Our Story 

While our family is relatively new to the restaurant business, we have been sushi connoisseurs for our entire lives. 

My parents settled in the Quinte region in 2002 from South Korea, a nation blessed with bountiful oceans surrounding its borders. My father's family also has roots in Japan, the birthplace of sushi. Correspondingly, our family was fond of seafood and I was exposed to various types of exotic fish during my upbringing. 

In my youth, I developed a passion for sushi and a desire to explore many sushi scenes outside of Canada. I traveled and lived in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Hawaii, delving into many local sushi scenes and experienced how they utilized their local seafood to create unique yet memorable flavours. 

Seeing that the Canadian sushi scene had developed significantly in its own path since I was growing up in the Quinte area, my parents and I decided to open Sushi Maru in Belleville to take part in the growth of the Canadian sushi scene. We utilized our knowledge of sushi while taking the local palate into consideration to make our menu.

While many of our local favourites are not considered authentic (try finding a California roll in Japan!), we believe that it is important to nurture the Canadian sushi scene with Canadian fish. New York-style pizzas are not authentic, but that doesn't make them bad. We hope that you can develop pride and appreciation for Canadian sushi through our food, and interest for sushi scenes worldwide. 

- H. Lee, Manager of Sushi Maru