Taking place this Thursday night at the spacious and historical Coliseum near Downtown St. Petersburg, festivities begin at 5:30. Big City Events limited tickets this year to ensure every guest enjoys the experience. Last year attendance topped 1200, this year approximately 1100 guests will sample over 1500 Sushi Rolls, that's a lot of maki rolling! Over 20 Sakes will be on hand, you can watch Godzilla, and enter a sumo wrestling contest with your compatriots. Rock the beat to the Taiko Drumming Show, witness a Martial Arts Demo, enter a Karaoke Contest, be part of a Group Sake Bomb & more in spacious digs as you sample some of the best sushi in Tampa Bay!
Sushi is a science and an art. Equal parts genius, technique, and tradition we were excited to see who made the cut this year. Are you ready to see, taste and judge the best sushi in Tampa Bay? Participating restaurants include:
Ciccio's Water South Tampa
Known for their eclectic, healthy dining experience Ciccio's offers sushi, California cuisine, Paleo, and gluten-free options, in a colorful lively atmosphere on Howard Avenue in the Soho District of South Tampa. A local favorite for years, we are excited to see what they bring to the battle and look forward to sampling from their table!
YO! Sushi Tampa
YO! Sushi brings the concept of a Japanese ‘kaiten’ sushi bar delivering food to customers via a conveyor belt as you sit and decide, "Hmmm, do I want to try that, or maybe this!" The sushi whizzes by as colorful plates stack up at this unique Tampa Bay restaurant. YO! Sushi dishes are prepared fresh using the finest ingredients. Located at International Plaza and Bay Street their food is spectacular and the experience unique!
Pisces Sushi & Global Bistro ( Clearwater)
Defending Champions Pisces Sushi and Global Bistro is a contemporary casual fine dining restaurant featuring global cuisines and globally inspired sushi rolls. If you enjoy Asian Fusion, Chinese, Cuban, Greek and Mediterranean, Indian/Pakistani, Italian, Japanese, Latin American, Mexican, Seafood, Spanish/Basque, Sushi , Tapas and Vegetarian fares THIS is your place! Creative and aesthetically pleasing to the eye and the palate, Pisces Sushi is in a word, exceptional!
Kona Grill Westshore District
The extensive menu at Kona includes sushi, exotic entrees, wraps, burgers, pizza, pasta and more. Fresh fish is flown in daily for the sushi experts at Kona. A totally zen experience, from the relaxing atmosphere to the excellent sushi choices, Kona is a wonderful experience! What will they do? Can't wait to see!
Ocean Prime Westshore District
Located at the International Plaza, Ocean Prime is an upscale steakhouse and seafood restaurant raising the sushi bar! Immerse your senses in a classy and intimate atmosphere while enjoying creative sushi rolls and craft cocktails at OP! Sure to be bringing IT this Thursday night, we feel sure they will get plenty of votes with their inventive sushi!
Yume Sushi (Sarasota)
Yume is an Asian Fusion, Thai, and Japanese restaurant with a traditional Sushi Bar in Sarasota. Voted Sarasota's Best Sushi in 2015 you can taste the Yume difference by driving to 1532 Main Street or by attending Sushi Battle Tampa Bay Thursday evening in St. Pete. Tasty, clever and beautifully presented, Yume deserves their distinction. We can not tell you how excited we are to have one of 941area's best on this side of the bridge battling it out for the best sushi in Tampa Bay!
iThai & Sushi Restaurant and Food Truck Seminole
Thai food harmonizes sweet, salty, sour and spicy as well as colors and textures using exotic ingredients such as kaffir lime, lemongrass, Thai basil, galangal, tamarind, and chilies. iThai's sushi is a unique blend of interesting flavors and textures, satisfying and delicious, we look forward to sampling what they have planned for this epic battle!
Wabi Sabi Fusion Cafe Palm Harbor
Wabi Sabi Fusion Café is a small, independently run business serving Palm Harbor quality sushi, sashimi, and Japanese cuisine for more than a year. If you support small businesses, places where you can help a mom and dad pay for dance lessons for their little girl, or a new ball glove for their son, vs. a third vacation home for a CEO, Wabi Sabi will earn your vote! These folks work hard to see you get the BEST sushi and Japanese cuisine available. We are excited to see they made the cut this year and look forward to sampling from their table Thursday night!
Be prepared to eat an abundance of sushi as a panel of Tampa's elite judge the winner following a blind taste test. As a guest, you have the opportunity to choose the winner of the Audience Choice Award. This is THE award Thursday night's competitors battle for! They want YOUR vote as they whip up dazzling sushi enticing you with expertise in hopes you will drop your Golden Chopstick into their bucket!
Sushi samples are unlimited at the Sushi Battle, general admission includes a free Sake Bomb, commemorative beer glass, a shot glass, and chopsticks to take home.
