Japanese Restaurants in Allegheny West

The Original Fish Market's delectable dishes are expertly crafted by executive chef Sean Davies and delivered to each table on the back of a seahorse. The sushi, lunch, and constantly changing dinner menus feature fresh fish that’s flown in twice a day, more than 68 wines served by the glass, and a time-machine-cooled raw oyster bar that serves up shells so fresh they don’t even exist yet. Patrons can sample tongue-tantalizing maki and temaki such as a spicy scallop roll ($8) and a tuna roll ($7), as well as heartier dinner fare. Main-course selections such as lobster pasta provençal ($29) and farm-raised Tasmanian sea trout ($24) with toasted orzo salad, tomatoes, and artichoke hearts tame the swelling appetites of any matey. This Groupon is not valid toward the pre-fixe menu.

Pho Van's large kitchen conjures a menu packed with authentic Vietnamese noodle soups, appetizers, and family-style meals. A starter of banh bot loc, pork- and shrimp-filled Vietnamese dumplings wrapped in banana leaves ($5), or cha gio, crispy rolls served with a chili-garlic dipping sauce ($4) sets palates to their spicy-jungle settings in time for a bowl of pho ($7–$9), a Vietnamese staple that lets a range of beef, rice noodles, earthy basil, and tangy lime go skinny-dipping in a pool of made-from-scratch beef stock. Those who eschew broth will prefer to mouth surf the goi du du, a salty band of shrimp or beef jerky atop a bed of shredded green papaya and tucked under blankets of crushed peanuts and mint ($4). Fresh coconut juice ($3) helps soothe spice-stung throats, and the fruit smoothies with black tapioca pearls come in three refreshing flavors: avocado, jack fruit, and durian ($4 all). A custard dessert of banh flan ($4) adorned with fried bananas and coconut milk finishes the feast on a sweet note, unlike the shockingly gory original ending to The Sound of Music. Pho Van's BYOB policy and convenient location make it an apropos backdrop for a spicy night of revelry, a quick lunch, or a first date with a mannequin-come-to-life.

The cooks at Misaki Sushi and Seafood Buffet pair a menu of Pan-Asian entrees and sushi with an expansive buffet that blends Asian cuisine with Western favorites. They frequently replenish the buffet with fresh sushi, wood-oven pizzas, and pastas, artfully arranging the dishes beneath spotlights. They prepare à la carte options with equal care, whether curling tuna slices into maki rolls or frying flat rice noodles for pad thai or delicious shoelaces.

Tamari takes its name from the Argentinean Huarpe people’s word meaning “to do everything with passion,” and the staff heeds it as a call to action. Executive Chef Roger Li expresses this joie de vivre through a bold menu of Latin, Asian, and European cuisine, uniting cultures through food like a model of the 1933 World's Fair made from fondant. Lobster-tempura maki tempts mouths alongside shrimp tacos garnished with yuzu-margarita foam and scottish salmon paired with chimichurri and ginger polenta. While dining, guests take part in a rich, interactive experience, sipping exotic açai mimosas and watching chefs prepare shareable tapas or custom-made menus in an open-pit kitchen. Altogether, the combination of unexpected flavor from the kitchen and unhindered elegance from the dining room has earned Tamari a great deal of respect. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, for instance, named it on its Best Dining: Top Dishes list, and CBS Pittsburgh ranked it at the top of its list of Best Outdoor Dining options.

Katana’s chefs draw inspiration from Thai, Chinese, and Japanese culinary traditions, creating faithful renditions of iconic dishes from each culture. Teppanyaki chefs thrill diners by searing cuts of lobster or filet mignon amid the towering flames of hibachi grills that adorn the tabletops of select seating areas. In contrast, sushi chefs studiously avoid open flames as they roll more than 15 kinds of specialty maki, which can include smoked salmon, mango, or piquant chili sauce within a cylinder of individually peeled grains of rice. The rest of the menu spotlights the seemingly disparate flavors of Thailand and China, listing aromatic curries along with meat-laden orders of lo mein or fried rice.

Red Tea House peppers palates with an amalgam of Asian flavors with a menu of Chinese specialties and freshly bundled sushi options. While skilled maki chefs manipulate scallops, salmon, and yellowtail into intricate rolls, diners wrap their own morsels of classic peking duck and mu-shu pork in delicate, steaming crepes. Seven days a week, patrons can stop in for a dumpling appetizer, or savor Asian fare at home with complimentary delivery in order to effectively discipline a misbehaving wok.