Always…Three There Are.
For us, the choice is clear. We have chosen three definitive, favorite destinations for Kansas City sushi restaurants in the metro area to feed our fresh fish appetite – and each one serves a separate and distinct purpose for us. And as our custom, since we love eating sushi, we love talking about it. So we would like to share our thoughts and feelings with you – with the intent of elevating your own local and ritual sushi experience – the way each of these wonderful locations satisfies us on a regular basis in our continuing quest for sushi indulgence.
Sushi Mido: “Our #1 Go-To Favorite” ( Comfort Sushi )
At least once a month (and oftentimes twice), we hit the All You Can Eat Buffet at Sushi Mido. For only $23.95 per person, they offer a true “All You Can Eat,” which allows you to choose from over 50 rolls! (Yes, a good twenty of them are standard rolls you can find anywhere, but the other half are Sushi Mido “signature rolls,” created specifically by the Sushi Mido “itamae,” aka sushi chef).
To be clear, Jay loves fish, which means he prefers nigiri sushi, and his favorites include: salmon (“sake”), yellowtail (“hamachi”), and fatty tuna (“toro”). He truly savors the fresh taste of the fish and the sensation of the raw sushi melting between his jaws. And he almost never eats less than twenty pieces in one sitting. And that’s why Jay was skeptical the first time I took him to Sushi Mido, because he didn’t think he could get truly satisfied by filling up on rolls. But he was wrong, and he’s owes me big time!
Our four classic favorites are: Crazy Maine Roll (featuring tempura lobster), Snow White (tempura calamari w/ white tuna), Mango Roll (mango w/ tuna & salmon), and Red Dragon Roll (crab meat w/ spicy tuna). And Jay always orders at least one Salmon Roll and/or Yellowtail & Scallion Roll for himself. And for dessert, we usually order the Pink Lady Roll (strawberry cheese cake) which is totally unreal!
And the $23.95 per person price includes Crab Rangoon or Edamame and Ginger Dressing Salad or Soup (Hot & Sour, Egg Drop, or Miso). We always order the incredibly tasty Hot Green Tea for the two of us, and drink iced water on the side. We rarely order alcohol there, but if we do, we prefer the Gekkeikan Hot Sake and cold Kizakura “Stars” Sparkling Sake.
That means for about thirty dollars each, we get to enjoy an incredibly satisfying weekend lunch eating our favorite meal together, and without dreading the size of the bill. And as anyone who loves sushi knows, that’s nearly impossible to achieve. So check out the full Sushi Mido menu and see for yourself! ( Note: eat what you order, or be billed at 75 cents per piece left on your plate! )
Sake Lounge: “The 2nd Best All You Can Eat” ( Our Favorite Substitute )
On Monday nights, when Sushi Mido is closed, we thankfully have a back up plan. In fact, it was recommended to us by one of our favorite servers at Sushi Mido. (She said, “Try Sake Lounge. I go there when I can’t come here.”)
Sake Lounge in Olathe, KS actually offers the same deal: $23.95 per person “All You Can Eat” on select rolls. However, the number of rolls you can choose from is nearly half, with very few “premium” rolls and many of the recipes and styles are not as elaborate as Sushi Mido. But we do really like BMW Roll (spicy tuna), Phoenix Roll (tempura shrimp w/ tuna) and Jay really likes the Iron Man roll (tuna/salmon/spicy crab). Again, very good rolls, as much as you want, and at a reasonable price.
Another one of our favorite things about Sake Lounge is the Flight of 3 or 5 Gekkeikan Sakes. For as little as $12.00, you get (in order from left to right) 5 one-ounce samples of: Black & Gold, Gekkeikan Plum, Haiku Premium Select, Nigori Unfiltered, and Zipang Sparkling. Since Jay prefers the actual taste of alcohol, his favorites are Black & Gold and Haiku Premium. I like those too, but really enjoy the plum and sparkling. Neither of us prefer the unfiltered, as that one can taste a very ‘chalky’ at the bottom. And worth noting, a “sake bomb” (sake shot dropped into beer) is a really fun way to get the evening jump started. And much like Sushi Mido, even though the outside of the restaurant looks very modest, the inside decor of Sake Lounge is enough to give the full effect of a Japanese sushi bar and restaurant. Check out this extensive Sake Lounge Menu for more info.
Legends Of Asia: “Best Priced All-You-Can-Eat-Sushi” ( Jay’s Standard )
Jay literally goes to Legends Of Asia in Blue Springs, MO at least once-a-month. And I cannot believe he only pays $15.00 for all the salmon nigiri he can eat (and he eats a lot!) And that’s the price after tax and tip – out the door. That’s incredible! Yes, it’s not the best sushi (nor the right place for date night), but it’s at least as good as the grocery store (to be fair, it’s much better), it’s true “all you can eat,” it’s good quality fish, he can sit there as long as he wants, plus drink hot tea, all the steamed green mussels and shrimp he can eat, plus eel cut rolls (and pretty much any other standard Chinese buffet food) all under one roof and they’re open every day. They also serve beer and hot sake, and it’s a very clean restaurant with plenty of seating. It’s also a great place to bring the whole family and get your kids introduced to various Asian dishes.
For a comparison, Jay has been to Todai in Woodland Hills, CA and the best price they offered was $18.95 for the same thing, but the place was usually packed and it was nearly impossible to get six pieces of salmon or tuna at any one time because as soon as it was set out, it was a mob scene. One the East coast, there’s Sushi Para near Washington, D.C, and they charged $19.99 for all you can eat. And neither of those prices include tax or tip or drinks. So for a big sushi eater like Jay, to get the price down to about 50 cents per piece of sushi, Legends Of Asia is by far the best deal he’s ever found.
So What’s Your Favorite Sushi Restaurant?
If you’ve got a favorite sushi bar that you frequent all the time, I’d love to hear about it! Please leave a comment below. Also, we found this FULL SUSHI GLOSSARY we would like to share with you (as will use it regularly to keep up with ‘sushi lingo’). And if you haven’t seen our recent YouTube upload, please watch “All You Can Eat Sushi Rolls at Sushi Mido”
Thank you for reading, watching and listening!
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