Here are 7 of the best Columbia SC restaurants to get great sushi in 2023, according to Yelp

It looks simple enough.

A bit of rice, a slice of raw fish and maybe a vegetable or two — at first glance sushi appears like a meal that can be easily made by almost anyone with a little practice. But the Japanese dish is anything but simple, given the wide disparity in quality that can be found from restaurant to restaurant.

The Columbia area is full of restaurants that serve sushi. From California rolls to your classic spicy tuna rolls, there’s likely something for everyone, whether you’re a sushi newbie or a veteran. However, depending on the quality of ingredients and the presentation, how good the sushi is at those restaurants could vary greatly.

To make the search for quality easier, Yelp has compiled a list of the best reviewed restaurants in 2023 that serve sushi in the Columbia area.

Here are seven of the best places to get sushi in Columbia, according to Yelp.

Red Sake Japanese Restaurant

Location: 285 Columbiana Drive, Columbia

The Red Sake Japanese Restaurant website states that it mainly focuses on dishes that offer fresh seafood, fruits and vegetables. Customers can order sushi online or they can sit down and have all the sushi they can eat.

The restaurant offers classic sushi rolls like the California roll and the crunchy roll. It also has chef specialty rolls such as the phoenix maki roll, which includes spicy tuna, crunch with a slice of avocado and spicy mayo sauce. Then there’s the dynamite roll that has three kinds of spicy fish, cream cheese and the chef’s special sauce.

Camon Japanese Restaurant & Sushi Bar

Location: 1332 Assembly Street

Camon has prepared authentic Japanese cuisine and sushi since 1985 and is one of the first sushi bars in the Columbia area, the restaurant’s website states. Some of the more interesting sushi options on the restaurant’s menu include the lifesaver roll, which is avocado rolled without seaweed and filled with salmon, yellowtail with lemon zest on the outside; and the Camon roll, which includes shrimp, egg, cucumbers rolled inside and out and tobiko (fish eggs) on the outside.

Antai Asian Dining

Location: 5084 Sunset Blvd., Lexington

Antai in Japanese means ‘in good health,’ which the restaurant hopes to provide with its tasty sushi. Along with the traditional sushi offerings, Antai has a solid list of special rolls that offer a wide variety of flavors. There’s the caterpillar roll, which includes yellowtail, sea bream and escolar, topped with eel, avocado, scallions and sesame seeds and drizzled with spicy mayo and eel sauce. If you want something with a little kick, order the Godzilla roll, filled with spicy kani, tempura-fried and drizzled with spicy mayo and eel sauce. Or you could just try the house special, which has bluefin tuna, smoked salmon, sea bream, yellowtail, crab sticks, tobiko, scallions and avocado, all wrapped in a seaweed sheet.

M Vista

Location: 701 Lady Street

M Vista is a mixture of Chinese cuisine, Korean-style BBQ, Vietnamese and Thai, as well as Japanese sushi. Some of the restaurant’s specialty sushi rolls include the M Vista roll, filled with spicy scallops and sweet shrimp, topped with tuna, salmon, yellowtail and avocado; the mermaid, loaded with smoked salmon, crab and cream cheese and topped with shrimp; and the angry dragon, which has shrimp tempura, mango and spicy tuna inside soy paper wrap, with crab salad and eel sauce on top.

Inakaya Watanabe

Location: 655 St. Andrews Road

Inakaya is a bit of a drive out from Columbia’s downtown, but it appears to be worth the trip, based on reviews. Customers can order one of several sushi dinner options that offer a variety of classic sushi to try. You can also mix and match from the house favorite rolls and specialty rolls. And if you and some friends are particularly hungry and don’t mind sharing, there’s the Omakase sushi boat, in which the chef creates a unique boat with sushi, sashimi and a special roll based on the day’s selection.

TakoSushi

Location: 1332 Main Street

Opening just last year on Main Street in the heart of downtown Columbia, TakoSushi is a bit unique in the world of Japanese cuisine, given that it offers Southwestern dishes like tacos and quesadillas along with traditional sushi. Enjoy a side of chip and salsa while you chow down on unique sushi, such as Dan’s 49 roll, which includes steamed shrimp chop chop, topped with crab chop chop and jalapeños.

SakiTumi Grill and Sushi Bar

Location: 807 Gervais St.

SakiTumi has offered quality sushi to Columbia since 2006. Tucked away in the Vista, the restaurant provides plenty of traditional sushi options for customers. But for those who want to get a little more hands-on, SakiTumi sells a quick, at-home sushi kit. The basic kit lets you try your hand at putting sushi rolls together yourself, without the hassle of tracking down hard-to-find ingredients.