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Making the most out of AYCE sushi

Typical rules at an AYCE establishment:

  • Charging for waste
  • Limited orders per round
  • Time limit at table

As a rule of thumb for an AYCE partaker... enjoy your meal... especially if you are fortunate to have good company and spare change for some delectable indulgence.

With that said, here are my tips on how to teach 'em a lesson.

homer eating a lot of sushi

  • Big ticket items such as:
    • Sweet shrimp (amaebi)
    • Surf clams (hokkigai)
    • Soft shell crab (best if whole, but it's usually in a roll)
    • Belly (toro) cuts of fish (are these expensive? I just think they taste good)
  • Sashimi if they have it, but otherwise nigiris. *for nigiris- cut off a portion of the rice but not enough to be noticeable waste, and spread the rice around to make it less apparent
    • in California, salmon is usually better than the tuna here. Of course, it depends on the restaurant, but generally an AYCE restaurant will be getting the least expensive per quality
  • Make sure you mostly order things the other guests at the table will eat with you. If you are eating entire orders by yourself, you will get full early.
  • Save things you want to try but you'd normally wouldn't order otherwise, towards the end of the meal. I call these "ignorants". You might have to take responsibility for these orders.
  • Don't starve yourself in anticipation for the meal. You can eat less but don't go hungry. Don't fast the day before. You want to be metabolized, and be able to eat more.
  • Be good to your digestive system and chew your food rather than gulp everything down.
  • Drink lots of water every day. (This is actually life advice)

That's all I got for now. But at the end of the day, just enjoy your meal and have a good time, whether you are downing the expensive shellfish or California rolls.