Sushi Bar Near Me in South Beach: Toni's, Open Since 1987

If you type sushi bar near me anywhere south of Lincoln Road, the name with the longest memory is Toni's Sushi Bar at 1208 Washington Avenue. Founder Toni Takarada opened it in 1987, when, in the restaurant's own telling, this stretch of Miami Beach was a collection of dilapidated houses and hotels. Nearly four decades later the Takarada family still owns it, and it bills itself as South Beach's original sushi bar.

The family is still at the center of the business. Yoko Takarada, the second-generation owner and operator, also runs Shokudo in the Design District and Shimuja Ramen in Davie. Kevin Takarada, the late founder's son, spent about 15 years in engineering and finance before returning to food; in 2017 he opened the fast-casual MakiMaki in New York, which now has four Manhattan locations, and he led the recent redesign of the Miami Beach room.

That redesign is the first thing returning regulars notice. To mark its approach to 40 years, the restaurant brought in five tons of bamboo from the mountains around Kyoto and four Japanese craftsmen whose past commissions include temples and royal gardens. Working with the firm Kono Designs, they bent the bamboo into arches, a tunnel over the sunken tables and a wave that curls above the sushi bar. The new room opened to guests at the start of 2024.

Behind the counter, head chef Toshiya Sato is a homecoming story of his own. He joined Toni's as a young cook in the Nineties, then left to work at Zuma and Makoto in Miami, rising to executive chef, before coming back to lead the kitchen where he started. General manager Susan Fnu has been with the company for nearly 20 years and calls the restaurant her second home, which explains why so many regulars are greeted by name.

The tuna section of the nigiri list is the clearest way to taste the house style. Each piece is priced individually on the official menu: maguro is $6, honmaguro bluefin is $8, chutoro is $11, o-toro is $13 and aburi toro, lightly torched fatty tuna, is $14. Japanese uni is $18 a piece and Miyazaki wagyu nigiri is $16. Ordering one piece of each tuna cut side by side is the easiest way to taste how the fat changes the bite.

If choosing feels like too much work, let the chefs decide. The nigiri omakase is $85 and the sashimi omakase is $95; both are built from the day's best fish and arrive together in one arrangement rather than piece by piece. The Moriawase nigiri set, crowd-favorite nigiri with a California roll, is $42 for nine pieces for one person or $70 for eighteen pieces for two. These sets suit tables more than the counter.

From the sushi bar appetizers, the Toro Tartare with chopped bluefin, black caviar, gold flakes and yuzu dressing is $30, and Hamachi Jalapeno is $25. The kitchen side is just as long: Hamachi Kama, grilled yellowtail collar with sea salt, is $23, and the saikyo miso Chilean sea bass is $42. Among rolls, the South Beach roll with eel, salmon skin, avocado and cucumber is $17, and the New York Spicy Tuna is $12.

Toni's is open every day from 5:30 to 11 pm, dinner only. The website's booking button runs through Resy, and the restaurant also takes tables on OpenTable, where recent diners in September 2026 reviewed their meals. OpenTable lists counter seating and a chef's table among the features, so ask for the sushi bar when you book if you want to sit under the bamboo wave and watch the knives. For questions, the restaurant asks guests to call.

Small habits make the evening smoother. Book a 5:30 table on a weekend if you want a calmer room, or a later seating if you prefer the buzz of a full South Beach dining room. Order nigiri in small rounds rather than all at once, so each piece arrives at the right temperature. The dress code listed on OpenTable is business casual, so beachwear straight off the sand is a poor fit for the dining room.

Getting there is simple for anyone already in South Beach. The restaurant sits at the corner of 12th Street and Washington Avenue, two blocks west of Ocean Drive. According to its OpenTable listing, valet parking is offered in front of the door, and there is street parking and a garage nearby. Delivery and takeout are handled through the restaurant's own online ordering page, which is useful on rainy nights or after a long beach day.

Before or after dinner, walk Washington Avenue for an easy dose of history. The Wolfsonian–FIU museum, devoted to design and propaganda art, sits at 1001 Washington, two blocks south. The 1927 Old City Hall tower rises at 1130 Washington, just across 12th Street, and the 1937 Miami Beach Post Office, with its round Art Deco rotunda, is a block north at 1300 Washington. Keep going to 14th Street and turn onto the pedestrian Espanola Way.

Practical notes. Toni's Sushi Bar, 1208 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33139. Open daily 5:30 to 11 pm. Reservations on Resy or OpenTable; catering and events requests go through the contact form on the website. Payment by Amex, Mastercard or Visa. For a two-person dinner with the Moriawase for two at $70, a pair of o-toro pieces and a roll, expect a bill well above $100 before tax and tip.

Toni's suits visitors who want a sushi bar with real South Beach history, couples who like watching chefs at work, and families who need a long menu with cooked dishes for the less adventurous. It is not the place for a quiet tasting counter with a single chef. Book the bar for an early dinner, order the tuna nigiri flight and the omakase if you are hungry, then walk to the post office rotunda as the evening cools.