Fans of raw fish owe themselves a visit to Sushi Garden. It can often be difficult to find acceptable sushi in the desert at an affordable price, but the fantastic specials and decent grub make Sushi Garden a must-visit dining venue.

The revamped Broadway Village location, which used to be home to Elle Wine Bistro, offers swanky digs to dine in, thanks to owners Sue and Chun Kim.

The service at Sushi Garden can vary between its two locations, however. In visits to each, the management and staff at the Broadway location outperformed the Foothills branch. The sushi itself tastes fresh, which scores points considering the widespread unavailability of acceptable crab in Tucson. This isn’t Seattle by any measuring stick, but thank your lucky stars because it could be much, much worse.

Sushi Garden’s décor at the Broadway branch also outpaces the Foothills Mall location, giving the Broadway incarnation a truly Asian feel on Friday nights that’s more personal than most would expect on an average weekday.

The long bar takes up a significant amount of the admittedly small venue’s space, which in this case is a good thing: getting cozy with a neighbor doesn’t always have to be negative.

The clientele varies, but for the most part covers a good cross section of locals, since Tucson natives tend to keep Sushi Garden in the back of their minds at all times when looking for Friday-night activities.

Sushi Garden’s legendary specials, however, are where the true magic happens.

With $4 sake bombs and half-priced beer, happy hour in Tucson doesn’t get much better than this. The beer choices range from typical brands to more exotic fare, like the famous Japanese Sapporo. For most, however, the sake bombs combined with sushi and rice dishes will likely be the main attraction. Word to the wise: take it slow, because sake hits stronger and stronger throughout the night.

Then there’s the sushi. Slabs of sashimi (vinegar-laced raw fish), a variety of nigiri (a raw fish slice on a thumb of rice) and rolls of sushi that can be ordered a la carte or in the $20 all-you-can-eat variety make a trek to either location worthwhile.

For a rousing alternative to Fourth Avenue and downtown Tucson on a Friday night, Sushi Garden is a nice runner-up for anyone looking for sake, sushi and a good time.