pizza. Dessert is also a must at Guido’s — the tiramisu and Italian wedding cookies are guaranteed hits. Best Sushi HARUMI SUSHI & SAKE 114 West Adams Street, Suite C101 602-258-0131 24681 North Lake Pleasant Parkway, #101, Peoria 480-486-6178 harumisushiaz.com The perfect sushi rolls do exist, and their home is at Harumi Sushi & Sake in downtown Phoenix. Harumi is known for its purple rice, which is Forbidden black rice that turns purple after being cooked. This rice was historically reserved for aris- tocracy, so go ahead and treat yourself like royalty because it’s served as an everyday staple in Harumi’s kitchen. The “purple” rice may very well be Harumi’s secret to success, and rolled up with fish flown in from abroad, serves to create harmonious sushi rolls in elegant balance. The Oh My God roll is set on fire in front of your eyes, and simply melts in your mouth for yes, an “oh my God” pleasurable reaction. The H3 roll includes spicy tuna and Scottish salmon, flown fresh from Scotland, and the mini roll combo allows you to choose up to three different types of rolls for only $20. Best Revolving Sushi SUSHI TOKORO 1575 East Camelback Road 602-358-8789 sushitokoroaz.com To begin at Sushi Tokoro, take a seat at a booth or settle in at the bar. Then, start grabbing. As you sit, dishes will rotate around the room on a conveyor belt, small plates like Las Vegas rolls, gyoza, Japanese sodas, or tuna sashimi. We love the Grand Canyon Roll, which tops spicy tuna, cream cheese, and jalapeño with spicy crab mix, tuna, and spicy mayo. Sip on some iced or hot green tea, depending on the time of year, and ask for a menu to order items that aren’t on the belt like miso soup, shrimp tempura, and orange chicken. Every plate that comes from the belt is priced a certain way, depending on the color, so refer to a little diagram on the bar to see what every- thing costs and chow down accordingly. Best Poke POKITRITION 4811 North 16th Street, #104 602-824-8512 And other Valley locations pokitrition.com Recently, we were trying to explain poke to someone unfamiliar with the concept: “It’s like deconstructed sushi — kind of. You get to pick your base and your fish and your toppings, and it’s really filling and really good.” What we lack in powers of description we make up for in appreciation for poke and the people who make it, espe- cially local chain Pokitrition. Sustainable fish such as both marinated and plain ahi tuna, salmon, and shrimp, is flown in daily from Hawaii. In addition to their custom- izable poke bowls, the four Pokitrition locations also make sushi burritos, hefty cylinders of fresh fish wrapped in rice and seaweed. You can even get your sushi burrito coated with Hot Cheetos dust, if that kind of heat appeals to you. Best Ramen ORIGAMI RAMEN BAR 4810 East Ray Road, Suite A-1 480-940-4455 origamiramenbar.com From humble digs in the middle of a strip mall, Origami Ramen Bar serves, hands down, the best ramen in the Valley. Owner and Chef Yusuke Kuroda grew up in Osaka, Japan, and learned to cook with his grand- mother. After moving to the U.S. and working on the East Coast, he later headed west to cook at Nobu in Beverly Hills. Lucky for us, he moved to Phoenix and opened Origami in 2020. The menu includes Japanese curry plates and rice bowls, but don’t miss the ramen. Rich shoyu broth lets the ingredients sing, miso broth is creamy but not salty, and the black soy ramen blends chicken and pork broth with curly noodles and black garlic oil for an immensely savory bite. Best Dim Sum GREAT WALL CUISINE 3446 West Camelback Road, #155 602-973-1112 greatwallcuisineaz.com 212 Shrimp dumplings, baked coconut buns, crispy roast duck, and fried taro turnovers come to your table via carts and you select the small plates you wish to devour. This isn’t heaven — it’s dim sum, a Cantonese tradition with many options and flavors to BEST OF PHOENIX 2022 | WWW.BESTOFPHOENIX2022.C0M | SEPTEMBER 29, 2022
