How Many Japanese Restaurants Are There in the US?
According to Restaurantji, there are around 19,000 Japanese restaurants in the United States. These restaurants are concentrated in California (20% of all Japanese restaurants), New York (8,2%), Florida (7,2%), and Washington (4,5%). These were the areas where Japanese immigrants first arrived or where Japanese citizens preferred to live.
Interestingly, Texas (6%) stands out even though it didn't historically have a large Japanese immigrant population. However, the Japanese population in Texas has grown steadily over the last decade, so more Japanese restaurants have opened there too.
California tops the list and is known for inventing the popular California roll back in the 1960s by a Japanese chef. The 2022 Michelin Guide for California also awarded stars to 25 restaurants in Los Angeles, with 10 of them being Japanese restaurants. This shows just how popular Japanese cuisine is in that state.
Twenty-four U.S. states have fewer than 1% of the total number of Japanese restaurants, with the lowest numbers in Vermont, Wyoming, North and South Dakota, and Montana. Each of these five states has fewer than 30 Japanese restaurants (approximately 0,1%).
Japanese restaurants are moderately priced – more than 5,000 restaurants are rated “$” on Restaurantji, and more than 12,000 are “$$”.
History of Japanese Cuisine in the USA
Japanese restaurants first appeared in the late 1800s when Japanese immigrants arrived seeking opportunities. Early restaurants adapted dishes like beef teriyaki to American tastes. As Japanese culture became known, restaurants specialized in traditional cuisine. An early important figure was Ichiroku Maejima, who opened restaurant Maikoya serving sukiyaki and tempura in 1894 in San Francisco. Sushi's global popularity started with Japanese Americans after WWII, then spread through Japanese restaurants from the 1950s, and dedicated sushi bars in the 1960s, especially in California.
What Makes Japanese Cuisine Unique?
Japanese cuisine is revered for unique ingredients, innovative flavors, and cultural history. It identified the fifth taste "umami" - a savory deliciousness from cooked meat and seaweed. Contrary to assumptions, Japanese food is lightly seasoned to let natural flavors shine through, using pickled ginger, wasabi or soy sauce to highlight, not mask, ingredients.
Why is Japanese Food Popular in the US?
One reason is it offers something new and exciting. Another is the great, unique flavors. Japanese restaurants also tend to be affordable, making them accessible. These factors together contribute to the popularity of Japanese restaurants in the USA.
Most Popular Japanese Dishes in the US and Canada
Restaurantji collects millions of online reviews on millions of restaurant profiles. We decided to make use of this huge amount of information and find out which Japanese dishes are praised the most in users' positive reviews:
Teriyaki Chicken
Teriyaki chicken is chicken breasts cooked with a sweet teriyaki sauce, usually served over rice. Though it seems Japanese, teriyaki chicken actually started in America. The name "teriyaki" is Japanese, but teriyaki chicken is different from traditional Japanese teriyaki dishes. In Japan, "teriyaki" refers to a simple sauce used for grilling fish. The sauce has soy sauce, sake, mirin, sugar, and ginger. It's not syrupy or thick. Japanese people don't see teriyaki as special restaurant food - it's just a homemade dish.
Japanese immigrants in America created the teriyaki chicken dish we know today. They altered the teriyaki fish marinade to make a quicker meat dish with a sweet, sticky sauce. Exactly when and where this happened is unclear.
Users recommend these places for the best Teriyaki Chicken:
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Asian Fusion • Miso Soup
Miso soup originated in China and came to Japan 1,300 years ago. It’s very popular in Japan, with more than 75% of people eating it daily. It became a common food for samurai warriors long ago because an instant miso paste was made for them to easily prepare the soup. Miso soup contains a fish and seaweed broth base called dashi, and a fermented soybean and grain paste called miso paste. The paste gives the soup its main flavor - red miso is stronger tasting, and white miso is milder. Other ingredients like tofu, veggies, or seafood can be added. The soup is usually served in small portions alongside a main dish like rice.
These places pop up the most when talking about a perfect Miso:
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Japanese • Edamame
Edamame are boiled soybeans eaten from the pod. Soybeans came to Japan from China in the 8th century. For centuries, they were used to make soy sauce, miso, and tofu. Later, people in Japan started boiling fresh edamame as a snack or side dish. Edamame are high in vitamins, fiber, and healthy compounds.
The best restaurants with Edamame on the menu according to Restaurantji:
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Japanese • California Roll
The California roll was created in 1960s Los Angeles to replace tuna with avocado and crab. It contains avocado, cucumber, and crab rolled in seaweed with sushi rice. The California roll is the most popular sushi roll in America, despite better sushi options existing.
The best California Roll is served here, based on collected online reviews:
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Japanese • Gyoza
Gyoza are Japanese dumplings with juicy fillings like ground meat, cabbage, chives, ginger, and garlic in a thin crispy wrapper. Gyoza originated from Chinese dumplings but changed over time in Japan. They are a cheap, popular Japanese food.
Gyoza are a type of dumpling but differ in shape, wrappers, and cooking method from some other dumplings. The small, thin gyoza wrappers allow the outside to get crispy when pan-fried. In Japan, gyoza are almost always pan-fried and served with a dipping sauce.
Some of the best restaurants offering Gyoza:
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Japanese • What is Sushi?
Sushi is a Japanese dish made of vinegared rice, usually topped with ingredients like raw or cooked fish and vegetables. The most well-known sushi has raw fish. There are also vegetarian options. It can be an appetizer or main course. Outside Japan, sushi is sometimes mistakenly thought to only mean the raw fish itself, but in Japan, raw sliced fish alone is called sashimi, distinct from sushi.
What is Ramen?
Ramen is a Japanese noodle soup made with a rich, flavorful broth, one of many noodle varieties, and toppings like meat, veggies and a boiled egg. In Japan, ramen is considered fast food with many small shops and street vendors serving steaming bowls. While based on the same broth and noodle concept, ramen varies a lot by region across Japan. The dish reflects Chinese noodle influences but has evolved with unique Japanese flavors over time. As people's love for ramen grows worldwide, new global styles continue emerging.
What is Umami?
Umami is considered the fifth basic taste alongside sweet, sour, salty and bitter. These unique tastes can't be created by mixing others. Umami refers to the savory flavor of glutamic acid and certain other amino acids and nucleotides found in foods like seaweed, tomatoes, aged cheese, anchovies, fermented fish sauces and mushrooms. Japanese chemist Kikunae Ikeda first identified umami as a distinct taste in 1908. As Asian and fermented flavors have become popular, this fifth savory taste is now being celebrated worldwide.
Umami enhances the way we perceive other tastes too - making salt taste saltier, sweet taste sweeter, and reducing bitterness and sourness. It also boosts thickness, complexity and overall palatability of some foods and drinks.
Is Japanese Cuisine Healthy?
Japanese cuisine is considered one of the healthiest in the world. A traditional Japanese diet is balanced with more fish than red meat, pickled and fermented foods, lots of vegetables, and small portions of rice. Raw fish dishes are common. The diet has little processed food and lower sugar intake. This makes the Japanese diet low in calories and very nutritious, contributing to Japan's long life expectancy.
While Japanese cuisine is viewed as very healthy overall, not all dishes are nutritious. Items like deep-fried tempura, tonkatsu (fried pork), and some ramen are high in calories and fats.
What is the First Japanese Restaurant in the US?
Maneki in Seattle, WA was the first Japanese restaurant, opening in 1904. It had a sushi bar, tatami rooms, and karaoke. They serve traditional Japanese family-style food and have a homey atmosphere. The restaurant is named after the Maneki-neko lucky cat. When it first opened, it looked like a Japanese castle and staff wore kimonos.
What is National Sushi Day?
June 18th is National Sushi Day. It's a day to celebrate one of the world's most famous dishes that started from a Facebook fan page in 2009. Since then, on June 18th each year, people have an excuse to enjoy sushi.
What are Bento Boxes?
A bento is a single-portion meal packed in a box. It usually has a carb like rice or noodles, a protein like meat or fish, and some pickled or cooked veggies. The name comes from an old Chinese term meaning 'convenient'. Since the 1200s, bentos have become a Japanese cultural symbol. The balanced nutrition and easy portability make them perfect for kids and workers needing an afternoon energy boost. Bento boxes first appeared in Japan during the Kamakura period (1185-1333). They were likely invented by farmers and merchants who needed to pack portable meals for work. Early bentos were simple bamboo or wood boxes. Over time, they evolved into beautiful lacquerware with intricate designs inside and out. In the Edo period (1603-1868), fancier wood bentos with compartments became very popular for packing work and school meals.
How to Properly Eat Sushi?
For the best sushi experience, start by cleaning your hands. Pour just a tiny bit of soy sauce on your plate, and use chopsticks to eat the sushi upside-down so the fish hits your tongue first. This way the rice doesn't get soaked in soy sauce, letting you enjoy the fresh flavors.
How to Use Wasabi and Ginger with Sushi?
Many places provide extra wasabi, but adding too much can hide the carefully chosen fish's taste - offensive to the sushi chef! If you need more, lightly brush some on the fish using a chopstick or ginger slice. Don't leave the ginger atop the sushi or suck wasabi off your chopsticks, which is considered rude like sucking on silverware.
The ginger is meant to refresh your palate between bites, not eaten with the sushi. Ask for more if needed.
Is Wasabi Real Sushi Restaurants in the U.S. ?
Most "wasabi" served in American restaurants isn't real wasabi from the wasabi plant, but a mixture of horseradish, mustard and green coloring. Real wasabi is rare and expensive.
Is Japanese Food All About Fish?
For centuries, fish was the main staple protein in Japan until a 1,200-year ban on meat was lifted in 1872. Now Japan is famed for tasty seafood but also offers many beef, chicken, pork and veggie dishes like yakitori (grilled chicken skewers) and sukiyaki (beef hot pot).
Do Japanese People Eat Sushi Everyday?
In Japan, sushi is considered a special treat, not an everyday meal. Typical home-cooked Japanese meals are simpler with grilled fish, rice, miso soup and pickled vegetables.
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Aside from great food, it is a lot of fun! I had a wonderful birthday celebration!