Not just tortellini, tigelle or piadina. Emilia-Romagna is also at the top in the preparation of sushi. The new Sushi Guide by Gambero Rosso 2025 has created a careful selection of the best places to taste the most famous Japanese food in the world: 223 shop addresses throughout Italy who have invested in quality and innovation, including authentic flavours, but also more modern influences, for an increasingly popular food that continues to attract new consumers.
The “three wands” of Emilia-Romagna for Gambero Rosso
There are ten Emilia-Romagna brands, most of them concentrated in the city of Bologna, where the ancient Italian culinary tradition is intertwined with the flavors and culture of the Rising Sun.
Seta and Yuzuya: two highly recommended venues in Bologna
Among these, three are the excellences awarded with the Three Wands: Silk in Bologna where the cold and hot cuisine of chef Byron Verano inspires great Japanese classics and creative dishes with the catch of the day, but also tasting/omakase formulas and appetizing lunch menus, without ever neglecting fresh, seasonal and high-quality raw materials. Attentive and professional service.
Then Yuzuya again in Bologna: behind the central station, a sign with intimate oriental atmospheres, in which the two Japanese “patronesses” dedicate themselves to authentic Japanese home cooking. Attentive and welcoming service, with beautiful narration.
The restaurant on the Porto Canale in Cervia
Uni Restaurant in Cervia: great raw materials, orthodox technique, elegance and care in service, the sign overlooking the Canal Port has won over fans of Japanese gastronomic culture. It adds to them
Sicilyn: among the best takeaways in Italy it combines Sicily and Japan
Sicylinin Bologna among the best delivery and take away in Italy. A Sicilian approach to sushi, this is the common thread that runs through the menu developed by Noriko Tayama, to the sound of excellent raw materials, expert technique and the aromas of dried tomatoes, capers and aromatic herbs. High quality also for seven other rooms mentioned in the guide:
The best sushi restaurants in Bologna
Seijo in via Andrea Costa, 63/2, From excellently made chirashi, hosomaki, temaki, nigiri, gunkan cuisine. Wide choice of uramaki, with asparagus, papaya, cucumber, avocado, Mazara prawns and burrata; or pumpkin tempura, seared tuna, salted pistachio cream. Also on the menu is a wide choice of Thai dishes.
Yoshi in via Emilia Levante, 164 to discover Japanese cuisine with classic and trendy proposals. Succulent appetizers ranging from Bacon hotate (grilled scallops with bacon and BBQ sauce) to prawn and octopus meatballs, up to courgette flowers in tempura with salmon.
The best sushi restaurants in Modena
Iko in via B. Paganelli, 30 offers notable nigiri with salmon, sea bass and eel, together with the special nigiri with crab meat, Japanese beef and scallop, seared. The Maguro truffles are excellently made, with marinated tuna, Tabasco, truffle; the Beef roll, with fried crab, beef and balsamic vinegar.
The best sushi restaurants in Cesena
Iamaki Sushi Garden in Piazza del Popolo, 28 which offers well-conceived fusion cuisine, which calls on high-level ingredients and mixes Japanese tradition with South American inspirations. The long menu also includes various vegan options and for the most demanding the Experiencencia de Luxo in which you can choose seared Wagyu carpaccio, carabineros sashimi, oceanic blackberry fillet with coconut sauce, dill and nutmeg.
The best sushi restaurants in Parma
Koi Japanese Restaurant in viale Mentana, 8c. intimacy. The proposal, inspired by the classic preparations of Japanese cuisine, is enriched here and there with touches of creativity and local flavors such as the special rolls, in particular the Fresh, with asparagus, cooked prawn, sea bass, shiso and pistachio. In addition to fried foods, grilled and bowl-baked creations, from udon to ramen.
The best sushi restaurants in Piacenza
Sosushi Plus in Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, 229 has dishes that cross the Japanese tradition with inspirations dictated by the imagination of chef Takaaki. In the large menu, well-marked vegetarian dishes and with a special menu of the day, ranges in value from ramen made with valid dashi; the famous Wagyu beef steak, the chirashi, the Temaki and the Uramaki such as the Mediterranean Capri (with mozzarella, basil and fresh tomato). Also worth trying are the desserts at the end: from dorayaki to yuzu cheesecake.
The best sushi restaurants in Rimini
Hashimoto in viale Martinelli, 10 the protagonist of the restaurant is the volcanic chef Yutaka Hashimoto. The formula includes a fixed menu (and reservations required) focused on sushi or ramen, which changes periodically and according to the days of the week (it is advisable to consult social media). The flow of dinner is a one man show, with the chef accompanying each dish with explanations and stories.
