The Fancy Dinner Guide - Philadelphia - The Infatuation

"At $300 a person, Royal Sushi Omakase is the most expensive sushi omakase experience in Philly. It’s also the best. The Queen Village spot, located in the back of the restaurant's Izakaya, serves 17 courses of technically flawless fish. You might eat buttery Spanish bluefin tuna topped with osetra and non-nigiri dishes like lightly fried icefish in a salty broth that normally goes with agedashi tofu. If you like a certain sake, the servers will write down your preferences for next time. You won’t get this level of technique or service anywhere else in town. Good luck getting in. Royal's sushi omakase is the single hardest reservation to book in Philadelphia. (At the end of the meal, diners can rebook for the following month, and many do—thus creating a defacto club of omakase regulars.) Open slots become available 30 days in advance, so we suggest setting an alarm or 10 and signing up for the waitlist notifications. It's rare, but not unheard of, to get a last-minute reservation. Alternatively, you could dine in the walk-in-only izakaya portion of the restaurant, get “lost” heading to the bathroom, and try to blend in with the Eagles player gulping toro." - candis mclean, alison kessler