Matsumi

The best Japanese restaurant in Hamburg! Matsumi is a traditional Japanese restaurant with a great atmosphere! Unadon and Sukiyaki set menu were very tasty. The portions were not big, but they were very exquisite! The service was great and welcoming. I would love to come back again!

Matsumi is a great traditional Japanese restaurant. The atmosphere is great. You really get the feeling you're in Japan with the pretty wooden elements of the interior, Japanese ambient music, and the staff speaking Japanese in the background. We had a spot at the bar where the sushi was being prepared carefully in front of us by the chefs. You could really see that they have an eye for detail and that they take their time to prepare the sushi orders. They give you hot wet towels to clean your hands before ordering. I think this was great. We ordered a 6-course menu with eel on rice and sushi with fresh wasabi. The dishes were well presented. One of the small salads was a bit on the salty side. The sushi and sashimi were very fresh and delicious. Eel on rice was very tasty. The ice cream was great as well, as it wasn't too sweet. It is expensive for what you get. Both me and my partner were not completely full, and were €180,- lighter when we left the restaurant.

I lived in Japan for a few years and am a huge fan of Japanese food! Matsumi is by far one of the best Japanese restaurants outside Japan that keeps true to its traditions in serving authentic Japanese cuisine. I love the tiny details especially in the sashimi dish where pickled seasonal vegetables such as lotus root is served along with the sashimi. However, I found the rice in the sushi a bit too dry and underseasoned to my liking. But the other dishes were superb! Highly recommend!

Authentic and very good quality Japanese cuisine. I would recommend the speciality menu (6 course) so you can enjoy a large variety of dishes. The fish is either brought from the Hamburg fish market or imported by plane from Japan.

The food, interior, porcelain ware and even smell is really an authentic Japanese experience. We had the four course menu. For each course you can select the dish, either vegetarian, meat or fish. The only critique for the food was the duck was a bit tough and the leeks a bit undercooked, but overall the impression was really good. The different miso’s and reduction’s had delicious flavours. The friendly waiters take care to explain each dish. I would suggest that the chairs be replaced or re-upholstered. The foam has worn through. Tip: Sit on the bench if you do not have built in padding.

Absolutely awesome food & service. I'm confident they serve the best sushi in Hamburg. We both opted for the five course menu plus some extras. The saba was amazing as was the wagyu. I also enjoyed the toro.

TLDR: It's on the pricey side but this is the place you'd want to visit for taste, quality and ambiance - not for quantity or bang-for-buck. Take a course menu and you will eat at a slow pace to really savour your meal(s). If you're hungry, have a snack before (or after) as portion size is quite small. --- The Setup: We attended Matsumi as a couple and both went for a 6-course menu with the mains as "Sushi" and "Una-Ju" (eel on rice). We could only get a Bar seating so we could not try any Wagyu / Sukiyaki unfortunately. :) --- The Food: See pictures. The 'green tea' is nice and mild. The food was very carefully arranged and the courses came in well-paced (over the course of 2h as advertised). The portion size was quite small, this is something to be aware of in case you come in hungry - we came here for experience, taste and quality alone and deliberately had a small meal beforehand. Each dish is executed individually and carefully by the chefs which out great attention to small details - something which you an see well if you sit at the bar. Taste wise all dishes were very tasty and seemingly became better and better with each course. The first "radish salad" was our least favourite (too salty) and the sashimi was our most favourite. Sushi/Sashimi: all of it was incredibly fresh and tasty; the sashimi came presented on parilla leaves and other edible garnish and was well cut and portioned for sashimi. Our personal favourite was the Tuna Belly and Salmon. side note: when the menu mentions 'x rolls' they do not mean that you get a roll (as is common at other places) but rather that you get x 'pieces' in total of said roll. Something to keep in mind. Wasabi: this is one of few places which optionally serves real, fresh wasabi. If you have heard tales of real wasabi tasting vastly different than paste - give it a try. Personally I found both equally pungent but the real wasabi has a more creamy texture and some earthy flavour notes which other paste does not have. Dessert: the ice cream we were served was great. It was very flavourful (sesame) and creamy but did not contain an abundance of sugar. This was a pleasant surprise as its often way too sweet. --- Ambiance: The music is a gentle, traditional Japanese background track list which plays at a low and comfortable volume - not overbearing, just present in the background. The interior has a very strong Japanese (traditional) aesthetic with a lot of wooden elements. Our Bar seating had a little origami crane on the 'table', which was comfortable to sit at. --- Service: During the meal the waiters did not inquire much about our meal or if we had any additional wishes; this was okay for us as we were content with our experience but it couldn't hurt to check in once or twice. However, the staff was very friendly and went out of their way to try solve a problem we had with a Voucher, which we greatly appreciate.