Megumi is the considered by many to be among the best Japanese cuisine on the Northshore. Quality Japanese food is difficult to come by in Louisiana considering it is not native to America and because Louisiana specializes in local seafood.

However, there are several nice sushi spots on the Northshore. Megumi in Mandeville has been one of those spots for a long time, but Megumi opened up another location on South Tyler Street (along Highway 21), which is nice because it’s near Saint Paul’s.

As an avid sushi fan, I graded Megumi 21 on comfort, food quality and variety, atmosphere, customer service, and location.

First, the comfort of the restaurant was excellent. They had many tables around the center and booths aligned in a row off to the side. My family and I sat in a booth that comfortably fit all four of us. 

After we sat down, our waiter immediately came out from a curtain to greet us and present us with warm wet towels so we could clean our hands. He then went over the specials they were offering that night and took our drink orders. The drinks came out not even a minute later. Then, we were each given a complimentary miso soup, which was delicious.

This was important because some sushi restaurants charge for miso soup.

After I had finished my soup, I was ready to order. I ordered a rainbow fish roll, which includes snow crab, avocado, tuna, whitefish, and salmon. He then took our menus away and vanished behind the curtains.

As I was waiting for my food, I began to acknowledge the attention to detail in the restaurant. The lighting was dim but not too dim. The sushi bar had colorful paper umbrellas hanging from the ceiling. In addition to the design, there were Asian statues on a wall behind the sushi chefs.

Saint Paul’s junior Reid Rovira noted that “the Asian design makes me feel like I am in Asia.”

There was also great entertainment. They had three televisions on a sports channel reviewing a football game that had happened the night before.

However, I was caught off guard when I heard they were playing Christian music throughout the restaurant. Although some Christian music is good, it did not exactly seem like a proper fit for a restaurant.

The menu was very extensive with over 100 different opinions for sushi rolls. There were also more than 12 pages of regular menu items such as soups and plates of seafood. 

After about five minutes of waiting, the waiter brought my Rainbow roll out to the table. Initially, I was impressed with the presentation.

All of the different fish were lined up in their own sections. There were four salmon, three whitefish, and three tuna rolls.

The price total of this entre was $13.95, which was relatively affordable.

The proportions between the crab and fish mixed created an exquisite taste. However, the meal was very salty. I realize that most sushi is high in sodium, but I had to drink three full glasses of water while eating my meal.

Saint Paul’s sophomore Andrew Dunne agrees. “The sushi rolls are delicious, although the chefs make the fish have too much of a salty aftertaste.”

Regardless of whether it was the meal or the water consumption, I was stuffed after eating my roll, and so were my family members after eating theirs. Therefore, we called for the check after everyone was finished. 

The convenience of Megumi could be improved. In order to get into the complex where it is located, one has to take a dangerous right or left turn in a heavily trafficked area.

Overall, considering the comfort, food quality, atmosphere, customer service, location, and variety of options, I give Megumi Sushi an 8/10.