Ushiwakamaru
“We opted for the 14 course omakase – he did all sushi, I did sashimi-sushi combo.”
“This place is amazingggg and up there with my other favorite sushi spots in the city (I'm looking at you Kura, Brushstroke and Nakazawa).”
“The quality of all the fish is top notch of course, Hideo's innovative food is amazing, atmosphere is modern, minimal and calm.”
Ushiwakamaru
Takes Reservations: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Price range.
$$$$ Price range Above $61
8 reviews
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Holy cow. Mind blown. Just take my money and throw Hideo-san's sushi my way. I'll admit- the ambiance felt a little off (elegant in a minimal way, but felt unfinished), but the omakase MORE than made up for it.
Omakase. 18 pieces + miso soup / dessert. (Priced based on MP but our omakase sesh came to $135 per person) Miso soup is made with shrimp stock and is served with an actual shrimp head. It's warm, reminiscent of the sea and downright delicious. Dessert was a selection of ice cream. Now let's get to the good stuff.
Each piece is thoughtful and delicious. If you're looking to try omakase here, I think it's safe to assume that you've enjoyed omakase at other notable restaurants, are a self-proclaimed omakase manic, and you've heard more than enough of the 'OMG TORO!!! OMG UNI!!!!' comments. I'll spare you the details. (Toro and Hokkaido uni were FANTASTIC though lol) Hideo-San's nigiri not only highlights the freshness of the fish, but also the temperature of the rice and the temperature of what he is serving. He contrasts warmer temp rice with refreshing chilled snow crab, for example. BOMB.
Thoughtful Hideo-San's skills only seem to get better as he knocks his beers down like a champ (he puts my 'frat bro' boyfriend's beer chugging skills to shame, truly). These beers/sake shots are a testament to the incredible omakase experience he provides his visitors as the alcoholic drinks are sent as 'thank yous' by these very guests.
Just go. Send Hideo-San a beer on you, watch him do his magic (re: beer chugging skills), experience the magic (re: omakase) and wonder (as I did) why you haven't treated yourself to Ushiwakamaru's omakse with Hideo-San sooner.
P.S. Hideo-San wears the cutest pink hat and tells the best stories. Ask him about Ohio Uni!!
Perfect for: Impressive dinner date or indulgent solo omakase experience
So anytime you google a list of the best omakase places in NYC, this one always shows up. The problem is that in NYC, there are so many great omakase places that this one falls just a little short.
The space is brand spanking new, and doesn't really have a feel. It lacks the white glove feel of Nakazawa, the zen of Kura, the energy of Dojo, the warmth and familiarity of Cagen, the creativity of Bugs (RIP), or the grit of Tanoshi. It's basically a sterile and pristine setting without true character.
The food matches the space. The fish here is incredibly fresh, and it seems like what they go for here is to let the quality of the fish speak for itself. What I didn't really feel like they did was develop or create complimentary flavors. At the other places I mentioned, you see a lot of marinated fish or fish seasoned in unique ways that compliment and enhance the fish. Here, the fish mostly stands alone. Pristine and sterile.
So not to call this bad sushi; it's impeccable in terms of the quality of the ingredients. It just feels like at this price point and with all of the omakase choices in NYC, you can do better. Is it worth checking out? Sure, but only if you've been to every other place I mentioned earlier.
And like a phoenix from the ashes of its former domicile on Houston has Ushiwakamaru made its triumphant return to our beautiful city to its new location in Chelsea.
The new space is a lot bigger than the cramped basement location of its birth and the sushi bar is now 2x the size.
And thankfully not much else has changed – we usually go for the normal nigiri order which comes spread out over two courses. As we have noted before, do not bother with the hot appetizers from the kitchen and do reserve that space in your collective bellies for the fish instead. The amaebi here has been and remains particularly good. That said we are yet to meet a sea dweller from here we did not like and everything feels just-slaughtered for our benefit.
We were suicidal when the prior location closed and we are kicking ourselves for not knowing that it reopened nearly six months ago. Hopefully the rent in its new home stays stable for a long time to come – viva Ushiwakamaru.
I don't consider myself a connoisseur of much but sushi/sashimi is one of those things I know a bit about. We have eaten at many of the best places all over the world including Japan. I am a pretty much a sashimi only eater and we will literally try anything served to us!
Like most other Yelp reviewers, I agree the Omakase is fresh, well prepared and presented. But it didn't wow me. Decor is minimal and is reminiscent of other less esteemed sushi places. I enjoyed the sashimi for sure. But the bill? Not so much. When I last ate at Sushi Zen in midtown and sat at the sushi bar, our Omakase was nearly $300 pp drinks, tax and tip included. Here it was about $250 pp on a Saturday night. I would have gladly spend the extra $$$ our fave in midtown because let's face it-when we talking about HUNDREDS of dollars for fish, it should be knock you socks off. On the plus side, you won't go hungry here. They give you plenty of fish served over about four separate courses.
Service was attentive. The hostess and chef/owner are very welcoming. Overall, it was a solid experience but we aren't running back. For that price point, it should be spectacular.
Why haven't I come here sooner?? Oh, right. Because they closed down sometime in late 2014/early 2015 due to rent issues.
I loved Ushi from the very beginning right down to the end. We got the sushi bar omakase at $135pp, which is actually a reasonable price for high end sushi, and we also split a huge bottle of a 720ml carafe of sake at around $75. Every piece was fresh, amazing, and delish. I was kind of scarred by my awful experience at Tanoshi so I didn't have much of an experience but there was no need for me to set the bar so low.
Loved how the sushi bar was clean and spacious so that you didn't feel claustrophobic and cramped with all the other diners.
Service was flawless and accommodating, just like a traditional Japanese house should be. I can't stop raving about this place, and I hope I can become a regular here during the moments where my wallet will allow it.
SO MUCH better than Tanoshi too.
Went here because saw the chef/restaurant featured on Munchies. Made a reservation for a table for 2 since we wanted to check it out first and not be committed to a $135/person omakase bar-seating only. We ended up getting a sush/sashimi combo, clam soup, miso glazed black cod. Enjoyed the sushi more than the sashimi. Came with the usual selection; notables include the uni, fatty tuna, sweet shrimp. We were still hungry afterwards so ordered another sushi-only platter which finally made our tummies happy. The rice in the nigiri is very minimal; never seen so little rice before. I like to think this is a good thing because it helps to showcase the fish and you can really discern the taste better. The uni was amazing. So FRESH. The black cod was also delicious; portion was bigger than I thought and it came on top of this crunchy bed of ?roots? that was edible and nutty. Was my first time having clam soup and it was a smooth smooth ride; came with 3 juicy savory clams.
Service was hip, amiable, and professional. When I brought up how the menu said the sush/sashimi combo included egg but our dish didn't come with it, our waitress brought it over no problemo.
It was fun watching the main chef at the bar. He wears a special hat and you can also see him chugging beer, which I believe customers buy for him to chug.
We've been to the previous location of Ushiwakamaru, so it's good to be back to their new location. I called to book the sushi bar for omakase, and it wasn't too hard to get weekend reservation if you are okay with 6pm seating.
Everything was what I remembered – courteous services, modest interior design, authentic feel. We ordered all sushi omakase, which started off with green tea tofu and miso soup. I've never had green tea tofu before, definitely something new. Miso soup is not overly salty, and it's enriched by a shrimp head. After that, the chef started putting in front of us rounds after rounds of amazing sushi. When it first started, rice was a little too hot, but maybe chef also realized that, after the first two, everything turned out to be just perfect.
Here are some highlights:
– Slightly tourched sea eel: so so tender. Not overly fatty, but it was so flavorful and soooo tender.
– Japanese white shrimp: I though the texture would be chewy, but it literally melted in my mouth.
– Fried shrimp head: Japanese doesn't waste anything, so authentic places usually fry the shrimp heads after using the shrimp body for sushi. This shrimp head is perfectly fried, crunchy, flavorful, simple yet delicious.
– Medium tuna: I've developed my liking for medium and lean tuna after eating at Sushi Nakazawa several times. It doesn't taste as fatty as toro, but it still melts in your mouth. What can I say, I LOVE tuna.
– Squid: I've never had squid nigiri before, this was a first. It tasted like pickled squid, nothing too chewy but had some texture to it.
– Japanese Uni: do I need to say anything more about that?
So here's the verdict: rice was a little too warm at first, but they corrected it; light on soy comparing to some other sushi places. With price tag of $130 per person, we each had 18 pieces of amazing nigiri, including usual items such as amberjack, mackerel, tuna, uni, to a little more unconventional items like needlefish, squid, Japanese white shrimp. I enjoyed every piece of it, and I definitely would love to be back.
First time having omakase! I now know and understand what the hype is all about.
My boyfriend took me here for Valentine's Day. The atmosphere was perfect – simple, well lit, and not too loud. We opted for the 14 course omakase – he did all sushi, I did sashimi-sushi combo.
First course was a little appetizer with bite sizes of sea urchin, spicy tuna on endive, and crispy shrimp. It was so cute and each part was so flavorful in its unique way.
Next 6 courses – my sashimi all came on one plate while my boyfriend got his sushi version one at a time. Loved the fatty tuna. Sweet shrimp was surprisingly creamy. The only one that was harder for me to eat was the giant clam – had a very oceany taste and stiff texture.
The remaining courses were all sushi – and I have to admit I liked this part more. Absolute favorite pieces were the tuna (seriously MELTS) in your mouth, golden eye snapper, and the seared tuna with truffle salt. Best sushi I've ever had, hands down.
At the end, we added on a crab sushi and eel sushi just to try them. Eel was well worth it, but we weren't as big fans of the crab. Dessert was of course Lady M green tea crepe cake. Beautifully presented and so fun to eat.
Our chef, Suzuki, was the best. He doesn't say all that much but when he does, he's incredibly funny and warm. We even asked to take a selfie with him and he was super chill about it!
Now I'm definitely into trying out more omakase! Ushiwakamaru is a perfect place to start because it's relatively inexpensive compared to other more well known places, but the quality of their sushi is apparently just as good, if not better. Highly recommend!