Moving meal
Sakana-Ya is a great place to bring someone you don’t want to talk to.
The kaiten-style dining, or sushi on a conveyor belt, means that the longest you’ll have to wait for your food is approximately 90 seconds – the time it takes for the conveyor to make a full rotation. So, not only can you get in and out in less than an hour, but with a steady stream of sushi ready to be plucked off and devoured, you can literally spend the entire meal with your mouth full.
Fortunately, the sushi is so good you might want to do that anyway.
Located in the heart of Armory Square since 2007, Sakana-Ya is a small sushi bar that seats about 30. The entire bar is arranged around a big conveyor, which makes the Sakana-Ya dining experience interactive and fun. Sushi creations roll by on small plates, with the plate’s color indicating its price.
At Sakana-Ya, each plate of sushi is so unique, you get the feeling that the two chefs behind the bar are having their own personal ‘Iron Chef’ competition. While sushi standards like classic California, spicy tuna and Philadelphia rolls float by every few rotations, crazy-looking concoctions that would impress even Morimoto are far more common. Some highlights: The Super Spider roll, a deliciously crunchy soft-shell crab topped with heaps of crabmeat, scallions and spicy tomatoes ($10), and the Rainbow Roll, crab meat and sliced cucumber wrapped with fresh tuna, salmon and tender mackerel ($9.50).
Unfortunately, even a Japanese beer buzz isn’t enough to mask Sakana-Ya’s two minor downfalls. The ‘dessert sushi,’ which is just about as gag-worthy as it sounds, is a $9 mistake on a plate. A California roll stuffed with crabmeat, cucumber and avocado is paired with sickeningly sweet strawberries and kiwis covered in a syrupy mango sauce. One taste and you’ll want to send this baby right back down the conveyor.
Another gripe: Beware the spicy sauce, a mayonnaise-like condiment flavored with red chilies. A solid 40 percent of Sakana-Ya’s entrees are covered in this fiery orange venom, and a mere chopstick-full produces a slow, back-of-the-throat burn that could leave you guzzling ice water all night. Bear in mind that this is coming from someone who breathes fire after eating Tostitos’ medium salsa, but unless you like serious spice, stay far, far away.
Complaints aside, Sakana-Ya is a gem worth visiting, especially if you can find the time to hit it up on Mondays, when all sushi is half price, or Thursdays, when drink prices are slashed in half. And don’t get confused when you type it in your GPS: There’s a Sakana-Ya in nearby Fayetteville too, but the Fayetteville version is sadly sans conveyor.
While the lack of authentic sushi bars in Syracuse makes Sakana-Ya a big fish in a small pond, this fish is still fresh, fairly cheap and very tasty.
Sakana-Ya, SyracuseLocation: 215 Walton St.Price: Sushi from $2.50 to $12Rate: 3 of 4 peppers
Published on November 3, 2009 at 12:00 pm
