is pretty damn good and nails my price point of not dangerously cheap nor outrageously expensive. (Also, they serve a really great chilled sencha.)

My Japanese friend says the best in the area is in Hillsboro:

Syun Izakaya

https://maps.app.goo.gl/EEQ6uopxWrYS5gPf9

Best upscale: Masu or Yama

Best value: Ohana or Saburos

Well, it was a real nice secret sushi society we had once.

? I like Yoko's a lot too!

Yoko’s

nimblefish, but it's more expensive than a lot of others

I love Miyamoto! Delicious and affordable

I haven’t actually been but if my sushi buddy came to town that’s where I would go.

I’ve eaten at the hands of chef Cody a bunch in the past and trust everything he does.

Masu is great for this. Pricey, but the fish is fresh and the ambience is unbelievable.

Nodoguro... good luck getting in.

Seconding Nimblefish. Highly curated, intimate one-of-a-kind experience. I had never cried from the taste of food before eating here, wild feelings

Yea it’s two people limit. But it is the best on food and ingredients.

Vibe admittedly is a bit lacking since it used to be an old industrial styled taproom and they didn’t change much.

If Bamboo is really the best then I’m a little sad because I like sushi but last time I ate there I thought Bamboo was good but not great.

I like Bamboo because they make delicious food, but also because they focus on serving responsibly-sourced fish. On their web site, you can even see where their fish is coming from and how it was caught or farmed. https://bamboosushi.com/#fishery-map

Love Yama in the Pearl.

nimblefish - bamboo is a fine second place but not comparable.

Sushi Ki-Ichi in Tigard lives up to the hype and the drive south. It’s excellent quality and they do a ton of volume so the easier to make stuff is cheap.

There are more high end, fancy, places in Portland proper but nothing fills the Ichidai shaped hole in my heart.

RIP Ichidai.

I find Ben Kay is better than Yosaku. But both are excellent and you can’t really go wrong with either.

Yosaku for quality, king of the roll for value

I'm biased only cause I worked there. But Yosaku definitely check it out

Yosaku.

Yosaku.

Who remembers the OG Miyake on Spring, couple doors down from what is now Bao Bao? When he first came to town that place was an absolute gem, then caught up the hype. Glad to have had several nights there back in the day.

These days my go-to is Yosaku, then Ben Kay, then King. I don’t get out much. If you’re looking for a hole-in-the-wall out of town Chopsticks on Rt 1 Yarmouth is a diamond in the rough. Head sushi chef is actually Korean, so they have mean Korean food taboot, but he does dynamite sushi and rolls.

Here's my ranking:

• Miyake (Fore Street) still closed for renovations
• Mr Tuna (Public Market House)
• Izakaya Minato
• Yosaku
• Benkay
• Sapporo
• King of the Roll
• Sushi you find on the sidewalk that's only been stepped on a few times
• Kon Asian Bistro

I agree bobo.. tokyo was one of the worst restaurants i’ve been too in portland. Service was slow and food was gross, I couldn’t even eat it. I’m surprised they are still in business.

Controversial opinion:

Ben Kay is better than Yosaku.

Yosaku I believe is the overall favorite for most people. I enjoy Tokyo on Brown street…their rolls are massive and you get good value for the money, but they’re sometimes hard to properly eat due to the size. My wife also said she enjoyed King of the Roll on Congress but I’ve never had the chance to try it yet.

I like Ginza Town on Forest Ave

Sushi Ichiban has a scale model train as a conveyor belt! Plus v cute decor, lots of figurines and stuff. They often have rock music playing and the staff are super cool and nice.

Location is downtown in an area where a lot of folks are down and out, but nobody has ever bothered me. Obviously YMMV, but I would say don’t let it deter you from a great hole in the wall type spot!!

I am here to recommend Takahashi! It's far out (on like 103rd and Holgate) but it is SO CUTE inside. It is full of neat stuff. The folks are nice, the sushi is bomb, and they've got noodle soup and teriyaki too for the non-fish eaters. Also their tempura offerings are surprisingly large, I always spend too much money getting 3-4 different tempuras "just for fun" haha. It looks small, but they have a back dining room that is quite a bit larger than you'd think from looking at the storefront. If you go at dinner time, expect to wait.

Edit: please note that I don't even eat fish and I can't get enough of this place!! I love sushi but I'm vegan now. Takahashi has more vegan sushi options than other places I have been to, and even their super simple rolls are a delight. Avocado shitake roll? AMAZING. Asparagus roll? I'm drooling over here!

Kura sushi in Beaverton and Hana sushi in by powells are both conveyor belt places that have a good amount of non sushi items and are fun because conveyor belt! Most ramen and Izakaya places serve sushi too, though that’s not the main focus. Same with Janken, which is a Japanese fusion place that has a lot of non sushi stuff, and a handful of fancy rolls. The vibe is very upscale cool .

My favorite is Yoko's. Awesome staff, cozy vibes, great food!

Yoko’s