Nestled among the charming mom-and-pop shops on Sound Beach Avenue in sleepy Old Greenwich, Sushi Bar is turning out some of the highest quality sushi we’ve tried in Connecticut. Two years ago, Chef Rio Yonathan quietly opened his restaurant and changed the Fairfield County sushi scene for the better. Using ultra-premium ingredients from near and far, such as Montauk whitefish and fresh wasabi from Shizuoka prefecture in Japan, Yonathan puts immense effort into fabricating almost everything from scratch. Luckily for us, the fruits of his labor have created an epicurean destination with the accessibility and family-friendliness of a neighborhood haunt.

Yonathan’s story is nothing short of inspiring: 20 years ago, after immigrating from Indonesia, he worked as a busser to fund English classes in New York City with his sights set on a law degree. Observing sushi chefs in their element, he fell in love with the cuisine and changed course, shadowing them on his own time for two years before he was allowed to touch a piece of fish “the old school way.” After attending culinary school, he cooked at Aquavit and Morimoto and then landed a job as head sushi chef at foodservice giant Compass Group. During Covid, he found himself working at a Japanese restaurant in Greenwich and was inspired to open Sushi Bar down the road.