Most people don’t associate Omaha with great sushi, but for a landlocked city hundreds of miles from either coast there is a surprising amount of excellent options for satisfying a sashimi craving. Starting this month we’ll be reviewing sushi establishments around the city (and maybe even venturing elsewhere on occasion) to give our readers their best options for finding fresh seafood.

Blue Sushi Sake Grill is a long-running sushi restaurant with two locations around Omaha (one in The Old Market, and the other in West Omaha). They offer a unique, refreshing, and modern experience with quality food without being very expensive. The atmosphere is inviting and modern with plenty of natural light and decor.

Getting a table wasn’t an issue for us on a Tuesday night, although when going on a weekend or Friday night, it is best to get a reservation because seating can fill up quickly. Service, the day we went, was excellent. The staff were incredibly efficient and friendly, making ordering and paying, very easy. 

They had many additions like a large sushi/drink bar in the center of the restaurant and a nice patio for outdoor seating. The options for indoor seating were adequate: high-top tables, bar seating, regular tables, and even sofa seating. Alongside the main seating area there is a room to the back of the restaurant that is more secluded and would likely suit larger parties better. 

Moving to the outdoor seating, where we sat, could seat roughly thirty people, without being overly crowded. It includes a nice partially covered patio, with umbrellas and a canopy. The surrounding fencing was decorated with flowers which added to the ambience. Even being near plants and outside in general, bugs and any animals were not a problem. The patio is also located near the road which may cause some noise pollution but overall it was not an issue.

During our visit we ordered an appetizer and a sushi platter, which we’ll cover in more detail below.

The calamari was cooked perfectly crispy and the vegetables were a nice addition. Having a fresh lemon slice to squeeze over the top added another layer of freshness to the dish, and the dipping sauce gave the bits of squid some extra bite for those looking for a little more spice.

The sushi platters at Blue are arranged aesthetically, which is always part of the fun of going out for sushi. For our order we had Sake Nigri (front), a Crunchy Blue roll (middle left), a Philadelphia roll (middle right), and Tataki Maki (back row). The raw items that we ordered were refreshing and well flavored. Not everyone enjoys the raw selections, and Blue has some of the best options for those new to the sushi experience or looking for something with more familiar flavors (like cream cheese in the Philadelphia or panko in the Crunchy Blue.

Overall, we would rate our experience at Blue a 9 / 10. We look forward to sampling more sushi around town, and sharing our favorite traditional and nontraditional offerings no matter where we go!