Sushi or not Sushi: 5 New York Sushi Restaurants Not to Miss

Nobu

Chef Nobu Matsuhisa, restaurateur Drew Nieporent and actor Robert De Niro opened the Tribeca Flagship of the Nobu empire in 1994. The original New York Times review claimed, “Sushi lovers will find that no kitchen in the city turns out a more spectacular plate of raw fish.” Indeed, New York’s most fabulous fine diners have been flocking to Nobu for over a decade, like schools of… well, you know.

The Japanese menu is infused with influences from South America. It includes dishes like Yellowtail with Jalapeño, and Black Cod with Miso and Wasabi Pepper Sauce, that have become standards. The restaurant has a coveted Michelin star and New York Magazine food critic Gael Greene ranked it as one of the most important restaurants of the last 40 years. The elegant space, designed by architect David Rockwell is filled with birch, wood and stone, reminiscent of the Japanese countryside.

Nobu has been a long-time celebrity staple. But this summer a group including Elle Macpherson, Sting, Sienna Miller and Woody Harrelson began protesting Nobu’s use of endangered blue fin tuna. The verdict on Nobu’s environmental impact may still be out, but the food is a clear winner.

Nobu is located at 105 Hudson Street. The more casual Nobu Next Door is right beside Nob and more recently an uptown edition, Nobu 57 opened.

Morimoto                                                                                    

If you want to get on the Nobu boycott-bandwagon, but can’t quite bear it, try stopping by Morimoto in the Meatpacking District. Executive chef Masaharu Morimoto is the former executive chef of Nobu. He also happens to have starred in the Iron Chef television series.

The menu at the New York offshoot of the Philadelphia restaurant combines Western ingredients and traditional Japanese cuisine. Their signature dish is the “Duck Duck Duck” which is comprised of a roasted duck leg and a “duck sandwich” made with cucumber and a foie gras infused croissant accented with a red miso sauce and a soft duck egg.

The two-floor restaurant has a sushi bar, 1,500 square foot exposition kitchen, private Omakase bar that accommodates eight and lounge on the lower level. The lounge features a 9-ton sculpture made up of 17,000 Ty Nant spring water bottles. The restaurant was designed by Prizker Prize winning architect Tadao Ando.

Morimoto is located at 88 10^th Avenue, directly underneath the High Line Park.

Sushi Seki

If eating amongst nine-ton sculptures isn’t your thing, and you’re looking for some great sushi straight up, try Sushi Seki. The casual Upper East Side restaurant’s menu offers standard traditional fare like tempura, teriyaki and an ample selection of sake.  But, you don’t go to Sushi Seki to order off the menu. You go for the Omakase sushi, which is served from behind the bar by Chef Seki himself. If you’ve had a subpar meal somewhere else and want to a do–over, Sushi Seki stays open until 2:30. If you show up late enough, you might even catch some of the city’s most esteemed chefs sitting down to dinner, including Jean-Georges Vongerichten who is a rumored regular.

Sushi Seki is located at 1143 First Avenue, between 62 and 63 Streets.

Sushi Yasuda

The New York Times called it “sublime” and “transcendent”; Time Out New York praised it for its “Perfection”; Travel and Leisure listed it in “America’s Best Sushi”. It’s safe to say the critics love Sushi Yoda.

Chef Naomichi Yasuda oversees a seasonal menu that he is constantly adjusting. He flies fresh fish in from all over the world and gets it domestically when he can. He also happens to be a sushi expert and you can choose from over half a dozen kinds of tuna fattiness. Yasuda uses both big-eye and blue fin tuna (Call Woody!).

Situated in the east forties, the restaurant is a convenient spot for lunch after your meeting at J.P. Morgan Chase Headquarters or the UN. From the outside, Sushi Yasuda looks like any other midtown restaurant. Inside, the simple sleek décor (the space—including the sushi bar—is made up entirely of bamboo) lets the food do the talking. And it does.

 204 East 43^rd Street between Second and Third Avenues.

 

Masa

Warning:  Masa is for the serious sushi-enthusiast only.  If you are up for the challenge, you must start by making reservations a month in advance. The menu is Omakase-only and changes nightly depending on what ingredients are in season. The restaurant only seats 26, at a sprinkling of tables and at the sushi bar—which is definitely where you want to be. There, you can watch the famed Chef Masa Takayama create your 25-courses of sushi. Takayama, whose food has received 4-stars from the New York Times and 3 Micheline stars, opened Masa five years ago. With meals that start at $400, it is one of the country’s most expensive restaurants and serves some of the world’s most expensive sushi. The décor is sleek black and grey…but who really cares? The real art is the sushi itself.

Masa is located in the Time Warner Center at 10 Columbus Circle. For a more casual (and reservation-free) dining experience, try Bar Masa next door.