Japanese Restaurants in Albany

When seated at a secluded dinner table, it’s easy to forget the skill it takes to turn disparate ingredients into a delicious meal. Sakura Japanese Restaurant’s chefs aim to remind their guests of just how incredible that feat is, abandoning the seclusion of the kitchen to prepare dishes tableside. They twirl knives, drumming them against the smooth metal surface of their grill as they use cooking oil to summon gouts of flame. From the dexterous show, they create sizzling hibachi meals of chicken, steak, lobster, and other meats for a rapt audience.

Sakura's sushi chefs specialize in a less flashy craft, drizzling eel sauce on combinations of crab, shrimp, and avocado or topping white- and yellowtail-tuna rolls with tobiko and wasabi. They also make up obento boxes, traditional packaged lunches featuring specific slots for sushi, tempura, a main course, and extra masking tape.

East Palace Buffet Restaurant solves diners' common problem of not knowing what to order by allowing them to taste a little bit of everything. During lunch and dinner buffets, diners can fill their plates with small samples or generous servings of freshly prepared shrimp tempura, beef and veggie dishes, and fried rice, with as many return trips as their stomach or competitive-eating coach desires. For those with a singular craving, the restaurant also offers an à la carte menu with a slate of non-buffet options, such as spicy-tuna sushi rolls and chicken tempura, all served tableside.

Northern Berkshire peaks peek through the windows of Taylor's, where surf and turf unite in a lamp-lit, exposed-brick dining room. An army of appetizers kicks off the menu, including the baked brie, which is infused with grapes and sprinkled with brown sugar, walnuts, and apples ($8). A fresh garden salad sidekicks every entree, serving as a momentary plate mate for hearty dishes such as the filet mignon ($24) and its aquatic, redundant counterpart, grilled mahi-mahi ($21). The ratatouille with tofu forgoes filets for a mix of stewed eggplant, zucchini, and tomatoes that are fresher than haircuts of the eighties ($16).

Goten of Japan serves authentic Japanese fare by way of hibachi-cooked entrees and a sleek and stylish sushi bar. The menu’s hibachi eats fill empty stomach boxes with hibachi chicken ($15.95), Japanese-style scallops ($22.50), and a veggie special ($14.50). Sushi bites, meanwhile, boast baked rolls ($7.50 to $12), fresh rolls, and sashimi staples. Kids under 10 can peruse a children’s menu replete with entrees (between $10.45 and $16.95) that perfectly fit miniature mouths.

Armed with fresh seafood, authentic recipes, and a sizzling hibachi grill, the chefs at Tokyo Sushi construct fresh sushi rolls and flame-broiled meals of meat and seafood. In the hibachi dining area, chefs artfully spin utensils as they prepare sizzling filet mignon and calamari for visitors seated around the oft-flaming grill, using its intense light to improve their base tans. Diners can also situate themselves in conventional restaurant seating to enjoy uncooked cuisine such as the Kamikaze roll with avocado, spicy tuna, and spicy yellowtail, or a Rock ‘n’ Roll plate that cocoons eel, salmon skin, cucumber, and avocado in rice.

At Hokkaido Asian Bistro, chefs work diligently to ensure that each meal is a feast for the eyes as well as the taste buds, preparing artistic arrangements of fresh salmon and tuna, crisp carrots and scallions, and sweet-smelling floral garnishes. The menu features savory hibachi dinners composed of filet mignon, lobster, and chicken, as well as adventurous feasts of tuna tartar, oyster shooters, and colorful hand-rolled maki. Guests line up at a sushi bar illuminated with the soft glow of blue neon lighting as they watch chefs skillfully prepare delicate morsels of sea-urchin sashimi or avocado-wrapped Dragon rolls. The bill of fare bursts at the seams with classic Japanese dishes such as teriyaki steak, as well as inventive seafood creations such as spicy shrimp served inside a halved mango, or tuna, guacamole, and tobiko arranged on flatbread and served pizza-style.