When most people think of great sushi near Pelham, they think of Haiku or Sakura, but one place many don’t consider is a hidden gem on Palmer Avenue in Bronxville: Kaito Sushi.

A first glance at the somewhat plain exterior of the restaurant might lead diners to not expect the best sushi in a ten mile radius of Pelham. Kaito doesn’t look as fancy as most sushi restaurants, but the food certainly makes up for the lack of decor.

As you walk in, the lighting is quite bright and the ambience is, just like the outside of the establishment, plain and simple. However, there is a friendly hostess ready to greet and seat you. Inside, it’s usually not crowded, and I have always been seated immediately and could easily fully finish my meal within one hour if I desired to. Still, it’s always better to sit and enjoy it.

First, I ordered a green tea that looked and tasted like authentic matcha—always nice to receive at a Japanese restaurant.

Next, the miso soup came in a small bowl, steaming hot with a Japanese soup spoon. It’s pretty hard to mess up miso soup as it is only composed of tofu, seaweed and vegetable broth. And Kaito doesn’t. It definitely has good miso soup, there is no denying that.

After the miso soup came the tuna tartar, my personal favorite. Not only did it taste absolutely delicious, but the presentation was pretty and thought out. Around the edges was a brown sauce with watercress sprinkled about. In the middle was set a layer of avocado and then the lovely tuna. The flavor and consistency of the fish were impressive.

At top sushi restaurants such as Morimoto or Nobu, the fish seems to melt in your mouth. At Kaito, the fish does the same, plus it tasted so fresh. The flavor was great without a fishy aftertaste, which is something that can destroy the experience of eating sushi.

Overall, I would rate this dish a 5/5; it was nothing short of amazing.

For my main dish, I ordered the Kaito sushi roll. This roll was composed of spicy tuna and avocado wrapped with soy paper and topped with tuna, salmon, yellowtail and special sauces. Just like the tartar, the fish had a slight melting sensation that made me want to keep on eating, even after I was full.

The flavor of the special sauces combined with the fresh taste of the fish and avocado made this nothing short of pleasurable to eat. Not only that, but the tuna was not too spicy or too mild; it had the right amount of kick, but not too much that it is unbearable.

Overall, my total rating for the Kaito Sushi is a 19/20. The only reason I subtracted one point is because the ambience is lacking, and I would love it if their lighting wasn’t as bright. But other than those minor discrepancies, the food was amazing. I know I will be going back.