Sushizanmai Bekkan

Walking around the fish market, i stumbled onto this Sushi Restaurant, and decided to try it out. The person at the front door took my name, and then i waited. It didn’t take that long to get to the front, and while i was waiting i was able to look at the display menu, to figure out what i wanted.
I was seated at the counter, and had a view of the chefs making the food.
After i ordered the, they brought over some tea, and right after that, the miso soup. Both were very good.
Then, the plate of tuna came. 4 different types of sushi, a couple of rolls… everything was amazing. so fresh! The best was the fatty Toro, but i enjoyed the toro, the seared tuna (great use of a blow torch), and the rolls.
Best part was when new customers would come in… they would be introduced as if they were entering a boxing match by the person at the main entrance… and then the rest of the staff would welcome them in. Made it very lively and fun!
If you want fresh sushi, a great atmosphere, and fast friendly service… this is the place to go to!

Best sushi I have ever had, fresh and delicious and the people are so nice! I am visiting from USA and a friend said this was a very good place to try. Also it is located in a fun outdoor food market. The wait was reasonable and the sushi melted in my mouth!

So now you’ve made it through the chaos of Tsukiji Market and you’re ready to eat something. You could settle for the odd tasting chestnut paste they sell throughout the market, or you can get some of the best damn sashimi you’ll ever metabolize at Sushi Zanmai.
It might sound insane to eat sashimi at 8:30am, but I promise you won’t care what time it is once you’re inside. The product they use is purchased at the maddening auction that happens before the sun rises, so if you’re like me and value sleep, skip the spectacle and get right to reason you’re here in the first place — to eat great raw fish (and post it to Instagram).
You have the option to order individual pieces or several different combination platters. As I did throughout my trip, I just pointed to the one I thought looked the tastiest and let the chef’s do their thing.
Strangely, my favorite item of the bunch was the raw shrimp. It was smooth, silky, and oh so lovely. How I’ve gone this long without that pleasure is beyond me, but it’s better late than never. Truth be told, everything was delicious, so you really can’t go wrong.
Confused on where in the market this place exists? It’s deep, but look for this awning:

Absolutely incredible sushi! What better place than to get it from the source at Tsukiji? It was definitely the freshest fish I’ve ever had. We ordered the tuna platter (must order!) and the mixed platter (which was a lot cheaper and had more variety). The tuna platter was absolutely incredible. You have never had such good tuna — I swear to you, so buttery and smooth. Sure it is a little pricey — you can get cheaper sushi in Tokyo — but it is well worth it. Please do all of us a favor and treat yourself! (They accept card, so you can get cash back!) Also, remember that sushi/​sashimi is incredibly filling. We food coma’d for a good day after this meal…
PS. They have an English menu.
PPS. There is a main restaurant for Sushizanmai outside of the market, but it opens at 11AM.

How many of you out there can recall reading in the news about a record price that was paid by a Japanese Sushi restaurant for a Giant Bluefin Tuna at Tsukiji Market in Tokyo? I vaguely remembered reading somewhere about it, but never paid much attention to it. During my recent trip to Tsukiji, I had the opportunity to visit that restaurant. Mr. Kiyoshi Kimura, president of Kiyomura K.K. Of Tokyo placed the winning bid of 155.4 Million Yen or $ 1.76 Million for a Giant Bluefin during the first auction of the year, 2013 at Tsukiji Market. I didn’t realize that it was actually a bidding war between rival restaurants to win the coveted first fish honor. The losing bidder, Itamae K.K. Is actually owned by a Hong Kong based company. The fish, weighing 489 pounds was expected to produce up to 10,000 pieces of sushi! Although the fish would actually be considered a loss for the company, it was apparently the honor of having the first fish that was much more important. And, it was purchased by a Japanese Company. If you were wondering, the sushi produced from it was sold at regular prices.
During my visit to Tsukiji, I decided to have lunch here and I wasn’t disappointed! My good friend, L.A. Unilocaler, Marko C. swears by this restaurant. He was right. For those of you who have ever come to Tsukiji, you know how fast paced the vendors do business here and how crowded it can get. Being able to sit down at a sushi counter and enjoy awesome sushi is a treat. My dining companion and I scored two seats at the bar and were immediately greeted by the Sushi Chef and given menus. Being big fans of tuna, we settled on their Maguro-​zanmai set. This will set you back approximately ¥3000 or $ 25 US. We were extremely satisfied with the quality and the skill of the chef as we watched him prepare our meal. When we got our sushi, we throughly enjoyed thee most melt in your mouth Otoro that we’ve ever had. The fish was obviously super fresh and I could just picture in my head the buyer at the fish auction down the street a few hours before, bidding on the day’s catch. Also included in this set were, Toro, Broiled Maguro, Negitoro and Maguro Roll. We also ordered Jyou-​anago or Sea Eel nigiri, this was top quality! Really tasty. Included with each set is a huge bowl of Miso Soup, the biggest bowl I’ve ever been served in any Japanese restaurant I’ve been to! As our meal came to a close, we left feeling very satisfied and excited that we had the chance to come to one of Sushizanmai’s restaurants. If you’re ever in Tokyo, look one of them up, highly recommended!

I didn’t find the sushi/​nigiri/​sashimi was fresh (or cold, as it should be). This was surprising given how close it is to Tsukiji market!

On a quick business trip to Japan we knew breakfast at Tsukiji was going to be a must. We foraged for a sushi spot early in the morning and we found this Sushi-​Zanmai. Although a chain of sushi shops, the seafood is unbelievably fresh and for rock bottom prices compared to other high end sushi shops in the area.
Highly recommended.

After walking around the Tsukiji fish market (be sure to walk around the seafood wholesale area!), we found this place. It had a line, but they’re so efficient it wasn’t a long wait at all. There are English menus and they also speak enough English that you’ll feel comfortable. The sushi itself can’t be described. It was the best toro I’ve ever eaten! I basically ate as much as I could before bursting, and I couldn’t believe the price. It was so cheap!

Same branch that was visited earlier on this trip to Japan 2014.4. The difference here? The location. Right in the midst of 東京都 fish market, there are plenty of other options as well. My friend and I were looking for a more economical choice while in the area.
Enter sushi: We were given the restaurant’s special. Scallop and liver… I did not eat the liver. I had the tuna set… again…two of them. My friend ordered an assortment of different types of sushi:
* Shrimp — As per usual, I am not a huge fan of shellfish and such, but it was good.
* Mackerel — Definitely taste the scale of the fish, and the fish itself was nice.
* Squid — Very chewy, not my style.
* White tuna — A different taste, but was still good. Actually, we may have been unsure on what it precisely was.
* Sea eel — Different from the premium eel last time, but definitely still good. If paying attention, one can tell the difference.
* Fatty tuna [huge!] — Excellent tuna, huge ass piece!
* Seared salmon — I did not eat a lot from the last plate, but the seared salmon was awesome. Recommended by the server, and I personally love seared sushi.
The unique aspect is despite being a chain, I would prefer eat here than pay a premium in the fish market. Why? You are IN the fish market. The fish that is being stored cycles out so quickly, so the fish one is served fresh nevertheless. Sure, bad fish exists, but any business that wants to stay in business will be cutting excellent cuts of fresh fish without the premium behind «the name.»
Apparently, the menus with set items rotates as well! So those on holiday in the future, your experiences may vary!