There’s a particular hush that falls over a table when the sashimi arrives.
The chatter softens. Someone reaches for the soy, another tilts a slice toward the light to admire its sheen. In izakaya culture, this moment matters. Raw fish isn’t rushed here. It’s the opening note of an evening meant to unspool slowly, plate by plate, pour by pour.
I’ve spent years chasing that feeling across Singapore, from basement rooms in Orchard to rooftops in the east, learning which places treat fish with the reverence it deserves. Not the polished counters of a standing sushi bar or formal sushi restaurants, but the izakayas, where Japanese sashimi sits comfortably beside grilled skewers, warm oden, and a good bottle of sake. This is a guide to the best sashimi Singapore offers within that warmer, more social tradition of Japanese cuisine.
Below are ten izakayas where the fish is worth ordering, told the way I remember them. If you want to widen the map before choosing a table, CHIJMES Japanese food offers a different mix of izakaya plates, sushi, ramen and teppanyaki, while you can browse more of Singapore’s izakaya scene here when the mood calls for another neighbourhood.
For sashimi lovers, that means everything from familiar salmon and scallop to seasonal fish, tuna and more adventurous seafood. Come hungry, come curious, and let the night find its own rhythm.
Before the First Plate Arrives
Izakaya | Neighbourhood | Best For | Sashimi Direction |
|---|---|---|---|
Ubi | Celebrations and sashimi-led dinners | Premium assorted sashimi and modern seafood plates | |
Orchard | Seasonal seafood and sake | Seasonal Japanese sashimi and seafood | |
Tanjong Pagar | Tuna lovers and after-work evenings | Bluefin tuna and assorted sashimi | |
Boat Quay | Late-night sashimi | Broad sashimi selection after hours | |
Beach Road | Casual late-evening meals | Salmon, hotate and familiar favourites | |
Telok Ayer | Sashimi with serious sake | Mixed sashimi and maguro | |
River Valley | Sake drinkers and adventurous diners | Seasonal fish and changing seafood specials | |
Orchard | Easy-going shared dinners | Assorted sashimi in a casual izakaya setting | |
Marina Bay | Weekday after-work drinks | Good-value salmon sashimi | |
Tanjong Pagar | Dates and quieter dinners | Maguro, uni and seasonal seafood |
Think of this less as a scoreboard than a map of moods. The best table depends on whether you want pristine fish, one more bottle of sake, or somewhere the evening can linger a little longer.
1. Tora Tora Tora (Ubi): Premium Sashimi in a Modern Izakaya
Finding your way there: Tai Seng MRT, followed by a short walk
For the evening: $$
Tucked into a rooftop perch in the east, Tora Tora Tora carries the quiet confidence of a place that knows fish. Step in and you feel it. This is a modern izakaya where sashimi isn’t an afterthought squeezed beside the yakitori, but a genuine centrepiece. The room hums with the easy warmth of people settling in for a long dinner, sake glasses catching the light.
The room itself: Tora Tora Tora is conceived as more than a conventional izakaya dining room, bringing Japanese restaurant, bar and entertainment elements together within its rooftop setting. That broader format helps explain why it lends itself particularly well to evenings built around groups and celebrations.
The sashimi selection here runs unusually deep. The menu includes an 8 Kind Moriawase Sashimi for those who want variety, alongside salmon, hotate and Hotate Truffle Carpaccio. Those plates give familiar Japanese food a subtle modern twist without losing sight of the fish itself.
Diners speak often of thick, generous cuts and a freshness that lingers. It’s premium sashimi without the ceremony of an omakase menu, a rare, welcome middle ground between casual izakaya dining and the formality associated with a dedicated sushi bar.
At a 4.8 Google rating, the reputation is strong. Just know the east-side location asks a little more of you, and the pricing sits toward the higher end.
The evening suits: Sashimi dinners with friends, celebrations, groups who want sake alongside cooked Japanese dishes.
Perhaps not for: Needing easy central-line access or a budget meal.
One thing to remember: Come at lunch for a quieter table; save dinner for the full rooftop izakaya atmosphere.
2. Ishinomaki Dining (Orchard): Seasonal Japanese Cuisine & edomae sushi for Seafood Lovers
Finding your way there: Orchard MRT, a few minutes on foot
For the evening: $$
Descend into the basement of Palais Renaissance and Ishinomaki reveals itself slowly, a room built around seafood and sake, with a longstanding focus on seasonal seafood and Japanese ingredients. There’s an understated seriousness here, the sense of a kitchen that cares deeply about where its fish comes from.
This is where the seasonal-seafood story sings loudest. Rather than leaning only on familiar salmon, Ishinomaki traces the rhythm of the seasons, pairing sashimi platters with robatayaki and a thoughtful sake list. It is closer in spirit to traditional Japanese cuisine than many of the more playful modern izakayas on this list.
Following the season: What distinguishes Ishinomaki is that its seafood proposition is not built around one permanent hero fish. The point is the changing selection itself, making the seasonal menu part of how the restaurant should be read rather than something peripheral to it.
Regulars return again and again for the freshness, presentation, and seasonal ingredients that shift with the calendar. That emphasis on fresh ingredients is what makes the sashimi platters feel central rather than decorative. One diner called the platter expensive but exceptionally fresh, a fair summary of the whole experience.
It’s premium, and the bill reflects that. There have been occasional notes about slower service or, once, a small bone in the fish. But for serious seafood lovers, the depth of the seasonal ingredients makes it worth the spend.
The evening suits: Business dinners, seafood devotees, sake drinkers happy to pay for quality.
Perhaps not for: Watching the budget or want quick, casual dining.
One thing to remember: Ask about the seasonal seafood specials rather than relying only on the standard menu.
3. Izakaya Niningashi (Tanjong Pagar): Japanese Food in a Vibrant Izakaya Setting
Finding your way there: Tanjong Pagar MRT, about 3 minutes’ walk
For the evening: $$
On Craig Road, Niningashi keeps the spirit of an old drinking house alive, a little worn at the edges, lively after work, the kind of room where conversation rises and sake flows. This is vibrant izakaya culture in its truest form, where sashimi opens the evening before the grilled fish and skewers take over.
What sets it apart is the tuna. The 3 Kind Bluefin Tuna Sashimi is a genuine tasting experience, and the 9-Kind Assorted Sashimi rewards those who want breadth. For anyone used to ordering a conventional sushi platter, this feels more relaxed and communal, exactly the way sashimi fits into an izakaya meal.
Beyond the raw fish, Niningashi’s himono, dried and grilled fish, is a quiet speciality worth chasing. These are the kinds of signature dishes that show why an izakaya can offer a very different experience from standard Japanese restaurants built around sushi and rice.
Beyond the raw fish: Himono gives this table another way of understanding fish. Drying before grilling changes both concentration and texture, so the progression from sashimi into grilled fish feels less like changing categories and more like seeing the ingredient from another angle.
Diners praise the thick cuts and freshness, though the kitchen can wobble a touch during the peak dinner rush.
I like to think of the meal here as a progression: bluefin tuna first, then an assortment, then the grilled hokke, then more sake. That sequence tells you exactly what this place is about.
The evening suits: Groups, tuna lovers, after-work Japanese food and sake.
Perhaps not for: Wanting a quiet, romantic dinner.
One thing to remember: Go for weekday lunch or early dinner if you’d rather avoid the after-work crowd, and note the bill climbs fast once sashimi, skewers, and drinks combine.
4. Shinya Izakaya (Boat Quay): Fresh Japanese Sashimi After Hours
Finding your way there: Clarke Quay MRT, a short walk
For the evening: $$
Some evenings don’t end when the other kitchens close. Shinya, along the river at Boat Quay, runs late into the small hours, a rare thing in Singapore, and a gift when the night still has life in it. The room stays warm and busy well past midnight, the sashimi still cut with care.
That’s the whole charm: proper fresh sashimi and premium ingredients at an izakaya that simply refuses to call it a night. The historic dinner menu has run through akami, kanpachi, salmon, tai, hotate, shima aji, otoro, and salmon belly, alongside a generous five-kind assorted sashimi.
Why the hour matters: Shinya occupies a different place in the evening from most restaurants here. Its late-running service makes sashimi available not only as the beginning of dinner, but also as something to return to when another meal, another bar, or another part of the night has already passed.
Add kushiyaki and a sprawling selection of Japanese food, and you have somewhere that works equally well for a first dinner or a second one after drinks elsewhere. It offers far more than fresh sushi and salmon fish alone, which is exactly why it belongs in an izakaya-focused guide rather than a ranking of conventional sushi restaurants.
With a 4.8 rating from over 1,700 reviews, the affection is clear. This isn’t the most refined sashimi in Singapore, and it doesn’t pretend to be. Its gift is convenience, variety, and that late-night glow.
Come here for: Late-night sashimi, post-drinks meals, Boat Quay groups.
Perhaps not for: You’re seeking the city’s most refined, minimalist raw fish.
Keep in mind: Reserve on Friday and Saturday nights; the riverside crowd fills it fast.
5. Hachimaru Izakaya (Beach Road): Fresh Salmon Sashimi and Izakaya Comfort Food
Finding your way there: Nicoll Highway MRT, walkable; Bugis also within reach
For the evening: $$
Hachimaru occupies a lovely middle ground. Dim, cosy, and open until the early hours, it’s the bridge between fresh sashimi and honest izakaya comfort food, the sort of place you drift into on Beach Road and stay longer than planned. The lighting is low, the mood unhurried.
The fish earns its keep. Regulars praise the fresh salmon sashimi and hotate, the grilled dishes, and the attentive, friendly staff who make you feel like a returning face even on a first visit.
For diners searching specifically for affordable salmon sashimi, Hachimaru is better thought of as an accessible mid-range izakaya rather than a bargain sushi specialist. At roughly $30 to $80 a head, it keeps the evening relaxed rather than precious while still giving sashimi a meaningful place on the table.
Its place in the evening: Hachimaru makes most sense when the sashimi is only one part of the order. Salmon and hotate can begin the table, but the format leaves room for grilled dishes and other izakaya comforts to follow, which is a different proposition from visiting a specialist sashimi counter.
A fair word: the sashimi portions can feel modest against the price, and the lighting runs very dim. But for late-night izakaya energy with genuinely fresh seafood, it more than holds its own around Beach Road and Bugis.
The evening suits: Small groups, late-evening meals when formal restaurants have closed.
Perhaps not for: Wanting a large portions or a brightly lit room.
One thing to remember: Book ahead on Friday and Saturday; it’s better suited to smaller parties than big groups.
6. Shukuu Izakaya (Telok Ayer): Sashimi and Sake in the CBD
Finding your way there: Telok Ayer MRT, easy walking distance
For the evening: $$
On Stanley Street, Shukuu understands something essential: raw fish and sake belong together. This is a Japanese izakaya and sake bar where the two are treated as partners, not separate courses. The room is cosy and lively, the kind of after-work refuge where the CBD unwinds one carafe at a time.
The sake matters here: Shukuu identifies itself not simply as an izakaya but as a sake bar, which changes how the meal is approached. The drinks programme is part of the restaurant’s identity, giving the sashimi a pairing context that is more deliberate than simply ordering a bottle alongside dinner.
The kitchen has historically air-flown selected products from Japan, and it shows in the mixed sashimi platter, the Maguro Yukke, and the spicy salmon don. The menu moves easily between sashimi and other forms of Japanese cuisine, including the kind of rice bowls that make an izakaya meal feel more complete.
Recent diners are remarkably consistent about the thick, fresh cuts and the maguro in particular, and just as consistent about the staff’s warm sake recommendations. Ask what pairs well, and you’ll drink better for it.
This is the entry I’d send anyone who cares about sake as much as sashimi. The two lift each other here, and the staff know exactly how to guide the pairing.
The evening suits: CBD after-work dinners, readers who love sake as much as fish.
Perhaps not for: Wanting a quiet, low-energy room.
One thing to remember: Let the staff pair your sake to the sashimi; their recommendations are a highlight in their own right.
7. MoboMoga (River Valley): Premium Sashimi in a Sake-First Izakaya
Finding your way there: Fort Canning MRT, a few minutes on foot
For the evening: $$$
You duck to get in. The low doorway at MoboMoga bows you into a dark, intimate room in UE Square that feels like a secret. This is a sake-first izakaya with a personality all its own, where seasonal, adventurous cooking meets a warm, unusual atmosphere and counter seating that pulls you close to the chefs.
A room with its own ritual: The low entrance is more than a decorative curiosity. Having to stoop as you enter gives MoboMoga an immediate physical identity before the food or sake arrives, while the compact counter arrangement keeps diners unusually close to the kitchen.
The sashimi here isn’t built around salmon alone. Diners speak of very fresh tuna sashimi, oysters, assorted sashimi, and fish specials that rotate with the seasons, alongside oden and more daring seafood plates. In that sense, MoboMoga sits somewhere between traditional Japanese cuisine and a more personal, adventurous style of modern Japanese cuisine.
Add an extensive sake selection and knowledgeable staff, and MoboMoga becomes less a meal than an evening that slowly reveals itself. The close counter also gives you a direct view of the skilled chefs working through the evening.
If you’d like more context on this room, my fuller MoboMoga review lives on the site.
It’s not the place for cheap or affordable sushi, and the bill climbs once sake enters. The space is small and can grow loud. But for fresh fish, serious sake, and genuine character, few rooms feel this personal.
Come here for: Sake enthusiasts, adventurous eaters, small groups, casual dates where atmosphere matters.
Perhaps not for: Your only goal is inexpensive salmon sashimi, or you want a quiet room.
Keep in mind: Reserve ahead. The room is tiny, and sit at the counter to watch the chefs work.
8. Morinaga Izakaya (Orchard): Casual Japanese Food Without the Ceremony
Finding your way there: Somerset MRT, very close
For the evening: $$
Down in the basement of Midpoint Orchard, Morinaga is the unpretentious neighbourhood izakaya every district deserves. There’s nothing precious about it, just a cosy room, friendly faces, and the quiet pleasure of shared plates over sake. It’s the casual counterpoint to Orchard’s grander seafood destinations and more formal Japanese restaurants.
The assorted sashimi anchors a menu that wanders happily into Japanese omelette, mentaiko omelette, karaage, and a much-loved truffle somen. This is fresh sashimi in Singapore without the ceremony, food you order in rounds, easy and generous, while the evening drifts on.
What changes the order: Morinaga is one of the clearest reminders on this list that sashimi does not have to carry the whole meal. Dishes such as mentaiko omelette, karaage and truffle somen give the table somewhere to go after the raw fish, reinforcing the shared-plate rhythm at the heart of casual izakaya dining.
Diners return for the sashimi, the warmth, and that snug basement setting. For anyone comparing it with nearby sushi restaurants, the difference is the rhythm: sashimi is part of a larger night of shared plates and sake rather than the meal’s sole focus.
Budget somewhere around $40 to $60 a head for a proper evening with fish and a few drinks. It won’t dazzle like an omakase counter, and it doesn’t try to. Its charm is exactly that ease.
The evening suits: Casual Orchard meals, friends, sake with several shared plates.
Perhaps not for: Wanting a polished, high-end presentation.
One thing to remember: Pair the assorted sashimi with the truffle somen; the two together capture what regulars love about the place.
9. Tono Izakaya (Marina Bay): Fresh Salmon Sashimi for the After-Work Crowd
Finding your way there: Downtown MRT or Raffles Place MRT, both practical
For the evening: $$
In the Marina Bay Link Mall, Tono is the after-work sashimi spot the CBD crowd deserves. Come Friday evening, the room fills with the loose, celebratory energy of a working week ending, sake and skewers passing between colleagues turned friends.
A weekday izakaya: Tono’s weekend closure gives the restaurant an unusually clear rhythm. This is fundamentally a working-week destination, shaped around the office population of Marina Bay rather than the Saturday-night dining crowd.
The fresh salmon sashimi draws the most affection here, thick slices, good value, and simple freshness done well. Around it sit yakitori, maki, unagi don, and rotating promotions that make the seafood feel generous for a downtown address.
This is fresh sashimi with genuine value rather than rarefied sourcing, and that honesty is the appeal. If your idea of affordable salmon sashimi means good-value fish in a full izakaya setting rather than the lowest possible price at a standing sushi bar, Tono is one of the more natural fits on this list.
With a 4.8 rating and a warm, obliging team, it’s an easy recommendation for the office crowd. Just note it closes on weekends, so it’s very much a weekday pleasure.
The evening suits: Office crowds, casual groups, after-work drinks.
Perhaps not for: Wanting a weekend dinner or ultra-premium fish sourcing.
One thing to remember: Friday nights turn lively; arrive early, and ask about current promotions rather than assuming a fixed sashimi price.
10. Nanami Izakaya (Tanjong Pagar): Refined Japanese Cuisine on Craig Road
Finding your way there: Tanjong Pagar MRT, nearby
For the evening: $$
A few doors from the noise, Nanami offers a more polished take on the Craig Road izakaya, a calmer room suited equally to business meals, casual dates, and small-group dinners. There’s a composed elegance here that rounds out this list nicely.
The seafood is where it shines. Diners single out the Hon Maguro, the uni, and the seasonal grilled fish, alongside sashimi, yakitori, and grilled seafood. It’s a sashimi-friendly kitchen with a broader izakaya heart, wagyu and maguro sitting easily side by side.
Compared with some of the more rustic rooms here, Nanami leans towards a polished expression of modern Japanese cuisine, while still keeping the shared-plate character that separates an izakaya from dedicated sushi restaurants.
Where it sits on this list: Nanami’s distinction is less about one headline sashimi promotion or specialist ingredient than balance. Raw fish, grilled seafood, yakitori and wagyu all occupy the same menu, making it one of the broader expressions of contemporary izakaya dining among these ten.
The seasonal ingredients reward those who ask what’s freshest that night.
Some find the pricing a touch high for the execution, and a few note the seasoning can run salty. Still, for a refined Craig Road evening, it earns its place, a gentler close to a night that might have started somewhere louder.
The evening suits: Casual dates, business meals, small-group dinners.
Perhaps not for: You’re sensitive to salt or watching value closely.
One thing to remember: Reserve for a peak-evening table, or come early if the sashimi matters more than the atmosphere.
Best Japanese Restaurants, Sushi Bars and Vibrant Izakaya Culture: What This List Actually Covers
Singapore has no shortage of excellent Japanese restaurants, from dedicated sushi bars and omakase counters to restaurants specialising in broader Japanese cuisine. But this guide is deliberately narrower.
I’m not trying to rank every candidate for the best Japanese restaurants in Singapore, nor every place serving fresh sushi, sushi rolls or Edomae-style nigiri. These are izakayas where sashimi plays an important role within a longer evening of sake, grilled dishes and shared plates.
That distinction matters. A sushi restaurant may build the entire experience around the sushi counter. An izakaya lets the sashimi begin the conversation and then allows the table to wander.
Where to Find Premium Sashimi and the Freshest Catches
If your priority is premium sashimi, Tora Tora Tora and Ishinomaki are the natural starting points on this list, especially if seasonal seafood matters more than keeping the bill low.
For the freshest catches, the safest approach isn’t to assume that one fish will always be available. Ask what has arrived, what is particularly good that evening, and which sashimi selection best reflects the kitchen’s current seafood offering. Seasonal availability is part of the pleasure of Japanese sashimi.
If you’re more interested in value and atmosphere, Hachimaru, Morinaga and Tono take the evening in a more relaxed direction.
Most of the seafood featured in these izakayas now comes directly from Tokyo’s Toyosu Market, the modern successor to the famed Tsukiji Market. Some restaurants go a step further, flying in fresh fish from Japan thrice weekly to ensure that every slice of sashimi is as vibrant and pristine as possible.
Where the Evening Takes You
Ten rooms, ten different ways to sit with a plate of fish and let the night stretch out. Some are polished and premium, Tora Tora Tora and Ishinomaki, where seasonal ingredients and premium sashimi take centre stage. Others, like Shinya and Hachimaru, keep the lights on late and the mood easy. And a few, like MoboMoga and Shukuu, remind you that raw fish tastes best beside the right pour of sake.
Together, they show how broad Singapore’s Japanese food scene has become. There are specialist sushi restaurants, casual sushi bars, contemporary Japanese restaurants and izakayas that sit somewhere between food and nightlife. This list belongs firmly to the last group.
That’s the quiet lesson of izakaya culture: sashimi is never really the whole point. It’s the beginning of something, a table filling with plates, a conversation drifting, a glass refilled without asking.
Not just on our izakaya list but there are other good places where you can find fresh fish, omakase sets, and lunch sets. These spots are conveniently located around popular areas like Shaw Centre, Far East Plaza, Raffles City Shopping Centre, Ngee Ann City, One Fullerton, and Customs House, all with easy access via Newton MRT, Millenia Walk, and Orchard Boulevard MRT.
Beyond izakayas, non-izakaya Japanese restaurants such as Tomi Sushi, Sushi Dan, Sushi Sato, and Ganko Sushi also serve excellent sashimi that’s worth exploring. We look forward to trying these places soon as we expand our journey beyond izakayas to showcase the full range of Japan’s freshest offerings in Singapore so that we can bring the best sashimi singapore offers to you.
If you’re mapping out more of the city’s Japanese dining, our guide to CHIJMES Japanese food is another good place to wander next.
So pick a room that matches your mood. Order the fish, then order a little more. And let the evening carry you wherever it wants to go.
