Enjoy authentic and creative flavours in the best sushi spots in Leeds!
Yeah, Leeds isn’t Tokyo, but I’d happily put my pint money on sushi sticking around here. The silky textures, refined flavours, and borderline endless combos are just too good to be forgotten.
What’s even better is the mix. Sure, most sushi spots hook locals with plates straight out of Kyoto, but there are also restos and pop-ups that get their hype from serving creative takes.
Either way, we love them! Which spots made us order two or more platters are all rounded up in this guide.
YO! Leeds Trinity
From yosushi
Address: 419, Trinity, Albion St
Contact Details: 0113 213 3621
Operating Hours:
- Mon to Sat – 11 am to 9 pm
- Sun – 11 am to 7 pm
True-to-style Japanese sushi (and katsu curry) made YO! big, but you can also gobble inventive stuff here, all delivered through a conveyor belt.
The menu rarely stays the same either, but you can pretty much expect avocado maki and smoky scallop rolls to stay. They balance these staples with creations like a sushi sandwich, featuring chicken katsu in a savoury-sweet tonkatsu sauce.
Tip: Bring valid IDs. Students eat at discounted prices.
Umee Sushi
From umeesushi_leeds
Address: 110 Harrogate Rd, Chapel Allerton
Contact Details: 0113 824 6299
Operating Hours:
- Mon to Thu – 12 pm to 3:30 pm, 5 pm to 10 pm
- Fri to Sat – 12 pm to 10 pm
Umee Sushi proved to us that mouthwatering rolls don’t always have to come with scary price tags. You see, most of their platters don’t go beyond £20, particularly those with California, salmon, and cucumber rolls.
Even the special sets remain between £15 and £18. These are what we often go with, given their stronger flavours courtesy of additions such as umami eel sauce and king prawn tempura.
Tip: Visit on a major holiday to enjoy special deals!
Senbon Sakura
From senbon.sakura
Address: 71 Great George St
Contact Details: 0113 244 9232
Operating Hours:
- Mon to Fri – 11 am to 10 pm
- Sat – 3 pm to 10 pm
- Sun – 2 pm to 10 pm
If crazy rolls, both in ingredients and price, aren’t your thing, Senbon Sakura is worth a gander. This joint dishes out the classics in platters or boxes within the £10 to £15 range.
Flavour-wise, they play it safe, and that’s not a dig. There’s a reason light salmon, succulent prawn, and sweet octopus on seasoned rice are timeless snacks.
Tip: Get the app on the App Store and Google Play. You get a 15% discount on your first order!
Sushi Nakamura
From sushinakamuraleeds
Address: 4 Eastgate
Operating Hours:
- Wed – 5:30 pm to 11 pm
- Thu to Sat – 12:30 pm to 3 pm, 5:30 pm to 11 pm
- Sun – 12:30 pm to 3 pm, 6 pm to 9 pm
Light-kissed, a tad rustic, and stacked with authentic sake and sushi, Sushi Nakamura (formerly HanaMatsuri) is a proper Japanese izakaya that’s just 18 minutes from Leeds Station.
The menu is never the same, as it’s the resto’s professional sushi chef, Kaoru Nakamura, who decides what’s hitting your plate, often based on the day’s finest and freshest seafood. What’s sweet is that you can watch him in action, and he’ll explain every ingredient.
On our visit, Mr. Nakamura prepared bluefin tuna, fatty tuna with spring onion, and rainbow trout rolls, all priced reasonably. The taste? Let’s just say many reckon they’re some of Leeds’ best.
Tip: You have to book. Walk-ins aren’t allowed.
TADA
From tadajapanese
Address: 49 Otley Rd, Headingley
Contact Details: 0113 805 6173
Operating Hours:
- Mon to Thu – 5 pm to 10:30 pm
- Fri – 5 pm to 11 pm
- Sat – 12 pm to 3 pm, 5 pm to 11 pm
- Sun – 12 pm to 3 pm, 5 pm to 10:30 pm
I love intimate yakitori, ramen (ramen leeds), and sushi houses, so TADA getting some props is almost a given. Specifically, it’s their authentic rolls that get my money every time.
The hard part is deciding what to devour, since there are 30-plus options. My go-to strategy is to kick off with salmon and prawn nigiri, both popping with oceanic flavours and delicate meat.
If it’s pay day, I go straight to the £18.50 to £19.50 house special platters with 8 rolls. These are more loaded; think tempura king prawns, salmon, and tuna smothered in greens, Japanese mayo, and teriyaki.
Tip: The venue is great for birthdays. Sometimes, their staff will even hand out a free dessert!
Wasabi Sushi & Bento
From wasabiuk
Address: Unit 2.04, Trinity, 32 Albion St
Contact Details: 0113 224 1996
Operating Hours:
- Mon to Sat – 10:30 am to 9 pm
- Sun – 11 am to 9 pm
You won’t be munching on yesterday’s batch at Wasabi. Every roll is prepped from scratch daily, with ethically sourced and fresh seafood at the core.
The portions are also served heartily through sets, platters, and a few hand rolls. I usually go with the latter, particularly the spicy takes like cooked salmon and chicken chumaki in hot sauces.
Going for their ‘pick & mix’ deal is also a neat move. It lets you feast on sushi, katsu chicken, and other authentic Japanese dishes in one bento box.
Tip: Check out their reward system. Points can be swapped for sushi sets and more!
Little Lotus Leeds
From littlelotus.sushi
Address: 19 Merrion Way
Contact Details: 07947 317188
Operating Hours:
- Mon to Thu – 10 am to 7:30 pm
- Fri to Sat – 10 am to 8 pm
- Sun – 10:30 am to 5 pm
Little Lotus put itself on the map with comfort sushi that doesn’t need a fat paycheck to be enjoyed.
Their salmon selection exemplifies that. You get 8 to 12 rolls for a reasonable amount, and the protein is often sea-fresh, be it naturally flavoured or drizzled with teriyaki sauce.
Tip: New or seasonal dishes are announced first on their Insta.
Fern Modern Sushi
From fernmodernsushi_uk
Address: Unit 8 Central Arcade
Contact Details: 0113 529 7979
Operating Hours:
- Tue to Sat – 12 pm to 9 pm
- Sun – 12 pm to 8 pm
When word got around that Fern Modern Sushi whips up Omakase-grade rolls in a zen-inducing space, we had to stop by. The rumours weren’t cap, as the ingredients were personally selected by the chef, and even the plating was done with artistry and care.
Out of 20-plus sushi options, the £13.75 fatty tuna (chutoro) impressed us most. If you’ve tasted a well-marbled steak before, chutoro is close to that, just extra tender and buttery, with savoury undertones rounding things out.
Scores of unconventional picks are on the menu as well; they’re a modern Japanese resto, after all. For instance, we had uramaki (inside-out sushi) filled with salmon dressed in BBQ sauce and torched parmesan.
Tip: Visit between 12 pm and 3 pm for the lunch deals.
itsu – Leeds
From itsuofficial
Address: 36-38 Commercial St
Contact Details: 0113 467 7592
Operating Hours:
- Mon to Sat – 11 am to 9 pm
- Sun – 11 am to 8:30 pm
Life is too short for hour-long sushi preps, thus itsu’s inclusion here. It’s a fast-food joint, just with authentic Asian plates and ingredients you don’t have to sniff twice.
The selection is on the greener side, too. In fact, veggie dragon and baby avo rolls are some of their best-sellers, often matched alongside fruit smoothies.
Of course, meat lovers have something to relish in. I, for instance, enjoy itsu’s teriyaki chicken or salmon tartare bowls with California and salmon rolls on the side.
Tip: Their salads and sushi are cheaper 30 minutes before the day’s closing time.
Sushi M Leeds
From sushi_m_uk
Address: 22 Blenheim Ter, Woodhouse
Contact Details: 07496 578882
Operating Hours:
- Mon to Fri – 11:30 am to 4 pm, 6 pm to 8 pm
- Sat – 12 pm to 4 pm, 6 pm to 9 pm
Sushi M’s mellow, Japanese-themed space is a mood-setter. The‘kicking back’ moment, however, truly starts when you’re chowing down their time-honoured and contemporary sushi.
Most patrons come back for the 20-course Omakase set, which must be booked 3 days ahead. Every item is selected by the cook, including the 8-piece nigiri selection, deluxe sashimi rolls, and steamed egg custard.
Tip: You can pre-order daily specials. To know what’s on, check out their Insta’s highlights.
Little Tokyo
From littletokyoleeds
Address: 24 Central Rd
Contact Details: 0113 243 9090
Operating Hours: Daily – 12 pm to 10 pm
Website
Can’t name yourself Little Tokyo and offer sushi that’s more Doncaster. This joint understands that, as even their booze selection is headlined by Japanese beers and spirits.
The sushi spread, meanwhile, is made fresh daily and seafood-based. There are also no overpowering seasonings or sauces, just a smear of wasabi on thinly sliced raw fish and seaweed.
Tip: They can get packed, so ordering online isn’t a bad idea.
Fuji Hiro
From fujihiro1997
Address: Merrion Centre, 45 Wade Ln
Contact Details: 0113 460 1798
Operating Hours:
- Tue – 12 pm to 9:30 pm
- Wed to Sat – 12 pm to 10 pm
- Sun – 12 pm to 8 pm
I bet we’d be labelled ‘posers’ without giving Fuji Hiro a shout here. Truth be told, that would be fair, as this Leeds institution is the city’s very first Japanese resto, opening way back in 1997.
The sushi range is both playful and authentic. My go-to since forever is the hot spicy tartar, which wraps tuna and salmon in vinegared rice, Thai chillies, and kewpie mayo.
That said, I also don’t mind switching things up by having the chef-selected rainbow roll, packing 7 different fish in one sushi, or the fuji dragon, which has one unique, extra fatty bit: eel.
Tip: The dessert selection is different daily. Ask the staff for deets.
Blue Sakura
From bluesakuraleeds
Address: Merrion Centre, 2-3 Merrion Way
Contact Details: 0113 244 2989
Operating Hours: Daily – 12 pm to 3:30 pm, 4 pm to 11 pm
Website
The award-winning Blue Sakura is a feast for the palate and the eyes. Just ask yourself this: where else in Leeds can you dig into buffet-style sushi in a room awash in cherry blossoms?
What’s more, their line-up is honestly overwhelming (in the best way). Fish, chicken, eel, crab, prawn, and avo rolls are all on offer, sometimes even combined into one and perked up with Japanese sauces.
Tip: Toddlers aged 0–3 years old eat for free.
Bento Japanese Street Food & Izakaya
From bento.leeds
Address: 10 Merrion St
Contact Details: 0113 244 1190
Operating Hours: Daily – 12 pm to 10 pm
Facebook
Since Bento is an izakaya, it’s meant for laid-back dining, a setup the more rowdy-leaning Merrion St really needs. The informal bar’s bamboo decor, dim lighting, and roomy layout make that clear.
As for the sushi selection, black dragon futomaki is my fave of the bunch. Hard not to indulge when one roll has masago (roe eggs), prawn katsu, grilled eel, teriyaki sauce, and Japanese mayo, resulting in a crackling, smoky-savoury number with hints of sweetness.
If your diet is plant-based, the pumpkin futomaki might become your new obsession. The contrast of the pumpkin croquette and fresh cucumbers is spot on.
Tip: Most dishes are cheaper during happy hour, from 12:30 pm to 3 pm, Monday to Friday only.