Cracow's Kazimierz district is famous not only for its centuries-old history. It is also, near the Market Square and the Old Town, a gastronomic center full of pubs, cafes, clubs and restaurants with a very varied profile. The season lasts 12 months here and the usually small establishments fill up during the evenings with crowds of patrons: students, artists, couples in love, beer lovers but also refined gourmet connoisseurs. However, in the rich culinary landscape of Kazimierz or even the whole of Cracow, there was none specializing in sushi. Joanna Ryciak and Piotr Zajączkowski, creators and owners of EDO SUSHI, did not like the level of the few restaurants serving this Japanese delicacy. Their fascination with the Japanese cuisine was not limited to visiting Asian, American and West European sushi bars, but led to collecting of professional literature, participating in trainings and sushi workshops and eventually to the idea of opening their own restaurant. The main principle was to achieve maximum compliance of used techniques, materials, ceramics, appearance and taste of sushi with their Japanese prototypes, so the only Polish products used in EDO SUSHI are water, salt and sugar.
What distinguishes EDO SUSHI (nowadays already called "old" EDO) and what is appreciated by food critics and the wide group of regular visitors of this longest-running sushi bar in Cracow is the constant and sometimes even conservative holding to traditional rules of the Japanese cuisine. This is reflected, for example, in the form and size of the sushi, the use of only top quality Japanese products or faithful duplication of Japanese recipes.
As a gesture towards foreign tourists sushi originating from the USA was introduced to the menu, namely several California and Philadelphia Maki varieties, considered by conservative Japanese to be very modern. Good opinions received from our guests were confirmed by local and nationwide press: within a few months after the opening the restaurant was able to boast exceptionally positive reviews in Gazeta Wyborcza and Newsweek, as well as cooperation with the Radisson Hotel, Villa Decius and Lexus. The good standing of the restaurant was achieved not only by the rich and elaborate menu by Paweł Albrzykowski, but also the atmosphere of the interior – Japanese style, raw and intimate at the same time. Very appreciated by the guests are the Japanese-style tatami rooms where guests can enjoy the taste of sushi, sake or Japanese green tea sitting on the floor at a low table in an intimate, enclosed area.