Sushi Salon Offers Bragworthy Bites of Fish

Joji Nonaka and Anna Osawa took their sushi pop-up to permanent status in 2023, opening Sushi Salon in Oakland. Nonaka and Osawa both hail from Alameda’s Utzutzu, and before that, Nonaka also worked at Delage in Oakland and (now closed) Ichi Sushi in San Francisco. Much of the fish at Sushi Salon comes from fish broker Hasegawa Hiroki, who is based out of Kanagawa Prefecture in Japan. He’s renowned for his “fish connoisseurship” and won the Innovation Award at the Gault Millau guide’s 2024 awards in Japan. He typically only deals fish to chefs in Asia; in fact, Sushi Salon is the only U.S. restaurant that he works with. Hiroki deals in sustainable and lesser-used fish, often providing seafood that isn’t typical at other sushi restaurants. In addition to the carefully sourced fish, Sushi Salon uses akazu, or red vinegar, from Iio Jozo, a legendary vinegar brewery that’s been open since 1893. Iio Jozo won its own award from Gault Millau in 2026, earning the Tradition Award given