Sushi B – eight seats, one fountain, one Michelin star in the 2nd

Sushi B occupies one of the quietest corners of the 2nd arrondissement, a few steps from the Richelieu site of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, where the restaurant's own description promises a view onto the fountain of a small square and a calm, warm atmosphere. There is no dining room to speak of, only a single counter for eight guests, no à la carte, and no choice beyond which of the four fixed omakase menus to book. It holds One MICHELIN Star, awarded to a kitchen that has passed from one Japanese chef to another without losing its register: precise, unhurried, built entirely around the fish of the day and the rice beneath it. Reservations open two months ahead and rarely stay open long, a consequence of eight seats, two services a night, and a devoted following that has tracked this address since it opened in March 2016.

01The room and the setting

The restaurant sits on rue Rameau, tucked beside Square Louvois in Paris's 2nd arrondissement, within sight of the Richelieu wing of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France. Sushi B describes itself as a calm address from which diners can gaze at the fountain of a small park, a rare patch of quiet in a neighbourhood otherwise busy with the Opéra and the Palais Royal.

There is no separate dining room: the entire restaurant is a counter for eight, where the chef works in full view, slicing, pressing and finishing each piece as it is served. The restrained scale is deliberate — the house limits bookings to parties of four or fewer to keep the counter's calm, convivial mood intact.

02The chef

Sushi B opened in March 2016 under chef Masayoshi Hanada, who had trained previously at Bizan on rue Sainte-Anne, one of Paris's established sushi addresses, before opening his own eight-seat counter. His gentle, precise cutting and softly nuanced ageing of fish built the restaurant's early reputation and earned it a MICHELIN Star.

Insider tip

Book two months ahead; closed Mon, Tue and Wed lunch; max 4 guests per table.

Hanada has since moved on to open his own restaurant on quai Voltaire, and the counter at rue Rameau is now led by chef Isao Horai, who continues the same fixed-menu, counter-only format that defined the address from the start.

03The cooking

The format has not changed since opening: a single seasonal omakase, served course by course, with no à la carte option at all. Dinner unfolds across amuse-bouche, a sequence of entrées, a seasonal starter, the chef's sashimi selection, two daily cooked dishes, a run of sushi and a dessert to close — the Wagyu version of the menu adds a course of grilled beef between the cooked dishes and the sushi.

Service is split into two evening sittings, the first from 19:00 to around 21:15 and the second from 21:30, since the kitchen buys fish and vegetables fresh each day and prepares only as much as the room's eight covers require. Lunch runs on the same principle, with service generally finishing by mid-afternoon.

04What to order

The evening choice is between the Menu OMAKASE at €280 and the more elaborate Menu WA at €320, which folds a Wagyu course into the same sequence of amuse-bouche, entrées, seasonal starter, chef's sashimi, cooked dishes, sushi and dessert.

At lunch, the Menu DÉJEUNER (€150) runs through amuse-bouche, entrées, sashimi, a daily dish, sushi and dessert, while the shorter Menu SUSHI (€90) is offered only on Thursdays and Fridays, built around amuse-bouche, entrées, sushi and dessert for those with less time at the counter.

05Wine and drinks

Alongside the set menus, Sushi B keeps a selection of wine and Japanese sake, pitched as much for a glass between friends as for pairing through the full omakase — a small but considered list built to sit quietly behind the fish rather than compete with it.

06When to go and booking

Tables open exactly two months before the date you want, and a bank imprint is required to confirm any reservation, converted into a pre-authorisation three days before the meal rather than an upfront payment. Cancellations inside 24 hours, no-shows or arrivals more than 20 minutes late are treated as cancelled bookings, with a fee equivalent to the menu price per person.

The counter is closed on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesday lunchtimes and public holidays, and shuts for a winter break from Monday 21 December 2026 to Tuesday 5 January 2027 inclusive, reopening for dinner on Wednesday 6 January 2027. The nearest station is Bourse on line 3, with Pyramides and Quatre-Septembre also within easy reach.

For a weekend. For a lifetime.