Wasan

I went here for some sushi on a weekday and was amazed and delighted w the miso, bento, crème brûlée prix fix. I couldn’t have had more delicious food! Well worth it and I think this is a great east side gem. Will definitely be back.

Wasan is truly an outstanding dining experience. I am a big fan of Japanese food and I cannot believe I didn’t know about this restaurant sooner. I found it while looking for farm to table Japanese and I must say I was thoroughly impressed by every aspect. The attention to detail that has gone into everything here is obvious and the place is thoroughly authentic. If you appreciate Japanese culture and food, I have no doubt you will be very impressed. I had the omakase, and did not stop after that. I ordered nearly everything on the menu. That may be an exaggeration, but I did order quite a lot. I cannot recommend this restaurant highly enough and I look forward to my next visit.

Good but not great. Came in on july 4^th for a light bite, between two we had wagyu&uni sushi and uni lover, yellowtail jalapeño yuzu and ribeye steak over rice large. The wagyu& uni sushi and uni lover was the highlight. Yellowtail jalapeño was fresh but no taste of jalapeño. They claim it was in the ponzu. Ribeye steak over rice was smothered in sauce. Not exactly what I was looking for. 4 items and our bill was about 85 $ and nothing was really special or worth coming back for.

incredible ! The food blew me away.
The Uni is a must! Also the salmon and spicy avocado was great. I
Recommend ordering a lot of different things and sharing. The foie gras sushi was also a highlight! You really can’t go wrong .our waitress Lisa was so happy and nice, and accommodating, she made our night that much better. The spa wand the ambiance was perfect. The perfect spot for a group of friends getting drunk on sake and eating delicious food! Or going in a date. I Reccomend this place highly! Go now! Order everything and drink sake!

I love this place!
If you like UNI, please try UNI LOVER
They have a lot of SAKE selection.

De-​Li-​Cious! and lovely people here.
Definitely a go-​to place for a relaxing night with sophisticated atmosphere in east village.

This is my spot to get my uni on when I don’t feel like throwing down too much dough. The uni lover — a slab of uni on top of a fried uni chip drizzled with uni sauce — is pure sex in your mouth (not like that, you pervert). Just want to savor that taste forever! Other items worth trying are the shrimp buns, uni lover roll, wagyu uni, uni don, homemade cheese tofu, and foie gras sushi. I’ve also had the wagyu cooked on a slab of sizzling Himalayan rock salt that you do yourself, which is fun.
They recently remodeled a portion of the restaurant to fit more seats, but it never gets crowded. Ambiance is dark and intimate (great for dates). I’ve celebrated many a birthdays here. The servers are always nice and attentive, but the kitchen is slow sometimes.

Look, the service was great and the drink menu extensive, and the food was even basically edible, if the usual tiny tapas portions. But hot foie gras? pass

I’m a fan! Great Japanese food. This place does not seem to get very crowded which is good. Everything we had was great! Seriously can’t go wrong with any of the dishes.
— Uni lover
— Foie gras sushi
— Wagyu beef and uni sushi special
— Octopus carpaccio special
— Soba shrimp tempura
— Stone sirloin steak

Do yourself a favor and get the foie gras sushi.
I may be little biased because I love foie gras, but coming from someone who cooks it at home (on special occasions), I would say their foie gras is top notch. The portions are larger than similar Japanese restaurants in the area and no less tasty.
The venue is small and intimate, great place for a cute date.

I’m always on the hunt for a good Japanese spot, so I was excited to try Wasan and the (too-​good-​to-​be-​true) $ 55 tasting menu. The restaurant is tucked away on a quiet, residential street, and it was a good sign that on a Friday night the majority of the diners seemed to be Japanese.
The prices here are very reasonable as mentioned by others, with a 4-​course menu for $ 45, 5-​course for $ 55 and 3 glass sake flights for $ 18 or carafes in the high teens and bottles around $ 30. They also offer a full a la carte menu.
I wasn’t very impressed by the food itself, though portions are generous. I would say quality and flavor is a slight step up from your typical Seamless spot, but not by much. And given the competition of other great Japanese restaurants in the neighborhood I’d say Wasan needs to step up their game more.

Wasan is quite the hidden gem, an often-​overlooked restaurant in the midst of other excellent Japanese restaurants in East Village. It’s not purely Japanese, to be fair; there’s an interesting blend of Eastern and Western ingredients and preparations available across their extensive menu, and they’ve also jumped onto the tasting menu and late night ramen trend. They typically have a handful of reservations available throughout the week, making it a perfect last-​minute location should the need arise.
The venue is fairly low-​key, consisting of a bar area and a handful of rather tightly-​squeezed in tables. It’s an ideal place for an intimate dinner, perfect for a lengthy conversation with friends or a meal to impress. I was able to visit in February to try their five-​course Chef’s Tasting menu, a regularly rotating selection of bites that gives diners few options per course, and includes dishes both on and off their a la carte menu.
First, a starting amuse featuring skewer with two cuts of a potato cake with a dab of jalapeño jelly and a side of a creamy truffle aoili. It’s a decadent first bite, with a merging of spicy and sweet, surprisingly well complemented by the aromatic aoili. It was a sharp contrast to the first actual course, a light arugula and baby spinach salad tossed in a balamic vinaigrette and topped with a few slices of roast duck. It was a balanced and fresh dish, with a hint of peppery-​ness that paired well with the protein.
For fans of raw fish, the Sashimi plate here was an excellent one, featuring clean cuts of salmon, tuna, and yellowtail that were smooth and supple and texture, each bite clean and with minimal aftertaste. The full spectrum of Japanese cuisine is highlighted here however; my next course was an impressive dish of sliced Rib Eye Beef in a Casserole. The casserole consists of sliced bamboo, shiitake mushrooms, a poached egg, and the beef in a steaming hot dashi broth; it was a delicious first spoonful, but I had to sheepishly ask for a side of white rice to pair as I thought that a carbohydrate of some sort was needed.
For the final savory course, I opted for Wasan’s most interactive experience which allows guests to grill their own Sirloin Steak on a hot Stone Grill in front of them. It’s a fun, if challenging option, that lets you choose what temperature you want your protein to be at, although I should note that it’s potentially dangerous as the stone is extremely hot; this is not the dish to order for those that are less-​than-​coordinated or have more than one or two drinks. In addition to the sliced beef, there’s a few sliced mushrooms and onions to place on the grill as well, and a soy-​based marinade on the side to season the meat. It’s an excellent course, with simple, but refined flavors, and quite memorable given the hands on component as well.
To finish, a chilled «Zenzai», a red bean soup, was served with a small chestnut. Wasan’s version was denser than the versions I’ve become used to, but I couldn’t complain about the addition of two mochi balls, which gave it some much-​needed texture and chew. I also got to try the Tofu Flan, a dairy-​free dessert that uses silken tofu to form the base. The texture was not as supple as I had hoped for, but the flavor was perfectly light and complemented by a mint leaf and a few dashes of a citrus-​based syrup.
A part of me wonders why Wasan isn’t more highly regarded; this five-​course menu clocked in at a mere $ 55, and was more than worth its price. On the other… I’m more than happy to keep this in my back pocket, for the next time I need the perfect location.

Wonder why it took me so long to write a review for Wasan. I have been here multiple times, solo or with friends. Never a bad experience. Food wise, it is good but not mind blown good. Then why five stars?
First services. Everyone works here are friendly and attentive it not intrusive. Every time I came here I feel like walking in a friend’s place. So I relaxed, chilled and sip sake. Sometimes strike a conversation with bar tender. That’s all A working girl needs especially after a long day at work :)
Second ambiance. I love the fact that it is an avenue away from the chaotic little Tokyo. It is a more adult, dim lit, jazz music played kind of izakaya.
Although I won’t same they served the best izakaya food in the city, it is good enough to come back time to time. My fav and menu stable is the uni lovers — uni sashimi on top of uni chip with garlic oil and avocado. Good but I love plain uni sashimi more. Another one is the homemade beef stew. Be sure to check out seasonal daily specials. Winter they served monk fish liver. Perfect to go with hot sake.
Oh sake selection is good here.
I am so glad this oasis exists among the craziness of little Tokyo in E.V.

I was really impressed by this place.
We came here for the Valentine’s Day menu. A six course meal for $ 78 — it seemed like a good choice. Fortunately we were very pleased by the meal and the exceptional service.
The evening began with a serving of the Hokkaido potato cake with black truffle. It also came with a side of Jalapeño jelly that paired well with the dish. The slight tang of spiciness really helped whet the appetite and the cake was soft and melted in your mouth.
My lady had the fish ball soup, which I sampled and was impressed by the silky texture. The ball itself was chewy but soft as well. My only slight complaint was that the soup got saltier as it went along. My appetizer was the roast duck arugula baby spinach salad. This was one of the highlights of the evening thanks to the slightly tart ginger dressing that meshed well with the tender (but not gamey) texture of the duck.
For the second official course we both tried the sashimi which was right on point. The tuna was fresh and boasted a rich color. The flavor was fresh and lacked the mushy aftertaste typical of CO2 treated tuna that fakes diners out with its vivid color. The salmon was ridiculously fresh and also melted in your mouth. The yellowtail was fresh and retained a nice firm texture.
The third course featured a choice of simmered yellowtail paired with daikon radish. or a ribeye casserole ala a mini sukiyaki. The former had a robust flavor but might deter people who are averse to a strong fishy flavor. The ribeye casserole was rich and the sauce was spot on. The only slight complaint there was given the type of meat used and the style of preparation, the meat does get tough over time. It’s best to enjoy the beef as soon as it arrives.
For the main dish my lady tried the grilled lobster with cream sauce. The lobster itself was fresh and the meat was firm. Despite the cream sauce billing the flavor was not overwhelming and was pleasant to the palate. I opted for the stone grilled sirloin steak, which was a plate of fresh raw meat that you cook on a ridiculously hot slice of stone. The cooking time for medium rare was advertised as 15 seconds on each side, and they were not kidding. Leaving on too long quickly resulted in a leathery composition, but when cooked properly the meat was flavorful, tender and paired perfectly with the daikon/​sake infused dipping sauce.
We ended our meal with the tofu flan dessert and the strawberry/​coconut ice cream and sake sorbet combo. The tofu flan was extremely light but the strong apricot compote paired well with the dish. The strawberry ice cream was flavorful but the sake sorbet helped provide a light balance to the overall experience.
The service here was extremely friendly and attentive. The folks who took care of us helped make our experience pleasant and memorable.
I would definitely come back here in the future.

Good quality food.
Really wanted the uni bowl, but the waitress informed us that they decided not to make this dish because they were going to use the uni for the special uni lover appetizer. Why? Because it had a higher profit margin. Hilarious! Run like a true business. But they should have taken the bowl off the menu!
Also had the maguro don, king salmon, and salmon chirashi. Overall a great dinner.

A small attractively unusual sort of like old-​fashioned japanese fusion restaurant. The atmosphere is very conducive for a nice sit-​down dinner with friends or even for a date. The service is really good and as I noticed, the attendants took really good care of each customer pretty well.
We tried the sashimi sampler (tuna and yellowtail) and it wasn’t really that special. I was hoping they had a broader sushi menu though. I also had the roast chicken with wasabi-​mustard which was okay.
Maybe I didn’t order what most reviews mentioned as this restaurant’s best-​seller/​must try.
Overall an okay experience. Might go back and maybe try recommendations

Excellent service and fresh sushi! Ambiance was lovely and perfect for a romantic date with my lovey.
My absolute favorite… Uni Lover (Sea urchin and avocado on a bed of homemade uni chips, topped with garlic peanut oil.)
In my opinion, The Foie Gras Rice (Sauteed foie gras on sushi rice served on a bed of endive, topped with strawberry balsamic vinegar sauce.) sounded unique and delicious, but was actually underwhelming. I was surprised since it had such positive reviews here on Unilocal.The flavors did not seem to complement one another, which I was disappointed about.
All in all though, great place for dinner and would love to come again!

Uni lover chips and foie gras sushi. That’s all you need.
Fresh California uni in a peanut oil and yuzu sauce with avocado on a deep fried chip. $ 6.50 each. Melt in your mouth slurp.
Foie gras sushi makes me smile just thinking of it.
I usually write longer reviews but I really need not say more.

I came here for drinks with my co-​workers and it was a very pleasant experience.
We started off with a variety of small dishes and some sapporo beer. I loved the hamachi shashimi, the cooked salmon and the chicken! The waitress was super nice and helpful. It was pretty filling and absolutely delicious! Coming from Japan, I’d be happy to say that this place does serve pretty authentic Japanese cuisine with a New York twist! The foie gras sushi was so mouth-​wateringly good and so was the rest of the food. I just wish I wasn’t allergic to soy so I could have tried their cheese tofu!
We went on a friday and the place was pretty full but not overwhelmingly packed and even then our food didn’t take too long at all!
Definitely coming back here again!

Ate here last night with my husband. We arrived with a 6:45 pm reservation and was promptly seated. I love the ambiance here, very cozy and intimate, with brick walls and open doors/​windows that allowed for nice breeze. We both got the $ 55 tasting menu and the amount of food and portion made the tasting menu a total steal!
We started off with an amuse of asparagus in an egg yolk sauce, first course was the little neck clam soup and a shrimp broccoli rabe salad, all were very tasty and seasoned perfectly. We also got the famous uni lover and foie gras sushi, omg they were both like an explosion in my mouth. Being a huge uni fan, their uni lover is extremely satisfying, the uni was very creamy and sweet, i would totally return to them just to have this dish again. The foie gras sushi was also very tasty, the foie has a really nice seared on them. For entrée we got the snow crab chirashi (uni +$ 10) and the stone grilled steak, the steak seems to be a popular dish here as i see many tables ordered that also. For desert i got the house made fig and mascapone ice cream, it is really good but a little on the sweet side for me.
Service was very good also, nice waitress and very attentive.
This place is a very modern take on traditional japanese cuisine, there are a number of other dishes i am dying to try, guess next time… It is expensive though and reservation is a must, i saw them turn down people without reservations one after another.