Kanpai Sushi
The Times reports that Edinburgh's sushi regulars rate the sourcing and the knife work here above anywhere else in the city.
Why go
The restaurant opened on Grindlay Street in 2011, in the theater block under the Castle, and Time Out's Keith Davidson gives it four stars. He writes that the food is reliably drop-dead gorgeous
in a room of clean lines, wood and Japanese minimalism,
and that the menu runs well past the maki and nigiri into octopus fishcakes, assorted tempura, teppan teriyaki salmon and teppan sirloin steak.
He picks out sitting there gazing at the colour, form and decorative splendour of the sashimi platter.
1
Order this / avoid
- Order: the sashimi platter, which is the dish Time Out's reviewer stops on.1
- Avoid: booking it as a fast pre-show plate. Both write-ups describe a room built for sitting a while.
What locals & experts say
- The Times (2025), via the Edinburgh Evening News:
The city's sushi cognoscenti reckon the raw fish is better sourced and more expertly sliced at this serene restaurant in the shadow of the castle than at anywhere else in the Scottish capital.
Filed asBest for lip-smacking sushi.
2 - Time Out, Keith Davidson, four out of five stars:
the food is reliably drop-dead gorgeous and serves as a launchpad for all kinds of conversations.
1 - City of Edinburgh Council rated the premises Pass under the Food Hygiene Information Scheme on 8 April 2026.3
Good to know
- Booking: recommended, and more so on theater nights.
- Getting there: on Grindlay Street in Tollcross, beside the Lyceum and the Traverse.
- Hygiene: Food Hygiene Information Scheme Pass, inspected 8 April 2026.
Verdict
could-visit — The Times' Edinburgh list says the city's sushi cognoscenti reckon the raw fish here is better sourced and more expertly sliced than anywhere else in the capital, which is a claim about supply and knife work rather than about atmosphere. Time Out's Keith Davidson gives it four stars and describes food that is reliably drop-dead gorgeous, in a room of clean lines and Japanese minimalism open since 2011. The menu runs past sushi into octopus fishcakes, tempura and teppan. It is in the theater block on Grindlay Street, in the shadow of the Castle.