Jewel Bako
“I liked how the waitress asked if we had any preference with the fish we got in the omakase.”
“Everyone here is a well oiled cog in the machine that is the Michelin starred Jewel Bako.”
“I also can't compare Jewel to NYC's finest, never having been to NOBU or Yasuda or Masa or anywhere else that lofty.”
Jewel Bako
Takes Reservations: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Price range.
$$$$ Price range Above $61
8 reviews
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So I got a last minute, late Saturday night reservation for the sushi bar for Omakase. I had to wait for my seats, but they immediately sat me at a table form some Sake while I waited. I totally understood that I need to wait for a couple's course to complete..Understandable, so it was no big deal. They were sincerely and continually apologetic, which I felt was unnecessary, but it was indicative of the type of service I continued to receive throughout the night and meal. I appreciated it. Once seated, it was decided that it would be the $120 omakase. So I sipped on my sake sparingly and just relaxed and enjoyed it all I could go into a detailed listing of what I was server, from Red Snapper, Tiny Sweet Shrimp,Squid, Aji, The Uni with fatty toro and ikura over Rice , etc, etc .. just like Ben L and The Sushi Legend and the reviews they do that I love… truth is I'd just be repeating what they said about each bite. Reallly it's why I don't do detailed reviews of my omakase dinners often.
Service: Top Notch, attentive but unobtrusive. 1st Class, I was given a complimentary shot of the owner's Private Mezcal reserve after asking about seeing it on a shelf 🙂 I actually felt bad when I pointed it out and was told whose it was, and retracted my inquiry, nonetheless there was a taste less than a moment later form the owner. I was in heaven.
The fish as great and dope, the Uni was fukin Insane! I can't wait to come back.
You know it's going to be top grade sushi when they've earned Michelin rating 10 years in a row. For the last decade they have remained on top! To me that says a lot. You don't see many sushi restaurants with this honor and to remain consistent for 10 years in a row is mind blowing.
From the street you can barely notice it's a sushi spot. I almost walked by and missed it. You don't realize you are about to enter and experience one of the best sushi restaurants in NYC.
So let's get to the food… Started with a spicy tuna phyllo tart compliments of the chef. It was delicious and I could have eaten 10 of these bad boys. The trio tartar is a must! Tuna, salmon and yellowtail. Next we got the salmon sashimi which was so fresh that it melted in my mouth. It had 3 different salmons; king salmon, Scottish and ocean trout. So yummy! The yellowtail sashimi was also very good.
The mushrooms are another must! Wow! They might have been the best I have ever had. The crispy sea bass is a delicious main if you're in the mood for cooked fish.
Overall a delicious meal. I really enjoyed the food and the manager Kai was a really nice guy. I will be back.
A 11 year old consistent Michelin Star restaurant in the East Village, known for it's sushi. It's not inexpensive, it's also not terribly expensive for a Michelin Star restaurant. From a San Francisco eater's vantage point of view, this is every bit as good as Wako on Clement and 2nd, and it' got a very intimate setting.
My evening was dominated initiatively by the very rare self doubt I was having as I was surrounded by a posh group of Ivy Leagues. Among the four of them, between under and graduate schools, just about covered just about every top tier school of the country. The subject matter was more somber as it's related to policy setting and endless of name droppings of the who's who. I had instead taken the opportunity to examine the room's decor and food offering as a way to keep myself mentally occupied.
I had determined, their rolls are very good, especially if you order the larger rolls to share. Their sashimi platter is reasonably priced and quite fresh. Their beer and sake offerings are slightly different than what you'd see in San Francisco, so that makes the decision making process slightly more interesting.
The service was wonderful. Despite the place being oversold and crowded, no one rushed us, we spent a good three hours eating, and chatting, and clearly taking on more time than the average patrons, they did not come to harass us to leave as some of the restaurants would.
Japanese influenced desserts are worth getting.
I don't know why the price was deemed high by other reviewers, I thought it was well in the middle for what it is, and the quality was consistent across rolls and sashimi.
Four hour meal later (the extra hour after meal was spent on drinks and more chatting), I finally bid goodnight to friends from the upper east side, I had completely forgotten how insecure I felt at the beginning of the evening, and how full and satisfied I was by the end of the evening. Hmmm… excellent sushi is the final frontier to education inequalities…
Japanese food is one of our favorite cuisines. We love the soft, vinegared rice and the fresh ingredients (seafood, vegetables, fruits). It's like comfort food to us! Sushi has been very popular because it is not only healthy but also has a beautiful presentation. It's a piece of ART as often seen by the vibrant colors and assortments created. The rolls are very photogenic and instagram friendly.
Jewel Bako has a very modern and chic interior highlighted by its classy ambiance. Think of a mix between romantic and causal! While the restaurant is on the smaller side, the seating is comfortable. There is a huge mirror in the middle of the dining room that creates a bigger space illusion. The service was excellent; our server was extremely attentive and friendly. Our glasses were always kept filled with sake!
"Selection of Sushi" include blue fin tuna, yellowtail, scottish salmon, isaki, fluke, botan ebi, eel, and live scallop, served with chef's special roll (spicy tuna). First bite into the blue fin tuna nigiri awakened all my taste buds, and it felt magical. The texture of vinegary rice was cooked perfectly well, not too mushy or hard but just soft enough to have character. I instantly had to help myself to another piece, the yellowtail, which was so delicious that it gave me flashbacks of Tokyo. The chef's special roll exceeded my expectations because the proportion of the rice and fish was on point! The two complemented each other very harmoniously and never overpowered another allowing the two to express their true qualities and full flavors. There was just enough rice wrapping around the buttery-textured fish giving off a sense of the aromatic, tasty rice along with exuding pure freshness! it was the perfect combination of vinegary rice and fresh seafood. Every bite led me into a greater desire for more. The meal was very enjoyable and left a lasting memory.
"Selection of Sashimi" includes blue fin tuna, yellowtail, scottish salmon, isaki, fluke, and jumbo sweet shrimp. It felt like heaven again! The texture, softness, temperature, and cut of the fish were AWESOME, but I would prefer the sashimi to be presented over ice because as time goes on, the fish warms up to room temperature.
Unagi roll consists of shrimp, golden tobiko, avocado and kaiware roll. The texture was especially memorable because there were several layers of different textures: softness, chewiness, and crunchiness, which really played around with my senses!
We were very full after all the satisfying pieces, but we cannot end the night with a touch of sweetness. We ordered the matcha tiramisu to share. We excitedly took our first bite, then we stared at each other with the most "shocking" face! To our surprise, it was bitter because every layer of matcha tiramisu was infused with alcohol. We are not shy drinker, but we prefer to drink, not eat alcohol-infused desserts because we enjoy sweet desserts, like who doesn't?
Must try the Chefs tasting menu! I found the Ambrosia of fish in NYC, fresh and delicate beyond imagination. Nice ambiance and great staff too.
My friend and I felt so blessed to enjoy the deluxe chefs tasting meal tonight. If you don't have time to finish reading my whole review, just two things: best sashimi in town with filling amount, period.
Started with complimentary tuna on top of rice ball dish. The tuna and spicy mayo go really well with chewy rice ball. (4/5)
The flavored appetizers really opened up my appetite for the night. (5/5) 4 components: 1. Bean sprouts with little sour sauce looks/tastes very fresh. 2. Scallop and uni part is my favorite. The scallop is very soft, and I really like the idea of pairing the rich textured scallop with rich-in-taste uni and sauce (well done! Has uni as a taste sauce to decorate scallop. Plus they are my two fav seafood). 3. Tuna in fortune cookie (new Asian fusion idea!) 4. sea shrimp in wasabi like sauce (solid).
Next, sashimi platter! (5+/5)The waiter made us the wasabi from fresh wasabi root at the table. My first time trying fresh wasabi, still taste spicy but the smell is fresh like grass (Try it. Quite refreshing). Have tried many sashimi places in the city, I was not impressed much before this. You can imagine I was afraid to raise too much expectation while trying this one. BUT every bite was so good! Fishes are so fresh and the delicate taste of different fishes are well presented! (Love the squid most, little chewy. ) easily made to the top of my sashimi place list in the city. Not sure what to try after this tbh… If you know, please msg me!
Then comes the appealing sushi platter (4.5/5). Totally felt like being spoiled when I saw the huge 8 pieces sushi seating in a giant pretty glass platter coming towards us! fluke (served with natural wasabi) , marinated blue fin tuna, medium fat tuna (defines what is "melt in the mouth"! Awwwww so goooood yet with the just about right amount of fat) , sea eel (gently cooked and rich texture. Cooked so well), king salmon (smoooooth) etc.. And 3 additional chopped tune in seaweed wraps….
Dessert (5/5): matcha ice cream sandwich. No need to comment, must-try! Yum yum!
In the end… Super nice staff offered us complimentary plum wine to end the perfect night. (Feel being spoiled XD). There is a reason they get Michelin star, there is a solid reason that they get stars every single year for 11yrs!
First stated fact – Jewel Bako has won 10 consecutive Michelin stars over the past decade, there's not even a single miss! How impressive! The way they decorated the place was also special – very much alike the golden town hall. I started to dream about my potential perfect meal…
Major likes – very solid sashimi/sushi platters. I enjoyed each single piece, it was freshly prepared that almost entirely melted in my mouth. My favorite one was the grilled eel sushi, with the help of teriyaki sauce on top. Sea bass, though cooked, was able to maintain its tenderness; the crunchy rice cover only made it more chewy! Finally the dessert – the matcha ice cream sandwich! Flawless.
Only complain – a bit too noisy.
Overall I deeply enjoyed my sushi experience here and I'm glad that I made the choice of chef's tasting as I was able to try a bit of this and that. Those ten stars indeed tell something…
You feel like you are inside a whale's tummy (like in Pinocchio…) when you eat at Jewel Bako, which has earned a Michelin star for 11 consecutive years. I had a high expectation for this highly acclaimed restaurant in East Village, but unfortunately had a rather lukewarm experience.
My friend and I started the meal with Trio of Tartares ($20) and Salmon Hoba Misoyaki ($15). The Trio of Tartares was outstanding. It features blue fin tuna, salmon, and yellowtail tartare with crunchy sweet potato chips. The tuna tartare was topped with smooth avocado mousse. The portions were adequate and the price was just right for this shareable appetizer.
The Salmon Hoba Misoyaki was also an interesting appetizer. It's not as conducive to sharing, but this juicy king salmon was steamed with three types of miso in hoba leaf with shiitake mushrooms. The salmon maintained all of its flavors and juice.
I opted for the Makimono Omakase ($42) as my entree. Unlike the appetizers, the Makimono was really disappointing. With the hefty price of $42, you would think the rolls would be more than just a California roll as the base, right? Wrong! While the rolls were topped with quality ingredients ike scallops, toro, and eel, underneath all these goodness were just plain boring California rolls with avocado and imitation crab.
The Omakase included all 8 of Jewel Bako's rolls. They were very pleasing to the eyes. My favorites were fresh water eel with shrimp, scallops with yuzu zest, and salmon skin. The fish was all very fresh, but again I was a bit disappointed with the lack of creativity with the actual rolls themselves underneath the fresh fish on top.
One star Michelin eleven years in a row, that's a pretty badass accomplishment. So a friend and I decided to swing by since my friend was in a mode for Asian food and I don't say no to Omakase so we decided to go on Tuesday at 8pm. The restaurant wasn't that busy but that was fine since the restaurant does have a more upscale and sophisticated vibe. We opted to sit at a table which was nice and had a really nice atmosphere, the lighting was dimly lit and the room itself looked like a bamboo tunnel which was pretty awesome, so Zen. The sushi bar in the back was very well lit and had the very typical high end sushi bar look and feel, it was all wood, clean and very straightforward. The food was good, it was a solid sushi experience but it wasn't as sexy as I was expecting. I was expecting the sushi to be more exciting, it was kinda safe sushi, if you will. My friend and I both opted for the Omakase Sushi and Sashimi which was $85, it was good but the biggest thing that bugged me was the rice. The rice wasn't great nor terrible, it was very neutral in flavor. I really didn't think the sushi rice elevated the seafood.
The food:
Marinated Blue Fin Tuna Nigiri- or Akami. I liked the ginger addition, it was a nice addition to the very straightforward tuna. yelp.com/user_local_phot…
Golden Eye Snapper Nigiri- or Kinmedai. I really liked the texture of the fish but the flavor was a tad mild hence the addition of the Yuzukosho which went great and was not too aggressive in flavor. I think too many times restaurants add too much Yuzkosho, but this had the right amount. yelp.com/user_local_phot…
Ebi Nigiri- The Ebi was one of my fav pieces, the texture was excellent and it had a very pronounced prawn flavor.
Hotate Sashimi- Scallop is normally a favorite and the one here was good but not as sweet and perfect as I was expecting.
Ebi Sashimi- The prawn was excellent as the Nigiri version.This was a fav.
Yellowtail Belly Sashimi- The Yellowtail belly was great, it was scored in such a way that it looked like squid, it oddly enough had the chew like a squid as well. This was so good, one of the favs.
Fluke Sashimi- The Fluke Sashimi was just OK, Fluke is fluke, it's kinda just there. Fluke is never a fish that really excites me and the one here was no different.
Tuna Sashimi- The flavor was good, the texture was just OK. It wasn't as silky as I was hoping.
Striped Jack Nigiri- or Shima Aji. This was excellent, this is in the same family as Yellowtail and Yellowtail is one of my favorite fishes. The texture and flavor of this was excellent. One of the favs.
Otoro Sashimi- So melt in my mouth excellent. One of the favs.
Otoro Nigiri- So melt in my mouth excellent. lol Another favs.
Amberjack Nigiri- or Kanpachi. This was another fav and another fish in the Yellowtail family. Excellent texture and excellent flavor.
Scottish Salmon- I enjoyed the flavor on this one but the texture was a tad mushy for me.
Sea Eel- or Anago. I normally love this, the one here was good and the flavor was fine but I found the Anago to be too soft in texture.
Otoro Cut Roll- This was my favorite thing of the night. The 3 pieces of the cut roll had such great flavor from the Otoro and scallions. So good. It's weird that I enjoyed this so much since I am not the biggest roll fan.
Green Tea Ice Cream Sandwiches- Chocolate Cookie and Marcona Almond. First things first, I have to give kudos to the restaurant since my friend and I were planning on splitting the dessert on our own. The restaurant was nice enough to split the dessert for us and serve us individually. Awesome! On to the desert itself, it was excellent. I was so damn in love with that cookie! The texture of the cookie was so perfectly chewy, gimme gimme gimme. And I am normally not a green tea person since I don't care for the bitterness but the one here was less intense and paired so perfectly well with that damn awesome cookie. This is a must order to finish the meal. yelp.com/user_local_phot…