Jado Sushi
“Only available at chef's sushi counter and it's hard to grab a seat, so call now and plan your visit to Jado in Harlem!”
“The best part is that the menu is not chock full of boring, staid items like miso soup, edamame and california rolls.”
“Nakajima's special omakase is from his own source, so the fish he serves is even different from the rest of the restaurant.”
Jado Sushi
Takes Reservations: Yes
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$$$ Price range $31-60
8 reviews
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Bland, bland, bland. Bok-choy? Bland. Tuna tartare? Bland. Fried rice? Bland. Even the spicy hamachi rolls, for crissakes, were bland. Oh, and the fried rice which was supposed to contain "shrimp, chicken, and pork – are you ok with that?" actually had something more like 2 under-nourished dwarf shrimps and some shreds of mostly unidentified meat. It's the only sushi spot in Harlem, but that just means you should go get sushi out of Harlem. And there are much better non-sushi options nearby.
I really do still enjoy the sushi here but since the several turnovers of staff and the change in chef it's really not as on-point as it used to be. Gone are the days of the seared tataki starter or the mango dessert and not to mention the fact that staff doesn't stick around for more than a few months. That's not a good sign.
Came back recently with my wife, because I really like their food. Menu has changed of course, looks like a new crew runs this place and the food is still expensive. Plus now it has become very average. Another place that bites the dust. So why coming back now? SAD!.
even the drinks are average.
I wanted to like this place. The decor is wonderful, it's a warm environment with mood lighting, waiters in traditional server uniforms milling about to fill water glasses and refold white linen napkins in as little time as possible. The atmosphere, (maybe) drinks and light appetizers are reasons you would come here. Aside from being a great place to bring a date for a quick snack.
The lighting is soft and makes all sorts of people look great. I didn't like that I asked the waiter for a recommendation on a wine and he suggests a Rioja. When I ask him to suggest something on the list closer to a Malbec, he brought the rioja without a word. Had I not recognized the smell of the Rioja, I would have been disappointed. He tried a true switch and bait. That's not cool, man. Not cool at all.
I had the monkfish liver special as my appetizer which was a healthy portion for sharing, despite my dining companion deciding it was not worth trying. For the mains, my company had the crab roll and I had the crispy shrimp roll from the special rolls menu. The rolls were huge, but nowhere near the best rolls I've ever had.
Service was creepily attentive: Midst conversation we would turn to notice our waiter watching our conversation closely while staring at us tableside for extended periods, until we had to pause and ask if he was alright. Very odd.
I want to like this place but a restaurant should serve cuisine and train for better service!! I will return to see if this experience was a one-time fluke.
I don't get it… How is this place not on every single omakase list in NYC?? This was a truly exceptional omakase with a lot of unique dishes I've not had anywhere else, and an experience and meal on par with all of my favorites (Zo, Nakazawa, Dojo, Tanoshi, Kura, etc) for traditional edo style sushi.
They do both a sushi omakase and a kaiseki omakase. We went with the kaiseki, and were not disappointed.
The meal breaks out as a cooked cold starter, sashimi, hot cooked fish, 15 pieces of sushi, a tempura plate, tomago, soup, and ice cream. You will not leave here hungry.
The menu is very seasonal, with some fish only available for a period of two weeks. The menu is unique… To start, we had poached sea snails. That was an omakase first for me, and they were delightful. Clean tasting with just a touch of chew. The sashimi plate followed with three different types of fish, including a type of eel I've not had before anywhere. Last of the starter portion of the meal was a cooked sablefish with picked Japanese gourd. Tasty piece of fish that could have passed as a cousin for Nobu's black miso cod. Second cousin maybe, but still family.
On to the main show… The sushi omakase. 15 blissful pieces of perfectly executed sushi. The cadence of the fish is like a symphony, starting with the lighter white fish, crescendoing into the more assertive oily fish (the Japanese sardine was truly exceptional), mellowing out into scallops, squid, and shrimp, then taking a brief intermission for a tempura plate. Resuming the sushi, we get to the rich stuff: ikura, uni, the tuna / toro flight, and the eel.
The chef likes to use multiple parts of the fish for his dishes, for example, the squid. The body is served up as you've had it before, but a little fatty and a touch chewy. The piece that followed was the legs. Never had squid leg sushi, and it was a different flavor profile and texture than the body the piece before. The shrimp? The head is dispatched from the largest, creamiest raw shrimp I've had anywhere, and when I say creamy, it's like shrimp butter, and it's a two biter. Following the shrimp, the head made a reappearance on the tempura plate nicely deep fried. Also the biggest shrimp head I've ever had. Last example, the tuna. You get the usual line up of lean, chu toro, and o toro, but served all at once, and all from the same fish.
To end the sushi course, he gives you his signature dish; eel. I know what you are thinking, it let me set you straight; you've never had eel like this. It just melted in your mouth in a clean, fatty, slightly sweet kind of way. It's majestic. It's the perfect eel.
To end the meal, there is a miso soup with clams, tomago served with the rice on the inside of the egg (another first), and a green tea ice cream.
It's not a bargain omakase, coming in at $160 per person; nearly twice as expensive as places like Dojo, Tanoshi, and Kura, and around the same price as Nakazawa. That being said, you get a whopping 26 items, which is made up of a cross section of unique ingredients, while keeping the focus where you want it; on the sushi.
Add this one to your omakase list. It's earned its rightful spot to be in the same conversation as the best edo style omakase places, like Zo, Nakazawa, Tanoshi, Brushstroke, and Kura, and proved itself superior to Kosaka and Ushiwakamaru.
Trust me. Go.
This pretty little place is a blessing for the neighborhood. The sushi is really good and the staff is on point. I really like the way they present the food.
Great ambiance. Great service. Great food.
I have been frequenting Jado since I moved to NYC four years ago. It's the best sushi uptown and has a great vibe. In the summer, it's great to sit outside and people watch.
Love this place. I live downtown and the trip to Jado is always worth it.
Let's start with the Chicken Tinga sushi, the single strangest item of this lower Harlem sushi restaurant. It's a piece of spiced chicken in the middle of an ordinary sushi roll. Now the tinga is just fine, pretty much the same as featured in a dozen restaurants with five places of this place. However here is wrapped in seaweed and costs $10.
So it goes with Jado. I used to live in the neighborhood, and I return every so often to see friends and have dinner. And while the dining options up here have increased, I'm coming to the conclusion that many of the new options simply aren't up to snuff. Here you have to pay nearly-midtown prices (Draft Asahi – $7.50), with none of the quality associated with the best parts of Manhattan.
Being above 110th Street shouldn't carry a tax. With the arrival of Sushi Inoue, there' s now very fancy and very tasty sushi in the area (although it must be said at a rather luxurious price point). I'm entering some dangerous territory by comparing a high-end omakase restaurant and something that's clearly designed to be more of a neighborhood restaurant, but the fact is that Jado invites it by failing to measure up.