Sushi Fune

Open again under new name Sushi Kabuki.

This is closed now — so sad. It really was a wonderful restaurant.

OUT OF BUSINESS… sign on the door says… thanks. but economy has forced them to close.

So few Japanese restaraunts are actually owned and operated by Japanese immigrants, so it was very refreshing go meet Hoshi, our sushi chef and a native of Tokyo. Fast and friendly, he served up some of the best sashimi and sushi in Pinellas. Very good presentation and product in a small strip center location.
This is a definate bookmark location if you like Japanese food.

Definitely my favorite place for sushi! The staff is soo nice. The main two waitresses remember me and always ask how college and my boyfriend are. The sushi chef is very polite and efficient.
The spicy mayonaise is perfect: not too spicy but just enough to add that little kick.
It’s very much your typical «go-​to» place. Kids and artists draw pictures of the signature rolls with a play on words (ex: volcano roll = volcano erupting with sushi) that hang near the door. Very clean and the very idea of that little place that is modest but sooo good.

Sushi Fune is my go-​to place for sushi due to its proximity to home and always having exceptional tasting fresh fish. I have been going there for the past 15 years or so and while its location at the Bardmoor Publix Plaza strip center isn’t anything special the interior is perfectly acceptable and befitting anyone’s expectations of a sushi restaurant. Fune means small boat in Japanese and the central sushi bar features a wrap around mini river with tiny «boats» containing plates of sushi. The same chef and hostess/​waitress are usually there every night and they are both friendly and very attentive. Some of my favorite items they have are the mackerel, fresh salmon, eel, conch, clam, yammy rolls (tempura sweet potato yam), miso tofu rolls, and samurai lobster roll. The Samurai lobster roll is huge and is beautifully plated with a lot of intricate details including part of the tail shell! The lobster meat is tempura fried and there is a lot of spicy sauce and it is one of the better high end rolls being priced at $ 16 – 17. I uploaded a picture of it. The miso soup and ginger dressing salad are pretty straightforward but good. They carry unfiltered cold sake that really tastes great and has a cloudy milky appearance and a very different taste than the hot sake you are accustomed to at japanese restaurants. Lastly, they also have a good TonKatsu which is a fried pork cutlet dinner entrée. Overall I think that Sushi Fune has tastier fish than fancier places like Sushi Rock Grill, and proves that a strip mall sushi restaurant can out do other local standalone places which may provide better ambiance not better tasty nigiri and rolls.

This place is good if you’re in a hurry and want some tasty sushi. I usually just sit at the bar and take some pre-​made sushi off the floating boats around the bar (usually the Tampa & Mexican Rolls and Seaweed Salad)
I have also had the volcano roll, but I don’t think it’s nearly as good as the volcano roll at Sushi Spot.
That being said, the staff is really nice and friendly and I have no problem getting in and out of there in 30 mins or less, which is good for a sushi-​quickie.
To put in perspective, my favorite sushi places are Sushi Rock Grill on 9^th St. N, Sushi Spot on Belcher and East Bay (admittedly, I haven’t been here in 6+ months), and Hiro’s on 4^th St North.
3 stars because there’s nothing really special about this place and there’s nothing wrong with it either. Just middle of the road sushi for me.

You wouldn’t think this place is good from the outside appearance, but its actually the best place I’ve found for excellent sushi. In my opinion, its better than Sushi Spot in Clearwater, and Café Japon at International, which I consider decent places.
This place is the real deal «sushi-​ya». When you enter, there is the «noren», be sure to practice proper entry procedures (kidding, see youtube link). There is a few short tables with mats that you can sit at, traditional style (on the floor), but its mostly typical seating. The sushi bar has the little boats going around it, floating in water, that carry some items. The hostess (I nickname her «Mom»), is really friendly and is usually dressed in a nice Kimono.
The rolls are probably the best I’ve had, out of numerous sushi places that I have tried here in Florida.
My Favorites:
Sumomono Salad, Cucumber, Crab, Shrimp, a bit of seaweed, some Octopus (and I think Conch) cut very small, with a vinegar based dressing. Very light and tasty, the Octopus /​Conch gives just a little bit of chewy texture but its not difficult to eat.
The Volcano roll, its like a good california roll arranged in a circular pattern but then its topped with shrimp, crab, and conch covered in «lava sauce». A little on the spicy side, with interesting slightly chewy bits from the conch.
Summer Roll, the chef manages to slice a cucumber lengthwise in a spiral and unroll it like a sheet of paper, then fresh assorted fish is placed inside and rolled back up. This is then sliced and arranged like a flower pattern in a puddle of ponzu sauce which is like a very thin juice based on citrus. I find this to be a very refreshing roll, there is no rice, just cucumber fish and a very light tasty sauce.
They also serve some «bento box» style selections, that are more or less a complete meal that come with a bit of assorted items.
All said, this place is definitely a secret hidden gem.
This is a comedy piece, but the «noren» at the door reminded me of it: