Art Sushi is a small, serious Japanese restaurant on Westbourne's main shopping street, beside the old 1920s cinema. Behind its plain grey frontage sits a counter-led dining room arranged around the craft of making sushi, and a chef-owner with credentials few on the Dorset coast can match.
Chef and menu
Kamil Skalczynski advises the World Sushi Skills Institute and holds an International Sushi Kuro-Obi Certificate awarded by the Japanese government, and he has reached the finals of both the World Sushi Cup and the Global Sushi Challenge. Before Westbourne he trained at Atelier Amaro, a one-Michelin-star restaurant in Poland, and that discipline came with him. Omakase is the signature: six pieces chosen by the chef from whatever is freshest that day. The broader menu includes nigiri, chirashi platters layered with glazed kanpyo gourd and soy-marinated egg, and California-style tempura rolls such as king prawn with mint or salmon with mango. On Sundays the format changes to a dedicated chirashi sushi feast. Ask for the counter, where every piece is cut and shaped in front of you.
Awards and listings
Art Sushi has kept its place in the MICHELIN Guide for consecutive years, ranks among The Good Food Guide's top 100 UK restaurants and was included in OpenTable's Top 100 UK Restaurants for 2023. That is unusually serious recognition for a small suburban sushi counter, and a fair measure of how highly the kitchen is regarded.
Practical details
Space is limited, so reserve in advance, especially if you want a counter seat or the omakase menu, through artsushi.co.uk or on 01202 082328. Alongside dining in, Art Sushi delivers via Deliveroo, caters for events and runs sushi masterclasses led by the chef. The restaurant is closed on Monday and Tuesday, serves dinner Wednesday to Saturday and holds a separate sitting on Sunday.
Art Sushi is a good reason to spend an afternoon in Westbourne before dinner: wander the shops and cafés, then round it off with sushi. Other places to eat nearby are in our food & drink guide, and the rest of the neighbourhood is covered in our things to do guide.