Sushi and Sake Pairing: What to Drink and Where to Try It in Hong Kong

A good sake makes sushi taste better: it cleans the palate after oily fish and lifts the sweetness of fatty tuna. You do not need to be an expert to pair well. Learn a few grades, order by the glass, and follow the same light-to-rich order as the food.

Pairing in one box. Safe default: junmai or junmai ginjo, served cool, by the glass. White fish and shellfish: crisp ginjo. Fatty tuna: fuller junmai. Eel and grilled items: junmai or honjozo, maybe warmed. Where to try: Godenya, Sake Bar Yorudake, CHU CHU, Sake Bar MURA.

The sake grades you need

Sake grades depend on how much of each rice grain is polished away, shown as seimaibuai — the percentage that remains. Junmai and honjozo are fuller and rice-forward. Ginjo is polished to 60% or less and is aromatic and light. Daiginjo is polished to 50% or less and is the most delicate. "Junmai" on the label means no added alcohol. Higher polish is not always better with sushi — delicate daiginjo can be overwhelmed by rich, soy-glazed pieces.

Serving temperature

Serve aromatic ginjo and daiginjo chilled at about 10 to 15°C. Serve fuller junmai and honjozo at room temperature or warmed to about 40 to 45°C. Ask for "cool, not ice-cold", since very cold sake hides flavour. Note that hiya means room temperature, not chilled.

What to drink with each fish

White fish and shellfish — hirame, hotate, amaebi — suit a crisp, dry ginjo or sparkling sake. Silver fish such as aji and saba suit a dry junmai with acidity. Fatty tuna and salmon belly suit a fuller junmai. Eel, grilled and soy-glazed dishes suit a rice-forward junmai or honjozo, possibly warm. See our sushi fish guide and how to order sushi like a local.

Order by the glass. It lets you change sake as the meal moves from white fish to fatty tuna, and it costs far less than a bottle you may not finish.

Where to try sake pairing in Hong Kong

Godenya, Sheung Wan

Behind an unmarked door, a Michelin-recognised sake sommelier builds seasonal sake flights served at precise temperatures, with food designed to follow the drink. Book the whole evening. See the best sushi in Sheung Wan.

Sake Bar Yorudake, Central

At 47 Graham Street, rated 4.9, with a curated sake journey and a two-hour weekend free-flow reported around HKD 298. Open to midnight, closed Sunday. See sushi bars in Tai Kwun and Lan Kwai Fong.

Izakaya & Sake Bar CHU CHU, Causeway Bay

On the 25th floor of Circle Tower, rated 4.9 from nearly 700 reviews, with three fridges of sake by the glass. A reviewer noted rare labels such as Juyondai at about HKD 300 a cup. Open to midnight, and 1am at weekends.

Sake Bar MURA, Tsim Sha Tsui

A twelve-seat counter on Austin Avenue where staff recommend sake to your taste, with glasses from around HKD 70 according to one reviewer. Open to 1am, 2am on Fridays and Saturdays, closed Sunday.

Other options

Sake Hub on Lyndhurst Terrace runs 4pm to midnight. Sake Bar SAKE NO WA on Yiu Wa Street, Causeway Bay, opens 7pm to midnight Tuesday to Saturday and allows outside food.

Free-flow sake at buffets

Kerry Hotel's Japanese seafood buffet includes free-flow sake, wine and beer on its Friday-to-Sunday tier, for HKD 100 more than weekdays. cafe TOO at Island Shangri-La has offered a sake free-flow package at HKD 298. If you will drink two or three glasses, it usually pays. See free flow sashimi buffets.

Other good sushi drinks: green tea (agari) cuts through oily fish · Japanese lager suits fried food · a highball is dry and cleansing · crisp unoaked white wine suits white fish. Avoid oaked whites and tannic reds. See sake, tea and drinks for sushi.

Drink sensibly. Eat as you drink and have water between glasses. Pregnant women should avoid both alcohol and raw fish. Halal diners should note that mirin and cooking sake are in many glazes. See sushi for pregnant women and halal Japanese and sushi.

Common questions

What sake goes best with sushi?

Junmai or junmai ginjo, served cool, is the safest choice.

Is expensive sake better with sushi?

Not always. Delicate daiginjo can be too light for rich pieces.

Where can I try sake pairing in Hong Kong?

Godenya in Sheung Wan, Sake Bar Yorudake in Central, CHU CHU in Causeway Bay and Sake Bar MURA in Tsim Sha Tsui.

Where else can I look?

See sushi restaurants by occasion and romantic sushi and omakase.

Compiled by our editorial team from sake grading and serving references, current bar and restaurant listings with ratings and hours, diner reviews and hotel offer pages, retrieved September 2026. Reviews are individual opinions. Prices and packages change. Please drink responsibly. General information only, not medical advice.