Eight Sushi Lounge Raises the Sushi Bar in Atlanta

When a restaurant has the word “lounge” in it, it’s almost a turn off. I have these visions of thumping music and screaming to communicate with my dining companions. So, color me surprised stepping into Eight Sushi Lounge on the trendy Westside of Atlanta. Though the space was posh and sophisticated, the music was subdued and lent itself to easily conversing.

What I found was a beautifuly decorated restaurant with a mix of both warm woods and a slight industrial look (think stained concrete floors, modern lighting fixtures and metal finishes. The small 6-seater bar is backlit in yellow, perfect to indulge in a fancy cocktail while you wait for a table.

Speaking of cocktails, Eight Sushi Lounge has a handful of exquisite cocktails. Most cocktails are around ten bucks and I settled on the Damson in Disguise, Eight Sushi’s twist on a Margarita. Theirs comes with black pepper, lemon and plum preserves. Yum!

There’s a lot more to the menu than only traditional sushi at Eight Sushi Lounge. Their are unique appetizers and fully cooked entrees that include both seafood and meat. So, if you are considering Eight Sushi Lounge for a birthday gathering or other group outing, there’s certainly something for non-sushi eaters as well.

Since Eight Sushi wanted to give us a tasting of each of their menu sections, they put together an Omakase (menu sampling) for us. They can do it for you and your guests as well, just contact them and the kind folks at Eight Sushi would be happy to arrange this.

One of the most interesting items we sampled at Eight Sushi Lounge was the Madai Carpaccio (pictured above), or Snapper, with truffle oil. Served with a tonzazu reduction, this liquidly dish is slightly sweet and I loved the different textures apparent in this dish.

Pictured above is the Langoustine and a Moshi Moshi Oyster at Eight Sushi Lounge. The Langoustine is a spicy tuna with scampi. It has a nice hint of spice to it. To the right above is the Moshi Moshi Oyster. These were lightly fried and served with a creamy tartar sauce. I really loved not only the gorgeous presentation of the dishes but the uniqueness of them. Eight Sushi certainly has dishes you won’t find at every other restaurant menu. Note that these portions are part of the Omakase and as such are smaller portions than what one can expect in a normal order.

Next up was Eight Sushi’s sushi rolls. The Shinobi Roll, although not what I thought would be my favorite when I read the description, crab salad in seared filet mignon, turned about to be pretty freaking incredible. The crab and the filet pair quite well together and there’s an added crunch with tempura. However, the Dynasty Roll with shrimp tempura, tuna and avocado was wonderful as well. It is worthy to note that there’s a noticeable absence of the heavy mayo sauces served on sushi at a majority of sushi restaurants. Love that they let the quality of their seafood come through instead of covering them up with heavy sauces.

Whew! Didn’t think I was ever going to talk about the cooked dishes from Eight Sushi Lounge, did you? Surprisingly, although there was a lot of food, I didn’t feel stuffed. Of course, I ate light all day in anticipation of such a meal, but I still was able to eat most of Seabass. A thinly sliced ribeye steak was excellent too. Are you noticing the edible flowers on these dishes? Aren’t they beautiful?

Another reason why I like Eight Sushi Lounge for a big get together or celebration? The desserts! Below is the ice cream which was a tasty, not-overly-sweet-treat. They also have a bread pudding but I loved the Bananas Foster.

Finding Eight Sushi Lounge can be a bit tricky, especially because their address is listed on Howell Mill Road. You’ll actually take Northside Drive to Eighth Street. You’ll see it about a quarter of a mile down to the road.

Eight Sushi Lounge
930 Howell Mill Road
Atlanta, GA 30318

Disclosure: Eight Sushi Lounge hosted me for dinner, but the opinions are mine, duh!