Saso’s Japanese Noodle House

A sad day indeed… It is true that Saso’s has closed.
Saso’s was our absolute favorite Sushi restaurant in the Capital District.
Kathy sent a letter to those customers on her email list confirming that they have sold the building and they are looking forward to spending evenings and weekends with their family.
Let’s hope that Saso has withdrawals and returns to make sushi somewhere in the Capital District!

CLOSED
it is a sad day for albany sushi lovers. according to the tu saso’s has closed. i knew that saso was looking to sell the business, but i had hoped it wouldn’t happen.

The first step in recovery is to face your demons !!! Admit it… you’ve bought sushi from a market, haven’t you? Or the Thai place down the street. Or maybe that local Chinese take-​out, «Disgusting Wok». Shame shame.
But would you get lasagna at «5 Guys»? Would you buy beef at a fish market? Would you eat a deep fried rodent at KFC? Well, OK… we’ve all done that. But not on purpose !!!
So think Saso’s… because if you don’t appreciate this authentic little gem then you really don’t know Japanese cuisine. It’s quaint, clever, and family run… and very true to the spirit of simple, traditional fare. Not stilted though. They have enough nouveau to keep one interested. Their sushi combinations are particularly inventive. But they have the right feel… the right vibe… and that’s becoming increasingly rare as the «malling of America» reaches out to engulf sushi.
Saso’s is holding fast against the trend, but just barely. Their business is being eroded by cheap imitations. I was there last night talking to Kathy Saso while enjoying a little sake and some of the best sea bass ever. Times are tough.
So here we are again… another wonderful niche restaurant on the ropes. Top end sushi and classic Japanese dishes (superb agedashi dofu and yaki nasu), perfect rice for those who know the difference, and the best sushi around. It’s a touch expensive, but as the saying goes, «something can always be done a little cheaper… and a little worse».
Buck the trend and support Saso’s.

I fell in love with Saso’s all over again last night.
The two waitresses remembered that I always ask for the wheat-​free tamari and brought it right over before I’d even requested it. That’s fabulous service.
They also stopped me in the middle of drinking what I thought was some sort of green tea to warn me that it was barley tea. (I have celiac disease.) I was impressed they knew barley would be an issue!
Did I mention how adorable they are too?
And the food, oh the food. Between three of us, we ordered the indulgence roll, the smoked mussels and spinach roll, the salmon-​and-​asparagus roll and the takwun (pickled burdock root) and the fried oyster roll. I can’t get enough of the indulgence roll — salmon, crab, cream cheese, avocado topped with black caviar — the caviar beads just pop in your mouth. Seriously. It’s amazing.
My brother and my boyfriend also tried a special, the lotus salad, which they really enjoyed. My brother raved about his vegetable yakisoba dish, which came topped with tempura asparagus.

I don’t eat sushi, so I can’t review that, but as a vegetarian, I had a wonderful meal at Saso’s recently. I was pleased to see that there are many options for me to choose from on their menu and that I could get tofu as the protein in most of them. I ordered a delicious spicy noodle dish with fried tofu and split the vegetable gyoza with my boyfriend. The gyoza were delicioius and cooked to perfection and while I could have used a little more spicy in my entrée, it was still delicious. Definitely a place I’ll return to.

This place has great sushi and has a nice personal touch that Koto’s lacks. In my opinion the sushi is just a notch below that of Koto’s. Saso from what I have seen is always the one making your sushi and this is a good thing, he combines flavors in very innovative ways that will surprise you. The service is average and the atmosphere is interesting with Saso’s own artwork on the walls. Defiantly a place checking out.

I don’t know what all the hype is about with this place. At $ 50 for a sushi deluxe dinner, seaweed salad, and an indulgence roll, this place isn’t cheap, so I expect consistently high quality, but Saso’s does not deliver. I ordered takeout from Saso’s last week and it was awful. The only thing that was decent was the seaweed salad. The indulgence roll was barely OK, mostly just bland and with old salmon. The basic problem is that the fish was simply a long, long way from fresh. It was dried out, tasted fishy (not in a good way), and had the texture of cardboard. I’ve never had sushi this bad, not even from the supermarket. SO, where can I get decent (i.e. consistently fresh) sushi in Albany???

Although I haven’t had sushi at every possible place in the area, I can honestly say this is some of the best sushi I’ve had. Saso obviously cares very much about his restaurant (and his wife Kathy) and it really shows in the quality of the food. Yes, it’s somewhat expensive, but in my mind the quality of sushi really can’t be beat.

My good friend Andrew J. has always seemed to think this place king. I beg to differ, I prefer Yoshi’s to anything else in the area. And of course, I prefer New York City sushi to most sushi in Albany. However, I will give Saso’s this: its very well made sushi, carefully prepared by Saso himself, a kind of mysterious mystical figure behind the sushi bar.
It’s not really expensive, but then again, its not that cheap. There’s not a lot of deals, so you pick and choose carefully what you want if you do’nt want to empty your wallet. Its a nice, little place, not a lot of sunlight if I remember. They are open I think Tuesday through saturday. Its a great place to get lunch before walking around that area of Albany (bombers is always iffy since well, your stomach might not be thanking you right after).

Quite possibly the best place for sushi in Albany. Saso’s is a quiet little joint on Central Avenue right before you hit the Washington Park/​midtown bar scene area of Albany. Owned and operated by Chef Saso and his wife (who’s name escapes me, but I can assure you that she is the nicest woman in all the world) this place is very deceiving from its outside window. The seating area is decently sized, but it does get really, really busy on Friday and Saturday nights so get there early or be prepared to wait. Most every night you will walk in to find Saso behind the sushi counter slicing away. He is truly a master sushi artist and his food shows. The only draw back to this place is if you are looking to use their parking lot, be forewarned: it is really, really, really small and larger vehicles need not try to use it! As I type this I am noticing Ryan H.‘s review noting the food being too pricey and calling the food average. I implore you, person reading this, do not listen! This place is not over-​priced. Especially not for the food you are getting! Go up the street to Ichiban if you want over-​priced, mediocre meals.
SASO IS KING!!!

Saso’s reputation precedes itself, so please allow me to knock it down a few pegs. Considering the portions of sushi that you get, their prices are outrageous. It’s nothing amazing. Maybe I was doing myself a disservice by not ordering an entrée. They’re not as pricey. Saso himself seems like a jovial fellow, slicing up fish behind the counter and conversing with customers while they dine on his raw fish parts. But, I don’t know. To me, it’s just a small little place with average food, big prices, and it took a long time for our food to come out. I hate sitting that close to people at other tables. If I wanted to knock elbows, I’d go to an Elbow-​Knocking Conference.