Restaurant Riki
“Very nice izakaya, one of the best in mid-town east if you're looking for an authentic Japanese place with good price.”
“I always get the Okonomiyaki, the clams in broth with vermicelli, and then try whatever tickles the old fancy.”
“Get a group of 5 or 6 and they seat you in a nice private booth where the ambience is a little better.”
Restaurant Riki
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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Came here for dinner on a Tuesday night. We walk in and an old man/waiter rudely greeted us with a sigh – "do you have reservations?"; us: "no.."; another sigh. Then another sigh. "Ok, can you leave by 7:30pm?" Um.. we said that's fine. Then he proceeded to take us all the way to the back – a dingy room with about 8 tables and 3 large traditional shoeless private rooms. We were bugged about what we were going to order every minute on the dot. I was getting pretty aggravated so I decided to just order 4 things: (1) yaki udon; (2) roe omelette; (3) pork belly skewer; and (4) chicken ball skewer. Everything was meh – nothing mind blowing. The chicken ball skewer was the best of what we ordered.
We also didn't want to get a whole bottle of sake, so we went by the glass. Each glass is $25-$30. The only draft available is Kirin Ichiban. The place is bustling with Japanese people – usually a great sign but … the place didn't really rub me the right way. I did like the no-tip part, however. That's so Asian! Love it. Meal came out to $100 for us 2, which was expected – very cheap.
The sake was good 😉 Ask them for a recommendation – that's what we did and I can't recall the name of it!
Anyway, the service needs improvement.
One of the best and most authentic Japanese restaurants I have ever been to. Some of my coworkers decided to plan a nice dinner/happy hour after work and a colleague from Japan recommend this location.
FOOD: We had a mix of different appetizers and dishes; all of them were amazing. We tried Japanese Pickles, Short Ribs, Japanese Beef and Tofu, along with some sushi rolls. Everything was prepared very fresh and authentic Japanese food.
DRINKS: Sake and beer (not together of course).
AMBIANCE: Since we were a group of 10, we were seated in a private room. To keep with Japanese culture, we took off our shoes, before we entered the room. The tables were on the ground level and we sat on cushions (no worries, there is room to put your legs under the table). After they finished bringing out all the food, they closed the doors and we got a private room to laugh and be merry.
SERVICE: Service was great and respectful. It is also a non tipping establishment which is worth noting.
OVERALL: I had a very good experience at Restaurant Riki and would highly recommend!
Restaurant Riki is very close to the Grand Central terminal. It is a no-tipping establishment (meaning that servers do not accept gratuities). When you walk into the restaurant, they have a bar on the right. The main dining room has a few tables in there and some private rooms. Their menu contains the items that you would normally find at a Japanese izakaya. My favorites are Okonomiyaki, grilled whole squid and their sweet & sour soup ramen. If you wanted to go for something different, definitely order the sweet & sour soup ramen, it's basically ramen cooked in sweet & sour soup. The bartender at the bar is very efficient, all the drink orders would be made available within a short period of time. Their drink menu contains some popular sake choices. Servers are very attentive at Restaurant Riki even though they do not work for tips. If you wanted some reasonably priced Japanese izakaya food by Grand Central, come to this place. If you were ready to spend more, go to places like aburiya kinnosuke close by instead.
Good lunch option in midtown east. Service is quick and portions are generous. My favorite is the hot and sour soup ramen, which I haven't seen offered anywhere else!
I've been here once before and the manager turned us away last time because we didn't have "reservations" yet there were open tables everywhere. We tried one more time because it's right around he corner from my house and I was very hungry otherwise I wouldn't have. Anyways we actually got a seat this time. The waitress had a hard time communicating because it's really an authentic Japanese restaurant. But we ended up ordering some pretty good small dishes. We had a yellowtail scallion which was great ( always have to have sushi), the yellow tail belly which was very good as well, the pork pancake w egg cabbage and vegetable sauce which was my favorite! Also ordered the octopus in garlic chili oil which was ok but had wayyyyy to much oil. Two tips for anyone planning on coming is : 1. Make a " reservation " 2. Don't have to tip! Yes you read right no tipping expected! 🙂
Excellent Japanese spot you must try! The place is very comforting and staff are welcoming. Came here right after work so was pretty hungry. It was a Saturday night so I was pretty surprise it wasn't as packed as thought would be..which is a good thing! We ordered a lot of different stuff particularly skewers to try and had the Kentai Ramen which had a rich spicy broth and was very delicious! I really enjoyed the food and yes, the pictures that I'll be providing, it WAS as good as it looks in the pictures! I think you'll love this place. Also, this is a no-tipping restaurant, not even if you want to! The fellows sitting next to us left a top and the waitress literally chased him and told him that they do not take tips. Lovely restaurant, would definitely recommend.
Cramped, busy Japanese restaurant located in midtown. You may be (blissfully) surprised there is a "No tipping" policy here, though the tips are basically priced into food items themselves. The menu is quite extensive, there's a ton of variety here! (Which may not be such a good thing actually)
I gave one of the lunch specials a try, a ramen, a simple salad, and sushi-roll combo:
Ramen (Meat-based broth, sliced pork, bamboo shoots, seaweed, scallions, and egg noodles)
Pretty bland broth overall, but it was a nice warming bowl of noodles.
Eel-avocado roll
Average, meh type of sushi. Tastes a lot like a roll you would get at a low-end sushi buffet.
One of my favorite restaurants when I'm craving Japanese food. The menu options are endless and everything to me taste delicious! It's usually packed with people coming for dinner after work, and since it closes late, it's also a great spot for supper.