Tsukushi

Ridiculous place. We sat down and ordered drink. Then we were told there’s no menu, I didn’t understand what did the Japanese waitress said what do they have but «we only have five things to choose». Even no sushi in this hole in the wall place with super high price Japanese restaurant :(won’t be back ever again

Omakase is supposed to serve you with best quality food, and rare fish sashimi occasionally. But this restaurant served you with cheap food like mackerel and chicken for Omakase. The food portion was so small that I need to order noodle (extra cost) after Omakase. The money you paid was basically not worth what you had. Also the place is very small and packed with loud drunken Japanese salary-​men. Meanwhile they added compulsory 18% tips and wanted to keep the changes. Last but not least, they only accepted cash by saying the credit card machine was broken. Definitely will not revisit.

Food = 3, Ambience = 2. This place desperately needs a physical makeover. From the moment I walked in I was hit by a suffocating smell of fish and thrown by the lack of attention to the basic elements that make a room inviting. The wood paneling looks just like someone’s drab, un-​renovated 1950s basement rec room. One of the travel posters hung in a central location is covered with air pockets. The area near the bathroom was piled high with stuff that normally would be put in a closet. I realize that this place is challenged by a very small amount of room to work in. And the food prepared in surprisingly good and complex given the limitations. My guess is that an investment of $ 3,000 could result in an updated space that guests would be drawn to. On the other hand, the owners probably prefer to service their regulars and maintain the feeling of home … just not one I will return to.

First, I’d like to say if you’re not familiar with omakase or traditional Japanese fare, this place may throw you for a loop as it departs from traditional American table service. Omakase is chef’s choice — there is no menu because you aren’t choosing what you’ll be eating, so if lack of control isn’t your thing or you aren’t fond of traditional Japanese cuisine, this might not be your thing. That said and done, what tsukushi offers is an authentic upscale izakaya experience — and the number of ex-​pats in the place is a testament to this!
Tsukushi has an almost non-​descript entrance-I’d passed it many times and never gone in, wondering what it was. Open the door, step down and be greeted with ‘Irasshaimase!’ I was seated at the table innermost of the restaurant– please note ladies, the bathroom is just beyond the curtain. Before the meal I was presented with a steamed and lightly scented cloth to cleanse my hands. I chose a sake — though short, the list will not disappoint. The first dish was okra with bonito flakes in a teriyaki sauce, served cold. Okra usually isn’t my taste, but it was crisp and the umami of the bonito was great with the okra, and the ponzu cut the viscosity. Second was marinated eggplant, which I didn’t enjoy due to the soft texture. Third was steamed and salted edamame, pretty staple bar fare. Fourth was agedashi tofu in broth, my favorite by far. The outside was still slightly crispy from the fryer, and the inside was silky smooth and soft, the flavor of the ogden broth filling your mouth with every bite. Delish! Fifth was a crispy skinned mackerel, and last but not least was sashimi plate — mackerel, yellowtail and octopus. Extremely fresh, no soy sauce needed.
After all that I was still peckish — the pudding was possibly the best flan I’ve ever had.
Allegedly the menu is changed daily-​Will definitely be going again!

Every time my husband and I go there if feels like coming home to your parents home.(and of course, way more than that!)
Being from Japan, I do have a high standard and am always looking for a good place to hang out with good food. Also, especially after long hours of working, I’m not so interested in fancy setting where you feel you can’t relax.
Tsukushi is truly a place where real Japanese hangs out. I often see famous restaurant’s owners. (Probably after they close their places) This says a lot.
Mr. Hiko, the owner is an amazing person. He truly cares for everyone coming through the door. A big heart, humble and so much compassion– I bet lots of people would go there just to see him.
Overall, love this place more than anything. Just went back last night to celebrate the end of the year and felt so good as walking out the door after such good food and conversation :) Thank you so so so much for being there for us!

I live in the area and I never knew this place existed. When I looked up places for late-​night ramen, this place showed up so I decided to give it a shot!
I’ve been here on two different nights (after 10 since that’s when they start serving ramen) and there was only a handful of people each time. I didn’t mind it so much, but the workers talking to the Japanese customers 99% of the time was really distracting. The place is pretty small, so their voices seem even louder to me. I would have preferred a more… quiet meal. But eh, too hungry to do anything about it.
When I get the food menu, there were no prices on it. But I figured it couldn’t be so bad so I ordered the ramen. The ramen arrived pretty quickly, perhaps ten minutes afterwards? Anyway, the broth was delicious. For soy sauce ramen broths, there have been numerous occasions where I felt disappointed since it seemed too bland to me. Thankfully, this wasn’t the case at all! There were two pieces of meat, one egg and a sheet of seaweed.
After I devoured the ramen (broth included!), I decided to try their hojicha mousse dessert. Appearance wise, it didn’t exactly look appealing. But it definitely tasted better than it looked. It was a light dessert with a touch of sweetness. It was a good end to my meal.
When the bill arrived, I noticed that they automatically added 17.75% for tip. There was no notice of this anywhere in the restaurant or the menu so I was a bit annoyed. The service was sorta nonexistent since they tend to focus on just talking away with Japanese customers so I didn’t think that tip percentage reflected the service I received. But whatever, I paid it anyway.
This place is good if you’re craving some late night ramen in the area. But be aware of the automatic gratuity and the lackluster service (if you aren’t Japanese).

We just went to Tsukushi in the hopes of getting some fantastic ramen. I have been to all the best ramen places in the city: Ippudo, Totto, HideChan and others.
The place gets a bonus point for being a hideaway… non-​descript building with an unmarked door on a block that no one would ever traverse unless they lived on it. But, I was here for the food, not the «off the beaten path» locale.
The ramen was some of the worst I have had. The broth was ok, but not much better than you’d get from a can. The noodles were awful and it was just generally unremarkable.
The worst part was, when the waitress presented us with the bill, it was higher than it should have been. Upon closer inspection, they had added on the tip without telling us.
Nowhere on the bill did it say that the tip was included, nor anywhere on the menu.
When I asked for change, the waitress looked disappointed, obviously she was hoping we wouldn’t notice and thus tip her twice as much. The place was nearly empty on a Saturday night with gorgeous weather. I would not go back.

this is possibly one of the most hidden ramen hole-​in-​the-​walls i’ve stumble into. after 10pm, the ramen and omakase options are both flavorful and exquisite. portion size is small, but if you’re looking for traditional japanese, this is a great cozy spot.

I’m no ramen expert, so for what it’s worth I really enjoyed my meal here.
Tsukushi is definitely one of those «hidden» gems in NYC, especially in midtown… And especially at 1am on a weekday! It’s a very nice place, extremely quiet, open very late, and serves some great food. I was very happy to have found this place, rather than trek downtown or even worse, eat fast food (all that’s open at that time).

Low profile spot for ramen late at night. When I arrived at the location I was confused because I didn’t see a restaurant. Then I notice this big black door with a light above it. The door was pretty heavy, seemed like I was entering a secret basement. Once you are inside you find a small cozy Japanese restaurant. Late at night a bowl of ramen was only $ 10, cheaper than other places I have been to. It is the basic bowl with pork belly, and the freshest looking boiled egg I have ever seen in a bowl of ramen. I definitely will be coming back here.

This place is simply the best as far as omasake.
I like it playing a low profile among the many restaurants on Manhattan, and that I was seated immediately without a minute’s wait on a Saturday night. The place is very neatly decorated. I had six courses for my dinner, two small sides, fried yam soup (which is my fav), sashimi, perch (I can’t never do this at home, the texture of the meat was fantastic) and chicken slices. All of them were good, tasteful but not overdone. I heard each table gets different stuff? Would love to come back and try their pork belly and shoyu ramen. The price is a bit on the high end, but I guess the quality of food makes you feel worthwhile. Oh btw there seemed to be just one server running around tending to all tables so the payment step took a while and I had to push for it to get myself out of the way.

It’s a very Japanese style restaurant, quite and simple. Food quality is good. In my Omakase I don’t like they give me two eggs in a day and the fat pork belly which are disappointed me a little bit.

I have no words to describe this place! It’s absolutely amazing! Every time I come here I feel all the happiness come across my entire body! This ramen is incredibly delicious! It’s served after 10.30pm but it’s worth the wait! Don’t expect a lot of stuff inside, this is typical Japanese ramen. Miso broth, half soft boiled egg, onion and two slice of pork. The portion is a little bit smaller than usual but it’s just 10 $. The ambience is really nice, quaint and small and warm, and the service is great, the waitress is so kind! This is a typical japanese pub and I strongly recommend this place for all the japanese-​culture lovers! Been here a lot of times and more are yet to come!!! Thank you, thank you and thank you! For the way you make me feel when I eat this ramen!!!

I have walked past this unassuming door many times but had no idea there was a Japanese restaurant. There is no sign, just a plain black door.
So find that black door, open another door and you will be welcome to a small Japanese restaurant.
I came here really late, around midnight, when their ramen was available. I sat at the bar. They have a nice collection of Japanese sakes, but I decided to have a kirin. They have a simple menu that had items such as fried rice, ramen etc. They also have an omakase menu but I did not tried that. Most of the guests here were all Japanese, so it felt like Japan.
I decided to go for the ramen. The portion aren’t huge but it was good enough for a late night snack. They do take credit cards.

If you like overpriced meh tasting food in portion that leaves you searching underneath your plate for the rest of your dish with service so slow you must be wondering if they’ve mistaken your order for a full size turkey, then look no farther! You’ve found the place!
I went there for my coworker’s farewell dinner and we all got there at 6:30pm. We picked this restaurant without knowing how SMALL it is (that was our fault), because the 11 of us were packed into this place like skinny jean on a middle age couch potato! We all ordered the omakase… long story short by 10pm we were still waiting for the rest of the omakase to come out, with hope that the next dish would actually be adult size and not «fun» size. I mean I understand we have a large group but come on! 3.5hrs to serve sashimi, tofu, and fried fish?! We also had the ramen or fried rice and dessert, again tiny portion. If the food was spectacular then okay it would be worth the wait and the small portion but the food was nothing special at all whatsoever!
The only waitress working there was however very polite and warm… but being there only 1 person waiting tables, extremely sloooooow…
I don’t feel like getting robbed again so I don’t think I would be going back ever again.

I don’t often give reviews but when I do it’s because the place was a gem or one of the worst dining experiences of my life. I can’t say much about the cuisine; they made us wait nearly two hours for our ramen and by that time I lost my appetite. There were no apologies, no friendly gestures and absolutely no signs the wait staff cared. The kicker was the 17.5% service charge included in the bill. Maybe it was a scam to charge us for the carbonated water we drank while we waited? If this were my own restaurant I would be ashamed.

I didn’t get a chance to review this last night due to my overwhelming meal. This is not a negative, I think overall the food was good. You must understand the audience this place caters to to appreciate.
There is no menu, you get the chefs choice of 5 – 7 courses of light fare and frankly if you do not love all Japanese food beware. I really liked it all but it is very traditional Japanese in small portions for maximum combination of textures, flavor and depth. Also, you should plan to spend some time eating and drinking. Great for social and business groups who want to leisurely pace their food. I echo the sentiments of others who mentioned the difference in chef choices for audience. I did not get the same selection as chosen for the Japanese from Japan here on business.
Overall, if you enjoy sampling things you have never tried this is great. I have eaten everything presented before due to my mothers home style cooking authentic from Japan, but otherwise many choices may be risky. I enjoyed the food, not the ambience as you really need to have the right frame of mind to sit through all the courses and enjoy the experience. I was just hungry and the food will satisfy that if you are ready to put in the time!

This place is so hidden! It took my friend and I a while to locate the door to this place with no sign, just the name and address number on the black tarp canopy thing over the door. Honestly, it looked a bit scary/​sketchy at first. When we opened the door, it was as if we were transported to Japan by walking down a few steps!
It was so traditional and home-​y feeling, very authentic, and I really enjoyed our time here. They’re open late and start offering ramen after 10pm or 10:30pm. There’s only one type of ramen — a house shoyu broth ramen. It wasn’t too salty like a lot of the ramen I’ve had. We also got salmon and cod rod onigiris as well as the green tea mousse for dessert. It was light and delightful. We were quite full after and left very happy finding such a gem through a random hard to find door in midtown. I really like finding places like these. And you know it’s good when there’s a lot of Japanese businessmen in there.
They are cash only so remember to bring some with you! I believe tip is also included in the total bill, or that’s what our waitress told us so I assumed it was for everyone? Definitely check this place out for late night ramen! I heard their omakase is great too.

This place is perfect if you’re here on business long term and can get the meal expensed. I say that because it’s definitely a light, delicious, home style meal, but it’s not worth the price out of your own pocket. I can get a much more exciting and delicious meal for 50 bucks. But if you’re stuck here, away from home, this is perfect for getting away from the more in your face kind of restaurant meals. And I say all of this since I can get extremely similar food for free a bus ride away, so I feel really ripped off.
The décor I didn’t expect to be that great, nor do I usually care. But this almost felt like they were trying to look kind of sad. The posters on the walls were held up with scotch tape. The place also smelled a little strange.
And most importantly, the food:
Brussels Sprouts — roasted, topped with bonito, and some form of soy sauce on the bottom, which allowed for an unpleasant distribution of no to extreme saltiness. The brussels sprouts themselves were properly roasted, but nothing you can’t do at home.
Braised Eggplant — Two pieces of scored eggplant, braised in some sort of fatty meat stock, most likely pork, with a touch of soy. The eggplant melted in your mouth and I found it delicious since it tasted extremely similar to something my parents would make at home. However, it was served colder than room temperature, which I found to be not the most appropriate serving temperature for the perceived fattiness of the dish. Probably the best dish, but still not impressive.
Sashimi — Uni, Fluke, Octopus. Nothing out of the ordinary. The uni tasted fresh, but more sea-​like than I prefer.
Fried Chicken Salad — My friend and I joked that they only gave this to us because they were out of fried chicken. Very small, but nicely fried, pieces of chicken on a few tomato chunks and mesclun mix. It was tasty but for omakase it was very much a lolwut are you serious kind of dish.
Fried Mackerel — a sadly small whole fish. it tasted fresh? that’s about it.
Dumplings — steamed meatballs with sticky rice on the outside. Tasty, but my neighbor used to make this shit for us all the time. There was a Japanese pasta salad on the side, but that was like a waste of calories.
I wouldn’t rule out coming back, but it’s not at the top of my revisit list.

I’m hungry… it’s late. I don’t want diner food… know where do I find me some late-​night ramen? Oh, I know Tsukushi has late night ramen starting at 10/​1030p.
We got there just before 10p. They technically said they didn’t start serving ramen until 1030p, but that it’d be okay. My friend and I both ordered the ramen, and it hit the spot. It was delicious, the broth was far from bland. It wasn’t served scalding hot. It was about $ 10…which is actually less the than usual bowl at Hide-​Chan, Ippudo or Totto, but I think it might actually be a slightly smaller portion yet still filling.
The place is very unassuming, there’s no name or real store front. There’s an awning with an address and a wooden door. It made me feel like I might’ve been entering a dungeon or something of the like. The place is small, quaint and clean.
TLDR: check out their late-​night ramen