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Royal Sushi & Izakaya

Philadelphia

A rarefied omakase experience of stunning diversity

Local legends: Chef Jesse Ito practically grew up in his parents' suburban New Jersey sushi temple, Fuji – in its heyday, one of the best regarded Japanese restaurants in the Philadelphia region. When the Itos sold, Jesse and his father partnered with Philadelphia's Royal Restaurant Group to open Royal Izakaya in the city's residential Queen Village neighbourhood in 2017.

On the menu: Dry-aged tuna, lush blackthroat sea perch, Hokkaido uni, whole firefly squid no larger than kumquats and a dozen or so other carefully sourced sea creatures meet Ito's well-seasoned rice in the omakase offering granted to just 16 diners a night, with the waiting list running 600 people deep. Guests will find mostly nigiri with a few composed plates: think fish presented mostly naked, others briefly blowtorched or scored with texturizing knifework as fine as calligraphy, others given a flourish of yuzu or sesame or caviar.

Two in one: While Ito's cerebral omakase is Royal's piece de resistance, the casual, energetic tavern that occupies the front of the space is nothing to write off. Here you'll find classics from the Fuji era like the super-fresh tuna guacamole and soft, sweet, miso-glazed aubergine, as well as crispy karaage wings and shiro dashi-glazed Wagyu. The excellent maki and sashimi are consolations for those who can't get into the omakase.

Something to drink: Royal Izakaya's bar is a deep well of Japanese whisky as well as traditional and off-centre sake. The experienced front of house team can guide you through in a pairing of the latter at the omakase or simply recommend what goes best with the milk bread-wrapped katsu sando in the izakaya. It's such a fun list to explore, although you might end up experiencing Poor Impulse Control, also the name of a refreshing cocktail of mezcal, yuzu kosho and shiso liqueur.

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