How to Eat Sushi at a Restaurant

Sushi is one of the fastest-growing cuisines across the globe. To become a true citizen of the world, prepare yourself with this primer on sushi-eating rituals.

Step 1: Choose a good restaurant
Go to a restaurant specializing in sushi—Japanese-owned or -operated establishments tend to offer the most authentic selections. And if you’re in a land-locked place, make sure they pride themselves on sushi that’s as fresh as possible.

Step 2: Wash your hands
If you’re offered a hot, moist towel, wash your hands with it now. It will be removed from your table before your food is served.

Step 3: Order sake
It is customary to order some sake, likely served in a carafe with small cups, to enjoy before your meal is served.

Tip
Although expensive sakes are often better enjoyed chilled, sake with sushi is traditionally served warm, since the fish will be cold.

Step 4: Toast
Pour sake for your dinner companions—traditionally, no one should pour it for themselves, at least for the first round—and then toast. Hold your cup aloft and say, 'Kampai!'

Tip
It’s customary for the most senior person at the table—the boss, or the eldest person—to raise their glass the highest.

Step 5: Switch drink
When your sushi platter arrives at your table, switch your beverage to cold Japanese beer or hot green tea.

Step 6: Prepare chopsticks
If your chopsticks come wrapped, take off the wrapper and break apart the sticks—but don’t rub them against each other to remove splinters, which rudely implies that the restaurant has cheap chopsticks. When you’re not using them, they should be propped on the holder or soy sauce dish parallel to you.

Step 7: Finish
You’re done when your plate is clean—except for the wasabi and gari, of course. Place your chopsticks horizontally across your soy sauce dish to signal that you’re finished, and thank the chefs.

Step 8: Pour soy sauce
Pour a small amount of soy sauce into the little empty dish, but don’t pour in more than three tablespoons at a time. If you need more later, add more then.

Step 9: Add wasabi
Notice the green mound of wasabi on your sushi plate. This spicy horseradish is used to season soy sauce and add flavor to the fish. With one chopstick, take a pea-size amount and stir it into the soy sauce.

Step 10: Continue alternating
Continue eating the pieces of nigiri sushi and maki rolls one at a time, alternating with pieces of gari and topping off the soy sauce dish as necessary.

Tip
Sushi aficionados believe you should only use wasabi for sashimi—never for nigiri sushi or maki rolls, since the chef has already used the precise amount of wasabi necessary to enhance the sushi’s flavor.

Step 11: Begin with sashimi
If you have a plate of sushi and sashimi, it is customary to eat sashimi first. With your chopsticks, pick up one piece of sashimi, dip it in soy sauce, then place the whole piece in your mouth.

Tip
If you don’t know how to use chopsticks, don’t try to eat sashimi—it is considered incredibly uncouth to use a fork.

Step 12: Eat ginger
Using your chopsticks, eat a piece of gari, or pickled ginger, from the pile of wet slices on your sushi plate. This is to be eaten between pieces of fish as a palate cleanser.

Step 13: Continue alternating
Continue alternating eating sashimi with palate-cleansing ginger.

Step 14: Refill soy sauce
When you have finished all your sashimi, refill your soy sauce dish.

Step 15: Eat sushi
With your chopsticks, pick up a piece of nigiri sushi and drag it through the soy sauce fish-side down, so the rice doesn’t soak up too much. Place the entire piece in your mouth, unless it is very large, in which case two bites are acceptable.

Step 16:
If you are uncomfortable using chopsticks, eating nigiri sushi with your fingers is an acceptable custom.

Tip
If you’re sitting at the sushi bar, offer to buy the chefs a round of sake or beer. It’s not necessary, but it just might make you a new friend.

Did You Know?
Soy sauce was first made in China more than 2,500 years ago by Buddhist monks—it didn't reach Japan until the 6th century.

[Tehu_]

Step 1: Get sushi
Step 2: Put sushi in mouth

[thesixtywalrus]

I like how sushi is marketed as some elegant and exotic adventure for Westerners.

[evilsasuke]

it feels like a white guy is trying to teach a native japanese how to eat sushi. 
Cringe worthy.

[SimpliztixX]

I love how at 3:09 they tell you to only dip the fish side in the soy sauce so your rice doesn't soak up to much and then at 3:13 the guy dips almost the whole thing in it.

[amamaq]

This video is legit 10 years old and I am seeing comments even from 9yrs past... Interesting 😯

[randomuser]

Can I dip my sushi in mayonnaise or gravy when in Japan? I love mayonnaise and gravy on everything.

[mrshighgirl]

How i eat sushi

1 get from safeway

2 Bring home

3 eat with hands how ever i want

[dannyowashere]

Wasabi is NOT Horseradish... It is a Japanese root.

[kgjhskgskgskgskdgfsk]

Here's my guide.
1.Order sushi.
2.Order a beverage
3.Eat and drink everything as fast as you can.
4.Pay
5.Leave goddamn it!
Did you know?
Sushi is a ball of meat and rice (in most cases)

[wailunxd]

3:09 dip soy sauce with fish side down
3:14 there you go already doing wrongly
What a crappy video

[ClumsySquire]

"If you don't know how to use chopsticks, don't eat sashimi" xD
might as well not eat sushi altogether.

[notdarell]

This is wrong, part of it are wrong but some of it are true here are the list:
1.Wasabi are not supposed to be mixed with the soy sauce, it's suppose to be added straightly to the fish and if you want to dip it in soy sauce, don't dip it in the area where the wasabi is.
2. Nigiri sushi are traditionally eaten with your bare hands.
3.Don't dunk the sushi like this guy on the very right 3:15, the rice would soak up all that saltiness from the soy sauce and overpowered the flavour of the fish.
4.Gari are supposed to be eaten if you finish your dish like for example, of you finish a salmon sashimi and want to go to a Tuna sashimi, the Gari is necessary to be eaten but if you are eating a Salmon sashimi and you are going to still be eating the same fish, the Gari is not suppose to be eaten.
5.It is not common to buy beer if you are eating sushi.

Hope this will help you lads,  itadakimasu!

[crisgraham]

No one has come back to this video for long 😅😮 feel so lonely, this is one of the first videos I saw on YT

[hert]

3:12
"drag it through the soysauce fish side down, so the rice doesn't soak up too much"
nextcut immediately has guy dunking the entire thing into the bowl at a 90degree angle

[PeanutTrismegistus]

I bought the chef(s) beer and now I'm a preferred customer, I get to sit close to the fish tank at the bar and I talk with the chef, great vid

[nonchanime]

10 years later:
*YouTube Recommendations*

[cryofpaine]

Pretty much if you are in the US, they will be much more forgiving about these "rules". And if you feel nervous or uncomfortable, feel free to ask. You'll want to do your research first, and find an authentic sushi bistro, someplace small where you can sit at the counter and talk to the chef. Then tell them it's your first time eating sushi, and that you want to get the authentic Japanese sushi experience. I'm sure they'll be happy to share their culture with you.

[gjigaqaquj]

I thought sushi was originally a finger food? I like to eat it with chopsticks but for people who don't know how to use chopsticks just pick it up with your hands.

[MariaFerreira-hgbc]

I love Sushi. I think it is important to respect the country' s culture while eating. Great vídeo, tks, however the song is a bit too loud

[whale]

Step 1: put food in mouth. Step 2: chew the food. Step 3 swallow the food