Royal Sushi & Izakaya

We had the distinct pleasure to partake in Izakaya's masterpieces in early May and can still recall each course with clarity. It's worth the wait and the cost. The variety and freshness of ingredients prepared with painstaking care and efficiency was a joy to witness and we also appreciated the easy laid-back atmosphere fostered by chef Izakaya and his personable style. We just had to reserve for a return culinary experience before leaving. Highest recommendations.

The matcha tiramisu sounds good on paper and looks very pretty. But that's about it. It is in reality a very average dessert. The sundae with vanilla and sweet corn ice cream paired with a bunch of Taiyakis is a gimmick as well. It tastes like something scoop deville would serve and I don't say it as a compliment. If you want to drink here, skip the cocktails and get the sake, shochu, soju or a sapporo.

This restaurant doesn't have a signage. You will see a Japanese red lantern hanging outside. Inside is very dim. Fortunately we were seated near the door so I could take advantage of extra light when the door was opened to take better pictures.Not many seats with tables but there are more seats by the bar. Our waitress was super sweet, attentive, and knowledgeable.Spicy pickles : highly recommended if you like spicy food. Fresh and crunchy cucumbers.Tuna guacamole: too salty for me.Ebi shiumai: interestingly it has strong coriander flavor. I'm not a fan of this dish.Gyoza: it's ok, nothing special.Japanese eggplant: I love it. Beautiful plating of sliced eggplant topped with sweet miso glaze that gives umami. It is served with pickled cauliflower. The culmination of the dinner is Wagyu steak. Lean meat, cooked medium rare, with shiro dashi glaze. The glaze has some sweetness that blends to give robust flavor to the steak.To end the dinner is beautiful matcha tiramisu served in a square wooden box with ornate topping. Sweet mascarpone with some pineapple to give nice fresh fruity taste. So yummy . If They don't take reservations. I recommend coming here early.

Best sushi I've ever had? No.However, it was really solid and I would recommend it. Salmon avocado roll was fresh, well constructed. Tuna aka roll was good with a heaping amount of ikura on each piece. The sashimi was also enjoyable. Everything was pretty good, just not amazing. I think it is a bit over hyped. Service was friendly and prompt.

Good but not stupendous. Comparable to lower mid range New York places. I felt Umami Steak and Sushi Bar was tastier, and a better value. Note: this review is not meant for the Omakase.

When my friend and I went to eat dinner here, we ordered the Nasu Dengaku (japanese eggplant with sweet miso glaze), Ganmodoki (tofu patties with lemon, fennel, olives, raisins), Torikatsu Sando (fried chicken cutlet sandwich), and the Sakedon (rice bowl with salmon sashimi). Half of our food tasted good while the other half tasted pretty bad. The eggplant had a too much sweet miso paste that it overpowered the eggplant so I had to scrape it off. The tofu patties had a strong sour taste (because of the lemon and olives). I would not order either of them again. On the other hand, the chicken katsu sandwich was pretty good, since the meat was juicy and the bread was soft. The salmon on the sakedon bowl was fresh and melted in my mouth. Overall, I don't think I would come back for the izakaya food (which we ordered) but I would come back to try the omakase since the salmon was so good.

I've been to 3 omakase dinners, but the experience I had at Royal Sushi was by far the most memorable experience. Each sushi roll literally melted in my mouth and the flavors that dance around in your mouth is phenomenal. Jesse Ito is a pure genius! To add to it, the couple next to us (regular customers) had a similar experience as me and my boyfriend - a truly special night with an extra special menu.When you walk in, the ambiance is busy and bustling with laughter all over. The service was top notch as well. Jesse was just amazing and so personable and remembers the fine details of new and previous customers. A definite worthwhile experience!

I heard that this was one of the must visit places in Philly and I wanted to try it out. The wait was 90 minutes for walk-ins on Saturday evening. I ordered the salmon and spicy tuna rolls, okonomiyaki, pork shoulder, seaweed salad and that filled up the two of us. The presentation of the food and service was great. There is only one bathroom so you need to wait in line to use it.

Heard so much hype regarding Royal so I was eager to try it out! My friends and I ordered the Royal Chirashi box for takeout (since we knew getting seated would be difficult). The presentation of this box was stunning! The sashimi, caviar, tamago, etc was strategically presented. A nice variety of colors and textures! This box also came with nori, rice, wasabi, and ginger. The sashimi was fresh and the ginger was also really good! Overall, good quality fish & a satisfying meal.

Ordered the spinach gomaae, tsukune, and guac, bloc party, and dragon rolls. Service was prompt and waitresses were very quick to explain the menu and specials. Bloc party was probably one of the best sushi roll I've ever had, with extremely generous amounts of salmon and yellowtail. Dragon roll had a wonderful crunch from the cucumber, but guac roll had a little too much wasabi flavor for me.Tsukune was wonderfully charred, but at 15$ for 2 pieces, may not be the best value for money. The spinach gomaae with black sesame sauce was the most interesting (and refreshing) flavor combination all night.The izakaya is dimly lit, which allows you to better see the anime they project on the wall. The space echos quite a bit and gets pretty lively as seats fill up.