If you are looking for a short lunch or dinner break while shopping or sightseeing around Shibuya, Uogashi Nihonichi standing sushi bar is definitely the place to visit.
A standing sushi bar is a small restaurant where all the customers stand around the main counter, behind which the chef prepares their sushi. It's a popular type of restaurant among businessmen who have very short breaks and won't have time to relax in another type of sushi shop. A typical dinner lasts about ten to 20 minutes: all the food is made on the go. You order your sushi pair by pair and it's made in seconds right in front of your eyes, from delicious fish displayed behind a glass in front of you.
You can order a wide selection of the freshest fish, such as different types of tuna (maguro, otoro...), salmon and squid. What I like the most is ordering roasted salmon or eel (unagi) and watch the chef roast the fish behind the counter.
The sushi is served on a small leaf in front of you, and it is absolutely delicious. You can tell it's very fresh and of the highest quality, as you can feel it melt in your mouth The rice is perfectly prepared and they might use a tiny bit of mayonnaise to enhance the taste of what's already outstanding fish. While the chef prepares your selection, you can pour yourself some hot water and add a teaspoon of matcha powder to sip on some very good green tea when waiting for your next order.
The prices of the sushi are definitely affordable : they start at about 100¥ for a piece, and a regular meal would cost you around 1200¥ to 2000¥, which is really cheap for such quality food. But if you still think it's expensive, you can wait for the 10th and 20th of the month, where they offer 10% and 20% discount on all orders. If you're a lady, you may even want to wait for ladies' day, where the shop gives you 30% off! You can also find this restaurant in other areas such as Shinjuku, Akihabara and Harajuku.
I highly recommend you to try this shop even if you are not in the area. It is one of the best sushi I have tried in Tokyo and they know how to create unique pieces where all the ingredients converge into a harmony of tastes and textures.
