Japanese on Gourmand Syndrome

Suki Desu

Sat, 28 Mar 2026 15:28:39 -0400

Suki Desu is a relatively newish sushi restaurant that has a few branches opened in Manhattan. It has a small menu, consisting of mainly kaisen don though it does offer alternatives if you’re not a fan of raw fish. Kaisen don is basically raw seafood on top of rice. Their goal is to make rice bowls with authentic Japanese flavors accessible to everyone. Like the recent trend of hand rolls, this one brings raw fish rice bowls at a very affordable price.

Double Knot

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 22:40:01 -0400

At a whim, we’re around near the Bryant Park area. We didn’t make any reservations, and we wanted to try something new. I offered the option of yakitori (or skewers) because I knew about Double Knot being part of this movement of Philly restaurants expanding to NYC. We were able to walk in to this restaurant at around 6:00 PM, when it was prime time for the Midtown after work crowd.

Papa San

Sun, 27 Jul 2025 23:30:11 -0400

Papa San was on my list for a while, especially from the folks that did Llama Inn. It’s an izakaya (think of Japanese tapas), made with a Peruano-Japanese influence. It’s an interesting blend of cuisines, and it’s not uncommon. In Peru, they do have a lot of Asian influences, such as lomo saltado, where they use soy sauce in the dish. We made a reservation for 2 for 5:00 PM on a Sunday evening very easily. This is located very close to Hudson Yards.

The Gallery by Odo

Fri, 11 Jul 2025 14:06:02 -0400

The Gallery by odo is a fusion of a restaurant and art space in the Flatiron area. It’s actually right next door to the odo restaurant and bar. I was easily able to make a reservation for 2 for 5:15 PM a few days in advance. When we walked in, I didn’t really think much of it as an art space. It does have some paintings of outdoor forests hung up on walls and also what appears to be a for-sale dinnerware selection on a table. We didn’t really look extensively as we were here for the food because my partner wanted to try out this place.

odo

Sun, 15 Jun 2025 20:29:17 -0400

Odo is a Michelin 2-star restaurant located in the Flatiron district of Manhattan. It comes from Chef Hiroki Odo, who moved to New York in 2012 and won a Michelin Star as the head chef at Kajitsu. We looked on the Michelin guide, and we saw this was a 2-star restaurant that we haven’t been to yet. We were able to make a reservation for 2 for 6 PM on a Sunday night without issues.

Matsunori

Fri, 06 Jun 2025 15:18:34 -0400

Matsunori Handroll Bar, not to be confused with Matsunori Sushi Club, originated as a Boston handroll sushi bar. They decided to open an additional location in Long Island City, where there is an influx of Asians moving in. They do not accept reservations, so we decided to try to walk in around 6:30 PM on a Friday evening. Fortunately, we got there just before the lines, and we were able to sit at a table for 2. The counter at the time was completely open.

Sozai

Sat, 05 Apr 2025 17:43:35 -0400

We finished watching a matinee of a Broadway show, and we’re running out of desirable early dinner options in the Midtown area. This one was on my list for quite some time as it looked like a restaurant that was a no frills izakaya type restaurant. This restaurant is about 2 doors down from Valerie, a pretty popular Midtown restaurant. We were able to walk in around 4:30 PM on a Saturday without any issues.

Konban

Fri, 26 Jul 2024 21:44:14 -0400

Konban was a new katsu restaurant that was on my radar for a while. When it first opened, reservations were hard to come by. Now a few months later, it’s easy to make a reservation a week out. Because Manhattan has so few katsu-specialized options, this was going to be a very special experience. I was able to make a reservation for 5:30 PM on a Friday night for two people.

Okiboru House of Udon

Tue, 30 Apr 2024 22:48:06 -0400

I just have this affinity for noodles. Their sibling location, Okiboru House of Tsukemen, was one of the best I’ve had in the city when it comes to dipping ramen. This restaurant recently opened up marketing itself for udon. Like their tsukemen location, this one offers udon for dipping. Unlike traditional udon, these noodles are much wider and flatter. I was able to walk in by myself at 8 PM on a Tuesday evening, and I immediately was seated.

Class on 38th

Thu, 25 Apr 2024 18:21:02 -0400

Class on 38th was something that seemed interesting at first glance when I was browsing the “Hot and New” sections of Yelp. The menu looked like tapas with a price point that wasn’t too expensive. I went here with a business partner, who was in town and looking for something to try. I made a reservation a few weeks back without any issues for 6 PM on a Thursday. When I walked in, they allowed me to sit early to wait for my guest to arrive.

Torien

Sat, 23 Dec 2023 15:06:22 -0500

As a Christmas celebration before we embark on a trip, I wanted to knock this final yakitori tasting off the list. We’ve been to a slew of yakitori tasting places, and this is the last one that is on the higher end. Torien still has 1 Michelin Star in 2023, and it also has a sister 1 Michelin Star restaurant, Torishiki, in Tokyo Japan. We were able to make a reservation for this for a Saturday a few weeks back without issues. Let’s see how this compares to the other yakitori tastings, considering they use a special oak for the taste.

Heno Heno

Sat, 09 Dec 2023 13:42:31 -0500

My partner had won some tickets to watch Appropriate on Broadway starring Sarah Paulson. The show starts at 8, but we had to pick up the will-call tickets by 7:30. I saw this Japanese small eatery was nearby the theater on 46th St, and I thought this would be a decent restaurant to try out since there’s a lot of little things we can order. We were able to walk in on a Saturday evening at around 5:30 PM before it got busy.

Mari.ne Handroll

Mon, 06 Nov 2023 16:57:31 -0500

Mari.ne (MariNe) Hand-Roll Bar is similar to KazuNori where it’s simply a “hand roll” bar. The hand rolls are fairly small, but quite delightful and fresh. You can order them in different flavors, and it’s sure to satisfy anyone that enjoys sushi in hand roll format. We were able to walk in at around 5:45 PM on a Monday evening, but we were told that we had to be done by 6:30 PM due to an upcoming reservation. More on this in a bit.

Tempura Matsui

Fri, 04 Aug 2023 15:48:43 -0400

Tempura Matsui is a Michelin 1-star restaurant in Manhattan that specializes in tempura omakase. I had previously gone to another tempura omakase at Secchu Yokota. As I said previously, I really enjoy tempura as a whole, so I am very curious how a Michelin Star tempura tasting compares to a hidden gem tasting. Fortunately, my partner went to see a Broadway show, so it gave me the ability to solo dine at this restaurant. It was very easy to make reservations for one person the night prior.

Secchu Yokota

Wed, 26 Jul 2023 21:47:04 -0400

Tempura is one of those things in Japanese cuisine that is pretty expensive for what it is, but when you find the right batter with the right ingredients, it’s so good. In Torrance in California, it’s been over a decade since I tried specialized tempura, so I was craving it recently. Unfortunately my partner loathes tempura for some odd reason, so I opted to dine alone when they decided to watch a Broadway show. I was able to successfully book a reservation for 1 via their website (through their email link) the day prior for 5:30 PM.

Vert Frais

Sun, 16 Jul 2023 21:36:18 -0400

On a lazy Sunday, we decided to stay around our living area to eat. There have been several new restaurants that have opened in the past few months, and this one is the most recent one. The restaurant features ramen and European-Japanese dishes from Nobuyuki Shikanai, the owner of Kanoyama in the East Village. We were able to walk in without reservations on a Sunday at around 6 PM.

Kono

Sat, 17 Jun 2023 12:58:26 -0400

Kono has been something on my radar for quite some time. It’s been a bit since we’ve splurged quality yakitori, so I was able to snipe a reservation for a Saturday night out at 5:30 PM fairly quickly on Resy. Chef Atsushi “ATS” Kono was originally at Torishin, and after looking at the menu, I was excited to see what this experience brought. This restaurant focused on kappo-style yakitori omakase featuring organic Amish chicken and seasonable vegetables.

Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare

Thu, 15 Jun 2023 15:12:02 -0400

Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare is a renown three Michelin Star restaurant by Chef Cesar Ramirez. It’s inspired by Japanese cuisine with French technique, and the 13 course tasting menu tonight is focused on fish & shellfish with 1 meat course and 4 dessert courses. I was quite excited to come here since moving to NYC. This restaurant was always very difficult to get reservations, so it was great that we were able to when we wanted. This restaurant is currently rated number 61 out of 100 on the The World’s Best 50.

Prime Meat Rokko

Sun, 09 Apr 2023 23:01:20 -0400

We were around the Hell’s Kitchen area catching up on a Broadway musical called “MJ: The Musical” based on Michael Jackson. This area we have rarely explored much, considering early post-pandemic, this area was quite dangerous with the drug users and harassers. Nevertheless, this katsu restaurant has been on my list for years, and I’ve been meaning to check this out. We were able to walk in on a Sunday at around 5:30 PM without any issue.

Ai Ki Ya

Sat, 01 Oct 2022 14:42:26 -0400

We had to run errands around Macy’s, so this was a good chance to check out some restaurant that was fairly light and also didn’t have strong smells. We were able to walk in on a Saturday at 5:30 PM with no reservations. We noticed the menus had both skewers and hot pot as options. I saw that many people ordered hot pot with cotton candy on top, and we contemplated briefly but decided not to.

Hanon

Sat, 12 Mar 2022 19:18:22 -0400

Hanon is located in the North Williamsburg area and is literally across the street on Union St. from the Metropolitan G stop and diner. It has been awarded the Michelin 2021 Bib Gourmand award. It originated in Kamakura, Japan in the summer of 2018. I hadn’t heard about this restaurant much at all and stumbled onto this through Yelp’s Hot & New filters. I wanted to try this restaurant out because the pictures of the udon sets look quite interesting, and the price point was pretty reasonable.

Soba Noodle Azuma

Fri, 30 Jul 2021 11:44:08 -0400

I’ve been deprived of noodles in the city for a number of months now. Sure, there are sometimes where I get some Taiwanese noodles, but I also love soba noodles too. I was around the Columbus Circle area, and I was scouring for some alternative ramen places. This one peaked my interest because their specialty was not ramen but soba also known as buckwheat noodles. Buckwheat noodles are supposed to be pretty healthy for you, and on a summer NYC day like today, it seems like a win when opting for cold buckwheat noodles with a cold dip.

Sake Kawa

Sun, 11 Jul 2021 22:42:18 -0400

One of the really cool things about the Astoria neighborhood that is different than Manhattan and maybe Brooklyn, is that Japanese food is reasonably priced compared to the other boroughs. I am thinking part of the cause is because of the density of the Asian demographics in the area and having to be competitive with other neighborhood restaurants. This particular restaurant was just a few blocks north of Suzuki Shokudo.

Daikanyama

Mon, 31 May 2021 15:24:32 -0400

We had walked over the Queensboro bridge to do some casual shopping at the Bloomingdales on Lexington on the Monday of a Memorial Day weekend. Surprisingly, there weren’t many people out and about probably due to people escaping town. Because this was around lunch time, we decided not to trek too far from the department store. This Japanese restaurant was connected indoors to the first floor of the department store. On the outside, they had private transparent glass huts with their own heaters, but we decided to eat indoors.

Takumen

Sat, 08 May 2021 15:26:50 -0400

Summary

I was supposed to meet my partner the next block at Casa Enrique, but for some reason they mistook a Japanese restaurant for a Mexican restaurant and ended up here. They found it weird that there were no lines, whereas I went to Casa Enrique and encountered a line. Because Casa Enrique doesn’t take walk-ins and the line was getting rather long, we decided to just eat here, and to my surprise, it was a good substitute.

Izakaya Toribar

Sat, 24 Apr 2021 14:44:57 -0400

Summary

When people say Manhattan has practically endless restaurants, it’s quite true. There’s not enough time, money, and health to try all the different restaurants out there. For this visit into the city, we decided to go after yakitori since that was fairly close around the area we were at. We have had previously been to Torishin, a former Michelin 1-star, so I wanted to show my partner different yakitori places that were less upscaled. This one looked like a good candidate. This restaurant, if it weren’t for the outdoors setup, would’ve been a little difficult to spot because it’s in the basement of a building.

Suzuki Shokudo

Sat, 12 Dec 2020 22:05:02 -0500

Summary

Astoria has a lot of Mediterranean restaurants and is seldom appealing for its Asian food. However, in the last few months prior the pandemic, there have been several Korean and Chinese/Taiwanese restaurants that were opening, so it’s starting to make a presence. We’ve walked by this neighborhood Japanese sushi joint several times and were surprised about how low key it is. After looking at the menu, we decided to give it a try.

Sapps

Sat, 19 Sep 2020 20:43:38 -0400

Summary

In this pandemic, restaurants are trying all sorts of ways to do outdoor dining. What was interesting about Sapps was that they set up dining tables next door in the front of a mechanic shop but with plenty of distance between tables. They also put out propane powered heat warmers. When you arrive, you can basically choose your own seat, and the waiters will bring the water to you.

Torishin

Sun, 29 Dec 2019 14:29:14 -0500

Summary

For this special outing, Yakitori Torishin has been on my list ever since I moved to New York City. I finally had a chance to try this for the girlfriend’s birthday.

We wanted the regular yakitori experience as opposed to the select counter experience. The reason is that I just couldn’t imagine the value from yakitori at literally double the cost of a regular omakase. They brought us into the back room, and we were still seated in front of the chefs.

Murasaki

Fri, 01 Nov 2019 14:39:27 -0500

Summary

Here is another nice neighborhood spot off Vernon Blvd in Long Island City. Reviews seem to rave about how good this neighborhood sushi spot is, so we decided to give it a try.

The peach sparkling sake was relatively inexpensive and mighty tasty. The peach flavor tasted artificial, but it was still pretty good. It felt like drinking champagne without the heavy alcohol taste and with that artificial peach sweetener.

Kaoru

Wed, 02 Oct 2019 15:39:55 -0400

Summary

This place is basically chirashi haven.

It’s miso soup.

The uni don came with hamachi and spicy tuna and shiso leaf. I wasn’t too much of a fan of the spicy tuna compared to some other places, but it was still pretty good. The spicy tuna had a very particular flavor that was masked of course when you use soy sauce with wasabi. Otherwise, the fish tasted pretty fresh overall. The butter of the sea was delicious.

Rawbar by Domodomo

Fri, 23 Aug 2019 15:13:32 -0400

Summary

Close to NYU, this is next door to its parent restaurant Domodomo. This is primarily a rawbar, meaning somewhat affordable raw seafood.

The iced green tea is nice for a warm day. The green tea is quite flavorful, but of course if you want it to be sweeter, you can ask for sugar.

We ordered a dozen oysters. Essentially 2 of the following:

Half Moon (Cape Cod Bay, MA) : sweet, medium salnity, clean finish
Wellfleet (Wellfleet Harbor, MA) : briny, creamy, high salinity
Savage Harbour (PEI, Canada) : crisp, sweet, medium salinity
Chekbooktook (New Brunswick) : buttery, sweet, delicate
Duxbury (Duxbury Bay, MA) : briny, sweet, and buttery finish
the daily oysters : can’t remember what the waiter said about these other than being the saltiest of the east coast

They serve oysters with your choice of 2 condiments: cocktail sauce, mignonette, wasabi lime sorbet, thai chili, and ponzu. Pictured is the cocktail sauce and mignonette. East coast oysters tend to be more briny and salty than west coast, but the best part of this is that it’s simply not as expensive as other places. The average Manhattan east coast oyster price is $3 per.

Katsu Hama

Tue, 11 Jun 2019 00:16:35 -0400

Katsu is some of my favorite Japanese food. It’s basically crispy, fried pork cutlets served with a savory sauce. We decided to try this restaurant because it was close to where we were in Midtown. This type of food generally is not overly expensive like other Japanese foods, and it’s pretty filling too. And for whatever reason, the pork cutlets are always really good and hearty too. I’ve also been able to come back to this restaurant several times solo and was able to be seated without much issues.

Nonono

Sun, 26 May 2019 00:04:00 -0400

Nonono is a restaurant from the people behind Her Name is Han. This is located just a few blocks from Korea town. They are part of the Hand Hospitality network, which also includes Atoboy, Cho Dang Gol, and many more. The restaurant offers Japanese grill cuisine with a twist. We’ve been to the restaurant several times, and it’s been a decent value and choice for any small gatherings.

Ambiance & Service

The ambiance feels like a normal Japanese restaurant where there was a lot of activity. The tables are relatively close to each other, so it can get a little tight. However, it was fine talking to your party, so the sound acoustics were good. They have both a floor table area and a second floor area.

Kondo

Sat, 04 May 2019 17:37:21 -0400

Summary

This is a very clean sushi spot close to the Broadway subway station off the yellow N and W line. Instead of going all sushi, I decided to mix it up a little with standard Japanese snacks over straight up sushi cut rolls, sorta.

The sea snails were cooked in a dashi broth, and were pretty tasty. I think my piece wasn’t cleaned entirely properly because there was some grit, but it tasted ok.

Hirohisa

Sat, 29 Dec 2018 17:05:57 -0500

Summary

Hirohisa apparently has been around for a while, but they just received a Michelin star again this year.

With that in mind, I felt the price point $160 pp for the 9-course tasting + $70 sake pairing was a decent price for splurging for a special someone’s birthday dinner.

Just a note: they do respect some allergy restrictions. My guest had lobster specific allergies, and they were able to accomodate easy. She did not have any rashes or swelling at the end of the night.

Ninja

Fri, 09 Nov 2018 13:47:21 -0500

Food was bland, but the steak was surprisingly good for a touristy spot. There are a lot of scares from the ninja waiters. The sushi itself was also pretty bland and mediocre.

Dokodemo

Fri, 05 Oct 2018 22:10:57 -0400

Decent Japanese snack place with okonomiyaki and octopus balls. But that’s about it.

Ichiran

Sun, 16 Sep 2018 20:18:27 -0400

This is an updated review for the Midtown / Times Square (Theater District) location for Ichiran. I had been to the original Bushwick location years ago, and I didn’t take pictures nor remembered much about it. The only thing I wrote down was it was a much better version of Shinsengumi. Shinsengumi was a popular Torrance (California) restaurant that served hakata style ramen. They also allowed you to select your flavor profiles, and it was far less busy than Ichiran.

Tonkatsu Matsunoya

Sun, 16 Sep 2018 14:36:46 -0400

This place is pretty bomb and NO TIP NEEDED! Would come back here again. The crust was really good.

Mi Ne Sushi

Sun, 16 Sep 2018 14:35:21 -0400

Just ok and also cheap sushi. Not great. Don’t trust people when they say this is good sushi.

Momoya

Sun, 16 Sep 2018 14:33:18 -0400

Just ok. Cheap sushi. Don’t trust people’s palettes when they say this place is good.

Kazunori

Sun, 16 Sep 2018 14:31:41 -0400

Spawned off LA’s Sugarfish. Cheap 6 piece hand rolls. $32 includes tax, tip, and a Mexican coke. Still room for dessert unfortunately.

Tsurutontan

Sun, 16 Sep 2018 14:29:49 -0400

I’ve been to Tsurutontan a few times already in various locations including Union Square and Midtown next to Rockafeller Center. When this Japan udon chain first opened in Manhattan a few years ago, there was a massive line because it was the first international location in the USA. The food was outstanding back then, and now it’s gone down a little in quality but still pretty good. This restaurant is known for having mammoth sized udon bowls which will most definitely satiate your appetite. They also have a variety of other Japanese sushi-esque dishes as well.

Sushi on Jones

Sun, 16 Sep 2018 14:28:05 -0400

Another omakase. Decent sushi place. Fast in/out in 20 minutes. $58 total. Got an extra toro/uni hand roll which added another $20ish.

Ootoya

Sun, 16 Sep 2018 14:26:01 -0400

Pretty good bento boxing place. A little pricey but no need to tip.

Nakazawa

Sun, 16 Sep 2018 14:23:47 -0400

It’s an Omakase. Michelin 1 star. Very good for the price. Got sake pairing + sushi + EXTRAS… only $220 per person. The lychee sorbet was awesome.

Shuko

Sun, 16 Sep 2018 14:22:07 -0400

Really good. Got the kaiseki ($175), and they gave a lot of sushi pieces. The dessert, rhubarb sorbet, was really good.

Shabu Tatsu

Sun, 16 Sep 2018 14:20:29 -0400

Fairly inexpensive, but not very OG. Portions are small, and no where as good as LA shabu shabu.

Robataya Ny

Sun, 16 Sep 2018 14:17:46 -0400

This place was such a gimmick. Very showy like Benihanas but way worse. Food was just ok and super pricey. They have bday celebrations… super weird.

But it’s CLOSED.

Kosaka

Sun, 16 Sep 2018 14:15:42 -0400

Pretty good kaiseki (~$180).

Mew Men

Sun, 16 Sep 2018 14:13:48 -0400

Japanese lunch was cheap and good. But this place is CLOSED now replaced by Menkoi Sato, a ramen place.

Abiko Curry

Sun, 16 Sep 2018 14:10:20 -0400

Abiko Curry is a Japanese curry restaurant that I had visited before in Koreatown way back in September of 2018. We were near the neighborhood, and I thought to check it out again. I remembered the curry and flavors being one of my favorite Japanese curry places in the city, but I also remembered that the “medium spicy” level was uncomfortably intense. This time around, I want to give it another try to see if I can get a better feel for it.

Curry Ya

Sun, 16 Sep 2018 14:08:51 -0400

The spicy pork tonkatsu was pretty good. One of the better Japanese curry places in the city.

Uma Temakeria

Sun, 16 Sep 2018 14:06:15 -0400

Terrible “sushi burrito”

This place is CLOSED for obvious reasons.

Go Go Curry

Sun, 16 Sep 2018 14:04:46 -0400

Good lunch spot and fast. Cheap.

Okonomi

Sun, 16 Sep 2018 14:03:12 -0400

Really good Japanese breakfast place.