Restaurant in Rome, Italy
Two rooms, one decision: counter or omakase.
Sushisen offers two distinct dining experiences in Rome: a conveyor-belt room for casual grazing and a contemporary omakase room with a sake-forward by-the-glass list. Michelin Plate recognition in 2024 and 2025 confirms consistent kitchen quality. At the €€ price tier, it is one of the stronger cases for Japanese contemporary dining in the city.
If you have already been to Sushisen and are deciding whether to go back, the answer depends entirely on which room you chose last time. The conveyor-belt dining room and the contemporary omakase room are genuinely different experiences under one roof — and most first-time visitors default to the belt. On a second visit, the omakase room is where the decision becomes more interesting, and where the wine and sake program actually comes into its own.
For explorers of food and drink looking for something outside Rome's Italian-centric fine dining circuit, Sushisen at the €€ price tier is one of the more considered bets in the city. A Google rating of 4.6 from over 2,400 reviews, combined with back-to-back Michelin Plate recognition in 2024 and 2025, suggests consistent kitchen execution rather than a single good season. That kind of volume of reviews with that score is harder to fake than a handful of enthusiast write-ups.
The structural split at Sushisen is worth understanding before you book. One dining room offers counter seating at a bar with a conveyor belt of traditional Japanese dishes — a format that works well for solo diners, couples who want to graze, or anyone who finds tasting menus constraining. The other room operates as a more formal contemporary Japanese restaurant, anchored by an omakase tasting menu. These are not two versions of the same meal. They are two separate propositions, and the right choice depends on what you are after.
For the explorer who wants depth rather than novelty, the omakase room is the more rewarding choice. The format allows the kitchen to sequence and pace the meal, and it is in this context that the wine and sake list becomes a meaningful part of the evening rather than an afterthought. Nearly all wines and sakes on the list are available by the glass , a practical decision that matters significantly when pairing across a multi-course Japanese menu, where the right match shifts course by course. You are not locked into a bottle of something that works for two dishes and clashes with the rest.
For a Japanese restaurant at the €€ price point, the by-the-glass depth here is worth noting. The fact that nearly the entire wine and sake list is poured by the glass is unusual and genuinely useful , it allows diners to pair differently across the conveyor belt format or build a proper progression through the omakase. Sake by the glass in Rome is not a given, and having access to the full list without committing to a bottle makes the beverage program approachable at a price that does not compound the spend unnecessarily.
If you are comparing this to how the wine programs work at higher-price-tier Rome restaurants like Il Pagliaccio or Enoteca La Torre, where wine lists skew deep into Italian and French bottles, Sushisen's sake-forward list is a different kind of depth , narrower in geography but more specific to the cuisine. For food and drink explorers, that specificity is an asset. For Italian wine devotees who want Barolo with their fish courses, it may feel like a gap. Know which camp you are in before you book.
For further context on how Japanese contemporary cuisine is being executed across Europe, it is worth looking at what venues like The Japanese Restaurant in Andermatt and Sankai by Nagaya in Istanbul are doing at comparable price tiers , both offer useful benchmarks for the genre's current direction outside Japan.
The two-room format also means the energy levels differ. The conveyor-belt room is likely to be livelier, more casual, and louder , the kind of setting where conversation flows without effort and the pace is set by you rather than the kitchen. The omakase room will be quieter and more structured. If you are looking for a restaurant that can hold a serious conversation across the table, book the omakase side. If you want something more relaxed and interactive, the belt room fits better.
Rome's Japanese dining scene is smaller than Tokyo's, obviously, but also smaller than what you find in cities like London or Paris, which makes a Michelin-recognised option at the €€ tier more notable here than it might be elsewhere. For a city where most ambitious dining gravitates toward Italian cuisine, Sushisen occupies a specific gap.
Booking at Sushisen is rated as easy. At the €€ price tier, without a starred Michelin rating (the Plate recognition signals quality control rather than the kind of acclaim that triggers reservation queues), you are unlikely to face the three-week lead times required at restaurants like La Pergola. That said, if you are planning around the omakase room specifically, it is worth confirming availability in advance rather than arriving and hoping for the right table. The conveyor-belt room is more likely to accommodate walk-ins or same-week bookings.
The restaurant sits in the 00154 postal district in Rome. No phone or website data is available in our current records , check platforms like TheFork or Google for current contact and reservation options.
Against Rome's broader dining options, Sushisen sits in a distinct position: the only Michelin-recognised Japanese contemporary venue at the €€ price point in the city's current guide. For further reading on Rome's wider restaurant scene, our full Rome restaurants guide covers the full range of options, including the Acquolina and Kohaku for alternative creative directions. If your trip extends beyond dining, our Rome hotels guide, Rome bars guide, Rome wineries guide, and Rome experiences guide are worth checking before you go.
For a sense of how Italy's most ambitious kitchens are operating beyond Rome, Osteria Francescana in Modena, Uliassi in Senigallia, Reale in Castel di Sangro, Dal Pescatore in Runate, Quattro Passi in Marina del Cantone, and Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler in Brunico offer useful reference points across price tiers and styles.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sushisen | Japanese Contemporary | €€ | Two smart dining rooms offer two different dining experiences at this restaurant: one with chairs at the bar and a conveyer belt of traditional Japanese dishes; the other serving contemporary Japanese cuisine, including the intriguing Omakase tasting menu. Nearly all the wines and sakes on the wine list are also available by the glass.; Michelin Plate (2025); Michelin Plate (2024) | Easy | — |
| Il Pagliaccio | Contemporary Italian, Creative | €€€€ | Michelin 2 Star | Unknown | — |
| Enoteca La Torre | Creative | €€€€ | Michelin 2 Star | Unknown | — |
| Idylio by Apreda | Modern Italian, Italian Contemporary | €€€€ | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| La Palta | Country cooking | €€€ | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| Zia | Modern Italian, Innovative | €€€ | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
How Sushisen stacks up against the competition.
Yes — one of Sushisen's two dining rooms is specifically set up for counter seating at a conveyor belt of traditional Japanese dishes. It's the more casual format and likely the easier booking. If you want the omakase tasting menu, request the second dining room when you reserve.
It works for a low-key celebration, particularly if you book the omakase room, which is the more composed of the two formats. At €€ pricing with Michelin Plate recognition in both 2024 and 2025, it punches above its price tier — but for a major milestone dinner, the format is relaxed rather than ceremonial.
At the €€ price point, an omakase format in a Michelin Plate-recognised venue is a strong proposition by Rome standards. The contemporary Japanese room runs the Omakase tasting menu alongside a wine and sake list available almost entirely by the glass — which means you can pair without committing to full bottles. That combination makes it worth ordering if you're already in the right room.
The €€ price range and dual-room setup — one with a conveyor belt, one with an omakase menu — suggest a relaxed but considered approach. Neat casual fits both rooms; you won't need a jacket, but the contemporary dining room carries a slightly more composed atmosphere than the conveyor-belt side.
The two-room format at Sushisen likely suits smaller parties better than large groups. The conveyor-belt bar and the omakase counter both imply structured seating rather than flexible table configurations. Groups of two to four will find the format works well; larger parties should confirm availability and seating arrangement when booking.
At €€ with back-to-back Michelin Plate recognition (2024 and 2025), Sushisen delivers a value case that's hard to find in Rome's Japanese dining options. The omakase format and by-the-glass sake and wine program at this price tier make it worth booking. If you're after a la carte sushi without commitment, the conveyor-belt room keeps the spend flexible.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
