Ushiwakamaru

Ambience: Terrible. It’s way too bright. Awful music. Awkward table layout.
Service: Great.
Food: Excellent, top quality fish but a limited and very boring menu.

If you want quality sushi, come here.
The size of each piece is small compared to other sushi joints, but the quality is one of the best I’ve tasted.
Price is reasonable for the quality, but not cheap by any means.
Me and my date had about 8 pieces of sushi each, with a couple of appetizers.
Had some beers and the total came to about $ 200.
I would recommend sitting at the counter as you get to watch the chefs prepare and slice fish.
Highly recommended!

Why haven’t I come here sooner? Oh, right. Because they closed down sometime in late 2014/​early 2015 due to rent issues.
I loved Ushi from the very beginning right down to the end. We got the sushi bar omakase at $ 135pp, which is actually a reasonable price for high end sushi, and we also split a huge bottle of a 720ml carafe of sake at around $ 75. Every piece was fresh, amazing, and delish. I was kind of scarred by my awful experience at Tanoshi so I didn’t have much of an experience but there was no need for me to set the bar so low.
Loved how the sushi bar was clean and spacious so that you didn’t feel claustrophobic and cramped with all the other diners.
Service was flawless and accommodating, just like a traditional Japanese house should be. I can’t stop raving about this place, and I hope I can become a regular here during the moments where my wallet will allow it.
SO MUCH better than Tanoshi too.

Solid sushi and great service! I thoroughly enjoyed my omakase at Ushiwakamaru. Check out my review at

I don’t consider myself a connoisseur of much but sushi/​sashimi is one of those things I know a bit about. We have eaten at many of the best places all over the world including Japan. I am a pretty much a sashimi only eater and we will literally try anything served to us!
Like most other Unilocal reviewers, I agree the Omakase is fresh, well prepared and presented. But it didn’t wow me. Décor is minimal and is reminiscent of other less esteemed sushi places. I enjoyed the sashimi for sure. But the bill? Not so much. When I last ate at Sushi Zen in midtown and sat at the sushi bar, our Omakase was nearly $ 300 pp drinks, tax and tip included. Here it was about $ 250 pp on a Saturday night. I would have gladly spend the extra $$$ our fave in midtown because let’s face it-​when we talking about HUNDREDS of dollars for fish, it should be knock you socks off. On the plus side, you won’t go hungry here. They give you plenty of fish served over about four separate courses.
Service was attentive. The hostess and chef/​owner are very welcoming. Overall, it was a solid experience but we aren’t running back. For that price point, it should be spectacular.

Expensive. I’ve had 2 wonderful meals here, but my third was an abomination. The sushi tasted old, the clams were sour and the uni was rank, inedible. Wasn’t happy at the $ 360 tab for sushi that was worse than takeout sushi. I mentioned my displeasure to the waiter who just shrugged. Would NEVER recommend anyone eat here.

Visiting Ushiwakamaru gave me seconds thoughts about going back to Japan for a visit.
If I could have sushi this good apart from going back to Japan, then why would I pay for an airline ticket.

No words to describe. I’m by no means a sushi connoisseur but definitely one of my best sushi experiences in nyc. I will definitely go back. The staff is nice and friendly. The tables are adequately spaced. It wasn’t crowded at all even tho the place was full. Great experience. Great sushi.

We’ve been to the previous location of Ushiwakamaru, so it’s good to be back to their new location. I called to book the sushi bar for omakase, and it wasn’t too hard to get weekend reservation if you are okay with 6pm seating.
Everything was what I remembered — courteous services, modest interior design, authentic feel. We ordered all sushi omakase, which started off with green tea tofu and miso soup. I’ve never had green tea tofu before, definitely something new. Miso soup is not overly salty, and it’s enriched by a shrimp head. After that, the chef started putting in front of us rounds after rounds of amazing sushi. When it first started, rice was a little too hot, but maybe chef also realized that, after the first two, everything turned out to be just perfect.
Here are some highlights:
— Slightly tourched sea eel: so so tender. Not overly fatty, but it was so flavorful and soooo tender.
— Japanese white shrimp: I though the texture would be chewy, but it literally melted in my mouth.
— Fried shrimp head: Japanese doesn’t waste anything, so authentic places usually fry the shrimp heads after using the shrimp body for sushi. This shrimp head is perfectly fried, crunchy, flavorful, simple yet delicious.
— Medium tuna: I’ve developed my liking for medium and lean tuna after eating at Sushi Nakazawa several times. It doesn’t taste as fatty as toro, but it still melts in your mouth. What can I say, I LOVE tuna.
— Squid: I’ve never had squid nigiri before, this was a first. It tasted like pickled squid, nothing too chewy but had some texture to it.
— Japanese Uni: do I need to say anything more about that?
So here’s the verdict: rice was a little too warm at first, but they corrected it; light on soy comparing to some other sushi places. With price tag of $ 130 per person, we each had 18 pieces of amazing nigiri, including usual items such as amberjack, mackerel, tuna, uni, to a little more unconventional items like needlefish, squid, Japanese white shrimp. I enjoyed every piece of it, and I definitely would love to be back.

Holy cow. Mind blown. Just take my money and throw Hideo-san’s sushi my way. I’ll admit– the ambiance felt a little off (elegant in a minimal way, but felt unfinished), but the omakase MORE than made up for it.
Omakase. 18 pieces + miso soup /​dessert. (Priced based on MP but our omakase sesh came to $ 135 per person) Miso soup is made with shrimp stock and is served with an actual shrimp head. It’s warm, reminiscent of the sea and downright delicious. Dessert was a selection of ice cream. Now let’s get to the good stuff.
Each piece is thoughtful and delicious. If you’re looking to try omakase here, I think it’s safe to assume that you’ve enjoyed omakase at other notable restaurants, are a self-​proclaimed omakase manic, and you’ve heard more than enough of the ‘OMG TORO!!! OMG UNI!!!’ comments. I’ll spare you the details. (Toro and Hokkaido uni were FANTASTIC though lol) Hideo-San’s nigiri not only highlights the freshness of the fish, but also the temperature of the rice and the temperature of what he is serving. He contrasts warmer temp rice with refreshing chilled snow crab, for example. BOMB.
Thoughtful Hideo-San’s skills only seem to get better as he knocks his beers down like a champ (he puts my ‘frat bro’ boyfriend’s beer chugging skills to shame, truly). These beers/​sake shots are a testament to the incredible omakase experience he provides his visitors as the alcoholic drinks are sent as ‘thank yous’ by these very guests.
Just go. Send Hideo-​San a beer on you, watch him do his magic (re: beer chugging skills), experience the magic (re: omakase) and wonder (as I did) why you haven’t treated yourself to Ushiwakamaru’s omakse with Hideo-​San sooner.
P. S. Hideo-​San wears the cutest pink hat and tells the best stories. Ask him about Ohio Uni!
Perfect for: Impressive dinner date or indulgent solo omakase experience

And like a phoenix from the ashes of its former domicile on Houston has Ushiwakamaru made its triumphant return to our beautiful city to its new location in Chelsea.
The new space is a lot bigger than the cramped basement location of its birth and the sushi bar is now 2x the size.
And thankfully not much else has changed — we usually go for the normal nigiri order which comes spread out over two courses. As we have noted before, do not bother with the hot appetizers from the kitchen and do reserve that space in your collective bellies for the fish instead. The amaebi here has been and remains particularly good. That said we are yet to meet a sea dweller from here we did not like and everything feels just-​slaughtered for our benefit.
We were suicidal when the prior location closed and we are kicking ourselves for not knowing that it reopened nearly six months ago. Hopefully the rent in its new home stays stable for a long time to come — viva Ushiwakamaru.

First time having omakase! I now know and understand what the hype is all about.
My boyfriend took me here for Valentine’s Day. The atmosphere was perfect — simple, well lit, and not too loud. We opted for the 14 course omakase — he did all sushi, I did sashimi-​sushi combo.
First course was a little appetizer with bite sizes of sea urchin, spicy tuna on endive, and crispy shrimp. It was so cute and each part was so flavorful in its unique way.
Next 6 courses — my sashimi all came on one plate while my boyfriend got his sushi version one at a time. Loved the fatty tuna. Sweet shrimp was surprisingly creamy. The only one that was harder for me to eat was the giant clam — had a very oceany taste and stiff texture.
The remaining courses were all sushi — and I have to admit I liked this part more. Absolute favorite pieces were the tuna (seriously MELTS) in your mouth, golden eye snapper, and the seared tuna with truffle salt. Best sushi I’ve ever had, hands down.
At the end, we added on a crab sushi and eel sushi just to try them. Eel was well worth it, but we weren’t as big fans of the crab. Dessert was of course Lady M green tea crêpe cake. Beautifully presented and so fun to eat.
Our chef, Suzuki, was the best. He doesn’t say all that much but when he does, he’s incredibly funny and warm. We even asked to take a selfie with him and he was super chill about it!
Now I’m definitely into trying out more omakase! Ushiwakamaru is a perfect place to start because it’s relatively inexpensive compared to other more well known places, but the quality of their sushi is apparently just as good, if not better. Highly recommend!

So anytime you google a list of the best omakase places in NYC, this one always shows up. The problem is that in NYC, there are so many great omakase places that this one falls just a little short.
The space is brand spanking new, and doesn’t really have a feel. It lacks the white glove feel of Nakazawa, the zen of Kura, the energy of Dojo, the warmth and familiarity of Cagen, the creativity of Bugs (RIP), or the grit of Tanoshi. It’s basically a sterile and pristine setting without true character.
The food matches the space. The fish here is incredibly fresh, and it seems like what they go for here is to let the quality of the fish speak for itself. What I didn’t really feel like they did was develop or create complimentary flavors. At the other places I mentioned, you see a lot of marinated fish or fish seasoned in unique ways that compliment and enhance the fish. Here, the fish mostly stands alone. Pristine and sterile.
So not to call this bad sushi; it’s impeccable in terms of the quality of the ingredients. It just feels like at this price point and with all of the omakase choices in NYC, you can do better. Is it worth checking out? Sure, but only if you’ve been to every other place I mentioned earlier.

By far the best sushi! Comparable to Sushi Yasuda but at half the price. My wife and I had the omakase and the sushi was fresh and varied. Ginger was better here thanks Yasuda.
Did have to ask to refill hot water and ginger couple of times, but not hard to flag someone who were quick to respond.
Dessert, we had green tea and black sesame ice cream which were wonderful and strong flavors.
And nothing can beat a Lady M cake!
Would definitely come back!

KenScale: 8.5÷10
In today’s age where there are so many restaurant shutters on a daily basis in NYC, it always feels good to have a restaurant that springs back to life. And even more so when my dining experience at the new location was even better one at the original location. Ushiwakamaru was exactly that place. I did have a pleasant experience at the original location in SoHo, but not a particularly memorable one. This time, though, there were really good standout pieces from the omakase menu.
There are two omakase options ($ 100 per person for 14 pieces and $ 150 per person for 20 pieces) and you can decide either all sushi or a mix of sushi and sashimi. I went for the latter and, of course, sat the bar (I can’t emphasize enough how much different it makes in your dining experience). The starters had some mixes of unusual dishes such as yam konjac with very nice texture and baby sea eel in the form of thinly cut noodle. Assortment of sashi was delicious, especially the tuna and amberjack that were just melting in my mouth. Then came the sushi pieces. Some of the pieces were just sensational, such as the incredibly smooth Bluefin tuna, white shrimp that was displaying awesome freshness to it and salmon roe (I would consider this one of the best I’ve had in my sushi experience). Other pieces were more or less within the range of my expectations (which means still really good): golden eye snapper, uni (if the temperature were a little higher for this piece, I would’ve probably loved it even more) and toro. None of the pieces needs dipping on soy sauce as the chef aptly did all the seasoning already, but some pieces turned out a little too salty, such as fatty tuna with truffle salt, which sounds too good to be true but the salt quickly overwhelmed the fish. I don’t think I’ve Japanese shark before for my sushi tasting, and it was a bit funky. The star of the night appeared at the end, though. After finishing the omakase course, my dining companion and I were still not quite full, so ended up ordering monkfish liver (which many consider foie gras of the sea). This dish was impeccable with the elegant texture that I still think about while writing this review. For dessert, the restaurant offers Lady M green tea crêpe (Lady M is one of my favorite cake shops in the city, so I wasn’t complaining) and black sesame ice cream and red bean paste for a delightful finish to the meal.
The restaurant has somewhat concise sake and wine menu that would go well with your sushi tasting. I see that the interior of the new location has become a lot brighter and gives more modern feel to it. Getting a reservation about a week in advance wasn’t too difficult and it was relatively quiet on a Wednesday night (although by no means it was empty; it’s just that the atmosphere was on the more contained side). I’m so glad Ushiwakamaru is back with vengeance; it deserves to stay in the long run for this city that is obsessed with sushi.

After about a year I have not been able to go to their restaurant in Houston Street, I am so glad I was able to because I came in as soon as they opened; and I don’t think too many people know they have opened in this location.
They are one of the rare restaurants that offer super fresh sashimi and sushi. Their price is a little steep but the quality is very good.
What I miss though is their sushi in the other place where they were that offered just the sushi part of my sashimi/​sushi set for about $ 39 which included soup and I think a small salad. Now, this set is the closest to what I used to order but they charge more because they give you a plate of sashimi before they bring you the sushi. However, this does not come with soup nor salad. It’s a good thing the green tea is unlimited.
I love this place though and would come back again. Maybe when I have more time, I will have their Omakase. Nevertheless, I am so glad to have been able to try it without waiting. Sometimes, it’s nice to go on your own without definite plans. It’s simpler. I can sit anywhere and usually easier to accommodate.

This place is amazingggg and up there with my other favorite sushi spots in the city (I’m looking at you Kura, Brushstroke and Nakazawa). Ushiwakamaru had shut down last year due to rent issues but they opened with very little fanfare just a few weeks ago in Chelsea. This was great news to me since it is now walking distance from my apartment and relatively easy to snag a counter res!
They offer a la carte items here, but to sit at the bar you need to commit to an omakase. There are two — one priced at $ 100 and another at $ 150 (?) for 14 and 20 pieces respectively. We opted for the lower one, and I left pretty stuffed (I eat a lot too).
They start you off with a small amuse bouche of 3 items, before moving on to a sashimi platter as appetizers. Then the parade of nigiri come — highlights included the o toro, sweet shrimp, red snapper, and California uni. The rice to fish ratio was perfect, and every piece was pretty outstanding.
You end the meal with tea a choice among several desserts — ice cream, something else, and Lady M green tea Mille Feuile! I actually wanted the Lady M, but in an effort to appear like a more dainty eater I got the green tea ice cream which is house made.
All in all a great meal — can’t wait to be back.

I LOVE OMAKASE
I have to preface this review with the following caveats
1) I cannot recall each item I was served during my 20 piece Omakase
2) I was dining with a long time friend and colleague who had just moved on to another job, when I said Sushi??? he said yes, when I said, how about Chef’s choice? he said yes. I was estatic
So we walked in at 8 on a Thursday, no seats at the bar (even though there were seats) so we sat at a table. He ordered the 14 piece, I the aforementioned 20 piece Sushi/​Sashimi omakase.
I also augmented my appetizer to be the Monkfish liver, Ankimo which was fantastic.
All of the fish were fresh and outstanding. I loved every minute of the meal, The sake flowed and the good times were reviewed. Although pricey compared to the former location, I couldn’t have been bothered by it at all. The service was great. I am sooo glad I checked the new Ushiwakamaru off my to do list
the only cons were I wish I had gotten the custard app as well, and that the live sweet shrimp did not come with the fried head… minor nitpicks that didn’t effect my very enjoyable experience. The space is clean, bright. The service was attentive and the fish was great.

Annnnnnnd we’re back!
Was extremely happy /​excited to be able to eat at one of favorite sushi spots again.
Tip. Whenever you get sushi, sit at the bar. Always.
We got the sashimi /​sushi omakase with additional pieces at the end. Our chef was different than the time prior on Houston which was fine! Only thing different was the amount of rice seemed a little less to us, we weren’t really full by the end of the meal. We ordered about 6 extra pieces each after the omakase ended — no biggie I was happy to stuff my face with more fish
Atmosphere is inviting. Nice long beautiful sushi counter. And the chef was very personable and interactive which was great. I even made a new friend who was dining beside me ! Haha
I would definitely recommend this place to others, as I always do. We will be returning quite frequently!

I was one of first customers for this moved from West Village and re-​opened Ushiwakamaru.
I made sure that his sushi still is one of the best in this City at first day party.
Dining room is obviously bigger and taller.
I saw few famillier sushi chefs in addition to owner chef, that also proof that we can get excellent sushi at any seats in the bar or table.
I just hope its easier to make sushi bar reservations now.
Can’t wait for my next visit.
Kanpai!