Matsumi – Superior Japanese Restaurant serving guests since 1982

Matsumi is the go to address for superior Japanese cuisine in Hamburg, Germany or even Europe. The traditional restaurant has been around for decades and caters to locals, tourists and members of the Japanese community since 1982. It feels truly authentic with its timeless wooden interior and traditional Japanese tatami room. The sushi bar serves over 50 different types of sushi and sashimi, by far the most extensive menu around. For the most amazing experience, reservations for seats at the sushi bar are highly recommended.

Sashimi and Nigiri Dinner

This time I went with two friends and we made it a special night. The opulent meal started out with an omakase sashimi plate. It came with hamachi (yellowtail), o toro (bluefin fatty tuna belly), chu toro (bluefin medium fatty tuna belly), maguro (bluefin tuna back), ika (squid) and aji (mackerel). I always love the aji sashimi and was blown away by the o toro. So we had another sashimi plate with kanpachi (amber jack), o toro (bluefin fatty tuna belly), sake (salmon), ama ebi (sweet shrimp), maguro (bluefin tuna back), hamachi (yellowtail), aji (mackerel), ika (squid), mirugai (long neck clam) and hotategai (scallop) sashimi. With this second plate we probably covered most of the dishes available this night and all of them were amazing.

hamachi (yellowtail), o toro (bluefin fatty tuna belly), chu toro (bluefin medium fatty tuna belly), maguro (bluefin tuna back), ika (squid), aji (mackerel) sashimi

o toro (bluefin fatty tuna belly), chu toro (bluefin medium fatty tuna belly), maguro (bluefin tuna back) sashimi

kanpachi (amber jack), o toro, sake (salmon), ama ebi (sweet shrimp), maguro, hamachi (yellowtail), aji (mackerel), ika (squid), mirugai (long neck clam), hotategai (scallops) sashimi

hamachi (yellowtail), aji (mackerel), ika (squid) sashimi

maguro, o toro, chu toro, hara toro (bluefin fatty tuna belly), aji (mackerel), mirugai (long neck clam), hamachi (yellowtail), kappa, unagi (freshwater eel) nigiri

maguro (bluefin tuna back), o toro (bluefin fatty tuna belly), chu toro (bluefin medium fatty tuna belly), aji (mackerel), mirugai (long neck clam) nigiri

unagi (freshwater eel) nigiri

For a final course we tried some nigiri. We had maguro (bluefin tuna back), o toro (bluefin fatty tuna belly), chu toro (bluefin medium fatty tuna belly), hara toro (bluefin fatty tuna belly), aji (mackerel), mirugai (long neck clam), hamachi (yellowtail) and unagi (freshwater eel). The tuna pieces were an absolute delight and smoothly melted in my mouth. The unagi is also among my favourite fishes and I enjoyed as much as ever. With this fabulous finale, we called it a night.

Sushi Guide Verdict

Matsumi is truly a one of its kind restaurant with a unique and welcoming atmosphere. The authentic interior matches the overall experience and always makes me come back. The menu options are extensive with the most exquisite options to choose from. The food quality and taste was absolutely outstanding as always. The drink menu offers anything one could desire and the service was most forthcoming and friendly.

Review date: July 12, 2013