Sushi House 21
“Chef Nelson has definitely impressed me with the quality and freshness as well as his technique.”
“I left room for the mango mousse and what a great decision that was!”
“As others have said, save room for dessert because you will not find a place to have a cheesecake like Nelson's!”
Sushi House 21
Takes Reservations: Yes
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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I love the sushi here! It is very fresh. The service is nice as well and it's a BYOB! The clam soup is delish and the noodles with shrimp are good as well. The duck was okay. Wasn't too impressed. It was on the dry crispy side. The only complaint that I have is that they need updated menus. A lot of items on there menu they discontinued. Besides that I am a happy customer.
This place looks and sounds awesome, but they wouldn't deliver to me even though I was only 1 mile away! Apparently I was insufficiently ensconced in "the Ironbound." The guy was apologetic, which was nice, but seriously–a 1-mile delivery radius doesn't seem like a lot to ask.
Fresh food. Service is amazing. Nice intimate setting a little on the small side, however never really too busy. I've never had to wait for seating. All topped off by BYOB. Does it get any better? I think not!
Discovering this hidden gem of New Jersey has made me so happy. If I lived closer, I'd come back more frequently, but I will definitely make the trip here and there. Was in Jersey City and randomly yelping to find a decent sushi spot, with the acknowledgment that there are no very good/authentic sushi spots in New Jersey, and came across this. Read about the secret menu, called to ask if they had torched salmon and torched yellowtail, asked about their uni, and decided to give it a try.
A hole in the wall place in Newark, but surprisingly had some of the freshest fish I've had in a while. You're just not going to find it on their regular menu.The California Uni was definitely SUPER FRESH– and I eat uni at least once a week, yet this was the best uni I've had in a while. The hotategai (scallop sushi) was fresh and delish as well. The torched salmon belly and yellowtail showed Chef Nelson's technique and skill. For me, I had to add a tad bit of soy sauce since I like my salmon belly a little salty. Salmon carpaccio was a nice sweet flavor. Did not care for the spicy tuna tartar. I saw others with baby back ribs and they smelled/looked delicious, but when we tried to order it they were out. Next time.
Chef Nelson has definitely impressed me with the quality and freshness as well as his technique. He offers omakase as well and cooks French cuisine along with the Japanese, if you call ahead. You usually have to go to NYC to find places of that standard, and the pricing in NYC is obviously much higher. I will come back as often as I can and will call ahead to specify my orders.
If it wasn't for Yelp, I would have never I repeat NEVER venture into a place like this or be able to find it. Sushi House 21 is pretty much in the middle of nowhere in Newark and I honestly will not walk around this area by myself at night. But I believe in Yelp and its 4.5 star rating (as of 2/9/15) so I put my life (and my friends' life) on the line for the sake of good food!
Sushi House 21 as the name suggested – is a French restaurant that is run by a very nice Chinese lady. WHAT? Although they do serve sushi and sashimi; they are really a French/ Japanese fusion restaurant! My friend spoke to the chef Nelson (very friendly guy) and he said he's Chinese but lived in Montreal most of his life and was taught the way of the French cuisine along with Japanese.
Parking: No parking lot for the restaurant but street parking wasn't too difficult; just make sure to park closer to the restaurant during night hours.
As we approached the restaurant, we couldn't help but notice how beautiful the outer front wall of the restaurant looked, good sign definitely! We called ahead to make a reservation since we had a party of 8 so when we got there at 6pm, we were seated right away. The restaurant was not very big; there were only 7 tables of 4s. The restaurant was dimly lighted but feels very cozy.
Our waitress (I believe she's also the owner) was very friendly and accommodating, she apologized to us a few times because she said one of the cook was out that day so service was a bit slower than usual. We love how honest she was and we said we don't mind.
The menu was quite extensive featuring both French and Japanese food. We all went for the Japanese food since we read how fresh their sushi and Sashimi were, they also had a special at night, I think it's 5 rolls for $20- great deal!!
EVERYTHING tasted excellent!! All of their fish were super fresh, I had the Sashimi deluxe combo and everything was so delicious and did I mention FRESH??? That salmon was to die for, really melts in your mouth, chef Nelson knows how to cook and handle fish by the way he cuts the salmon, we had over at least 15 pieces of salmon sashimi and every piece was melt-in-your-mouth good!! It's not just the quality of the fish but also the skill/technique of the chef. By the way, they are not stingy with their fish, when you get their sushi/sashimi, you get the FULL piece! This is not the ultra-paper thin slice that your typical sushi restaurants serve you; it's the real deal- FULL PIECE!
The scallop sashimi was OMG- SUPER Fresh with a hint of sweetness. Melts in your mouth, it is not fishy at all, I have to say this is one of the freshest scallop I had for a long time!!
And of course we have to talk about the Uni. YOU MUST GET THE UNI HERE!!! We didn't know this item was off the menu but we lucked out that night and they only have 8 orders left so we got them all. Our waitress told us to call first next time so they can make sure they have enough stock for us before we come. But that Uni was just heavenly! I can't say it's as good as what I had in San Diego but it's close enough. Creamy, neither fishy nor slimy, everything about it screams fresh!!! Definitely a MUST TRY!!!
Our waitress ask us how we like the food at the end, we said everything tasted so fresh and she said that's because they get their fish pretty much every other day to ensure people get the freshest sushi/sashimi. NO WONDER IT'S SO GOOD!!!
Price: inexpensive- Most entrées and sushi/sashimi combos are around $20, with that quality of fish they are serving, $20 is a steal.
Overall: This is a true GEM in the Newark area, if not the New Jersey area. Super high quality fish, excellent service and an awesome chef will guarantee you get the best bang for your bucks. Now I only wish I live closer to New Jersey so I can come here more often. PS. I will be back to try out the mango mousse and cheesecake!!
YUUUUUUUUM. Can't wait to come back
Atmosphere: Small and neat. Came in around 6pm on a Tuesday and there was only one other party, but it started picking up around 7
Food: Whenever I see duck on a menu I go bizzerk. Duck confit and risotto. Alas, I also read how great the sushi was so I had to try a spicy tuna hand roll. The hand roll came out first, and my oh my is this fish FRESH. Sadly, the tuna wasn't as spicy as I had liked (it actually wasn't spicy at all), but regardless it was tasty and all of the sushi ingredients blended well. My duck confit was huge, filling, delicious, and totally worth the $16. The skin was crispy and the meat was tender, and the risotto was cooked perfectly and was bursting with flavor. I miss it now as I type.
Service: Kind people own and run the place. The woman told me to come back and save room for dessert the next time. This is so happening.
I love that Newark is home to two wonderful Japanese restaurants – Sushi House 21 and Nizi. I frequent Nizi since it's closer to campus but I have been meaning to try Sushi House 21 since discovering it on Yelp and frequenting some great restaurants in the Ironbound.
I didn't go terribly hungry so I only ordered a special roll and kept dessert in mind! I got the dynamite roll while my friend got the meteor roll. Very fresh and delicious – I almost wish I was the one who ordered the meteor roll instead but I really love both fresh scallop and eel. Ahh, what a great experience. I left room for the mango mousse and what a great decision that was! Can't wait to try the rest of the desserts as well as the famous entrees, will definitely return!
I found it entertaining they were showing Food Network but the ambiance is cute and cozy; transports you away from Newark… almost. ^.^
Maybe I ordered the wrong rolls, but definitely not 5 stars worth. I came here on a Saturday night caving for sushi. For started, I ordered the miso soup, beef negamaki, and the 5 for $20 roll special (Philadelphia, Spicy Tuna, Alaska, and California rolls).
The miso soup was OK. No the best, but definitely OK. The beef negimaki was actually very good. The beef wasn't overcooked. However, the rolls were just OK. Certainly better than before but nothing as good as other places I've been to.
Again, maybe I ordered the wrong items. I wouldn't mind coming back to try their specialty rolls or hot dishes, but for now, Sushi House 21 left me unimpressed.