Named one of The Best New Restaurants in America in 2023 by Esquire magazine, Sado is a St. Louis must do when it comes to local dining.
Located not far from our Danforth campus on the Hill, Sado is known for their sushi dishes – which was a huge draw for me. Being big sushi fans, Chancellor Martin and I decided this would be a great place to try out with the 2023-24 WashU Student Union President Emily Chen and Vice President Mishka Narasimhan (our first guests for the Good Eats Blog!).
The dining room was elegant and sleek with dark gray walls, granite floors and touches of turquoise and gold throughout. The artwork adorning the walls is Japanese inspired and made by a local artist and WashU alumna, Jessica Bremehr. It gave off calming and relaxing vibes, making it the perfect place to take our Student Union leaders as a thank you for all their hard work this past year.
The food was beyond delicious! With fresh sushi made to order, the dishes were top notch. Both the Chancellor and I loved the fried Brussels Sprouts with spicy gochujang sauce on their Hot Tastings menu and the Chancellor was also a big fan of the Gyoza (chicken and pork dumplings with a crispy lace on top). My favorite from the Fish Market menu was the Hamachi Nigiri which is yellowtail with a Negidare (Japanese green onion) sauce on top. Another one of my top recommendations would be to try the Chawanmushi – a unique seafood and egg custard that comes with shrimp and spring vegetables in a Umami broth. It was great!
We also tried a handful of non-seafood options for those who are not big fish fans. The Pork Belly Steam Bun was rich in flavor and the Wagyu Hot Rock, which consisted of searing wagyu beef on a Ishiyaki stone right at the table, was tender and juicy! It was a fun experience searing the beef ourselves and both of those dishes were popular with our group.
We ended the night by sampling some desserts. The Chocolate Mochi Cake and their seasonal Sorbet were a great way to cap a relaxing end-of-the-semester dinner.
Overall, Sado was a nice dining experience perfect for a night out with friends or even for a date night! They’re open for dinner only Tuesday-Sunday and are closed on Mondays. For specific hours, pricing and more information, visit the Sado website.
Sado
5201 Shaw Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63110