The Best Sushi in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Sunomono Salad at Blufish sushi restaurant in Winnipeg, Manitoba (Canada).

In my constant search for good sushi restaurants, I did a bit of research while I was in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Here is my list of the best sushi in Winnipeg.

Blüfish (179 Bannatyne Avenue, 204-779-9888): At the edge of The Exchange district and near the waterfront, Blüfish is elevated to the second floor of a non-descript brick building on a fairly dark street. Inside is a narrow space with trendy décor and a high ceiling.

The enthusiastic service had me trying the special roll, Ying and Yang (shrimp tempura wrapped in warm salmon with yellow and green roe), and the Blüfish (crab meat, tamago, ebi, hokkigai, carrots, avocado and tobiko). The best part about the menu is the unusual creations that make eating sushi just like the first time I tried it.

Blufish Sushi restaurant in the Exchange District of Winnipeg, Manitoba (Canada).

They also have tea that is unlike what I’ve tried before. They use “ingenuiTEA by adagio teas” pots that you fit over your mug and push down. This releases the tea and fills the cup. I had fun with it, anyways!

I also headed over to the most unexpected sushi joint. Yuki Sushi (554 Main Street, 204-956-2849) is right across the street from the Manitoba Museum and hidden inside McLaren Hotel, a really shabby Winnipeg accommodation that almost reminds me of the downtown eastside of Vancouver. (The washrooms for the place are inside the hotel lobby, so make sure to hold it and go elsewhere.)

Saying all that and making it sound awful, it was one of my favourite sushi restaurants in the city. The super friendly family who runs Yuki Sushi is efficient, enthusiastic and makes the sushi right in front of you at the bar. The waitress came by about five times during the meal to happily refill my tea.

The rolls themselves, from the fairly large menu of usual Japanese fare, were average but the prices great. This is more of a stop for those sushi cravings that don’t need a trendy atmosphere or fancy menu to be satisfied.

The seating is mostly along the sushi bar, but there is a small dining area with a few tables for groups.

Yuki Sushi in the McLaren Hotel in Winnipeg, Manitoba (Canada).

The sushi restaurants I wanted to get to but either went when they were closed or my schedule didn’t allow me enough time to visit are Wasabi (four locations, 204-774-4328) and Samurai (110- 330 Portage Avenue, 204-944-0333). Oh well, maybe next time.

What I Liked:

• You can’t get much more casual than this. Seriously. When you see the rundown hotel Yuki Sushi is housed in, you’ll know what I mean. But don’t you sometimes want a simple, good meal that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg?
• Truth be told, I love hole-in-the-wall finds and the trip to the hotel lobby washroom, passing the colourful characters hanging around there, was half the fun.
• Yuki Sushi does take out, so if you want reasonably-priced sushi, just order to go and find somewhere else to eat it (Red River College has lots of chairs in the lobby for relaxing, so if it’s cold outside, grab a seat, chow down and use their clean washrooms).