Sushi Azabu

Best omakase I’ve had in NYC. Better than even the former Sushi Nozawa back in the day in LA. Better than sushi Nakazawa. Can’t wait to go back. There was so much food. The two uni dish was the highlight.

Very fresh delicious sushi. We did the maguro platter which was 8 pcs of tuna/​toro that melted in our mouths. Didn’t try the cooked food. Definitely on par with the yasuda, nakazawa class of sushi spots

Great food (though the sushi/​sashimi were MUCH better than the kitchen items, so I would recommend just ordering sushi/​sashimi rather than the full-​set omakases). However, only rating two stars because the service was not at all what I had expected (or called to request in advance). When you pay $ 600 for dinner for two, I would like to think you could ask for a somewhat more than ordinary dining experience.
I booked a reservation here with my boyfriend to celebrate our anniversary. I wanted to surprise and treat him so I called the restaurant several times in advance to make sure everything was perfect. First, I asked to see if they could create a customized menu (as other restaurants have done for me and friends in the past) that said «Happy Anniversary» and included all the courses for the $ 180 omakase menu. They said of course. Second, I called the day before and asked if they could write «Happy Anniversary» on our dessert. A woman told me that unfortunately, they could not, but that instead, they could include small «Happy Anniversary» cards with our dessert. I said that would be great, thanks. However, neither of these things happened.
To be clear, the total bill (including tip) for the two of us for dinner came to $ 584. I would think that for that price, it would not be unreasonable to ask for a menu that said «Happy Anniversary» on it or «Happy Anniversary» cards with our dessert or even simply «Happy Anniversary» written on the plate with our dessert. Much cheaper restaurants do this and I was willing to pay the price I did because I thought the staff would be able to go the extra mile to make the night truly special. Unfortunately, they did not. And if they couldn’t accommodate my requests, fine, then manage expectations and tell me so by phone so I don’t spend time during what should be a special dinner trying to talk to the staff and figure out what happened without making a scene in front of my boyfriend so he doesn’t get upset either. I left feeling really upset and disappointed that I had tried so hard to make this night more special than just eating good food (and paid a pretty penny for it) but did not get what I expected or asked for. Honestly, I was really looking forward to making this our go-​to place for special events. But if future dining experiences here are anything like what we had, I cannot say I will.
That said, I will say that the service was otherwise good. Our waiter (Hirohito?) was VERY attentive and friendly. And Flo has always been so fabulous in helping me whenever I called to make reservations here. And he came down personally when I first noticed there was no customized menu to talk to me and told us to let him know if there were any other issues. Unfortunately, I was unable to really do this since doing so would have dampened the mood for my boyfriend, who I just wanted to be able to enjoy an evening of good food and service without having to complain about anything or hear me get into disputes with any of the staff.
Long story short — -it’s fine to come here if you don’t mind dropping a couple hundred dollars on good food but don’t care about service going the extra mile. If you do want to plan a special event – birthday, anniversary, whatever – go somewhere else where the staff will actually accommodate very simple requests like writing «Happy birthday» on the menu or on the dessert plate. Literally every other fine dining restaurant in NYC that I have gone to has been able to do this for me. It’s very unclear to me why Azabu could not.
I called the restaurant to voice my concern and disappointment. I truly hope that someone calls me back so that I can upgrade this review with something more positive. Otherwise, I can’t say I can recommend it. Totally not worth the price. When you pay this much food, you expect a good experience along with it. That is not what we got and I am truly disappointed and regret having picked this place to celebrate what should have been a very special night.

Fine. Decent service. No complaints. A bit pricey.

Michelin star well deserved.
Service: ⁵⁄₅ We booked three days ago for a saturday dinner spot. They didn’t have any more spots available for the sushi bar so we were going to go a la carte at the booth. The hostess called me twice the day of to inform me when a spot opened, really going above and beyond. The experience, needless to say, was significantly enhanced.
Food: ⁵⁄₅ Went to Yasuda a week ago, Azabu, I must say, provided fresher fish and phenomenal experience. When we told them it was a birthday dinner, they came out with a cake and candles in addition to ice cream. Cherry on top!

Like a couple of other reviewers, I’m completely fascinated by the number of high reviews on here. I’ve had Sushi in almost every major city on the East and West coasts. I’m no food snob, but I AM particular about sushi. This was just awful.
The service here was good. Our waiter was very attentive, until it came time to pick up the check. Maybe he was ashamed of the product. Every tuna roll we ordered smelled rank. The overpriced sashimi ended up being the best bet, which is sad. We ended up leaving about 6 – 7 bites on the table, which is unheard of for us. I sincerely hope these guys can live up to some of their reviews in the future. For us, it feels like how another reviewer felt, like we were robbed.

This is my first Unilocal post. I’ve had my account for 6 years. Thank you, azabu, for generously giving me the 8 pieces of sashimi in exchange for $ 85, four of which were identical and tasted like the east river. Never again.

Some will recall Sushi Azabu as the «sushi speakeasy» given its slightly hidden location in the basement level of Daruma-​Ya (formerly Greenwich Grill). Opened in 2008, it’s long been considered one of New York City’s best sushi restaurants, perhaps best highlighted by the coveted one Michelin star it holds, and had received particular acclaim from many of my friends. When a good friend of mine was back in the city after many months, we opted to come here to celebrate. A quick call for reservations at the sushi counter was quite painless, and in due time, we both found ourselves being led down a flight of stairs into the dining room.
The menu here is relatively flexible, with set omakase dishes at various price points, as well as the option to give the chef free reign, in the format of the original omakase: simply set your price, and let the chef make the decisions for you. We opted to go with the shortest pre-​set omakase, which lists six courses at $ 120, and detailed a varying array of dishes and preparations.
To begin, we started with the «Otoshi», or starters which are the norm in most Japanese izakayas. Here, however, we were presented with two small dishes, one of which held lightly seasoned sea grapes, and the other, a portion of marinated white fish. The sea grapes linger the most in my memory, as the texture was reminiscent of roe, but the taste reminded me immediately of seaweed. It was a suitable palate cleanser to our Sashimi course, however, which offered four different cuts of fish. The chutoro (fatty tuna) and akami cuts were excellent, but we both fawned over the delicacy of the fluke as well as the slight tartness present in the kampachi.
And then, a segue into a petite dish that held a lightly fried fish cake blended with bamboo shoots and topped with a serving of uni. The fish cake itself was unbelievably soft, bordering on creamy, while the exterior was crisp and thin; truly, a marvel of textural contrast. Little needs to be said about the delicious brininess of uni except that our next dish, their signature «Uni Risotto» featured the ingredient yet again, to our delight. Melded in between the rice kernels, it acted like a luxurious cream or butter, elevating each small spoonful we took.
The following courses featured the nigiri, and each of the 11 cuts that we were served that evening were excellent. The Yellowtail and Mackerel were smart starters, as each featured a light, delicate flavor against the supple protein. The soy sauce-​soaked Akami Tuna was also one of the standouts, especially as the cut, which is typically one of the lesser-​desirable ones, was one of the most intense fuschias I have yet to see. The Seared Toro, which was given a quick blowtorch, was unbelievably delicious as well, as just the slightest heat completely changed the texture and contributed a hint of smokiness to each bite. I shouldn’t fail to mention the Kinmedai (Golden Eye Snapper) or Shiro Ebi (White Shrimp) pieces either… But to give credit where credit is due, the seasoned rice that supported each of these cuts was perfectly mixed. There was a texture and looseness to each kernel, and the subtle additions of soy, vinegar, and the slightest punch of wasabi truly made each piece of fish shine.
Our meal ended with the requisite Tuna Roll (who doesn’t love the crispness of a sheet of nori?) and a small square of sweet Tamago, which had a texture that was almost custard-​like; we were amazed that there was no presence of any sort of dairy in its creation. And finally, our dessert was a Grenadine Jello infused with Grapefruit, a lightly sweetened and tart course that concluded our meal.
A final few caveats about our experience: Yes, you will get a chance to interact with the sushi chefs. Ours, for example, noted how eagerly we consumed the side of pickled ginger in our starting courses and generously piled on more with a small smile. No, the dining ambiance is not the most opulent or spacious, and sometimes we had to keep our eyes on the next server that passed by to ask for additional pours of water, but this was only a small annoyance in the course of our meal. The sushi here is excellent — perhaps not mind-​blowing nor unparalleled — but the consistency of each and every bite we had here is worth noting; and that, at the end of the day, is what makes or breaks a restaurant in New York City.

At $ 300 per person, hugely overrated and not worth it. Sushi quality about on par with nobu (actually makes nobu look like a great value). Food quality less good. Uni «tasting» was a complete joke– they give you two pieces of the blandest uni I’ve ever had and call it a tasting. Basically nothing had any flavor. I did leave full though– which is highly unusual for one of those overpriced sushi tasting experiences. I will still argue that brushstroke tasting menu (dining room) is worse even though not quite as expensive as Azabu as it is exponentially more pretentious– though the food at brushstroke is marginally better.

The most underwhelming fine dinning experience probably ever.
1. First and foremost the service was very poor, and it was a slow night. I think our server had 2 tables. Our glasses were empty through the main course and when we asked for refills he forgot.
3. Half the fish (sushi) on the menu we wanted to order they did not have.
4. The 30 dollar appetizer, wagyu beef truffle roll was plain bad. The truffles had no taste, the beef was chewy and there was no sauce. So chewy beef on rice dipped in soy sauce? Not ok.
If these are the NY standard for a «$$$$» Japanese restaurant than I am most disappointed. For the price we paid we should have gone to Nobu and had something great, which for that price was what we were expecting.
Wow. Bad. Not sorry. I feel like I was robbed.

Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reservations: for 3 people at the bar at 7PM on a Saturday.
Ambience: Upstairs is pretty hip and modern, while downstairs was just the bar area with the chefs. Quiet and reserved that you can have a conversation with the chefs if you wanted to.
Price: Opted in for the $ 180 omakase (July 2015 pricing)
Food: Good quality food and fish, but I thought it was a bit over-​priced for what it was. It was still a very enjoyable experience and I would like to come back eventually.
2 Kinds of Starter «Otoshi»:
— Eggplant with soba sauce
— Tomato and asparagus with ginger, mayo, and wasabi sauce
4 Kinds of Sashimi
— Amberjack
— Chu-​toro,
— Octopus
— Mackerel
Uni Tasting
— Japan Hokkaido uni vs Santa Barbara uni
Grilled King Crab with Crab Butter
Seasonal Japanese Vegetables
— Japanese string bean
— Japanese Potato
— Pumpkin
— Squash
Chef’s Choice of Sushi
— Kinmedai (Golden Eye Snapper)
— Hirame (Fluke)
— Maguro Zuke (Tuna in smoking soy sauce)
— Shimaji (yellowtail)
— Hotate (scallops)
— Aji (Mackarel with scallions and chive)
— O-​toro
— Mirugai (Giant clam with yuzu skin on top)
— Nodoguro (sea perch)
— Shiroi (white shrimp)
— Anago (sea eel)
— Toro and pickles in sisho leaves
— Tamago
Cold Soba
Hoijia Tea
Dessert: Home made jelly with grape fruit

The food was good and inexpensive. I ordered Tokyo ramen and pork dumplings. The ramen of thick and hearty, I could have eaten more, but the potion size was decent. The dumplings were good. Seating is a little tight. We shared a large table with some other people. It was fine, still plenty of space.
It was an average meal. I wouldn’t go to of my way to eat here. But would stop in if I was in the neighborhood.

I hate giving anything less than four stars when it comes to high end sushi, but this place was just a disappointment from beginning to end. I was fooled by the stellar ratings from Unilocal.
I’ve frequented enough upscale sushi restaurants to consider myself a seasoned connoisseur in terms of high quality fish. When a close friend from out of state came to visit for the weekend, I brought him here since we share a similar palate in terms of Japanese cuisine.
First off. Why is the omakase taking place in the basement? It’s creepy and unwarranted. And it smelled AWFUL. The basement had this dank odor mixed with Raid and bleach products and it just completely ruined my appetite. This is NOT how you run a high end sushi establishment. I wanted to gag.
The cold dishes were just unimpressive. Granted, the king crab and uni tasting were pretty solid, but nothing took my breath away. Some of the dishes I had to gulp down because I couldn’t wait to get it over with.
The nigiri also left something to be desired. Our sushi chef was insane. He put so much wasabi I could barely taste the fish and I had tears coming out of my eyes, and my friend had to gently recommend him to ease down on the wasabi. You would’ve thought this would’ve been the end of the fiasco, but it wasn’t. Instead of wasabi, he started going HAM on the soy sauce.
Wth? How do you consider yourself an expert sushi chef when your customers have to teach you how to make decent nigiri? Our questions were answered when he revealed in an off-​the-​cuff remark that he had only been working at the restaurant for a few weeks. Ugh. On my dime. Save me.
We couldn’t wait to get out of there. I just couldn’t understand the people around me who were raving about how good the sushi was.
I was so annoyed. If I’m going to be dropping serious dough for two people, don’t you think the quality should, at the very least, be representative of its price tag? SMH.
I’d rather go to Nakazawa, Yasuda, or Gari.

Had nice time. Feels like fire works going in my mouth think its expensive than it should tho

I can’t rave more about this place. Hands-​down my favorite sushi place in New York city so far. It is located in a secretive basement that is just compact enough to make it feel intimate and personable.
I dined Omakase (Let the chef decide). Here is my food list that night.
Drink
Yuzu Omoi (Yuzu Dream) on rocks — a clear citrusy sake. 7% alc. I loved it!
Sashimi — everything in this dish was fresh to its perfection. In fact it was so fresh that the shrimp was still moving when it was brought in front of me. (I know this can be looked at as scary and cruel through western lenses but you know. It’s part of Japanese culture.)
Grilled tuna — a little bit rubbery on the outside but very flavorful even with minimum seasoning
Deep fried shrimp head — yes it was that dancing shrimp previously. It was crunchy and had a natural sweet taste to it. It was excellent.
Sushi sushi sushi… What I love about Japanese food is that it is such an unwavering pursuer of purity and authenticity. The sushi I had were extremely fresh, pure, and enhanced to the best of their original taste by a subtle touch of Japanese soy sauce. It’s delicious beyond what words can describe.
Uni was top-​notch!!!
The fish soup was so clean and fresh and it didn’t smell briny at all.
Dessert
Sorbet with mint leaves and jelly — refreshing at its best

Didn’t get the fortune of sitting at the sushi bar, but Sushi Azabu was a pleasurable night of good food and drinks. Speaking of drinks, they have a pretty extensive list of drinks, especially Japanese whiskey! For all you whiskey connoisseurs– I got to try the award-​winning Yamazaki single malt which was a treat in itself!
My friend and I got the omakase and my oh my did it live up to the hype. Each piece was a delight and so carefully crafted.
The only complaint is my friend got a weird piece of uni (she said there was a grainy texture to it). We mentioned it to our server and she quickly got another piece and an extra roll for our table. Talk about great service!

I hate giving lower than four stars reviews, however I just don’t understand the rave of this restaurant from Unilocal.Reading many reviews people talking about $ 35 how great Koi omakase was, however I didn’t find that item in my menu. Spending $ 200 for my dinner, I expected better quality and environment. Unfortunately sushi azabu didn’t provide any of those selling points. Walked out from the restaurant and feeling like a fool. Maybe my taste bud just spoiled by another hidden gem in east village that provides way higher quality of food and entertaining dining atmosphere.
One weekday night I came to meet my girl friend, we had reservation at chef table which was in the basement. The interior design in the upper level was beautiful. Sitting down in the basement waiting for my girl friend to come I noticed there were several dots and marks on the light paper wall. I guessed … Soy sauce maybe? The seating space was very tight and luckily my friend was skinny enough to squeezed in the tiny little space against the column. We both ordered the same omakase. To be honest I don’t remember any of them tasted like, I just remembered that was mediocre and nothing wow me. The chef just stared at us for every single bite. I felt extremely pressured. At the end he made some comments like «you are beautiful girls»???
Anyways, if I come again I would like to find out where is the mysterious «koi omasake». However, there are tons of decent places in the city that I can be seated in the ground level with fresher sashimi.

yes, I am very glad I found this great place to fulfill my cravings for uni and great Japanese dessert. After being here twice, I confirmed my hunch about this place being my go to place for uni, sushi and dessert cravings. (Thanks to my magical sushi buddy)
We ordered the omakase set (koi) last time and it was good. However, I like the nigiri special better. The quality of the fish is superb. We order the special along with one extra piece of Santa Barbara uni each this time. Sadly, they don’t have the ichigodaifuku (the strawberry +chocolate+ Mochi wrap dessert) but they do have a delightful pudding, mochi and ice cream.

Please, don’t leave reviews for Daruma ya here. Yes I know they are the same company, but Azabu Is 100x the restaurant Daruma ya is. Also, for those who only dined at tables, please try sitting at the counter. It’s a whole different dining experience.
Second visit did not disappoint either; the quality is top notch. Although there were some pieces that were decent but not amazing (such as octopus sashimi with sauce — the octopus is great but the sauce covers the taste of the octopus), I think it is because everything else is just straight up amazing. Their Santa Barbara has this unique taste that hints of something yet the chef doesn’t know what I’m saying (a flowery taste that makes it better than any other place’s Santa Barbara uni). Their Kin Medai (golden eye snapper) is also out of this world. And I haven’t even mentioned their Shiro-​ebi, Bonito, Anago, and Botan Ebi yet… Too many to list. There are also soups and cooked dishes in the omakase to help keep your stomach warm.
I consider myself a sushiholic and the only places in New York with similar quality sushi is Yasuda and ichimura. Yasuda has worse service and drier rice while ichimura has way too much white fish in his omakase and is really hard to book. This is definitely my go-​to sushi place. Check it out for yourself.
Actually you know what, don’t come check it out. I like it the way it is now, where I don’t have to book more than a day before hand for a sushi counter seating. Please don’t overcrowd this place, thank you.

KenScale: 8.5÷10
Sushi Azabu is one of those hidden gems in New York that makes dining in this city so memorable. Tucked inside the subterranean space of what is now Daruma-​ya, a casual Japanese restaurant, it has long been a sushi place that I always enjoy visiting every once in a while. Despite all the accolades and a Michelin star to boast for, it doesn’t carry the same popularity as, say, Sushi Yasuda. On my recent visit, the fish was still very fresh and I loved the traditional Edo-​mae style offering of this cozy space.
Obviously, I grabbed a seat at the sushi bar, and realized that the price went up somewhat. Last time I visited, I remember the restaurant having sushi-​only options starting at $ 70 – 80 per person. This time, the restaurant upped the ante with full-​scale omakase menu starting at $ 120 per person. I was unfazed and proceeded with the omakase option. Overall, I was very impressed with the quality of fish coming out from the counter. Sashimi featuring medium fatta tuna, Spanish mackerel, striped jack and scallop (with egg tamago on the side) was all very fresh with magnificent texture. I was also a fan of the outer edge of scallop as well as fried tile fish that came with shishito pepper and spicay daikon radish. Then came the 11-​piece of nigiri, most of which that I loved for its silky smooth texture. I wish the rice were slightly more firm, and there were more uni, but I couldn’t complain about the sea eel or toro that was literally melting in my mouht, or the crunchy texture of scallop or salmon roe that was a pure delight in my mouth. By the end of my meal that finished with warm clam miso soup and raspberry sorbet, I was beyond stuffed and walked out as one satisfied diner.
The restaurant was pretty quiet on a Saturday evening other than the sushi bar (which I always recommend that you go with instead of the dining area, trust me on this), which is still somewhat of a surprise but I actually don’t mind the restaurant keeping its low profile. The quiet setting of the restaurant makes it an ideal place for a special date night. The two chefs who were working in the counter (one was serving all dishes except the sushi and the other was serving sushi only) were all friendly, and the service was attentive. There are some nice sake selections you can go with, and I wouldn’t bet against going with wine option either. Sushi Azabu is a place that has always worked pretty well when it comes to satisfying my craving for excellent sushi omakase menu. Yes, the price has gone up somewhat, but that doesn’t make the meal any less pleasant.