Sushi Sano - Munich

Went here a couple of nights ago with a Japanese friend. We chose a couple of starters, followed by a selection of sushi, and then some kind of fried pork & vegetables dish with rice. We were tempted by the range of Japanese beers that they had on offer, but they were quite expensive at 3 euros for 33cl so we ended up having O'Cha (green tea) instead. My friend's opinion was that the sushi was good, but she wasn't very impressed by the starter or main course. I thought they were quite tasty, although since I've never been to Japan I have no idea what they're actually supposed to taste like. The service wasn't particularly good - one starter came 10 minutes later than the other, after we'd moved to the next course, and we had to ask a couple of times before we got bowls for the main course. Mind you, our waitress wasn't Japanese - most of the others are. Another time I went here the service was very polite and friendly. My friend's overall impression was that the food was OK, but if the restaurant were in Japan she wouldn't eat there. I suspect her opinion was based more on the layout and style of the place though, rather than the quality of the food. For me, the highlight of the visit was the cook giving an impromptu slowed-down demonstration of sushi-making after he saw me watching him over the counter. Fascinating stuff. All in all, I'd recommend a visit.

Japanese food dining is more of a trend than enjoyment in Munich. Basically, Japanese food is never Cheap and you will understand that if you have been to Japan. Most of the Asian restaurants here that caters Cheap sushi deals like ALL YOU CAN EAT (NOT ALL!!! )normally use those frozen ready to serve when thawed (only available from wholesalers big packs) As far as i could recall, there were only two Japanese restaurant that JTB staffs were proud to recommend, TOKAMI and the other i have forgotten the name but i know it is real close to Hard Rock cafe (Small restaurant).

Small restaurant near to the Hard Rock Cafe? That'll be Shoya then?

The chef made the Nigiri to order. The Maki, however, appeared to be pre-prepared and stored in a cool-box. Couldn't say if he'd prepared them himself or they came from a "wholesaler" though...

Sumo, it is not Shoya (bigger than Shoya) I have forgotten about it's name. It is very close to a small japanese boutique selling touristic Japanese goods. I hope you guys will be able to find that.

It is pretty decent Sushi for 1 Euro a piece. I agree on the bad service, though. I eat there quite often and it has happened that they forgot part of my order completely, once I was charged for an item I had not actually received, and sometimes you sit there for a while, waiting to be served, while they keep chatting away. Still, I keep returning because the Sushi is fresh, cheap, and good.

Dear People, thanks for good comments. Whenever you have complaints on bad Service at SUSHI SANO, please DO post them into the guestbook at SUSHI SANO Homepage. I am really working hard on the Service and sometimes it appears to be difficult to convince the japanese, that Service needs to be improved. That said, I do think we are a lot different from those all you can eat offers. Most staff actuallly is japanese and its real sushi, mr sano actually now sells self-imported fish to other restaurants! Currently, we are not shure if the 1 Euro offer ends some day, but keep an eye open for changes, we are working on new stuff. Check the mailinglist! Alexander

First of all, although it's almost always overcrowded, reservations are not accepted. I think the people are decoyed by the 1 Euro offer, at all this is not a fancy restaurant. Until august 1996 it was the "Caspian Restaurant", maybe the best persian restaurant in Europe, then it was Minami, now it's Sushi Sano. Normally I prefer Sashimi, but there is no real offer; you must fill out a call slip with only japanese fish names. The result was a Sashimi without tuna and radish. Ginger and wasabi ready on the table looked somewhat unappetizing, the hot Sake was lukewarm. The guests room is small and narrow. A remark at the end: At least for the moment, the very golden age of japanese restaurants in Munich is over. We haven't neither a Daitokai anymore nor a Matoi in its best time, which represented the first guard. Japanese food, especially sushi, is modern and trendy and a lot of joints try to make their profit. So the Sushi Sano is not much worse than the others mentioned here, but also not better.

Went there for lunch today and got the Torikaraage (Japanese fried chicken), and it was delicious! The service was ok (not good, but not bad) but maybe because it was lunch time, it's different. I agree with the comment about the ginger and wasabi, they looked pale and unappetizing (isn't ginger supposed to be pink?). I will be back again soon to get more Torikaraage!!!

Yes, the skin of ginger can be pink, but the peeled ginger is a pale mixture of yellow, brown, white and grey. For more information see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginger

Golden age of sushi in Munich? Johann, you seem to know what you are talking about, but here we have to draw the line. The landlocked village of Munich surely has the worst selection of sushi of any major city on the planet. Nowhere else in the world is such poor quality sushi and sashimi served at such outrageous prices, and nowhere else in the world is uni a place where people study. That about sums it up, sushi wise.

....that is right. And Johann is also right! Currently, sushi in munich is hell. Many people think that running sushi is real sushi - but usually its far away from it. While Sano did offer a fairly good price-food relation in the past, the real nice restaurants are the smaller ones like wasabi, the former sushi-zen and so on. We also have tremendous quality in places like toshi, but the price is also outragous. Now we hope to change that with SUSHIYA. Most people here would know what I am talking about. And we do take great care for nice service ;-) We hope to open our restaurant in Schwabing soon. It will be a tough start for a small team, but once we get going, I would be happy if you give me your comments or make remarks so we can become the missing "golden age" sushi place for us sushi lovers to go. Faithfully, Alexander

I really like Sushi Sano since it is staffed by real Japanese people. The food tastes good and the price is amazing. The staff are very friendly.

I went there several times with japanese friends, and they said the food was alright but the waitress (a japanese lady) was a bit rude. It's mostly crowded and if you go with a "big" crowd (6 people) you might have to wait a long time. The Green Tea Tiramisu is worth the wait.

We really love Sushi Sano...very cute! Sushi Rules!!! Great page, but no pictures of actual sushi - what a disappointment! :)~ Anyway, check out my web page, www.sushicup.com Thanks