The food at Izi is a pleasant surprise, considering it is a loud Japanese restaurant in the middle of Times Square that serves a giant fortune cookie for dessert.
Located in the W Hotel right next to a huge Dos Caminos and downstairs from the Blue Fin bar, this is actually a pretty small capacity restaurant. With high ceilings reaching up to the bar above, there are 10 or so seats at the sushi bar along with some small booths around the rest of the narrow space.
On to the food, we tried a ton of stuff from most sections of the menu. The sushi came out almost immediately, and before the "Bang Bang Edamame" ($9) and other starters, which was a little odd, but hard to complain too much, as the rolls and "dressed sushi" were the high points of the menu. We tried the Spicy Tuna Roll ($14), which was fine, and the better Eel Avocado Roll ($16), which was topped with Salmon. From the dressed sushi, the Salmon with Lime Kosho and Ginger Blossom ($10 for 2 pieces) was probably the best of the bunch.
From the "Izi Poké" section, we tried the Hamachi ($19), because it has "crispy rice" in the description, which is always the way to go. It was a little different here, as it was served as little cubes of crispy rice alongside the small cubes of fish.
For starters, the Kobe Beef Sliders ($21 for 3), were cooked inconsistently and a bit disappointing, as one was practically raw and another was too well done. The Sticky Fried Chicken was a decent take on wings (I'll admit I didn't get to try the "sticky" part since the sauce had shellfish in it, my only allergy), but at $25 this is where the Times Square prices were most evident.
Lastly, the thing everybody is getting for Instagram, the "Rocky Road To A Big Fortune" ($21), which is a giant fortune cookie topped with marshmallows, chocolate and peanut butter cups and filled with mousse. Better looking than it tastes, it's a fun time if you have a lot of people to split it with or just really want to get that shot to post for your followers. We also had to try the Bananas Foster Ice Cream Sandwiches ($11 for 3), which was much tamer and a more manageable way to end the meal.
While the prices are a bit steep, the food is definitely high quality and better than most choices in Times Square. Some of the sushi is similarly priced to other similar style restaurants, so I would stick with that part of the menu over some of the pricier starters.
Monday, 5:00 am - 11:00 pm Tuesday, 5:00 am - 11:30 pm Wednesday, 5:00 am - 11:30 pm Thursday, 5:00 am - 11:30 pm Friday, 5:00 am - 12:00 am Saturday, 5:00 am - 12:00 am Sunday, 5:00 am - 11:00 pm
The food at Izi is a pleasant surprise, considering it is a loud Japanese restaurant in the middle of Times Square that serves a giant fortune cookie for dessert.
Located in the W Hotel right next to a huge Dos Caminos and downstairs from the Blue Fin bar, this is actually a pretty small capacity restaurant. With high ceilings reaching up to the bar above, there are 10 or so seats at the sushi bar along with some small booths around the rest of the narrow space.
On to the food, we tried a ton of stuff from most sections of the menu. The sushi came out almost immediately, and before the "Bang Bang Edamame" ($9) and other starters, which was a little odd, but hard to complain too much, as the rolls and "dressed sushi" were the high points of the menu. We tried the Spicy Tuna Roll ($14), which was fine, and the better Eel Avocado Roll ($16), which was topped with Salmon. From the dressed sushi, the Salmon with Lime Kosho and Ginger Blossom ($10 for 2 pieces) was probably the best of the bunch.
From the "Izi Poké" section, we tried the Hamachi ($19), because it has "crispy rice" in the description, which is always the way to go. It was a little different here, as it was served as little cubes of crispy rice alongside the small cubes of fish.
For starters, the Kobe Beef Sliders ($21 for 3), were cooked inconsistently and a bit disappointing, as one was practically raw and another was too well done. The Sticky Fried Chicken was a decent take on wings (I'll admit I didn't get to try the "sticky" part since the sauce had shellfish in it, my only allergy), but at $25 this is where the Times Square prices were most evident.
Lastly, the thing everybody is getting for Instagram, the "Rocky Road To A Big Fortune" ($21), which is a giant fortune cookie topped with marshmallows, chocolate and peanut butter cups and filled with mousse. Better looking than it tastes, it's a fun time if you have a lot of people to split it with or just really want to get that shot to post for your followers. We also had to try the Bananas Foster Ice Cream Sandwiches ($11 for 3), which was much tamer and a more manageable way to end the meal.
While the prices are a bit steep, the food is definitely high quality and better than most choices in Times Square. Some of the sushi is similarly priced to other similar style restaurants, so I would stick with that part of the menu over some of the pricier starters.