When you’re craving sushi in Baltimore, there are plenty of options but one really stands out from the rest. Some people may consider this place a little overrated because without a reservation wait times can be a little bit long, but the wait is always worth it. RA Sushi in Harbor East has consistently great sushi every time.

Some friends and I had the sushi crave and headed over to RA in Harbor East.

The atmosphere is very hip with loud music playing; it almost has a club vibe to it. It’s the type of restaurant you would expect to find in Manhattan, but fits in well with the trendy Harbor East neighborhood.

RA Sushi – Photo Credit Baltimore Sun

The drink menu is expansive with cocktails that will satisfy any thirst. One of my friends tried the Fuzzy Momo Bellini. Which was a frozen blend of sparkling & white wines, Bacardi Rum, yuzu, peach & strawberry puree. It was awesome.

Fuzzy Momo Bellini

If you go to RA, make sure you have FourSquare installed on your phone, with every checkin you get either a free miso soup or an edamame. It’s a $4 value and a great addition to the meal. We shared the edamame as a table and it was good, not too mushy or soggy which happens sometimes when it isn’t steamed properly and a nice amount of salt.

Edamame

How RA serves food is different from many other restaurants. There are no appetizers or entrees, the food just comes out when it is ready which is nice because it’s not sitting under a warmer waiting for you to be ready for it. But when you’re with a group or ordering a few things, it can sometimes be a little hectic.

We also ordered the edamame dip as a starter. It comes with wonton chips and a creamy edamame mixture. It has a hint of a spice to it and reminds me of a less cheesy spinach and artichoke dip. It’s one of my favorite items on the menu.

Edamame Dip

String beans are my favorite vegetable so when I saw Garlic Green Beans on the menu I had to have it. They were steamed and sautéed in a garlic butter & Asian seasoning. They were flavorful and had a nice spicy kick to them.

Garlic Green Beans

All of the sushi we ordered was very fresh. The spicy tuna roll came with cucumber in it and was nothing out of the ordinary but great nonetheless.

Spicy Tuna Roll

We also had the Rainbow Roll which was a fun take on the standard California Roll. It was a California Roll topped with fresh tuna, salmon and yellow tail.

Rainbow Roll

If you enjoy your sushi with a little bit of a kick, the Zonie Roll is probably right up your alley. It’s spicy salmon, cucumber, cilantro & jalapeño rolled & topped with avocado & sriracha. Possibly one of my favorite rolls anywhere.

Zonie Roll

For something a little bit different, we tried the Crispy Spicy Tuna. It’s spicy tuna mix served on top of crispy sesame rice balls; drizzled with a soy chili sauce. I really liked this one too. (To be clear, I really liked all of the rolls.) The crispy rice ball added a nice crunch to the sushi which most of the rolls didn’t have.

Crispy Spicy Tuna

However my favorite roll of the evening was the Pacific Roll. A spicy mix of albacore, cilantro, jalapeño & cucumber rolled & topped with fresh avocado & mango salsa; finished with red beet tempura bits & sautéed cashew nuts. Normally I don’t like that much going on with my sushi but this one had a great balance of sweet and salty and I can’t wait to have it again.

Another roll we tried was the Hot Mess. It comes with a deep fried ball of rice topped with a baked spicy crab mixture. If you’re a fan of spicy and want something different than the traditional sushi roll, this is a fun one to try.

Hot Mess

And lastly, for April the monthly special was a hand-roll. I opted to try the Tuna Hand-Roll for $3. It was fresh tuna, rice, cucumber, lettuce and avocado wrapped in soy paper. I thought this was going to be small but it’s actually quite large and depending on how hungry you are, 2-3 can satisfy you for a meal.

Tuna Hand-Roll

If you don’t mind the noise, RA Sushi is the place to go for consistently great sushi in Harbor East. But make sure you have a reservation because the wait times can get a little long!

RA is located at 1690 Lancaster St in Baltimore.

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Looking for a place to eat? Check out Rachel’s Baltimore Restaurant List.