One of Royal Caribbean's most popular specialty restaurants is the Japanese cuisine establishment, Izumi, and it has been spreading to many ships across the fleet ever since it first debuted.

The man behind Izumi's prominent success is Izumi Master Chef Travis Kamiyama, whose 30 years of experience are now helping Royal Caribbean create the best sushi experience at sea.

Kamiyama considers himself an artist and a sushi chef and began training at only 14 years old.  He is the brainchild behind Izumi, having envisioned the restaurant while in a Japanese restaurant in Kyoto.  He wanted Izumi to be, "a Modern Japanese restaurant with both traditional and signature sushi that caters to the international market."

"I foresee Izumi being an iconic brand that offers a variety of sustainable concept of sushi and hot dishes that will suit our guests around the world."

The story of how Izumi began goes back to 2008, when Kamiyama was introduced to Royal Caribbean by the former Vice President of Celebrity Cruise Line, Jacques Van Staden.  

Kamiyama worked with Royal Caribbean's Food & Beverage start up team to create the Izumi concept.  Kamiyama was tasked with coming up with an iconic Japanese restaurant that was duplicatable.

Royal Caribbean chose the name Izumi for the restaurant, because it means natural springs and art/decor, so the name seemed like a natural fit.

Izumi first debuted on Oasis of the Seas in 2009.  Back then, the restaurant had a cover charge along with a la carte pricing for the items.  Eventually, Royal Caribbean dropped the cover charge and went straight to a la carte pricing.

"Izumi started out way under, but management was reluctant," Kamiyama said.  "Today it's streamlined with only a la carte pricing and we are spot on in pricing."

Izumi's success meant the restaurant quickly spread to other ships in the fleet.  Kamiyama believes the reason is because of the food and the people working there, "What stands out in Izumi is not only an excellent menu but the heart of the people, the chefs and servers. They are dedicated and loyal."

Today, Kamiyama serves as the Master Chef for Izumi, where he visits different ships in the fleet to motivate and relay his passion to others in the restaurant.

"As chef, my goal is to give the best every day. We are only as good as our last meal."

Izumi will be coming to Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ship, Harmony of the Seas, and the restaurant will feature not only sushi but teppanyaki style dining at the restaurant's hibachi section.

What does the future hold for Izumi? The chef simply says, "I forsee Izumi being an iconic brand that offers a variety of sustainable concept of sushi and hot dishes that will suit our guests around the world."

It's time for sushi at Izumi on Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas!

Izumi is the Japanese specialty restaurant that first debuted on Oasis of the Seas and has been spreading across Royal Caribbean's fleet ever since. 

Izumi specializes in mainly sushi, although there are some non-sushi items on the menu.  I've been to Izumi on Oasis of the Seas and Navigator of the Seas and it's been a great option because, well, I love sushi.

Going on Quantum of the Seas, I had to give Izumi a try even if I had trouble getting a reservation.  On my cruise, Izumi did not take any reservations for lunch but did take reservations for dinner.  I was able to get a table for lunch just as they were opening up at noon!

I've always enjoyed eating at Izumi because of the great quality sushi available, especially compared to the sort of sushi you would find in the Windjammer on other cruises.  

Atmosphere

Izumi is located on deck 5, in the heart of the Royal Esplanade.  It's nearly dead center in the ship, located between the Schooner Bar and Wonderland.

Izumi has a very open floor plan, with much of the restaurant exposed to the walk way that literally cuts through the restaurant.  There's bound to be a lot of other passengers walking by you, especially the tables closest to the entrance.  If you're looking for a quiet, intimate spot for a meal, this is not it.

The layout of Izumi is essentially a rectangle with a few extra tables opposite the entrance. There's also a sushi bar you can sit at for smaller groups or for those that want to see the chefs in action.

The furniture and look of Izumi is of a modern Japanese restaurant, with lots of reds and whites.  

It's interesting to see where Royal Caribbean placed Izumi, because of the complete lack of separation from the areas around it.  Unlike other Izumi restaurants on other ships that have dedicated rooms, on Quantum of the Seas, Izumi is much more open and feels like a "junior specialty restaurant".  

Eats

The menu on Quantum of the Seas is the same, whether you eat at Izumi for lunch or dinner.  

Nearly all of the items on the menu are sushi and we did not see the hot rock Japanese food that I first sampled on Oasis of the Seas (my wife would not have been pleased).  If you're okay with just sushi, the menu will be fantastic.

Like all Izumi's I have ever dined at, the miso soup and edamame soy beans are complimentary and you can have as much of either as you like.  

Both appetizers are very good and there is plenty of edamame to go around (as well as salt).  It's a great way to start off your meal.

The sushi offerings break down between nigri/sashimi, rolls and combinations.  Personally, I love to get a few different rolls to sample what appeals to me.

I found the prices of rolls at Izumi to be about average for what you would pay for similar rolls on land.  The chef's signature rolls tend to be more expensive but  most of the rolls will run you between $9 and $12, with most in the $10-11 range.  In the grand scheme of sushi roll prices, it's neither cheap nor expensive.

I opted for the box yellowtail in garlic ponzu roll as well as crispy spicy tuna roll.  I also ordered two yellowtail sashimi.  Tuna and yellowtail are my favorite types of fish for sushi, so I stuck with my guns.

Both rolls had excellent flavor and I thought the size of the rolls were about the same as what I might get on land.  I did not order any kind of crazy sushi rolls either, so what I received is right in line with my expectations.

I received six pieces for the box yellowtail roll and eight pieces for the crispy spicy tuna.  That's a great value for sushi.

My friends dining with me also had other kinds of sushi, including this DX sushi combination plate.  Both of them reported it was quite good.

Overall

Izumi is exactly what it advertises, a great spot for anyone that is in the mood for sushi.  

Royal Caribbean has set the bar for Izumi restaurants across its fleet and the Izumi on Quantum of the Seas easily meets that expectation.  Royal Caribbean did not reinvent what Izumi is with Quantum of the Seas, but instead offers another good choice for a specialty restaurant lunch or dinner meal.

I mentioned earlier I felt like Izumi was a "junior specialty restaurant", because I don't think it's on par with restaurants like Chops Grille, Wonderland or Jamie's Italian in terms of overall experience.  Please do not take this to mean Izumi is not worth your time or is in anyway substandard. Rather, it's a different kind of experience.  Izumi more closely matches up with specialty restaurants such as Michael's Genuine Pub or Johnny Rockets because they are smaller and have lower price points.

If it were up to me, I would eat sushi everyday and certainly Izumi is a great spot to do just that.  If you want really good sushi on your Quantum of the Seas cruise, then Izumi is the place for you.

What do you think of Izumi? Please let us know with a comment!

Another brand new specialty restaurant to Royal Caribbean's Navigator of the Seas is Izumi Japanese Cuisine.  For fans of having sushi at sea, this is the place for you to get your fix!

Atmosphere

Izmumi is located all the way up on deck 14 near the Viking Crown Lounge and offers a great view of the ocean and pool deck below.  

The restaurant itself is a blend of reds and blacks and feels like a modern sushi restaurant you may have been to back home.

The layout of the restaurant is somewhat crescent shaped, but it's mostly one large room with a small sushi bar in the back.  Most tables have a view out a window.

Izumi's decor is simple but has the feel of a classy Japanese restaurant. As you are seated, the waiter will bring you a warm towel to refresh yourself with and it helps sets the tone for your experience at Izumi.

Eats

On our Navigator fo the Seas cruise, we sampled the lunch menu, which is an all-sushi menu.  The dinner menu does offer non-sushi Japanese food, so keep that in mind when booking if you prefer more variety in your options.

To start with, Izumi currently offers complimentary edamame (a preparation of baby soybeans in the pod boiled in water together salt, and served whole)  and miso soup.  Both were good but I think the edmame was better.  I found the miso soup to be interesting given the color of the broth, which is usually clear but this was darker.  

The sushi menu at Izumi offers a number of choices to consider.  Another difference between lunch and dinner is at lunch there are no daily special rolls to also consider.  Lunch seems to be a strictly small menu with dinner greatly expanding the offerings.

The choices of sushi rolls range from pedestrian to more elaborate in nature.  Knowing that everyone has different tastes in sushi, I'll say I found the selection to be average.  I wasn't blown away by the variety but it was still on par with most sushi restaurants I've found on land.

I ordered a number of hand rolls during my visit to get a sense of the quality and size of the rolls.  For me, really good sushi will not only have fresh and good tasting fish, but it will also be large in size.  

The signature rolls definitely passed my test for what constitutes good sushi for the good size of each piece and the freshness of the fish. 

I believe there are two comparissons to make, how Izumi compares to land restaurants and how it compares to cruise ship sushi.  

Compared to sushi on land, I'd say Izumi is at least average if not slightly above average.  The traditional rolls were fairly tame (but then again, tuna rolls are hardly anything more than tame) and the signature rolls tasted as good as something I'd expect to find on land.

Compared to cruise line sushi, it blows any sushi I've ever had in the Jade section of the Windjammer out of the water by far.  It certainly held up to my memories of Izumi on Oasis of the Seas and I think Izumi is a great choice for sushi fans who are cruising.

The other good thing about Izumi was the rolls were not only large in size but ample in serving.  Each roll I ordered came with 8 pieces, which is a lot for any sushi roll.

In terms of value, the pricing of Izumi has changed from what you may remember.  Izumi on Navigator of the Seas has dropped the cover charge and simply charges a la carte.  This is good since a cover charge was silly but the price of the rolls were more than I remember on Oasis of the Seas.

Most signature rolls were $10 or more, which isn't cheap for sushi but the traditional rolls were all in the $6-7 range.  I've seen far worse in terms of pricing and the complimentary edamame and miso soup does add back a little bit of value.

Overall

Admittedly, I am a sushi fiend and can't get enough of the stuff so Izumi certainly made me happy while eating there.  I think it's a great place for lunch or even pre-dinner appetizer.  

While the variety of sushi isn't the best I've ever found, I did find what they did make tasted great.  Sushi is as much an art as it is a means of sustenance and Izumi balances this fine line quite well.  

In terms of value, it's about what you would pay for sushi at home from a decent sushi joint, so I think it fits the bill when you want a little Japanese flavor during your cruise. 

Izumi is open for dinner from 6:00pm to 9:30pm and for lunch at noon to 1:30pm.  We reviewed Izumi on Navigator of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas features a number of specialty restaurants that are available to book for an additional fee and Izumi is one of them.  Featuring a selection of Japanese food, today we take a closer look at this offering.

Atmosphere

Izumi is a Japanese restaurant that features a lot of brown and orange with an Asian flare.  You will find a lot of bamboo and cherry blossoms adoring the interior of the restaurant.   Located on Deck 16 of Oasis of the Seas, Izumi partially overlooks the ocean as well as the sun deck and to a lesser degree the pool deck.  Only tables near the windows will allow for much of a view.  There is also a rather large sushi bar that encircles the chefs that prepare the sushi.  Seating here can vary in terms of something to see, as it can be difficult to see the chefs at work while sitting at the bar.

Upon entering the Izumi, you will check in and be seated.  There isn't much of a waiting area should you need to as the restaurant as a whole is rather small.  Once seated, the waiter will bring you a warm towel to refresh your face and hands.  This is a staple of any good Japanese restaurant and nice to see.

Eats

On my recent 7 night Oasis of the Seas cruise, I ate at Izumi every evening except one, so I like to think I got a good idea of the food here.  Izumi is a Japanese restaurant and has a few options beyond just sushi.  Sushi was the driving force that brought me here, but for those who aren't fans of raw fish, there's also some other interesting options.

To start with, Izumi currently features complimentary edamame (a preparation of baby soybeans in the pod boiled in water together salt, and served whole)  and miso soup.  Both were good and tasty and you can have as much of either as you choose.  You will also be offered a choice of various sparkling waters (this does cost extra).  Not being a fan of Peligrino or its similar counterparts, I passed on it.

Let's start with the sushi.  If you're looking for sushi on Oasis of the Seas, Izumi is your only option. Unlike other Royal Caribbean ships, there is no sushi offered in the Windjammer Cafe.  In addition to the set sushi menu, there's usually a special roll created each night by the chef.  I found the chef's roll to be the best sushi option each night, as they were routinely large portions, fresh and interesting combinations.

The sushi on the menu offered some good options, however, I found the options fairly limited compared to the various types of sushi rolls one can get at your local sushi restaurant at home.  That being said, there were still many more sushi options in Izumi than I've found in the Windjammer on previous cruises.  The sushi itself was fresh and most sushi rolls featured 6 to 8 pieces per roll.  Given the price of most sushi to be about $5 per roll, I found this to be a good value.

Beyond sushi, the most interesting item on the menu is the hot rock plate.  Basically, you get a heated stone the size of a small book along with uncooked meat (beef, chicken or shrimp) along with some vegetables.  You take the meat and veggies, stick them on the plate and they cook in front of you.  The first time we did it, we had the question of "When do I know when it's done?".  The waiter was very helpful in not only telling us, but helping us cook the first batch.  

This is definitely a fun dish to share, and kids are sure to really enjoy it and a good option for those not keen on really ethnic food.

In terms of pricing, I found Izumi to be mostly fair.  Entree dishes were good and there is no cover charge, the fee at Izumi is a la carte.  There were some items that I found to be rather unfairly priced, however.  I ordered a bottle of hot sake and that was $24 (there was no other option) and that special sushi roll of the day cost $10 (most other sushi rolls cost about $5 or $6).  It's always a good rule of thumb to ask how much something is when it isn't listed on the menu.

Overall

Overall I found Izumi to be a good option for fans of Japanese food, specifically sushi.  While Izumi features a few different dishes that aren't sushi, I feel their strongest suit is their sushi offerings.  I only wish they had a few more rolls to choose from, but given the price of their sushi, it's hard to go wrong.  

Izumi is open for dinner from 6:00pm to 9:30pm and for lunch at noon to 1:30pm.

And I’d love to hear your thoughts if you’ve been here! What did you order? Any suggestions or favorite items? Let me know in the comments below!