Royal Sushi & Izakaya

Royal Sushi & Izakaya brings two Japanese dining formats into the same Queen Village address. The izakaya works as a neighborhood pub with cooked small plates, sashimi, chirashi and rolls. Royal Sushi is a separate eight-seat counter with a reservation-only omakase. Understanding that distinction gives diners a much clearer idea of the restaurant than the combined name alone. Jesse Ito, the chef and co-owner associated with Royal Sushi, learned his craft in his parents’ New Jersey restaurant before developing his Philadelphia work.

The izakaya menu invites a dinner built through several kinds of preparation. Gyoza and chicken wings fried in the karaage style can sit beside eggplant with a sweet miso glaze or salt-grilled mackerel. A sashimi selection concentrates on the fish; chirashi gathers fish and other toppings over seasoned rice. Those choices make the pub suitable for a table that wants to alternate warm dishes and seafood while keeping control of the order. The kitchen also includes contemporary combinations, such as tuna with avocado and wasabi olive oil, giving the menu a broader expression than a rigid account of tradition would suggest.

The Royal Sushi counter has a different commitment. Its approximately seventeen courses include otsumami, small dishes, and nigirizushi, with the sequence determined by the kitchen. Reservations and dietary limitations are specific to that experience: the restaurant states that the omakase cannot accommodate gluten-free, vegetarian, shellfish-free or soy-free requirements. For diners who need those adaptations, the counter would be an unsuitable choice. Royal’s value lies in offering a flexible pub meal and a much more tightly organized sushi experience. Choosing between them should begin with the kind of dinner the table wants, before selecting the reservation.

Sources: Royal Izakaya: contact, reservations and hours · Royal Izakaya: current menu access · Royal Izakaya: current dine-in menu · Royal Sushi: omakase format, reservations and restrictions · Resy: interview with chef Jesse Ito · Royal Sushi & Izakaya: Google Maps listing