What are the best restaurants for sushi rolls in Palm Beach? Here are my favorites

From nigiri to sashimi, all kinds of sushi have been popular for years, but how did this happen when the idea of eating raw fish once horrified American diners?

The key? The now-much-loved sushi roll — some of best iterations of which can be found in Palm Beach.

Yes, you’ll find versions of the “California” roll here, which, comprising such familiar ingredients as cucumber, avocado and cooked crabmeat, was invented in the 1970s to entice Americans then-squeamish about sushi.

But wade further into Palm Beach’s sushi-roll world, which brims with traditional rolls, plus newfangled and “Americanized” rolls layered with crunchy, saucy and other components.

“Sushi rolls satisfy a range of guests, from the newcomer to the enduring enthusiast,” said chef Josef Morera of Palm Beach Asian hotspot Echo. “There are so many choices and variations.”

If you have a craving for sushi rolls, here are six Palm Beach places to try:

Echo

Offering Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese and Korean dishes, Echo wants to take guests on an exotic culinary journey. In the case of sushi, the destination is delicious amid the restaurant’s lipstick red-accented interior.

The nigiri and sashimi tempt, but devotees can’t resist the sushi rolls, particularly the Spicy Dragon ($29), an inside-out roll with cucumber and topped with avocado, tempura flakes, spicy mayonnaise and eel sauce.

Echo’s Palm Beach roll ($30) is a California roll topped with baked spicy conch or shrimp. Tempura shrimp, jumbo lump crab, asparagus, red tobiko, avocado and spicy pepper sauce jazz up the Hurricane roll ($29).

Echo also offers a riceless roll ($32): It includes tuna, salmon, hamachi, kani kama, masago and asparagus wrapped in a soy sheet and cucumber.

HMF at The Breakers

If you order sushi rolls at this expansive dining-and-drinking spot, you’re in festive company. During a busy night in high season, HMF is abuzz with social revelers sipping cocktails and grazing on small plates while music plays.

And many of them are partial to downing sushi rolls, which are among many offerings on HMF’s globally influenced menu.

The HMF roll ($30) features tempura shrimp, cucumber, avocado and red tobiko in a sesame-soy sheet with sriracha sauce.

The restaurant’s Rainbow roll ($30) is a California roll topped with tuna, salmon, cobia and avocado. A straightforward hamachi-and-scallion roll is $26.

Imoto

Since its 2012 debut, popular Asian hotspot Imoto has consistently earned high marks for its sushi, tempura and other small plates.

Though the 40-seat restaurant/sushi bar was developed by multiple-time James Beard Award-nominee chef Clay Conley and his Ember Group partners, its success also rests with sushi chef Gede Adnyana and “all the other amazing staff around him,” Conley has emphasized.

The most-ordered rolls here: Spicy Tuna ($18) with avocado, cucumber and sesame sauce; Spicy Seared Yellowtail ($21) with tuna, cucumber, jalapeno, fried garlic and spicy sesame sauce; and Super Salmon ($20) with spicy salmon and cucumber topped with avocado, seared salmon and miso sauce.

Adnyana noted that Imoto generally steers clear of “Americanized” or “overpowering” ingredients when it comes to sushi. “Staying simple is best,” he said.

LoLa 41

Eel sauce, wasabi mayo, yuzu kosho crema: They’re among the reasons why sushi rolls reign at LoLa 41, the signature restaurant at the White Elephant hotel.

“Our rolls practically jump out of the sushi bar (because) people in general like the flavors of our tasty sauces,” sushi chef Pedro Rivera said

In high demand among LoLa 41’s sushi rolls: the Maruko, a “mighty” roll that’s “spicy, sweet, warm and crunchy” in Rivera’s estimation. With avocado, shrimp tempura, spicy tuna, spicy mayo and unagi sauce, the Maruko is $26.

The Tsukiji roll ($25) features ginger-poached shrimp, avocado and cucumber topped with spicy hamachi, ponzu sauce and crispy rice; while the Green Light ($27) has spicy hamachi, shiso and green apple topped with kiwi, ponzu and fresh lime juice.

Employing lots of flavors and textures with sushi rolls is important, Rivera explained. Since LoLa 41’s menus draw on the cuisines of worldwide countries on the 41st parallel, “more is better,” he said.

Mizu at Tideline Ocean Resort

At Mizu at Tideline Ocean Resort, you can dine in the indoor sushi bar or sit outside on the oceanfront terrace, which is an allure all its own.

Chef Gary Mawu has been crafting sushi for 20-plus years at Japanese restaurants including in such places as Chicago and New Delhi, India.

He champions all sushi, but among his sushi rolls, “the most popular is the Mizu ($32) because this roll is made with a unique ingredient: I incorporate apple together with spicy tuna and they just blend very well together,” Mawu said. “On top, we put blue crab and blue-fin tuna glazed with truffle-miso aioli.”

One of Mawu’s sushi rolls is named after his birthplace in Indonesia: The Manado ($26) features baked white fish, garlic, blue crab, cucumber, avocado, negi, tobiko and tempura flakes.

“I grew up eating a lot of seafood and the two basic ingredients (in the Manado roll) are garlic and seafood,” he said.

Among other rolls at Mizu: The Emperor ($30) with tempura shrimp, asparagus, salmon, spicy aioli, avocado and sweet soy.

Boken at Eau Palm Beach Resort

Named after the Japanese word for “adventure,” this intimate 12-seat sushi spot opened in 2022 at the Manalapan resort.

While it features all styles of sushi (not to mention a reserve-in-advance 12-course “chef’s choice” experience on Saturdays), sushi rolls are a big draw.

Two of them already have a fan club: the Firecracker ($30) with tempura shrimp, kani krab, tempura flakes, hamachi, salmon, spicy mayo, masago, red tobiko, chili powder, chives and sesame seeds; and Mango Madness ($22) with tempura shrimp, kani krab, tempura flakes, mango, avocado, eel sauce and sesame seeds.

Other favorites: a hamachi-and-scallion roll ($18).

While Eau’s sushi chef Chris Cantrel appreciates offering “traditional and obscure items for battle-seasoned sushi-lovers, sushi rolls are a great conduit to introduce sushi to newcomers.”

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Best restaurants for sushi rolls in Palm Beach