Packed with sashimi, the value is amazing—summer is the perfect time for a bowl of seafood rice.

Text and photos byAhmon

Kyō Sushi is a sushi restaurant that’s been hugely popular online, famous for its low prices, attracting many customers. It’s busy on both weekdays and weekends, and its location in Yonghe District is quite a distance from the Bannan MRT line where I usually hang out. One day, on a whim, I decided to make a special trip to try it out. After multiple transfers, I finally arrived at the shop. Since it had just opened, there were still plenty of seats available. Even though I hadn’t made a reservation, I managed to snag a seat at the counter.

The restaurant doesn’t have many four-person tables, and each one has a sign that says "Reserved." It wasn’t even 11:30 yet, which shows how popular the place is. Guests who arrived just a few minutes after us could only opt for takeout because even the counter seats were full.

Sitting at the counter allows you to get a closer look at the ingredients in the fridge—so many fresh catches that’ll make your mouth water.

All the sauces are laid out on the table: wasabi, pickled ginger, and soy sauce are all self-serve.

A whiteboard lists some special seafood and ingredients, probably seasonal offerings. You can give them a try—there might be some pleasant surprises.

The edamame appetizer is pretty average.

Nigiri and gunkan sushi

Tekka maki and hand rolls

Crab roe gunkan sushi $70/piece. I don’t often get to eat such a high-end ingredient, but seeing the reasonable price, I decided to give it a try. It’s a generous dollop of crab roe and crab meat on top of vinegared rice, wrapped in seaweed. The flavor is rich and briny, and the addition of crab meat adds layers of texture—it’s delicious. For this price, it’s a steal.

Monkfish liver $100/2 pieces. I’d never tried this before—usually, I’ve had cod or eel liver. The liver chunks are large, with a smooth and delicate texture, and the flavor is intense. But afterward, it felt a bit too rich for my taste, and I’m not used to it.

Seafood N<+Sea Urchin $320. The highlight of today’s meal is this piece of seafood rice bowl, and I came here specifically for it. For just $320, the price is really a great deal. If you don’t want the sea urchin, it’s only $280, but of course I chose the one with sea urchin. The bowl is packed full with sashimi and seafood — including salmon, salmon roe, scallops, flying fish roe, eel, tuna, sea urchin, sweet shrimp, squid, crab roe, swordfish, tamagoyaki, and more. It’s really a high value-for-money dish, and you’d be doing yourself a disservice by not ordering one. Leaving without trying it would feel like coming away from a treasure trove empty-handed. The freshness of the fish slices is quite good, and the sea urchin is pleasantly sweet and not mushy or watery when you start eating. The base vinegar rice is well made and doesn’t overpower the sashimi when eaten together — they complement each other nicely. Among them, the scallops, salmon, and squid are the ones I found the most enjoyable to eat. For the portion size, this bowl might be a bit much for one person, so it’s better recommended to share.

My friend was taking pictures super seriously too @ _ @

The third plate is a selection of individual nigiri and grilled (aburi) sushi—each piece looks absolutely delicious.

Grilled flounder $80/2 pieces. The fish is cut from the fin edge, so it melts in your mouth. This time, the fat content was a bit lower, so the aroma wasn’t as strong, but the chef added red ginger and chopped scallions, which gave it a nice kick. I’d never had this combo before.

Grilled Salmon Belly $70 for 2 pieces. My favorite salmon belly — two pieces for just $70? That’s insanely cheap. I ordered it right away. The price is great, and the portion is generous — a big slice of grilled salmon belly covers the rice. The unique fatty aroma is mouthwatering, and the jelly-like texture is so good. And it’s cheap too. If it weren’t for having eaten quite a bit of the earlier seafood rice… I would’ve definitely wanted to order a few more servings of salmon belly to satisfy my cravings. Highly recommended.

Grilled scallops $90/2 pieces. The grilled scallops are sweet and juicy, and a few drops of yuzu juice make them even more refreshing. The price is also very reasonable—definitely a must-order.

Kuruma shrimp $90/2 pieces. These tender and bouncy kuruma shrimp are also a great deal at under $100. They’re seasoned with a hint of wasabi, which enhances the flavor—it’s really good, and I’d recommend trying it.

Pacific saury $80/2 pieces. Since it’s in season, the plump saury is on the menu. It was my first time having saury nigiri—the chef kindly removed the tiny bones, so there’s no need to worry about getting pricked. It’s served with yellow ginger and red ginger, giving it a unique flavor. I’m not sure everyone would like it, but for me, it’s more of a novelty worth trying.

Overall, it’s affordable and delicious. It’s rare to find such good value in Taipei, which explains why it’s always so crowded—especially for that seafood N.

Kyō Sushi
Phone: 02-89252223
Address: No. 278, Section 2, Yonghe Road, Yonghe District, New Taipei City