The exterior of the restaurant “Denshichi Sushi”

To begin with

I had lunch at ‘Den-shichi Sushi’ yesterday. It’s cheap, has a wide variety of dishes, and it a real bargain.

I’d often heard rumors from acquaintance about “Den-shichi Sushi” in Saiin, located in front of Saiin Station.
According to my acquaintance, it seems to be a sister restaurant of Kushihachi, a Japanese dining spot known for its reasonably priced kushikatu and yakitori.

“Just give it a try, okay? You’ll like it.”

After being nudged a few times. – – – Seriously? Half-believing, half-doubting, I recently tried “Den-shichi Sushi” for lunch. So, I’d like to share my honest thoughts here.

Enjoy the convenience of conveyor belt sushi, but with sushi made by a real, certified sushi chef!

Just under 20 meters from the Saiin intersection stands the Saiin branch of “Den-shichi Sushi.”
One building over to the east, its sister restaurant “Kushihachi” had set up the restaurant.
Upon looking closely, I noticed there were an unusually large number of kushikatu restaurants in this area.

Now, standing in front of the Den-shichi Sushi Saiin branch I was aiming for, a large sign reading “Sushi Restaurant Lunch” stood prominently.

“Sushi Restaurant Lunch” Signboard

To its left was another sign, this one displaying photos of the lunch sets.

Photos of the lunch sets signboard

Anyway, it’s a restaurant that really catches people’s attention.
However, the restaurant itself isn’t that big.
Opening the modest sliding door to the entrance, if I say, I heard the energetic voice of a chef calling out from inside.

“Welcome!”

As soon as I heard this, the thought that it is after all different from the conveyor belt sushi restaurant was came to me.
I also said “sorry to trouble you” and sat down at the seat I was shown to.
It was a counter seat from which I saw four sushi chefs making sushi.
In front of the counter was a display case.

The display case and a sushi chef at work.

I entered the restaurant just past noon, but perhaps because it was weekdays, there were only about six customers inside, including me.
The ratio between men and women is half-half.
Moreover, everyone is dining alone.

Glancing at the menu displayed on the counter, the following sets were roughly listed:

The menu

Mini Tuna Bowl and 5 kushikatu Skewers Set (1,188 yen)
Mini Tuna Bowl and Small Tempura Set (1,188 yen)

Mini Chirashi and 5 kushikatu Skewers Set (1,408 yen)
Mini Chirashi and Small Tempura Set (1,408 yen)

Mini Seafood Bowl and 5 kushikatu Skewers Set (1,518 yen)
Mini Seafood Bowl and Small Tempura Set (1,518 yen)

Kushikatu Set Meal (1,188 yen)
Tempura Set Meal (1,188 yen)
Sashimi Set Meal (1,408 yen)

8 pieces of nigiri sushi (980 yen)
10 pieces of nigiri sushi (1,280 yen)
14 pieces of nigiri sushi (1,680 yen)
And so on.

Tempura set meals and kushikatu set meals are quite affordable at just over 1,000 yen, but unfortunately, the rice is plain white rice rather than takikomi Gohan.

Since plain white rice just didn’t appeal to me, I ordered the mini seafood and 5 kushikatu Skewers Set (1,518 yen).
I hesitated over whether to get tempura as a side for my seafood bowl, but since its sister restaurant is Kushihachi, a kushikatu specialty restaurant, I went with 5 skewers of kushikatu instead.

Here is a photo of the actual item delivered in less than 15 minutes.

Mini Seafood Bowl and 5 Skewers Kushikatu Lunch Set

At first glance, it looks incredibly colorful and delicious.

However, as soon as I picked up the bowl of seafood rice, I gasped in surprise, followed by disappointment.

The bowl of the seafood rice

Firstly, the size of the seafood rice. It is about 10 centimeter in diameter. It is certainly mini-size.
But what surprised me was that the bowl itself had a false bottom.

The bowl is about 7 centimeters tall, but when you hold it in your hand, nearly half of that, – just under 4 centimeters – is actually a false bottom.
In other words, it holds very little.
I see, the arrangement is truly luxurious.
The variety of toppings – squid, cucumber, yellowtail, salmon roe, shrimp, tuna, salmon, sea urchin – looks impressive and whets the appetite.

However, the portion of rice was simply too meager.
This was truly disappointing.
It felt like it was over before I even realized I’d eaten it.
Incidentally, this mini seafood bowl came with grated yam.

Grated yam

Next, kushikatu.

5 skewers of kushikatu

The kushikatu selection was substantial.
It included five varieties: lotus root, shrimp, maitake mash-rooms, sweet potato, and quail eggs.
The breadcrumbs are extremely fine, and the frying oil must be fresh because it crisps up perfectly, so it doesn’t cause any heartburn at all.
I could eat this crispy goodness endlessly.
The sauce was pleasantly sweet and paired perfectly with the kushikatu.

This set also comes with red miso soup.

Red miso soup

The ingredients in the red miso soup were rolled tofu and mituba.
This miso soup was quite delicious.
— Through the portion was a bit on the small side.

And what’s worth mentioning is how delicious the tea was.

Tea bowl

It’s a comforting, relaxing flavor.
It seems that I wasn’t the only one who found the tea delicious, as other customers were also eagerly ordering seconds.

My brutally honest take on the mini seafood bowl and 5 skewers of kushikatu set: It’s tasty, but if I say it’s unsatisfying, well, it really is unsatisfying. That pretty much sums it up.

I regret that there wasn’t a bit more rice of the seafood bowl.

To be honest, my stomach wasn’t exactly full, but the set price of 1,518-yen might be considered fair for the special atmosphere unique to sushi restaurant – where you enjoy the ambiance of a real chef preparing sushi right before my eyes, rather than conveyor-belt sushi.

In fact, sea bass, yellowtail, amberjack, and tiger pufferfish swam in the tanks, and above all, it was a pleasure to watch the head chef and the young chefs working briskly and efficiently.
It’s a lively restaurant.

The tank

The conclusion

As I casually observed the other customers, I noticed that many female patrons ordered items like mini tuna rice bowl and tempura set, while every male customer ordered nigiri sushi.

They seemed to be placing orders one by one, either leaving it up to the head chef or chatting casually with him about this and that.

I think all of them were regulars.

However, since every piece of nigiri sushi at this “Den-shichi Sushi” is priced individually, it might not be considered particularly cheap if you eat a decent amount.

Of course, I don’t think you need to worry about getting ripped off like at a high-end sushi restaurant.

Finally, I’d like to state my conclusion.

If you want to experience the affordability of this place, lunch is the way to go. Just be prepared for it to feel a bit lacking.

Since nigiri sushi is sold per piece, be careful when ordering.

You can fully savor the unique liveliness and atmosphere of a sushi restaurant. — This might be its greatest appeal.

In addition, one of its major features is that it’s an easy-to-enter establishment where you needn’t feel the slightest bit intimidated about popping in alone.

How about visiting it once if you are interested?

The restaurant information

Denshichi-sushi Saiin branch

〒615-0014
Kyoto City Ukyo Ward Saiin Tatumi town 4-1
075-323-0700
Business hours: 11:30 – 14:30
16:30 – 22:00
Regular holidays: Mondays and Tuesdays
Reservation: You had better to make a reservation.
Transportation access:
1-minite walk after getting off at Hankyu “Saiin Station.”
1-minute walk after getting off at Randen “Saiin Station.”
1-minute walk after getting off at Kyoto City Bus stop “Nishioji-Shijo.”