Had an amazing meal with top notch service. I can't wait for my next trip to Madison for another amazing experience.

Who would have thought sushi in Madison WI would be so incredible? But let me back up a bit, it is not just the sushi here but also the service, food presentation, table layout and general ambiance that really made this place so fabulous. Well of course going with my besties certainly added to my experience, but we could have had a rotten time too, so the 5 stars is truly attributed to RED (which stands for Refreshing, Elegant and Delicious---wow that is spot on. What a perfect name for it! :)) For all new sushi places I go to, I try to order the chirashi to get a feel for their fish quality, creativity and presentation skills. Others ordered the hamachi dish, rainbow roll, scallop roll, and an order of mackerel and an order of the egg sushi. Everything that I tried (which included all but the last two) was so amazingly fresh and delicious I was doing the happy dance inside of me. This place is definitely towards the top of my list of sushi places I have been all over including San Francisco, LA, Seattle, Oregon, Virginia, Maryland, Texas and of course Colorado. I would go back in a heartbeat and look forward to when it happens! read more

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Red was a very good sushi option in Wisconsin. My brothers and I went, and we all got the Chef's sushi and sashimi menu, which helped us try many different varieties of fish. The service was a little slow, and I felt like we weren't being checked on as much as other tables. We often had to chase down the server for refills, or even the check. Our server also wasn't able to tell us each variety of fish that came in the platter, which was disappointing because I always love knowing what fish I am actually eating. The fish, however, was very good quality. It was fresh and tender, and perfectly seasoned. Each sushi had its own combination of seasonings which I really appreciated. All in all, delicious sushi in the area, I was just hoping for a little bit more service wise in such a nice restaurant. read more

It's not a bad place. The service is great and the atmosphere is decent. The price might be reasonable for a fancy sushi restaurant in Madison. But its fanciness 》 taste. You can definitely get something better at about the same price in the west coast. The sashimi are good. But each piece is too thin. I prefer thicker cut so that the fatness, freshness and the texture of the fish can be better preserved. We ordered two special/seasonal rolls. And maybe my expectations for their rolls are too high. There is something missing in their rolls. Every ingredients are good but it lacks something to integrate all the ingredients and flavors together. And two rolls tastes almost the same even though they have completely different fish(yellow tail and tiger shrimp). read more

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Delicious! My wife and I came here for date night and we didn't hold back. Here are the highlights from our order: cocktails - umaji; appetizers - sticky ribs and blistered cauliflower; sushi - snow white seasonal roll; dessert - chocolate pot and wonton cannolis. Overall 8.5/10 read more

The best sushi place in Madison. Fantastic, creative rolls as well as simple, traditional rolls. Expensive... but you get what you pay for read more

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Definitely a more upscale restaurant in the Madison area but it is clear as to why - gorgeous ambiance, delicious, fresh food, and great service. I trust the fish here the most more than any other place in the Midwest. read more

If your are visiting Madison it's a must visit restaurant, great staff great sushi and the crown Jewel for me was the ribs starter dish It's covered with amazing spices ( chef secret ) meat is soft and melting when you eat it . read more

RED - Beef ribs - Sushi Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

High quality sushi in a pleasant environment. Great ambiance just off the Capitol Square. Highly recommend read more

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We were pretty disappointed with the service. Our table was on the 6th floor and our waitress openly let us know it was her first day. We had no issue with this and tried to be understanding but it took so long to get our cocktails and food that we were starving. The food was great and the ambiance was okay. However, we would not go back due to our dinner experience lasting over 3 hours because of the delays. read more

The service and sushi at Red are phenomenal! It is easily the best sushi in Madison. Once again we had an enjoyable experience, great cocktails and delicious food! read more

I've been told Red has good sushi and better than my regular go-to place so I have been hesitant to try. Well, I took the plunge and went to Red last night with friends ... and I have to say, it is as good as my usual place. Very creative dishes and great ambience. I love the open kitchen concept where you can see the chefs create dishes for serving. The interior decor is full of curves that pull you into the essence of a dining place. It is intimate for sure as in I was no more than 6" from the next table with guests I don't know. Noise level is on high side. I started with their lychee martini- a drink that is as good as any in town. Someone on our party liked it. Not for me - I had the one create by Hyatt in hong Kong and have not found one in US that can beat it yet. Maybe it is the fresh lychee or that Red uses lime in their concoction. Dishes were great especially the rolls. I think that's their work of art. I had the sashimi dinner and while the pieces of raw fishes were fresh, the size was ordinary and on the small side. The dish was decorated with roes and micro greens and a slice of kiwi on the side. This was served with a bowl of Japanese rice with more roes. Slices of meat can be larger. Seaweed salad ya very good and I recommend it. The wow dish was Pork belly and scallops - beautiful decorated and the pork belly was super tender & scallops were very fresh. We also ordered the Tofu roll with Thai chili. Too spicy for me. The 7 sins roll is unlike the other rolls in that it is chunkier and taste wise ordinary. The other two dishes were the Chicken and the Peking Duck rolls. I didn't get to taste them but those who did said they were good too. I will definitely return to try some rolls in the future. read more

Last week we were so fortunate enough to score a table during International Sushi Week and managed to try some of their wagyu specials! The fish at RED has always been fresh and the rolls always amazes me - but the wagyu and special Toyosu fish that we had was on a whole new level. Though the place was packed, service wasn't too bad. Hoping they have some of these special options again next year! read more

My favorite thing about Red is that there's a lot of accommodations for those with dietary restrictions, so we like to come here even though there are a handful of sushi restaurants we can go to. In addition to healthy accommodations, the food is great, so we are immensely satisfied after eating here. For those with special dietary restrictions or diseases, eating white rice is not recommended. After calling a handful of sushi restaurants, Red was the only one that had a variety of accommodations. I commend Red greatly for this reason alone and we will now be regulars. We got the sashimi dinner plate, their season red Toro roll, and the salmon lover. All the ingredients in each roll are delicately placed and thought out. They compliment each other well. My favorite toppings are the little red/orange tobiko.so good! The forbidden rice is delicious too. Of course it is not the same as having white rice, but it is an excellent alternative and they make it well. I found that adding ginger slices to each roll compensated the lack of sweetness that came from the white rice. Great and friendly staff. On the pricier side, as it is downtown, but great atmosphere and worth it every once in awhile! read more

RED - Sashimi dinner with forbidden rice - Sushi Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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Personality of service staff was stale, ambiance was trendy. I love sushi, got the chef choice plate for $42 and HAD 4 SOUR SUPER FISHY pieces of fish. Never had that at sushi before. Would NOT recommend or come back. Big let down for dinner with only a few nights in town and this place being recommended. I'm from where fish is fresh and tastes that way. DO NO RECOMMEND. read more

The sushi practically melts in your mouth. I went there solely for the sushi and I was not disappointed. Every roll I tried tasted amazing and so different from the other. It was so fresh and the presentation of each roll was beautiful. Loved the decor and ambience of the place. It's busy so get reservations ahead of time. The red velvet dessert we ordered was good but not at par withtheir sushi. Go check out this place for its sushi. read more

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Vegan sushi for the win! I stopped in at Red when I was in Madison for business. It was noon on a Friday and the place was packed, but I was seated promptly and my server showed up at my table soon after. My server was attentive and knowledgeable. The restaurant's vibe is casual and trendy. I ordered the lunch sushi special, which is two rolls for $15. I ordered the vegan sushi roll and the vegan spider roll. It was beautiful and tasted absolutely amazing! Now I'm going to be dreaming about the sushi at Red because it was absolutely incredible! I obviously can't speak to the fish-based sushi (is that even a real term??), but if it is as fresh and tasty as the vegan rolls, then you're in for a treat. The bill for two sushi rolls, tea, and tip was $24. That's high compared to Milwaukee area restaurants, but 1) I can't complain because the food was amazing, and 2) I am not in Madison enough to say whether that's average for the area. read more

RED - Sushi Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Great place for a light lunch - good sushi, reasonable lunch special pricing, friendly service and trendy atmosphere. Came here for lunch a few days ago with some family members who are vegetarians and really like the place. We all ordered the $15 lunch special which gets you two rolls. We also had some edamame and miso soup, both of which were wonderful. The rolls were made inside-out, which is very pretty and holds sauce well. My salmon skin rolls had a nice texture, the salmon skin was very crunchy which I like, but was in very small pieces like crumbles which tended to fall apart after dipping in soy sauce. The tuna/avocado rolls were excellent. The vegetarians had some beautiful-looking rolls made with sweet peppers - very colorful. The service was very attentive, and our food was prepared quite quickly. The atmosphere was very modern and clean in appearance. I'd definitely come back, particularly for the lunch special which is just enough at noon. read more

RED - Salmon skin and tuna/avocado rolls - Sushi Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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Stopped here last night with a coworker. The server walked us through the menu explaining a couple items. I had ordered their barrel aged old fashioned (not the Wisconsin version of this drink) and it was... interesting. I can't figure out what the flavor it was that contributed the interesting flavor, but have it down to either Luxardo Maraschino liqueur or the other bitters. It wasn't bad just was different from Old Fashioneds that I've had before. I ordered two spicy salmon rolls (can't remember the names off the top of my head). Both were very good. It was my first time using chopsticks... Not the best yet but I'll work on it. read more

Their sushi is good. Is it the best I've ever had? No. But it is probably the best I will have in Madison, Wisconsin. They rotate rolls and their menu a lot to offer a lot of seasonal ingredients. Fun inside and good for groups. However a little $$$ read more

RED - Sushi Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

The sushi is always so amazing here. I wish I could eat there more than I do. The decor is very modern with a nice too. My only small gripe is the noise level when it is busy. read more

The food is absolutely amazing. The prices how ever have gone up astronomically!! Inflation is totally a thing, but I cant justify going to RED as frequently anymore because of the cost. I know RED gets a lot of business, but if they keep raising their prices I see them loosing business in the near future. I for one cant go there as often as I use to because of how often they hike up their drink/food prices. read more

Can't miss. Plan ahead not easy to get in but we'll worth it. Outstanding food and service

Cool vibe, great service! Large fresh sushi rolls. Good selection of options. Nice wine and drink list. Inviting outdoor patio. read more

Loved their gluten-free and vegan options, plus non-vegan rolls. Really great service and thorough server! Delicious food and lovely date night atmosphere. read more

Probably the highest quality sushi available in Madison but honestly not a standard difficult to meet. The new location allows for more spacing and promises the similar attempt at a modern and somewhat chic atmosphere, complimented by the electronic dance music to further extentuate a young and exciting atmosphere. Probably the greatest struggle of this place is the awful parking which seemed to have little improvement. Several imaginative rolls and cooked options, including appetizers and entrees, are available. Quality of food is undoubtedly high and very fresh tasting. The sushi chefs are expert in appropriately carving the sushi and avoiding any unwanted portions of raw fish - an issue at several other places in Madison. Drinks are relatively unique and comes with good quality. The wait staff is relatively young and honestly do a good job of maintaining professional and quality service. Never rude and they try to be helpful. Mistakes are met with an apology and genuine attempt at trying to fix the issue. Take out orders are treated with an attention to detail to make sure important details aren't missed. They do a good job here and again set the standard for Madison sushi. I do wish the parking improved compared to the other location as really this is one of the deterrents for me coming here. read more

4.5 stars: This place is so nice! The atmosphere/layout is very unique. Our server was so attentive and kind. The sushi rolls we had were some of the best! We were celebrating our wedding anniversary, so they brought champagne over for us at the end of our meal. It was so thoughtful! read more

RED - Kitchen area - Sushi Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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Went back to RED last week when I visited Madison, and they're still great. Super knowledgeable about what is vegan and what is not. This time we had their brussel sprouts and shishito peppers as apps (Brussels were amazing, peppers were decent). I had the Vegan Rainbow and Nutty Vegan rolls. Highly recommend the Nutty Vegan -- the fried tofu on top is amazing! read more

RED - Vegan Rainbow up top and Nutty Vegan on the bottom right. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

This is absolutely the best sushi in Madison. We've come here more than once just to try more stuff. My partner loves the firecracker roll and tropic thunder roll, especially the fruity sweetness in tropic thunder. I love the classic toro and the melodramatic roll. Amazing appetizers too!! read more

RED - From top to bottom: fire cracker roll, tropic thunder roll, tiger roll, negi-toro roll, yellowtail roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

My fiancé and I have been here twice - once the night we got engaged, and recently on the one-year anniversary of that engagement! (I promise we're getting married soon, lol). And it was incredible both times. The sushi is the best I've had in Madison, and some of the best I've had in my whole life (and my dad is from Japan, so I have had a LOT of sushi). My fiancé also loves their ribs, which are very generously portioned. They have a lovely and unique cocktail menu - our waitress last time was nice enough to warn me of the strong fennel taste of the cocktail I ordered ahead of time. This was no problem for me (and it was delicious), but it was so kind of her to make sure I would enjoy what I was ordering. She also brought us complimentary champagne for our anniversary! The interior is very modern and beautifully decorated. It's a little out of our budget to come here too regularly, but we will definitely keep Red as our go-to special occasion spot! read more

RED is An amazing sushi restaurant with a wonderful outdoor dining area that offers a very relaxing atmosphere. The menu features seasonal sushi rolls which utilize local, in-season ingredients and really stand out among other sushi restaurants. As amazing as the sushi rolls were, The star of our meal was the Sticky Short Ribs. Also, the patio is very stroller friendly & offers lots of shady options. There are also quite a few vegetarian options! read more

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This is absolutely the best sushi in Madison. Aesthetically it's gorgeous. The food is always top quality and fresh. They do beautiful, inventive seasonal rolls. It's hard to get a reservation, so plan ahead! Literally can't find a thing wrong about this place in the times I've been. read more

We got our food to go and this is the first time we are trying this place!!! It was sure busy. When I went to pick up, they already had 6-7 bags waiting for take out and it was only 30 mins from the opening time. We ordered wagu sliders which were awesome even if we ate them 30 mins after pick up. I definitely would order this again and hope to eat in- it could be juicier. We also ordered salmon poke, and an assortment of rolls- dragon roll, spicy tuna, salmon tempura and California roll. The roll were all nicely packed with flower decorations on it. We could have had a little more wasabi and ginger slices though. We were so hungry - I didn't get to take a pic of the plate. It was a beautiful arrangement. My only criticism was that they packed my hot sliders on top of the rolls and that made them warm when we ate the rolls. I wished they separated them when packing! This is a must try restaurant if you are looking for quality food. I am looking forward to dinning in soon. read more

Good food good atmosphere good presentation great service. Nuff said ie: skip the pus read more

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Seemed like the most stylish restaurant in Madison. Also, perhaps one of the most accommodating gluten free restaurants - they have a separate gluten free fryer and work space and even gluten free tempura. The menu was nearly all sushi. Recommend the negiri. The kampachi was the best and the salmon and yellowtail were also good. The blue fin was the least interesting. The classic rolls were not as good. They tended to fall apart and had too little fish. The red wines by the glass were not appropriate for the menu (most were too heavy) and worse, not good. The pinot noir had the cloying pinot noir flavor found in cheap boxed versions. The grenache was too earthy. read more

Such good sushi! We were seated on the 6th floor which had a different vibe. Quiet ambiance. The lychee martini was really good to start. There were 5 of us so we shared a lot of different rolls. My favorite was the nutty vegan, sounds weird but oh so good. Also favorites were Asian bbq ribs and brussel sprout salad. We were happy with every roll we ordered! Great service. read more

With Covid, it's important to make a reservation well in advance if you'd like to eat at Red because they are taking lots of precautions (which is appreciated) and have very limited seating to ensure there's sufficient space between all customers. That being said, it's really easy to make a reservation online which is great! This was only my second time at Red. It was delicious. There were some big hits and other misses. We started with cups of the miso soup which were very large portions and had really great flavor. I had a hankering for seaweed salad. The closest thing they had was a "mixed green and seaweed salad". I have to say, this was the biggest disappointment. While it was how they described it-- chopped up greens with cucumber and tomato, the seaweed was practically non-existent/few and far between. I literally had to search for it, so let's just say it didn't satisfy my seaweed salad craving. At least it was a healthy appetizer and was still a yummy salad nonetheless, just a bit misleading and wouldn't order it again! We were right back to outstanding, delicious food when we received our sushi/nigiri. I ordered the spider roll. It was excellent! My boyfriend got bluefin tuna, salmon, and octopus nigiri. He said the quality and taste of the fish was outstanding. I tried the octopus and found it to be very meaty and delicious. Red is expensive but the food definitely warrants the prices. The environment/interior of the restaurant is lovely as well. read more

The food tonight was at best average. Tuna tasted fresh but the salmon was fishy. Spicy tuna was definitely not spicy in anyway. They where also out of two types of sushi. The service was poor. He forgot 2 different items, made one the works type, and never came back with one drink we requested and was definitely more interested in turning the table then delivery of quality service. To add to the rushed feeling the woman at the checkin desk made it clear that we had 1.75 hours to eat because of an existing reservation that needed that table. read more

RED - Sushi - Sushi Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Wow, what great sushi and such a great atmosphere. My girlfriend and I found RED after passing by the city library. This place is super nice and accommodates all variety's of parties and guests. From the bar, table top, booths or even private beaded rooms. You can reserve your spot online which makes it very convenient. While dining here, we ordered a large bottle of hot sake, which was bold and nicely flavored. The seaweed salad was so fresh and the Brussels sprout leaves were tossed nicely with balsamic vinegar and slices of sugared lemon zest. We then both tried something tuna for our rolls. I got a spicy tuna roll. This was an awesome roll however, could of done with less Jalapeños. Everything we ordered was fresh and flavorful. The staff was beyond friendly. The environment had an upbeat lounge type feel. Definitely a great place for a date! Highly recommended. read more

RED - Spicy Crunchy Tuna - Sushi Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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Fine sushi, a little pricey, very pretty inside, pretty good service, intimate vibe and good location.