Disclosure: I received tickets to the Sushi Battle as opportunity through the Tampa Bay Bloggers.  

Fill The Ritz Ybor with multiple premium sushi stations and what do you get?

Tampa’s first ever Sushi Battle!

And let me tell you, battle is the most and fitting and appropriate term to describe Big City Events’ first attempt at an all you can eat sushi fest.

The sushi was served by the finest sushi establishments from all over Tampa Bay and while it was “unlimited”, it’s sushi- small morsels of fish. And due to sheer volumes of people, the unlimited servings of sushi were sadly limited to one serving at a time. Thankfully, everyone remembered their airs and graces and grade school manners of queuing for food, so we really didn’t technically fight for sushi, but we did have to wait quite a spell for a sample.

Upon arrival, each guest received a sake glass, a pint glass (a staple we’ve all come to love from every Big City Events), a pair of chopsticks and a golden chopstick to vote for our favorite sushi.

The sushi from Carmel Kitchen won my heart and my golden chopstick.

Things I Loved About The Sushi Battle

• The Sushi – Each sushi sample was superior than the next and some of the best sushi I’ve ever eaten. While Carmel Kitchen earned a golden chopstick from me, it was truly difficult to select a winner.
• The Memorabilia – Big City Events is always generous with the chachkas and I really do love my shot glasses and pints glasses from each of the events.
• The Entertainment – Kendo, Taiko drumming, sumo wrestling and Godzilla are just some of the fun Japanese style performers that entertained us.
• An Indoor Venue – It’s crazy hot in Tampa during the month September and an air conditioned venue inside the retro Ritz Ybor in Ybor City was a perfect choice.
• Early Admission – VIP ticket holders were permitted inside the theater an hour before the General Admission ticket holders.
• The Timeframe – Because the event fell on a Thursday evening from 6:00-9:00 pm, the Sushi Battle had a happy hour feel. It was the perfect length of time to get your sushi and sake on.

Things That Could Improve (and probably will because I have faith in the Big City Events team)

• The Lines – Waiting in long lines for sushi was a buzzkill, but I know the Big City Events team will sort out the best way to sample unlimited sushi next year.
• More Sushi Stations – Likewise, I also feel pretty confident that the Big City Events team will bring in more sushi restaurants and vendors to battle next year.

Honestly despite the lines, the Sushi Battle overall was a blast and I would definitely do the VIP Battle experience again. Because unlimited sushi.

And pint glasses.