Kei Sushi Restaurant

Kei Sushi is our favorite neighborhood sushi spot. We proudly bring out-of-town friends and family here to show off the quality, yet unpretentious nature, of the Philly food scene. The fish is always super fresh yet the prices are fairly reasonable. My personal favorite is their chirashi bowl — and I love that they make it kosher-style (you know you’re in Philly when this is an option already offered on the menu 😅). Overall, Kei is consistently delicious, presentation is spot on, and the atmosphere is laid back.

love everything here! during peak hours it might be a bit difficult to get a table because of the seating but all the sushi and service is worth the wait! this is the second coming here and we were served by maya, she’s the sweetest!! everything was super amazing, i love the salmon toro and scallop here!

Kei sushi just became my favorite sushi spot; I got the chirashi and my brother got the Philly roll and lobster roll. Fish was so fresh and a variety I don’t commonly see behind tuna and salmon. They did accommodate my shellfish allergy (at an extra cost)

My favorite sushi place in Philadelphia! Small, cozy, friendly service and DELICIOUS FOOD!!! I’ve been ordering delivery and pick-ups for 4 years! However, I love to dine in! The place is intimate and welcoming due to the great atmosphere and friendly hosts! The quality is incredibly consistent! I have never been disappointed with a single order! The regular rolls are prepared with the same care as the special rolls! Even their miso soup is way beyond the normal miso soup experience! You can bring your own alcoholic beverage or just enjoy their fresh tea, which they never let go empty (again, very attentive and friendly hosts!) I highly suggest Kei Sushi if you are into Japanese cuisine and are looking for a classic and delicious experience!

Some of the best sushi I've ever had. Everything was fresh and tasted great. The rolls are well made with minimal rice and don't fall apart when you pick them up. I definitely recommend this place!

Update: This place continues to be a very solid lunch and dinner option! I've got back several times and they consistently deliver! Kei Sushi is NOT messing around. Seriously fresh and delicious sashimi sampler, seaweed salad, kani su (cucumber wrapped kani and avocado), and special roll — baked lobster. Every single bite of every dish was phenomenal. The atmosphere was bright, clean, and relaxing. Plus the prices are very fair for the quality. Definitely a new contender for my favorite Philly sushi spot!

We had a great time at Kei! The sushi was delicious and fresh, with fun flavors on the specialty rolls. Service was attentive and sweet. The space is small, and it was busy on a Friday night, but they do take reservations. I definitely recommend coming to Kei for sushi!

We were at Key last Monday. I really enjoyed everything. The atmosphere was cozy, and the food was delicious. Thank you very much.

Great byob! Sushi was so fresh and delicious! Service was fast, but highly recommend reservations cause the inside is small. Staff is very friendly.

More like a 3.5. Loved the concept of new sushi combinations, and the generous amounts of filling, however, that was also it's downfall. Flavors were interesting and tasty on the first couple of bites, before becoming too saucy and overpowering for a roll with that little rice. (Can't believe that I'm actually complaining about sushi filling being filled to the brim). Additionally, found some scales in the sushi which got stuck in my gums. Place was tiny, and became really noisy once packed. Server gave us free edamame which was a plus

Ordered carryout via phone. Dropped by during the pickup window and waited 5-10 more minutes for our three rolls. Ordered the Kei 1 ($17.50), Ninja Roll ($16), and United Roll ($16) - each roll came with 8 pieces. Based on what we ordered, we were pleased with the amount of fish that came with each roll. I enjoyed the United Roll the most, since it had a huge mashup of tuna, yellowtail and salmon. It was the first time I had soy paper in a sushi roll, which greatly helped the architectural integrity of the rolls. Appreciated the flavor combos of each roll, with the fish and rice base gradually topped with enhancing ingredients such as scallions, varying tobiko, rice pearls, sauce, etc. So in a way, it's understandable if food prep time is higher. Seems like reviews are split between dine-in/delivery, but we thought our delivery (or I suppose pick-up experience) was positive.

Excellent service and great food. I just wish that what I got had came with more veggies but I'll ask about that next time I come back!!

This was the best sushi I've ever had and I've had ALOT of sushi! The salmon was large chunks of the freshest sushi in these rolls for only $8! The service was so attentive and the restaurant super clean. We loved this place in every way and will go back next week! Don't miss out trying it.

I absolutely adore Kei for many reasons! Their takeout game cannot be beat. I've ordered rolls, appetizers, and more for takeout and it always comes quickly and well packaged. They don't play with their service and quality. I also love that I can pop in as a solo diner and sit at the sushi bar even on a Friday night. Because their takeout business is thriving, they often have seats available in house if you'd like a casual dine in experience. It is a BYOB and the team here is SO kind. I decided to dine in this past weekend and felt so well taken care of. I like the sushi bar because it is like dinner and a show. They have three sushi chefs working tirelessly to churn out classic and specialty rolls, sashimi platters, sushi boats, nigiri, and all of the other items you'd expect to see at a top tier sushi restaurant. I love how near this is to my house and that they pride themselves on their high quality fish. They don't skimp on portions either and the prices are the best in the city. I got three rolls and an app for ~$37. I can't wait for my next takeout order and it's great to have Kei as a go-to!

Super yummy sushi!! The sashimi platter was incredibly fresh, and all the sushi rolls were amazing! I don't remember exactly what rolls and sashimi we ordered. The sushi boat was so cute and beautifully decorated. Servers were also so so kind when we accidentally spilled lots of water on the floor. Love this underrated, hidden gem of a sushi spot!! Highly recommend :)

Food was delicious! The fish was extremely fresh abd tasty. The service was very nice, and the space was very cozy and clean. I was very pleased with my experience and already want to be back!!

Very good sushi. Ordered a plethora of rolls, all of which were excellent. The standouts were the fire dragon roll and the south 2 roll. The sweet potato roll and spicy salmon crunchy were also delicious. The seaweed salad is also worth ordering. Historically, I do not enjoy seaweed salad, but very much enjoyed theirs. The employees were very kind at pickup. Definitely recommend!

Amazing take out sushi! The food was fresh, order was ready on time, lots of variety in the menu, and the fish tasted high quality. 10/10 would try again!

The food is delicious and authentic. you can BYOB, i see the table near to us brought beer. It must be common here. we are in town for a conference, so didn't do that. restaurant is not big, but cozy, i think it ia nice place to catch up with a friend, enjoy your own favorite drink, save some money on alcohol.

Ordered from this spot a few times and they have great quality food. The portions are great and pricing is also great. Def recommend.

I got the Kei sushi dinner with the garden salad and everything was delicious! The fish is good quality and the sushi rice is seasoned well. The service was also very fast despite the restaurant being full. We also tried the spicy edamame which was very spicy but delicious, and the mochi ice cream for dessert was also great. The price point is slightly higher than expected but for the quality of sushi it's definitely worth it.

I marked this just ok because what we ordered did not look like the picture. I guess its time to update the photos for the menu items. It was chicken and noodles taste was good.

Great food, great service. Fast. Great to go to when you're around Philly! What a pleasant surprise, you can't find great sushi anywhere! Will definitely come back!

Solid sushi spot with cute dishes! Our sushi was plated on a cute boat. We shared a Sahara roll and Kei sushi combo. I like the way they season their rice here! I was a big fan of the Sahara roll--the pink soybean paper didn't really taste like anything but looked nice and held the pieces together well, and the textures/flavor was great. The tuna maki roll was packed with fish, and we liked all of the nigiri (salmon was notably good) except for one piece with the shiny skin that was a bit weird tasting. (But apparently it was fine, since I'm writing this a couple days later:) ) The atmosphere inside is pretty informal, and I think they do a lot of takeout. The chopsticks provided were wood disposable ones, and I would've preferred real chopsticks. But I enjoyed dining there and would come again!

Lunch special is a great deal, quality rolls and a miso soup. Friendly staff, a clean comfortable environment in the city, walking distance to Penn Rittenhouse.

Sometimes you never know if it'll be good when it's not your usual place. So this is on south street near the hospital. I placed a big order for bestie night and they def called me to make sure I was still coming. It got to the point, I was sitting in traffic on South and they came out to the car (in stalled traffic) to give me my food. The food-- fresh and plentiful. Each item was fresh from edamame to the seaweed salad. As you can see I get the dragon roll, an eel, some tempura, the dumplings were delicate and delicious. I would certainly get again and be happy to receive my food while I drive by slowly in traffic

Pretty good sushi! Came here during a rotation for dental school so location was super convenient. My classmates and I were the only ones there at 12:30pm on a weekday so service was really fast! Food came out quickly. Their lunch special is so cheap! $12 for two rolls and miso soup/salad! The fish is fresh, but the sushi had too much rice for my liking.

2.5 stars. This update is for take out only. Having had dinner here a couple weeks ago, which was fantastic, I decided to give delivery a second chance.....BIG MISTAKE. The rolls are significantly smaller than dining in. I ordered two others of Salmon sashimi. Dining in, you get 2 pieces per order, delivery to get 1 piece per order. At $5 an order, this is a HUGE rip off. To add insult to injury, the pieces were extremely small. Seaweed salad was good and plentiful. The final nail in the coffin was no containers of soy sauce were included. We got 4 small packets of soy sauce. Bare in mind, the prices are that of a high end sushi establishment. Additionally, only one set of chopsticks was included. The dine- in experience is usually very good. However, delivery is a complete rip off and seems designed to be so. Order from someplace else.

Everything was mediocre. Spicy tuna was 50% mayo. California roll was crabstick and avocado. No cucumber like every other restaurant includes. The tuna roll is good. But when you pay extra for additional ingredients, you better include them. That alone is the reason I won't be ordering from this restaurant again.

My husband and I came here for lunch today and can't say we'll be back. We were the only ones inside and yet it took over 10 min and finally me asking if someone could come to us. If they were busy with literally anything else, I could understand but they were just sitting there on their phones. What really killed us though is that we heard a customer calling in for a pick up order and she was on speaker. And when the hostess asked for credit card number to charge the order, it was stilllll on speaker! If we were malicious people we could've easilyyyy written that card number down and charged God knows what to it. Finally, the actually food. We had the spicy tuna roll, spicy salmon roll, south 1 and south 2 along with the miso soup and house salad. No conplaints on the soup or salad - basic but good. The rolls were notttt good. They weren't rolled well, fell apart, the fish didn't taste fresh, and just didn't sit well. I debated giving this place two stars but I don't even know what justifies giving it a second one.

Amazing sushi! Super fresh and made to order. And they have attentive servers. My son thought that their California rolls were the best sushi that he had!

I've wanted to try this place for a while and I'm glad I did. At the recommendation of the hostess, I tried the Chirashi bowl. The Chirashi bowl was well-priced and contained a lot of seafood... nine different varieties! Tuna, salmon, yellowtail, white tuna, red snapper, some other kind of white fish, clam, shrimp, and baby shrimp. About the only thing I'd change or improve upon is the addition of some kind of mackerel. I know mackerel is cheap, but it just adds another shot of color in this already great dish. I would also like to see the chef slice the top of one of the varieties of fish in a criss-cut way for more visual variety. The rice sprinkled with sesame seeds was very nicely seasoned and sticky without being too sticky. The decor of the place is a little spartan. It doesn't look quite like the pictures on their web site, but that's okay. I was expecting to see a very small place that was family run as the web site said. It's actually quite small, but I quite like this. I will certainly return to try some of their other dishes now that I know they have a good Chirashi bowl.

Was told on the phone wait would be 40 minutes. I showed up after an hour and 10 minutes for pick up. Not ready. Now at an hour and a half and still waiting . . . It's unfortunate because our other neighborhood sushi restaurant closed, and this one is good, but service management is untenable. We will not be back.

Gigantic piece of Sushi. Love the Salmon Don. Very thick cut for the sashimi. Worth to visit.

What a find! In my mind, judging sushi can be seen on a 4-point curve fit (sorry for getting nerdy on this), where there is a diminishing return on how much you spend versus the quality of the sushi you get. On the bottom end is your grocery store sushi, which is still quite good, but it's not the same as what you would get with a 3 Michelin star omakase place where they fly in fish every day from Japan. Kei is in that sweet spot where there is a linear relationship with how much you spend and how good the food is. In terms of the price that we spent versus the quality, it definitely skewed the curve more towards a higher quality for a lower price. 35 dollars for a sashimi and sushi combination, I've never seen that anywhere else. The portions are also VERY generous. As much as I love inventive, high end sushi, there's the feeling that I would need a dessert pizza or something to fill me up at the end. The pieces of nigiri were veryyyy substantial, and of quite good quality. The restaurant is kept really clean and warm. The service was quite good for a small team, though I did need to ask our server for some more water. Another great thing, is it's BYOB. If you live around the area, this is definitely a neighborhood spot, somewhere that I could come (almost) every day and get a good meal.

This is a great, casual BYOB spot. Sushi is fresh and prices are good! They have a lot of options. Service is great, they are so friendly and always smiling. I would highly suggest this spot.

Really great sushi that is beautifully presented. Sushi is nice portions that are very fresh. It's BYOB, so plan ahead. They have great combination sushi/nigiri/roll platters that are a great deal! Don't miss out on those!

This restaurant was beyond phenomenal. My niece and I went for a late meal and let me say that we were amazed. The sweetest service and the most amazing staff! The food was incredible and totally delicious not only is my stomach full but my soul is too. The ambiance was so calming and just overall so lovely the music wasn't too loud or too quiet and I didn't feel like anyone could hear me. I was in a cute small both in the back and the service was fast and food was hot. I cannot wait to be hungry again to eat at that amazing restaurant. 100000000000 stars.

I ordered the Chirashi lunch bowl with a side salad. I like that there are lunch specials even on Saturdays. Considering how much fish they give for $18, it was a good deal. The fish is high quality and the sushi rice was seasoned well. Right now they are doing pick up only and no dine in options. I would recommend calling in ahead of time during lunch to reduce your waiting time. Otherwise it was really nice that they allowed us to sit inside to wait while our order was getting prepared. I thought that service was pretty fast considering how many incoming orders they had and that the staff was very polite and friendly.

This is a nice cozy neighborhood byo sushi spot. My and I came here for dinner on a Saturday. We made reservations for two. It was right next to Pumpkin on South Street. It is a tiny spot with about 15 tables (and some counter seats), so expect NYC style seating. The tables are very close to one another. We were literally 3-4 inches from the next table (practically a table for four with two randos). But one you get used to that, and their conversation becomes white noise, it's a really cool dining experience with great service and delicious fresh sushi. The server brought us water and opened our bottle of wine immediately. She also took our order within minutes, which was nice. For appetizers, we ordered the spicy edamame and fried oysters, both from their specials menu. We also ordered the following rolls: Kei 2, Sahara, Rainbow, Spicy Tuna, Spicy Salmon, and Eel Avocado. Because of the number of rolls, they were served on a boat. I'm a sucker for sushi boats! Who doesn't like to eat off of a little wooden boat? More things should be served on a little wooden boat. Food for thought. The appetizers were tasty. The spicy sauce on the edamame was awesome. All edamame should be served like that! The fried oysters were essentially fine panko breaded fried dough balls stuffed with lightly cooked oysters. It was a unique texture and flavor. It had a thick outer shell with a gooey center. It was served over the sauce similar to the one served on an eel roll. It was good, but probably wouldn't order it again. The rolls were delicious. My favorite was the Sahara. The scallops were the winner. Very tasty. All the rolls were a good size and reasonably priced. We were super stuffed after dinner. The service was great. We will definitely be back.

Kei was a great spot for sushi. We didn't try the other foods they offer, but I knew they would use these awesome boats/bridges to hold their sushi, so I was excited to see this come out when I ordered my sushi. The sushi boat we got did not disappoint, and it was huge! We ordered the sashimi and sushi special, the Kei 1, Kei 2, and the Flyers roll. It was a good amount of food, but all of it was delicious. I loved the Flyers roll because it was fried, so I'd highly suggest that one!

Pretty solid average sushi/sashimi place. I suggest getting the takoyaki as an appetizer. You won't be displeased. Although very small, it gives a warm feeling. I wouldn't suggest having parties more than 4 and bringing kids here since all the tables are very tight. The service was nice and efficient. Had 0 issues. A plus is that it's a BYOB!

This is a definitely hidden gem in the Rittenhouse area. You would just walk by if you didn't know about it. TL;DR: Fresh sushi at a cozy and clean place you wouldn't even notice. Miso soup: Very tasty with a lot of tofu chunks. Definitely not watery like some other places Yakitori: The chicken is very juicy, not dry or burned. Perfect with the teriyaki sauce. Kei Sashimi: Good variety and very fresh. Not sure why they have a cooked shrimp in, but I don't mind. I would absolutely order that again once I've tried other items.

A really great BYOB sushi spot on South Street. It's small and cozy - definitely make a ressy...honestly, I should have to stop saying this, ALWAYS make a ressy no matter what. But, the food here is so good and fresh! They have a big selection and everything I have had was very tasty. Everything is also so reasonably priced. You get a bang for your buck. The service was amazing, as well. They were very attentive and friendly which I appreciate. An overall amazing experience. I wish I lived closer, but I will make the trip to come back because it was just that good.

Consistently solid sushi and terrific service, especially during the pandemic. Love that you can ask for "nothing extra" to reduce takeout waste!

So happy to have discovered this little BYO gem thanks to Yelp. The simple sushi classics here are exemplary: deceptively simple, generously plump with fresh fish and a veneer of sweet rice, perfectly balanced and seasoned, served at the perfect temperature, and as a bonus they are reasonably priced. Will unquestionably be back.

Super friendly staff. We ordered takeout on a Saturday and saw that they have a lunch special. Yes, even on the weekend! $15 for 15 pieces of sashimi or chirashi is a great price! We got a Fantastic roll, Philadelphia roll, the 2 regular rolls lunch special (spicy tuna and south 1), chirashi lunch, and seaweed salad. The 2 regular rolls and chirashi lunch specials came with your choice of soup or salad. There was plenty of fish in all the rolls and in the chirashi bowl. They didn't cut small pieces for the chirashi just because it was a special. The Philadelphia roll included masago so that is a nice addition. Most of the rolls included crunchy flakes, which is great if you love crunchy flakes but may be a con if you don't. The food we ordered was just for my husband and me, but the amount we got could have easily fed 3 people (incidentally, the staff probably thought the food was for 3 people based on the number of chopsticks they gave us). Docking one star because my husband found a small bone in one of his sushi pieces, BUT despite that, we would still try Kei sushi again!

The space is kind of small but quite homey. I wanted to order the salmon skin salad but unfortunately they ran out, but the kani salad I ordered instead was quite tasty--lots of crab meat! The chirashi bowl was also quite good: generous portion, very fresh fish. Would recommend and would definitely come again!

One of the most reliable sushi spots, always fresh and filling. They do an excellent job with speciality roles!

Takoyaki are crispy Nihon and Fantastic are good. Not too much rice around sushi Chirashi rice is so good. Huge portion Friendly service Good music

One of the better average sushi restaurants in the area. I came on a Monday night and there were about six other tables occupied. Service was quick and the staff members were friendly. I ordered the spicy tuna crunch roll (8 pieces) and the spider roll (6 pieces). I really liked that the crunch was placed next to the spicy tuna inside the roll. My soft shell crab was fried well and had a nice crisp. My partner ordered takoyaki as an app, which was interesting bec they drizzled wasabi aioli on top. He also ordered a sushi platter which included 8 different pieces of fish and an 8 piece roll. My partner said that each sushi piece had too much rice therefore he cut off half the rice in each piece. He said each piece had a big slices of fish. Everything tasted fresh. Our meal came out to $49.

Quite literally the best sushi place i've been to. The food is actually so delicious, the takoyaki is the perfect temperature and the wasabi adds the perfect tinge of spice. The actual rolls were even better, so so soft and the salmon is so delectable. The atmosphere inside is also very nice and cute. Overall, a great place to eat!

Sushi is fresh, service is incredibly friendly, and ambience is welcoming. Love this neighborhood spot.

Great fresh sushi. Service was nice and the space is small but comfortable. Recommended!

I can't say enough about how much I like this place. Obviously not the expert sushi level (rice can be a little too sticky) but the food is consistently tasty with great portions, the service is impeccable and very pleasant every time. I highly recommend as everyday sushi

I discovered this place accidentally during the pandemic and I'm so happy I did. My usual place was closed and this was close to my house. We had takeout (not sure if they're open yet for in-person dining) but the food was ready at the stated time and the sushi was so fresh! I will definitely be ordering again soon!

I absolutely love sushi, yet it took me years to finally try Kei. I really don't know why I've ignored this place for so long, but it was obviously a huge mistake. Kei is a BYO sushi restaurant that serves high quality sushi rolls at a good price, along with great, friendly service. I came with 2 other people and we ordered a sashimi boat, which came out with a plethora of various fish. That may have been enough for some people, but my group actually ordered several other specialty and regular tuna/salmon rolls. The whole thing came on a miniature boat, which is always a nice touch! I forget what we each paid, but I remember being pretty satisfied with the price. I love that it's a BYO as it helps keep the price down and allows you to order an extra roll or two.