Azumi

This spot is SEXY! …and the food is good to boot! The servers are well versed in the fare. I was very impressed with the presentation from start to finish! My first visit was at the bar. We ordered food and drinks, enjoyed the fake fish tank, and exchanged conversation with the bartenders. My second visit was a blind date (which is why I chose this spot) and we both loved it; even more for me.

Came here for dinner on Saturday night, reservations were for 8:15 but it took a little while to get seated which I guess should be expected being that it was Saturday night & a pretty popular spot.
Restaurant is very trendy, great décor although lighting is a little too dim.
Ordered the salmon teriyaki which was pretty good but the apple cinnamon drink (don’t remember the name) was ah-​mazinggg!
Cute spot for a date or just out with friends.
Also, the music is good so it’s definitely a nice spot to go out to for a more low key but trendy night out.

a while back my friend and I came here to have some really good fresh sushi. Damn! was we wrong to pick this place. How can you claim this to be a high end sushi restaurant when the whole presentation was just off. i’m saying this is because we order our sushi and the roll was very loose and the rice was actually falling off the role like it was just crumpling in front of our eyes. Now. I have been to Pabu when it was around many times and it was fucking awesome. this place is a joke. never again will i be here.

I had reservations here for my birthday dinner with friends. The atmosphere is great for dinner, or even just cocktails in the lounge or at the bar. I have to say — everything we ordered was amazing. We had a table of 7 and our waiter was super friendly and accommodating and made great suggestions catering to things that we liked. We ordered the seared wagyu appetizer which was mouth watering. Of course we also got the Sawagani Crabs — you just HAVE to — surprisingly, they really are like crab popcorn. The Royal Azumi (mixture of sushi, sashimi and nigiri) was enough to feed 5 of us, along with a few other app dishes. Two of my friends ordered the skirt steak and said that it was phenomenal. I would love to come back — just not sure my wallet feels the same. But it was absolutely worth every penny!

Great venue with gorgeous views. Could see this place being busy during the summer with the outdoor patio seating on the harbor.
On the pricey side with 18 – 22 $ for a roll.

I’ve been to Azumi twice so far for Happy Hour. I’ve had the pork ribs and the shrimp tempura roll and they were both out of this world! The pork spare rib was so tender, it melted in my mouth. The shrimp tempura roll was so fresh that it also melted in my mouth. I can tell the difference between a good sushi roll and an excellent sushi roll. The food at Azumi is so fresh and good, I can see why the prices are more expensive than the other sushi restaurants around the area.
The atmosphere is trendy and overlooks the Baltimore Inner Harbor. They have happy hour from 4 – 7 pm. It’s not crowded during Happy Hour but I noticed people started coming in at around 7 pm. By 8 pm on a Friday night, the place was packed. The service is really good and Emilie kept coming over to see if we needed anything else. She was also friendly and recommended a few drinks and explained what was inside the drinks. Overall, I’ve always had a good experience at Azumi.

The best freshest sushi around. Great selections of sashimi. The tuna was not frozen such as places in montgomery county. It is expensive but worth it. Sashimi and cocktails $ 125 – 150 per person. This is the best sushi in baltimore!

Went for the first time and was not disappointed. I went for a Christmas present towards each other, so we were prepared to spend some money — I was told by friends, about $ 100 pp, and that’s what it worked out to be (tip included), but we really tried a lot, and were full when we left.
I made the reservation on Open Table, for 7 on a Tuesday night the week of Christmas, and it was pretty dead when we got there, and when we left. The atmosphere is beautiful as it’s not cramped with people, the lighting is on the dark side, but it depends what table you sit at. There’s more light at some tables than others.
As for food and drink, we started with 2 specialty cocktails which were very tasty. They were $ 12 each, but worth it. We tried 3 of them, and really liked all of them. As far as booze, I was concerned that it would be silly expensive, but to be honest, we had Kirin Lights after the cocktails, and they were $ 5 each, which isn’t breaking the bank.
Edamame — $ 5. Good portion, lightly (perfectly) salted, served with a lime
Rock Shrimp Tempura — lightly fried. Worth having. Good portion. We enjoyed.
Sawagani Crabs — $ 15 for 6. From a fresh water river in Japan, flown in daily, steamed. I was nervous about these, but it was a fun experience to try them. You eat them whole and it’s like the Japanese Kettle Cooked Chip. They are not fishy, just salty and crunchy.
Speciality Rolls — ranging between $ 16-​$ 19. Black Cod roll — strong ginger flavor. Very good. Jalapeño Hamachi — Yum. Something else with King Crab on top — I can’t remember all the details, but they were all really fresh, cold, and flavorful.
I’ll be back because this place was awesome.

Nice classy place for Sushi– we got the nigiri lunch, jalapeño hamachi, and toro, snapper, and caviar. My favorite was the toro and the caviar.

I’m a little on the fence between 3 and 4 stars, but in the context of location and supply/​demand I will round up.
We came here to celebrate a dear friend’s birthday. Reservations made easy with OpenTable, lovely hostesses, complementary coat check. Check check check. Bar service a little slow throughout the night, which was a bit off putting since a) everything is by the glass so a bottle isn’t an option and b) it wasn’t that busy of a night.
Lets backtrack to no bottle service. Why? More importantly, how does a sushi restaurant not have a New Zealand sauvignon blanc on the wine list? You guys know that’s like a thing right? Have you met my good friend Kim Crawford?
Food was solid. I LOVED the little mini crabs! I could basically eat this like popcorn shrimp. The seared steak from those beer fed-​butt massaged Japanese cows was actually one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. I’m a little shocked because I was always convinced that this was just a bunch of hype… butt…yeah.
The rolls are pretty good. As you can see below, we basically ordered the entire special roll list for our dinner. The one that really stood out was the cod. But that’s about it. I dunno. I’m from Boston. Good sushi is not hard to find. I don’t think anything we ate from this list stood up to $ 18 a pop.
The bill came to about $ 600 for the 4 of us. Splitting it 3 ways, I can’t say I’d go back especially since I did not enjoy my wine (see above). However, I might make an exception in the summer since the view from the patio is SPECTACULAR.
Bottom line: save this one for a special night out.

I grew up in a Japanese Okinawan home and town so I can appreciate good Japanese food. Here’s my take on Azumi. We stopped for dinner on our way to a show and ate just enough not to stuff ourselves. It’s going to be $ 100+ for two people and can easily go to $ 200 if you’re hungry or feel like having drinks. Online menus with no prices are scary. The prices are city prices and aren’t terrible but I would choose wisely before you pay for something that isn’t fabulous. They have quality sushi.
PARKING — Valet at the front door. It’s $ 8 and the tip is worth the convenience. There’s also a parking garage on the corner of the block by the Marriott when you’re driving in.
RESERVATIONS — I would make reservations. You can call or use their website. The booths can fit 4 – 6 if you don’t mind being cozy and they are along the windows with the best views. The other tables are cozy and nice when it’s not crowded but when it is, your conversation is right up on top of the next table, especially when it’s only two of you.
FLASHLIGHT — Bring your phone flashlight if your vision sucks. It’s dark in here! Seriously, a lot of people can’t read menus in this light and I was straining. The dim lighting makes it more intimate though and maybe meant so you can’t see your neighbors as well since you are sitting right next to the other tables.
AMBIANCE — Pretty nice, not sure about the night scene/​music. I guess this is popular since we are in the city and Harbor East.
DRINKS — They have green tea and it is way too strong. Tea leaves need to be removed after a short time. I had to ask for hot water to dilute it. The rest of their drink menu offers a decent selection from mixed cocktails to beer, wine and sake.
MISO BUTTERFISH ENTREE $ 32ish? (Black Cod) is fabulous and I would order it again because they make it like I’m back at home. It comes with potatoes (odd), snap peas, and a little yamamomo seed that is a nice touch but goes well with rice better than potatoes. I ordered a side of rice.
JALAPENO YELLOWTAIL ROLL $ 16ish? — Delicious and a good size roll with 8 pieces. They were rolled neatly and all the flavors went together well. I would order it again!
GRILLED OCTOPUS $ 22ish? — I don’t recommend. I know other people like it but if you really like grilled octopus, this is disappointing. It’s like sliced octopus sausage. And it’s not really grilled. I was hoping for tentacles and real octopus pieces that are seared with grill marks and smokey, tender and chewy. This was over processed and had too much of a fusion flavor.

This atmosphere is dark and sexy and on the water. Great for a date or girls night out for cocktails. Good sushi. Had the octopus and a salad as well (forgot what kind but wasn’t that fond of it). All and al I would return but mostly for the atmosphere.

My wife and I had the pleasure of dining at Azumi for our shared birtday dinner on 11÷7÷2015. Our reservation was set for 6:30pm and upon arriving we were promptly sat at our table to start our evening (we were sat at the first tall corner table opposite the sushi bar and were disapointed with the seat selection as the front door remained open on a cold night and the location of the seat generates a lot of activity from employees and patrons. This however is a mere item of mentioning and did nothing to take away from our night).
Our waiter DOUG was quick to greet us and make us feel very welcomed. He was knowledgeable with the menu and was helpful with making selections. Throughout the evening Doug continued to provide exceptional service by making just enough trips to check on us and make sure my wife’s Shirley Temple (pregnant with 2^nd child) was never empty.
We started off with the Edamame appetitzer. It was delicious! Cooked just right and the perfect amount of salt. For dinner I had 2 Scottish Salmon Nigiri pieces along with 2 snow crab Nigiri pieces. Both the salmon and crab were fresh and delicious. The meat portions were of good size and along with the right amount of white rice to make for two good sized bits each.
For my main course I chose the Maryland roll (snow crab avocado topped with spicy scallop and shrimp aioli, crispy satsumaimo) and it was by far, Hands down, without a doubt the best roll I’ve ever had. It’s quiet a feat when you can literally taste every ingredient in the roll as you bit in each roll. The roll size was generous with a plesant presentation and could have by itself wow’d me for the night.
My wife chose the Wagyu Skirt Steak (satsumaimo purée, maitake, broccoli rabe, blueberry soy reduction) and was plesantly surprised by the unique flavor the reduced blueberries played on the steak. She’s not much for broccoli so I was fortunate enough to enjoy that as well.
As for first time customers of Azumi we had a fantastic night and were impressed immensely. We’ll be back for sure (as soon as we can get another babysitter — Any takers?). I hope this honest review affords you the opportunity to experience this establishment.

I’ve wanted to try Azumi since they moved into the ‘hood and I’m so glad I did. There are other sushi options in the area but neither would be considered a competitor to this place; if you want quality, go to Azumi.
I went in for lunch and thought the combo roll would be a simple, easy choice and a good value (three rolls for $ 18). What I thought would be a simple lunch turned out to be quite the experience.
I sat at the sushi bar and was warmly greeted by multiple staff members. I placed my order and awaited my sushi. The server brought out a beautiful salad first– completely unexpected. A mound of fresh, leafy greens with tempura flakes and dressing and the freshest tomato I have eaten. The dressing was a little salty for my taste but I devoured it (the chopsticks I used to eat salad for the first time did not stand in my way). Shortly after I received a bowl of miso soup. The soup wasn’t the best I’ve ever had and the tofu pieces were bigger than I prefer but it was adequate.
My sushi was then presented to me and it was love at first sight. The chef was so gracious and seemed proud of his work, and he had every right to be. It was the best sushi I’ve had in my life (they are deserving of the award for best sushi in the city). The rice was perfect and the fish was very fresh. But since I had salad and soup I could only get halfway through.
I was worried Azumi would not live up to expectations but it exceeded them. I’m so upset that their lunch season will be ending soon but I will return a few more times before it does.

Azumi is a girl name that means ”safe residence” in Japanese, but in Baltimorean it means ”absolutely fantastic piece of Japanese awesomeness place in Little Italy with poetic views of the water”. It’s located at an upscale area in Baltimore, right by Inner Harbor Marriott and Four Seasons. Came here with one of my good ol’ friends from university days.
From the warm welcome by the nice valet folks, to the wonderful outside seats, to the amazing views of the water, to the fresh soft vivid sea gifts, a dinner was perfectly served with the gorgeous iambic art of the sunset. We were lucky it was a beautiful day in Baltimore! Streets were swarming with running skinny peeps.
Edamame was the freshest I ever had so far! Also I’m sure they didn’t buy their sea salt from any regular store. The waitress was very friendly. Ordered nigiri and sashimi dinners. EVERYTHING was so fresh and so tasty! Favorites were salmon, snapper, eel, and a roll; I forgot what it was; it doesn’t matter because it was superb! The fish meat was so tender and soft and delicate and awesome! Ginger and wasabi were fresh and perfectly tasty. Gosh!, those founding Japanese fathers indeed learned how to spoil their tasting buds inventing good sushi! Another fun was my friend was chopsticks first timer!
I think for the great food quality, fantastic atmosphere and views, prices here are very reasonable. Valet is $ 8.
Azumi of Baltimore, thou art a very special «safe residence»! Arigato Gozaimasu!

Host Daniel was great on phone and once I arrived. He seated me at Sushi bar right in front of Executive Sushi Chef Andy. The server was wonderful, too, but I failed to remember his name. He recommended a glass of Albariño, which was lovely, perfect with the sushi. Aromatic but not too acidic.
I asked the server and Chef Andy what they recommended. .. and they steered me toward the freshest fish that was just brought in that morning, which included:
Big Eye Maguro /​Lean tuna
King Salmon
Kinmedai /​Golden eye snapper
Madai /​Japanese snapper
Saba /​Japanese mackerel
I ordered 1 each of nigiri. These were all wonderful, but the Saba was really special, so I ordered 2 more of those for dessert. But, then they talked me into dessert, too. My server recommended the Shiroi Kumo, which he described as a cream cheese mousse that tastes like cheesecake but not as heavy, over a butter cookie crumble, with mixed berries, a raspberry sauce and togarashi (spiced caramelized nuts). That was pretty darn good, too!
I am hoping to convince some coworkers to come back with me tomorrow.

I absolutely love this place. The food, the view, the environment and the service are worth the five star, no exaggeration.
After shopping at under armour, my friends and I felt hungry and decided to have sushi for dinner.
It is located in the heart of inner harbor. We chose to sit outside and enjoyed the beautiful sunset view. Tips: if you can, ask for outside seating. The view is just as beautiful as you imagine.
As for the food, I got the Nigri diner and finished it all myself. It comes with several Nigri sushi and a spicy tuna roll. I know, I eat a lot. But how can you resist the good sushi. The sushi tastes very fresh and I like the spicy tuna roll as well.
My friend got the avocado and lobster salad. The presentation is very delicate and looks yummy as well.
Our waiter was attentive and took care of us all the time.
Overall, it is a solid place for sushi and I highly recommend it!

I had never intended to go to Azumi mostly because it didn’t seem authentic. However, when my friend M recommended that we catch up here over their happy hour, I said why not? M grew up in Kobe, Japan and speaks fluent Japanese. According to her, even though Azumi is somewhat expensive, she feels that the quality of the dishes are worth it. I will definitely try something if it’s recommended by a «native»! Things we tried were:
Scottish salmon crudo
Seared mushrooms
Jalapeño Yellowtail
Ahi (tuna) tatake
salmon avocado roll
tempura rock shrimp
Scottish Salmon Crudo
PROS
–great flavor: the sauce that accompanied the fish went really well
–fish was very fresh
–vegetable accents also went well with the sauce
CONS
–small quantity of fish but for the flavor, I would say it’s worth the price ($ 8)
Seared Mushrooms:
PROS
–the most amazing sauce ever: so much so we kept it around to dip things in — you can taste the slight hint of butter
–great quantity to share
CONS
–none
Jalapeño Yellowtail
PROS
–fish was super fresh
–very light on the tastebuds compared to the other dishes we ordered which was refreshing
CONS
–small quantity (for $ 8)
Ahi Tatake
PROS
–great fish freshness
–that sauce is amazing, especially with those fried onion bits
CONS
–quantity was too small like all the other dishes
–slightly expensive given the amount of fish ($ 8!)
Salmon Avocado Roll
PROS
–great quantity: the waitress actually said that the rolls were smaller than the normal dinner rolls, but we felt that this was still a pretty good quantity.
–generous with the fish
CONS
–none
Tempura Rock Shrimp: this is not shrimp that has been pounded out flat but shrimp that has been kept whole and tempura fried. In addition, it is served with a spicy mayo aioli.
PROS
–great quantity, definitely shareable for two
–shrimp was fresh: it had that springy tenderness compared to the rubberized or mushy texture of frozen shrimp
–sauce was really great: slightly sweet combined with moderate tang
CONS
–none
The one thing I do have to say though is… as hard as the waitress tried to make light-​ice green tea, she epically failed. You don’t add ice to hot green tea, it just waters it down and makes it lukewarm green tea. You have to make green tea, chill it, and then pour it over light ice. That way you don’t lose the flavor. Not sure if anyone from the restaurant will ever read this but if you do, now you know. The food is great though! You can find more pictures here:

Charm City has received another jewel for her culinary crown with the arrival of Azumi. This top-​of-​the-​line sushi haven fills the previously barren gap of high-​end sushi in Baltimore’s foodie landscape. All you chumps bemoaning the loss of Pabu: I bite my thumb at you, and can proclaim with confidence I have zero regrets for the switch-​up. Fresh, exotic, delicious ingredients paired with masterful execution and beautiful plating sets up Azumi with a place among the top restaurants in the city.
My girl friend took me out for a birthday dinner on their posh outdoor patio last week (a yearly tradition), and I have to say it was one of my favorite birthday dinners yet. Scratch that — favorite dinners, period. We started with the Sawagani Crabs: tiny crabs with crunchy buttery shell and sweet meat that you pop in your mouth and devour whole. So tasty, you forget how adventurous you’re being! We went with a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc to pair with all the delicious fishies we were about to consume, and the fruit-​forward yet dry white was the perfect compliment. After the crabs, we started a rolling opera of sashimi and nigiri. We started with the Azumi Crudo Tasting, which is an amazing deal considering the four varieties of tasty sashimi you receive:
1) Scottish salmon with orange white soy vinaigrette, cherry tomatoes, tarragon, cilantro, and chive oil
2) Wagyu carpaccio with ichimi tamari, chimichurri, achiote oil, scallions, and haritogarashi
3) Jalapeño Hamachi (Yellowtail) with yuzu garlic soy, achiote oil, and tokyo leek
4) Kanpachi (Amber Jack Yellowtail) with black truffle oil and yuzu juice on a crunchy yucca chip
After polishing off our sashimi starter quartet, we ordered the Blue Fin Chu Toro (semi-​fatty tuna that melts in your mouth) and Anago (salt water eel). Being used to freshwater eel (Unagi), we really enjoyed the refreshing brine of its salt water sister. The Chu Toro was so good, we ordered a second round. Finally, as we were winding down, we saw the table next to us begin on the Rock Shrimp Tempura (massive shrimp tossed in shichimi aioli with baby kale, baby arugula, and mizuna) and totally caved. The portion was so generous you could easily split it with someone, add a soup or salad, and make a lunch out of it.
I was thoroughly impressed with Azumi’s food, service, and beautiful waterfront ambiance. Although the price point will deter me from making it a weekly destination, this spot will be at the top of my list for celebrations and special occasions.

My family & I came here for my birthday lunch and I was pleasantly surprised. When Pabu was around, I had only come in for dinner, so coming in during the day was different but nice.
I’m assuming the restaurant was empty due to the protesting, so it was pretty quiet (pretty much emptied) and I felt like all the attention from the waiters were on us (extra plus). I don’t really have an opinion of the new layout of the restaurant; however, it does look a bit «cooler.» It was a beautiful day out, so the lighting and our view of the harbor was wonderful.
Now onto the important stuff, the food was pretty amazing. The only reason why I’m taking a star away is ’cause I felt like the ‘miso soup’ and ‘Rock Shrimp Tempura’ sucked. The miso soup was cold which turned me off completely. I could not finish it because it just wasn’t worth it. I also felt that it was lacking flavor. The Rock Shrimp Tempura tasted like it had too much batter and the sauce on top of it kinda made it soggy. Considering all of that and the fact that it cost $ 18, it was so not worth it.
Out of all the appetizers (lunch menu), I’d say the ‘Albacore Tataki’ is the best. It was cheaper than the Rock Shrimp tempura. Lightly seared and topped off with some kind of spicy oil and crunchy stuff, it was AMAZING and I wish I had ordered another one. I highly recommend that item.
As for the main entrees, all I can say is that the quality of the fish is on point. I haven’t gone to premium sushi restaurant in so long that I have forgotten what freshness tasted like. At least my dish (Salmon Ikuradon), the salmon was so amazing that it tasted like it melted in my mouth. I also got the ‘Jalapeño Hamachi’. It was good but not amazing. I wouldn’t order it again. My mom got the ‘Lady Lunch’ and I don’t think it’s worth the $ 25 if you’re looking for something amazing. It just seemed pretty basic and it included the Rock Shrimp Tempura, which I already mentioned that it was not so great. Check out my pictures to see all the other sushi items we ordered. Like I said before, the quality is there!
I’m definitely a fan of this place. I’m excited to come back and check out the dinner menu with my husband!