eatTOKYO is a Japanese owned restaurant with 6 branches in Tokyo, London and Düsseldorf. It caters to Japanese, local and international clientele with authentic Japanese cuisine for lunch and dinner and has 3 sites in Düsseldorf. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 I went to the restaurant on Immermannstraße once restaurants reopened for business. Even though restaurants were less frequented in this period, reservations were necessary to secure spot on their terrace.
Light Sushi Dinner at eatTOKYO
In a group of 3 we ordered some light dishes for dinner on a hot summer day. One bento box came with tamago (egg omelette), maguro (tuna back) and sake (salmon) nigiri pieces and sake (salmon) uramaki (inside out roll) with avocado. As omakase sets and specialty boxes were unavailable, we ordered some other dishes á la carte. It started with a Dragon Roll composed of ebi tempura (deep fried shrimp) uramaki (inside out roll) with unagi (freshwater eel) and ikura (salmon roe) topping. The roll was excellent, even though it doesn’t match my all time favourite dragon roll at Tokyo Subway in Menlo Park, the three decades-long staple that closed its doors in December 2014 when owner Toshio Akabori retired. Ever since I am on a quest to find a similar culinary delight, so far without success.
Another favourite of mine is unagi (freshwater eel) temaki (hand roll), which excellent even though there could have been bit more unagi inside the roll that was mainly composed of rice with just some small pieces of unagi on top. Yet the roll itself was very nice and the nori leaf was very crispy and tasty. The highlight of the meal was composed of some of my favourite nigiris, hotategai (scallop), blu-toro (bluefin medium fatty tuna belly) and otoro (bluefin fatty tuna belly) with fresh wasabi. The scallop was outstanding and truly is on of my favourites almost anywhere. The chu-toro was nice but nothing special, the otoro on the other hand was breathtakingly amazing as well. It melted on content with my tongue and its texture and taste was subtle yet distinct. It was a worthy finale to this meal.
Sushi Guide Verdict
eatTOKYO at Immermannstraße is decent sushi restaurant with very fierce competition in immediate vicinity. There are many outstanding options to choose from in Düsseldorf’s infamous Japanese quarter. The atmosphere of the restaurant is somewhat basic with not so much attention to detail or interior design. They have a nice terrace on the corner of a street, which is a nice option for eating outside. Inside, there are few tables and not dedicates seats at the sushi bar, which is surprising for a Japanese restaurant in Düsseldorf. Even though menu options are extensive, many items were not available (which could be due to the COVID-10 pandemic). The quality and taste of the food is excellent and on bar with many other Japanese restaurants around. With the largest Japanese community living in Düsseldorf, this seems a must to thrive as sushi restaurant around here. The drink menu is average and doesn’t make this restaurant a first choice when looking for upscale Japanese spirits. Yet, all Japanese basics are covered. The service was friendly but slightly overwhelmed and disorganised. The restaurant seems to be quite popular and with 6 branches in UK, Japan and Germany it also seems to be quite successful. Despite the positive experience, there are many alternatives around that provide similar or even better experiences. Also, it is worth mentioning that this is cash only restaurant.
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Review date: July 5, 2020