Sake Bar By Zabb

One of the few Japanese spots in the area, this is very much an Izakaya so here’s what you will see: Sushi, Sashimi and Beer! The way they make their sushi is beautiful with miniature wooden staircases for each sushi. The draft beer is quite tasty, I would suggest going during warmer weather, but be warned: it can get packed on a weekend evening and there are no reservations taken here! it’s a small place as well so keep your big bags and coats at home! Please!

Had a wonderful late night date night with my husband. The peach sake is so delicious the food was spectacular. Super White Tuna was Amazing! The sushi sampler is a must the fish is so fresh. We had the dessert that brought everything and it was sooo good a great ending to the meal. Looking forward to coming back

The primary reason for stopping by for dinner? Sushi on stairs. Otherwise, I prefer the restaurants in St. Marks.
We shared the sushi sampler and half the pieces had an odd taste to them. I did enjoy the mentai pasta, fried oysters and ramen (reasonably priced at $ 12) but for the most part, the food seemed overpriced. It may be a cute place to go on a date but nothing really more.
We sat in the little nook behind the door and were freezing. An employee kept walking to the supply closet next to us and when he left the door open, we felt the gusts of wind coming from the outside. Note to self: sit at an inner table!
Also I thought all the comments about smelling like fried food was a joke but I was completely wrong. I went home smelling like fried chicken.

Nice hole in the wall type of restaurant. Took me a while to find the place because it was hidden to the right and down the stairs of another restaurant. Met 2 girl friends for dinner and sat in the corner of the front of the restaurant. It was pretty cold in that spot and I had to warm myself up with some sake.
I thought the food was decently OK. My friends and I tried the sushi sampler, mentai pasta, fried oysters, squid, pork ramen and dessert king. Out of everything we tried, my favorite was the fried oysters. They’re juicy and steaming hot. The mentai pasta was really overwhelming for me and the pork ramen was really underwhelming for me. The sushi sampler was pretty standard but it comes on a really cool staircase décor. On my next visit, I’d like to try more of the sushi and appetizers.

This place is hard to find as it’s located below and the signage isn’t clear but once you find this majestic hole in the wall everything is delicious. We ordered the #4 special roll, whose presentation was beautiful and it was AMAZING. have been eating sushi for years that was definitely one of the best and a good serving size. The yaki noodle had really intense flavors and was a good portion size, very filling. We also ordered the seaweed salad which came with tobiko which I love but the helping was rather small. We came here after my friend picked me up from jfk because it was open late, till 2am so it was perfect.

A friend was staying at my place since we were heading to a Halloween party on a Friday night. We wanted some late night eats (and pre-​party drinks), and were in the mood for sushi. I ran through the options in my head, and Sake Bar by Zabb wasn’t on my radar, so when my friend brought it up on Unilocal as an option, I thought sure, why not.
As mentioned by others, the décor of this place bears resemblance to the restaurants you’d find on St. Marks place. Well done, Queens!
Also mentioned by others, there are a only a few tables available, with a table or two outside by the steps (the restaurant is downstairs).
We ordered sushi and squid, and an amazing discovery of the evening: flavored sake (peach, if I recall). IT WAS SO DELICIOUS. The sushi was so-​so.
It was so delicious that the patrons seated next to us, in very Queens fashion, joined our conversation a few times. I even poured him a tiny bit of our sake, much to the dismay of my friend. I’m sorry!
Will definitely be back. Service was great. Lock the bathroom door when you go in.

Everything really felt Japanese except for the staff and the flavor. After eating here, I felt like I was in one of those Chinese owned Japanese restaurants except that the staff here was Thai. This place was like, you know, the fusion ones that specialize in the crazy rolls, the spicy tuna bombs and the spicy mayo. If you are one to like rolls and big slabs of fish on top of your nigiri, then this place will work for you. I made the mistake of expecting traditional Japanese food, it you go in expecting Japanese fusion, you will be fine. The restaurant looks pretty cool, it’s in the basement and looks like an inviting drinking spot, the place is open late, it’s cash only and FYI, they are not affiliated with Zabb Elee upstairs.
The food:
Fried Oysters– I love oysters fried and fresh and the ones here were good. It was super hot out of the fryer, it was nicely fried with a great crunch and not oily at all. This was a good starter with the mayo.
Mentai Pasta– Japanese spaghetti, Mentaiko, seaweed in creamy cod fish roe. I thought the flavor of this was fine, the pasta was a little unusual since the pasta had an odd chew, odd not like hard to chew, odd like why does the spaghetti even have a chew? It’s not al dente. Overall, it’s something to try but I think it’s something to share.
Sushi Sampler– The sushi looks super inviting, they serve it on these really cool looking stair things, but the sushi was a slight let down since the rice was completely not what you would expect Japanese sushi rice to taste like and the rice had no taste. Also, the bites of sushi were astronomical in size, like in a bad way, I never had to eat sushi with two bites and the overall flavors were fusion with spicy tuna topping, mayo, seaweed etc. Sushi purist need not apply. It was five pieces of sushi.
–Tuna topped with spicy tuna– The tuna was kinda lacking in flavor and the spicy aspect on top didn’t pack much heat nor flavor.
–2 pieces of salmon topped with mayo and ikura. I am no a fan of Kewpie mayo in my sushi. I think it’s too sweet and overwhelms everything you pair it with.
–Hamachi topped with seaweed and black tobiko. I really thought I was going to like this but the large size of the fish was off putting and the idea of eating fish and seaweed together was odd to me.
–Super white tuna topped with uni– It’s a sad sad day when an Uni piece doesn’t wow me. I thought the super white tuna didn’t taste like anything and the uni wasn’t as luscious and creamy as expected, they may have used a lower quality uni.

The food here is good. The fish tasted fresh, the fried appetizers had flavor. All and all good tasking food. Serving on the other had was a bit lacking. When we sat down there were only 2 other tables and the waiter didn’t come over to take our order till 15 mins later. We weren’t in a hurry but that just seems to be too long for someone to come over to the table. He forgot to right down one of our appetizers, there for we never got it.
The main negative about this place is that you will leave here smelling like the deep fryer oil. At one point during our dinner they turned off the fan when they weren’t using the grill or pan, this caused my guest and I to have itchy watery eyes. The smell of the smoke will really stick to you. After I left the restaurant I met with another friend and right away they asked what’s that smokey smell.

New Japanese spot in the neighborhood right under the famed Thai spot, Zabb Elee. Cash only!
It’s very small, about 6 – 7 tables and there is one table outside.
My favorite was the sushi sampler– came in a staircase and every piece was delicious. They were also HUGE. I had to take two bites because the pieces wouldn’t fit in my mouth all at once. I normally don’t enjoy eating sashimi and this was a great time to try.
Two of us shared the mentai pasta, the sampler, a shrimp tempura special roll, and the salmon sashimi. We were way overzealous when ordering and couldn’t even start eating the roll!
The mentai pasta is raved about in reviews, but I thought it was too heavy for my liking. It was nice to try though!
I’ll definitely be back to try more things, love that it’s so close to my boyfriend’s place!

It’s a great dinner! The foods are delicious. The services are friendly. We had mentai pasta with bacon and the #4 roll. The dessert is great too! The red bean pancake is crispy outside, soft and sweet inside!
The only thing I was not satisfied is thoes annoying little flies. Anyway, I’ll definitely come back!

Really good rolls and dishes. Tiny restaurant but efficiently run. The ventilation is an issue since it is an open kitchen so all the fried foods and items cooked over stove can muster a strong oily smell within the restaurant. It helped that they turned on the aircon. My favorite dishes of the night were definitely the rolls, mentai pasta, and the fried baby octopus. Presentation is a nice touch since we didn’t expect so when the «Zabb» chain is a thai food chain and now expanded to sushi. I agree with few other reviewers that to call it a sake bar is misleading since they sell 8 sakes on their drink list. Food is good enough to keep me coming back!

This place is the new hotness in the JH/​Woodside area.
I was a little apprehensive that Thai people had started an izakaya, and braced myself for some weird cultural misappropriation. But I can say that these guys really understand the atmosphere of an izakaya and they have a great menu which goes well with sake and beer. Unfortunately, they don’t have a full liquor license, probably because they are on the same block as a mosque, which means no shochu.
I came here once by myself to check it out — by the way, it’s a little expensive if you’re just here to fill yourself up. As this is an izakaya it’s all meant to be shared. It was fairly empty at 8:30p on a weeknight, I figured it would be like this for a while as they got started. But to my extreme surprise, we were out late a few weeks later and decided to grab a snack and another drink at this place. About 2am — and the place was absolutely packed! Not like people waiting out the door, but there were some times that people could have shown up and not been seated. The busy kitchen handled it all with grace and even managed to celebrate a staff birthday while doing it.
I recommend ordering the sunagimo (fried chicken gizzard) and mentai pasta. Their sushi rolls seem interesting too, at least in the context of overall drunk food.
This place will definitely be one of those bad decision last stops for me in case I have a night out on the town and need just one more drink or a food pick me up on the way home. I’m certain I’ll be back.

I thought the vibe, food, and sake at this place was awesome and as a sake lover it is nice to have a place that calls themselves a sake bar in the neighborhood. I wasn’t expecting it to be so crowded at 530pm but we were lucky to get the last 2 seats.
However, I think it is a bit disingenuous. It’s not like they have a huge sake selection of 40 or 50 different sakes to choose from. It’s really an izakaya with excellent food and a few sakes to drink. That said, I hope they are successful and expand their list because it is a great addition to the hood!

FINALLY! An izakaya in queens! Normally you would have to trek to the city for this kind of food and experience, but not anymore :) I was super excited to check this place out and it definitely exceeded many of my expectations.
The food here is really good. I highly recommend the mentaiko pasta, takoyaki, fried octopus, fried squid legs, chicken gizzards, sashimi, and seared white tuna w/​jalapeño. We also tried some of the other menu items, which were not nearly as remarkable but still pretty good!
The décor is really nice and I actually love that this place is tucked away in a basement. You could hear the loud rumbling of the 7 train every now and then, which adds to the atmosphere.
I desperately wish I could give this place 5 stars but there is a downside :(Since this place has an open kitchen, you will definitely end up SMELLING. A LOT. Be prepared to take a shower & do some late night laundry after dining here because the smell is intense. I have long hair so it took a couple of washes to get the smell out. Other than that, I will definitely be back! I can see myself coming here every week with my friends. Hopefully they install some kind of super exhaust system, for my own good…

Been wanting to try this place out for a while now and finally had the chance! I must admit, the Chef deserves nothing less than 5 stars for his fusion sushi creation!
Chef Zabb is hands down a creative genius! And guess what? The sushi tastes as good as it looks! Supper delicious! Below are my recommendations from what we tried tonight:
Super White Tuna Seared: ⁵⁄₅
Perfectly seared! Topped with seaweed, jalapeño and caviar… warning, you may want to have an entire order to yourself!
Seared Salmon: ⁵⁄₅
OMG! SushiGasm in your mouth!!! Salmon Sushi stairway to heaven is what this item was! Mind blown!
Shrimp Tempura Roll #4: ⁴⁄₅
Mouth full of deliciousness. Get ready to take two bites to finish each piece! Super huge pieces, totally worth it!
Overall, this is an awesome, cute, cozy date night spot! Love the lighting, music and service! Can’t wait to go back… hands down to the creative genius, Chef Zabb!

Fantastic find– I wandered into here with my friend after looking to see what was highly rated on Unilocal and BOY was this accurate. The location is downstairs (don’t be deterred) and the layout narrow. We started with the baby octopus which was light and crispy– not oily despite being deep fried. The sushi rolls are beautifully crafted and deliciously blended with different tastes and textures, giving it an overall complex bite. Our dining neighbors had an eye catching staircase display. Edamame was fairly standard. We dropped a bean … Sorry!!!
The seared tuna was very tasty and again artfully presented. Those jalapeños are to be taken seriously, though.
Overall it was a great dining experience. I can’t wait to return and get dessert. Thanks for an excellent dinner!
Gah. I forgot to mention the music. It feels like stepping into a Murakami novel, although my friend argues I’m being biased because it’s a Japanese restaurant. I still stand by my opinion, and I want their playlist!

Great Japanese pub style food! It’s cramped, nearby the noisy 7 train, and basically hidden below the Zagat rated/​Michelin starred Zabb Elee. You have to walk down a flight of stairs to see the dining area, which roughly seats around 20.
Since it’s a Japanese bar, they do have $ 12 pitchers of Sapporo and a medley of sakes to choose from. The lychee one is quite good, I’d recommend.
Now, the food… sushi isn’t the focus here — it’s mostly the fried/​grilled goodies you will find at any Japanese gastopub and the pasta dishes that Sake Barr is known for. Honorable mentions are the chicken gizzards, crunchy exterior with a tender chew on the inside, and the takoyaki which has generous chunks of octopus inside. For dessert — give the Dessert King (Fish Shaped Ice Cream Sandwich with Red Bean, Matcha Mochi, and Vanilla Ice Cream) a try. Don’t forget to say arigato!

Super glad this place opened up. There’s not too many places in this neighborhood that has this type of food. The food came out quick, it was tasty, and the service was good. I’ll definitely be going back. The sucky part is that you leave there smelling. :/

I almost felt like I were in a casual, stress-​free izakaya in Tokyo while I was enjoying a couple of glasses of Sapporo beer with «Tsumami”(like tapas) in this basement bar close to where I live.
The bar has some posters and tapestry on the wall that could have been on the wall of same kind of bars/​joints in Japan, and the folks dress like «folks at izakaya» there.
Their menu, however does not just have a bunch of copies of Japanese tapas dishes. As much as I enjoyed shime-​saba, pickled mackerel, I liked their version of fried gizzards and sushi rolls a lot!

I feel like I’m back in Tokyo. I’ve only ever been to Tokyo in my dreams, but this was just as I imagined. It’s a cozy and small little encove hidden away in the rush and diversity of Jackson Heights. Walking by, you just see the neon sign, hear the chitter chatter of people talking, laughing, and clinking glasses.
You’ll have to manuever yourself in, like your best pair of tight fitting pants, but when you’re in there, it’s lively, and you become a part of the atmosphere.
The food is exactly what I would expect out of a Sake bar, light fair focosed mainly on appetizers, but also with some entrees and salads as well. The best part to eat with your friends is to treat the dishes like tapas, order a bunch, and just share everything.
I came here twice in two days, and I really like the place. They bring you your food, and they leave you be, they don’t check on you ten thousand times, they don’t rush you to finish. If you want to enjoy some good food, and a nice conversation with someone special, this would be the place.
My favorites were the chicken gizzards, takoyaki, the shrimp tempura roll, pasta with fish roe, and the dessert king.
Finally, we get our own hip underground sake bar in Jackson Heights!