The Best Sushi Near Scuro, by the Record

A medieval courtyard in central Bologna is a genuinely odd setting for a sushi restaurant, but the contrast works. The dining room runs modern bistro, and in summer the courtyard fills up nicely. The menu stays close to Japanese tradition with a few personal riffs, and the front-of-house team is unusually good at walking newcomers through both the food and the sake list without making anyone feel remedial.

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2. Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant

Twelve seats at the counter, no menu, and the chef decides everything, which is the whole point of omakase. This is an intimate sushi counter in central Prato run by an Italian chef whose years of travel through Japan show up in the fish he selects each morning at market. The course changes daily, the wine list is solid, and the room fills fast enough that booking borders on mandatory.

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2. Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant