Whether you’re an experienced sushi connoisseur who knows the difference between a maki roll and sashimi, or you think of it all as sushi and want to expand your palate, you may want to check out some of these local hot spots that are popular with St. Joe’s students.
New Leaf 2
Location: 4260 Main St., Philadelphia
Located on Main Street in Manayunk, New Leaf 2 is a popular sushi restaurant for any student looking to have a nice outing away from campus.
The restaurant features a large menu with selections ranging from what the restaurant labels “street fare,” including edamame and crispy coconut shrimp, to traditional Japanese entrees such as futomaki (vegetables or seafood rolled into a cylinder of rice and wrapped in dried seaweed) and vegetable tempura (deep fried vegetables and fish).
New Leaf 2’s menu also includes options such as black pepper tuna sashimi (seasoned thinly sliced tuna) and tekka don (sliced raw tuna served over sushi rice).
Stephen Egan ’22 found his way to New Leaf 2 with his friends. They wanted to dine outside because of the pandemic, which is an option at this restaurant.
Egan said he “isn’t the most adventurous eater” and ordered two California rolls (cucumber, crab and avocado), priced at $6 each.
“I thought they were pretty good,”Egan said. “It’s something basic that I think every- one can enjoy. I really liked the crab. It tasted fresh and it was definitely better than the other times I’ve had it at places around my house.”
New Leaf 2 offers online reservations to secure a table as well as delivery through Grubhub, Caviar and DoorDash for students who do not have a car on campus or would rather enjoy a meal from the comfort of their home.
New Leaf 2 is open 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and on Friday and Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m
Yanako
Location: 4345 Main St., Philadelphia
Another popular sushi spot for St. Joe’s students is Yanako, also located on Main Street in Manayunk.
This restaurant, whose website boasts “delicate preparation” and “bold flavors,” features a traditional Japanese menu including unagi (freshwater eel), kani (crab) and hamachi (yellowtail).
Kristin Long ’22 tried the shrimp tempura (shrimp dipped in batter and fried) for $12 and an appetizer of negimayaki (steak wrapped in scallions) for $11. Long ordered through Yanako’s own online delivery service.
Long, a sushi enthusiast, said her favorite kind of sushi is shrimp tempura and the one she had at Yanako was by far her favorite.
“I usually get [shrimp tempura] from a place near my house and it’s not as good as this,” Long said. “I usually need spicy mayo when I eat my sushi, but I did not need it for this one. It was just really good on its own. It also had this kind of sauce on the bottom of it, almost like white sauce and it was really good.”
Long also said she ordered the negimayaki because she had never tried it before and wanted to experience something different.
“That was my first time having it and it was steak rolled up in scallions,” Long said. “I thought it was really good and it had this sauce on it too that really enhanced the food. The scallions were really crunchy, so you had the crunchy scallions mixed with the soft, tender steak, which I thought was an interesting texture.”
Yanako is open from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and on Friday and Saturday from 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
The Fat Tuna
Location: 2451 N. 54th St., Philadelphia
The Fat Tuna, which opened in 2019, is a local sushi spot on the edge of campus, conveniently located across from Hagan Arena next to Larry’s Steaks.
Fat Tuna’s menu offers conventional sushi delights such as striped bass, salmon and white tuna.
Luke Laperriere ’21 walked by The Fat Tuna a couple of times before deciding to try it. He ordered the rock shrimp (deep fried shrimp ball with sauce) for $8.95 and a side of chicken wings for $6.95, just in case he didn’t enjoy the sushi.
“It was maybe my third or fourth time eating sushi, so I was really just trying to try something new,” Laperriere said. “But I’ve had shrimp before and I really liked the shrimp they had. It tasted pretty fresh. The sauce was really good too.
Fat Tuna is open from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and weekends from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m.
