It’s official: Charlotte has some of the best sushi in not only the South, but the country. That’s thanks to Chef Robin Anthony, who helms the trio of Prime Fish restaurants around town.
In November, two of his restaurants, Omakase Experience by Prime Fish and Prime Fish, received coveted Michelin recommendations in the first guide for the South. And in late January, the James Beard Foundation named Anthony a semifinalist in its “Best Chef: Southeast” category.
Anthony moved to Charlotte 11 years ago after immigrating to the United States from Indonesia in 2013 with his parents. He’s a primarily self-trained sushi chef and spent time working at local spots like YAMA and Red Sake, honing his craft before striking out on his own.
BUILDING AN EMPIRE
In 2021, the first of his three restaurants opened. Prime Fish, a 40-seat restaurant in Ballantyne, quickly became one of the most talked-about spots in the city’s dining scene.
Then in 2022, he opened his Omakase experience in Midtown in the Providence Plaza shopping center on the corner of Sharon Amity and Providence. At just six seats, it’s an intimate experience for sushi lovers, offering 10 and 15-course tasting menus.
“It’s my playground,” says Anthony, who enjoys how creative he gets to be with the menu. “The sky is the limit for what I can do.”
To complete his trio, the restaurateur opened Prime Fish Cellar in 2024 in the same shopping center as Omakase. Anthony is also a certified sommelier and sake master, and at first, the space was just a destination for wine and sake.
Anthony says people kept asking him where the sushi was, so he renovated the small space to include a sushi bar and a few tables before reopening in late 2025.
THE MENU
At all three spots, expect an emphasis on high-end, quality ingredients. Anthony imports his ingredients from Tokyo’s Toyosu Fish Market and focuses on the more traditional Edomae style of making sushi.
Some of the most popular menu items are the same across Prime Fish and Prime Fish Cellar: the pork and shrimp steamed shumai as an appetizer, and the Sake Yaki specialty roll with eel and avocado on the inside, topped with a delicately seared salmon, eel sauce, truffle oil, black salt and scallion. The raw bar is extensive at both locations, offering delicacies like melt-in-your-mouth salmon belly and A5 wagyu.
You’ll also find a full caviar service at Prime Fish Cellar, with an ounce of Kaluga Hybrid or Royal Ossetra presented alongside accompaniments like potato chips and a lemony crème fraîche.
At his Omakase experience, though, no two nights are fully the same. You’ll choose between the 10 and 15-course options and have the choice of adding a wine and sake pairing for your meal, too. As the space can only fit six people per seating, you’ll get a close view of Anthony’s meticulous attention to detail and presentation.
Whichever location you opt for, you’re in for a treat.
Anthony imports his ingredients from Tokyo’s Toyosu Fish Market and focuses on the more traditional Edomae style of making sushi.