Skip to main content
"Izakaya" refers to the Japanese version of a pub, so it's no surprise that this cozy space, lined with dusty sake bottles and seaside bric-a-brac, feels more like a laid-back bar than an antiseptic sushi enclave. Although the myriad rolls are tasty, nigiri and sashimi are king here. Order the "Super Deluxe Sushi Plate" and leave the seafood choices, from hamachi and pungent mackerel to salmon and sea urchin, to Syun's rotating cast of chefs. Owner and Chiba, Japan, native Kunihiko Imai oversees the rest of the decade-old restaurant's hefty menu, which moseys from sweet, crunchy deep-fried baby shrimp and natto rolls (fermented soybeans, no thanks) to peppery, pickled mountains of kimchi, stir-fried greens and bubbling pots of sukiyaki. Bonus: Syun is located in the basement of an old community library way the hell out in the 'burbs, which makes it the ultimate "now, where are we going, again?" destination. (KNC)
Signature dish: One word, two syllables: toro—sweet, rich, fatty tuna the likes of which this mouth craves daily.
Standouts: Anything raw. Anything alcoholic made from rice.
Regrets: Appetizers are huge! One would think this would be a good thing, until your sumo-wrestler-sized order of kimchi crowds out the room in your stomach for the main sushi event.
WWeek 2015