I recently expressed frustration with poor-quality sushi joints which have infested Albuquerque. My favorite sushi place in town has been Shogun on Central, but I don’t love it, it was just the best I’d found.
On a recent date night, Lisa and I decided to have sushi, and I literally Googled “best sushi in Albuquerque.” All the usual spots were there, like I Love Sushi, Sushi King, or Azuma. By the way, those are not the best in Albuquerque. I saw another one nestled in there that I had never heard of: Noda’s. Billed as “authentic Japanese cuisine,” and up on Southern in Rio Rancho, Urban Spoon and Yelp! are filled with rave reviews, some dating back 10 years.
We went. Noda’s quickly became our favorite sushi restaurant yet. You see, sushi isn’t a kitch thing there, it’s just part of the menu and has been for over a decade. It’s not a sushi restaurant, it’s a Japanese restaurant. The sushi was unique and incredibly tasty – there was no Gryffindor Roll, thank goodness. There was a very limited amount of cream cheese in the rolls, too (I recall seeing only 1 that had it) and almost no tempura-based rolls.
A unique thing they do was make the sushi rolls, then pile some more fish on the tops. I tried the “green mustard roll,” and the salmon roll (pictured below) and they had a lot more flavor than I’m used to in sushi. They were filling without being heavy.
The rolls were well-built and the service was pleasant. The fish tasted amazing and they used some wonderful ingredients in the rolls like the sprouts in that salmon roll. So my current favorite sushi place in Albuquerque? Noda’s. Without a doubt.
