Izakaya MEW

Great hole in the wall resturant for lunch. Came here with a friend while in midtown for a conference. Unilocal recommended this place and decided to give it a try. It did not dissappoint. $ 10 lunch for sashimi? Yes please. We ordered the Tuna tartare and Salmon don. Both dishes were pretty good and for the price you can’t beat it. Definetly recommend it for lunch

Came here on a Thursday night around 9pm with a friend and was told there was a 20min wait. Fortunately, we ended having to wait only 5min for a table. The menu is like a 40 page book with so many options. I ordered the Salmon Sashimi Tacos ($ 7.95) and they were absolutely amazing! It was so fresh and crunchy, just right mixture of textures, a must get! The only downside is it only comes with 2 small mini tacos.
Then for our entrees I ordered the salmon avocado granite ($ 9.95) and my friend ordered the Kimchi Cream Udon with shrimp ($ 10.95). The salmon avocado granite had a unique taste of the cheese being similar to pizza cheese but the inside was stuffed salmon, avocado and jalapeños that really add a kick. The Kimchi Cream Udon was really creamy, but came with only 2 pieces of shrimp and the vegetables needed to be seasoned a bit more. Overall, definitely coming back here to try the lunch next time!

It’s a basement! Between 2 korean restaurants! It was about 930pm Friday night and the wait for 2 ppl is 45 min (as we were told) so we walked aroudn the block and came back, (that was about 20 min) then we got the seat!
We got hot sake (which is delicious but I can’t take anymore) and miso ramen
Definitely a hidden gem! the ramen that i got (miso ramen) was absolutely amazing. the taste was great! but since i’m from Houston, i am biased~!! I love JINYA RAMEN
The thing is I’d like the egg half boiled instead of hard boiled egg, so that’s the difference there. There’s a lot of Ramen! Good amount of veggies, maybe ½ slices of pork belly.
I would definitely come again if I wanna have more Japanese food!

This place gets hella packed. They open at 6 PM weekday. Got there at 5:45 and there was already a wait in the restaurant.
Food is good. Cute ambience but you definitely get the feeling of being rushed.
We sat down and within 10 min we were asked by 5 different servers if we were ready to order… Really killed the mood between me and my gf who were trying to catch up.
But $ 3 pint of Sapporo for happy hour 5 – 7 pm on weekdays yay…

Goodness I LOVE this place. Always my go to spot for a bite after work to catch up with friends. Be careful though, past 6:30pm on a weekday, be ready to wait an hour or more but it is so worth the wait. Everything and I mean everything is delicious. I always order a variety of food and is always satisfied.

For starters we got the kimchi (incredible!!) and Edamame. For main course we got the chicken and egg oyaku don, salad with grilled chicken with yuzu wasabi sauce and miso ramen. Just incredible! Flavors were bang on (won high praise from my Dad who actually lived in Japan for two years). Food was incredibly fresh.
The bill came as a shock — $ 32 for all of this! Just incredible value for money!

Bring your midtown-​scarred-​self and rejoice for this momentary escape staircase.
Awesome salmon teriyaki.
Great vibe once you find it downstairs, quick service at lunch time, fair prices.
Can’t wait to return to try their ramen and other wonderful sounding dishes.

I took my parents here because it was close to Macy’s, and they need something Asian to eat at least for one meal a day. I was hesitant about taking them to an izakaya, but I figured that since we were going when it just opened for dinner, it wouldn’t be too loud or uncomfortable.
It was the right choice. We got the fried octopus, the kimchi cream udon, and the happy hour sushi special. All were great, the fried octopus was very crisp and flavored, while the udon wasn’t too rich as the kimchi had a nice offsetting effect on it. We also got one of their cocktails, something with kiwi in it — I forget the name, but all the fusion cocktails looked like they were good and refreshing.
Luckily for us, around 6pm on a weekday, they were only half-​filled, but it seems like it would get crowded very quickly.

Tucked away in a hidden basement on 35^th Street, Izakaya Mew is a surprising restaurant featuring a prodigious menu at economical prices. At lunch, it is a very busy spot with a one page menu (with a special of the day printed on a separate piece of paper). At dinner, the menu expands to a large binder with colorful printed images that tempt the tastebuds.
Let me talk about lunch first. First, you must either come at 12 noon sharp or after 2 pm – the lines are long and annoying. Bring cash (they’re cash only). The teishokyus on the bottom left of the lunch menu are $ 10 and include a delicious entrée (I’ve tried the chicken teriyaki, salmon teriyaki, and grilled mackerel with salt — all delicious), rice, miso soup, a salad (not great), and assorted Japanese pickles (hit or miss). These are what I think are the best things on the menu to order. The ramens are just OK — tempting to order because of the eye-​enticing photos but just satisfactory when you taste them. The appetizers and drinks are incredibly inexpensive and are great — edamame is only $ 2 and so is a half pint of beer!!!
For dinner, the menu is a 40 page novella of interesting dishes organized seemingly randomly but once you peruse for a bit you’ll get the hang of it. The best way to navigate this is to simply pick a bunch of random things you wish to try, or order what your neighbor has that looks good to you — you can’t go wrong. I enjoyed grilled squid (a neighbor’s item), natto (fermented soy beans), sashimi over rice, unagi don (eel over rice), and any of the yakitoris. But don’t take it from me, just go and enjoy it like a Japanese tapas place.
The décor is comfortable and rustic, with recycled, mismatched furniture, Murakami books everywhere, and an old record player in the entrance way. It can get a little cold because it’s downstairs in a basement and the door is open, but the food will warm you right up.

Solid izakaya around K town. First thing to note is the wait. No reservations. There are people waiting as soon as the place opens. If you have a larger party, they require everyone in the group to be present before they will seat you. There a bar in the area to get something to drink while you wait. Convenient and definitely necessary.
Noticed that the sake/​soju and whiskey are priced slightly lower than other places in the city. Awesome! For the ladies, the Chu-hi’s are pretty good. They’re basically fruit juice with a light bit of vodka. The lychee and peach are both nice.
Once seated, we had to sort through the fairly massive menu. They do have pictures on the pages to help with the selections. However, the portion is a bit on the the smaller side and intended to be shared. It’s a good way to sample everything though.
Once orders are in, the kitchen is extremely efficient and will bang out the dishes in quick succession. My grouped ordered about 12 items. I think everything came out in roughly 15~20 minutes.
Food quality is good, but really nothing to rave about. It’s just typical Japanese drinking food. If I have to pick a couple favorites, it would be the tuna tataki and yakisoba. Their okonomiyaki has way too much cabbage in the middle as filler…
Service is prompt, but you will have to try to flag someone down pretty aggressively. Ambience is also more upscale compared to some of the other ones down at St. Marks.
Overall, solid 3 stars! Come with a group. Eat. Drink. Be merry!

Didn’t even see the sign when I went here-​just a narrow staircase leading to the restaurant underground. Definitely not a Japanese restaurant you can find in Austin-​they have kimchi udon and omu soba-​fun twists on Asian food. The place is packed so the wait is pretty reasonable and the service is quick as well. The kimchi udon was really rich-​kind of like a mix between Korean and Italian but the noodles were thick and delicious. The omu soba was a bit lighter and had more vegetables and was really good. My favorite was the fried takoyaki (octopus balls). I’m not really a huge fan of octopus normally but the tentacle was encompassed by a thick layer of mashed potatoes which was the best.

Best izakaya place that I have everrrrrr had… their salmon and tuna carpaccio was friggin awesome l, lightly grilled and melts in your mouth, I have never had such good salmon in my life, 5 dishes was good enough for 2 of us, the only thing I kind of regret ordering is the grilled squid, nothing special, wish it was fried haha, frozen beer was meh, looks cool with the frozen foam, prepare to wait at least 45mins but definitely worth the wait
Really nice atmosphere and service is fast and friendly, need to come back again when I’m in NYC

We waited 50 minutes to be seated and it was a now or never sort of thing. We have been there two other previous occasions and there has always been a 30 – 45 minute wait. This time we decided we should just get it over with since we have tried two times prior. WORTH IT. Iv only ever had one other favorite Japanese place, and it may have been because I wasn’t equipped enough to know good Japanese food when I tasted it, but this place set the bar. I was so satisfied and I wanted more.
We had the soba noodles. Probably the best cold noodles I ever had. It’s a go. The dumplings weren’t anything different from the usual places I have dumplings from. I am obsessed with dumplings and out of everything we had they weren’t what popped for me.
Still reading? Salmon avocado tacos– you are a fool if you don’t.
And last you know you can’t leave with out a few rolls. The dynamite, watch out for the spice it caught me off guard because I probably didn’t read the menu I was so excited. And the sexy roll. I recommend every thing I had, but it’s not like it matters. The menu is extensive. It was so nice to see most tables smile as their food got placed in front of them. Enjoy!

Music on point. Super chill vibe. Very friendly staff. No reservations. Had to wait an hour for dinner on a weekday. WORTH IT.
Their menu is expansive and has pix of all their options which is genius because it makes you want to order everything! You also know exactly what you’re getting which is awesome.
What we ordered:
Salmon Sashimi Tacos — GET THIS. So amazing. The crunch of the shell of the taco is nothing like you’d expect. So much crispier and crunchier.
Spicy Beef Ramen — Not a lot of beef and too much ramen. Broth is super tasty though.
Garlic Fried Rice — the egg was cold and was cooked all the way through. womp womp. Prob won’t get this again.
Mew Special Salmon Roll — GET THIS. Perfect portion of salmon/​avocado with seared salmon on top.
French fries with spicy mayo — GET THIS. Nothing like Ramen and sushi with a side of french fries. YUM. Loved the spicy mayo on top.
Beef Tataki — also YUM.
Can’t wait to go back and try everything else!

Impressive, large menu book but unfortunately some of the items featured were not available for dinner one time we went. I also asked the waitress which fruity drink is recommended and it ended up tasting like cough medicine. The frozen beer was quite the spectacle but had an average taste.
The restaurant may be hard to find since the entrance is somewhat discreet. Once you go down the stairs, there is likely to be a long wait time and many people clustered by the bar and even blocking the way to the bathrooms. The average wait time was around 45 minutes to 1 hour. There are not that many seats available at the waiting area, so we walked around outside and came back (earlier than the time we were given). The hostess miscalculated the wait time and we had to wait an additional 20 – 30 minutes.
The food was good but not the best in terms of flavor (and the sushi was not that fresh). The wooden tables were also uneven at certain parts and it made me nervous to place glasses on certain parts (where it would slope down). The seating was not that comfortable, especially after waiting a long time to be seated. We may try this place again to experience other parts of the menu!

Probably the best izakaya place I’ve been to in NYC so far. The wait on a Friday night was 1.5 hours, but it was great. I would recommend getting there early to avoid the wait or come on an off time. I don’t know if a place is ever really worth 1.5 hours of a wait, but this place was special!
Food: To begin, we got the toriaezu of the salmon sashimi tacos. Two per order, but honestly, it was actually a lot of fun. The fusion aspect of the dish was memorable of the guacamole like top, but the sashimi in the inside. Takoyaki Karaage was crisp and delicious and okonomiyaki is always a winner. With the sushi rolls and such an extensive izakaya menu, this place can satisfy anybody’s needs.
Drink: I got the Kirin Frozen Beer. I think it’s more of a novelty than actually good beer. I am not the biggest fan of Kirin, but the concept of a frozen beer is a lot of fun. Their mixed drinks also look great.
A great place to spend with friends. It is not a large venue to have a super large party, but it’s great to try a lot of different types of Japanese dishes and they have a lot of cool fusion type dishes. A great place on 35^th and I know when I go back to New York, this place is a must visit again!

Food: A–
We ordered the Salmon Salad, Sashimi Don, the Kimchi Cream Udon, the Miso Ramen, the Kalbi, and the grilled Shishito Peppers. We also wanted to order the Chicken Meatball Kushi Yaki as well, but they were all out of their yakitori :(However, all of our food was DELICIOUS. My boyfriend and I really enjoyed the Sashimi Don — I felt like the salmon was the best part of the Don, it felt the most tender out of the different fishes included. It had avocado, which added a nice consistency to the Don as well. My kimchi cram udon was so good — it was sort of like a creamy Italian-​style pasta, but Korean/​kimchi flavored and spicy. I really enjoyed it and would definitely recommend — although not if you’re prone to heartburn (started feeling it while eating this dish).
On a side note, we also ordered a couple of Sapporo draft beers (pint-​size) while waiting for our table, and they came out to only $ 4 a beer — super reasonable :)
Service and Ambiance: B
An interesting industrial sort of vibe to the place — wood and metal furniture, exposed air ducts, etc. Everything there was sort of mix-​and-​match, purposefully so. It worked mostly — they had a couple of industrial-​looking chandeliers (maybe made of iron or steel) along with draping lightbulb lighting — very different but it worked. They also had random metal folding chairs among regular chairs — that I wasn’t really a fan of.
It was super busy here, packed and a good amount of people waiting for tables as well. The wait staff was hustling, the chatter in the restaurant was pretty loud — generally just a very busy feel. It was a little cramped — it seemed like they added more tables/​seating because of how popular the place is. We were seated at a table that looked slightlyyy makeshift, sort of squeezed between another table and the hostess/​waitress station. It wasn’t horrible, but I feel like we could definitely have been more comfortable at another table.
Despite everything that was going on, it was nice that their service (once we got to sit down after the wait) was super fast while not seeming to rush us at all either. Our food came out within 10 – 15 minutes after putting in our order — impressive. We did ask for extra noodles, though, which they seemed to forget about in the hectic environment, and we had to ask for them again. I could tell there was a lot going on at this place — it seemed that we had one main server, but a few different people helping us, so it looked like things could slip through the cracks. Not sure how their wait staff worked exactly — a bit more organization could probably help them out, but we still felt good about the service here.
Tldr; come here! Order beers! Get the kimichi cream udon! :)

The only thing tht sucks about this place is that they don’t take reservations and there’s almost always a wait. Although we were there on a Sunday at 6:00 pm and we were seated right away…
What’s amazing tho:
— great selection and menu variety
— photo album menu!
— awesome $ 3 sake happy hour 5p — 7p
— fresh fish
— not too crowded and not too loud
— reasonably priced and portions

Its been so long since I wanna check out this place. We went around 7pm last night, place is packed but good thing we just waited for 30mins. It is in the basement, its big & I like the interior of the place. They have a lot of food choices. Its so hard to decide what to get. Good thing they have picture of every food in their menu.
Appetizer:
Salmon sashimi tacos $ 7.95– marinated salmon with guacamole. The tacos is crispy. Its very tasty!
Mintai ika sishito $ 9.95– squid and shishito peppers sautéed with some mentai, butter, soy sauce & black pepper. This is actually my favorite in everything that we ordered! I like the spicy aroma & the sauce is perfectly combine to make the whole dish perfectly delicious! I can’t wait to go back & get this again. I can have 2 order of this. Lol
Main dish:
Mew special roll $ 12.95– spicy salmon & avocado wrapped in seared salmon & mayo. Yummy! Its big & has 8 rolls.
Black dragon roll $ 11.95– avocado and shrimp tempura roll topped with eel and flying fish roe. Thr sauce makes it a little sweet & makes it perfectly delicious!
Tonkutso Ramen $ 10.95– pork broth with chashu pork, egg, bamboo shoots, bean sprouts, pickled ginger & scallions. This is the first ramen that I had thats not so hot. You can eat without blowing it. I actually enjoyed it. Less stress. Lol! Its delicious! The only thing is, it just have 1 piece of pork. But I’m contented since we ordered a lot of food. So I don’t suggest eating this by itself. Or if you do, get a side order of the chashu pork.
Service is great! Waiters are very fast & attentive.
We’ll definitely be back!

Our friend who lives here took us here for dinner while we were in NY. She specifically told us to be there right at 6pm, when they open. Otherwise, it will be a looooong wait since they don’t take reservations. We got there 10 minutes before 6pm, and sure enough, the crowd was already building up. They only seat when the full party shows up. Yikes, our friend was running late! The host won’t give us a table even with 5 of us there. I told the host that we can start ordering as soon as we are seated. That worked! Good thing our friend showed up 5 minutes later.
Our friend told us everything is good there and she was half right. The menu is extensive, almost as thick as a book. Here’s what we ordered:
–Yellowtail Carpaccio: melts in your mouth, it’s one of the best I’ve ever had. Definitely worth a try.
–Tonkatsu Ramen: lot more toppings than most ramen place, I was sold with their ramen. The broth was milky and delicious and the texture of the ramen was perfect.
–Yakitori Combination (skewered chicken breast, thigh, chicken meatball and pork belly): this was a tad bit dry and tasteless which explains why this dish was sitting on the table awhile before it was clear.
–Gyu Tataki (beef with ponzu sauce): picture looks better that the tasted. I’d skip this since there were much more to choose from.
–Short Ribs: so much flavor this dish didn’t need any sauce. It was seasoned and cooked on point.
–Fried Meat Croquette: wasn’t too impressed with this one, though it was different, but meh…
–Fried Octopus feet: IT was not as chewy and tender as I hoped to be.
–Happy Hour Sushi platter –6 pieces of California roll, an assortment of sushi (ebi, ahi, sake, hamachi, and ikura) for $ 20 (a great deal).
— Mochi ice cream (strawberry and green tea): Similar to most places, nothing spectacular. I’m a sucker anything mochi.
You probably thought we ordered too much for 5 people, but the portions were small, so it was great to try a little bit of everything. Service was solid. The location of this restaurant makes it extremely easy to miss. We walked right pass by the small door leading downstairs below a karaōke joint. Also it’s definitely not a good place if you want to enjoy a peaceful quiet meal. The music gets very loud.

Ótimo achado, daqles q tu desce uma escadinha e fica meio resabiado, mas se tem grata surpresa, comida oriental dos deuses, tudi muito saboroso, festa de sabores na boca, cada prato com um diferencial. Barato, caprichado e muito rápido, achei incrivel, e todos muito atenciosos no atendimento.

Einzigartig! Von aussen unscheinbar mit einer schwarzen Metalltür mit dem kleinen Logo an der Wand. Unten im Keller die Überraschung. WOW! Super liebe Menschen, traumhafter Service und das Essen war einfach der Oberhammer! Perfekt!

100% recomendado. Es una locura lo bueno del sitio, la atención super especial y la comida fuera de este planeta. El sitio es muy difícil de encontrar. Esta en el subterráneo

Authentisches Japanisches Restaurant im Keller. Durch Unilocal entdeckt war es gerade ein paar Meter von unserem Hotel entfernt. Sehr unauffälliger Eingang, es geht direkt in den Keller. Es herrscht eine angenehme, lockere Atmosphäre. Zu 90% Asiatische Gäste, was sicher ein gutes Zeichen ist. Das Sushi, der kleine Grillteller oder auch die steamed dumplings schmeckten super. Die Preise sind für NY absolut ok, für die gemischte Sushi Platte 23 USD
Klare Empfehlung

Ambiance très agréable des hipsters japonais, sosies de Jackie Chan, New Yorkais; petites lumières…
Sushis originaux et bons
Service rapide
Menu très diversifié
Go 4 it ! :)