Sushi Yasuda Review

Our party of 6 came in on a Friday night with a reservation at 8 pm. Apparently according to their site, they don't accept parties of more than 6. We all got there on time so were seated immediately, but the place didn't look like it was too packed.

We jumped right into entrees and I had the Sushi Matsu (12pcs of sushi & a half roll - $44). But looking back at the photo I took, there were only 10 pieces. So either I got jipped, or I'm not remembering correctly what I had actually ordered. Either way, the sushi was good but I'm not sure if it was worth the price tag. Several members of my party and I were considering ordering some junk bar food later on at the bar we were planning to go to that night.

Overall, the quality for this price point is just okay. I've had better quality sushi and paid a bit less. As another reviewer mentioned, maybe it was because we didn't do omakase, but it really wasn't anything special. Would probably not come back.

Hands down my favorite Sushi restaurant in Manhattan. Rice is perfectly seasoned and cooked. Fish that melts in your mouth. Do yourself a favor and just go.

Can't go to Japan for fresh sushi? You must come to Sushi Yashuda. It has the best and freshest sushi in town.
Reservation is a must and please don't be late. We were 30 min late and had to have our dinner someplace else. The next reservation we got was for 6pm and we took it anyway since we really wanted to try out the place. We were not dissapointed.

First and foremost the service at this place was amazing. I loved my waitress so much because she had the best costumer service I've ever had in NYC. The food was amazing as well!

Best sushi I have ever had, atmosphere was great and each piece of sushi had so much care and attention poured into it!

Average at best. I don't know why I heard from a few people that I should eat there

I ve been to the place when it wasn t that popular (afair in 2011). Food was great and it is indeed expensive but you have the quality. I m writing in the past sentence as now I have a 1yo kid and how surprising it was for me when I came here all the way from CA and was declined to reserve a table because the age of my kid should be more than 5 years. I asked is there a reason and got a reply - if your kid starts crying we ask to step out of the restaurant but parents don t do it so 5 is the min. Shame on you and it doesn t matter how good your food is, it is about the respect for customers. Will share this amazing experience with all of my friends.

High quality fish, terrible service and very loud atmosphere. Waitress knew nothing about and could not identify most of the $15/piece fish we were served. Very disappointing.

Authentic Japanese cuisine. A great meal, just to don't come here look for americanized versions of sushi.

Great service and excellent waiters. It was loud and packed when me and my friends got there but we got a nice table with a friendly staff. Would certainly recommend!

This is what I call sushi very very very fresh fish . I live around the corner I come here at least 3 times a week . Great service.

Sit at the sushi bar, forget your budget, and keep ordering. Its the real thing. Top notch sushi.

Incredible sushi and service! Absolute must. The omokase is expensive but worth it!!

Good quality of food, the fish was excellent. I don t think this place should have $$$$ money signs because is not that expensive. They don t accept tips.

Fantastic. Absolutely fantastic. The imported beer was a little pricey, but didn't care: had PHENOMENAL sushi. Got omakase at the bar prepared by Tatsu. Fantastic service by him. Guy just kept giving me sushi and he was able to persuade me to try all 9 types of salmon they had (it wasn't difficult). The wait staff seemed a little uninviting, but you can easily look passed that if you're at the bar since the sushi chef takes care of you.

Z and I sat at the bar and I just remembered their uni and toro are my favourites.

I don't ever like hotate, because I just found them to be disgusting, but I thought I give this place a chance and ordered it and surprisingly not as fishy.

However, I don't think I am into clams - the various ones that I received were just too much for me.

I would skip on the desserts here, since they are not made from them, but a third party vendor.

great sushi experience, Omikase (chef's choice) is a must. Sit at the sushi bar to watch the chefs at work. It's a bit pricey but their fresh sushi is worth every dime.

Really amazing omakase. Not sure how we ate 25 pieces each, but they just went down so easily.

Superb fish but ver pricey. I guess quality has a price

The best sushi in New York for an astronomical price but when you like, you do not count

Sit at bar for breathtaking omakase and gracious service.

I've been planning on trying Yasuda for a while. Reservations were a little difficult, but got them thankfully. After a little planning, my friends and I had a very pleasant dinner here.

We ordered a few things a la carte and the sushi & sashimi plate, to share. One of my friends really liked the Chirashi bowl. I'll probably get that next time.

The fish here is very fresh and the chef prepared each dish like works of art. The elegant ambiance compliments everything. Overall we had a great experience. This is my favorite new sushi place.

We went there for lunch and chose the lunch menu, a mix of rolls and sashimi that one can choose from a wide selection of Japanese fish and seafood (eel, tuna belly, etc.). Fantastic quality of fish, very attentive service (cup of green tea is exchanged for a new cup as soon as a quarter has been consumed), but long wait (roughly 40 minutes). Very tasty desserts. Tipping is NOT allowed (as service is supposed to be included in Japanese culture).

This is by far the best sushi place in Manhattan. The quality, presentation, and service are first class. If you're wondering whether you should try it the answer is yes.

The omasake was lovely I must admit! However, there are two letdowns, you NEED a reservation, and the reason why I'm giving it one star is because I saw Bluefin Tuna on the menu. I did bring it to attention, however, this akin to serving panda or rhinos, which are as endangered as the Bluefin Tuna. Unfortunate.

I have enjoyed the menu at Sushi Yasuda for many years. I had previously lived over 4 years in Japan and never found that level of sushi and sashimi anywhere in North America. One lucky evening my wife and I went to Sushi Yasuda after reading a (typically) great review. Since that time more than 15 years ago we ve never gone anywhere else. This is not some kind of Nobu or Benihana type pseudo-Japanese place. Sushi Yasuda is an authentic sushi bar, and offers a wonderful welcome to the flavors and customs of Japan. It s the real deal. Be sure to reserve.

Really super delicious, every way is delicious, the fish entrance is instant, and it is very satisfying.

Sushi in NYC doesn't get better/fresher than this.
Thought my boyfriend was going to fall over from the amount on the bill. But agreed- it was so worth it. The sushi melts in your mouth.
Highly recommend to sit at the bar, let the Chef recommend and make whatever combinations he suggests. He tells you to eat the sushi with your hands.
It was a sushi restaurant experience for me like no other. Best meal I've had in Midtown.

Maybe I got the wrong sushi chef? Since the menu is not very inventive, I expected laser focus on quality and execution of a purist sushi shop. However, to me the qualify of sashimi was just so, and the sushi and maki execution was just sloppy. Will give it one more try and ask for a different chef...

Ordered omakase at the sushi bar, but also ordered a mix and match option because we were still hungry.

I enjoyed the flavors, textures, environment and interaction with the chefs.

Omakase isn't priced because it's based on how many pieces you order but ordering 10 pieces should put you in the $70-90 range. The sushi chef will make the pieces according to your tastes or requests.

If you want a seat at the sushi bar, (recommended) know exactly when you want to book before calling and have alternative times/days ready in case your preference is booked (highly likely if it's on a Thursday or Friday night)

I had their green tea ice cream mochi dessert, which was probably the best mochi I've had because the sweetness, chewiness, and green-tea flavoring were balanced.

Favorites: Sea Urchin, King Salmon, Eel

Worth a try? Definitely
Feel free to take the menu home as a souvenir

Words cant even explain how great my experience was here. We sat at the sushi bar and had the Omakase, prepared by the head chef (Mitisuru). You must sit at the sushi bar to really have an awesome experience, but make a reservation.

The sushi was AMAZING! Best I ever had. Every bit was a joy of goodness. It really and truly was wonderful.

A must try!!!

The chef was great, most of the fish was pretty good, and the price was as advertised.

The greeting staff were friendly. The waiter was prompt and attentive. When I asked for chef s choice he picked delicious fish. It matched what I was ordering well and included things I wouldn t think to order.

This is a great experience and is def a fancy place.

I went for straight sushi. I picked my pieces and asked for/took suggestions. Definitely a place to be adventurous and throw down some cash. I d budget ~$200 per person.

Amazing sushi! High quality fish, great ambience and very authentic

Great Sushi Experience in NYC. Impossible to get in without reservations for dinner.

Great food, great atmosphere and the best Bloody Mary in town."

Had Omakase (sashimi & sushi) here for the first time. The sea food is so fresh! I especially love the clam, scallop, salmon, eel and oyster. Service is also good. Will come here again!

That was one of the worst restaurant we have ever been.
We ordered ginkgo nuts for just snack first. It was too burnt so only taste as burnt flavour. Then 2 botan shrimp n oyster came.. it wasn't impressed how they put on the plate. No presentation or whatsoever. Like no skills n no effort from the chef.
After that, few sushi came it just like takeaway sushi quality. Sashimi was dry. Only sea urchin was good.
We had no alcohol drinks, ginko nuts, few sushi and oyster. It cost was over $130!! Nuts!! It was painful to pay with this quality and service( this is another one I want to talk about!) additionally, the service wasn't terrible at least rude or anything. BUT they constantly changing hot green tea mug. So always coming fresh mug n hot temperature. They're not topping up, literally changing cup each time after 2 sips. Cos too hot to drink it anyway! So my husband has to cool it down it, and waited to be drinkable temperature THEN they coming to change mug for u. We kinda laugh this too funny system. Lol
I think this restaurant is too overrated. I wouldn't recommend this restaurant to anyone. Save your dollars to go somewherelse!

Amazing experience and food... one of the best in NYC

Sushi Yasuda sells the best sushi ever, so fresh and tasty, they have excellent service! great staff here

Good omakase with impeccable service. The only 'dings' to my rating are that I thought it was a touch over-priced, even for NYC, and that there wasn't a lot of creativity to any of the dishes - it's pretty standard fare. Still, the fish was incredibly fresh and well-prepared.

Let me premise this by saying that I am a huge sushi fan. I had very high expectations after reading about Sushi Yasuda. However, I was let down by the quality of the sushi and service. I reserved the sushi bar so we could interact with the chef and we showed up a few minutes late and were seated in the back room. I understand being tardy is my fault but it was fashion week and would have liked to been afforded a little bit of leeway.
For the food, I ordered the Omakase which consisted of multiple courses that seemed to have been thrown together rather than progressing dish to dish. The toro, the fatty tuna belly, was probably the least fresh fish on the menu and had a weird odor unlike any toro I have had at other upscale Japanese restaurants. I could have done without the toro, and worst of all, it appeared in three separate courses. The mini crabs were a spectacle, but really did not taste that good. The sushi was under seasoned.
I wanted to like this restaurant very badly, but it failed to excite me.
Also a shame that the Omakase was a 2 Michelin Star price for, in my opinion, a 0 Michelin Star meal.

Its sushi. yeah its good, but it doesn't need to be this pricey.

If you love sushi but you ve never sat at the sushi bar at Yasuda; do you really love sushi?
I hesitate to tell people about the restaurant because I want to make sure I get my seat!
It can sometimes be awkward having business dinners when diners have different dietary requirements, but the chefs regularly deal with kosher-only clients. If you request kosher, the chefs know exactly what to send you and exactly how to prepare it.

Absolutely delicious Omakase. The staff was very polite and helpful. They were very attentive The whole time. The sushi chef was friendly and earnest in trying to figure out what to get you next. Prices for a Michelin started place that tasted this good we're really reasonable. The sake (nihonshu) was very smooth and worth every penny. The bill states that no tip is expected or allowed. Though I did see someone giving a cash top to the sushi chef. You need a reservation typically especially for sitting at the bar. I did see a father and son walk in and get sat at a table right away though.

Sushi are good, but the portion size is tiny even for the japanese restaurants. I spent 70 bucks and was still hungry

This place is absolutely delicious. My wife and I are both huge sushi fans, and this is some of the best sushi we've ever had. Will definitely return.

Good Sushi place famouse for the omakasi menu choice which means as the chef pleases, I opted for that and wasnt dissapointed, the sushi chef served a good variety of fresh sushi and sashimi

Fantastic omakase, good value when it comes to premium sushi.

Extremely disappointed. Overpriced and overrated. After spending over $200 for sushi dinner for 2 ...we left the restaurant still hungry! Sushi pcs extremely small and a hand roll is rolled like a thin cigar!!
Do Not waste your money... there are much better sushi restaurants in NYC!
Sushi Yasuda is a big rip off!

Normal Nothing special. We pay $ 313. For that price you can find something much better.

Not only the best in NYC, but my favorite worldwide including Tokyo.

The secret is in Japanese hospitality that honors regulars thanks to Shige and the style Yasuda and now Mitsuru have developed which features neta ("fish") sliced and sized finely to balance weight and taste over rice so well seasoned that it never needs anything else.

Compared to other sushi-ya of renown, Yasuda features: very few appetizers or sides, strong expertise in shellfish and eel, delicate flavors with just occasional use of salts and lemon; light wasabi usage and no use of shisho, onion or other strong seasonings. No inside out rolls or chirashi; hand-rolls are freshly toasted and good for finishing a meal with tuna, eel or plum. Atmosphere is refined and calming.

Absolutely delicious. Amazing omakase selection, I always try to grab a table when I'm in town

Oh it is a really nice place to visit. The restaurant inside is really good looking, Modern - Japanese style. The variety of menu is really good. The fish is really fresh and tastes good. I as the person who comes from Austria, was surprised that the sushi style is totally the same as in Europe, but it tastes really great. Japanese beer looks like an alcho-frei beer. Wasabi is not spicy. But overall the food was awesome. Only thing what I didn't really like was that the waiter responded to my question to bring me Lemonade like :" how you can ask about lemonade in this traditional Japanese restaurant ?" ( he didn't say so, but i felt this way) overall the service was excellent. The last thing you don't need to give money tips to the waiter, they would not accept it.

Honestly, I think I had too much expectation from this place. After reading the hyped review, I egged my friends to come when we were in NY. I called and made the appointment with restaurant, but had a little bit of issue since we were not understanding each other of what day to come because of the slight language barrier. Anyhow, with that issue aside, my friends and I arrived early and were told to wait until it was time. That's perfectly okay because we were early.

One of my friend, unfortunately, refuses to eat raw fish or raw anything for that matter. We asked the waiter if they had anything cooked for her since she's unable to consume raw food, but he instead gave us a condescending look and told us that's how "japanese food in New York is." If that's not a red flag, I don't know what is. We find some cooked stuff on our own and ordered it for her. After that remarked, I just pray that our food was amaze-balls in order to compensate for that horrid statement.

We order off the specials they had that day since there was grilled fish and unfried crab cake esque that my friend could eat. The rest of us ordered the combination and I, of course, absolutely had to order toro. The sushi was not prepared properly and it fell apart as soon as I picked it up with my chopsticks. Sushi-wise I want to say it's mediocre, I honestly had better in Austin in terms of quality, service, and presentation. Our grilled fish had the resemble flavor of chinese sausage and the crab cake esque ball was interesting, but not to our particular liking.

When it came to paying, it was hell. We were not aware of the no tipping system they had there and we were just going to leave with the tip. They did not let us leave and forced us to get our money. On top of that, they shortchanged us $10. I was wondering how that happened, but it did. I was not willing to go back and demand $10. Hopefully, that will encourage them to give some service to their customers. I will never come back and I do not recommed coming here if you are of the asian descent. They only seem to treat foreigners better than their own kind. That is subjective, but that was my horrible experience at Sushi Yasuda.

fantastic sushi and sashimi served by freindly and helpful counter men. you would think you were in japan. no place for a romantic date in this bright busy restaurant.

Like place and food nice place to hang out with friends

Restaurant is clean, timely and great fresh sushi. very pricey.

For the price..I think this is just okay. Very fresh food, but definitely overpriced. I wouldn't say this is the best sushi restaurant that I've been to either.

Good clean establishment with great customer service

Amazing food. Best sushi in NYC. Service is not the friendliest. You go there for the food jot the service.

Amazing sushi fresh the service could improve a little

Blah, Showed me one menu then showed me the 'real' menu. Only a single grade of toro? Seriously? Service was a total joke, Slow and painful. Left before the mediocre fish selection showed up. Do yourself a favor, go somewhere else.

The place was very pleasant to the eye, but not to the stomach. Sushi was disappointing. For such an expensive price, I was expecting the same quality as Japan, but I was very wrong. Service was okay though.

If you are a huge fan of traditional Japanese sushi, you might enjoy this place and find that it's worth the money. If you've never had traditional Japanese sushi, and are not sure if it's for you I suggest skipping it if you're worried about it being worth the cash. The fish was fresh, the service was impecable, the restaurant has a great atmosphere, but as someone who hasn't developed a taste for traditional sushi I just didn't think it was worth the price in terms of my enjoyment of the food.

ATMOSPHERE Calm and cerebral, with the focus squarely on the food.

SOUND LEVEL Pleasantly quiet.

RECOMMENDED DISHES Sushi and sashimi, flash-fried shrimp, grilled fish liver, flash-fried eel bones.

WINE LIST No wine; small selection of beer and sake.

PRICE RANGE Appetizers, $4.50 to $24; sushi, $3.50 to $8.50 apiece; omakase, $80 to $200; desserts, $4 to $6.

HOURS Monday to Friday, noon to 2:15 p.m., 6 to 10:15 p.m. Saturday, 6 to 10:15 p.m. Closed Sunday.

RESERVATIONS Essential, two weeks ahead.

CREDIT CARDS All major cards.

WHEELCHAIR ACCESS Entrance, dining room and restrooms are on one level.