When I told friends that I was off to Philadelphia, some doubted that I would enjoy the culinary scene, best known for foods like cheesesteaks, water ice and scrapple. But their assumptions are long outdated; the city has been impressively reinventing itself at the table. Perhaps nowhere is that more apparent, or more thrilling, than at the city’s omakase counters.

Royal Sushi & Izakaya is the most renowned, but the $355 per person price tag is hard to swallow. I tried four other options in town in search of a better value.

Ogawa Sushi & Kappo

The discreet exterior of this acclaimed omakase restaurant hides a calming space with dark wood paneling and seaweed-colored ceilings. We were greeted by executive chef Carlos Wills, who trained under sushi master and owner Minoru Ogawa. Wills was unassuming and soft spoken, yet he had a quiet confidence as he sliced conger eel, grilled wagyu and rubbed mackerel nigiri with a light coat of wasabi. Hokkaido uni, he noted, is best enjoyed during the colder months; we savored it over an oyster in a citrus-soy jus and again later with octopus crudo enlivened with shiso leaf and squid ink. The heartiest dish was grilled black cod in a pumpkin-based dashi broth accompanied by snow crab, pickled cucumbers and wakamomo (unripe mountain peach). We left feeling both light and satisfied, a tricky balance to strike. $200/person, 23 courses

Ogawa Sushi & Kappo
310 Market Street. Tel. (215) 238-5757

Sakana Omakase Sushi

We felt transported to Japan at this BYOB establishment in the Queen Village neighborhood. In the zen-like minimalist dining room, backlit shoji wall panels cast a soft glow over the sushi counter while impeccable service completes the experience. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the menu noted the location from which each protein was sourced. The tangy amberjack wrapped in radish, mackerel seared with a charcoal stick and 10-day-aged sea bream had been flown in from Tokyo that very day, while the toro came from Spain and the sea bass from Chile. The classic nigiri pieces were excellent, but it was the more daring dishes that set Sakana apart. The Oyster Uni Shot, a Kumamoto oyster topped with Hokkaido uni and salmon roe in ponzu, served in a cocktail glass, was smoky, sweet and briny — a single umami-packed mouthful. And I won’t soon forget the Signature Uni Bowl: slices of wagyu beef and scallop in a yuzu jelly and squid-ink foam, accompanied by a scoop of uni on a shiso leaf. It tastes as extravagant as it sounds. Throughout the meal, the chefs enthusiastically described each dish while staff refilled glasses and replaced tableware with attentiveness. $198/person, 21 courses

Sakana Omakase Sushi
616 South Second Street. Tel. (215) 922-2149

637 Philly Sushi Club

The word “omakase” suggests a quiet setting in which masterful chefs cut top-quality fish with surgical precision for a sophisticated clientele interested in gastronomy. 637 Philly Sushi Club, hidden behind a bookcase door within a buzzy izakaya restaurant, is decidedly not that. The space seats just eight, but unlike any other omakase restaurant I’ve visited, it’s crammed with Japanese anime figurines still in their boxes, Pokemon plushies and Star Wars action figures. Chef Kevin Yanaga opened by presenting a platter of the evening’s seafood ingredients and offering to pose for photographs with it. He then directed most of his attention to the Instagrammer beside us, who spent the entire meal with her phone aloft. I couldn’t help but chuckle when she paused to take a selfie mid-oyster shooter. Yanaga plays into the theatrics: grating wasabi from high above, overloading tuna with caviar and dramatically flaming the scallion on a kampachi nigiri. I asked about the origin of the fish and his preference for dry-aged versus fresh seafood, but Yanaga, it became clear, had little interest in those sorts of inquiries. He was there to put on a show. I enjoyed the food, notably the chawanmushi in a green-tea-oat-milk dashi and the bluefin tuna in a prawn oil, but overall, the experience wasn’t worth the cost. The Sushi Club has an edge that some will find off-putting, though I suspect that’s entirely intentional. $170/person, 21 courses

637 Philly Sushi Club
Yanaga Kappo Izakaya, 637 North Third Street. Tel. (215) 305-4130

Kichi Omakase

Situated in the heart of Center City, Kichi is by far the most affordable omakase in town. The room feels traditional, dressed in warm honey-toned wood, but the perfectly angled lights trained on the chefs make them look like they’re on a cooking show. With just 14 seats, the counter had the natural intimacy of a dinner party, and as the chefs began prepping, we fell into conversation with guests beside us. One couple had dined here before, declaring it the best Japanese food in the city, while the solo diner to our left was navigating his first omakase. We began with sakura-infused sake paired with sakura-smoked mackerel, the fish impossibly buttery and with a hint of florality. Fatty tuna followed, topped with caviar, and dry-aged sea bream, dusted in bonito flakes, glittered gold under the light. Opt for the Kiss by Kichi add-on: an exceptional bite of chopped toro, caviar and uni set atop a rice-cracker shell. Kichi is not breaking boundaries or reimagining what omakase can be, but the fish is as high-quality as anything at the most expensive tables in town. It is the kind of authentic place I find myself eager to revisit. That it’s BYOB only adds to its appeal. $95/person, 16 courses

Kichi Omakase
112 South 12th Street. Tel. (215) 359-6099