9 Baton Rouge restaurant professionals reveal their favorite sushi in the city

We asked Baton Rouge-area chefs and restaurateurs to pick their favorite sushi spot in town, with the caveat being they couldn't pick their restaurant. Some like the classics; others lean toward the adventurous. 

Here's what they had to say:

Blaize Romancik, The Big Cheezy 

It's hard for Blaize Romancik to pick just one roll from his favorite spot, Umami, so he has two. The "Sexiest Woman Alive" roll is made with spicy tuna, jalapeño and snow crab in soy wrap, topped with tuna, salmon, mango, avocado, wasabi aioli, eel sauce and micro-greens. Another favorite, the "Toked Up Toro" roll, is made with spicy tuna, snow crab and jalapeños topped with seared bluefin toro and garlic tamari sauce.

Casey Evans, Dearman's Diner 

Casey Evans orders the spicy tuna roll at Sushi Yama, which is made with chopped tuna, in-house spicy sauce and cucumber. Evans nixes the cucumbers and adds avocados. 

"I'm a simple man," he says. 

Tuan Pham, Offset Smoker 

Geisha, Sushi With a Flair has two of Tuan Pham's favorite rolls: the lagniappe and filet mignon rolls.

The lagniappe roll includes snow crab, cucumbers and tempura oysters baked in a seafood sauce, wrapped in soy and topped with scallops, crab stick, crawfish, eel sauce, sesame seeds and masago. The filet mignon roll features snow crab, asparagus and avocado topped with a teriyaki torched filet, eel sauce, spicy mayo and green onions.

Needhi Patel, formerly with Tap 65 

At Umami Japanese Bistro, chef Needhi Patel orders a veggie roll with cream cheese, cucumber, jalapeño and mango with tempura flakes on top. She's also a fan of the grilled eggplant nasu nigiri. 

"Umami is my go-to place because of the vegetarian options," Patel says. "They've got a whole (vegetarian) menu, and everything is super fresh and packed with flavor. It's not easy finding good veggie options in Baton Rouge, so this spot feels like a hidden treasure." 

She added that the eggplant, when grilled just right, is sweet, savory and melts in your mouth. 

"Paired with the rice, it's honestly magic," Patel says. "They've turned veggie sushi into something seriously crave-worthy." 

Nick Cormier, Envie Smokehouse 

At Ochi Sushi & Hibachi, Nick Cormier likes the cowboy roll that's made with tuna, salmon, yellowtail and snow crab, plus white tuna, green onion and a special sauce on top. Altogether, the roll comes on a hot plate.

"It blew my mind the first time it came out on a fajita plate," Cormier says. "It's the perfect mixture of sushi with a fajita flair."

Katie Crifasi, The Plantry

To keep her diet healthy, Katie Crifasi makes modifications to the pineapple avocado roll from Ochi Sushi. She skips the cream cheese and extra sauces to make the roll cleaner and leaner. 

"They're a friendly, family-owned restaurant that's simple but fresh," Crifasi says of the restaurant. 

Neal Hendrick, Zippy's 

When it comes to sushi, Neal Hendrick also keeps it simple. He says his go-to is the raw fish at Rock-n-Sake because it's always great. 

Darlene Adams Rowland, BREADA

Darlene Adams Rowland is a fan of the Rachael roll at Sushi Yama. It's made with spicy tuna and snowcrab wrapped in soy and topped with salmon, avocado, caviar and spicy mayonnaise.

"It has a creamy texture, and the caviar on top makes it seem luxurious," Rowland says of her sushi order. 

Laura Siu-Nguyen, Table Story and Night Market BTR

Also a fan of Sushi Yama, Laura Siu-Nguyen's favorite roll is the samurai roll.

"It has such a unique and refreshing combination," Siu-Nguyen says. "The fresh ingredients like the tuna give it this clean, bright taste, and the chili oil crisp adds just the right amount of heat and crunch." 

She added that the roll is often in her rotation of food choices. And, sometimes, that's all she orders at the restaurant.