What makes a restaurant so appealing? Is it determined by its status as a local hang-out spot? Is it the food? Is it the drinks? The ambiance? For Tsunami–probably the coolest, most locally loved place you can get–a mix of all these ingredients deem it a superb space for eating sushi, having drinks with friends, and soaking up the special feeling of downtown’s West Street. Whether you’ve been one hundred times or not yet at all, visit this Annapolis gem the next time you need time out on the town.
We can assuredly resolve that one of the best parts about Tsunami is its location downtown, where it’s been for over ten years. It sits next to two art galleries and one cafe, and is across the street from more restaurants and bars. The brick street West Street is famous for somehow adds to the charm, despite the fact that brick does not carry into Tsunami’s interior. At night, the over twenty-one crowd comes out and if the weather is fair, folks sit outside Tsunami and the other bars along West Street. It buzzes with energy, just like the inside of Tsunami on a typical night.
The food is also responsible for Tsunami’s charm. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner, though only at certain hours (see bottom). We went for dinner on a Friday night around 8 p.m. and the bar was already packed and most of the tables full. The dimmed light inside came from big round lamps hanging from the ceiling, but the colorful sushi was bright enough to see and admire. The picture to the left shows the varied sushi options available to choose. From left to right, we tried the Kamikaze Roll (tuna, red snapper, avocado, creamy spicy sauce), the New Yorker (shrimp tempura, cream cheese, smoked salmon, avocado), the Metropolitan Roll (tuna, shrimp tempura, avocado, spicy eel sauce), the Bagel Roll (smoked salmon, cream cheese, avocado), the Crunchy Roll (crab, asparagus, tempura crunches), and the Scotia Roll (salmon, avocado, tempura crunches, jalapenos). All the rolls described here feature fish, but not all of Tsunami’s rolls do. We recommend all these rolls, but if only two or three are within your budget, go for the Metropolitan, the New Yorker, and the Crunchy Rolls.
Aside from sushi, Tsunami has tasty kitchen dishes like avocado salad with miso dressing, sriracha macaroni and cheese, hoisin barbecue chicken, and tandoori Atlantic salmon. Lunch and dinner prices average at about $15.
Guests can sit outside, inside at tables, or inside at the bar. 
The restaurant frequently has entertainment–either films projected on a screen, Tsunami soundtrack giveaways, or live music–posted on their FaceBook.
To wrap up our understanding of what makes a restaurant so enticing, we must add an interesting observation here. Defined by hipster glasses, tattoos, and retro style, the staff at Tsunami is cool and very down-to-earth. Other modern touches in the restaurant include the electric blue walls and a picture collage that resembles Instagram photo style. This is a hip yet unpretentious place to be, eat, and enjoy yourself. It’s certainly the place to go for date night with girlfriends, the guys, or significant others.
For quick reference:
Location: 51 West Street
Hours of operation: 11:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. (lunch); 5 p.m. – 2 a.m. (dinner)
Contact info: 410-990-9868; www.tsunamiannapolis.com
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