2830 Magazine St.

Happy Hour: 3:00 – 6:00 P.M. Daily

When one thinks of New Orleans cuisine, sushi isn’t exactly the first thing that comes to mind. When the mood strikes, it’s good to know there’s a place to satisfy this particular craving. Located on Magazine street near Washington, the Sake Cafe instantly wins points by providing ample free parking on either side of the restaurant. With the plethora of restaurants and bars lining the street, the convenience of easy parking cannot be overstated.

Full disclosure: We have been here many times, and we arrived armed with our patience, as it does sometimes take a while to get served. We were seated immediately by a friendly and cordial hostess. Within minutes, we met Robert, who introduced himself as our server for the evening. As far as ambience goes, the lighting always tends to be on the pleasingly dim side. Musically, it’s usually a miss with techno, dance sort of pop music that is often too loud. We were surprisingly pleased this time with the understated jazz. There is plenty of seating with an open floor plan, huge sushi bar, and clean, modern decor.

As always, we begin with beverages. The special is two for one drinks. Listed on the menu are twelve specialty cocktails,  six draft beer options, three house wine selections, hot or cold sake, and two frozen drinks. We landed on the specialty cocktails, even though we were somewhat reluctant, as the menu did not specify what vodka was being used. We were impressed with the creative mixers and fresh ingredients. We  both enjoyed the Lemon Drop (Citron Vodka, Cointreau, and fresh lemon in a sugar-rimmed glass). Sweet, sour, and boozy for $3.00 – amazing.

Food options include the standard Asian small plates, such as edamame and gyoza for $3.00 each, and chicken spring rolls for $4.00. There are eight varieties of sushi or sashimi for $3.50 per order (two pieces per order), and seven selections of rolls for $3.50 as well.

We ordered one each of avocado, California, snow crab, and crawfish rolls, as well as one order of tuna sushi. Robert was professional as we rushed our order to beat the 6:00 P.M. deadline for happy hour. There were five sushi chefs on at the time, so our food arrived relatively fast. It was fresh, delicious, and presented beautifully. We were especially impressed with the crawfish roll – a local take on a Japanese specialty. It was spicy, creamy, and unique.

As we started our meal, Robert was attentive in reminding us that we had a free drink coming. The timing was perfect.

Another happy hour score. A complete meal for happy hour prices: four drinks, four rolls, and two pieces of sushi for just over 30 dollars. Sake Cafe is our go-to restaurant for those late afternoon sushi cravings.