A sushi menu can read like a vocabulary test, especially on your first visit or when you're ordering for someone who has never tried it. Here's a plain-English guide to the main styles, how much comes in an order at Wakatobi, and the easiest dishes to start with, including plenty with no raw fish at all.

Nigiri, Sashimi and Rolls: What's the Difference?

  • Nigiri: a slice of fish or another topping pressed onto a small mound of seasoned rice. At Wakatobi, nigiri comes 2 pieces per order.
  • Sashimi: sliced fish on its own, with no rice. Order 3 pieces, or a 10-piece sashimi meal served with miso soup or salad.
  • Maki (rolls): rice and fillings wrapped in seaweed and sliced. Most of our rolls are 6 pieces; larger specialty rolls like the Dragon and Rainbow, and all of our spicy rolls, are 8.
  • Hand roll: a cone of seaweed filled with rice and fillings, eaten with your hands.
  • Deep-fried roll: a roll that's battered and fried, then served with spicy mayo or eel sauce.

Strictly speaking, "sushi" refers to the seasoned rice, not the fish, which is why sashimi, served without rice, isn't technically sushi at all.

Is All Sushi Raw?

No. Because sushi means the rice, plenty of it is fully cooked or has no fish at all. If raw fish isn't for you, whether it's your first time or you're ordering for kids, these Wakatobi dishes are made with cooked fillings:

  • California Roll: crab, avocado and cucumber, also available as a hand roll
  • Shrimp Tempura Roll: crispy shrimp tempura with avocado, cucumber and eel sauce
  • Chicken Teriyaki Roll: grilled teriyaki chicken topped with eel sauce
  • Dragon Roll: cucumber and unagi (grilled eel), topped with avocado, eel sauce and sesame
  • Spider Roll: deep-fried soft-shell crab with cucumber, avocado and eel sauce
  • Super California: a deep-fried roll of crab, cucumber and avocado with eel sauce and sesame
  • King and Queen: a deep-fried roll of unagi, crab, cream cheese and avocado
  • American Dream: a deep-fried roll of eel, crab and cream cheese
  • Cooked nigiri: Ebi (shrimp), Unagi (eel) and Kani (crab stick)
  • Eel hand roll: eel with cucumber

No fish at all? Our vegetarian rolls (cucumber, pickled radish, avocado and a veggie mix) and inari, seasoned tofu skin over rice, are fish-free; see our vegetarian guide for more.

What's not on the list: deep-fried rolls with salmon or tuna in the filling, like the Volcano and Godzilla, start with raw fish, and smoked salmon, used in the Philadelphia rolls, is usually cold-smoked rather than cooked.

Ready to Try Raw Fish? Start Here

When you're ready for raw fish, start with mild, familiar flavors:

  • Salmon (sake): buttery and mild; try it as nigiri, in the Sake Maki or in the Alaska Roll with avocado and cucumber
  • Tuna (maguro): lean and clean-tasting; try tuna nigiri or the Teka Maki tuna roll
  • Yellowtail (hamachi): rich and smooth, with a clean finish
  • Rainbow Roll: a California roll topped with tuna, salmon and avocado, an easy bridge from cooked to raw

Or let the chef decide: the Wakatobi Special Sushi platters pair chef's-choice nigiri with a California roll, and the Kaledupa adds sashimi so you can compare the two styles side by side.

Like It Spicy?

Rolls marked spicy on our menu include the Spicy Tuna Roll, Godzilla, Volcano and Jalapeno Bomb, plus the spicy roll lineup: Phoenix, Rock N' Roll, Angry Dragon, X'O, Marimo and OMG. Most get their heat from spicy mayo, spicy tuna or spicy crab.

How to Order for the Table

For a table of first-timers, a good opening order is one chef's-choice platter, a cooked roll or two, and gyoza or edamame to share; add more once you know what you like. Platters and sashimi meals come with miso soup or salad, and if someone at the table would rather have something hot, add a hibachi plate.

A Few Sushi Etiquette Tips

  • Dip nigiri fish-side down in soy sauce so the rice doesn't soak it up and fall apart.
  • Pickled ginger is a palate cleanser between pieces, not a topping.
  • It's fine to eat nigiri and rolls with your fingers; use chopsticks for sashimi.
  • Add wasabi to taste, or skip it if you don't like heat.

Halal Sushi, Start to Finish

Like everything on our menu, Wakatobi's sushi is Halal. No alcohol is used in our kitchen, including the mirin and sake that many sushi bars add to their sauces.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between nigiri and sashimi?

Nigiri is a slice of fish pressed onto a small mound of seasoned rice; sashimi is sliced fish served on its own, without rice. At Wakatobi, nigiri comes 2 pieces per order and sashimi comes 3 pieces per order or as a 10-piece meal.

Is all sushi raw fish?

No. Sushi refers to the seasoned rice, so many rolls are fully cooked or have no fish at all. At Wakatobi, the California, Shrimp Tempura, Chicken Teriyaki, Dragon and Spider rolls are made with cooked fillings, and the vegetarian rolls contain no fish.

What's the best sushi for beginners at Wakatobi?

Start with a California, Shrimp Tempura or Chicken Teriyaki roll, which have cooked fillings, or the Wanci platter: 5 chef's-choice nigiri and a California roll with miso soup or salad. When you're ready for raw fish, salmon and tuna are the mildest places to begin.

How many pieces are in a sushi roll at Wakatobi?

Most rolls at Wakatobi are 6 pieces. Larger specialty rolls such as the Dragon, Rainbow and Green Dragon, and all of the spicy rolls, are 8 pieces. Nigiri is 2 pieces per order.

Is the sushi at Wakatobi Halal?

Yes. All sushi at Wakatobi Japanese Grill is Halal and made without alcohol, including the mirin and sake many sushi restaurants use in sauces.

Can kids eat sushi at Wakatobi?

Many kids start with the California roll, chicken teriyaki roll or cucumber roll, all made without raw fish. The kids' hibachi menu, for ages 1 to 12, is another option: chicken, shrimp or steak with soup and steamed rice.

Try It at Wakatobi

Ready to order? See the full sushi menu, order online for pickup, or find your nearest location.