Geisha

I come to the city often and Geisha is a place I always stop in for a cucumber jalapeño martini. Its the best! The food is amazing too. I brought some girlfriends from out of town here and they still talk about it! One of my NYC favs

Went here on date night, to celebrate bf’s new job — what stellar service! Absolutely immaculate and delightful. Our waiter was attentive, offering helpful suggestions, checking on us frequently (I’d say, almost too frequently).
While downstairs is a bit louder and casual, with music, a bar, low lying couches (all very sleek and modern, and well lit) — upstairs there is a quieter dining area which is lovely.
As others have said, the tuna truffle sandwich is a must-​have and the sushi was fantastic (this coming from a picky sushi eater). Complete meal for 2 with appetizers, sushi, another entrée, dessert and bottle of sake was $ 120.

Upperscale sushi place in the NYC. Pretty decent sushi, unsure about the price, as I was treated to this place, but one could assume it was not inexpensive, given the clientele and location.
Not the best sushi I’ve ever experienced, but far from the worst as well, definitely in the top 10. Presentation and service were pretty good as well, but there were a few incidents of slow service.
Good:
+ decent sushi
+ nice neighborhood, but I felt out of place, as I’m not part of the NYC elite
Not so good:
— was much too hot in restaurant. One would surmise they could afford to turn the A/​C on given the caliber of restaurant. Maybe they just stuck us in the area for reserved for the proletariat (I wore blue jean, as I did not pack dressy clothing for my vacation).

Decided to hit up Geisha after a long walk with the bestie down 5^th Avenue. The atmosphere was really nice, dim lighting, modern décor, animé playing on the wall and a lively bar/​lounge area.
The food was pretty good. I had the toro roll which was great and a pot of flowering Geisha Jasmine Tea which is tea in a clear teapot to show a real flower blooming as it steeps. So floral and yummy it went well with my teamisu — a dessert showcased in a bento box with green tea lady fingers with mascarpone cheese. I think I also had a nibble of my besties, Tuna Truffle Sandwich — a sushi like sandwich with tuna, spicy mayo and black truffle.
I think the cost of our bill was fairly reasonable. Our server wasn’t too attentive and barely spoke a word to us but that wasn’t a big deal. As mentioned in other reviews it was the atmosphere that really won me over. But overall, a very trendy place worthy of our cosmopolitan trip to New York.

The food at Geisha is forgettable in the best sort of way. While I know in theory that I consumed a tray of lightly charred kobe beef, sweet-​glazed Korean barbecued chicken and a pastel trio of chewy mochi ice cream, what I remember most about our dinner here was the fantastic time we had. The atmosphere at Geisha is the main attraction.
The décor is Japanese-​inspired but not overly themed. We were seated in the upstairs dining area, in a glowing corner paneled with dark wood and sheets of amber-​colored glass and stenciled floor-​to-​ceiling with tangerine cherry blossoms. Opposite us, the walls were silver and tufted into rectangular panels (each looking a little like an obi). Trendy can often read impersonal, but Geisha’s narrow townhouse space adds intimacy and romance. While the dining area was quiet when we arrived at 7:00, by 8:30 it was packed and the noise was escalating.
And I really don’t mean to minimize the food — it is delicious. The Franco-​Japanese dishes are all well balanced, perfectly cooked and beautifully presented (if I had one complaint, it would be that mine tended towards the bland). Next time I will probably stick to the sushi menu, as I suspect it is where Geisha excels.
While it is a little pricey, I think of it as paying a premium to guarantee a wonderful evening. The cocktail list is extensive and I am looking forward to sampling more from it in future in the equally gorgeous downstairs bar/​lounge area.

This is high end sushi dining for ya. Dont come here if ya got $ 20 for dinner cause it just wont fly. Im not even a sushi lover and i love this place!
The atmosphere is good. Downstairs bar area is always fun after work for some saki and sushi. all in all just a great place to go to for some of the best sushi in nyc

I got this referal from my hotel and ordered take out. I felt like the meals were either exceptional or just ok. I loved the miso black cod and Atlantic Salmon Tartar, but did not like the sashimi at all. The order for one was $ 80, a little steep for one person.
I think this restauant is great if you are eating there since you pay for wonderful ambiance.

Geisha is a unique blend of Japanese cuisine with a French influence. They have many signature dishes only available at «Geisha,» like their well known chicken salad and shrimp lollipop!

I just completed a business trip to New York and actually had some time to wander around the city. I found myself in plenty of great places during this trip. Geisha is a great place. I was wandering around the city after completing my meetings in early afternoon. I took the 4 subway train from downtown to the 59^th street station and hit the MOMA. After (somehow) convincing myself that I enjoy German Expressionism, I needed a drink and something to eat. Foolishly I first tried Orsay on Lexington and 75^th and Nello on Madison in the 60’s. I was determined to hit a place locals would dine. I asked a bellman as I walked around if he knew of any good sushi places. He instantly pointed out Geisha on 61^st Street. It was still early on a Thursday evening and quite possibly the tallest and prettiest hostess I’ve ever seen seated me in Geisha’s Sushi Bar.
Geisha is in the basement of a building. You first enter a dark bar which turns into a darker seating area. Finally, you arrive in a beautifully lit Sushi bar. I lucked out big time in that Don Pham was my chef. Chef Pham is an excellent host and Sushi Chef. I enjoyed two glasses of the Seventh Heaven sake and dined on hamachi, tako, toro, shrimp and soft shell crab.
Sitting under the skylight in the basement of this really cool restaurant was a thrill for (essentially) a tourist. You do have to prepare yourself for the prices. This isn’t San Diego or Dayton or Butte, it’s the capitol of the world, New York City and you have to be prepared to pay more than you would in your hometown. With that said, if you find yourself in their neighborhood, visit Geisha, you won’t be disappointed.

Food here is quite good, we shared the following:
Kumamoto oysters
lobster dumplings
Shrimp lollipop
Eggs Benedict
Wagyu beef.
The oysters were Very good and served at the right temperature.
Dumplings had just the right amount of lobster and the foam was a nice light touch.
Eggs Benedict were very nice. Flavor was good and I liked the different textures.
Wagyu beef was very nice, served med rare and seasoned just right. Nice amount of char on the outer layer.
Food here is very good but can get quite expensive depending on what you order. I would definitely go back.

What a fun delicious place!
The atmosphere in this restaurant is very fun & hip. The private room upstairs, very chic & let me start about the food. I have been coming here since the very beginning & never have I been disappointed. The tuna truffle sandwich is amazing! The flash friend oysters, to die for & the teamisu– green tea teramisu is amazing. The cocktails are creative & strong & the music downstairs by the bar is loud. It is def a happening scene & a great date spot.

Need to preface the review that all the food was comped.
Appetizers, we had Chicken Salad and Spanish Mackerel Tartar. Out of the two, I loved the Chicken Salad. They gave huge portions and the miso sesame vinaigrette really matched the grilled organic miso marinated chicken breast. It looked like they had some form of mayonnaise type texture or ranch type salad dressing. Nonetheless, everything on the plate worked. The Spanish Mackerel Tartar was okay. I’ve had better tartar elsewhere. I think it should have been called Mackerel Tartar. There was nothing Spanish about it. I think by putting that qualifier, it made me expect something unique, but was very disappointed. Good try though!
Main course, we had Filet Mignon and Salmon. The Filet Mignon was cooked perfectly (medium rare). The roasted garlic-​shallot jus and crispy shallots all made the plate a heavy dish. I didn’t mind it, but definitely don’t order this dish if you’re not in the mood for something heavy. I would have preferred more jus on the plate. The jus was flavorful and the meat needed more because they give you a decent sized piece of meat. The Atlantic Salmon was cooked perfectly. Flaked off nicely. I loved the grilled scallions. Even though the salmon was marinated in miso, I could barely taste the miso flavor in the fish. The salmon flavor overpowered the miso. They need to make that marinade much stronger if they want miso to be infused into the fish. If not, they can make a glaze of miso over the fish, that would work as well. The shitake mushrooms were okay in the sense that it didn’t quite complement the fish. The amount of mushrooms you got made the dish very earthy. They should have went with either less mushrooms or a mushroom that was on the sweeter side.
Finally dessert. We had the Mochi Ice Cream and Coconut Blanc Manger. I preferred the Mochi Ice cream. It came with 3 pieces. If I remember correctly, one was mango, one was green tea, and one was vanilla. Loved them all. I didn’t taste too much flour and the amount of ice cream in the mochi was definitely enough. The Coconut Blanc Manger looked like a pile of doo-​doo on snow. They need to present the dish better. As for taste, it was okay. It’s an acquired taste. I would like to try other variations, like one that is more influenced by Brazil or Portugal (ie more traditional ones).

Hmm. I’m two minds about this place. Though I think it might have been affected by the fact that one of the people we ate with didn’t really like the food, so take this review with a pinch of salt.
Walking in, the place looks like a cookie cutter of the hip, oh-​so-​cool restaurants you’ll see used by Hollywood to portray New York dining. We were taken past the low tables and warm honey-​coloured lights in the entrance, up the stairs, past what I can only assume was the kitchen, and out to one of the areas at the very back of the place. It was nice, but that put my back up immediately. We were a group of three, why not sit us downstairs where there was obviously space? The room out the back has very little atmosphere, and we were the only ones there.
That was, until two families came in, both with incredibly precocious — and noisy — children. Joy,
Nevertheless, we ordered the tasting menu. Big mistake. I only ate four out of six courses, and my friends has similar hit and miss experiences. That’s what you get for ordering something that’s off-​menu though I guess. Either way, the food wasn’t great.
The sake however, was phenomenal, but at the price we paid I’d expect much more. All in all, I didn’t have a great time here. Had I been with closer friends, without jetlag, at a different table and ordering specific dishes, it might have been a different story.

This was my birthday lunch! And I am glad we came!
At first, the entrance to the restaurant was hidden, secretly in a cave looking. The windows on the outside gave me a second thought. Was there anyone in the restaurant?
The hostess was beautiful, top-​model features. But I am not here to write about style! But a great crowd watcher. The actually restaurant is upstairs in this narrow room, double tables on the wall, with a 10 seater at the front of the stairs and round tables towards the back. I don’t see where a party of 6 or more could seat.
Cocktails to start with, pricey UES cocktails. nothin special.
We had Shrimp Lollipops (I believe the name caught my eye), cute concept. Grilled shrimp marinated in coriander, ginger and scallions on a sugar cane skewer. Should of made it 3, everything comes unpaired!
And we had Kumanto oysters an oyster so plump and fully salty flavors. My favorite next inline to Bassin d’Arachon oysters (Found in the south of France).
For our main, I love sushi! So we did a Chef’s Selection for $ 75, with an selection of 30 pieces or more of sushi & sashimi. And we try the Toro Roll. Everything was delicious. (see pic)
Dessert: (see pics)
Litchie Martini (with litchies and almond milk). Very light.
Seasonal Special: with a gingerbread and carmal sauce. And the sauce had to be finish with some licking of the finger. It was good.
Overall, It’s a small location, great people looking, not to busy at lunch, great selections of sushi, very fresh, and maybe a tiny bit pricey but it’s UES. The last thing, the waiteress, wasn’t a bit helpful and I think it was language barrier also. oh well.

Trendy Japanese spot on the UES. I barely venture uptown but this place looks like it could easily be located downtown or uptown.
Downing drinks at the bar on an empty stomach is probably not the best idea. The drink menu here has a lot of choices and so many of them are yummy.
Foodwise I love the black truffle tuna sandwich, hamachi roll and this other spicy tuna roll. Can you tell I heart tuna yet?
All in all a great spot to go on a date, catch up with a friend or go with the parentals.

Impeccable Japanese Fusion
The Tartars were fresh, well flavored and delicious. The braised short rib was prepared perfectly and served with ample vegetables and potatoes. The Salmon with miso was also delicious, as was the sorbet (not too sweet) for dessert.
Swanky, clean, modern, yet cozy at the same time. This would be an excellent place for a date, business meeting, or friend/​family gathering. All around enjoyed every bit of my meal.
Date Rating: 8
Pick up Scale: 2
Strong Suggestion: come hungry when you’re in an elegant mood.

I came with 2 other girls right after work one night as it was recommended to us. None of us had been here but we were told what to try. As we passed the packed bar on the 1^st fl, we were the first table be seated on the 2^nd fl and it was quiet & empty, but it gave me a chance to look around. It’s a narrow floor but they took advantage of all the space and it was decorated very nicely. Just enough lighting on the back lit walls to make it look very cool.
We sat down and ordered some cocktails and decided on what to order between 3 girls:
The Lobster dumplings — Very good but left me wanting more!
Hamachi Jalepeno — I was looking forward to what I’ve seen in the Unilocal pics, where was the gold flakes? Anyway still very good and I could taste the subtle hint of smokiness off the grill.
Half portion of the Vegetable Udon — Fresh lightly stir fried veges with udon. Such a simple dish but the hint of fresh cilantro made this very tasty.
Beef Short Rib — Our favorite dish of the night.
Red Snapper — Pretty good but could’ve used more spiciness. I didn’t even taste anything spicy.
White Tuna crunch roll — This came recommended and it was our favorite roll. However the rolls are tiny, I think they’re geared towards women because they’re petite size.
Spicy Tuna Roll — I liked this since it had a fresh piece of sliced tuna on top too.
The chocolate cake — This was such a small piece of cake, it was hard to share with 3 hard core chocolate lovers. We each had a spoonful and it was gone. So rich and creamy!
Teamisu — Only 2 of us liked this as the 3^rd doesn’t like green tea. It’s an interesting twist on Tiramisu. I liked it, but there’s a pretty strong flavor of green tea.
Service was on point, attentive to refilling our drinks and changing our plates between each meal.
After 6 Golden Litchi Martini’s, a specialty Rose cocktail (can’t seem to find the name on the menu), and a beer, we were sinfully full and happy to have tried this place. The place was packed as we left, every single table filled. I’m so glad we got the best seat in the house, along the window where we could have our «girls only» conversations.

Geisha possess the ability to enchant you without a clear intention. A modest spot hide in the UES that reveals as excellent at the first sight.
However, I have to keep myself rating as 5 since I haven’t experience Geisha completely yet.
Geishas are «performing artist» ((gei) meaning «art» and (sha) meaning «person» or «doer»). By the way, the original geishas were men, and so I want to assign this gender to Geisha…~~
Anyways, sat night, early for nightlife late for dinner. When I arrived my friend was seating in the lounge area: Tea pot at her right; 3 cups of Sake at her front. The waiter was offering her a sake tasting before we decide which one to order. I left having the feeling that they just wanted make us happy.
I was here before during my non-​yelping life only for drinks; I got completely delighted for the place. Now, reborn as a Unilocaler, I read some reviews and we couldn’t resist the tempt. there is always space for sushi right? so we got Kumamoto Oysters, Saltwater-​Japan EEL and UNI Sushi pieces… and… Wasabi Hamachi Roll a little bit later. we couldn’t resist. Words coming to my mind include excellent and overall Delicate and Beautiful. Guess is the Art at Geisha and reminds me why I love Sushi. Thanks Unilocalers!
The drink menu is extensive and unusual. Plenty of Sakes, Wines, Champagne and a Seductive Cocktail list, including some non– alcoholic. I tried some saketinis before and I love it. This time we run for Sake. I mostly like Nigori or an unfiltered and so the waiter suggest Kamoizumi «Nigori Genshu»; it was really good, strong and deep in flavor. If you know about Sake, not my case sadly, only I can say is that the selection at Geisha is huge and comparing with many others that I have try, all of them were really good. Again as a good Geisha «he just wanted to make us happy» … non-​stop glass refilling. in this way is a sure Happy End …
To complete the scene I also love the deco. Is modern with a clearly Japanese influence. Simple shapes but surprisingly colorful…(well is a Geisha…)
I have read that Geishas when working, are just «the illusion of a female/​male perfection» What else to add.

I was really losing faith in the quality of sushi in this town, but wow! Absolutely blown away by the delectable treats that faced me the night I descended upon Geisha.
I came here as part of a group of 6 which I think is the perfect number. You really get to try a variety of things, feel satisfied with the quantity of food and leave nothing to waste. 2 people? Well either you’ve got big bucks and it really «ain’t no thang»…or you’re trying to show off to your date, get in their pants, or well… both. 4 people? You’d probably get stuffed before finishing everything, or if you order just enough quantity will not get to try enough things.
We had a great waiter who explained every dish, made some great wine recommendations, as well as recommending an order in which to eat the sushi to fully enjoy every piece to the fullest.
There is no going wrong on this menu. Order whatever jumps out at you. For the appetizers we had the Kobe Beef, Lobster Dumplings, & Fried Oysters all of which were flavor explosions in your mouth. Seen Ratatouille? Yeah, that’s right an array of stars, and rainbows of colors as you bite into these things.
Lobster Sashimi was the highlight of my night. Seasonally sweet beyond imagination! Also the Uni here is surprisingly delicious. Probably one of the most difficult to acquire taste is for Uni. This place does it right!
From Octopus, Toro (Tuna Belly), Salmon, Bluefin Tuna, White Tuna, basically everything from their Sushi Bar is all divine.
For the entrée the lamb was very dulcet, subtly sweet and very tender and soft.
There was more but I’d essentially be listing the whole menu (as if I haven’t already). This place knows how to serve you well! Excellent experience from the moment we stepped in the door from the friendly demeanor of the hostess, the coat check girl, the staff that run to get out of your way on the stairwell or hallway, to the amazing presentation of all the food as well as how delicious it all is.
It almost looks too good to eat. Which explains me yelling at my company…“Wait wait wait… don’t eat it yet!” *snaps a photo* (see photos)
Grab some friends, plan for it, save for it, do whatever you have to, but get yourself over here at least once in your New York life… you’ll probably end up having multiple foodgasm’s like I did and that’s worth it right?

For as long as I didn’t want to believe the hype about the super Japanese establishments in the city, it was my experience at Geisha that left me impressed and almost overwhelmed at the same time. In my eyes, the food was spectacular and the sushi has been one of the finest experiences I’ve ever had. Serious. (see the pics)
I am not a fan of the service so much as I am a fan of their food. The service is predominantly served by non-​Japanese who may have trouble pronouncing some of the items on the menu. In some aspects, its not the price of the food that you’re paying for than it is an experience to be seen amongst New York’s elites (which any sushi lover could care less for). And that price is way up there. Probably among the most I’ve ever spent on Japanese food.
All pretentiousness aside, the food was the main attraction and it definitely delivered. The appetizers my group and I started off with were the seared kobe beef and fried oyster (lollipops). The both of them were good, but the kobe beef was great and I’m told directly imported from Japan. It was just tender enough with bits of rarity still in the slices that presented a taste that was so different than what I was used to. The entire time I thought to myself I could VERY used to doing this on a regular basis as a I slowly floated toward cloud nine.
Enter in Don Pham, the up and coming head sushi chef and his vision of how gourmet sushi was meant to be prepared. What a beautiful, yet fantastic presentation he gave us which was beyond my every expectation. To keep things simple we ordered the sushi platter which was an assortment of various sashimi and sushi rolls. The toro and blue fin tuna were so fresh and deep with color that the plate was rainbow of various colors vibrantly emanating from the white plate. The wasabi hamachi roll was incredible and the spicy hamachi was just tantalizing. Even the most simple roll on the entire platter was delicious, the California Roll … with real king crab!
By far, the best dish all night was the seared toro belly with gold foil, flaked onto the meat like it was a Christmas present from the gods. There was just enough rice packed below to form a bite that just melted in my mouth like butter. The meat was seared as mentioned above, but torched on the outside for an additional crisp while retaining the smooth raw side from the inside. Just a delicacy that had me begging for more.
Desserts were also very good but insanely overpriced. The Mango Cheesecake with basil foam was the size of a klondike bar but very good nonetheless. My favorite of the bunch was probably the Teamisu (green tea tiramisu) and Yuzu cake with meringue, blue berry ice cream. Delicious and with remarkable presentation.
Kudos to Don Pham and his team of sushi chefs. This is truly the best Japanese restaurant in New York.