Izmi Sushi - Santa Fe

Incredible! Baked Fried and Raw Rolls each with individual flavor characteristics. Highly recommend

We came in for a late dinner while in Santa Fe with my whole family. Service was kind and helpful. We got the okonomiyaki appetizer and it was phenomenal! We ate it so fast I almost forgot a photo! The chicken katsu was a little dry but it leans that way as a dish. Teriyaki chicken and sushi rolls were phenomenal! We wrapped up dinner with some mochi and everyone went home full and happy!

Good sushi. Ginger salad dressing was excellent. Service was a little slow but the quality of the food made up for it

When I visited Santa Fe for business, I was excited to try out some new food there. But, since I am not really a big fan of Mexican-type food, I instead decided to try out some Japanese food. I know, going to Asian restaurant while in Santa Fe… I might be unusual, but at I know what I like. So, I wanted go to a restaurant that was Japanese owned and operated which DOES exist in Santa Fe! , but it was closed on this day. Instead, I went to this place, Izmi, not owned/operated by Japanese, but came with high reviews. I sat at the sushi bar, as I was only going to order sushi items. The sushi chef who is also the owner of this restaurant was busy making sushi with his mother ? I think. He didn 't look up or greet me in any way...I heard he is only friendly to regulars, and from what I witnessed, that might be true. I did not get any warm, welcoming vibe from him. But the staffs and another customer sitting at the counter were all nice. I started off with some nigiri sushi, Salmon, Tuna, and Ikura. They were a bit pricey, but common for tourists-heavy town. But, I am always willing to pay more for high quality food. I read a sign right outside that said “More Fish, Less Rice” and that sign was so true to what I witnessed. It had really nice, thick slice of tuna on top of small amount of rice. The portion of raw fish against rice was amazing! I also ordered two rolls, Spicy Tuna and New Mexico. They were fat rolls, and that made it a bit difficult to eat. The portion is nice, but the flavor was lacking in some much needed spicy taste. At the end, I really enjoyed the regular sushi pieces, not so much the rolls. The nigiri sushi pieces are awesome! I would recommend the nigiri for sure. High quality, and you will certainly get good, thick slices of sashimi on the rice. Oh, and they have this strict “No Cell Phone” rule, which I thought was unusual. When I was taking photos of the sushi with my phone, I was told of this rule too. But then, I was forgiven since I was not talking on the phone, or sending the photos to anyone while in the restaurant. Interesting… Read my full review of the restaurant and food on my food blog, foodlovergirl.

Sushi in the desert? Typically a no- but this place has legit fresh fish, inventive rolls and attentive, friendly staff. A great way to add some variety in the southwestern-dominated cuisine (which is fantastic).