Essential eats: Palm Beach County’s must-try Asian restaurants from Boca Raton to Tequesta

Welcome to our summer series spotlighting essential restaurants spanning Boca Raton to Tequesta. Essential can mean a lot of things to a lot of people, so to be clear, this is how we're defining essential for this series: It’s not necessarily the most popular spot in its category — or even the absolute best. Think of it more as the bestright now.

As someone new to Palm Beach County, I haven’t tried all of our 3,000 restaurants, but I’ve found reliable crowd-pleasers. These are the spots I’m excited to take visiting friends or turn to when I can’t decide where to eat.

Over the coming weeks, we’ll highlight the area’s must-visit newcomers, Italian gems, steakhouses and Michelin picks.

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No matter the category, hopefully these personal favorites bring you the same kind of joy and encourage you to try somewhere new.

First up: Palm Beach County’s vibrant Asian dining scene. These standout spots blend authenticity, innovation and judging by the off-season crowds that pack these picks, serious local love.

Sushi Simon in Boynton Beach

Simon Sushi's sashimi/sushi lunch combo, $22.

I foundSushi Simonthanks to a friend who insisted it was worth the drive from Palm Beach Gardens. Her late partner, who was Japanese, would eat sushi only there.

“If the fish isn’t perfect,” she said, “it doesn’t get served.”

Hidden behind a Starbucks and Walgreens, the restaurant isn't visible from the road. But it's definitely worth the search. Inside is sleek, intimate and all about the food. A wall ofdated BocaRaton Magazine covers quietly boasts its 'best sushi' status.

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The menu is a sushi lover’s dream — pristine sashimi, delicate nigiri and creative rolls that showcase real skill. I chose the lunch combo (soup, salad, sushi, sashimi) and added extra sashimi selections: Bronzino, which I’d only had grilled before, was a silky surprise, and Japanese madai was pure indulgence.

Sushi Simon isn’t flashy — it’s just seriously good. It can get expensive, especially anything offered at market price; my $22 combo escalated to a $58 tab with the additional sashimi. When I visited, two finance bros at the next table were feasting like it was payday. I wanted to join them.

Details: 1614 S. Federal Highway, Boynton Beach, 561-731-1819, no website

Blackbird Modern Asian in Jupiter

The best vegan dish in years is Blackbird Modern Asian's $20 mushroom-loaded chow fun in Jupiter.

On Mondays, when a less expensive menu is available all night, traffic can back up to the road. It happened to me a few times at this spot which came highly recommended from my NYC pals when I first moved here.

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The fourth time was the charm and so were repeat off-season visits. While everything is terrific, my go-to dish is chow fun, a vegan rice noodle dish loaded with shiitake mushrooms and bok choy. For an extra charge, you can add beef, poultry or tofu, but there’s really no need to.

Details: 1511 N. Old Dixie Highway, Jupiter, 561-589-7505, blackbirdmodernasian.com

ROK Prime Korean BBQ in Boynton Beach

Beef bulgogi bento box at ROK Prime Korean BBQ in Boynton Beach.

In November, chef-proprietor Michael Kwon opened this sister restaurant to his 14-year-old Lauderhill original that now “runs like a machine” and was featured on CNN as one of celeb chefDouglas Rodriguez’s favorite places for local eats.

Bento boxes are my thing because you get a little of this, a little of that. Mine had a beef bulgogi main and it was really good. Korean miso soup came with it; be prepared because it's a bit spicier than what's served at Japanese-style restaurants.

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Details: 1727 Federal Highway, Boynton Beach, 561-739-8927,rokprimebbq.com

More: What to eat, what to know at the new ROK PRIME Korean BBQ in Boynton Beach

Le Colonial in Delray Beach

The shaken beef bowl at Le Colonial in Naples. Plating at the Delray Beach outpost is identical.

As someone who worked at the boutique PR firm that launched the original New York City location in 1993, perhaps I’m partial, but I’ve always loved this glamourous spot where the food focus is French-Vietnamese. Fun fact: It was the first restaurant to make lounge dining a thing.

Though best experienced when money is no object, if you can only get one dish, go with “Shaken Beef,” a shareable classic since opening night.

Details: 601 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach, 561-566-1800, lecolonial.com

Kasumi in Boca Raton

Tucked inside Boca Raton’s Waterstone Resort & Marina,this sleek Japanese restaurant is quickly becoming a favorite. Its modern Japanese menu is a draw, but the real attraction is“Sunset Happy Hour” — a walk-in-only affair at the bar and outdoor lounge that’s worth braving rush hour traffic for.

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Running Tuesday through Friday from 5 to 7 p.m., it’s perfect for cocktails, indulgent bites and waterfront breezes. The happy hour menu offers upscale small plates at unbeatable prices: wagyu beef gyoza for $10 (normally $21), blistered shishito peppers for $6 and flounder crudo for $11. Portions are generous, making it a flavorful, budget-friendly way to sample the kitchen’s creativity.

Cocktails shine too — the “Nashi Mule” mixes Asian pear, ginger, and wasabi, while the “Cherry Blossom Old Fashioned” adds floral depth to a classic.

Details: 999 E. Camino Real, Boca Raton; 561-226-3033;kasumiboca.com

More: New Boca Raton waterfront happy hour offers sushi, dumplings and wagyu sliders

Red Pine in Boca Raton

Red Pine's delicious soup dumplings are almost too gorgeous to eat.

On any given night, I could make a meal of dumplings and my first choice for where to do it is the très chic Red Pine where Executive Chef/Partner Chi Chan, a Hong Kong-born third-generation dumpling specialist, blends authentic Chinese flavors with modern techniques. Seven selections with ingredients like Wagyu beef make this a no-brainer.

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Details: 1 Town Center Road, 561-826-7595,redpineboca.com

Diana Biederman is the Palm Beach Post's new food and restaurant writer. If you have any news tips about the local dining scene, please send them [email protected]. Help support our journalism.Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Best Asian food near me: Restaurants from Boca Raton to Jupiter