Sushi Seki Hell’s Kitchen
“The omakase was as good as I remembered from UES – rice was perfectly cooked and all nigiris were interesting.”
“We had the Yuzu, Lychee, Sakura, Peach, and Matcha.”
“The spicy oyster roll was amazing!!”
Sushi Seki Hell’s Kitchen
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Coat Check: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Price range.
$$$ Price range $31-60
8 reviews
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It was a disappointing dinner, and here is why.
I walked into this newly opened Japanese restaurant – well decorate, spacious, friendly staff, got its own Japanese sake and whiskey bar – looking to enjoy a good dinner, but it failed.
None of the dishes I tasted met my expectation:
Agedashi Tofu: it was too firm, there's no air at all inside the fried tofu
Spicy scallop roll: there's no scallop in it
Tempura roll: not well fried and the shrimp was tiny
Uni sushi: good, but it's Uni, you can't fail Uni
Miso cod: good fresh fish, but way too sweet
Sea bass: again good fish, but the black bean sauce messed up the dish, it was too salty
Tea: how can a Japanese restaurant not serve its traditional tea but rather have some tea list that charges you $7 for a cup of tea?
Overall, I might still give the restaurant a try, but this place is not anywhere near the level of 15 east, yasuda, morimoto, azabu, etc.
Sushi Seki was alright. The ambiance was slightly sterile, and the food selection was not very exciting. We ordered some small dishes and some sushi. Everything was decent, but you can tell it's not top notch sushi based on the mediocre rice underneath each sashimi. And it's pricey. For $50 a person, we could have easily been satisfied in many many other choices in Manhattan.
Ambiance and decor: 5
Food: 3
Service: 4
Price: 2
This location is absolutely gorgeous, spacious and beautifully lit – the opposite of a lot of other New York hotspots. The ambiance makes you really excited for your meal. The servers are attentive without being too pushy, and generally pretty fast.
Unfortunately, the food was just ok, and very overpriced for the quality. We ordered a variety of nigiri, a few appetizers and salads, a couple rolls and a carafe of sake. The rolls were incredibly disappointing, with slightly burnt fried soft shell crab and tiny portions. All of the nigiri was fine, but at $5+ per piece, it's ridiculously overpriced.
The most disappointing item we got was the seaweed salad with onion dressing, which is mostly a leafy salad with a tiny bit of seaweed and an incredibly strong onion/pungent dressing that was almost inedible.
Maybe I'm just going to the wrong sushi spots in NYC, but none of the places I've tried thus far have impressed me.
The food is alright. The service is slow though! They definitely need more waiters!!!!! It took forever to get everything, like menus.
I came here for the matcha cocktail! It's pretty nice, it's made of rum and matcha. The matcha flavor is strong. Not bad! My friends also get Sakura cocktail, which is based on sake. Lychee one is petty standard one. The drinking menu list is pretty long.
My friends think oysters are good. For happy hour, around 2-3 per one. I got miso cod for my entree. I like it even though the size is really small for $29. We also shared some other appetizers such as beef sth (with scallions), tofu salad (something healthy), crispy rice with crab (almost all crispy rice like Guo ba in Chinese锅巴). For dessert, we got matcha creme brûlée, which I like.
They also have special fixed menu which is much cheaper and omakase.
The sushi rolls are delicious; however they are small in stature about the size of a quarter.
The ambience is appealing. The staff is very attentive. But please note that if you do not have a party of six or more you will not be seated in the main dining room.
Overall I will give it four stars because the sushi is impeccable despite the small size. Please put this place on your list if you are in New York City.
I used to go to their UES location regularly as I live in the neighborhood but it got almost impossible to get a table there, so I am happy about the new HK location which is super convenient for a pre-theater dinner. I came here twice within a month – once for omakase at the sushi bar and another time for sushi special at a table. The omakase was as good as I remembered from UES – rice was perfectly cooked and all nigiris were interesting. Inside the sushi bar felt more casual and lacked the traditional discipline you would typically see at a traditional sushi bar, which was a slight disappointment for me. Sushi special was also good however it obviously lacked the freshness of omekase and some pieces felt dry. The appetizers were hit and miss – I would stick to the deep fried items like chicken karaage or ebi shinjo. The panna cotta and green team creme brulee were spectacular. I really wanted to lick the bowls.
I would definitely go back for pre-theater. I love the fact that it's much easier to get a table even in the last minute.
Upon entering Sushi Seki, i was just blown away. The contemporary decor is truly beautiful. This establishment is bi-level. Lunch is served only on the bottom level and the upper level is open for dinner. Located on the bottom level is a long cocktail bar which serves artisanal cocktails as well as sake and Japanese whiskey and beer. On the main floor, there is a communal table which looks really neat and there is also a Kappo bar in front of the open kitchen. Upstairs, you will get more of the authentic Japanese feel. The upper level features a sake and whiskey bar, sushi bar, a few tables on the terrace over looking Hell's Kitchen, and the coolest of all, tatami rooms! The tatami room is traditional and offers a private dining experience.
Upon arriving, I asked Ryan, the amazing mixologist, to recommend a good drink on the cocktail menu while I waited for my friend. He recommended the Yuzu. It was perfectly garnished, served in a ceramic cup, and really refreshing. Cocktails run from $13-$19 but they are quality drinks. Now on to my favorite part…the FOOD. Off of the special menu, I ordered the mushroom soup with black truffle and the crab, scallop, and avocado on crispy rice. The mushroom soup was rich and delightful. The crab, scallop, and avocado with crispy rice was served on a shell. It was really really good. My friend and I ordered the spicy oyster roll and spicy tuna roll. Each order comes with 6 pcs. The spicy oyster roll was amazing!! I couldn't stop eating it. The rolls were so tasty that you don't even need soy sauce. Sushi Seki definitely uses quality and fresh ingredients. The price is really great for the quality of food they serve.
I will be coming back for more food and more cocktails. I heard they are launching their happy hour specials on Thursdays and Fridays soon. I cannot wait! Not to mention, the staff is so friendly and warm and the place is pristine.
Sushi Seki gets a 5 star for ambiance, food, cocktails, and service!
Food here is pricey but it's pretty good! I would give the food a 4 but the service was a definite 5. I came here with a group of 7 and anyone who's ever dined in the city knows it's rare to have a restaurant seat you before until your entire party is there. Not only did sushi seki seat us right away before the rest of our party arrived, they even offered us a private room! We took off our shoes to enter the private room and they had slip on crocs that you could borrow instead of going through the hassle of putting on your shoes when you went to the bathroom.
Half of my party got the 6 course meal which was quite filling! I opted to get the agedashi tofu and Chilean seabass. The tofu was amazing. I would definitely get that again. It was nice and crispy on the outside and silky smooth on the inside. The dashi complemented it perfectly. The Chilean sea bass was pretty good but one piece that I got was a little on the dry side. I got a yuzu cocktail. Not only was it beautiful but it was delicious. This cocktail is for the true yuzu lover. It wasn't overly sweet and had a nice tangy flavor. It's not for those who dislike sour but was just right for me. I tried a few pieces of sushi and sashimi. While the flavors were great and there was absolutely no need for soy sauce, I'm not sure how fresh the fish was. However, I may be too spoiled by recently going to Japan and eating sushi straight from the fish market.
The overheard us talking about it being my husbands birthday and brought a complimentary green tea creme brûlée in addition to 3 extra Mochi ice cream. The waitress and waiter were all super sweet and informative and never rushed us. I would definitely go back!!