Murfreesboro sushi fans should certainly pay a visit to Oishiya, located in the former home of Kirkenburt’s and Bob’s Barbecue on Cason Lane.

Here they can find all manner of sushi, sashimi and nigiri, from the minimalist tuna, red clam, mackerel or yellowtail sashimi (simply a thinly sliced piece of fish) to the more complex rolls, deluxe sushi combos, boats and specials, all served with an ornate and pleasing sense of Japanese artistry.

Special Oishiya sushi rolls include the Amazing Roll (peppered tuna and avocado inside, topped with salmon), the White Swan Roll (spicy yellowtail inside, topped with white tuna), the Bonnie and Clyde Roll (spicy crab and avocado inside, topped with tuna, salmon and fish eggs), the Mars Roll (crunchy spicy lobster inside, topped with salmon and tuna) and many other selections.

The Oishiya Roll offers delicate, fishy, flaky torched salmon belly on top, and the Ninja Roll is a hot favorite with spicy tuna, spicy salmon and spicy yellowtail, topped with thinly sliced jalapeños along with black roe.

Lisa Osborne Tillis said she very much enjoyed the Fantastic Melody Roll, a deep-fried roll containing spicy crab, avocado and cream cheese, during a recent visit to Oishiya.

The Salmon Delight features four pieces of spicy crab rolled in salmon—no rice. These bites are topped with four different colors of flying fish roe. Wesley Xiao, who owns Oishiya along with wife Sonia, explains that they are all flying fish roe, though each is colored with a different ingredient—wasabi for green, yuzu (a citrus fruit, similar to an orange) for yellow, squid ink for black and berry for red.

Sarah Moore, another local diner, reports that the establishment offers “the best quality and most beautifully presented sushi and sashimi in Murfreesboro!”

If a diner truly wants to experience a tour of the ocean (or to share with a companion or two), the Sashimi Deluxe plate, for $23, includes 19 pieces of assorted fish.

“Their sashimi dinner plate was delicious and beautifully presented. If you love Japanese cuisine, I highly recommend this restaurant,” Charlie Robbins said. “A charming place with great service and extensive menu.”

The sushi team takes care to create beautiful presentations of the food served, and the menu does include eel, sea urchin, squid and octopus.

One Japanese diner said that Oishiya offered some of the best sushi that he has eaten in America.

“I grew up in Japan and have only been in the states for about four years now . . . eventually I will go back to Japan and Oishiya is a place I will miss,” the customer said. “It is the closest to real Japanese sushi that I have had in America. When I say real sushi, I mean nigiri and sashimi, not rolls. However, their rolled sushi, or makizushi, is amazing as well. The customer service is amazing as well. I definitely recommend Oishiya.”

For a very special sushi experience, and this does require an advance order, a diner can enjoy a whole seabass, expertly cut into quite an artistic presentation (market price, around $30).

Murfreesboro diners don’t see this type of dish everywhere.

Wesley and the Oishiya crew also make similar dishes with snapper or madai fish, when available.

“The sashimi was a nice assortment of different pieces of fish. The mackerel was incredible. The Naruto Roll wrapped in cucumber was very good and the sauce really complimented the sushi offering,” Joe LaFerriere said. “The sea urchin was declared to be very good,” by others in his party.

For sushi on a budget, take advantage of the Oishiya lunch special; choose from a list of 26 different sushi rolls. Diners can get two rolls of their choice for $9, or three rolls of their choice for $12, along with soup and a salad, each day before 3 p.m.

Lunch special options include the peppered tuna avocado roll, spicy yellowtail roll, calamari roll, California roll, salmon roll, Alaska roll, eel cucumber roll and many other varieties.

Oishiya roughly translated from Japanese means “house of delicious.” Fitting!

Wesley and Sonia know that Murfreesboro contains a growing number of sushi and Asian eateries, but still believe that Oishiya can be unique to Murfreesboro. They say they aim to bring a higher quality and variety of sushi to town and want to attract customers who know quality.

For example, the popular crunchy shrimp roll includes a whole tiger shrimp tempura inside. And the special whole seabass platter certainly makes an uncommon, beautiful, exquisite, delicious, protein-packed special meal.

The sushi seems to be the star at Oishiya, but the menu contains plenty of cooked Japanese dishes to try as well.

The Tonkotsu Ramen, with rich and flavorful pork bone broth, fish cakes (rolled from a variety of fishes, sort of a fish meatball, the Oishiya server says), egg, thinly sliced pork and more, makes a delicious warm selection.

“I got a Tonkotsu Ramen bowl and was blown away with how good it was. I have been looking for a good ramen place in Murfreesboro and I have found it for sure,” Elizabeth posted in an online review following a visit to Oishiya. She added that the T-Rex Roll was “beyond delicious. My husband went with a chicken and steak hibachi plate. The meats were cooked perfectly and everything was extremely flavorful. There was not a single thing about the experience we could complain about it. Service was excellent, everyone was extremely nice, the food came out promptly and it was nice and hot! If you want great sushi, hibachi or ramen, definitely make this a stop.”

Note: Oishiya does not offer ramen to go. It is dine-in only so they can make sure it is perfect.

The establishment offers a selection of hibachi dishes, though these are cooked in the kitchen in the back, not around a community table with a show, like some hibachi establishments. The hibachi salmon seems like a popular choice.

Further exploration of the menu results in the uncovering of some delicious gems. Try the Beef Negimaki, somewhat of a mashup between sushi and a cheeseburger. These delicious pieces of grilled sirloin rolled with scallion and cheese come presented similar to sushi in bite-sized pieces, but with a taste that would appeal to a cheeseburger fan, made with nice slices of steak.

For those seeking squid, Oishiya serves Ikay Yaki, a squid body grilled and thinly sliced, a generously large seafood appetizer for $9.

Also find udon (noodle dishes), yakitori (grilled chicken and vegetables served on a skewer), katsu don (a fried pork loin plate), stir-fry, tempura and teriyaki dishes on the ample menu. In an interesting meeting of the cultures of the Southern U.S. and Japan, Oishiya serves drinks served in mason jars.

Rachel Jarboe said that “she will be bypassing lots of sushi joints to get to Oishiya from now on,” and that the establishment offers “service with a smile.”

“Oishiya genuinely excels at everything they touch. Let’s start with the atmosphere: It’s intimate without being pretentious. It’s comfortable and inviting. Our waitress had a smile that was contagious and was able to help guide me through the menu and make multiple suggestions for sushi I have never tried before. She nailed it! When our sushi came out it was literally a feast for our eyes as well as our bellies. It was creative and colorful all the while still looking like food,” Jarboe bragged on Oishiya in her glowing review. “My 11-year-old son was with me and although he loves sushi he decided to try one of the hibachi entrees. It was also wonderful! He ordered the shrimp and it’s the only hibachi shrimp plate I’ve ever seen that wasn’t overcooked. The shrimp was tender as God had intended.”

While her child enjoy the Oishya experience, others with more picky kids who don’t want hibachi or sushi point out that Oishiya does not have a kids menu, and that the spot may have more success as an adult date rather than for family nights out.

Though it is a comfortable and welcoming spot for all ages who enjoy seafood, rice, noodles, chicken, steak or soup.

Those entering Oishiya will surely notice the huge piece of fun artwork taking up the majority of a large wall with all sorts of imagery of Japan.

Local artist Stacey Gamble, a friend of Wesley and Sonia’s, created the art packed with elements of Japanese culture—a fun, cartoonish cat, Mt. Fuji, sakura blossoms, temples, the rising sun, a crane, pagodas, the ocean, sushi, lanterns and more.

Studying all of the elements in this piece of art can help pass the time as the sushi chefs prepare your meal at Oishiya.

For those who desire sushi or to try some of the more uncommon Japanese selections, Oishiya is the place in Murfreesboro.

A local Yelper, Kari, said her group very much enjoyed the Oishiya sushi. She dined with “a table of four and we had nothing that we did not love. I had the Bonnie and Clyde Roll and it was fabulous,” she posted. Another diner in her party had “the Rainbow Roll and she loved it.” She said the Dinosaur Egg, spicy lobster salad covered with avocado, was “to die for,” and she would come back for that, and the Scorpion King Roll “was fantastic . . . this place rocks!”

Oishiya Hibachi & Sushi
517 Cason Ln.
Mon.–Thurs.: 11 a.m.–3 p.m., 4:30–9 p.m.; Fri. and Sat.: 11 a.m.–3 p.m., 4:30–9:30 p.m.
615-962-7495
Oishiya, White Swan Roll or Mars Roll $12; Beef Negimaki $9; Tonkotsu ramen $12; Yellowtail, Calamari or Tuna Roll: $5; Katsu Don: $12; Salmon Hibachi: $17; Lunch special with two sushi rolls: $9; Salmon Delight: $9