The 5 Best Sushi Restaurants in Israel (2026)

Updated August 2026 · 5 picks

The best sushi in Israel in 2026 is at Moon and Ze Sushi in Tel Aviv and the veteran Onami on HaArba'a Street. Israel eats an extraordinary amount of sushi for a Mediterranean country — it is the default delivery order in Tel Aviv — but the quality gap between the serious kitchens and the rest is wide. Five worth booking, below.

1. Moon — Bograshov Street, Tel Aviv

The city's favourite sushi bar — busy, good and open late.

₪₪₪ Upmarket

Moon on Bograshov is the sushi restaurant that a large share of Tel Aviv actually eats at, and it manages the difficult combination of high volume and reliable quality.

The menu covers both the restrained Japanese end and the Israeli-style rolls, so it works for a table where people want different things.

It is busy, it is not quiet, and it takes bookings that you will want to have made.

Good to know: The weekday business lunch is significantly cheaper than the same food at dinner.

Google Maps Website

2. Onami — HaArba'a Street, Tel Aviv

One of Israel's original Japanese restaurants, and still one of its best.

₪₪₪₪ Splurge

Onami opened on HaArba'a Street in 1999, which makes it one of the first serious Japanese restaurants in the country, and it has kept its standards up across more than two decades.

The room is more formal than the Tel Aviv sushi bars and the cooking is more composed, which suits a longer, sit-down dinner.

A kosher branch opened inside the Hilton Tel Aviv in 2024 — worth knowing if you keep kosher, since serious kosher sushi is otherwise hard to find.

Good to know: The Hilton branch is the kosher option; the original HaArba'a location is not certified.

Google Maps Website

3. Ze Sushi — Basel, Tel Aviv

A neighbourhood favourite doing high-quality sushi at fair prices.

₪₪₪ Upmarket

Ze Sushi started in the Basel complex in 2004 and has grown into a small group, but the sushi has stayed the reason people go — carefully made, generous, and better value than the fine-dining rooms.

The owners spent time in Japan and it shows in the restraint: order the nigiri and sashimi rather than only the sauced rolls.

It is small and popular, so book or expect to wait at the peak times.

Good to know: There is a quicker street-food outpost in Sarona Market if you just want a fast, good box.

Google Maps Website

4. Sakura — Off Jaffa Street, Jerusalem

Jerusalem's veteran Japanese restaurant, and still the city's best.

₪₪₪ Upmarket

Jerusalem is not a sushi city the way Tel Aviv is, but Sakura, tucked into a courtyard off Jaffa Street, has been quietly doing accomplished Japanese food for years and is widely named the best in the city.

The ingredients are carefully sourced and the cooking goes well beyond rolls, which is what sets it apart from the chains.

It is open daily, lunch through late evening — a rarity in a city where much closes for Shabbat.

Good to know: Book ahead on weekends; the courtyard room is small.

Google Maps

5. Japanika — Branches nationwide

The national chain — nobody's favourite, everybody's fallback, and reliably fine.

₪₪ Mid-range

Japanika is Israel's big sushi chain, with branches in most cities and a menu built squarely around the Israeli-style roll: large, generous, sauced and cheap relative to the standalone restaurants.

It is on this list for honesty rather than for excellence. When you are in Beer Sheva or Netanya at 9pm and want sushi, this is the answer.

Some branches are kosher-certified and some are not; check the individual branch.

Good to know: Order the sashimi rather than the signature rolls if you want to taste the fish rather than the sauce.

Google Maps Website

Frequently asked questions

Is sushi in Israel any good?

At the top end, yes — Tel Aviv has several kitchens doing genuinely accomplished Japanese cooking, not just rolls. Below that, the market is dominated by heavily sauced, cream-cheese-and-avocado Israeli-style rolls, which are enjoyable but are not what most people mean by good sushi.

Is there kosher sushi in Israel?

Yes, and quite a lot of it. Kosher sushi uses only fin fish with scales — salmon, tuna, sea bass — and no shellfish or eel, and dairy-free rules mean no cream cheese in certified meat-free kitchens unless the restaurant is dairy-certified. Jerusalem has several certified options.

How much does sushi cost in Israel?

A mid-range sushi dinner runs roughly ₪120–₪200 per person, and the serious omakase-style kitchens ₪300–₪500. Business lunch deals — a fixed menu at a sharply reduced price, served roughly noon to 5pm on weekdays — are the standard way Israelis eat at the better places.

What is an Israeli-style sushi roll?

Larger than the Japanese original, often deep-fried or topped with sauces, and very frequently containing cream cheese, avocado, mango or spicy mayonnaise. It is a local genre in its own right. If you want the restrained version, order nigiri and sashimi rather than the signature rolls.

Which fish is used in Israeli sushi?

Salmon dominates, with tuna, sea bass, amberjack and locally farmed fish also common. Israel imports much of its sushi-grade fish, which is part of why prices are high relative to the rest of the meal economy.

Do sushi restaurants in Israel open on Shabbat?

The non-kosher Tel Aviv restaurants do. Kosher-certified ones close from Friday afternoon until Saturday night. Delivery on a Friday night in Tel Aviv is easy; in Jerusalem it largely is not.

1. Moon — Bograshov Street, Tel Aviv

2. Onami — HaArba'a Street, Tel Aviv

3. Ze Sushi — Basel, Tel Aviv

4. Sakura — Off Jaffa Street, Jerusalem

5. Japanika — Branches nationwide

Frequently asked questions

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