"Murata feels like it was transported from Tokyo in 1983 to the ground floor of a high-rise building in downtown Portland. The neutral decor hasn’t changed in decades, reservations still happenby phone only, and the specials board rotates through Hokkaido uni, firefly squid, and other delicacies that make sushi nerds sit up and pay attention. Regulars take seats at the sushi bar, ticking boxes on paper sheets for Dungeness crab and horse mackerel nigiri. While the pristine sushi is a draw, the dinner menu is full of sleeper hits like Osaka-style pressed sushi and zosui—a comforting rice soup served in a little iron pot that feels especially right on rainy Portland nights." - Krista Garcia