The Best Japanese Restaurants in Israel (2026)

No foreign cuisine has shaped Israeli dining quite like Japanese food. Sushi is everywhere — in shopping-mall food courts, kosher neighbourhood counters and delivery apps from Eilat to Nahariya — and over the last few years the scene has matured well beyond the California roll. Florentin now hides intimate izakayas and onigiri windows, Jaffa has serious omakase counters, and chefs who trained in Japan are opening kaiseki rooms. Japanese is by far the largest single cuisine in our community directory, with hundreds of listings, which is exactly why this guide exists: to point you at the places worth a special trip.

This is a curated pick, not a phone book. We have leaned toward established, recognisable spots with a clear point of view, spread across Tel Aviv, Jaffa, Jerusalem, Haifa and beyond — sushi bars, izakayas, ramen projects and Japanese cafés. Every place below is a real entry in our directory; tap the name to see hours, location and contact details. If ramen is what you are really after, we have a dedicated ranking of the best ramen in Israel — this guide keeps that section short and sends you there. For the wider picture, start from our hub, the best Asian restaurants in Israel.

Izakaya & small plates

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The izakaya — a Japanese pub built around drinks, charcoal and small sharing plates — is where Israel’s Japanese scene is most exciting right now.

Saka Ba

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A tiny, intimate izakaya and sake bar tucked into Florentin on Zevulun Street. Saka Ba leans into the bar side of the izakaya tradition — sake poured alongside small plates, open late into the night, with a counter-culture Florentin energy. It is a destination for drinking Japanese, not just eating it.

Gaijin

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A premium izakaya on Lilienblum that landed on Time Out’s best-of-2025 list. Gaijin pairs excellent cocktails with luxe small plates and pristine raw fish — the polished, design-forward end of the izakaya spectrum, and a strong choice for a night out.

ASA Izakaya

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Opened in October 2025, ASA is a traditional izakaya built around an irori charcoal grill. The menu runs wide — sushi, gyoza, ramen, udon, tempura and yakitori — making it a good all-rounder for a group that cannot agree on one thing.

Mententen

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A Japanese izakaya and ramen bar on Nachalat Binyamin in central Tel Aviv. It sits in the sweet spot between a noodle joint and a small-plates bar, and is handy if you are already wandering the Nachalat Binyamin pedestrian stretch.

Kimura-Ya

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A Japanese izakaya on Mazeh Street covering sushi, ramen and yakitori. A solid neighbourhood option that does the izakaya basics across all three pillars rather than specialising in one.

Izakaya Karkur

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Proof that good Japanese food is not a Tel Aviv monopoly. Izakaya Karkur brings a full izakaya-with-sushi menu to Pardes Hanna-Karkur, on HaMoshav Street, and delivers locally — a genuine destination for the northern Sharon and Carmel coast.

Omakase & fine dining

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For special occasions, a small but serious group of restaurants is pushing chef-led, Japan-trained cooking.

UMAI Izakaya

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An intimate 22-seat Japanese culinary space in Jaffa from chef Alex Abramov, who trained for six years in Japan. UMAI runs kaiseki tasting menus, izakaya evenings and niku kappo nights — seasonal dishes rooted in traditional technique. Book ahead; the room is small.

Terasu

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Modern omakase in Jaffa, described by diners as about as close to being in Japan as you can get without leaving Israel. A fine-dining sushi experience built around the chef’s selection rather than an à la carte menu.

Cichukai

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Creative Japanese cooking in the Jaffa flea market, the sister restaurant of Selas. Expect inventive twists and premium sushi rolls in one of Tel Aviv-Jaffa’s most atmospheric corners.

Dinings at the Norman Hotel

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Rooftop sushi on the third floor of the boutique Norman Hotel, with Mediterranean and city-skyline views and an ambitious sushi menu. The setting alone makes it an occasion.

Japón at The Setai

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Elevated Japanese dining inside The Setai Tel Aviv hotel, on the Jaffa seafront — sushi and cocktails in one of the city’s most striking buildings. Another hotel address worth the splurge for a memorable evening.

Sushi bars

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Sushi is the entry point for most Israelis, and a handful of bars stand out from the mall-counter crowd.

Akiko

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A dedicated Japanese sushi bar in north Tel Aviv, on Aba Ahimeir Street. Akiko focuses on doing sushi properly, with delivery available — a reliable neighbourhood pick for the north of the city.

Wat Sang Sushi & More

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A Japanese sushi and ramen spot in the Gan HaShmal area, on HaRakevet Street. Wat Sang covers both the sushi and the noodle bases, with delivery, making it a flexible choice in central Tel Aviv.

Otoro

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A hand-roll sushi bar in Ramat Gan, and notably kosher — a relative rarity for a dedicated sushi bar at this level. Worth knowing if you keep kosher and want sushi beyond the chain options.

Sushiya

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A Jerusalem sushi bar on Trumpeldor Street, focused on quality ingredients and balanced, tradition-minded combinations. A dependable option in the city centre.

Isushi

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A Haifa sushi spot on HaNamal Street in the port area, blending meticulous sushi with fusion dishes that draw on both Japanese and Thai kitchens. A good anchor for the Haifa Japanese scene.

Ramen

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Israel’s ramen scene deserves — and has — its own deep dive, so we keep this brief. For the full ranking, broth-by-broth, see our best ramen in Israel guide.

Tom Tom Ramen

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A delivery-focused operation bringing authentic Japanese ramen to your door across Tel Aviv. If you want a proper bowl at home rather than a restaurant outing, this is the shortcut.

Koko Neko

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A Japanese ramen restaurant in the heart of Florentin, on Florentin Street itself — a small, sit-down option for when you are in the neighbourhood and want noodles, not small plates.

Down Town Ramen

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A pop-up ramen project from chef Sagi Dadush, with no fixed address — rotating guest residencies at Tel Aviv venues, focused on Tokyo-style ramen, yakitori and Japanese small plates. Recent runs include a recurring collaboration with OBI on Yavne Street. Follow the Instagram for dates and venues.

Casual & cafés

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Not everything Japanese is dinner. A growing café culture covers onigiri, matcha and Japanese-style coffee.

Onigiri-ya

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A Florentin window dedicated to onigiri — Japanese rice balls — on Florentin Street. Cheap, fast, vegan-friendly and genuinely specialised, it is one of the most authentic casual bites in the city.

Yapani

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Jerusalem’s onigiri specialists, on HaEgoz Street. Like Onigiri-ya in Tel Aviv, Yapani proves the humble rice ball can carry a whole concept.

Okasan & Ikari

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A Japanese café in Tel Aviv with a strong focus on vegan and gluten-free options — a gentle, everyday way into Japanese food rather than a sushi-bar splurge.

Kohi TLV

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A Japanese-inspired specialty coffee shop on Ben Yehuda from Uzbek-born barista Sarbar Golomov — matcha sourced from Japan, single-origin beans, fluffy Japanese pancakes and tamago sandwiches. A morning destination, not a dinner one.

Kawaii Café

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An Asian-inspired sweet shop and café on Lilienblum Street — Dalgona coffee, Vietnamese coffee and matcha lattes in a deliberately cute setting. More dessert-and-drinks than meal, and a fun stop in the city centre.

Planning your visit

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A few practical notes. Tel Aviv and Jaffa hold the densest cluster — Florentin for casual and izakaya, Jaffa for the serious omakase counters — but Jerusalem, Haifa, Ramat Gan and the Sharon all have worthwhile spots. Kosher diners should note that most of the destination places above are not kosher; Otoro in Ramat Gan is a notable exception, and our directory lets you filter for kosher Japanese listings. Many of these places are small and reservation-dependent, especially the omakase counters and izakayas — call ahead.

For more, browse the full Japanese category in our directory, explore the best Korean restaurants in Israel for the other big East Asian scene, or stock your own kitchen with help from our guide to Asian supermarkets in Israel.