What's the meaning of 上 in this sentence?

Question

I am not sure what 上 means in this sentence. I know that 上 means above or on, but I think the meaning here is different because it does not mention anything above or on the sushi.

僕はいつもここでは握り寿司の上を頼むんだ。

Does it mean:

I always ask for the top hand-rolled sushi here.

i.e. best hand-rolled sushi?

Answer 1

Yes, 上 in a restaurant menu is read じょう, and it means "deluxe", "premium" or "high grade". But 上 is often not the highest ranked menu, because restaurants commonly offer 特上 menus, too.

特上【とくじょう】 (lit. super deluxe)　＞　上【じょう】　(lit. deluxe) ＞　並【なみ】 (lit. normal)

So practically, 上 is often considered as "middle grade".

Another traditional way to express the rank of food is 松【まつ】 ＞ 竹【たけ】 ＞ 梅【うめ】, which are frequently used in bento shops, sushi restaurants and unagi restaurants.

Reference:

• 松竹梅のランクの意味