Shoyou Sushi

Seriously great sushi! I’m almost embarrassed to admit I’ve been there 3 times in a week! BYOB, good prices & creative rolls keep me coming back. I love the Sweet Honey Roll & the garlic edamame is not to miss. Cash only, and tiny place with no reservations, so plan accordingly!

Former Sushi bar owner, so standards are high.
This place was fun, but definitely a very middling quality fish. Would only eat rolls here, plus I found nigiri at $ 6 a pair a bit pricey for this kind of place. Miso very good, mini furiki roll pretty good, the Japanese bagel roll huge and with its mediocre crab stick and spicy spicy tuna it was oddly yummy. Tempura sauce horrid. Just very OK with lousy parking, BYOB though!

Explosion of flavors in your mouth & BYOB! I first heard of Shoyou Sushi from a friend as a place I HAD to visit in Baltimore: her Baltimore local friend would always get the Japanese Burrito to go. I got that, along with the Ahi Hawaiian roll and the Who’s Your Daddy – and none disappointed! The two specialty rolls were extremely unique combinations: I’ve never been to a sushi place that offered anything similar. The Ahi Hawaiian was a bit lighter: tuna with seaweed salad on top, very good with soy sauce. The Who’s Your Daddy had a lot going on but was still delicious and gave you a burst of flavors to wrap your mind and senses around. The Burrito wasn’t heavy at all – stuffed with all kinds of seafood, there wasn’t too much rice as filler which I liked. The mayo-​sriracha-​soy sauce it came with was to die for. I actually dipped pieces of the specialty rolls in it, and we asked for more sauce.
The three made a perfect quantity to split between two. We also stopped by the Wine Source in Hampden to pick up sake with honeydew aromas, and Shoyou provided us with little glasses to enjoy the sake. Cash only, little cozy so better for smaller parties.

This place is always packed so be prepared to wait or order to go.
The Japanese burrito here is a little above average. I prefer buredo for texture but it does fill you up and is good for the price. They gave us extra fish for our Hawaiian poke bowl to make up for the wait in addition to a complimentary seaweed salad.
Skip the volcanoe and get oh daddy! If you’re looking for something in that area.
Take advantage of the byob!

Best sushi in Baltimore hands down! Always friendly service with a smile. Cash only folks and a small eating area but don’t let that deter you!

It was a very cold night and I was with a group of friends, and we were in town visiting my cousin. We all decided to have dinner at this place. We all got the sushi burrito, which they are popular for. The burrito was filled with fresh tuna, tempura shrimp, avocado, crab meat, and rice wrapped with soy paper. It came with this special sauce that tasted sweet, tart, and hint of spiciness and consistency was creamy, and it is great to dip with the burrito. We even got complimentary edamame which was glazed with a teriyaki sweet sauce. The service was good, however they only accept cash only. I recommend you come and try this place out.

Hands down BEST sushi restaurant in Baltimore. Lots of food for a decent price! And it’s BYOB! The only downside is the size of the restaurant. Dinner waiting time for the weekend starts at 45 minutes. But if you go early (5/5:30pm) or during the weekday there won’t be a wait!
Sushi burrito and big boss are the best!
Advice: stay away from the seaweed salad and baked lobster/​seafood rolls – they’re a bit odd

Disclaimer: I only write a review after visiting a place at least twice. That way I’m not providing a biased view based on one visit.
First thing to get out of the way: if you come here, be prepared for a long wait before you get your food. I mean, 1 – 1.5 hour wait depending on how full the place is. I def wouldn’t recommend this as a place to grab a quick bite or plan something afterwards that you will probably be late to.
That said, that’s pretty much it for the negatives. I’ve eaten here at least half a dozen times and every visit the sushi is plentiful, consistent and delicious. The fish Chef Bruce uses is top quality and the rolls he has created are unique to this restaurant (um Japanese burrito? Get it and you won’t be disappointed). On that note, try the garlic edamame, it’s basically like crack. In addition, this place is BYOB which is also a plus. By far the best sushi place in Baltimore and a easy 5 stars to give.
PS — they recently changed to cash only which is kind of a bummer so don’t forget to visit the ATM before coming here

Great sushi option in federal hill. Only place I know in Baltimore where you can get a sushi burrito. Would also recommend the B52 appetizer

This place is the best sushi place I have been to. Definitely in the top 3 I have been from Asia and US.
Get the full option which is Japanese burrito with tempura crab. So worth!

I’m really sad. I really really wanted to like this place. It’s a cute little hole in the wall sushi place with great friendly staff. The reviews were great and I was so looking forward to this meal with a really great friend. We both LOVE sushi, so we went to town at this place. Their portions are rather large. We got the Japanese Burrito, and 3 other rolls that we shared.
Personally, I would have loved to do more sushi and sashimi, but alas, my friend is really a ‘specialty rolls’ kind of gal. So I can’t speak much towards the ‘freshness’ of the fish — rolls make it hard to tell when the fish isn’t perfectly fresh… all that sauce and stuff…
Anyways, the meal was pretty good. I would definitely have gone back with the hubbie for a sushi/​sashimi date. But both my friend and I had horrible stomach aches starting a few hours after the meal, and we had non-​stop GI problems (that nobody wants to hear the details of) all night long into the next day. There’s never any way to go back and say with 100% certainty that it was the food from this establishment. But we both were horribly sick following our meal for a day. I won’t be going back. I’ll still leave the 2^nd star because I would have liked the place if it weren’t for the getting sick part…
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Explanation of my rating system —
5*: Epitome of something, the best I’ve had, would LOVE to go back
4*: Great food and happy to go back regularly, but not the best of the category
3*: Food is fine. I may spontaneously decide to go there based on convenience. But no need to go back either.
2*: If you insist, I guess I’ll come along. I’ll find something to eat. But I wouldn’t have picked it.
1*: No plans to come back. I’ll try to talk companions out of going.

WOW! I’m always begging my boyfriend to let us go out to sushi but he’s wary of anything that’s ‘too fishy’ so we usually have to skip sushi. However, after showing him all the rave Unilocal reviews and delicious looking photos, he caved.
We went on a Tuesday around 6pm and we were lucky there was no wait. Even before we ordered, the whole restaurant filled up and throughout our time there, people were waiting to get sat.
FOOD:
–Full Option: this roll is gigantic. One roll is definitely enough for a meal. The ingredients (spicy tuna, avocado, crab, soft shell crab, crunches) were pretty much the same as the Japanese burrito. The only difference is that the roll has a giant soft shell crab. This was delicious! The crab, tuna, and avocado were all so creamy. The soft shell crab was perfectly crunchy. Wow.
–Chirashi: if you like sashimi, this is the choice! I counted about 25 pieces of fish and that is A LOT. There was salmon, fatty tuna, seared tuna, yellowfin, octopus, scallop, and one more that I couldn’t figure out. I think the fish selection changes. Every single piece I put in my mouth was buttery and like melting into a sushi heaven. The quality is definitely there and the plating was so beautiful. You can tell that the chef really cares about his craft.
–Hot Night Baby: spicy tuna, shrimp crunch and avocado with sauce. Not as good as the full option, and similar flavors.
NOTES:
Parking: what a pain!!! We luckily found a spot two blocks away on our third circle around but I HATE fed hill and cannot imagine having to suffer through the parking search every day. Just be prepared that the only parking available is street parking and you’ll have to rely on your luck and good timing.
Cash: yep, cash only! Those rolls sure add up…
Service: there was one chef and one server and another person helping out. There’s likely going to be a wait so just relax.
Overall: the sashimi is the most delicious Baltimore has to offer (now that pabu is sadly gone). Be careful when ordering rolls– a lot of them have similar ingredients and you could get tired of eating the same flavors over and over again.

Of all of the sushi places in Baltimore, Shoyou Sushi is my FAVORITE!
Here are my top 3 reasons of why Shoyou is the best:
1. JAPANESE BURRITO. This may just be the greatest fusion food ever invented. If you are wondering what exactly a sushi burrito is, you will just have to go try it out for yourself because pictures and words simply cannot do this creation justice, but I will try to convey the deliciousness of the sushi burrito in this review. The sushi burrito is a synergistic ensemble that transcends even the mighty Chipotle burrito. Since both sushi and burritos are both rice-​based, you might think that the sushi burrito is very rice heavy, but it’s not. Wrapped in rice paper, the sushi burrito is generously stuffed with crab, avocado, spicy tuna and shrimp tempura. The fish is fresh and full of flavor, and the special house sauce (some combination of spicy mayo and soy sauce) creates a joyous explosion of flavor and texture in your mouth. You will not be disappointed. Sidenote: if you’re a fan of seaweed salad like I am, try the Hawaiian Ahi Roll too!
2. BYOB. As if anyone would need another reason to go to Shoyou, but turns out it is also BYOB! Not only will you get your money’s worth in terms of food, but you can also enjoy as much wine, sake, or what-​have-​you without any added expenses. Last time I went to Shoyou, my friends and I brought 2 large bottles of wine and the hostess kindly opened it for us (with no corkage fee) and provided us with wine glasses.
3. SERVICE. Every time I have come, the service has always been wonderful! Despite the small space and how busy it can get, the staff is always so accommodating and friendly!
Useful tips:
— It’s a small place with limited tables, so it gets pretty crowded!
— You can call ahead to place your order to cut the waiting time.
— CASH only, so don’t forget the $$$
— Don’t go on Tuesday because they are CLOSED!

Giving this place 5 stars based on service and food. The ambiance is also great but it’s a tiny place and the aesthetics are nothing exciting. If you are looking for excellent sushi this is the place to go. There are only about 5 tables and a few seats at the sushi bar so plan to wait on a Friday or Saturday. We came on a Sunday evening and there were a few tables available. View was our server and she was so helpful in deciding on what sushi we might like and helped us understand the appetizers better. We had a seaweed salad which was solid, a salmon roll and the R Lewis roll. The salmon was buttery and tasty. I would have just had it as sashimi it was that good. The R Lewis roll was a combination of spicy tuna, avocado, spicy crab, yellowtail and fresh jalepeno. It was one of the best rolls I’ve ever had and certainly the best I’ve had in Baltimore. The spicy tuna didn’t include mayo it was made the real way. The texture and taste of all of the fish was amazing and the portion of the fish inside of the roll was huge. They do not cut corners here. Attention to detail is apparent and is reflected in their presentation and taste. We are big fans of Azumi and I feel this place blows their sushi away. This is our new go-​to sushi spot and I’m only disappointed that we don’t live closer!

This sushi place is amazing. It is kind of a hole in the wall location, with only a few tables and generally a wait, but the wait is well worth it. The portions are ginormous, the specialty rolls look almost like burritos, and the hand rolls too are even quite large. Everything is at a good value too, the rolls are around $ 13 – 15 which is comparable to RA/​Minato/​etc. but these rolls are also like triple the size. The fish is also super fresh and delicious!

Plain amazing. I never ate such delicious, delicate food in my life. If you happened to be near this place, and you’re famished, eat here to your heart’s content.
This restaurant’s extremely popular, for one. We were lucky when we arrived at 6 PM on a Sunday. The restaurant was full, but there was no one on the waiting list. Despite this, we had to wait 10 minutes for the next table to be ready. The waitresses serving everyone were very welcoming and friendly, and they check in you often to see if you’re doing well. The manager and head chef, Shoyou Bruce, treats his customers as if they are his friends, so he puts lots of work into the sushi he makes.
The raw fish is fresh beyond compare. Like I said, Shoyou Bruce puts his heart and soul into his work. The How Dare You Unagi Me? Roll was warm, and the eel in the roll looked as if it was fresh off the grill. The crab tasted genuine, and there was a huge variety of fish in the chirashi. In addition to the assortment of fish, the rice had a greenish seasoning.
The quality is amazing compared to the price. Unfortunately, the restaurant is a small location, and they don’t take reservations. It would be very difficult to secure a seat before the restaurant’s extremely busy. I hope to come here again (if possible).

My two girlfriends and I had a really good experience dining here!
The restaurant is small — seats about 20, and is BYOB. We didn’t bring our own but I heard the waitress asking multiple parties if she could bring people’s wine to the back to chill while they were waiting. There’s only one chef but Sushi Bruce holds down the fort!
The Sashimi Sampler (appetizer) is perfect size if your table wants sashimi and rolls. The sashimi was so soft and buttery. The rolls come big (8 pieces) and with great flavor. We got the Sunkissed Roll, Big Boss, and Rainbow Special Roll and loved them all.
During our dine-​in, half the restaurant was treated to Japanese Burritos on the house. What a treat! The Japanese Burrito was big and delicious! (So gracious with the imitation crab and spicy tuna).
I would advise against ordering any of the edamame because it doesn’t come properly salted or flavored (way too salty/​not salted evenly).
Lastly, PROTIP:
Look at the pictures for this restaurant when ordering! I promise it’ll help

Seating is tight but was worth the wait… various rolls are beautiful n delicious!!!
Good amount of food on each roll!
There is a lot of substance/​meat in the rolls not just mostly rice which, we all really liked. :-) Also felt the fish was good grade.
You can also BYOBeer n Wine.
Just come when it’s not so busy so u can enjoy the food n find parking :-)

Chef Bruce is pretty awesome and entertaining.
Boyfriend and I came on a friday night around 7:15 and while we were the only people waiting, we still had to wait like 20 – 30 min. We opted to wait outside because it seemed a little cramped inside, and when we came in Bruce was oh so grateful that we were still there because he thought we left.
We chose to sit at the bar, and I really liked sitting there. For a small group of 2 or if you go by yourself, the bar is quite entertaining. Bruce has quite a personality.
Unfortunately food service was kind of slow. Took a little while to get menus and get our food orders in, as well as actually getting our food, but it was worth it. Bruce makes everything himself, and they seem to have a lot of take out orders so you will have to be patient.
However, since he knew we waited a while, and I told him I came from Rockville to visit bf and eat here, he took special care of us. He kept an eye on our progress with our food and gave us our next dish as we finished one.
We got our octopus salad first, which was light and delicious! The octopus was marinated well, and the meat was tender and not chewy. It was a pretty decent sized plate of salad and you get a pretty generous portion of octopus (maybe it seemed more generous because the octopus was sliced into bitsized thin pieces, but at least you had plenty of mouthfuls of octopus and not just a bowl of salad. There was more octopus than salad imo, and the leaves could have been cut smaller to help with the eating nice bites of everything, but no complaints; it was delicious and worth it!
As we finished our salad, he gave us a free dish as a thank you for waiting. At first I thought it was chicken teriyaki, but first bite into it, I learned it was delicious fish! I believe he said this dish was called dynamite bake. The fish was moist and flakey and delicious. It had a nice soy sauce over it with some roe, and under the fish was a mound of imitation crab and some scallops in there too. The imitation crab had a little too much mayo-​esque sauce for my taste, but it didn’t deter me too much from devouring it. Boyfriend didn’t have any problem with the sauce on the crab. Delicious baked fish! If you like cooked fish over raw, give this one a try.
After our dynamite bake, we got our sashimi sampler. He took care to make sure our fish was kept cold and fresh; he plated our dish on top of a bowl of ice, which apparently was surprising to his waitresses because they were confused as to what dish it was. Sashimi was fresh and delicious.
Unfortunately we had to leave to meet up with friends, so we asked for our japanese burrito (aka sushirito) to go. Definitely try this out, since it is one of the unique things you will find here that you probably won’t find anywhere else nearby, or maybe even along the east coast until it soon becomes a fad. I think the only place I’ve heard of this is in cali! Boyfriend and I really liked the sushirito!
Overall, this place is great for sushi. From other Unilocalers, seems like their rolls are pretty big, so quality and quantity wise — this place seems on par with our moco favorite yuraku. Next time I want sushi and I’m in baltimore visiting the bf, I’ll def come back and try some of their rolls! Just be aware, that you’ll probably have to be very patient because the wait time will probably be pretty long.

Shoyou Sushi is, hands down, the best sushi place in Baltimore, if not the east coast. It’s that good.
Shoyou Sushi is a sort of simple, non-​assuming joint in Federal Hill. You wouldn’t expect it would be nearly as good as it is — it has all of maybe 5 tables, one or two servers, and one guy making sushi: Sushi Bruce.
The thing is, the sushi is EXCELLENT. You literally cannot go wrong with a single thing on the menu — all of it is made to perfection. The «Big Boss» is absolutely to die for. Ditto for the «B-​52.» The «Japanese Burrito» is huge and tasty. The «HOT NIGHT BABY» roll is also just excellent. Even the omakase and sashimi were perfect — Bruce knows exactly what he is doing.
Basically, this is my favorite Sushi place in the entire world — including the numerous places I’ve been to in Tokyo.