Moon Thai - Miami

Taste: ***

Cost: $$$

I was really ready to write them off with 2 stars, but their pad thai won me over in the end. The sushi here is pretty average, not bad, but not great. They have a big focus on cooked rolls with lots of tempura flakes. Their pad thai is tasty, a bit heavy for my tastes and I prefer a bit more sweet. After I squeezed a bit of lime into it, it opened up and was a very nice savory pad thai. Everything is a bit pricey but not unreasonable. A good place for someone not too into asian food as the menu seems very Pan-Asian inspired and more suited for an american palate.

Tel: (305) 668 - 9890
1118 S Dixie Hwy, Coral Gables, FL 33146

Matsuri (Miami)

Taste: ****

Cost: $$

Went here for lunch and instead of splurging, I just decided to order a lunch box. I'll voice my dissappointments first. They do not have an all sushi lunch special. I was forced to split my lunch between sashimi and some sauteed beef, teryaki, or tempura. Ok, thats out of the way. The fish here is insanely fresh. The sashimi lunch box had cuts of buttery salmon, tasty tuna, and hamachi that tasted like it just came off my fishing pole. Even the california rolls tasted good (must of been the real crab meat and fresh avocado). The quality here is really top notch. Though their roll selection is a bit limited (even more limited since there some of them contain cooked rolls... eww), it is very modestly priced. Before I can declare this the best sushi joint in miami, it definitely needs a dinner time review.

5759 Bird Rd

Miami, FL

305-663-1615

Kyojin (Miami, Palm Beach)

Taste: ***
Cost: $$

I've been to both the Kyojins in Boca and Miami and I've always walked away... barely able to walk away. I eat myself stupid here. The Boca location has a great hibachi station and grill station. The meat is actually very good, while the sushi quality, is edible, its not super fresh tasting. The Miami location, has an ok grill (a bit bland), but the sushi here is surprisingly edible. I mean tasty. I ventured to eat rolls like eel, rainbow, and edo style with good results. So if you have a big appetite, definitely you'll get your money's worth here one way or another.

Fujiya (Miami)

Taste: ***
Cost: $

A decent spot for lunch here in Miami. The variety of rolls is a bit lacking, but the fish is always fresh. If you're not a die hard raw fish person look else where. There is a lack of cooked rolls on the menu. The Hosomaki combo for lunch is a great value and you actually get quite a bit of food for you money. Rolls are nice and tight, I just wished they would showcase some more flair on their menu.

11768 SW 88th St
Miami, FL 33186

Yu Mi (Palm Beach)

Taste: ****
Cost: $$

Update 5/25/09

Went here recently for dinner. The prices have come down and the quality has gone up. All the fish was incredibly fresh and well prepared and our favorite rolls were spot on perfect. Tokyo Love Story roll was especially delicious. The Escola (white tuna) was like butter.

*************************************

4 Years ago I would of given this 4 stars, but in recent years the fish quality hasn't really dropped, but the tightness of the rolls has. Sometimes they fall apart a bit and thats a major no-no for me. The roles are still tasty, but compared to my Akashi back home, this place is over charging. Still a nice place, and so long as the fish is fresh I can't really complain. Their dynamite roll here is good though, in fact its probably my favorite here, that and the crunch roll. I know its blasphemous to enjoy the cooked rolls more, but the raw rolls just aren't constructed well and the crunch roll while fried is still raw anyways.

2800 N Military Trl
West Palm Beach, FL 33409

Akashi (Miami)

Taste: ****
Cost: $

Hands down, the default place I goto for raw fish in Miami. Its crowded, small, but the price and quality of fish is remarkable. I think by now I've had every roll on the menu... at least 4 times? The fish is fresh and when they have it, make sure to grab some hamachi rolls. The standard rolls (spider, rainbow, volcano, etc...) really shine here. Everything is spot on, in fact I haven't had a single roll I've been disappointed with. Their dynamite roll with the scallops is a great fresh twist to the recipe, and their sashimi platter is always fresh. In fact the surprises you'll get is when its spectacularly excellent and the tuna literally melts in your mouth. They're open late, but expect to wait... its small, and extremely crowded and chaotic, but I probably wouldn't have it any other way.

5830 S Dixie Hwy
Miami, FL 33143