Good sushi is something near and dear to my heart. When I lived in the US we would go for sushi two or three times a week. Luckily, we had an excellent sushi restaurant right in our hometown, so it was easy. Since we arrived in Playa del Carmen, we have been looking for good sushi. We soon learned that sushi is different here and we stopped looking as hard. However, when Tsuba Sushi opened up next to Coffee Cafe, we had to give it a shot.

The atmosphere is very elegant. We loved the modern design and the fact that all their tables are open air. Each table had a little fish bowl with a beta inside as a table decoration (that were later traded out for little lanterns as the sun started to set). The chairs were comfortable and the table settings were unique and had a very Eastern feel.

We decided to start with the Edamame (soy beans) as an appetizer, which they offered steamed or sautéed. We opted for our familiar favorite, steamed. We have had mixed success with ordering Edamame in Mexico. It often comes over-cooked and soggy, which makes it very difficult to eat. At Tsuba, it arrived lightly steamed and seasoned with a little bit of salt.

Hans ordered the Chicken Teriyaki, which he reported was awesome. It has made it onto his list of items that he will crave in the future. It came on top of a mound of white rice and was nice and fresh. I ordered two sushi rolls, a tuna roll and a vegetable roll (futomaki). My tuna roll was a little fishy (but this seems to be the norm here) but the futomaki roll was delicious. It came with sweetened carrots inside and was served with a sweet glaze drizzled over the rolls.

This was plenty of food for us. All in all, the food was great, the service and atmosphere were nice and we will definitely be going back. Tsuba has worked it’s way into our rotation of restaurants that we will frequent. Hans reports that he will be craving the Chicken Teriyaki soon.

Tsuba Sushi is located on 5th Avenue and 34th Street, next to Coffee Cafe and Las Palapas Hotel.