Dai Kichi—One Of Montclair's Best Restaurants?

Alessandra Whitney's blog, Food Life, critiques Montclair restaurants including Dai Kichi.

is hands down one of the best restaurants in Montclair. Although you usually end up spending a small fortune, the fresh seafood and high quality food is well worth the expense. I have yet to come across an unsatisfying meal prepared by this restaurant. Memories linger in the walls of Dai Kichi as I have been part of many social gatherings here, including my sweet 16 dinner.

Dai Kichi has a varied menu, as well as a complete sushi menu. The sushi menu is filled with exotic delicacies such as eel, shrimp, king crab, soft shell crab, vegetables, salmon, tuna, and caviar. Each roll is filled with flavor and surprises.

Whether it's the most basic roll or the most complex, each will be unique. The special rolls menu is mouth watering to say the least. Some rolls you might want to check out...

1) Popeye Roll= shrimp tempura w/peanut topping
2) Matsui Roll= spicy yellow tail w/tempura and bonito flakes
3) Funky Monkey= king crab & avocado topped w/masago
4) Pancho V Roll= (Can't miss this!) avocado and tempura flake topped w/spicy tuna
5) Double Delight Roll= (Can't miss this!) tuna and salmon w/masago outside

Be careful what you decide to order off the "Special Roll" menu because some of the recipes do get a little creative. I personally don't believe lettuce should be in sushi EVER and the Godzilla Roll does just that. And if you're not a person who likes exotic textures in your food, eel would not be the best place to start.

All of the Yaki Udon dishes are delightful. The Shrimp Yaki Udon is my personal favorite! With succulent shrimp and thick noodles, mixed with vegetables and submerged in a light flavorful sauce, this dish will make your mouth water just thinking about it!

Appetizers at Dai Kichi are a must. The Gyoza and Edamame dumplings are steamed fresh and go wonderfully with soy sauce. My absolute favorite appetizer is "Ika Ring" (grilled calamari served in a sweet and salty plum flavored sauce). 

Shrimp Tempura never fails to warm the hearts of hungry customers. It's fried delicately, and does not come out of the fryer drenched in oil! The tempura has a delicate butter-salty-panko-breading; it is served with various vegetables (broccoli, carrots, asparagus).

The Bento Box really allows you to get the whole Japanese/Fusion vibe in your meal. It took me months to persuade my ex-boyfriend to finally come out and eat Japanese food with me. When he finally did, he ordered the Bento Box, which he did enjoy minus the few pieces of sushi that were included.

Not everyone likes adventure.

In the end, you can't go wrong with anything you order at Dai Kichi. This restaurant is for sushi lovers and experienced eaters. Don't go here with your hamburger-hotdog eating friends because they won't know what hit them.

Dai Kichi

608 Valley Road

Upper Montclair