Best Sushi In Asheville For Rolls, Tapas, Specials, & Poke
As locals, we love Zen Sushi, Green Tea, and Murasaki for the best sushi in Asheville, NC. Outside of AVL, Umi is wonderful. Keep reading for more details about where to get poke, Asian tapas, specialty rolls, and soups with a few hidden gems across Western North Carolina.
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Asheville has the best restaurants for foodies, and Tom and I dine out and order takeout for sushi more than any other cuisine. Trust me when I say we are salmon pros. Along with our favorite sushi spots, be sure to peruse our comprehensive AVL food and beverage guides and our top Asian restaurants.
Living in the heart of Asheville, all experiences and photos are our own of what we ordered and devoured over the years. We originally published this article in 2020 and update it with your feedback and our stomachs.
Quick List Of Restaurants Serving Sushi in Asheville
If you are in a rush, these are just a few places serving sushi, sashimi, poke, and more across the city (not all are dedicated sushi restaurants, though). Then, keep scrolling for a full write-up of our favorites.
- Zen Sushi
- Green Tea Japanese Restaurant
- Miyako House
- Maguro
- Yum Poke Spot
- Heiwa Shokudo
- Wasabi Japanese Restaurant & Sushi Bar
- Asheville Sushi & Hibachi
- Mr. Sushi
- Pacific Pagoda
- Ukiah Japanese Smokehouse (sashimi!)
- Mizu
- Muraski
- The Madness Asheville
- Mr. Tea Asian Bistro
- Red Ginger Dim Sum & Tapas
- Aloha Cafe (Downtown AVL)
- Huli Sue’s BBQ & Grill (usually a delicious poke bowl on the menu)
Our Favorite Asheville Sushi Restaurants
As you can tell, there are plenty of delicious sushi spots in Asheville. Where do we satiate our sushi cravings? You cannot go wrong with any of these places.
Zen Sushi (North Asheville)
As North AVL residents, Zen Sushi is our casual neighborhood spot for dine-in and takeout. Zen offers budget-friendly lunch specials with sushi rolls paired with salad and miso soup. I like their sashimi selections with tuna, yellowtail, salmon, and whitefish served with a steaming bowl of rice. I also love their vegetable or shrimp tempura Bento box.
Zen marks its menu with vegetarian and gluten-free items, which Tom appreciates with Celiac disease. Afterward, get ice cream at The Hop or bubble tea at Pop. Most North Asheville restaurants have parking lots and are filled with locals.
Murasaki Asheville (South AVL/Arden)
Murasaki is by far our Uncorked followers’ favorite sushi restaurant in Asheville. It’s not hard to see why. The Sunset Roll is divine (I love mango). If you want to splurge, order a bottle of fancier sake. The Dassai 23 Junmai Daiginjo hits the spot.
Situated in a pleasant shopping plaza off of Long Shoals in Arden (there’s a wine store!), Muraski is a sleek restaurant with trendy shiplap walls and plentiful table, bar, and booth seating. They promise a unique selection of Asian tapas, sushi lunch specials, specialty and traditional rolls, ramen, noodle dishes, and Bento boxes. It’s hard to choose.
Miyako House (Downtown Asheville)
Even though Miyako House is located downtown, it’s one of the more hidden restaurants on this list and another local favorite. Many people who work downtown grab lunch here. For an unassuming, chill restaurant, I appreciate their fun presentation and deliciousness. Select from sashimi, classic sushi rolls, Teriyaki, Hibachi, and Bento boxes. I think they stay a little quieter than jumping Wasabi, if you wish to avoid crowds.
Green Tea Sushi Japanese Restaurant (West Asheville)
From the owners of Mr. Tea at the Asheville Mall (I love those red booths and soup dumplings), West Asheville houses amazing restaurants like Green Tea. Families flock here after school sports. Green Tea boasts a large appetizer menu full of items like dumplings, popcorn shrimp, tofu, crab cakes, and garlic shrimp. Then, choose from popular specialty rolls, noodles, Teriyaki, Bento boxes, Asian fusion, and fried rice. We order takeout/delivery here too but prefer their on-site dining.
Maguro (Downtown Asheville)
One of the newer Downtown restaurants, Maguro sits next to White Taco and across from the famous Cúrate. They also own Murasaki. With a large space and menu – bar, booths, and tables – they make the best black garlic ramen I’ve had in Asheville. With incredibly fresh sushi, head here if you love Asian tapas, stir-fries, sashimi, rice bowls, and more. Maguro makes fun cocktails too.
Yum Poke Spot (Downtown & South AVL)
While there are plenty of places to find poke in Asheville, our go-to is Yum Poke Spot – and more so for takeout. Build a bowl to eat onsite or to-go filled with proteins like tuna and salmon. They have tofu, loads of veggies, and salad along with white and brown rice options. My favorite mix-ins include carrots, mango, roe, cucumber, avocado, seaweed salad, fried garlic, and scallion. Tom and I tend to go overboard and add globs of ginger sauce. Don’t forget the sushi burritos and spring rolls.
Mr. Sushi (North & South Asheville)
It’s a cheesy fun name, but Mr. Sushi promises anything from edamame and sushi rolls to stir-fry and Hibachi grill items. We usually drop in for pick-up as it’s not the most atmospheric – we have eaten in at their North AVL location plenty of times – and order spring rolls, house salads, and a variety of traditional and specialty rolls. Mr. Sushi also offers combination sushi specials if you cannot decide.
The Madness Asheville (North & West AVL)
The Madness is a great spot for sushi in Asheville if you have non-sushi and burger lovers with you. Order unique specialty rolls, classic sushi rolls, and beautiful appetizers that are served like pieces of affordable but fancy art – just like their cocktails. When I can’t decide, I order a Bento box with a slider, edamame, and a California roll. I think their Smokey Park location has slightly better service.
Sushi Spots Near Asheville We Love
We had to drop our favorite two sushi restaurants near Asheville, one of which we’ve been eating at before becoming North Carolina residents.
Soba Sushi & Noodles (Weaverville)
Weaverville is AVL’s northern mountain town filled with breweries, shopping, and parks. The Weaverville restaurants promise delicious food, friendly prices, local vibes, and slightly less city congestion.
Soba Sushi is a great stop if you crave soups, ramen, noodles, and of course, sushi. Soba features a little bit of everything. I highly recommend ordering their hot tea – green tea or ginger. The ginger and honey tea is super sweet and chock full of fresh shredded ginger. Your tummy will thank you.
Umi Sushi (Hendersonville)
Even before moving to Asheville, we ate at Umi, which was recommended to us by our Bed & Breakfast host while house hunting (thanks to Mike at the 1898 Waverly Inn). Along with Murasaki and Zen, this is my favorite sushi restaurant near Asheville.
I love the selection of specialty rolls, freshness, and overall quality. While Umi has fried rice, sea bass, steak, salmon, and noodles, I’ve always gotten their sushi rolls because they are the best around. Like Asheville, Hendersonville is full of delicious restaurants.
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Christine
Christine (pronouns: she/her) is the owner of Uncorked Asheville. After falling in love with those gorgeous Blue Ridge Mountains, Christine and her husband Tom decided to call Asheville, North Carolina home. When her pointy Italian nose isn’t stuck in a book, Christine is adopting all of the kitties, getting lost in the forest, and drinking an ESB. She has a BA in English and History from Smith College, her MLIS from USF-Tampa, and is a former U.S. Fulbright Scholar - Indonesia. Christine also owns The Uncorked Librarian LLC with books and movies to inspire travel.