Opened: March 2024
Chandler sushi stalwart Shimogamo, a family-owned restaurant with a long track record of good, workmanlike food, abruptly veered into greatness two years ago when Daisuke Itagaki – an artful and seasoned fine-dining chef – married into the family and took the reins in the kitchen. Part of the brand’s overall transformation was the recent opening of this Gilbert eatery, a more izakaya-esque, lunch-focused version of the mothership, with upscale cocktails and a lively wine and beer list. The defining distinction at this Shimogamo is the emphasis on temaki, or sushi hand rolls, here presented taco-style, with the fish and its accoutrements loosely loaded onto a sheet of seaweed (nori) instead of wrapped up cone-style, per the norm. Served only at lunch in sets of three ($14-$30) or à la carte, they’re uniformly delightful, each an adventure of taste and texture: cured mackerel with toasted ginger and bits of green onion ($8); succulent, slippery yellowtail energized with pickled onion and serrano ($9); snow crab drizzled with lemon mayo and truffle oil ($11); and so on.
Lunch also features a smattering of Japanese bowls, noodle dishes and maki rolls, but no nigiri. At night, the restaurant slips on a tie and does a more faithful Shimogamo Chandler impersonation, with robata grill entrées and off-beat specials, like yakitori gizzard confit ($10). Can’t wait to go again.
Wild Card: The server describes udon carbonara ($18) as “gourmet Japanese mac and cheese,” and that deliciously sums it up.
2320 S. Santan Village Pkwy., Gilbert, 602-595-6448, shimogamoaz.com
