In Pensacola, seafood is sushi, too…
Naturally, Pensacola is known for our delectable local seafood bounty. Just imagine coming to town and not enjoying a platter of golden-fried butterfly shrimp, crab-stuffed grouper or grilled snapper. The same natural abundance that makes Pensacola ideal for a traditional Neptune’s feast also puts us at center stage for the sea fare feature of the far east: sushi.
Here are 11 Pensacola sushi restaurants that will have you reaching for the wasabi and ginger instead of tartar and cocktail:
Pensacola Beach
Bonsai
Calling itself a “truly amazing Asian fusion experience,” Bonsai promises a great Gulf view from the second floor of the Hilton. Its “elevated” sushi menu includes dishes like the Florida citrus roll, which features avocado, salmon, hamachi, snapper, lemon and salmon roe, and the sea scallops roll, which includes crab salad, shiso, hackleback caviar and lemon.
With an updated menu for the season, it also includes hand-rolled ramen dishes and roasted Chilean sea bass, among other tasty options.
Flounder’s Chowder House
Yes, even place called a “chowder house” can have sushi worth waiting for.
Frequent visitors to Pensacola Beach will be familiar with Flounder's, an open‑air entertainment complex that backs up to Santa Rosa Sound. It’s known for its Diesel Fuel cocktails, stacked key lime pie and bangin’ live entertainment.
And, of course, sushi – including perennial faves like the crunchy shrimp and spicy tuna rolls, as well also localizations like the McGuire Roll (so named for Flounder’s sister eatery, McGuire’s Irish Pub). The McGuire Roll showcases prime steak, cream cheese, avocado and spicy mayo, topped with eel sauce and sesame seeds.
Nigiri and sashimi are also available at Flounders, as well as ginger salad and poke wonton. Of course, Flounders also has pages of steaks, pasta, tacos, burgers and cooked seafood to order from.
Crabs We Got ‘Em
Also a member of the McGuire’s family of restaurants, Crabs We Got ‘Em offers the same extensive sushi, nigiri and sashimi menu as Flounder’s, including in-house, chef-made sauces. Also a party atmosphere, the deck at Crabs opens up to the limitless Gulf of Mexico and, often, live entertainment.
In addition to sushi, Crabs offers a great selection of fried and grilled seafood, surf and turf with filet mignon, and, naturally, several crab dishes.
Downtown Pensacola
Khon’s on Palafox
The Fish House
This marina-side eatery is a lunchtime favorite for Downtown Pensacola business folk, as well as a preferred destination for sunsets and cocktails.
The Fish House has an especially fun sushi menu, with lots of out-of-the-ordinary creations, like The P’Cola Rolla, which includes panko fried grouper, avocado, spicy tuna, jalapeño and wasabi mayo, and the Eastwood, which has steak, cream cheese, avocado, green onions, Sriracha mayo and sweet soy.
The sushi menu also includes nigiri and sashimi, as well as salmon poke, squid salad and more. Of course, the restaurant’s larger menu is endless with steaks, fried seafood, smoked gouda grits, and specialties like crab-stuffed flounder and parmesan grouper.
Dharma Blue
Uptown Pensacola
Sake Café
Nippon Sushi
Unlike some communities across America, Pensacola is fortunate to still have a vibrant, thriving traditional shopping mall where young people, members of the military and other local folks gather to socialize, shop and eat – and the mall’s Nippon Sushi is ready for it.
Located near the food court, Nippon has carved out a cozy, earth-toned nook with bar and table service. The sushi menu is broad, including lots of traditional rolls as well as some novel ones, like the Pensacola roll, which includes raw escolar, tuna and masago, and Fang’s Special Roll, which features fried shrimp, cream cheese, cucumber, avocado, smoked salmon, eel sauce, spicy mayo and sweet chili.
In addition to sushi, Nippon offers a variety of bento boxes, udon, soba and ramen dishes, and traditional Asian classics like stir-fried tofu and chicken fried rice.
West Pensacola
Quickly
Quickly is a neighborhood nugget in Pensacola's Brownsville area that offers sushi as well as other Asian delights, like bahn mi (Vietnamese sandwiches), pho noodles and boba tea.
Although Quickly offers a spacious -- if somewhat understated -- dining area, all service is offered at the counter. Much of its business is take out. It’s a great place to grab a selection of sushi on your way from your hotel in Pensacola to the beach.
The menu is stuffed with all the most popular sushi dishes, like the rainbow and Philly rolls, as well as nigiri and sashimi, and everybody’s favorite side dishes like miso soup, seaweed salad and Spam musubi.
Perdido Key
The Jellyfish
North Pensacola
Tokyo Japanese Steakhouse and Sushi Bar
Another Pensacola neighborhood favorite, Tokyo Japanese Steakhouse and Sushi Bar offers a wide variety of sushi, nigiri and sashimi. The menu offers a number of combination platters, like the Love Boat, which includes a lobster roll, volcano roll, shrimp tempura roll, spider maki and radish sprout roll.
Tokyo also offers a collection of traditional rolls, like the dynamite and unagi rolls, that are served “inside out,” which means the rice is on the outside.
Even further out-of-the-box, it offers the cheese roll, which is shrimp tempura, steak, cream cheese, scallions, avocado and baked cheese, as well as the playboy maki roll, which is shrimp tempura, cream cheese, scallions, avocado, snow crab, masago, tempura flakes, and eel sauce.
Tokyo also extends a hibachi menu, as well as large selection of Asian appetizers and sides.
