Tsunami
100 Lafayette Street
Baton Rouge, LA
If you’re looking for scenery with your sushi, Tsunami definitely impresses. Located on top of the Shaw Center for the Arts, Tsunami is an upscale sushi restaurant with a bar and a terrace with a panoramic view of Baton Rouge and the Mississippi river. We had a very pleasant dinner at Tsunami with M’s dad and his friend Chuck, who are both experts on Baton Rouge restaurants and nightlife. M’s Dad knew we are always looking for good local restaurants, so he wisely picked Tsunami as an upscale option.
Tsunami’s dining room and view
Though there are Japanese entrees available including Japanese dishes like Tonkatsu ($15) and Chicken Teriyaki ($16), Tsunami’s focus is sushi. Tsunami serves a variety of innovative rolls, with a few Cajun touches sprinkled in, which we appreciated! For example, check out the Ragin’ Cajun Roll ($8) – only in Louisiana! – with panko fried alligator and avocado. We also ordered the Jazz Roll ($10), which includes snow crab, asparagus, boiled shrimp in a soy paper; and the 412 Roll ($16), with cream cheese, asparagus, tuna, avocado and crunchy shrimp topped with tuna and avocado. There are also Nigiri (for $5 to 8 each) which would appeal more to the sushi purist with varieties like Yellowtail, Tuna and Salmon Roe.
Tsunami Sushi
While we were waiting for the sushi to arrive we snapped some pictures of the river and the town, and on a more temperate night, it certainly would have been a great place to eat (it was 95 degrees when we dined!). Our sushi arrived, and we were immediately impressed by the presentation (and a little by the prodigious portion size as well). We also ordered a special roll with tempura shrimp that was particularly tasty though the portion was gigantic. The fish was very fresh, and we appreciated the special Cajun touches that you could not get at a sushi restaurant “up north.” To finish off our meal we enjoyed chocolate cake, elegantly served with ice cream and Pocky Sticks in a bento box. Though we enjoyed the food, the view was the true superstar. Tsunami is a perfect place for a date night (we witnessed a few) or for a group of friends. It was a wonderful suggestion!
View of Baton Rouge from Tsunami terrace
Eating The World 