If you're in the mood for sushi or other Japanese food, here is a guide to the best Japanese restaurants in the Greater Hartford area of Connecticut. Don't agree with my picks? Share your thoughts on the best Japanese restaurants in the Hartford Forum (see link below).
1. WasaB Japanese Restaurant
142 Hopmeadow St., Simsbury, (860) 651-5777. WasaB has an incredibly extensive menu that includes tempura and teriyaki dishes, sushi, sashimi, noodles and hibachi dinners, and the most extensive selection of vegetarian options you'll find anywhere. Service is sometimes a bit spotty when they're really busy, but they're busy because the food is excellent. Many fresh sushi specials each day, too.2. Fuji Sushi Japanese Restaurant
1144 New Britain Ave., West Hartford, (860) 232-1732. The ambiance is nothing special here, but the selection of rolls is unique, the service is always warm and friendly and the prices are a tad less expensive than you'll find at some of the other local Japanese restaurants. It seems like an odd choice to me, but my husband highly recommends the Mexican rolls.321 W. Main St., Avon, (860) 676-9997. Hartford finally has a hibachi restaurant! Yes, the fun of gathering around a Japanese hibachi table is now available to residents of the Greater Hartford Connecticut area now that Kobe Japanese Steak House has opened in Avon. If you're not a fan of hibachi, Kobe also offers generous portions of well prepared sushi and other Japanese favorites.
136 Simsbury Rd. # 4, Avon, (860) 677-8242. We don't visit Toshi nearly as often since WasaB opened just a bit further up Route 10/202, but this is a reliable choice for all variety of Japanese selections, and the combination dinners allow you to try several items if you're new to Japanese dining.
5. Ichiban Japanese & Korean Restaurant
530 Farmington Ave, Hartford, (860) 236-5599. We've only been to Ichiban once, and the food was fine but nothing extraordinary. I had to watch my husband consume baby octopus, so perhaps that is why I don't have fond memories of that evening's dinner! It was also a cold night, and the place seemed rather drafty. 6. Skywalk Miso Restaurant
242 Trumbull St., Hartford, (860) 522-7623. This is downtown Hartford's only Japanese dining option, so if you work downtown and have a sushi hankering as the noon hour approaches, give it a try. I thought the food was OK for fast-food Japanese, but I got the impression that the lunch speicals were prepared early in the day.
