My recent layover in Narita was not especially long; maybe a touch over 90 minutes. But the security line was quick and I had more than enough time to experience one of my favorite airport connection habits: Sushi Kyotatsu. I’m not the only one who loves eating there; Bloomberg raved about the place (in a strangely meandering and confusing way) too. And so, rather than trying to convince myself that the offerings in either the United Club or the ANA Lounge are worth my time, I chose a delicious serving of sushi adjacent to gate 34, tucked in behind the duty free shop, at the sushi restaurant with no visible name on the outside. Finding the Narita Sushi Kyotatsu shop isn’t always easy, but it is completely worth the work.
Step inside and settle in at the counter facing out the windows to watch the planes or at a table; quite frankly, just sit wherever they tell you to because that’s not really the point. It is all about the fish here and it is the real deal.
Save all the “OMG sushi in an airport!?!?” comments. Or go ahead and leave them down below if that makes you feel better. But I eat here every time I pass through Narita and it is the real deal. It puts plenty of other sushi shops to shame.
“But there is sushi in the lounge,” you’ll say. Sure there is. But I’ve had it before and it is not worth the price of admission, even when I’m getting in for free. I would much rather pay for the quality product out in the terminal than scarf down the stuff in the lounge just because it is free.
Yes, there is the noodle bar in the ANA lounge. And the self-pour sake & shochu section. And the beer machines.
That’s all well and good. But it doesn’t hold a candle to the quality of the product being served up at Sushi Kyotatsu. And usually it is worth it to pay a bit extra to get the good stuff.
That is definitely the case here.
More tales from the trip.
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Thanks for the tip! I’ll be flying through NRT later this year so I’ll keep an eye out. Out of curiosity, what’s the approximate cost of a meal here?
Meal price depends on what you order and how much. My CC bill says I spent $30 on my last visit, including a couple beers. The fancy tuna platter costs more than the salmon bowl, just like in the rest of the world.
Wish I’d known about this sooner since I just flew out of NRT a few weeks ago!
That said the sushi in the JAL First lounge was not bad at all, and I definitely had my fill.
If you were in the JAL terminal it probably would not have helped you much; this is in the *A/SkyTeam terminal. 🙂
A good tip is that if you are stuck in coach on United (as it is next to United’s main gates) flying back home they sell nicely done to-go sets boxed up. Much better than the inflight meal.
That toro looks GOOD!
I do pass through NRT once or twice a year, so great to know. By the way, any tempura recommendations?