Sushi is something I hold very dear to my heart. You will never hear the word ‘no’ come out of my mouth when it comes to sushi. All you can eat? Yes, please. Wasabi mixed into my soy sauce? I think so. Spicy salmon roll? I’ll take two. Side of fried rice? You bet. But seriously, sushi means a lot to me, and let’s be real — the Berk California roll is just not itching my craving. So, I have gone out and tried all the sushi restaurants in Amherst so you don’t have to, here are my ratings.
- IYA SUSHI AND NOODLE KITCHEN
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IYA is very, very good. Their house rolls are absolutely to die for. I got the Spicy Dragon Roll and it was AMAZING, I was in love. Another amazing thing about IYA is that they have so many options. When I went, I also tried out their chicken ramen. If you like ramen, you will absolutely love IYA’s. IYA also has some vegetarian tofu options sprinkled throughout their menu which is great to note. The only downside I found with IYA is that it’s a little bit more expensive than the other sushi places around us, and if you go on the weekend you will most likely need a reservation — they’re usually completely booked.
- House Of Teriyaki
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House of Teriyaki is a little bit farther from the UMass campus, but I thought it was definitely worth the drive. House of Teriyaki’s sushi was pretty good! I did not try any of the specialty rolls when I was there because none of them really called my name. I stuck with the Philadelphia and spicy salmon roll, and they were both very good. My sushi also came out very fast when I was there and it was a busy Saturday night! I did not get to try the other food when I went, but I did get the miso soup and it was truly amazing. The other upside of House of Teriyaki is that the prices were definitely a lot more reasonable than IYA.
- Arigato Sushi
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Arigato was pretty good in my opinion. I thought the sushi was pretty average. While I was there I did try the Amherst roll and thought it was pretty good, and I really liked the combination of what was in it. I also got the chicken fried rice while I was there and it was amazing — a little pricy but so worth it!
- Ginger Garden
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If you live on campus and are looking for a place that is close this may be the best option for you! The sushi is definitely not the best sushi I have ever tried — but it is definitely not the worst. It is okay! However, when I went to Ginger Garden I took advantage of their lunch special, which is 3 rolls for $15.50 — a complete steal. So if you are craving sushi around lunchtime and are on a budget, I definitely would say to give Ginger Garden a try. Also, Ginger Garden gets bonus points for having a UMass roll.
With that all being said, all the sushi in Amherst is pretty good! I truly don’t think you would have a bad experience no matter where you go, and after all, I am not an expert! I’m sure rankings may differ depending on what rolls you get! So I would say to give them all a try!
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