New York Metropolis’s Greatest Omakase Sushi

New York Metropolis has lengthy been a culinary capital, celebrated for its wide-ranging pizza types, chewy bagels, and creamy slices of cheesecake. However over the previous decade, it has additionally emerged as a world-class sushi vacation spot — notably chef’s alternative omakase experiences rooted in Edomae method, the standard Tokyo-born type that showcases pristine, usually aged or cured seafood atop seasoned rice.

Throughout town, silky hinoki wooden–lined counters now serve menus so dialed-in and transportive, they rival these in Tokyo. And that evolution is thanks largely to an inflow of high Japanese expertise, together with Keiji Nakazawa of Sushi Sho — a pioneer of the worldwide Edomae motion identified for seamlessly incorporating native and typically sudden components — and Tadashi Yoshida, who decamped from his impossible-to-book Gifu Prefecture sushi counter to launch Yoshino in Manhattan.

Exact ability and pristine components come at a value: many — although not all — of the sushi counters listed under command costs beginning round $500. Clients usually are not simply paying for premium Japanese fish, expertly seasoned rice, and different uncommon imported components, but in addition the realities of New York actual property, the intimate scale of those experiences, and most significantly, the chef’s mastery of his craft.

This is my information to New York Metropolis’s high sushi counters led by specialists on the peak of their craft.

Sushi Noz (Higher East Aspect)

A cornerstone of New York’s sushi scene since its debut seven years in the past on the Higher East Aspect, Sushi Noz – helmed by chef and co-owner Nozomu Abe – has cemented its standing as a go-to for pristine, top-tier seafood paired with a deep assortment of luxe French wine and sakes. What units this dual-counter, 14-seat spot aside from town’s many omakase locations is that the group has a license to import fish instantly from Toyosu Market in Tokyo and Nagahama fish market in Kyushu – with deliveries touchdown 5 instances per week. That direct entry permits for a hyperseasonal, ever-evolving menu – the place components like silver flounder, pike eel, and prized Japanese fruit are woven right into a $550, 20-course expertise that blends classical Edomae method with delicate European affect. Whereas the menu shifts each day, signature bites embody anago (sea eel) nigiri glazed with a 13-year-old tare, or “mom,” sauce and hay-smoked bonito sashimi. 

Sushi Sho (Midtown)

Sushi Sho founder Keiji Nakazawa is likely one of the world’s most revered Edomae sushi masters and a pioneer in spreading this type of omakase globally. Practically a decade in the past, he left Japan to open an elite counter in Waikiki; as of January 2024, he has introduced his experience to New York, leaving the Hawaii location within the fingers of a longtime apprentice. His gorgeous 10-seat Manhattan restaurant — crafted from hand-carved hinoki and copper — is a real vacation spot, usually drawing diners from all over the world.

Nakazawa is understood for a menu that intersperses tsumami (small appetizers) with nigiri, and one which  incorporates ample curing, prolonged growing older, and fermentation methods that improve the umami and texture of his seafood. He additionally brings a deep sense of place to the expertise: as a substitute of pickled ginger, he serves 4 forms of diced upstate New York apples infused with ginger, and affords kombu-cured and aged hirame sourced from native waters. Dinner begins at $450, however that covers solely a part of the meal. After round 20 programs, visitors obtain an okonomi (à la carte) menu that includes over 20 seasonal objects starting from $10 to $50. This versatile ordering mannequin, central to Nakazawa’s philosophy, mirrors conventional sushi eating, the place the meal is formed by the diner.

Icca (Tribeca)

Tucked away in Tribeca, this eight-seat under-the-radar gem is led by Ginza Onodera alum Kazushige Suzuki, who brings a delicate Italian perspective to his Edomae-style omakase. Suzuki has constructed a following for his standout components and deft method; he’s identified for programs like a calming starter made out of Hokkaido furry crab, uni, angel hair pasta, and his wealthy, creamy abalone liver nigiri. The $495, 20-course tasting menu leans closely into tsumami, starting with round seven small seasonal appetizers — think about chilled celery and egg custard paired with octopus and tiger prawn in a potato sauce brightened with parsley and lemon — earlier than shifting right into a targeted lineup of 10 nigiri, adopted by tamago, seasonal fish bone soup, and a dessert corresponding to Japanese melon pudding with mascarpone mousse. Icca additionally has a standout sake assortment, with round 70 bottles together with uncommon and ultra-premium expressions. 

Shota Omakase (Williamsburg)

Brooklyn has by no means been identified for omakase sushi. However former Ito chef Cheng Lin is slowly altering that at his twin counter sushi bar. Lin opened Shota practically two years in the past with only one 16-seat U-shaped counter, and there he’s nonetheless serving a steal of an omakase: generously sized nigiri with auction-level seafood priced at $195 for 18 programs. (A lot of the seafood right here is sourced from the identical purchaser as Sushi Noz and Yoshino, each on this listing.)

Earlier this 12 months he debuted his small, parallel 10-seat Gentei counter, which affords a extra premium $255 menu with seasonal seafood like ayu and low season wild salmon.  The meal at Shota opens with six seasonal small plates corresponding to shark pores and skin flounder in a three-month-aged housemade ponzu sauce, then strikes into 10 items of nigiri, a hand roll, and two desserts. Enjoyable truth: Lin builds his nigiri with two forms of sushi rice, every seasoned with totally different vinegar blends — a method embraced by high Tokyo sushi cooks. Lighter vinegars pair with whitefish and snapper; bolder aged vinegars are saved for richer cuts like toro and mackerel.

Yoshino (Noho)

When Tadashi Yoshida opened Yoshino in 2021, it marked a turning level in New York’s sushi scene: for the primary time, a extremely adorned grasp sushi chef—not a protégé—had relocated from Japan to open a restaurant in Manhattan. Since then his 10-seat counter (made out of a 300-year-old hinoki tree) has change into one in all simply 4 native eating places to earn a uncommon four-star overview from The New York Occasions. Set on the Bowery, his present 20-course omakase runs $500 and contains signature bites like his sabazushi (mackerel), torched below a handheld binchotan grill, plus six appetizers 10 items of nigiri, a handroll, tamaro, miso soup, and dessert.

The chef flies his Japanese seafood in from high markets in Tokyo and Kyushu as much as thrice every week, and works instantly with elite distributors like Yunoka and Fukuei Suisan, receiving unique seafood allocations not obtainable to different eating places overseas. This extremely premium omakase is hinged on conventional Edomae method however sometimes contains French luxurious components corresponding to white asparagus and white truffles. His beverage program highlights sakes that Japanese breweries export solely to be offered at Yoshino, along with wines from Burgundy and Champagne. Enjoyable truth: Whereas most sushi cooks use one type of sushi rice, this chef blends his personal yearly based mostly on harvest high quality, sweetness, and texture of the rice as soon as it’s cooked.

Nakaji (Chinatown)

Tucked inside Chinatown’s Canal Arcade, Nakaji is chef Kunihide Nakajima’s discreet, 10-seat sushi counter, opened 5 years in the past following stints at Sushi Inoue and Sushiden. His $365 omakase is a deeply conventional expertise, starting with 5 or so seasonal tsumami — corresponding to sashimi, soup, or chawanmushi — earlier than shifting into 9 pristine items of nigiri, a hand roll, and dessert. Whereas he’s identified for bites like his silky bluefin and aori ika (squid) nigiri, his menu shifts weekly to mirror peak-season components, with seafood flown in from Toyosu Market thrice every week.

For returning diners, the uni tasting — as soon as an non-compulsory add-on — is now included. Professional tip: Arrive early to snag one of many 9 seats at Bar Nakaji, the elegant entrance whisky bar stocked with over 400 uncommon bottles, and sip a refined cocktail just like the Katsurahama, made with milk-washed chamomile rum, yuzu sake, white peach, and apricot honey.

Hear & There (Williamsburg)

Mark Garcia first made his mark on New York’s sushi scene on the now-closed Gaijin in Queens. Since March, he’s been main the omakase expertise at Hear & There — a high-energy, walnut-paneled 22-seat sushi counter tucked behind the restaurant’s entrance cocktail bar the place patrons sip al pastor taco-inspired libations. The $150, 16-course menu is unconventional: Garcia’s signature black shari (sushi rice) units the tone. Seasoned with Celtic sea salt, a customized mix of vinegars, and a touch of maple syrup, the inky rice gives a hanging base for pristine seafood, like kanpachi topped with poblano pepper, served instantly onto the gleaming inexperienced quartzite counter. His menu can also be laced with nods to his previous, together with his cult-favorite Gaijin chunk, constructed from tuna, roasted shiitake, and Marcona almond. The meal indicators out with a seasonal dessert corresponding to tomato sherbet with wasabi oil, ricotta, and white chocolate. 

Jōji (Midtown)

Tucked beneath One Vanderbilt, simply steps from Grand Central, Jōji channels the hidden gems of Tokyo — the secretive spots present in practice stations or again alleys. This minimalist, glowing 10-seat counter is led by Masa alum George Ruan and Wayne Cheng, who serves a refined, roughly 20-course omakase at dinner for $410 and a barely shorter 16-course model at lunch for $295 (it’s additionally one of many few top-tier counters that gives lunch service).

One would possibly kick off a meal with heat plates like grilled kinki fish topped with Ossetra caviar, adopted by a decent sequence of 13 pristine nigiri — 90% of which comes straight from Japan. The beverage program right here highlights French wines and small manufacturing sakes. Dessert is usually a standout piece of peak-season Japanese fruit (assume: ultra-juicy musk melon). In a rush? Cease by Joji Field subsequent door for an elevated sushi set to-go.