Japanese Restaurants in Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Northern New Mexico
Albuquerque - Corrales
Ichiban Japanese Restaurant
Lunch: Mon-Sat 11am-3pm,
Dinner: Sun 4:30pm-9pm, Mon-Thurs 5pm-9pm, Fri-Sat 5pm-10 pm (hours can change without notice)
Whether you’re a certified sushi lover or have never tried the stuff before, Ichiban can make you a roll you’ll love. Heck, they even make vegetarian rolls that aren’t half bad. Their lunch specials are a reasonably-priced way to try several different things on the menu at once. Ask the server to recommend some sake and make sure you try the yellowtail roll.
Full review: Ichiban has leveled up their sushi game ()
 | | | | | No Votes Yet! |
Albuquerque - Downtown
AmerAsia & Sumo Sushi
Dim Sum Mon-Sat 11am-2pm
Dim Sum Fri 5:30-8:30pm
Sushi Mon-Fri 11am-2pm, Sat 12-2pm
Sushi Mon-Sat 5:00-9:30pm
Closed Sun (hours can change without notice)
$$ • Vegetarian Available • Gluten-free available • Booze Served • Catering • Take Out / To-Go • Outdoor Patio
Dim sum and sushi under the same roof? It's like a dream come true. The beautiful interior of this vintage filling station just East of the federal courthouse is a marked change from the cozy home interior near the university where AmerAsia used to reside. Hyangami Yi's food is just as good as ever. Expect her familiar dim sum plates and buns, and feel free to order sushi you've never had in this town from her brother Woo Youn. He's got all the usual sashimi and nigiri in his adjoining restaurant, but it's his original, creative rolls that really set Sumo apart—that, and the adorable little train that ferries your pickled ginger around the sushi bar.
Full review: You say Confucius, I say Zen ()
 | | | | | 4.34 rating (23 votes) |
Sushi Hana
Mon-Fri: 11am-9pm
Sat: noon-10pm
Sun: 4pm-9pm (hours can change without notice)
A straight-shooting sushi joint with some Korean influences. Small and boldly decked in red and black, you’ll find affordable, familiar rolls in a contemporary atmosphere. Great for a quick lunch or a half-price sushi happy-hour trip (served from 11am to 2pm and 4:30 to 7:30pm weekdays).
Full review: Another fish in the pond? ()
| | | | | 4.07 rating (15 votes) |
Sushi King
Mon-Thurs: 11am-9:30pm
Fri: 11am-11pm
Sat: noon-11pm
Sun: noon-9:30pm (hours can change without notice)
Sushi King is a small, hip, but casual spot located a few doors up from the Century 14 Downtown movie theater. They serve fresh nigiri, sashimi and sushi rolls, plus an interesting assortment of seafood salads and noodle dishes. They’ve also got excellent sake, so be sure to split a bottle with your sushi chef.
| | | | | 3.19 rating (37 votes) |
Albuquerque - Fairgrounds
Fareast Fuzion
Mon-Thurs: 11am-9pm
Fri: 11am-10pm
Sat: noon-10pm
Sun: noon-8pm (hours can change without notice)
You may remember Bangkok Asian Fusion, which used to occupy this place. Now there’s a grand, shiny sushi bar with a huge fish tank behind it that lays out generous portions of great sushi. A plate of sashimi, densely and artfully arranged, turns the table into a school of piranhas. Each variety of fish is carefully garnished with complementary flavors, with the squid tossed in wasabi tobiko being particularly memorable. The seafood salad has so many chunks of raw fish among the greens that you can’t stick your chopsticks in without getting any.
Full review: Fresh food—and a lot of it—at Fareast Fuzion ()
| | | | | 4.18 rating (17 votes) |
Gen Kai
Mon: 11am-7:30pm
Tue: Closed
Wed-Sat: 11am-7:30pm
Sun: noon-6:30pm (hours can change without notice)
Rising up from the asphalt sea of the Talin Market parking lot, Gen Kai is a Japanese restaurant that offers an oasis from the heat and chaos of the International District. Sushi is on hand, naturally, and salt-brothed ramen, but the real star here are the donburi bowls. Our favorite is the oyako don, in which dashi-soaked rice is topped with a fried combination of chicken and egg with two forms of onion: bulb and green.
| | | | | 4.5 rating (4 votes) |
Albuquerque - Far Northeast Heights
Mr. Tokyo Japanese Restaurant
Mon-Fri: 11:30am-2:30pm, 5pm-9pm
Sat: 5pm-9pm
Sun: Closed (hours can change without notice)
Since we’re long past the point when sushi was considered too exotic for New Mexico, it’s time to start paying attention to other fine Japanese favorites like tempura, hibachi-grilled meats and seafood, teriyaki without the La Choy, and the beauty of udon noodles. Mr. Tokyo is modestly sized, moderately priced and an excellent place for a quick, relaxing lunch or a quiet dinner with friends and family.
Full review: Tempting tempura ()
| | | | | 4.22 rating (18 votes) |
Sakura Sushi
Mon-Thu: 11am-9:30pm
Fri-Sat: 11am-9:30pm
Sun: noon-9pm (hours can change without notice)
Sakura Sushi serves fresh, generous sushi (duh), as well as dishes from Thailand and Laos out of a small strip mall on north Wyoming. But if you order one thing, make sure it’s the udon soup. One bowl is big enough for four people. Dip a spoon in and you’ll strike heaps of firm, dense noodles, caramelized meats and crisp-tender vegetables floating in a sweet-and-savory broth. The curries and goyza appetizers are among the menu’s other high notes.
Full review: Adventures in multiculturalism ()
| | | | | 3.81 rating (21 votes) |
Sushi King
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| | | | | 1 rating (3 votes) |
Albuquerque - Food Truck
Kitsune Food Truck
Mon-Wed Closed
Thu-Sat 3pm-10pm
Sun 12pm-6pm (hours can change without notice)
The creations of the resident food truck of Dialogue Brewing aren’t just tasty, they’re beautiful. Though the tacos are relatively small, we highly recommend the karaage tacos—the kitsune slaw is life itself. (The size of the portions don’t matter as long as you add a side of Thai fries.)
| | | | | 3 rating (2 votes) |
Albuquerque - I-25 Corridor
Sushi King
This establishment does not yet have a description. Would you like to contribute one? Use the 'Any other notes' blank.
| | | | | 2.85 rating (26 votes) |
Albuquerque - Nob Hill
Crazy Fish
Mon-Thurs: 11am-9:30pm
Fri: 11am-10pm
Sat: noon-10pm
Sun: noon-9:30pm (hours can change without notice)
The lunch menu at contemporary Crazy Fish is accessible and affordably priced with selections from a full sushi bar (other options include calamari salad and a barbecued eel bowl). At dinner, the menu is more exciting but not that much more expensive. The spicy udon noodles are transportive.
Full review: Crazy Fish is crazy good ()
| | | | | 4.23 rating (33 votes) |
Korean BBQ House and Sushi & Sake
Mon- Thu 11:30 am-9:30pm
Fri-Sat 11:30am-10pm
Sun 4pm -9pm
Closed Daily 2:30pm-4:30pm (hours can change without notice)
Sit out on the pretty patio, and your server will help you cook your dinner on the built-in grills. They’ll also show you how to wrap your spicy grilled meat or seafood in herb and lettuce leaves. For a full course of fine lunchtime cuisine, try the tofu kimchi appetizer, ginger tea and spicy chicken box plate. Nothing in Nob Hill goes down better. Go big on the appetizer list for the taste, but if you're cutting costs, the box plate menu offers more than enough chow for a starving midday appetite. And it's worth every penny. Also, Nob Hill’s newest sushi bar (behind Korean BBQ House) offers all-you-can-eat sushi for $18 at lunch and $23 at dinner. Ordering á la carte is always allowed, but if you’re going for the all-you-can-eat, you’ve got two pages full of options and an hour in which to explore them. Edamame, tempura, miso soup, rolls, hand rolls and a small selection of nigiri are all fair game.
Full review: There are rules to this game ()
Full review: Korean BBQ House and Sushi & Sake ()
| | | | | 4.02 rating (43 votes) |
Shogun Japanese Restaurant
Lunch:
Mon-Fri: 11:30am-2pm
Sat: 12:00pm-2:30pm
Dinner:
Mon-Thurs: 5:00-9:30pm Fri-Sat: 5:00-10:30pm
Closed Sunday (hours can change without notice)
Shogun serves sashimi, nigiri and sushi rolls in a fashionable Nob Hill setting. Park yourself by the sushi bar to watch the chefs skillfully prepare Japanese specialties as outgoing orders float past you on little wooden boats. The spider roll (with fried soft shell crab) is highly addictive, so be sure to order enough for everyone in your party.
Full review: Shogun delivers quality sushi and serene vibes ()
| | | | | 4.19 rating (36 votes) |
StreetFood Asia
Sun-Thu: 11am-9pm
Fri-Sat: 11am-10pm (hours can change without notice)
On the streets of Asia, vendors often specialize in one dish handed down through generations, preparing quick meals for passersby like hot noodle bowls, exotic sandwiches and spicy skewered satays. StreetFood Asia is a hotbed of cultural diversity serving Vietnamese pho, Korean noodles, Japanese udon, and Malaysian and Chinese stir-fry. StreetFood Asia's menu offers a dizzying array of sauces, toppings, garnishes, meats, seafood and vegetables in dinner portions or small plates in the heart of Nob Hill. Exotic bar drinks and a long list of excellent sakes add sparkle to your meal.
Full review: Too many items, not enough expertise ()
| | | | | 4.07 rating (37 votes) |
Sushi & Sake
Lunch:
Mon-Sat: 11am-2:30pm
Dinner:
Mon-Thu: 5-9:30pm
Fri-Sat: 5-10pm
Sun: 4-9pm (hours can change without notice)
Additionally, there were the Korean BBQ offerings I had to get my hands on. I went with the Chadolbagi ($21.95 for a pound), which was a thinly sliced beef brisket that was generously seasoned and came surrounded by a ton of garlic chunks. The aroma alone would be enough to sell me on the love of this dish, but then you get waves of flavor in every bite, leading to a voracious consumption of meat in an aggressive fashion. For good measure, I also snagged the Donkatsu Don ($14.99) which had panko-breaded and fried pork, rice, a wide spectrum of veggies and eggs. The sauce drizzle they added to the fried pork was something of legend. It had a touch of sweetness that truly opened up some of the more ignored facets of pork flavor, letting it blossom in your mouth. The crunchy panko crust helped hold onto that flavor and gave it the oomph it needed to be spectacular. Add in all that egged-up rice and veggies, and you’ve got a bowl of food that will leave you so full, you won’t be worrying about your next meal for a while.
Full review: Sushi & Sake brings their magic touch to Nob Hill ()
Alibi recommends: Firecracker Sushi, Donkatsu Don, Mochi
Vibe: High energy, meant to be enjoyed with a large group of people
| | | | | No Votes Yet! |
Albuquerque - Northeast Heights
Azuma Sushi & Teppan
Mon-Thurs:11am-2:30pm, 5pm-9:30pm
Fri: 11am-10:30pm
Sat: noon-10:30pm
Sun: noon-9:30pm (hours can change without notice)
With a serene Japanese theme, half of Azuma is devoted to teppan tables where patrons can sit and watch as a cook prepares their dinners with a few flashy tricks. On the other side of the restaurant, booths are separated by pretty panes of frosted glass and a line of stools hug the sushi bar. In addition to sushi, Azuma's menu offers many cooked items including noodles and a variety of grilled meats and vegetables that will ensure the place's appeal to families and folks who are new to Japanese food.
| | | | | 3.05 rating (37 votes) |
Buffet King
Cuisine: American, Asian, Asian Fusion, Bakery/Sweets, Buffet/All-You-Can-Eat, Chinese, Dessert, Japanese, Vegetarian
This establishment does not yet have a description. Would you like to contribute one? Use the 'Any other notes' blank.
| | | | | 3.35 rating (37 votes) |
Hayashi Hibachi
Mon-Thu 11am-2:30pm
4:30pm-10pm
Fri-Sat 11am-11pm
Sun 11am-10pm (hours can change without notice)
It’s a Japanese restaurant that looks and smells like a Chinese restaurant. (You can smell the egg rolls from the parking lot.) The restaurant is part of a chain in a handful of locations around the Southwest, and the signs of heavy investment are plentiful—starting with the large glass fountain by the front door. Private dining rooms with cut-out floors beneath the table allow patrons to sit on the floor without actually bending their legs. A seafood soup in clear broth is as delicious as it looks. And here’s a penny-pinching math problem for you: Should you get the regular sashimi plate which contains 15 pieces for $20, or the deluxe which has 18 pieces for $30? We chose the regular, which actually had 17 pieces (what, you don’t count the pieces when you get sushi?) and spent the savings on rolls.
| | | | | 2.95 rating (22 votes) |
Nagomi Japanese Kitchen
Mon-Sat 11:30am-2:30pm
5pm-9pm
Sun CLOSED (hours can change without notice)
Nagomi translates roughly to “the feeling of Japanese food.” This bold name is backed up by a large selection of Japanese dishes, some of which are rare in Albuquerque, including a long list of teishoku set meals. For the adventurous eater as well as the timid.
Full review: Japanese food for the adventuous and urbane ()
| | | | | 2.85 rating (26 votes) |
